Standing At The Door

Standing At The Door

Standing at the door of the church on Sunday morning has been my sentry post since I started pastoring over forty-five years ago. No one told me that was what you were supposed to do. I just felt that it was important to be where people were as they crossed the threshold into worship. Many a Sunday morning I stood in inclement weather to shake hands welcoming the saints.

Sometimes it felt like I was running for political office. Shaking hands, giving hugs and kissing babies weren’t the kind of thing they taught you in seminary. Come to think of it there are a lot of pastoral skills I had to learn on the job. Most people want to interact with their pastor face to face not just as a distant figure in the pulpit.

I have met a lot of characters over the years standing at the door. Every once in a while a person would ignore my outreached hand, slipping silently through the door as if I wasn't even there. No problem. I respect their space even if I don't like their attitude. One Sunday, a man who had never come to the church before appeared in the doorway carrying a thirty-two inch TV dragging the electrical cord behind him. I was tempted to say, “You can leave the TV evangelists at home.”

My most dangerous Sunday morning greeting came in an unexpected way. Taking my usual place just outside the main door, an elderly lady wearing white tennis shoes struggled up the steps with her cane. I was disarmed by her smile until she opened her mouth. She looks me right in the eye, raised her cane and started swinging at me yelling, “I am so mad that God has come to take back his church.” She then walked into church.  My reflexes were pretty good and so avoided getting mauled.

I have learned a lot about human behavior standing at the church door. Some people are just thankful to be alive and look forward to the fellowship, the hymns and a challenging sermon. Others come out of habit or compulsion; you can sense it in the body language. Some even smile and ask how I am doing. The Bible says, “A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.”

A word to the wise: stay clear of little old ladies in white tennis shoes wielding a cane!