I’ve written before about how much we enjoyed our church’s use of Zoom for the Sunday meetings. A week ago, I had my doubts when, near the end of the service, someone was yelling at the tech guy and using VERY inappropriate language. I thought that someone had crashed the event, and all week I watched for an explanation from church leadership on what happened and how they were going to prevent its happening again. Nothing.

Until yesterday. Pastor Dave made it the centerpiece of the sermon. Here’s a snippet:

We heard some things last week – someone’s microphone was unmuted, someone who was having a very bad day. It made the service R-rated. I’ve had some deep conversations and heard heartfelt apologies. There was a direct connection with [last week’s] service. Last week I talked about a meltdown I had. All of us are in the same boat. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We stand in equal need of God’s grace...Am I convinced that the unedited version of me is the “me” that God loves?
God loves you whether you’re having a good day or a bad day. – Dr. Dave Jordan-Irwin, June 14, 2020

Wow. I saw a technical problem needing to be solved; our pastor saw a person needing to be ministered to and assured of God’s love and grace.

There was a time I would have assessed the quality of a sermon by the depth of Biblical insight, clarity of the outline, and effectiveness of the delivery. No more. How about the ability of the pastor to actually apply the scripture to a real-life situation, showing by example how to love others and live out the gospel? He was showing us how to implement the sermon’s text:

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel…Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 1.27, 2.1 – 4, NIV)