As Charlene hinted, I had a bad day on Sunday. (Disclaimer: my son thinks stupid is bad word. I live with the language police.)
During the morning service, we prayed for the 200 million believers who are experiencing persecution around the world. I know prayer is what we need to be doing, but somehow it's hard to walk away from the service with a sense of satisfaction. I want to do more. It's hard to talk about girls being beheaded and then go home to enjoy Sunday lunch.
That afternoon, I went home and raked some leaves. The thing about leaves is that you can tell if they've been raked or not. There is a pile at the side of the street, and the grass is now clear and leaves aren't blowing in the house all the time.
That's quite unlike church. You can preach and pray about the persecuted church, but at the end the congregation still looks the same and those being persecuted are, as far as I know, still being persecuted. There are no piles and there is no clear evidence that anything has changed. Sometimes there is evidence to the contrary.
I wish you could see people grow. Often it's messy and hidden and you're not even sure it's happening. But then again I've never been good at gardening either. I plant a seed and I can't help but dig it up to see if it's growing yet.
Sometimes you just have to patiently wait and do your part while crying out to God. And sometimes that is enough.
I share your discontent, Darryl. Try living in the middle of it! We don't deal with as much persecution as poverty, but it still wears on you after a while.
Sounds like you ought to contact our friend Grover and travel to India with him for a few weeks. Spending some time with persecuted Christians will go a long way toward helping you cope with it.
Amen.
Leaves are great.
Wow, good on you for bringing this up in your congregation, though! I really admire that -- social justice is definitely something that should be addressed in our gatherings.
(that said, I do know what you mean -- I keep thinking of that Sarah MacLachlan song, "the world's on fire, it's more than I can handle...")
Walking by faith expresses itself deifferently in the lives of different people. For pastors it is often a matter of trusting God to honour the work we do even when we don't see fruit. Why preach, visit, evengelize ... this week when none of it seems to have accomplished very much so far? Because He said to, that's why. In this blog in particular I would never expect to hear it recommended that we leave off being biblical just for the sake of better results. So we keep on doing what is biblically right to do and pray God will make it bear fruit. But the pastorate is funny work. If things go well we cannot take the credit. If things go badly we receive the bulk of the blame. We need to focus on the reward that has been promised us. It is great incentive to keep going.
I just appreciate that you are honest about disappointments and trying to be constructive with how you handle it, ie. raking leaves. Often I find that "prayer" is such a inactive thing for me. I am such an action-oriented person (being a closet missionary and social worker for 8 years), when I start to go down that path I go for anger first. I get myself all nice and frothy and then I fizzle.. yeesh. I should go "rake" some snow!
Is that why it gets called warfare?
If it is any consolation, Darryl, the Bible says that God's word will not return to him without accomplishing what He intended for it to do.
I daresay when you raise this issue in your congregation, you are voicing God's concern as well. Hence, while we may not see the results immediately, your prayers and His Word will accomplish what God intended.
Just raising awareness of this issue, while it may seem such a small thing to do, may speak to somebody's heart and they may speak to somebody else, and so on. And so more people will begin praying about it. Thus, when we all agree together concerning the persecution of Christians, or poverty, or other social issues, things will start to happen. Maybe enough people will start to raise the issue of human rights violations with the members of our Government that it will force them to put pressure on those regimes that perpetrate these tortures.
It may not seem like much is being accomplished at present, but at least you are being obedient to what The Lord has called you to do.
Darryl,
It's been a while since I commented but I saw this post and wanted to offer my encouragement. The Body needs people like you to keep pushing it towards Christ. Although I'm skulking in the shadows of 'church' right now, when I hear there are pastors like you it gives me hope.
It gives me hope for a brighter future as The Body draws the Kingdom near. We need people to show us how to do that and to remind us that we have a role here on earth no matter how uncomfortable that message is.
Rob
Thanks, everyone, for your comments. I talked to others today and they were far less discouraged about the service that I was. Go figure.
In any case, I appreciate your encouragement.
..."and I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate, to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you"...
John 14: 16-18 NAB