IT BE ME!

I have spent the past few days with dear friends.  We have dropped into the chasm of deep theological discussion.  I LOVE IT!  These talks challenge me--grow me--inspire me--and give me cause to ponder over the great questions of faith.


We broached the subject of our disappointment with the church.  It quickly became apparent to us our pointed fingers had turned all the way around and were aimed directly at our own breast.  How easy to find fault--how easy to claim disenchantment with the Community of God we belong to. 


I bitterly complained of my feeling of being invisible in the church.  My disenfranchisement since the end of my marriage has grown to the point of temporary abandonment of attending at times.  Whose problem is this---the church--are they missing the boat?  Have they failed to reach out to me?


The question may well not be "Why has the church disappointed me?", but instead, "Who am I to be disappointed in the church?"  Were my expectations of what the church should look like even Biblical?  I am disappointed in my judgmental attitude toward the community God ordained for His body here on this earth.


I BE THE CHURCH!  It is me--I am it--the buck stops here--I am to blame.  The bottom line--I have the ability to fill in the gaps--bridge the disappointments--and create the community we all so desperately need.  I need to get the plank out of my own eye--before I operate on the splinter in any other eye.


So here I am--it is a new year---indeed the slate is before me--the scroll is blank---I can fill in the pages--I can determine how this book will look---I need to look inward and leave the microscope I have been examining others with behind.  Time for a little good old self analysis--and taking appropriate action in the quest to "Be The Church."


Lord, Forgive My Smug Judgment of others and remind me of my own sinful nature.  Show me--how to be your body--here on this earth.  Help me to forget the pain of the past and the disappointments of the present, but instead to look to the hope of the future, which only comes to fruition through You.


Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For Brothers to dwell together in unity!
Psalms 133:1



3 comments

  1. Oh oh...guilty here. We have been to several different churches here...all of them have been to liberal, or whatever..We have been holding church in our home (hubby is a chaplain). Your post really hit home...and ouch, it hurt. Blessings to you sweet friend.

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  2. What I'll say here Lulu may well cost me our friendship - I hope not.

    You are being too hard on yourself. We are told, quite rightly, that the "Church" is us, the people, not the building. This is true; but every orchestra needs a conductor to make sure we're all playing and singing from the same hymn sheet. If the priest or pastor is not totally in tune with his flock the sheep will scatter like mad cats.

    You say: I bitterly complained of my feeling of being invisible in the church. My disenfranchisement since the end of my marriage has grown to the point of temporary abandonment of attending at times. Whose problem is this---the church--are they missing the boat? Have they failed to reach out to me?

    The answer is YES. Too often the Church abandons people through no fault of their own because of dogma and strictly adhered to rules. It's sad that you feel disenfranchised and rather than point the blame at yourself, I would ask what did the Church do to make you feel just as welcome as before; if not more so?

    I guess, Lulu, that my next book (nearing completion) will not gain me many friends. It points at the rigidity of the Church on many subjects which are neither Biblical nor commanded by God. They're just dogma created by the Church.

    God bless you.

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  3. Once we bowled in leagues, usually after work -- but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolizes a significant social change that Robert Putnam has identified in this brilliant volume, Bowling Alone, which The Economist hailed as "a prodigious achievement."

    Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans' changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures -- whether they be PTA, church, or political parties -- have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe.

    Like defining works from the past, such as The Lonely Crowd and The Affluent Society, and like the works of C. Wright Mills and Betty Friedan, Putnam's Bowling Alone has identified a central crisis at the heart of our society and suggests what we can do.

    Give Robert Putnam's book "Bowling Aline" a read. It may give you some insight into why the Church is often seen by its members as aloof.

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Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!