The old country Methodist left church one Sunday grumbling, “That pastor’s quit preachin’ and gone to meddlin’!”
That old phrase, circulated in some form among Baptist and Methodist circles, captures those inevitable days when the pastor crosses the line and steps out of the preformatted box that the church member had conceived for their pastor and “gone to meddlin”! The scenes below capture the recent actions actions of political powers to force the church into the role as actor for the state versus the church as prophetic voice to the state.
JD Vance’s words to the Pope, “Be careful,” captures the “stay in your lane” warning that the Vicar of Christ has gone to meddlin’. The sermons are wonderful up to the point the pastor overturned the tables of the moneychangers. The pastor’s perceived job is to sprinkle holy water on the business shenanigans of the church members and “Give me a little blessing!,” like an ordained “rabbit’s foot.”
The Discomfort of Meddlin’
During my first pastorate, it was not uncommon to see people smoking in a hospital. One day I visited St. Joseph’s hospital, where a church member lay critically ill. As I approached in the hallway, I observed that a family member was smoking, who immediately hid the lit cigarette in a cupped hand by his waist. But what he could not hide was the curl of smoke that rose and curled around his ears. Rather than comfort him and put him at ease about his curling smoke, I recognized there is power in the discomfort of meddlin’.
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" - Romans 12:2.
Gone to Meddlin’
JPB