french monks

by Elsie Hemming

Tears flowed down my cheeks as I read the letter from Father which was opened after his murder.  His love and forgiveness for his killers makes me feel ashamed and distressed.  For some months, I have felt guilty about not seeing Christ in pedophiles, terrorists, killers of women in the name of 'honour' - I know I should but I cannot believe that Christ could live in such people.

My daughter disagrees with me.  She tells me that until a person accepts Christ and recieves the holy Spirit, we should not expect to see Christ in that person.

Then I recall that Christ died for ALL people, and cannot reconcile that fact with relegating those I believe are guilty of heinous crimes in limbo.  Who am I to judge my fellows?  I have no right to do so.  But I do.  My mind and heart fight one another.

My mind whirls round and round.  Surely, these days, too much is made of the sinner and not enough of the victims.  If I feel love for the evil ones, am I not condoning evil?  If I condone evil, I am as evil as the perpetrators.  Love the sinner, and hate the sin, I have been taught, but how do I separate them?  There would be no sin without the sinner.

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my pastor for a horse

If history had developed a different set of tasks for the pastor of our local churches, would the people who seek to be today's pastors be doing those things instead of what they are now doing?

Why do we do the things we do?

Why do we do them the way we do?

Do tasks and jobs, activities, create the role (pastor or otherwise), or does the role determine what we need to do and how we do them?  That is, "I am X because I do Y", a matter of utilitarianism (function), or "I do Y because I am X" a matter of character (heart)?

action

With these options in mind, examine your church.  Why are people, including your pastor, priest, elders, deacons, etc, doing what they are doing?  Is it because it is an outcome of the heart God has instilled into the role?  [To discover this answer you may need to revisit the bible and seek God for his intentions.]  Or is it because there are certain activities that need to be done? (and yes there may be a mix of both).

Indeed, ask these same questions of yourself in terms of being for instance a parent, a brother or sister, a child, a work colleague, a friend, a citizen of your city or nation, etc.

related posts

• ezekiel 34 ... identifying a shepherd

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do we need to gather together?

If we are one with the Head (Jesus), we are one with the Body (church), even if we are not gathered together.  But, if we are not one with the Head, we are not one with the Body, even if we are gathered together.

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relational responsibity

Whose responsibility is it?

A woman is sitting on her own.  She is new to town and knows no one.  She does not even have family with her.

Whose responsibility is it to initiate an interaction.  Is it hers to introduce herself or for others to approach her?  Assuming she has a level of courage in this scenario, relationships could form even if no one approached her because she can make the first move.

But what if this lady has been experiencing some trauma in her life or something else that is causing her to hold back, to not make the first move? What if she is has a bad reputation or is physically unattractive?  What if her personality is different?  What if she has low self-esteem?  What if she finds it hard to trust people due to how she has been treated in the past?

Is it fair to suggest it was her responsibility if no interaction occurred?

What if this lady was you?

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