A
Church Divided
Jesus
knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom
divided against itself will not stand.” – Matthew 12:25
The letter
was nasty. It was made even more so because it came from a retired pastor who
had served for many, many years. I suppose retirement unleashes all the pent-up
anger that a serving pastor must not express. But, alas, the heart has a way of
revealing itself.
The diatribe
was racist, sexist and divisive. It was meant to destroy. It was aimed at the
United Methodist Church where he had served for so many years.
Many rallied
around in support of his words. A local, beloved pastor shared it as truth. As
gospel. As an opinion we should all support. The entire spectacle was sad and
disheartening.
Are we, as
Bishop Graves said, true United Methodists or are we so focused on the “traditional”
and “progressive” labels that we’ve lost our way? We are called by God, saved
by Jesus and led by the Holy Spirit. We’ve lost sight of that.
There are
days that I fear for our church. I fear for the body of believers who have
become more like Pharisees and less like Jesus. They are focused on traditions
and rules and self. They shout out Bible verses, refusing to acknowledge context
or intent. It is impossible to reason with someone filled with anger and
hatred. It is impossible to love others, even those who don’t look like us,
when we are determined to push them away and keep them in “their place.”
Love. Such a
simple word and yet so powerful. We focus on things of the world because we don’t
truly have His love for others deep in our hearts. We resist change because we
are determined to get our own way, regardless of the cost.
We are
called to love others. We are challenged to go and make disciples. We are to be
the hands and feet of Jesus. We are to assist the poor and the needy, widows
and orphans. But when we focus on ourselves we miss all of that.
The United
Methodist Church will survive. The body will divide into those who love and
follow Jesus and those who love and follow themselves. It’s a hard truth and it
hurts. But the church that Jesus Christ Himself began will live on until the
day when He returns in His Glory.
