Signs

Two signs I saw on the way to citywide pastors prayer meeting double-took me.

Both very well-meaning. And God may have directly inspired both.




But I still have to wonder what the sign in the window of the Christian book store (in the shopping center) said to passerby:

"Wash Me, and I Will Be Whiter Than Snow."

I know it's a Scripture.

But does the shopper on the way to Target know that?

What did the pagan think? The black person? The window-washer?

And a local city councilman, Brian Calhoun was out on a busy street corner this morning, during rush hour. He was smiling and waving at cars, coffee in hand, inviting passerby to stop and heed the advice on the accompanying sign:

"Ask Me Questions."
(or something like that).

That is cool; a great model of accessiblity by a civic leader. I can't complain.

But no one was stopping. It was rush hour. I wondered of he ever et up his question booth on a weekend, when folks had time to actually visit. (I just checked his website...and as you can see by the photo below I have an answer).



Somehow I saw this as a parable of what it might look like if a senior pastor of a large church did the same. It would look really cool. But it might smack of a well-meaning, old wineskin, modernity-based approach.

For one, the sign. Since when is the senior pastor supposed to be the community's (or the church's) answer man and resident expert? I admit

it, I still have (as a relic of the old days) an "Ask Dave" (Dear Abby meets Bible Answer Man) column on the church website. More appropriate would be a wikiblog where several of our churchfolk could address questions (as some "laypeople" are inevitably more knowledgeable than me in some theological areas). Anyway, how about a sign "Come and Ask Questions With Me." ??


Then wouldn't/shouldn't passerby say "Hey, pastor...easy for you to hang out on a street corner sipping coffee when I don't have time to stop. You don't have a real job."



So..
I will still support the bookstore...even though Jesus may visit it for an occassional temple tantrum.

And I have to like Councilman Calhoun's visibility. He is giving out coffee like all churches should...He is not hiding out in an office.

Or a blog...

Oops, got to go have coffee with a prechurched person..