”Churches”

12-16-18
 
It’s Sunday and churches (building) open their doors.  Most put on smiles they will only offer in those walls.  What would the concept really look like if churches became the church (people) the Bible talked about?   What would it look like if we were not afraid to visit a “stable” to watch a gift God wants to unfold before our eyes?  Are we afraid to see and accept the brokenness  outside of the “typical” obligations of a building?  Are we afraid to show up in the unpopular places?  Church should be more than just getting someone to walk through the doors on a Sunday morning.  What humble gift of ourselves can we bring to the hearts of the broken?

Empathetic Revelation In Suffering

Empathetic Revelation in Suffering

12-6-18

A quote in Sheila Walsh’s book In The Middle Of The Mess “Humility is a heart thing.  It’s allowing yourself to be loved as you are and extending that grace to others”.  That quote stirred some deep thoughts most of which I shared over coffee with a friend today.  To be humble enough to accept love as we are no matter what state of mind or condition and to pass that same type of love we should receive onto others with grace and no expectations.  To only love and not have the ability to accept love is a different type of pride reversal.  Those thoughts really struck me as I often reflect over not only the past few years but many years of my life. 

I believe somewhere in the beginning of this particular conversation I had made mention of my distaste for the word “Christian” and the unfair expectations it holds and how that is even often reflected to rules and standards in which many churches want “Christians” to follow or live up to.  The meaning of   “Christian” is to be a follower of Christ.  It is to be one who follows with the purpose of seeking and gaining a personal relationship with the Christ they follow.  It’s not about following church or a religion or a book of laws.  This led on to the how Jesus talked about The Great Commandment in

Matthew 22:37-40 New International Version (NIV)

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

He was talking about our lives were not to be wrapped up in “abiding by all the laws”.  He knew and recognized the great need for showing grace, releasing them from their lives of perfectionism.  He simply told them to summarize the Ten Commandments or the Laws of Moses into two simple principles.  Love your God…this mere thought is simple.  When you learn to develop your relationship with God you desire to seek him, please him, and love him.  This growing relationship develops the character he wants to build within you.  It’s not based on laws, but the mere desire to please, to love the one with whom you are building the relationship with.   The second part of this commandment says to Love your neighbor as yourself.  When we learn about loving God and learning what that love begins to look like back, beginning to grab onto the idea of loving ourselves, we begin to see in this relationship his love for us.  How in building a deep meaningful relationship that is based on unconditional love could we not begin to see and love ourselves as he does?  If we seek to grow and find a love for him, begin to accept that love back, we are then able to learn to pass that love on to “our neighbor”. 

This conversation continued on to the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  I think often times as “Christians” or “Christ Followers” or whatever “title” you want to assign yourself we completely miss these two very basic key principles and what that is supposed to look like.  Jesus explained the definition of loving thy neighbor in this Parable in

Luke 10:25-37 New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This man who was robbed and stripped of EVERYTHING he had laid dying.  He was robbed of his money, his belongings, his dignity, and we really don’t know what other emotional baggage he was left of from the things he was robbed of.  Not only was he robbed, but he was rejected and abandoned.  He was left dying and to continue that process alone.  He most likely was not a picture anyone would want to see or remember.  Those wounds would leave scars that would write a story all of their own.  A Story of trauma, abandonment, rejection, and a knock on death’s door as he laid alone in his pain and suffering with oozing dirty wounds and most likely a body shivering and cold from a state of shock.    Both the Priest and the Levite went out of their way to walk on the opposite side of the road to avoid the battered dying man.  They lacked humility and love (the Great Commandment to love).  The Good Samaritan came along and took notice of the dying man; who was left with no dignity and in his moments of near death of being helpless, is now left with more than physical wounds, but emotional wounds as well.  The Samaritan took pity on him, it says in Matthew.  He didn’t focus on the wounds and brokenness left before him as the man lay dying.  With humility, he loved him; he probably found a way to clothe him after cleaning his wounds.  I can almost imagine him talking to him while he poured the wine and oil on them.  He knew the man was in pain, and now in order to take steps to care for him and love him, he would have to inflict more pain in cleaning his wounds.  I can picture him speaking softly and kindly through the man cries (whatever was left) the additional pain he had to inflict, but those reminders of he was going to see him through; those words that he would be okay.  The Good Samaritan did not ask the wounded to act or behave a certain way.  He just loved him, broken and stripped in the Middle of his Mess with humility, just the way he was.  He simply lived the second part of the Great Commandment out of Loving His Neighbor.

The parable says after he was done caring for his wounds, he lifted him (dead weight and all) onto his donkey to find his way to the nearest town.  This now meant he sacrificed his ride to walk the journey with the beaten dying man.  He continued to see him through the night and care for him.  Before he paused to finish his travels for his original purpose, he chose to not make sure the man would be abandoned a second time, but that he would be cared for until he could return to continue to care for him himself.  The fact he made the choice shows he recognized there were going to be ongoing needs this man would have.  He recognized not only the physical needs but the emotional needs as well.

With all these thoughts, I wonder how many of us and how many churches, “Christ Followers”, or “Christians” are able to see brokenness as beautiful.  How often are we able to live out this commandment of “Loving thy Neighbor” with humility; their brokenness and their wounds whatever that may be.  Are we able to give them the time (with no limit) needed to heal, to grieve the effects of their pain both physical and emotional?  Are we able to forget the sight before our eyes and see the worth in each broken piece of another’s life?  What would a different view of healing look like for the broken if these concepts were true?  Brokenness not only hurts the broken but can also hurt the Samaritan.  When things are broken, including lives, it leaves harsh sharp edges and words that cry out waiting for each piece to one day be smoothed and used to create a different picture and different story.  Each piece among the lines carved by scars hold worth and value and writes their own story.  Each broken piece needing love and respect of what remains.

The broken need commitment, love, and acceptance with humility.  They certainly don’t need rejection by the priest and the Levite.  They don’t need more dirt or non-healing acidic agents poured on their already open oozing wounds.  What difference or impact could we really begin to make if we would be willing to love sharp broken pieces as beautiful and speak life and breath back into each sharp piece that we help to pick up and hold while the story gets rewritten?