I saw a sign on Highway 11 near Covington, Georgia. The handmade placard declared, “IT’S ALL GOING TO BE ALRIGHT.” I contemplated the message while traveling 55 mph eastbound.  

The author referenced “ALL.” The global statement encompassed every contingency, both individual and corporate, with no qualifications. Whatever we face, it’s but a part of the greater human experience.

The future-tense “GOING TO BE” recognized that “ALL” is not “ALRIGHT” here and now. Rain falls on the just and unjust in a fallen world. No one escapes without an unfair share of bumps, bruises, scars, and stiches.

I wondered what “ALRIGHT” looked like from the person’s worldview. Perhaps s/he espoused a Pollyanna optimism that somehow everything works out. Maybe the sentiment expressed a theological certainty of divine deliverance in this world and the next.

Scripture testifies that the Lord is the Alpha and Omega, forming the bookends of existence. Nothing occurs outside the context of God’s mercy, grace, and love. Frederick Buechner noted, “Resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing.”

Remember: “IT’S ALL GOING TO BE ALRIGHT.”

Clergy are religious professionals. The church sets apart ordained ministers for specialized ministry. Our job description includes worship, Bible study, prayer, and service. We get paid to do the very things God calls Christians to do.

If pastors are not careful, then church work can become a job rather than a vocation, a career rather than a calling. Temptation constantly beckons:

• To worship rather than worship
• To lead prayer rather than pray
• To practice sermon preparation rather than spiritual devotions
• To prepare Bible study rather than study the Bible
• To chair committees rather than provide leadership
• To attend meetings rather than perform ministry
• To preach sermons rather than practice what we preach.

Laity face the same temptation. We can all act like professional Christians. Temptation constantly beckons us:

• To go through the motions rather than experience the emotions
• To keep the letter of the law rather than the spirit
• To do church work rather than be the church.
• To offer the minimum amount required rather than the maximum effort necessary.

Do we possess a “HAVE TO,” “OUGHT TO,” or “GET TO” attitude about our faith? Choose carefully because the response shapes our entire relationship with God.

Northside Church celebrated Student Sunday last weekend. The youth led worship, including two students who co-preached the sermon. They embodied Paul’s advice to his protégé in 1 Timothy 4:12: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Last Sunday called to mind church members who encouraged my initial call to the ordained ministry. I recall with gratitude those long-suffering saints who endured my first, feeble attempts at speaking and preaching.

• I taught my first Bible study as a 5^th grader to a roomful of adults at Columbia Drive UMC in Decatur. I covered the entire book of James in 9 minutes.
• I preached my first sermon at Little River UMC in Woodstock, which lasted 12 minutes with two minutes of “uhs” and “youknows.” I figured the increase in content from 9 to 12 minutes represented a 33.3% improvement.  
• My senior pastor, Bill Edwards, allowed me to preach on Sunday nights at Kennesaw UMC while I served as the youth pastor during seminary. The Christian Growth Sunday School class bragged on my homiletical expertise, a venial sin of dishonesty cancelled by their loving support.  
• The bishop appointed me after seminary to a two-point circuit outside Newnan. Mount Carmel and Emory Chapel UMCs took great pride in raising their “boy preachers.” I spent five years slowly learning my craft.
• The list continues to present day. I give thanks for those who supported me along the way.

Maybe one of the students who led worship last Sunday will recall the saints at Northside Church who supported them in their first steps towards ordained ministry.