Getting to know you.

     Sometimes people are difficult to get to know.  Sometimes we don't make too big of an effort to get to know someone.  It can be scary or intimidating sometimes to approach others and just try to spark off conversation with someone you don't know, particularly if they "look" intimidating--that is to say, their appearance.
     Today I did a funeral service for such a man.  When I first came here to Peace Lutheran church in Rapid City, SD, I did not know this man at all. That remained true for quite a while as I began to get to know those in the church that I was working with and saw more regularly.  Even though I did not know this man initially, it was hard not to notice him.  He was a very tall and large man, who always walked with a cane and sat in the back.  You couldn't miss him.  By the same token he had a very intimidating presence.
     About a year ago, he went into the hospital for a few days, and I was a little nervous about going to see him, and wondered what our conversation might be like, or if we would even have one.  We had not said much more than hello and God's blessings to one another to that point.  Admittedly, it was a little strained that first day at the hospital, and I left not knowing what to think.  But the next day when I went for a second visit, he told me just about everything he could about himself and his history at Peace Lutheran--at least as much as he could in one hospital visit.  The next couple visits were more of the same.
     Shortly after he went home from the hospital-about a week or two later-he showed up at my office to bring me some very old catechism materials that he had stored away at his house.  He had gone digging through some old stuff to find it so that he could bring it to me. 
     I realized that it was his way of telling me that he accepted me, and that he knew I had accepted him as well....a token of appreciation if you will.  What I had not realized until then is that this man only let in  those who he wanted to, and that only when he felt that he trusted you.  By the same token, in my own intimidation, I had not attempted very hard to try and get to know him, until he was in the hospital.
     Relationships are so important in life, as in the church.  It is something that God desires for us--having fellowship and community.  I pray that God will help us get past our own stumbling blocks and the stumbling blocks that others place in front of us, so that we can develop relationships that please God and fulfill His purpose in our lives.
    This blog-post is dedicated to Roger Johnson.  I will miss you friend!  Praise be to God for the faith that He gave you in Jesus Christ!

      Until we meet again.....