The Guy with the Sign

Every Monday Morning, at the corner of Alex Bell Road and Far Hills Avenue, you will find a man standing on the corner with a large sign. It is a message of hope and encouragement, and it changes every week. Today the sign read on one side, "You Are Loved" and on the other, "There is Always Hope." The man standing at the corner waves and smiles at everyone he can. Every Monday I that I see him, he makes my day.

A couple months ago, the Dayton Daily News ran an article about this man. I commend it to you to learn about this man and his reason for doing what he does.

Man’s signs lift moods | Dayton, OH

Today (I am writing this on Monday), I decided I would watch the people's reactions to the guy with the sign instead of focusing on him. What fun! The smiles, the waves, the woman taking a picture of the guy with the sign with her phone as she drove by. What a great way to start a Monday!

What I appreciate about the guy with the sign is that there is no ulterior motive, no negative statement, no strings attached - it is a grace-full message. It is for you. It is a gift.

Hmmm. This sounds somewhat familiar, doesn't it? A grace-full message - no strings attached. A message of hope and love. I hope and pray that is what we share each week in worship, as well as in our welcome and sharing in all we do as a church.

God loves you! A lot! So much so God gave Jesus to us to show us how to live, how to love, how to forgive. Jesus loved the unlovable, touched the untouchable, and forgave the unforgivable. Jesus emptied himself of all the trappings of heaven and was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. On the cross he took our sin upon himself. This one who knew no sin became sin, so that we might be made right and clean and whole in the presence of God. On the cross he died.  But death could not contain Him. The tomb is empty and life wins. All this is yours as a gift.

If that doesn't make your day, I don't know what will.

What is the message you would share?

What kind of reaction do you think you would get?

Peace,

Pastor Charlie