Sunday, March 25

Yesterday's shining moment came at church.  When we got there I was disappointed to discover that there was a guest speaker.  My ire was further piqued that the guest speaker was Chuck Gaidica, a local TV personality around here, actually the weatherman.  I've been a little bothered with our church in the past few years that they seem a little star struck.  We have another local TV personality who attends our church, and she gets a lot of air time also.

I know their thinking is just to leverage these folks' celebrity for the sake of the gospel.  If people from the community will walk through the doors to see Chuck Gaidica or Joanne Purtan when otherwise they would never come, then let's use that tool that God has given us.

I get it.  I just can't get beyond it feeling a little wrong.  I'm sure CG and JP are lovely people and devout in their faith, but church should be the one place where there are no celebrities.  Church should be the place where we are all on equal footing and Jesus is the only celebrity.  Well, except Bob, our pastor -- he's a celebrity in my book!

So anyway, I was already a little annoyed that Chuck Gaidica was the speaker.  (Of all the devout men in our church who have studied the Word and loved and served the Lord for years, CG gains the microphone because he's on TV...I don't know.  I just can't get past that.  I'm not saying CG doesn't love the Lord.  I'm only saying he was given that privilege for the wrong reason.  I don't think he merits my respect spiritually just because he's on TV!)

Okay, done venting.  As I was saying, I was already annoyed that I was going to have to listen to CG for 45 minutes.  For the sake of my family and those around me, I vowed to do it without fidgeting, maintaining eye contact and keeping my face impassive.

And I was pleasantly surprised, of course.  After that much arguing with myself, of course, I was bound to be proven wrong in my estimation of the man.  His teaching touched my heart.

He spoke on "Why is God Great," and he began with talking about the mind-boggling vastness of the universe.  He probably went on about a few other things that we would consider great about God -- my mind did wander a bit.  But then he talked about how over the years he has hosted a number of telethons for charity, usually for children, and how one plaque he was given in honor of this work had the following quote:  "A man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child."

He used that as a segue-way to the idea that God, in all His enormity and greatness, comes down to be with us.  The Word reminds us over and over, 22 times I think he said, that God has said, "I am with you always."  He comes down to us, and that is why He is great.  He comes down.

I needed Him to come down to me today, to be with me.  And I will tomorrow and the next day and the next.  And I agree with Chuck Gaidica -- He is great because He comes down.