Well, here we are, April 30, 2011. Two years ago today I was receiving paperwork that indicated that I was terminated, and several of us were preparing for a congregational meeting. That seems many worlds away in so many ways, and yet the wounds and scars from that experience can become visible in just a nano second.I love all of you and am so thankful for the lessons that God has taught me in the last two years in your midst. But I still mourn for the lost relationships, and the lack of trust for fellow Christians that still creeps into my heart. I mourn for a Church that can never again be mine, and an innocence and purity about life and community and Church that is forever gone to me.
It is interesting that our scripture tomorrow is about David and Bathsheba. I didn't plan it that way, but here we are. The chapter begins by stating that in the Spring when Kings went off to war, David stayed behind. Exactly what that signals in David's life, I can't tell you, but I know that if he had been where he was supposed to be, he would never have looked over that balcony at Bathsheba, and the course of his life would have been changed. By the same token, had I not been fired from Park Row, I would never be where I am today, surrounded by such a wonderful community of believers.
So much of what it means to be a follower of Christ is being where we need to be...which is in the company of Christ. To go where He goes, to say what He says, to do what He does...to follow our rabbi in all things. Almost all the problems I have experienced in churches over the years have stemmed from people not obeying these simple 'rules.' Folks may have had all the 'right' answers about Acappella music, or the role of baptism, or how often to attend worship services or take communion, but they did NOT have hearts that were in tune with Christ's heart...who, though being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God as something to be clung to (Philippians).
And so as we move forward, may we be in concert with the Father, the Son and the Spirit, and seek to do ONLY the things that they would have us do.
1 comment:
Ryan, I think you have hit on something very significant here. Many of us are hurt by our church, Christian friends, and religious experiences, but we have to move forward in the favor He has given us, using the tools we still have to further His Kingdom. Once things have changed, they will never be as they once were.
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