Have you ever thought of your extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) as a motley crew? Not motley in a negative sense but motley in the sense that they have many different or clashing elements.
In 2021, my wife and I had the opportunity to spend time visiting with my relatives for an extended weekend. We stayed at a farmhouse in central Pennsylvania where we had meals together, played games, talked about family, sports, politics and what our respective churches were doing while dealing with the pandemic. We all have quite different thoughts and feelings about many of the major topics of our time. Despite our differences in opinions, vocations and lifestyles we are still an extended family that strikes a healthy balance between disagreement on some topics and agreement on other topics. Our love and respect for each other and our Christian faith transcends our differences and binds us together. So, because of this diverse group of people, I sometimes think of my extended family as a motley crew.
This past Maundy Thursday our church choir and orchestra presented a cantata entitled “Colors of Grace.” Part of the cantata involved five men of the congregation acting as Jesus’ disciples. All of them are good friends of mine but as I watched them act out their role in the cantata, I could not help but see five men who are of a different age, height, weight and personality type from each other. I know if they were to discuss different topics everyone would not agree on everything. But embracing differences and dealing with them while still having love and respect for each other is a part of church and everyday life. So those five men acting as Jesus’ disciples could be described as a motley crew.
When I read about Jesus’ disciples in the Bible what do I see – I see a motley crew. Just like my extended family and the church men in the cantata, Jesus’ disciples were a diverse group of people. Jesus selected people with different personalities and temperaments: a fisherman, a tax collector and a Zealot were just some of their backgrounds. They were a motley crew of ordinary men chosen to do extraordinary things. There were times when they missed the mark in their understanding of what Jesus wanted them to do and Jesus knew this would happen. But despite missing the mark on some occasions, this motley crew of disciples spread the gospel message of Jesus: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
We, as United Methodists, are all ordinary people with different personalities and temperaments. In my opinion, we all are part of a motley crew on a journey, a journey that has obstacles and no quick and easy fixes of the challenges facing us. But as the Apostle Paul said to the church in Corinth: “So we are not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There is far more here that meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we cannot see now will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, The Message).
Finally, a church bulletin blooper: Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some of the older ones.
Peace,
John Kelso
Harbor District Lay Leader
If you would like to view past editions of Lessons from Our Lay Leader (John Kelso), follow this link: https://harbordistrictnc.org/category/from-the-lay-leader/