Faith

PASTOR’S CORNER, Dr. Jeff Nagell, Friends Church of Liberal

A pastor was invited to share a meal with a family who attended his church. As the serving dishes were brought to the table, the family eagerly dove in to help themselves and proceeded to eat. The minister was surprised no grace was offered, so he bowed his head and gave thanks privately. The mother of the house asked why he did so, and he said “I always give thanks for what God gives,” to which the indignant mother replied “In this house, Daddy works for what we get.”

PASTOR’S CORNER, Jeff Nagell, Friends Church of Liberal

The church hymnal is becoming a relic in many churches of today. Worship choruses and the contemporary Christian music market are making lyrics, which have words whose meanings are often antiquated, that have driven even staunch defenders of the classic hymns to change the lyrics. As one who grew up singing out of a hymnal, usually to organ music, I long for the days when I knew all the verses of many hymns by heart.

In this, I remember men in matching suits singing four-part harmonies and women in satin gowns matching the men but in a higher octave. The rhythms of the holidays were reflected in the song choices of the choir director, who doubled as the song leader in many instances. It was a church where tradition reigned supreme and codified by both the secular and church calendars.

PASTOR’S CORNER, Dr. Jeff Nagell, Friends Church of Liberal

If you are like me, you have already seen a dozen or more commercials about a big holiday coming up soon – Christmas.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Christmas, but the great calendar-makers of all time decided we needed to stop and be thankful before piling up gifts and trinkets before the really fun holiday to come. Not to imitate The Grinch, but Christmas can’t be Christmas without a moment to think about all the good we already have. It’s like the old question “What do you say to an atheist who sneezes?” “I don’t know.” “Exactly.”

So who do we thank on Thanksgiving?

PASTOR’S CORNER, Dr. Jeff Nagell, Friends Church of Liberal

I’m new to Liberal – well, I was six years ago. My wife and I came to Liberal in 2019 from Eastern Indiana, and this is our fifth state of residence. The first month I was in Liberal, I was invited to two meetings – the first was with the Liberal Ministerial Alliance (which took place, at that time) in the meeting room at Southwest Medical Center), and the second meeting I was invited to was a weekly prayer meeting led by Lora Jones.

The two groups shared a common thread in how the local churches all worked together in the city of Liberal. By contrast, the city I came from in Indiana had four ministerial groups, none of which worked together. I had tried to go to all four, but it was obvious how these four groups were all playing the same instruments, but in different bands. In Liberal, our prayer group prays inside other churches each week, with the host pastor receiving us warmly each week. Some weeks, we pray at community centers that welcome our prayers. This prayer group is part of the Liberal Ministerial Alliance.