ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 18, 2025
On Sunday morning, as I was running from my Bagels with Bruce to the office to prepare to preach at the Traditional Service, Guy Johnson Jr. came over to give me a hug just outside the office door. I know his hugs always come with prayer. But then as I was walking away from him, he quickly caught up and ever so kindly and quietly said to me, “You missed a belt loop on the back of your pants.” He was right. There were two ever so close to each other right in the back of my pants, and I had skipped one of them.
That is an uncomfortable conversation for some people to have. And though I will do so if I know the person, I will confess that I find it easier if it is a male and not a female. But at this point in my life, I am rarely embarrassed, and only find myself defensive on a rare occasion. In most situations, I am rather thankful when people speak the truth to me, especially truth that might be helpful for me to hear. And though the Apostle Paul was not referencing a missed belt loop or a piece of spinach stuck in someone’s tooth, I appreciate his words, “Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor because we are parts of each other in the same body” (Ephesians 4:25). But when we speak the truth in regard to the small stuff in this life, speaking the truth in more challenging moments will come easier. I won’t pretend it will be easy, but if we can’t speak the truth about a missed belt loop, we probably are going to fail when it comes to speaking truth for the things that are important to Jesus.
Thank you for helping me to laugh at the silly mistakes I make, and even those slightly embarrassing moments. Life is way too short to get stuck there. I look to you, Merciful God, for help in such things. May my reaction bring a bit of calm to the spirits of those who do not know whether to speak the truth on the smaller things and most certainly would not speak up when you need them to do so. Amen.
