Application: I think one of my least favorite things about being a pastor is about how much personality matters. Not character, mind you, but personality. Do I seem cheerful enough? Do I tell enough jokes? Am I good with names? Do I know, without being told, to call and visit people when they want to be called and visited, and to hold off when they don't? Am I the kind of guy you want to have a beer with, but also the kind of guy who can speak with moral authority when important situations arise? And more to the point, does the fate of my congregation rest on me being the "right kind of guy"?
When I descend into this thought spiral, I appreciate reading the letters of Paul. Because by all accounts, including his own, Paul was...a piece of work. Nobody argues he wasn't brilliant, or a good speaker. But man, was he hard-headed. Blunt. Pedantic. Misogynistic. Nationalistic. Arrogant. Competitive like you would not believe. Complicit in the murder of Christians.
And yet time and time again, Paul reminds his readers: "It's not about me. It's about the Gospel." Dislike Paul if you want (and I often do) but what he does effectively is share a message: God's grace through Christ is free for all. That message is more important than any personality. And it can change lives.
So, yeah, those who know me, I hope you like me. I'm human that way. But more than that, I hope you get a chance to hear the Good News today, that you are beloved by God and saved by a free gift of grace. Because like me or not, that's the truth.
Prayer: God, help us worry less about being liked and more about sharing your love. Amen.
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