Signs from above

I’ve always been a fan of church signs – you know, the ones outside churches which advertise the name of the pastor, time of services, and often provide some sort of inspirational message for the passer-by.

By now some of them are a little bit cliched, like “Seven days without prayer make one weak.” Some warn of the dire consquences of sin: “Forbidden fruit creates many jams.” And for the old newspaper guy like me, the appeal is the same as a well-written headline, a cogent and attention-getting message contained within a limited space.

But whether time-worn or original, all have that valuable bit of takeaway, leaving one with something to ponder.

Well, there’s a whole book of those things that someone has done, with text and photos of these signs from all around the country. I wish had written down the title and author so I could post it here. But you can find it in the lobby at your nearest Cracker Barrel restaurant, which is where I saw it when Jayne and I went out for dinner on Sunday evening.

One of the signs in the book really stuck with me. And maybe it’s a reflection of an issue faced by churches all around the country as they deal with the issue of ministering to people who don’t look and talk “like us.”

It was from a Methodist church, somewhere in the Midwest, and it said: “Jesus didn’t speak English.”

Powerful stuff, and worth thinking about.