The following is a script used for the December 6, 2023 Take Ten with Pastor Don Podcast. You can listen and subscribe to the Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Podcasts.
Welcome to Take Ten with Pastor Don. I’m Don McGarvey, pastor of the Troy Mills Christian Church in Troy Mills, Iowa.
This morning, I ventured out to one of the big-name department stores. Normally I try to stay out of places like this. I find them to be frustrating, difficult to get around in, and I don’t like long lines, self-check, or not being able to find anyone to help.
As I walked into the store, a man I didn’t recognize said, “Good morning, Pastor, how are you doing?”
He never quit walking while he was talking. I responded with a “good morning” and “doing well” but by that time he was headed out to the parking lot. I still don’t know who he was. If it was you, sorry.
I got inside and decided not to take a cart, or even get a basket. I thought I could carry the things I was looking for without any assistance. Later, I learned this was a mistake. Instead of getting one box, due to packaging, I had to get nine boxes and it was quite the balancing act.
I took a few more steps inside the door and ran into a long-time friend and his wife. I had met them long before I moved here to Iowa. So, I stood and talked with them for a bit. I was reminded a few days ago that this man was ordained into ministry the same year I was so we spent some time talking about that. I don’t remember much about the night of my ordination. He remembered even less than I did. But we talked about what we could remember and parted ways.
I found what I was looking for. The packaging was larger than I had expected and I knew I was going to have trouble caring the packages and getting around in the store but I made it to a check out lane. The line wasn’t long so I thought this won’t take long.
The lady in front of me offered for me to get in front of her. I declined telling her that I didn’t think it would take long.
I noticed a couple of guys in front of me. One was frantically searching for lighter fluid. The other guy, who was in line waiting to get checked out, was trying to help. We all got involved with trying to find the lighter fluid. The man was confident it was some where on the shelf in this line.
The cashier, an incredibly kind and patient lady, stopped what she was doing and asked these two guys what they were looking for. They told her, she pointed to it and everyone was happy. It was a victory. A small one, but it was a victory.
The lady in front of me offered again for me to move in front of her. I declined. But I didn’t notice the lady who was being checked out was having a problem.
Her bill was more than she was prepared for. She didn’t have credit cards or a check. She had used up her food stamps, and other provided assistance but was still over $30 short.
I started to move forward to offer to help but the man who was trying to help the other man find the lighter fluid reached into his wallet and gave the clerk a $50 bill and paid for the remaining part of the bill. The woman was thrilled with the man’s kindness and kept saying, “thank you” over and over. The lady who was at the checkout also started thanking the man for doing such a good deed.
It was a cool thing to watch.
Then, I heard my name called from behind. I turned and vaguely recognized the wife of an old friend from many years ago at the church we worked at. We got names figured out and started to chat. She had been in several of the classes I taught at the church. Her husband and I had had breakfast a couple of times.
Plus, her husband’s grandfather had been the pastor of a Methodist church in the town I currently pastor in, Troy Mills, Iowa.
Some of the classes she had attended were dealing with the prophetic timetable for the end of the ages. She reminded me of how often I would answer questions pertaining to when and how with, “I don’t know. We’ll have to see how that works out.”
Then she asked me what I thought about the war in Israel, the rise of antisemitism and how evil was going to be overcome.
Fortunately, the line was slow moving. My response to her was that what I had just witnessed in the check out line was probably the way the evil of this world was going to be overcome. One righteous person, behaving rightly, doing the right thing, and not giving in to temptations of this world when times got tough or frustrating.
I told her about how all of us in line got involved in helping the man searching for lighter fluid. Then I told her how the man who remained in line helped the lady who was short on cash to pay for her groceries.
She asked me how I thought the war in Israel would turn out, I said, “I don’t know, we’ll have to see.” She said, “I thought that was what you might say.”
As I got to the check out, the cashier apologized for the slowness of things. I told her it was okay. I learned a lot. She gave me a strange look but we all kept moving along.
My text for this week’s Advent lesson is from Luke 2 where the heavenly host of angels joined together in praise to God and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and one earth peace, goodwill toward men.”
The word “goodwill” is referring to people whom God is pleased with. People who were doing good, in the face of tough times, in the face of opposition, and when doing the right thing wasn’t particularly easy.
As I was checking out of the store, I was wondering if what I had seen unfold in the few minutes I was in that store, being kind towards someone that was unknown, spending time with old friends, strangers helping each other, folks offering to help pay for the groceries of a total stranger.
I wonder if those were the things God had in mind when the angels announced peace and goodwill toward all men at the birth of Jesus the Messiah.
I’m convinced the only way evil will be destroyed is for righteous people to rise up and do the right things. I mentioned to my former student to not forget that in the end, righteousness always wins.
May we not forget those words in the days ahead. Evil is being exposed. It can’t stay hidden. Even more evil will be exposed in the days ahead. But we need to remain steadfast in our living so the “good will” of God will be seen in our lives and make a difference in the lives of others, even strangers in line at the store.
That’s our time for this time. Thanks for joining me and thanks for subscribing to our podcast. If you haven’t, please take a moment and ring the bell.
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Thanks again for joining us and God bless.
