Trinity Church Boston

Tonight I was feeling a little down, I was picking up my friend Heather in Copley square, and I had a few minutes to kill, so I decided to get out and walk around the square for a few minutes. Trinity Church in Copley Square in Boston has these beautiful relief sculptures. They're breathtaking. They are of the fathers of the faith. Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Matthew and Mark. Paul is up there, as is Augustine. But the last one in the row is of one of the former ministers of Trinity Church.

At first, I was taken aback. At first I was bothered. How could any man put himself into that company. How could you have your image carved next to Paul? Next to Augustine? Next to Abraham. The Bible says that Abraham was a man of faith. The Bible doesn't say anything about you. (I know, it also doesn't mention Augustine, but you get my drift).

But once I thought more about it, I like the fact that he's up there. I like it because it reminds me that I'm not the first man to follow Jesus. I'm not the first generation to follow the Lord. I'm also not the only one to screw things up. Abraham spends several years wandering from town to town almost pimping out his wife, lying about who he is, and getting the town into trouble with God. Moses killed a guy, then ran from the law. 40 years later, when the Lord wants Moses to go back to Israel, Moses finds every excuse except that he has to wash his hair, trying to avoid going back. Paul started out by persecuting the church. Matthew was a tax collector, working for the roman oppressors before Jesus bent over, and said, "Follow me" to him.

It's comforting to me to know that I'm not the first one to follow Jesus. It's comforting to me to know that other fallible men have followed Christ, that other men have stumbled, yet still been called "A man of faith". I like knowing that even though John ran away in the garden of gethsemane, he is still called "The disciple who Jesus loved." It helps me to remember that God isn't looking for perfect people, he's looking for willing people. I can't manage perfection. I can do willing.