In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

My youngest son is learning to comb his own hair. He’s insistent that he do it himself. Sometimes he opts for a slicked back semi-Pacino. Other times he mats all of his hair down over the front of his forehead, then enhances it with enough gel to insulate a spacecraft on re-entry. Whatever kind of hair shape he chooses, he’s always proud to show it off. He has (brilliantly) mistaken the word “handsome” for the word “famous.” So, he’ll often tell me, as he’s getting ready for kindergarten, that he’s decided “to look famous today.” He does. He loves to show it off. Personally, I’m a bit wounded by all his hair. Perhaps, it’s because I’m experiencing the increased insecurity that comes with a rapidly receding hairline. We send him to school —  proudly his own man with a ton of hair to show-and-tell.

What is it that a church ought to show off? (I realize, I have to tread lightly here. Arrogant pride has a way of cannibalizing the people who employ it.). To put it another way: What is it that ought to “shine before others?” Putting good deeds on display — showing them off — works when it is not for our sake, but for God’s: to “glorify your Father in heaven.” This Sunday is one of my favorite of the whole year. It is a perfect opportunity to put on display what God has been doing in our midst — through us. We’ll talk about Mariners’ on-going ministry to the poor, the disenfranchised, the abandoned, the forgotten (That ministry is called Outreach). It’s a time unleash courageous generosity above and beyond what we already give.

If you ask non-church people what the church should be concerned with, they’ll tell you: care for the poor. If you’ve ever thought about bringing someone skeptical about church, this is the Sunday to include them. This is the clearest expression of how Jesus’ life and ministry continually intersects with the plight of the poor and those forgotten by the world. It is very easy to get excited about a God who moves people to courageous acts of generosity and compassion.

See you Sunday,
Jeff