Letters from Roscoe – Lather, Rinse and Repeat

Lather – Rinse – Repeat

Howdy folks!  Long time, no Roscoe!  I thought I would share something with you.

I was in Church last night.  Yes, it was a Wednesday night and a fairly good gathering for a mid-week Bible Study about one of the Bible’s least expected heroes . . . Gideon.

We had just finished the round of fellowship, where everyone goes around and shakes hands, hugs and catches up on things even though we had just done that a few minutes prior to the service starting.  Brother Eddie has often spoken of how he loves to hear that time of fellowship: The happy greetings, the hugs, the kisses and just a harmonious feeling of love that permeates the entire church.

Last night, I heard it and I felt it too and it is a truly wonderful thing.

People talk about Church as something that you go to.  As ‘attending’ a service.  That couldn’t be any more inaccurate.

Church or at least in my Church (and I hope in your Church as well) is not something that you just go to, you listen and then come home from.  It’s something you participate in.

God’s Church is like a family that you wrap yourself in, like a nice warm quilt.  You can wrap yourself inside of it.  When you go to Church you need to open up a little bit and try to let the people greet you and make you feel welcome.  Grasp the offered hand and accept the smile that goes along with it.  And if there’s an offered ‘hug’ accept it.  These are after all Southern ladies and hugs often come standard. 

Now this next part is going to be a little bit of a stretch for you especially coming from a bald guy but please bear with me.

In a way, it’s kind of like washing your hair.  Did you ever read the instructions on a bottle of shampoo?  Put simply they tell you to “Lather, Rinse and Repeat.”

I’m telling you to do that.  At Church.  Metaphorically speaking of course.

When you go to Church you have to think of it as pouring the shampoo in your hair.  You don’t let it just sit there.  You massage it in.  You spread it all over your scalp until your hair is completely ‘lathered’ up.

To put that in Church terms, what has happened is you’ve let people into your ‘zone’ a little bit.  You’ve listened and hopefully joined in the music and you’ve heard the Word being spoken.  You’ve even let your guard down a little bit because it felt so good letting that shampoo ‘soak’ in to your scalp.

Then you go home. Now is the time to rinse that shampoo out.  Take some time to reflect on the service.  Take a few minutes to read God’s Word; pick a place in the New Testament maybe.  Philippians is good, John is even better.  Maybe you want a ‘Love story’ and you pick the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament or maybe one of my favorites, the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. 

Afterwards, start to build a solid relationship with the Father in prayer.  It doesn’t matter how, or what you say or even where you say it or how loud.  It’s just telling him you want to talk to him and that will open the door. 

This is your first step of faith, communicating with someone who has always been there waiting to talk to you.  Don’t worry, you will not be rejected!  Poor out your heart, even if you’re not speaking out loud.  The only one listening is God.

You will be welcomed and encouraged to come back and talk even more often.  Just listen to your heart.  Jesus is already at work softening it, preparing you to begin a lifelong change that will make you into a different person.

Now, you’ve lathered, you’ve rinsed, you know what’s next don’t you?

You repeat.

That’s right, do it all over again.  Several times in fact.  It’s not football season, you’ve got the time!

Get involved in some of the activities.  Prayer breakfasts (They changed my life!), Trips, Luncheons there are usually a whole host of events going on.  This is where you will meet, see and interact with genuine people who will love you as Christ loves you.  Seeing their behavior, their demeanor will penetrate your soul and encourage you to join in and take part.

Each time though that you go back to Church and meet in fellowship, look and listen and let yourself feel what is happening around you.  You will see, hear and feel the power of God as he has worked with each and every person around you.  You can watch broken people being rebuilt, sick people being healed, sad people being lifted.  The progress is only visible if you go repeatedly and let yourself become a part of the Church that you have wrapped yourself in. 

Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.

You will develop faith, you will experience hope and you will feel the most powerful love of all.  The love of Jesus Christ who laid down his life for you that you may have a relationship with God the Father and an everlasting life.

And for every step that you take towards God, he makes a step towards you.  Just make that first move. 

Apply the shampoo and let your life be changed.