We all need something to start our week off (Yes, I know Sunday is the first day of the week, but Monday is when we really start in earnest). In the little town of Hartwell, Georgia, between the Savannah River and Route 85. In this small town (pop. 4470) is the Mt. Hebron Baptist Church where the Rev. Grant Myerholtz is the pastor.
Now, you know I’m not much on the South, but the story of this small church reminds me that the Gospel of welcome pops up in the most surprising places. The sign out front reads: “The poor, the tired, the huddled masses – welcome home.”
Almost ten years ago, Pastor Grant had picked up a book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning, which broke through the restrictions he had been raised with in Hartwell. As he said, the Gospel offers unconditional grace, no matter who or what you are, and Mt. Hebron, condemned by the town’s pious preachers, welcomes all, just as Jesus did.
Prayer for the Day
You call us to lift the scales of blindness from our eyes,
And the limits of intolerance from our hearts.
You call us to be faithful servants responding to your word,
But we are ordinary people sometimes afraid to take risks.
Break down the chains of caution that bind us,
And move us boldly into a future we cannot fully envision.
In the name of the One who welcomes all,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
We have the easiest job on the planet as Christians if we want to accept it. That is simply to love everybody…. In God’s kingdom, it doesn’t matter what color we are. It doesn’t matter what party we are. What does matter in God’s economy is how we treat one another. How we roar for one another.
- Rev. Grant Myerholtz, Pastor Mt. Hebron Baptist Church
There’s a community of people that guard their religion and say, ‘It’s not for you. You’re a sinner. You can’t love God like that.
- Collin Graham, member Mt. Hebron Baptist Church
The Pharisees and the scribes complained, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.
Luke 5: 30-32