Rev. Mike Dawson from First United Methodist Church in Colleyville surprised me this Sunday with his first comment as our visiting speaker in our pulpit exchange. Rev. Mike said he felt the need to confess when he entered Good Shepherd. Most of us joke about Catholic guilt, but I had no idea it reached beyond our denomination. When he explained he needed to repent from coveting our beautiful sanctuary, we all understood. Our worship space, or the “Superbowl” as he described it, is indeed lovely. Hopefully, before he left, he could feel that the beauty of the surroundings is due mostly to the inner beauty and warmth of those who built it and now worship in it. May we all experience some of what he described later as “radical hospitality” every time we enter Good Shepherd.
Rev. Mike continued to surprise me with his deep understanding of us as Catholics and as catholic (lowercase). He drew from a strong knowledge of Catholics such as Teresa of Avila, Ignatious of Loyola, Francis of Assisi, Alfred Delp, Archbishop Oscar Romero, and many others. Rev. Mike mentioned his powerful prayer experience at a silent retreat at Montserrat—a place where I too had listened in silence for God’s voice, just as Elijah. Rev. Mike also attended a Jewish-Christian dialog where clergy of many denominations sang: “Here I am, Lord. Is is I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.” Then we sang that very song for Preparation, reminding me what an inspirational declaration it is for anyone who ministers to others.
I was pleased Rev. Mike spoke to the scripture of the day regarding Jonah, called to be a prophet to Nin’eveh. Rev. Mike reminded us that we are all called by God. He cautioned us to avoid becoming a pouting, angry prophet like Jonah who sulked because God was so merciful that he loved the wicked as well as the good. It reminded me of a friend who didn’t like the story of the Prodigal Son because she thought the brother who stayed at home was treated unfairly. But God’s ways are not our ways. Like the workers paid the same amount for working just a few hours compared to those who worked all day—God’s generosity spills over to all, beyond our ideas of fairness.
As I always hope from our pulpit exchange speakers, Rev. Mike stressed the value of how our denominations work in partnership through dialog, fellowship, mission, and service. I personally wish more faiths, cultures, and politicians could focus more on how we are similar rather than our differences. As Rev. Mike put it, “The people of God are bigger than we think.”
This Sunday, we had a glimpse of that vast people of God through the words of Rev. Mike Dawson. I am grateful that he chose today to hold God’s people at Good Shepherd in his heart.
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