When people think of preachers, they do not necessarily think of comedy. Well, some preachers can use humor to make a serious point. That is the case with Rev. John Ed Mathison.
John Ed, as he is universally called, is a busy, busy “retired” minister. I must put “retired” in quotation marks because John Ed serves daily within and without his large and growing circle of influence.
The long-time senior pastor of Montgomery megachurch Frazer Memorial speaks at all kinds of venues. He runs a daily email Biblically-based advice column. He broadcasts a daily podcast. He films a weekly video.
John Ed has just been consecrated as a minister in the relatively new to Alabama Free Methodist denomination and as pastor emeritus at his long-time church, Frazer Memorial in East Montgomery.
On Wednesday, John Ed used a particular form of humor to make a serious point. He employed irony. In this case, it was something that happened in exactly the wrong place.
John Ed’s email message 6 told about the man seeking to become a driving instructor at the Community Driving School in Colorado. Unfortunately, the man drove his car into and through the front of the driving school, right under the large sign, “LEARN TO DRIVE.”
Here is John Ed’s e-mail message using humor to make a point.
Practicing Beats Preaching!
The Community Driving School is located in Lakewood, Colorado. The purpose of the school is to teach people how to drive. An instructor crashed his vehicle in the “Learn to Drive” building along Wadsworth Boulevard. The car stopped right under the sign saying, “Learn to Drive.” What a picture!
The owner of the school explained that the driver was an employee of the school, but this was only his second day on the job. I doubt that he will get the title of certified instructor, nor will he be allowed to teach other people how to drive.
In life so many people are teaching things that they don’t do themselves. This is so evident in the Christian faith. Teachers, counselors, ministers, and other professionals teach people about how to handle situations in life, but cannot handle those same situations themselves. If you are looking for somebody to show you how to live life to the fullest, be sure you select somebody that not only knows how to live life but has had tested experiences that have proved that the person is a good teacher.
A man was driving on a busy city street, closely followed by a stressed-out woman. When the light turned yellow, he did the proper thing by stopping. She wanted him to go through the caution light so she could run the red light. Her frustration caused her to drop her cell phone and makeup.
While she was still ranting, she heard a tap on her window and looked into the face of a very serious police officer. He ordered her to exit the car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell.
After a couple of hours, the policeman came to the cell and opened the door. He said, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, making obscene gestures to the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed your ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ bumper sticker, your ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed by your actions that you had stolen the car.”
What we say should match what we do. The best sermons are not preached from behind the pulpit but by the lives of people in everyday situations. What you do speaks so loudly that people don’t hear what you say.
A young boy came to the pastor to join the church. Surprised, the preacher says, “You must be joining because of my preaching.” The boy thought for a moment and said, “No sir, I’m joining because of my mother’s practicing.” Practicing is a better witness than preaching every day.
Be careful what you are practicing because practice makes perfect!
Jesus said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Mark 7:6) Titus writes, “The people profess to know God but by their deeds they deny Him.” (Titus 1:16) Mr. Gandhi was once asked the question, “What is the greatest handicap that Jesus has in India?” He immediately replied, “Christians.”
Someone asked how important is it to live during the week what we worship about on Sunday? You only need to practice your Christian faith on days that end in Y!
It’s preaching by practice time!
To subscribe to the free daily email message from John Ed Mathison, click here.
Jim Zeigler is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
