From the General Presbyter

“People need the Lord
People need the Lord
At the end of broken dreams – He’s the open door
People need the Lord 2x
When will we realize – People need the Lord?”

The first time I heard this sung was at a friends Baptist Church. During the anthem time, an elderly gentleman arose from the choir loft, held on to the banister for support and proceeded to offer his rendition, completely off key. His tempo was also off to such an extent that the organist eventually played chords because she was unable to accompany him, bless his heart!

A colleague of mine sent me an article entitled “What’s the Problem with Politics in the Church?” https://christianstandard.com/2022/09/whats-the-problem-with-politics-in-the-church/. One of the assertions is people are looking for Jesus, not partisanship. Though I appreciated the article and could agree with much of its presumptions, I had to ask, what Jesus is the writer talking about? Which Jesus do “they” need?

Which Jesus does the long-time church member need, like our singer? Which Jesus does the immigrant need? Which Jesus does the corporate mogul need? The drug addict, the person on the spectrum, the employee working from home? Which Jesus do we want to hear about, and which one would we rather redact?

People need the Lord? Which Lord? The punitive Lord who condemns hapless sinners to hell, don’t pass go, don’t collect one hundred dollars? The loving Lord who welcomes everyone as they are? The distant Lord? The Lord of Creation? The Lord of my youth? The Lord of my political party?

People need the Lord! We are all holding on to banisters, singing off key, keeping our own tempo to the delight and the consternation of our neighbor. And yet we are called to be the bearers of glad tidings whatever our partisan politics. Perhaps we can take our cue from the second verse:

“We are called to take His light, to a world where wrong seems right
What could be too great a cost – For sharing life with one who’s lost?”

People need the Lord.

– Jackie