NUT FREE ENVIRONMENT?

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (I Corinthians 1:18)

Yesterday, I visited New Hope Community Church (Assemblies of God) in Marlborough, MA which is pastored by my friend, the Rev. Rob Woods. They're meeting in the third location of the church's history which is at 204 Main Street in Marlborough's downtown. New Hope actually rents their space from a Brazilian Baptist Church. (Don't let "storefront" fool you! It's a very modern, attractive facility. The church's sanctuary seats about 300!) The service was great! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Perusing through their bulletin before the service, I got a chuckle from one heading I saw. In bold capital letters (and underlined) it read: "NUT FREE ENVIRONMENT"! That phrase seemed ironic at a Pentecostal church! Granted, today's "classical Pentecostal" churches have "toned down" quite a bit from what they were forty plus years ago. It was to the Pentecostals of one hundred years ago that the derogatory name, "Holy Rollers" was applied. At one time you would hardly enter a Pentecostal church without seeimg "swinging from the chandeliers" behavior. Now, I don't think anybody really SWUNG from the chandeliers, but there could be some pretty excessive stuff. Pentecostal churches also attracted a large number of "God's PECULIAR people". It was commonly believed that Pentecostals were "a bunch of nuts"; hence "NUT FREE ENVIRONMENT" seemed comical to read!

The sentence following the heading read, "Due to nut allergies we are a NUT FREE church." I guess more and more we're being asked to be sensitive to people with nut allergies, and allergies to perfume and cologne, for that matter. I remember visiting a Pentecostal church in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island ten years ago where it was announced on the church's Power Point that people were asked to NOT wear perfume or cologne due to the allergies of others.

This morning for my devotional reading it was on my Bible reading schedule to read Acts chapter 26. That's the chapter where the Apostle Paul appears before King Herod Agrippa and Roman Governor Festus. Paul was a prisoner at the time. He had appealed his case to Caesar in Rome, and Festus asked Agrippa to hear him because Festus was trying to figure out exactly what the charges should be and exactly what he should write to the Emperor about Paul. During that hearing, in which Paul gave his testimony of encountering the risen Christ, Festus yells out that he is "mad" and postulated that all his higher education had driven him mad. Putting it more casually, Festus said he was "nuts". There is also a scene in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus' own family comes to "get" him, saying "He is out of his mind" (see Mark 3:21).

I've always "marched to the beat of a different drummer". In life, that can be difficult. My good friend the Rev. Dick Germanine got pretty upset with me a few years ago when I described myself as a "weirdo". I just kind of calmly looked at him, and replied, "It's OK, Dick, I really AM a weirdo, but God loves me just the way I am!"
I used to describe myself as "eccentric" for on-line profiles, and some folks who are close to me got quite upset by that. I ended up toning it down and describing myself as "unconventional"! When you "think different", (and incidentally, I prefer MAC computers and am writing on one now!) life can be difficult. You can honestly feel "not wanted" in a lot of places. Seriously. You CAN be left out in certain situations. I've had people uncomfortably change the subject when I've been talking with them and awkwardly move to get away from me. It's kinda, well, tough to take.

I supposed I could feel that "NUT FREE ENVIRONMENT" means I'm not welcome, but thank God, New Hope Church just meant, "please be sensitive to people with nut allergies"! Yeah, sometimes I'm a "fool for Jesus" but you know what?! I am so thankful and grateful that the Lord Jesus Christ has loved me and accepted me. That gives me a reason to put a smile on my face and go out to "seize the day" this morning!