The parable of The Good Samaritan has a lot of things to teach us. There’s truth about racism, the obvious truth about ‘Who is my neighbour?’, and, some might say, even a dire warning about taking shortcuts through unfamiliar territory (okay, maybe the last one not so much…).
One thing I see in it is the truth about being authentic. The Priest and the Levite (read: ‘pastor and worship leader’, or ‘minister and facilities manager’), who each passed by the beaten-up man on the other side of the road, illustrate how easy it is for each of us to fall into the role of being a ‘professional believer’ without letting the words of Jesus actually change our lives in any way. That’s not a good way to operate.
It’s always refreshing to see someone operate in fidelity to their faith. When what someone says – or sings about – lines up with what they profess, especially when they think no one is watching, I find it makes me smile.
Last time Jennifer Jade Kerr was at Worship Café she illustrated this truth without being aware of it. Jennifer had been a guest worship leader in January, and returned to lead again in May. In between those two gigs I was reviewing old video files, and I saw I had filmed her as part of a project where adults contribute time as mentors to help kids in elementary and junior high school.
That’s what made me smile. As part of this project (“Heroes Okanagan”) she was giving her time without anyone really knowing about it. Sure, the other three volunteers knew about it, and the kids in the classroom knew about it, but no one outside of those parameters knew anything; no one who could ‘help build her career’ as a worship leader or children/youth pastor knew what she was up to. She was basically just doing it because she wanted to make a difference in some kids’ lives.
The second time Jennifer led at WC she blazed into the Café from a car wash where she was helping the youth from her church raise money. As soon as she was done the worship set she left to go back and help wash cars again. That in itself was cool to see – but that was a fairly public event where lots of people from her church would have been in attendance. The gig she did with the kids in school, though, was done far away from the public eye.
I liked that.
You can find an archive of Jennifer Jade Kerr’s worship times on the Worship Café website. Just look for her under the ARCHIVES tab at the top left of the page.
And join us again for live worship every Sunday afternoon.
In the meantime, be real.
Log in to Worship Cafe to see the archive.
