Tidings Article - February 2012
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear Friends,
My football heroics at Penn State were limited to the intramural fields and a phys. ed. class, but I did have two personal contacts with Joe Paterno. My freshman year, we were watching Monday Night Football and thought it would be fun to see if Joe was watching the game. Amazingly, his home number was in the phone book, so we called him. Sue answered, then Joe came on the line and had a short conversation. The other time I saw him walking and said, “Hi, Coach.” He smiled, said “Hi,” and went on.
Many people will remember him for his generosity towards others, his commitment to helping young men develop into leaders both on and off the field, his love for family and his dedication to the Pennsylvania State University.
But some will never forgive him for not doing more to stop a monster. Message boards and editorial pages continue to fill up with hatred for him and Penn State.
I offer no excuses for Joe’s sin of omission. He even said, “I should have done more.”
But for those who judge his life only for that sin – do they want to be judged by the same standard that they are putting on Joe? Do they want to be remembered solely for the biggest mistake of their lives?
Is anyone here perfect, that they could throw the first stone? No.
Joe’s failure did not make him an anathema. It showed that he was human, susceptible to errors in judgment. This was a big error, but did we really expect him to be perfect?
Let us learn lessons from both his strengths and weaknesses about how to live life.
Let us leave final judgment to a God that we know offers grace to all sinners.
Let us claim, as he did, the saving work of Christ on the Cross, both now and for eternity,
Pastor Tim
