Making the Right Call

Greetings in the Name of our Lord,

When I was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church my father said to me, “Son, whether you like it or not, from now on people are going to be watching you. Do everything you can to make the right call on how you live. You represent Christ.” 

This past weekend, I hope people were watching our team of servants as our annual McKinney Prom Closet project gave out dresses and accessories to teens. Stephanie Jackson and her team were amazing. They not only gave out 165 dresses (more than double last year’s total of 80), but they also shared the love of Jesus with those young women. They shared their joy, their smiles, their hopes and dreams, and in some ways a vision of a new future where people care about them. 

Thank you to all the great volunteers that worked the McKinney Prom Closet from Thursday through Sunday afternoon. You made a difference in someone’s life this past weekend.

I hope people were watching! Our world needs the example of a community where no one gets left behind. Our society needs a family on whom they can depend in times of need. Our community needs a church where everyone is accepted because God loves us all. 

We have been looking at the book of 1 John over the past few weeks. This week, we deal with chapter three. This is what John says, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. 17How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?”

Just as Jesus laid down His life for us, we are called to lay down our lives for each other – to love as Jesus loves us. 

I confess, there have been times in my life when I made the wrong call. I failed as a true representative of Jesus, hoping no one was watching. I am so grateful to God that God has never given up on me despite my humanity. Jesus loves me still. In His love, I have always found a new way forward. In God’s loving hands, I find myself more determined than ever to make the right call on how I live, knowing that Christ is there to pick me up and make me whole again. 

To Stephanie and all your volunteers, thank you for showing me and so many others what it means to love like Jesus. May the light of Christ shine on all of us as we love at our best – showing all who are watching what a difference the love of God can make. 

See you Sunday!

Pastor John Allen