Eileen K. Parfrey
Office Hours: Tuesdays
4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
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Someone
once told me that
"every pastor has
three stock sermons."
He encouraged me to
listen carefully to
how and what I preach,
and to see if I could
discern what those
three might be for
me. The three themes
that seem to be emerging
for me are: that we
are already loved
and already forgiven
by God; that we need
each other to remember
that we are forgiven
and loved; that we
are "fed" to go out
and "feed" others.
It seems like a pretty
simple theology, and
perhaps that is the
beauty of it. To me,
it reflects the deep,
deep goodness of God's
love for us, as well
as the response required
of us. When I am aware
of the unmerited grace
God showers on me,
the logical response
is gratitude, and
that "attitude of
gratitude" requires
me to act. That action
can be as simple as
generosity and hospitality
and good stewardship.
I love thinking of
the church's mission
as that of hospitality:
inviting, making room,
including. There is
more to that mission,
though. When Jesus
talks about the Great
Banquet, he says that
the spurned host's
servants were told
to go out into the
highways and to COMPEL
people to come in
to the feast. While
I don't advocate forcing
people to come to
church--that hardly
seems hospitable--there
is a real sense in
which the church could
afford to become more
pro-active in its
exercise of hospitality.
My colleagues in business
used to say to me
ruefully, "It is awfully
hard to say no to
you." That is the
kind of invitation
Jesus is talking about.
Rather than passively
waiting for people
to come to our doors,
the church needs to
actively seek out
people and to encourage
them unconditionally.
May peace be your
way in the world.
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