Take A Look In The Mirror
Dear friends of Hilton Baptist Church,
I called him “Red”. He was a bit of a celebrity at my previous church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He usually showed up at the church every morning between 8:00 and 10:00 and had a way of getting people’s attention. Some people found him amusing; some found him to be annoying, while others felt sorry for Red.
Red was a cardinal. Every day our mornings started with the “clunk” and “thunk” of Red rushing beak first into the glass windows around the sanctuary and office. Red would go from window to window much to the amusement or agitation of those watching from the inside.
I am no expert on bird behavior but I have my own opinions as to why Red acted this way. I suspect Red saw his own reflection and believed another bird was moving in on his territory. Red looked in the mirror and didn’t like what he saw; Red was threatened by the reflection of himself. I wonder if God sent Red to teach a lesson?
Have you ever looked in the mirror and didn’t like what you saw? Did you ever try to chase that person away who is staring back at you?
I don’t know many people who at one time or another haven’t wrestled with that person in the mirror. Even our friends in the Bible had to look at their own shortcomings; they too at times fought with the person in the reflection. Yet here is both our challenge and our choice. Unlike Red, we can choose to grow in Christ or we can choose to keep fighting the reflection.
I must admit I am not a big fan of January. It is hard to go from the celebration of Christmas to the doldrums of winter. However, I will say this about January – it gives us a chance to start over. The old year has passed and a new year is in front of us. January gives us the opportunity to make some positive changes.
As we start a new year I invite all of us, as individuals and as a church, to take a look in the mirror. What do we see and are we comfortable with the reflection staring back at us? What needs to happen in 2017? What kind of changes need to occur to make our lives and the life of our church better?
These questions are not always easy to answer. Even Red had a difficult time seeing his reflection, but there is an old song that says “His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me”.
So let us go ahead and take a look at our reflection. God’s eye is on the sparrow, His eye is on Red, and His eye is on you and me. If we truly believe this, maybe that person and that church in the mirror won’t be so scary after all.
Happy New Year to you and those you love.
With Peace and Grace,
Dan
Categories: Pastors Message