Jan. 6 Matt. 5

Fortunate

I saw a great sign recently. It would be a great sign for a church. I am not sure it would fit for every church but I know it would be outside of the church where Jesus attends. I saw it for the first time several months ago as I was jogging to the beach from my daughter’s house in West Palm. I had passed it many times before as I was driving to the beach but for some reason this time I had time to really read it and the time to really think about it. That should help you realize the speed at which I run and what goes on in the mind of a slow runner as he tries to avoid the monotony of running. Just for the record it is exactly 6.2 miles or a 10K from her house to the beach. It takes me about an hour to run the distance. Actually, I am glad I run slow. It gives me time to take in the sights and the signs along the way. Just think about how much we are missing by driving everywhere all the time. Actually, I never even liked to run. I was a sprinter in school and didn’t even like running the warm up distances. I thought long distance runners were from another planet. Sprinting worked for me because the race was over quickly and then I could go back to not running, which was my favorite part of being on the track team. I have never liked running but I always had a dream, a desire if you will, to live near an ocean and to surf. In fact if my high school would have had a surf team I would have tried out. Sounds pretty crazy for an Indiana boy who grew up in the burbs of Indianapolis but it is true. I loved going to Florida for Spring Break and when it came time to pick a University I found the perfect one. You guessed it; right in the middle of Florida.  While I attended college I tried surfing several times but never really got the hang of it. Let’s just say I probably wouldn’t have made the school surf team. After college I moved back to Indiana but I never lost the dream. Actually, while I was in school I met and married a girl from Cocoa Beach, Fl. who just happened to have two brothers still leaving in Cocoa Beach. Yes, I married her because I loved her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, but it didn’t hurt that she had two brothers still living in Cocoa Beach. On a visit to one of those brothers in Cocoa Beach many years later, I was sitting on the beach watching all these guys in the water living my dream. Suddenly the ember of that dream was fanned into a flame and I went and rented a surf board and for the next several hours proceeded to drown myself in a myriad of styles. Those guys really made surfing look easy. I had the time of my life. What I didn’t have however was much stamina. Surfing is incredibly taxing on the cardio vascular system. Did I mention that those guys make surfing look really easy. And do you remember what I said about not enjoying running or other forms of exercise that would be considered good for the cardio vascular system. I discovered two things that first day of surfing after a long hiatus.

1. I really do love surfing and just being in and around the ocean.

2. I was really out of shape. Really!

So I made a decision. I had to get in shape so that the next time I had a chance to surf it would be; well more like surfing and less like trying not to drown and constantly trying to catch my breath. You get my drift. So, I started running. And now as I look back I feel fortunate that I was out of shape because if I had not been out of shape I would have never started running and if I had never started running I may have always just driven to the beach and never run to the beach. And if I had always driven to the beach I may have never seen that sign. You remember the sign don’t you. I love that sign. It is located in front of a law office and is very simple. Here is what is says

…………… & Co Law Office

• Divorced?
• Injured?
• Arrested?
• Foreclosed on?.

I love that sign for several reasons.

First, to me it is a sign about fortunate people; blessed people; people who are in crisis; people who are broken; people who have lost everything; people who are in despair; people who are hurting.

In other words people who know that they need help; the kind of people who would see the sign and venture into the law office it represents. It sounds strange I know because we normally associate the idea of being “blessed” or “fortunate” with people who have it all together; people who have very few problems; people who have enough money; people whose kids are doing well; people who are healthy;  people who hardly ever need help or assistance. You know…….. the fast runners in our society.  All the people who are on their way somewhere and maybe never even see the sign.

Why do I consider the former group ”blessed” or “fortunate?” Because Jesus considered them such. That is what Jesus called people who met these criteria.

In today’s reading in Matt. 5 the first several verses Jesus laid the foundation for His kingdom and launched His brief but enduring legacy with words similar to what I just used. He said,

“Blessed or fortunate are those who are bankrupt in spirit.”

“Blessed or fortunate are those who are injured and mourning.”

“Blessed or fortunate are those who having been arrested are meek.”

“Blessed or fortunate are those who, having been divorced from God’s purposes, hunger and thirst or something more than what the now have.”

In other words, blessed or fortunate are those who have recognized their need and have seen the sign.

And that leads me to the second reason I love that sign. Although it is not mentioned on the sign it is implied by the sign that anyone who fits the criteria is not only welcome but desired. That is why I think it is the sign Jesus would have in front of His church. Actually, the only thing I don’t like about the sign is that it is in front of a law office instead of a church. It makes me wonder. Would people who fit the criteria come to our church or more importantly to us; to me? If a sign like that were in front of our church would people who it described believe it was for them? Would they venture inside our church thinking they were wanted and that they could find the help they needed? To me there is something wrong with the notion that they would go to a lawyer and not to a church or a believer. And then that begs another question. If there were a sign like that in front of our church would we attend? What would we do if people like that came to our church? What would we do if people thought we were one of those people? Maybe we are. Blessed and fortunate.

Just a thought or…… at least a question.

Gotta run!

Blessings