In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.
(2 Corinthians 5.19 NRSV)

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An interesting story appeared in the newspapers sometime back. Worshipers at the Second Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, had a rude interruption during worship services earlier this year. Three guys wearing masks burst into the church. They announced that the worshipers were to get out their money and remove their jewelry and rings. It was a tense moment for this congregation. But hold on. This holdup was not what it appeared.

It turns out that the church's pastor, the Rev. Napoleon A. Harris, IV, staged the robbery to teach his congregation a lesson. The message was about "robbing God." Rev. Harris said the lesson was one of "responsibility, accountability, and dependability."

"It is my job to convey God's word," Rev. Harris said. "There's nothing comfortable about telling God's word," he said about his little staged drama.

Jesus often shocked his audiences. We are talking about people’s salvation after all.

Do we give our very best to God or do we hoard our resources for ourselves? Are we responsible, accountable and dependable in our Christian work?

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Dear God, may I not rob you of the gifts you have given me, but may I use them to introduce your people to Jesus, my savior. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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