August 26, 2013
At Church yesterday several people asked me if
I would give up my “Balcony” blog now that I am an interim pastor again. I’ve thought about it, but decided I would
continue blogging, knowing that I will rejoin the balcony gang again in a few
months.
Besides, there are a few things I am resolved
to speak about which I have learned in the balcony of Church:
1. There
are hungry people around us. I have just
written my councilman, mayor, and chief of police noting that I disagree with
the city ordinance in Raleigh which requires a permit to feed the hungry. That’s right! My councilman wrote back that he has asked
the city manager for a report on this ordinance . Also, WRAL is giving coverage to an attempt
by Raleigh Police to prevent LOVE WINS MINISTRIES
from distributing biscuits to hungry people in Moore Square last Saturday. As a balcony person at FBC Raleigh, I had
the opportunity some time ago to distribute
biscuits at the same place, but didn’t realize I could be arrested for
it! Sometimes you need to get out of the
balcony and talk to your mayor and councilman, maybe just invite them to come
with you to distribute biscuits to the hungry.
2. I am resolved to let everyone know, on this
first day and each day of the school year, that we need to support our public
schools, teachers, and students. North
Carolina ranks 48th in per student spending and 48th in
average teacher pay. The Governor has
signed legislation to cut the budget for education resulting in fewer
teachers. Our children and their
education are important enough for us to do something. I can’t stay in the balcony on this one.
Ignorance is a moral issue. And there
appears to be plenty of that in our state legislature and governor’s mansion
right now. We don’t need more ignorance
in our schools.
3. Finally, I guess I feel I need to say
something about what the Church is and what it needs to be doing. Perhaps we need to open the doors wider and
raise our voices louder in defiance of a culture which tells us that Church and
Christians, specifically, are the problem.
We can be the problem in so much as we don’t speak to the problems of
injustice, basic rights, and unless we follow the example of Jesus who fed the
poor, reached out to include the social outcasts, and confronted the
establishment when they were hurting people rather than helping people.
Well, I’ve gone to preaching. Good-bye balcony for a while. Hello pulpit.
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