A Message from the Pastor
PASTOR’S MESSAGE – May 2013
"How Is Your Halo?"
Bishop Coyner shared much of what is below in his weekly column to pastors recently. I pass it on as we all seek to “polish our halo” in the reflection of Christ’s love. Bishop Mike asks:
“How is your halo? I don't mean the circle of light surrounding your head, as displayed by many artists in the Middle Ages to identify saints of The Lord. No, I mean the "halo" in terms of your immediate physical surroundings – roughly one yard in each direction around you like a circle of influence. That area surrounding each one of us is so-designated by certain sports rules, including the previous NCAA football rule called "the halo rule" which meant that a receiver catching a punt or kick-off could not be violated by defenders invading that area.
Each one of us has a "halo" of immediate surroundings which is our field of influence. We have the opportunity to be a Christ-like presence to every person who comes within our halo: the person who serves us food, the co-worker, the family member, the neighbor, or even the person who irritates or offends us. Every person we encounter is an opportunity – an opportunity to demonstrate to them the love, acceptance, and peace of Christ.
The example of a person using his "halo" has stuck with me and impacted the way I relate to persons I encounter each day. Romans 12:1-2 in Eugene Peterson's translation called "The Message" says it this way: So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Our ordinary life can be offered as a gift to God through our encounters with others. That is our "halo." So let me ask again, "How is your halo?"
Sadly, our Bishop conclude that he wrote the above on April 15th, the day the news came about the terrible violence in Boston where apparently some persons brought an horrific act of terrorism. “That sad news reminds us,” he added, “ how much our "halo" of interpersonal space can be used for good or for evil. Let us remember those who have been victimized by those terrorist acts in Boston, and let us pray for all around the world who are victimized by violence. And let those prayers remind us to use our own "halo" space for good and for God.”
Well said, Bishop, for all of us!
Pastor Jake
