Hey Brother Did Ya Hear?

But Daddy these wounds are deep and wide
and I am bleeding from the inside
as everyone laughs along-
from the song Wounded

HEY BROTHER DID YA HEAR????

My main man Billy was just over to the house and we were gossiping about people in the church. Well, we weren’t really slandering anyone, we were just “sharing,” you know, exchanging prayer requests. Turns out these folks we go to church with have some serious issues. Makes me wonder how I ever got tangled up with such an imperfect breed.

My giant Golden Retriever, Ben, was rolling in the grass scratching his back the whole time Billy and I were talking. That has absolutely nothing to do with our conversation. I just needed to give Ben a little press. He’s been acting pretty strange toward Dinky since I made her famous.

So, these Christians, as they call themselves, seem to have a habit of putting on their church face on Sundays, appearing to be joyful and triumphant when all the while it’s more like pitiful and defeated. What would make them do such a thing? It’s like a disguise isn’t it? It’s a falsehood. Let’s be real, it’s sort of a living lie. Okay, you don’t “sort of” lie. You either lie or don’t. It’s either true or false. They're lying.

Perhaps we need to undress.

You know, take off the church outfit. I know we all have good intentions when we say things like, “I’m blessed, how ‘bout you?” when in reality, our finances are failing, our marriage is headed for total meltdown and our car is crapping out. If that’s blessed I’d hate to see cursed!!!

Of course, we’re blessed, but not because everything always go right for us, rather because we have hope in the midst of our storms.

Yet we live the lie, until the bomb goes off. Then everybody finds out.

People are scared.

Scared of other Christians. Scared of gigantic food holes with huge flapping, meaty lips that just can’t seem to SHUT UP about other people. They’re afraid of conversations like the fictional one I had with Billy.

Who’s responsible for creating this culture of fear? The flapping lips or the gulping ears?

Something has to change.

What makes church the last place on the planet where people can be real about their struggles? I have to believe it’s rooted in a lack of love, in other words, direct disobedience to the Son of God:

John 15:12 says,
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

I don’t see Jesus having any conversations with Peter about the shortcomings of John? I can’t find Jesus talking behind the backs of those He chose or belittling their state. He never casually mentions the problems of another during corporate prayer. Conversely, he was more interested in protecting reputations rather than building his own. (Read His prayer in John 17)

You know why? Because love PROTECTS!!!

1 Cor. 13:7 says
It [love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Maybe this little ditty will help us out:

Today, I took off my clothes at church. I told my friends how I had become weak, so weak that I could not lift my shield of faith. The result: a flaming arrow from the Evil One had pierced my soul. I immediately dropped my sword. The blow left a gaping hole in my breastplate. Righteousness was compromised. The pain and swelling was such that I found it absolutely necessary to loosen my belt and truth became relative. The loss of equilibrium led me to remove my helmet. Surety and salvation were reduced to fear and doubt.

I fell to the ground in a crumpled mass before my comrades.

A warm hand touched my shoulder. Hope turned to anger and humiliation as I lifted my head to see the crowd that had gathered, their armor so shiny and their belts so tight. With tongues almost as sharp as their swords they pierced me again and again for the folly I’d become. They told me why this had happened and demanded repentance. They crushed me with insults and rendered my sentence. They cloaked me with shame and disgrace this day, and oh, did I mention they promised to pray.

There they left me naked and bleeding and wondering why, I’d ever joined this army of lies.

(This is no indictment against our church of course; we all LWC is the greatest church since Antioch).