It seems that most every pastor has one story about getting chewed out by a parishioner. Why? Because the pastor didn't visit the parishioner (or family member) in the hospital. Did the parishioner call the pastor about the hospital stay? Noooooooo! But somehow the pastor was supposed to know about this and make a visit. You say I'm exaggerating but it happens.
Something similar happened to me last Sunday. A family approached me and wanted to know why no one answered the phone at church earlier in the week. I thought, "How would I know?" I asked why and they told me that they'd called the church to let us know about an illness in their family. So I asked, "Did you leave a message?" The answer: No.
Serving in the ministry of the Lord is pure grace. The Lord takes sinful people, like me for instance, and uses us to be His ambassadors to proclaim His love for all people in Christ Jesus. There is nothing better than to share Jesus with others.
But it can be frustrating too. I felt badly that this family was disappointed that no one picked up the phone to talk with them. If they had only left a message. Our staff would have heard it, contacted them and responded accordingly.
Please leave a message. Thank you.
