Thought of the Week....
Remember, Restore, Renew
Exodus 12:1-14
Signs do all kinds of things. At election time, they tell you neighbors where you stand and what you support. On your car bumper they express your feelings, your family configuration, your nationality, your religious beliefs and sometimes they just tell the person behind you to “slow Down.” In this origin story-this first Passover-when the Israelites painted their doors to mark themselves, the sign they painted on their doors was how the angel of death knew who would be spared. In that story, the signs meant life or death. Later, the first Christian churches used the sign of a fish to indicate when and where they would meet. In that setting, the signs meant secrecy and safety. Today, our churches use signs to announce something about themselves publicly.
What’s on your sign? The sign in front of your church? What does it tell the world about who you are, or how you worship, or what you believe? Out on Long Island, in New York, there’s a church with a famous sign. It’s been featured on CNN and in Newsday and recently received 89,000 “thumbs up” on Reddit, the social media website. Unassuming and typical in appearance, the sign’s message changes frequently and often reflects current events. It belongs to the Wantagh Memorial United Church of Christ. Some of its recent signs include: “Christ came to take away our sins not our minds.” “Come and practice being human with us!” “Jesus was a refugee.” Also open between Christmas and Easter.” And, “God prefers kind atheists over hateful Christians.”
The church posts photos of its signs on its Facebook page. The posts get responses from the public and are often reposted and tweeted. In an interview with Newsday, Rev. Ron Carter, the pastor of the congregation, said, “We now live in a culture where things must be 140 characters or less to get people’s attention, I just see this as another way of getting the message out there.”
What does the sign in front of your church say about your congregation and what sort of people worship inside? Who do you welcome? How do you hear the message of Jesus? What do you share about yourselves with the world? What’s on your sign?
Hanging over the porch front entrance at Parma Greece United Church of Christ in Hilton, N.Y.:
Exodus 12:1-14
Signs do all kinds of things. At election time, they tell you neighbors where you stand and what you support. On your car bumper they express your feelings, your family configuration, your nationality, your religious beliefs and sometimes they just tell the person behind you to “slow Down.” In this origin story-this first Passover-when the Israelites painted their doors to mark themselves, the sign they painted on their doors was how the angel of death knew who would be spared. In that story, the signs meant life or death. Later, the first Christian churches used the sign of a fish to indicate when and where they would meet. In that setting, the signs meant secrecy and safety. Today, our churches use signs to announce something about themselves publicly.
What’s on your sign? The sign in front of your church? What does it tell the world about who you are, or how you worship, or what you believe? Out on Long Island, in New York, there’s a church with a famous sign. It’s been featured on CNN and in Newsday and recently received 89,000 “thumbs up” on Reddit, the social media website. Unassuming and typical in appearance, the sign’s message changes frequently and often reflects current events. It belongs to the Wantagh Memorial United Church of Christ. Some of its recent signs include: “Christ came to take away our sins not our minds.” “Come and practice being human with us!” “Jesus was a refugee.” Also open between Christmas and Easter.” And, “God prefers kind atheists over hateful Christians.”
The church posts photos of its signs on its Facebook page. The posts get responses from the public and are often reposted and tweeted. In an interview with Newsday, Rev. Ron Carter, the pastor of the congregation, said, “We now live in a culture where things must be 140 characters or less to get people’s attention, I just see this as another way of getting the message out there.”
What does the sign in front of your church say about your congregation and what sort of people worship inside? Who do you welcome? How do you hear the message of Jesus? What do you share about yourselves with the world? What’s on your sign?
Hanging over the porch front entrance at Parma Greece United Church of Christ in Hilton, N.Y.: