Double Honor

What survival lessons can be learned when one comes home from a meeting at church to find that high winds have knocked out the power in your neighborhood and your husband is out of town?

• Every bug that got into the house while you were on the back patio in the dark, removing wind-broken porch furniture will be attracted to the battery powered lantern that you are using to light the living room.
• You should make sure that your kids keep their portable DVD players charged so that after they go to bed you will be able to watch a movie. I know that now, and tomorrow I wil suggest they charge the batteries.
• The wind can actually blow hard enough through the attic to create negative pressure "up there" which will lift the "square thing" that covers the opening to the attic so that it lifts into the attic at least three inches and turns sideways. It is disconcerting to come home to a dark house and find the attic open. This is what happens in horror movies -- "He's calling you from inside the house. Get out!" What is even more fun is trying to close it with two broom handles and a 12-year old. We are all too short to reach it, and I was not going to the trouble of carting the ladder upstairs.
• It's a good thing that every phone in the house is not portable. Portable phones don't work when the power is out. Neither does the heat. Luckily we didn't have any freezing fog.

Obviously, the power is back on, and everything is back to normal in our house (except for the poor patio table, whose life is over).

I'm still thinking about that Sunday school lesson in Timothy. The second part, 1 Timothy 5:17-20 --

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.

How do we treat the "elders" of our churches? For this discussion, I'm going to define "elder" as minister. This passage from Timothy says that they are worthy of "double honor." In the Methodist church, we have certain responsiblities regarding our pastors. We provide them with a salary and various benefits including a parsonage. Because of the world in which we live, we consider this "compensation" for the "job" they do in our churches. And it is. But Paul says that we should give them "double honor." I've been thinking about that today.

A pastor is appointed to our church, and we consider that he will provide the spiritual and administrative leadership for our congregation. We have high expectations. We don't, I think, have very high expectations for our own role in the arrangement. The bishop and his cabinet are trusting the pastor with the shepherding of our church, and they are trusting our congregation with the care of the pastor.

I found this post today on another blog, and really liked it. Go read it; I'll wait.

To quote just a piece of Andy's post:

A preacher pours out the innermost depth of her soul into every phrase of her sermon. A preacher studies, looks, prays, listens, studies some more, then lays bare her representation of reality for the congregation who has come to worship.

We need to have a willing attitude -- willing to listen, and willing to look for God's message in the sermon that is presented to us. Sometimes that means setting aside our preoccupations. Sometimes that means setting aside our preconceptions. And sometimes that means looking beyond the human minister to the Godly message. If we honor the elder enough -- give that "double honor" Paul tells Timothy about, then the space between us and the pastor becomes Holy ground (stealing a concept from Mr. Rogers), and God will be there.

And we need God to be there.