Ridin' with the Reverend

A couple weeks back Deb came home from work and told me how she was discussing our youngest son's upcoming wedding with a co-worker. Asked where the wedding would be she named the local Catholic Church, when a third co-worker standing nearby said, "I go to church there and I've never seen you!" This second co-worker then began to question which service, etc. WOW!!!!! So this is the good Christian who takes the low road, insists we must not go there since 'she' has never seen us there, and takes this derogatory approach publicly. I never cease to be amazed at how crass some people can be, and surprisingly how some people who call themselves Christian can be so critical and judgemental.

As I grew up, my folks didn't attend church regularly. The only time I ever saw my dad in church was for a wedding or a funeral. He swore like a trooper, or maybe I should say truck driver for that is what he was. If anyone ever asked him which church he attended it was always, "I go to the Round Church. That way they can't get me cornered!" Yet, in action and in his heart he was one of the greatest examples of a Christian man I've ever known.

He'd do anything for anyone, was always there to help when something needed to be done. At the age of 74 he and a close friend Bob were still going out and cutting wood for several of the widow women in the neighborhood so they'd all have wood to heat their homes the coming winter. The last summer they did this they cut up seven cords of wood, and never once expected to get any money back in return. It was just something you did for others. Dad was the epitome of 'pay-it-forward' before the movie even was thought about. He'd always tell me not to be afraid to help someone, "You will get it back ten-fold in other ways."

The funny part is for all of this, he and mom ensured I had a strong faith, and attendance at church. Not sure how they knew one of the local ministers, especially since they never attended church themselves. But, when I was five years old I began to attend church every week. The minister lived about five miles Southeast of our house. The community non-denominational church was about two miles Northwest of us. Reverend and Mrs. Moore drove via our road every single Sunday, and there I was in my Sunday best standing out by the road waiting for them to stop and pick me up. I remember getting my twelveth annual consecutive pin for perfect attendance. Pretty hard not to get there when riding with the Reverend. But it was my non-church going parents who made sure this happened--two very much Christian in their hearts and actions.

So where am I headed with this? (Anyone who reads my blog knows I don't get to my point straight away.) My point is that sometimes those who are the most vocal about their religion, and commitment to the Lord often times seem to be living their religion the least. In particular I'm amazed by those who 'vocalize' their faith openly and loudly in front of as large an audience as is available to them -- certainly in this day of the internet, facebook, etc. that can be a pretty large group. When I hear this I wonder if they've ever read Matthew 6:5,

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

And for this second co-worker, Romans 14:12-13,

"So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother."

This is one of the great parts of riding a motorcycle, especially on long road trips -- it affords lots and lots of time for self-reflection, for contemplating where each of us is in life, for trying to understand if we are contributing to this world in general and to ourselves specifically. It's about understanding others, and understanding who we are and how we fit into our families and to society. It's learning whether we are contributing to our immediate families in everyway possible, or just financially--are we doing what's best for the family, or for ourselves????? It's like religion, and it's like you are always 'Riding with the Reverend!'

Post Script: When my dad's father was about five years old, his father (my great grandfather) Ralph Philo Moore passed away. He and his next youngest brother were taken to an Aunt's to be raised. As she was married to a Shaw, the boys took that surname. I just thought it kind of a strange consequence that I road to church for twelve years with Reverend and Mrs. W. A. Moore. Never did find out if there was a shirt-tail relationship there.