Bless His Heart

I’m not sure if y’all have seen the latest news to come out of the State of Alabama. The newly elected Governor, Robert Bentley, was speaking in a church when he made the comment “Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother.” All I can say is “Bless his heart”. The pastor of the church where Bentley was speaking said “He was trying to relay something that is fundamental to our faith, that people who believe in Jesus are related. He didn't mean that he's not part of the brotherhood of humanity.” “Bless his heart”.
More often than not our whole year builds in the highly anticipated holidays creating excitement with warm attitudes then all of a sudden the anti-climax to the holiday season known as the month of January slaps us in the face. With not much on our agendas we settle back into the same old routines of prior to the holidays. Unfortunately this sometimes includes our faith. Instead of talking about the “Love come down at Christmas” an emphasis seems to be placed on that which separates us from others. When the message changes the people on the outside of the church are once again saying “See, it is the same old church. One we don’t want to be a part of”. In defense of the Alabama governor I am sure he really wasn’t trying to exclude anyone. Let this serve as a reminder that we are to be intentional about our faith and the good news by choosing words consistent with our beliefs.
Why is this so important? A friend of mine who served an old mill village church explained how church worked during the ‘40’s, ‘50’s, and early ‘60’s. Church and faith were not a choice but a condition of employment. Church attendance records were maintained on mill employees. Church pews were full yet such attendance was taken for granted. The spiritual life of church members was never developed. I remember as a child attending church with my mom and wondering why the man standing up preaching was so angry. All he did was holler at everyone attending the service (Bless his heart). However, the good news tells us a different story. In the story of the Prodigal Child clearly one child makes the right decision and one the wrong decision. Or is that the case? Yet, the father sees the “child on the outside” wanting to come back home. As the wayward child is embraced the other son gets mad. His attitude, including his words, is not consistent with the inheritance to be received.
Although I cannot speak for others I know that I have been both children in the story. During the slow time found in January I have found myself examining my life. It has not been pretty. My inconsistency is somewhat frightening “Bless my heart”. Rather than dwell on the past I realize a need to let that go by placing my trust in God. Instead of getting in the way of God maybe I should move over so God can work. I pray this is something we all should try to do. If we can, God’s love will be made known through our church and we will not hear people saying “Bless their heart”. I am truly blessed to be associated with the Church of the Palms and all who attend.