She Definitely Got Greeting Cards

In the Book of Acts in our New Testament, we read about the appointment of 7 deacons who ministered to the widows of the early church. Seems like an idea for such a time as that and this.

Given the precedent in the early church, and the perpetual need represented by the widows and orphans among us, it is beyond me why some churches seem to put such a low priority on the practice.

I mean, there are churches in America which lovingly minister to the needs of their low income single women, children and widows. But there seems to be many more which don’t.

We attend a small church populated by elderly people. While the pastor doesn’t keep office hours, he fulfills a more crucial role. Since as many of our members are sick, infirmed, hospitalized and shut in, as the numbers which attend our services, our minister spends the majority of his time visiting in homes and hospitals.

But as I have previously inferred, ministering to the sick and elderly seems to be on the decline. The mindset of the church seems to have drifted towards car washes, stage productions, and spiritual guest stars.

My mother is in a nursing home. Although she never attended my church, our pastor has been out to visit her several times over the past couple of years; as he previously visited my father when he resided there. As a matter of fact, Pastor K.’s influence was so significant and recurring with my dad that, before her died, he came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Years ago there was a Wendy’s commercial which featured an aged woman who asked the most relevant question.

“Where’s the beef?”

My mom faithfully attended a local church until she was admitted to the skilled nursing facility. And alluding to the previous question, my “beef” is that although she has lived in that domicile for almost two years, to my knowledge neither her current pastor, nor at the very least an official representative of the church, have ever stopped by to visit her, (nor for that matter have any of her fellow church members). With the possible exception of one or two elderly ladies, who apparently took it on themselves to drop by.

It seems the pastor has been, to use a military term, “missing in action.”

As scripture puts it, “There things ought not to be.”

And alluding to a scene in the movie, “Rain Man” as an estranged son listens to the will of his rich father being read, and amazingly the only thing he receives are his dad’s prize winning rose bushes, he is heard to say

… “Angry? Why should I be angry? I definitely got rose bushes! I mean, I definitely got rose bushes!”

Well, my mother has definitely gotten

… greeting cards.

One or two greeting cards bearing the church logo.

I mean, c’mon folks.

To be fair, I think the contrast between the delivery of a couple of greeting cards and the ongoing absence of a pastoral visitor would only cause the sin of omission to be more stark.

Perhaps we should return to that age old principle of appointing elders to care for the widows and orphans;

… (‘cause what we got going on now ain’t working)!
 

My Mom definitely got greeting cards!

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from ("Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 18. Copyright pending

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