A Message From the Church Council President

I’ve been reading the most delightful little book lately. It’s called Eats, Shoots & Leaves. It’s been among the Top 5 on the New York Times’ Bestsellers List for several weeks now. It is about, of all things, punctuation.

I bring this up in the first place to recommend the book. It’s very funny. And secondly, because the book’s rallying call is, “Sticklers Unite!” Although the author quickly acknowledges the impossibility of this happening; since sticklers tend to be annoying people who don’t actually get along with others.

If you’re wondering about the relevance of this, here it is. Have we been “stickling” lately? Within our congregation, our Synod and the ELCA we have many issues before us. Big issues such as when and how to add a 3rd Worship Service; or the questions posed by the ELCA Study on Sexuality and smaller issues, like whether or not to print the hymns in the bulletin. Clearly, we are people with a lot to talk about and change tends to bring out the stickler in all of us.

So, as we hold these and other conversations in forums large and small, public or private, it’s important to keep the teachings of Christ first in our hearts and minds. Jesus states simply in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” and in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

I love the plain spoken Jesus, don’t you? As the family of Christ let us go joyfully forward with kindness and love for one another and don’t stickle.

Sherrie Smith