Today’s Readings: Psalm 119; Isaiah 45:9-17; Matthew 4:12-17; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
There are so many stories I have heard over the years about local churches that have failed to live into the fullness of their call to be the Body of Christ. If I had a dollar for every such story, I would be a millionaire. A few years ago, however, I heard the story of a local church who reminded me of what can happen when a church takes that call seriously. The church I’m speaking of was located in a small mountain town in Colorado. One of the members of the church committed an unthinkable act – an offense against a child. The church member was convicted of his crime, served his time, and then released. Instead of doing what many churches would have done – shunned the offender – the local church did something else. They worked with the offender to set up terms for his participation in the life of their church that would make the church safe for the children and the offender. As long as the offender followed the terms, he was welcome to participate in the life of the church. So what impressed me about the actions of the local church? Well, while many churches are satisfied to simply pay lip service to concepts like forgiveness, healing, and transformation; this local church went to remarkable lengths to actually live into those words. I was reminded of that story when I read today’s words from 1 Corinthians where Paul wrote: “God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. [God] will never give up on you. Never forget that” (1 Corinthians 1:9 from The Message). While most of us have never done anything as disturbing as committing an offense against a child, many of us probably have a piece of our past that wouldn’t hold up to the scrutiny of others if brought into the light of day. Maybe that buried piece of ourselves has caused us to withdrawal from God due to a fear of rejection. Paul’s words remind us that no matter what mistake(s) we may have made in the past, there is one thing we never have to worry about: God giving up on us. As you hear those words, I would encourage you to take some of the energy that perhaps you have devoted to shame and self-loathing in the past and instead devote that energy to giving thanks for a God that NEVER gave up on you and pulled you through. Til next time…
There are so many stories I have heard over the years about local churches that have failed to live into the fullness of their call to be the Body of Christ. If I had a dollar for every such story, I would be a millionaire. A few years ago, however, I heard the story of a local church who reminded me of what can happen when a church takes that call seriously. The church I’m speaking of was located in a small mountain town in Colorado. One of the members of the church committed an unthinkable act – an offense against a child. The church member was convicted of his crime, served his time, and then released. Instead of doing what many churches would have done – shunned the offender – the local church did something else. They worked with the offender to set up terms for his participation in the life of their church that would make the church safe for the children and the offender. As long as the offender followed the terms, he was welcome to participate in the life of the church. So what impressed me about the actions of the local church? Well, while many churches are satisfied to simply pay lip service to concepts like forgiveness, healing, and transformation; this local church went to remarkable lengths to actually live into those words. I was reminded of that story when I read today’s words from 1 Corinthians where Paul wrote: “God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. [God] will never give up on you. Never forget that” (1 Corinthians 1:9 from The Message). While most of us have never done anything as disturbing as committing an offense against a child, many of us probably have a piece of our past that wouldn’t hold up to the scrutiny of others if brought into the light of day. Maybe that buried piece of ourselves has caused us to withdrawal from God due to a fear of rejection. Paul’s words remind us that no matter what mistake(s) we may have made in the past, there is one thing we never have to worry about: God giving up on us. As you hear those words, I would encourage you to take some of the energy that perhaps you have devoted to shame and self-loathing in the past and instead devote that energy to giving thanks for a God that NEVER gave up on you and pulled you through. Til next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment