This past week I received a parking ticket in the mail.
I was pretty sure that it was on its way…but hoping it wouldn’t come. On September 11th, I walked out towards the front of the church and saw the parking police walking towards my car with her electronic “ruin your afternoon” machine in hand.
I didn’t break stride and didn’t make eye contact with her as she approached my car. I quickly hopped in, started my car and drove off.
Not as bad as Jim Carrey in “Liar, Liar” but still probably not the best response.
As I looked back at her in my rear view, I noticed a smile on her face. That was not a good sign.
And a few days later…yesterday to be exact, I received a citation in the mail stating that I owe $47.50 for parking violation: 70-532A.
As I look at my fine, I do not appreciate the ordinance that limits parking to 2 hours. However, when I am driving up and down the street looking for a parking space, I wish the city would do something about people who park for hours and hours when it should be enforced for 2 hours.
It seems that my moral compass is affected by my current situation.
However when it comes to the law, my opinion doesn’t really matter. I either keep the law or I break the law.
This Sunday, we are going to return to our study in Romans and that study will provide insight into our relationship with the law. Pastor Dave will bring a sermon from Romans 7 entitled, “Released!”
A quick glance at the passage tells me that I have been released from the law because of the sacrifice of Jesus. This is a powerful truth. Especially since I have a pretty bad habit of breaking the law.
I hope you can join us at 10:45am on Sunday…it’s going to be a great service.
Now I just have to decide if the judge will accept me reading from Romans 7 in defense of my parking ticket…Pretty sure I should just pay the fine.
I hope you have a great day…and don’t forget to check your parking meter.
Troy Campbell 