A WORD FROM PASTOR ANDREW HOOK

June 22, 2022     

Sunday, as we were wrapping up from worship, as we were turning out the lights and making sure doors were locked, my wife found something.    

In the women’s restroom, inside of the diaper changing station where it could only be seen when a mother was changing her baby, someone (a young person by the look of the handwriting) had scribbled “God isn’t real.” And despite the best efforts to clean it off, it’s still there faintly.     

One of my favorite shows, maybe the best writing I’ve ever seen, is in a show on Apple+ called “Ted Lasso.” There’s a fantastic scene where the main character dialogues in the middle of a darts match. And central to the scene is a quote from Walt Whitman; “Be curious, not judgmental.”      

In my anger, I have to confess, I jumped straight to judgmental. I was angry at the brazenness that someone would graffiti this inside the church. But in the days since, I’ve moved to curiosity.     

What experiences has this person had that led them to a point where they could scribble that?     

Have they ever been loved by a church?     

Have they been hurt or failed by a church?     

Where did that moment, that certainty of God’s absence, come from?     

As the classic parental words go, I’m not mad, just disappointed.      

I’d love to have a conversation with our mystery graffiti artist and listen to their story. Because it might just show me and the church how we can better communicate God’s love and reality to a world that desperately wants to know that there’s something more.  

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Immediately after worship, Mr. Tom Lancaster from Lancaster & Wyatt Architects will be presenting a proposed master plan and idea about what a new children’s ministry and church office facility could look like. We would love to have as many people in attendance to hear and help us discern what comes next for Magnolia Methodist!     

Sunday is coming! We’ll see you here!   

Andrew Hook 

Pastor