Being a Jerk in the Name of the Lord?

Let me share something for a moment... I've been cranky lately. I don't like being cranky and people around me don't like me being cranky. I don't blame them, my cranky is real cranky. It's another reason my wife Marie should be loved and honored... She lives with me all the time. God bless her!

There was an item on the agenda from the last meeting of Grace Presbytery, an item that was very divisive. I was opposed to that amendment. Grace Presbytery posted this item online and as with all organizations, they hoped people would come prepared to debate. I was. Boy was I.

A note on the motion on the floor. The basic reason for its existence is that people don't trust each other. Everything is marked with the word "gracious"--yet without trust that's always going to be a tough nut to crack.

One of the items I found was that the way the amendment had been written, as proposed, within its own language, it could not have been approved at that meeting. As soon as the motion was made, I was going to drop the hammer and while debate would not have ended, effectively making a decision on that item would be all but dead for that meeting.

I told the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of my plans so she would know where I was going. In football if you are going to have an Offensive Lineman eligible to catch a pass (usually they are not) then you have to tell the Referee. That's what I was doing, telling the Referee I was running a Lineman eligible play.

When the motion was made, one item was changed. One word was changed which blew my tactic out of the water. Boom! It was the perfect word. I had no evidence, but I was pretty sure the Clerk told the proponents of the motion what I was planning on doing. Frankly, the Clerk didn't like my motion, she wanted to get the item over with and done. So I wasn't upset that she warned them. She might have even provided them with the word they used to thwart my end-around play.

That didn't stop me though. Oh no. When the Clerk saw me in line I gave her a wink.

I asked the man who proposed the item what rationale was used to change the word he did. He really couldn't answer the question. He asked what I meant by "rationale?" I said "Why did you change it?" He consulted his expert on the subject. He answered that the Clerk had warned him that a member of the assembly was going to use the original language to prevent it from being voted on at this meeting.

I said, "Yes, I am that member." I'm a pastor, we're in the "confession of sin" business, what can I say?

So I asked, "Who was more gracious? The Clerk, the Representative of the Presbytery who told you what was going to happen or me who was going to use this against the motion?"

He said he didn't understand. I gave it another go, "The Clerk told you what was going to happen and I didn't, who was acting more graciously?"

Then he hemmed, he asked what I meant by "gracious." By this time, I had worn my welcome out by at least a full minute. I also figured that as far out of order I was, answering my own question would be severely out of order so I said, "I guess it's like whatever your definition of 'is' 'is.'" and sat down. Not a minute too soon.

Honestly now, what five year old couldn't answer that question. I was being a jerk and the Clerk was being gracious. I knew it, everyone in the room knew it. But for some reason this man could not say it. Why? I've got some speculation, but I have no facts so I'll let you draw your conclusions. They're as good as mine.

Let me say this again. I was a jerk. The book of James chapter 3 says something about me being a jerk.

Verses 9-10 say, "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be."

Verse 17 adds, "The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

My tongue was not filled with praise. My wisdom was full of something else.

Forgive me Father for I have sinned. I may have made my point that the Presbytery and its people are trustworthy. The folks are a wonderful group of people doing the work of God in Grace Presbytery. By building relationships, trust builds too.

So, being a jerk in the name of the Lord? It's really not in the name of the Lord. There must have been a better way of making my point because there the only way to make it worse would have included physical violence.

God bless us everyone.