Wounded and Dying?
We exist in a chaotic moment in history. The late Phyllis tickle explained it this way in the book The Great Emergence “The Right Reverend Mark Dyer, an Anglican bishop known for his wit as well as his wisdom, famously observes from time to time that the only way to understand what is currently happening to us as twenty-first-century Christians in North America is first to understand that about every five hundred years the Church feels compelled to hold a giant rummage sale.” (Tickle p 10) Our five hundred year rummage sales have been painful and full of upheaval, but they led to new expressions of the Church that became the norm. But even knowing something better may come, the current struggle feels overwhelming.
It is very tempting to look at the badly bruised and bloodied American evangelical church knowing that most of those gashes and bruises are self inflicted and want to leave it lying in the ditch in which it finds itself to bleed out.
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
It is hard because anyone who reaches in to help gets screamed at and attacked.
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
The injured church lies there flinging insults and holding onto political hope rather than faithful service to the marginalized.
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
The injured church has forgotten Paul’s words that all humanity is children of God (see Acts 17). They scream at anyone who makes that scriptural claim and say they are of the devil. The deep wounds bleed more and more.
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
But only the adopted are children, they may say, misunderstanding the Roman act of adopting an heir by placing a modern concept on a an ancient practice.
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
They say forgiveness can only happen with repentance. But Jesus sure did not act that way.
When they couldn’t find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, “Friend, I forgive your sins.” That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins.”
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
They mock, and they ridicule a young man who weeps with joy as his father speaks. Their humanity seeps out of the wounds as they cling to political power. God I wish I could hear my father’s voice once more. I would weep like the innocent at the sound of that voice.
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
The mission of the church has become about numbers and easily quantified statistics, much like the market economy. The hard work is that which Jesus called the church to do.
Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
There is a cry from the ditch, “who is my neighbor?”
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005 Tickle, Phyllis. The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why. Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.