THE LAST RIVER MILE

Simple invitation can transcend a lot.

I have a good friend who is an employee at a not-for-profit where my wife and I volunteer once a week. His church had a sunrise service planned for last Sunday, Easter Sunday, and he invited me to come. I thought, “If he cared enough to ask, I’m going to go.”

It was kind of big deal. Even with five decades of professional church leadership experience, I’m still a card-carrying introvert. Steeling myself to go to a place where I will be a total stranger takes some effort. At least my friend would be a familiar face.

The sunrise service took place in the parking lot of their church facility. It was a very small but very enthusiastic gathering. The pastor and his little flock welcomed me eagerly. Introverts know the difference between a greeting that is forced or formal and one that is genuine. This was the latter.

It is safe to say that this congregation and my own congregation have vast theological differences. They have fundamentally different biblical interpretation principles than I do. Likely, most if not all the people there are of a significantly different political leaning than I am. None of that seemed to matter, though, at least not at that point . Waiting for the sun to make its Easter sunrise appearance in the east, it wasn’t about when and how a person should be baptized, whether or not women should have leadership in the church, what we should believe about human sexuality, or how we feel about the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. At least for a moment, we had a risen Jesus in common, and that was all that mattered.

Ironically, the sun’s rising silhouetted our church building’s steeple in the distance. My friend’s pastor noted that and exclaimed, “Beautiful!” as he led us in praise of the risen, victorious Jesus. I watched my friend raise his arms and say, “Thank you for this morning!” It was a great start to a spectacular Resurrection Day.

Some who know me might asked me, “Why did you go to sunrise service at that particular church?” The answer is simple. I went because somebody cared enough to invite me.

I’ll see you around the next bend in the river.