Sermon on the Mount in Starbucks

Yesterday, I was sitting drinking a coffee when a pastor in town walked in as well. He was having an out of the office meeting with somebody. I was writing many 'thank you' notes. This pastor is one of the folks leading the charge against all things emergent. My anxiety level did not heighten nor did I want to confront him, I was rather ambivalent. Our circles of influence and movement rarely cross.

I finished my 'thank you' notes and felt compelled to bless this man. So, I wrote out a prayer and put it in an envelope with a biz card. The prayer was a general prayer of blessing. I thought about that this morning what was my motivation. It was not to show him anything, but it was to build a relationship. Then the line came across my mind, "Pray for those who persecute you." Here is a pastor who preaches against emergent theology as heresy and my first instinct to pray for him. The words of the sermon on the mount are so entrenched into my life that I do not have to think...they just come out. This is not to brag, but I thought to myself...I would hope that my faith gets to be that way in more phases. That I do not have to think and work out the rationality of it all, but that it just emotes from me.

Then I thought in my missional mindset...why don't I bless the workers in the Starbucks the same way. Is it vanity that lead me to write that note..., so for the next few days I am going to pray how I can pray for the workers in my Starbucks in a bold way like I did with a pastor. Now, the faith gets hard and uncomfortable. I have to get my motives clear. I will pray, because I love these folks. Faith always pushes us to grow, we never fully have it.

Fearless joy,
Guido