Musings

The Waving Lady!

Rev. Peter Faass | 5/28/2010

During the school year there is a crossing guard who is stationed at the corner of Palmerston Rd. and Chagrin Blvd. If I leave for the office before 9 am I am sure to see her there helping youngsters on their way to the Lomond School, cross the road safely.

Now you might think that there is nothing really extraordinary about a school crossing guard, except that this woman has one habit that makes her stand out as being extraordinary; she waves at each car that passes by! It is truly amazing to watch her offer this small gesture of greeting and kindness that makes all the difference in the world.

Now some people do not wave back. In our hardened and cynical society I suppose some folks see her as strange and ignore her. They think, "Why in the world would this person be waving at me when I don't know them? She must want something or be a little crazy."

But many motorists do wave back at her, especially those cars with parents and children heading toward the school. On my initial encounter with the crossing guard lady, I also was not sure if I should wave back, because well, I didn't know her, and thought she must have spotted someone she knew and was waving at them, and well you know, I didn't want to make a fool of myself . . . especially in public.

I am speculating here, but I am willing to bet that the crossing-guard lady is a person of faith. For the sake of this letter let's suppose her to be a Christian who takes her faith seriously. This lady knows that life can get hard and we can get so self-absorbed. But she also knows that the smallest kind gesture can change that in a heartbeat. God's love flows through her and she makes a difference in the world by her waving to all. It is a profound public display of love.

The crossing guard lady is like the cashier lady at Rite Aid who when she hands you your receipt tells you, "God loves you!" It took me a while to get used to that, I'll tell you! I thought "Why is she talking about God in public?" But I have come to appreciate this little blessing she offers me when I purchase something and now I always reply, "And God loves you too!" I can't begin to tell you how wonderful I feel when I make this response to her. The cashier lady has liberated me from my fear of offering a small payback of the enormous love of God that comes to me and should flow from me.

I know that these women's public displays of love and care seem radically counter-cultural to many, maybe even to you. But what they are doing is foundational to being a follower of Jesus. We need to see the crossing-guard lady and the cashier lady as role-models, even as iconic, not strange or weird or foolish. They "get" what following Jesus is about, and so should we.

Monday is Memorial Day and the annual Shaker Heights parade. Christ Church will again field a contingent to march in the parade and smile and wave and toss candy to children and by our very presence tell people that, "God loves you!" Yeah, it's kind of foolish. Yeah, it means some sacrifice of your time and effort on a holiday when you would rather sleep late, read the paper, mow the lawn, etc. Yeah, it means people who know you in this city will publicly see you – in of all things – a church group!

But in the end by marching in the parade you will in some small, but significant way, become more of a follower of Jesus. And I guarantee that you will love that feeling.

Even for an "un-hip" guy like me, I'd say that was way cool!

Peter +

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