Pastor's Perspective - What Would Dorothy Do?

WWJD.

We’ll never know. She was never selected!

Today I read the news story of Dorothy Killingworth, a 59-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama. Earlier this week she reported for jury duty, but was rejected. Why? Because she legally changed her name to Jesus Christ!

According to The Birmingham News, she was excused because she was disruptive and kept asking questions instead of answering them. Likewise, people were shocked when she insisted her name was Jesus Christ. Some potential jurors laughed out loud when her name was called. According to the court administrator, she didn’t attempt to get out of jury duty, instead she was “perfectly happy to serve.”

According to Fox News, “Efforts to reach Christ for comment were unsuccessful.” (With this quote, my last swig of Coke almost exited both nostrils!)

After I picked myself up off of my office floor from laughing so hard, I began to really think about this story. My conclusion was, Dorothy did a pretty good impression! Think about it.

She was disruptive. Nobody stirred up people and rocked the proverbial apple cart the way Jesus did – especially the legalistic.

She asked more questions instead of answering them. Being fully God incarnate, Jesus didn’t fit in anybody’s box! In reality, He left minions asking all kinds of questions in His wake, inquiries that are still debated today.

She was shocking. Jesus was shocking and scandalous. A ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ who touched sores, knew beer drinking songs, lunched with scoundrels, defended the marginalized, washed the tootsies of His betrayer, and returned hope and self-worth to the guilty, rejected and labeled.

She was laughed at. So was Jesus when He declared a dead child was merely sleeping.

She was perfectly happy to serve. By His own admission, Jesus encapsulated His divine mission, ‘The Son of man came not to be served, but to serve.’ And serve He did – perfectly – completely – all the way to a Roman cross.

Friends, just a reminder that you don’t need to legally change your name to His to deepen your appreciation and imitation of Him this Christmas season.

So Dorothy, not a bad job overall. However, to this west coast pastor, you’ll always be ‘Dorothy’ to me. There’s only one Jesus Christ!