My late husband, who died way too young at age forty-eight, loved cars. At a quick glance he could tell me what make and model just passed us on the interstate. For his birthday every year I bought him a subscription to Hemmings Motor News. He devoured it upon its arrival each month.
Since I loved him, I grew to love what he loved - or at least act interested. I began noticing cars too, and for amusement we would go to antique automobile museums or old car shows on the square of small towns within driving distance. Eventually we bought a car that qualified as antique so we could join our local antique automobile club. We would go on trips with our club and take friends along for the ride. That car was a floating boat. The back seat was roomy enough for friends and plenty of picnic supplies.
We also joined the Antique Automobile Club of America and started going to the national shows. We would go a day early so we could go to judging school. At judging school we were briefed on the cars to be entered in that show, and were given guidelines by which to judge those cars. The criteria was simple: each car had to be restored to the wholeness of showroom condition. It could not be "souped up." It had to look just the way it looked when it came off the assembly line. The tires had to be the right brand and size. The paint had to be the exact same paint. If you think this is impossible, just subscribe to Hemming's Motor News and you will find that all this stuff is out there for sale.
The good news in this judging was that it was possible to have several first place winners in one category of cars. Theoretically there could be a whole string of '65 Mustang convertibles that had been restored to wholeness. The cars were not competing against each other. They were competing against the standard of wholeness for themselves.
So you are already out ahead of me and you see where I am going with this. God does not compare the condition of our soul against that of another human being. I believe that God looks at us and wants to restore us to be who God created us to be. Jesus told some of his first followers, "Follow me, and I will make you to become . . ."
My prayer for today is:
"O God, Restore to wholeness whatever is broken by human sin -- in our lives, in our nation, and in the world. Amen."
Pastor Linda
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Founding Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
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