The Sunday morning service went as usual but, as might be expected, the church was packed Sunday night. As might also be expected, some people were not gratified by this overwhelming turnout. However, one of the happy ones was the pastor - or, if happy was too strong a word, at least he was contented. The strains of the previous week were behind him, and now that he was convinced of his course of action, he felt confident and ready to go.
Emily Johansen began playing the hymn that was his cue to enter the sanctuary. He had purposely dispensed with song-leader and choir tonight, so he stood there alone, waiting for the verse to end and the chorus to begin.
"Thank you, Lord," he heard, and then realized he had said it, Wow, he couldn't remember saying that, except in a prayer. Still, it was a prayer, wasn't it? The chorus began, and he moved forward and out into the packed, expectant church. When the chorus ended, he smiled and began.
"I want to welcome you all to tonight's service. This is a pastor's dream - I don't think we could squeeze another person in here. There must be something special going on, tonight."
A ripple of reaction went through the church, punctuated by soft laughter and brief comments. Josh continued to smile.
"Yes, there is something special going on here tonight, something so special that I've decided to skip our usual opening routine and get right to it. If you've brought an offering tonight, we'll have one of the ushers at the back door after the service to collect it there. Now, before I go on, will you join me in a simple prayer? Dear Lord, please let me say tonight what You want to say, and let everyone hear what You want them to hear. Thank you, Lord.
"Well, last week I began telling a story about a young family and their problems. My main purpose in telling it was to get more people out to church on Sunday evenings. Looking around me, it looks like I succeeded!"
More amused reaction came from some of the congregation.
"However, in the hours and days since I read Chapter 1 to you, I learned some rather painful things that have changed my feelings about what I started. First of all, I learned that there are a number of people here tonight who don't think I can write worth a darn!"
This time there was outright laughter, and he could pick out several friends nodding in mock seriousness. When order returned, he continued.
"But I learned a much more important thing. I learned that I really didn't know what I was going to tell you in my story. I was going to create some situations, but when it came right down to solving the problems I had created, I didn't know how to do it. All that I could come up with were the old clichés from books I had read, and from movies and television I had seen. This is bad for an author, but I feel it's much, much worse for a minister."
He paused, but there was no sound from the church this time.
"It's worse for a minister because it suggests that the minister doesn't really know how God is likely to work in a crisis situation. When I began to look at myself critically, I found that I did not - do not - know God as a personal God who really helps people. Oh, I've been telling you the right things about accepting Christ and doing good works and going to Heaven - that is indeed the 'good news' of the Bible. But it's only part of it. The other part, and something that I am just barely beginning to learn about now, is that God has a special concern for each one of us as individuals in this life, right now. I have been doing much less than my full job as pastor of this church by not knowing this, experiencing it in my life, and passing it on to you.
"So, what are we going to do about it? I can't go on with the story, but we can do something that I know will eventually turn out to be much, much better. We can all work together on our own story, with real situations and real people.”
Again, Josh paused and gave the words time to sink in. He caught Evalyn's eye, and she winked at him from a radiant face. Beautiful! Paul Grayson sat with wrinkled brow, apparently lost in thought.
"Let me tell you a little more about what I have in mind. I got my original idea for a story from the experiences of Charles Sheldon, a 19th Century preacher who wrote a book and read it to his congregation. What I was most interested in was the church part. Actually, what I should have been interested in was the story itself. Sheldon had his fictitious pastor challenge his fictitious congregation to live one year with God really guiding them. In every situation in their daily lives, no matter how routine or dramatic the situation was, they were to ask how Jesus would have handled it. 'What would Jesus do?' became their watchword. As you might imagine, those who accepted the challenge and stayed with it had remarkably changed lives at the end of that year.
"Now, I'd like to offer you a similar challenge. I would like you to turn this next year entirely over to God - your personal life, family, job, vacation, hopes, fears, illnesses - everything. I plan to do the same. It's not going to be easy, it is not a game, and I suspect that it will not always be fun. It may be very painful at times. But I know - yes, I do know - that it will be worth it.
"My problem in this is that, even though I am your pastor, I really don't know what Jesus would do, or what I can expect God to do, under specific conditions. To help me and to help you, I intend to devote Sunday nights from now on to an in-depth study of Jesus, his life and our relationship with Him. Maybe these weekly studies will help us with our commitment the rest of the week.
"I'm almost through now, but let me say specifically what I would like you to do next. I don't want any show of hands - in fact, I hope no one will make a decision tonight, because this is too important a matter to rush. Think about it, talk to friends and loved ones if that feels right, and please, please pray about it. If you decide to go ahead, I'd like to know so I can pray for you - so we can pray together. But if you'd rather keep it to yourself, that's okay, too.
"I'm not talking to only the adults tonight. I know that God wants this open to all ages. He has something for each of us."
Josh paused and looked around the congregation. It was very, very still. A few faces showed obvious good or bad reactions, but overall he had no idea how he was being received.
"It's early, but I think we've finished with the sermon part of the evening. I want you to know that I really love you all, and I'm looking forward to the coming months with real excitement. I hope you are, too. You're dismissed."
Tonight, he didn't go to the door, but his staying away was for a different reason than in the past. He didn't want anyone to feel forced to make any decisions now, which they might if he was smiling expectantly at them. And he didn't think he could keep from smiling expectantly, this evening!
He slipped out the side door, and retreated home to his study. The house was quiet, and no one disturbed him for over an hour.
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