Heart Tracks - Limited Resurrection

     I was speaking with a retired pastor the other evening that I very much respect.  He was telling me of a man, a former pastor that he'd been seeking to minister to.  This brother had fallen into sin and the consequences of it were the loss of his ministry, and devastation to his family.  He was seeking to in some way, be a part of the Father's restoration of this man's life, and yes, in whatever way He led, his ministry as well.  He told me, with a grieving heart, that this brother, and a brother he remains, had been, for the most part, pushed out of the church.  Oh, nobody was throwing any stones, not literal ones anyway, but nobody, from his denominational authorities, to his fellow pastor's, or his former fellowship, was reaching out to him with mercy, compassion, and a desire to see this man made whole once again.

   This is a problem that has long been a burden upon my heart.  We, the church, speak much about community, body life, and being missional, but somehow, the fallen wounded among us are rarely included in that "vision."  I speak this from experience, and I believe, without bitterness or rancor.  Those emotions and attitudes once existed in my heart, but He has been so gracious in His healing.  Twenty five years ago, my marriage collapsed, and ended in divorce.  I didn't seek that divorce, but was powerless to stop it.  The results of it however were much the same as if I had.  I didn't lack for those in the Body who let me know, sometimes with gentle words, sometimes not, that for me, the ministry of pastoring was over.  I had to accept that, and get on with my life.  They didn't tell me how I was to go about that, and the volunteers to help with the journey were few.  The basic message seemed to be that I could continue to serve Him, but it would be on a limited basis, and from, so to speak, the "cheap seats."  There was no pathway to wholeness, and for the most part, I was left to my own to find one if there was.
   Divorce, at that time, was a "loathsome" sin in the church.  It's become much less so today, and isn't it strange how the loathsome sins of yesterday can become the acceptable mistakes today?  We seem willing to tolerate much wrongdoing, but there still exists those "loathsome sins" as defined by us, and those who commit them can still find themselves bereft of the community.  Can this really be the fruit of the resurrection and the outpouring of His Holy Spirit upon us?  Can we continue to treat wrecked lives like the wreckage of a severe car accident, wishing to remove all the carnage from the road, so that we can go forward, and hopefully, not have to see or be inconvenienced by the wreckage. 

   Peter failed Christ on every level of his life.  Yet, when He arose, the angel of the Lord told Mary Magdalene, to give this message of resurrection to His disciples, "and Peter too."  Jesus was going ahead of all of them to Galilee.  All had failed Him, but all, and especially Peter, were given the message and invited into the life.

I heard it put the other day that after the resurrection and the giving of His Holy Spirit, we were no longer mere followers and imitators of Christ, we were now sanctuaries of His very life.  Tell me, how are we, and the fellowships we lead or are a part of, doing in this matter of providing sanctuary, restoration, to those, who like Peter, have failed so utterly?

   Oftentimes, it is not just the church that pushes us out, but ourselves as well, perhaps even moreso.  When all came crashing down around me, I was left with an overwhelming sense of failure.  That is what I saw myself as, and it permeated every area of my being.  It was made all the worse in that there were no lack of witnesses to it all.  Of course, the devil was more than willing to assist me in that view, but He, the eternal redeemer, was not.  Gradually, through all the sorrow, and yes, the failure, His message of life, true life, met me in my heart of hearts.  I came to realize that His message of life was for me too, and that He was not finished with me, indeed, far from it.  There was still a road to walk together, He was going on ahead of me, and yet all the time, with me.  There, in the midst of pain, humiliation, and seeming hopelessness, He lived.  He still lives, and no matter what has happened, or will happen to you, to me, His message of life remains.  He is risen, and He offers that risen life to us, right where we are, no matter who we are or what we've done, or had done to us.  His best wine, for all of us, is yet to come. 

 

Blessings,

Pastor O