Read: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. (v. 26)
In today’s mail there was a slick brochure about a new church in town. The brochure is a montage of beautiful people. The teenage girl with a sweet smile. The handsome African American couple caught mid-laugh. Two giggling children, one black and one white, arms draped around each other’s shoulders. They seem perfect, these people. Who wouldn’t want to worship with them? But they are not real. They are models from stock images. They are picture-frame people, the impossibly good-looking people who come in the picture frame that you buy at the store.
If truth-in-advertising laws applied to church brochures, the montage would show “not many of you were wise . . . not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.” The disabled vet in the wheelchair. The elderly gentleman struggling to stay awake during the sermon. The whiney, squirming five-year-old. The off-key choir. The single mom who can’t afford to tithe but does anyhow. These are not picture-perfect people; they are real people, reaching out to a real God.
God chooses the lowly, the humble, those with no rank, no clout. The Father stores his treasure in earthen vessels, not picture frames. Be thankful that you are numbered among the saints of God, but don’t try to take any credit. God gets the credit. —Lou Lotz
As you pray, give thanks that you are numbered among the saints.
About the Author
Rev. Lou Lotz is a recently retired Reformed Church pastor. Lou and his wife Mary Jean live in Hudsonville, Michigan.
