I have a friend who is both a United Methodist pastor and a State Farm Insurance agent. One of his businesses has a memorable jingle; the other not so much. Everyone has heard the jingle Barrow Manilow wrote for State Farm: “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” It is one of the most recognizable advertising jingles of all time. But who has heard a jingle for our church?
Even if we borrowed the State Farm jingle, what would we say about Resurrection Church? “Like a good neighbor, Resurrection minds its own business”? “Like a good neighbor, Resurrection lets you borrow its tools”? “Like a good neighbor, Resurrection is quiet after 10:00 pm”? Perhaps “Like a good neighbor, Resurrection cares. “
We don’t have a jingle; but if we did, what would it say? What phrase would express the heart of Resurrection Church? It’s worth thinking about. It’s also worth thinking about how we could live up to that commitment. Anyone can hire a Barry Manilow to write a jingle. (Well not exactly. I don’t think Manilow has written a jingle since the 1960s.) Still, it’s not the jingle writing that truly matters. It’s living out what the jingle says.
Every time a State Farm client has a claim, they wonder if they can count on State Farm to live up to their jingle and be there for them. Every time someone encounters the Church, they probably ask the same question. Will the church be the body of Christ it claims to be? Will it be there for them? Will it care? May we live out our faith in such a way that people can count on us.
God bless,
Pastor Mark