Sunday

This morning, Sunday Morning, with a frigid wind howling and dark clouds covering the mountains, I had a thought about priests and ministers of the Gospel. Three in particular.
Warnings are going out about false teachers, and I suppose that is both expectable and acceptable in view of Scripture. We are told to beware of wolves in sheep clothing, of those who would simply tickle the ears with words that were easy to hear. I am cautious of the criteria used by some of these judges and critics.
Some, but to be fair, not all of those who seem to glory in finding fault, would find the three pastors/priests for whom I found myself praying this morning, to be false and unacceptable. One stands behind a plexiglass pulpit, long hair - tattoos (ok, they aren’t usually visible when he preaches) - and delivers a strong Biblical teaching after about an hour of loud, rocky, praise and worship to which dancers dance and banners wave. From what I’ve read, it doesn’t really matter to many critics what the words of the songs are saying…if they don’t approve of loud music with a beat, it’s the volume and beat they condemn. The second does most of his preaching sitting in an arm chair. His congregation sits on couches or pillows on the floor with Open Bibles. He too has long hair, and a bushy beard to match. He wears earrings. Shame on him! Well, everyone knows that ex-hippies and Native Americans can be pastors as long as they don’t look like Hippies or Native Americans anymore. Then there is the priest. He wears a clerical collar and vestments when he preaches. Before he reads the Gospel he raises the Book about his head and walks up and down the aisle - much like I saw done at a Synagogue
once with the Torah. Maybe it’s not the men themselves, maybe it is the churches that would come under criticism, maybe it’s the churches, with their plexiglass pulpits and power point, or the casual setting, or the statues, crucifixes and icons that would merit putting these three on the hit list. But all three are minister’s of the gospel, teachers of the WORD, and their churches are vital parts of the catholic and apostolic church, the Body of Christ. And as I drive through the cold, snowy landscape of the Four Corners, on the way to church, I will be praying for them and their ministries.