Pastor’s Message – September 22, 2020

There’s a Microphone In My Nose

This past Sunday we welcomed an adorable little boy into our church family with the baptismal covenant. Baptisms, like everything, look a little different right now. One of the new preparations I faced on Sunday was how to make my wireless, over-the-ear microphone work with my mask. Thankfully I was able to fit the microphone comfortably under my mask, and everyone in the room could still hear me.

In the middle of the baby’s blessing, something you didn’t see happened: the tiny filter that covered the end of my microphone slipped off the mic—and straight into my nose! I kept on reading the words before me with my lips, but my mind was saying, “How am I going to gracefully get this microphone out of my nose?” Then, as the filter began tickling my nose, my mind said, “It’s going to be really awkward if you sneeze in the middle of this.” So, with all the energy I could muster combined with the resistance to laugh, I tried to ignore the microphone and focus on the baby and words before me. With God’s help, it worked, and I was able to extract the filter between baptism and prayers without any of you noticing (I hope?).

This incident reminds me of something that is integral to following Jesus: recognizing that we have no idea the unseen struggles people are going through. So often we judge each other based on behavior we can see with no idea of the hard times people are quietly experiencing. The microphone in my nose was far more comedy than it was a struggle, but it’s raised my awareness of silent, serious battles people face.

This week, let us be alert to each other’s feelings. Check on one another. Pay attention to the signals that someone may be hurting. Reach out with a phone call or a card. And let us pray that God will help us to see what we need to see, so that we might respond in love. After all, you might help get a microphone out of someone’s nose.

all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian

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