Week 5: Church Hurt

Hi everyone! It's really hard to believe that in two weeks we'll be wrapping this series. I've enjoyed this journey studying the Lord alongside you all, and am excited for this week. After watching the new documentary on Hillsong, I realized that this week we needed to discuss what God reminds us of when we're hurting from the church. 

There are many reasons why I started this blog. In the beginning, I was struggling with finding a theological outlet to analyze & decipher God's word so that others could feel confident in their walk with the Lord, and that was my biggest motivation. As the past year has gone on, I've been surrounded by love from people that express their gratitude for a time where they can feel close to the Lord. Many of those people have struggled with feeling abandoned and uncomfortable with the church and her actions. To those people: I thank you endlessly for not only your commitment to reading this every week, but to staying faithful to the Lord and Him alone. It's because of you that I am writing this week's post about church hurt. 
Beginning in May of 2020, I witnessed the outpouring of people on social media rethinking and reconstructing their relationship with the Lord after months of deep reflection and observation of their life and their church's actions in response to the pandemic. "Deconstructing" they called it. (I have a separate blog post on this) I had never been pushed to think like that before then, so this was an incredibly uncomfortable time for me. After actively listening to many voices around me expressing their beliefs about the church and what it stands for, I was stuck. I agreed with their sentiments and I yearned for change, but I had realized that I couldn't confidently answer the question: was I a follower of the Church or a follower of Christ? I had realized that going to church to me was more of a necessity than being the hands of feet of Jesus. It deeply terrified me. These people that confidently and adamantly spoke out against the church had ended up being my revelation. When people associate the actions of the church with hurt rather than with Jesus, we should be angered as Jesus was in the temple. And when the church upholds the idea that they can't hurt people because we are the hands and feet of Jesus, we become the issue that Jesus fought against.  
To those that have been hurt by the church in any way: my heart breaks for you. I mourn with you, and so does Heaven. I'm sorry that someone could have ever placed harm onto you in the name of the Lord. I'm sorry that someone has acted towards you in an unholy way and called it holy action. I'm also sorry if anyone has told you your pain is God's will. I'm so sorry. Jesus calls us to love and love above all. Salvation and healing in Him is still for you; no one is allowed to take that gift away from you.  
To those who belong to the body of Christ in a church body: 
I've been a person who didn't understand the idea of 'church hurt'. It seemed counterintuitive to me. A church is supposed to be a safe space, a place that encourages freedom and fosters love. However, just because I haven't experienced it doesn't mean that its' effects aren't great. Much like how my white brothers and sisters have never experienced racism but can still work and try their hardest to work against its evil, we must be proactive in preventing and exterminating the effects of church hurt. Jesus is a defender and comforter of the hurt and the lost. He is the Good Shepherd. A shepherd doesn't tend only to their healthy sheep because they know the hurt will die. A shepherd aims to protect all his sheep. My advice to us all is to confidently be Jesus when the church isn't. There's a reason that Jesus' ministry and message was so popular. He allowed people who were outcast by society to have a place at the table, to have a room in His house, and to have power. His ministry is love above all else. If agape love isn't present, Jesus isn't present. It gets uncomfortable when our calling extends past Sunday mornings or Wednesday evening bible study, but if we are to make disciples, we must tend to their wounds first. 
My brothers and sisters in Christ: Listen. Listen. Listen. 
Listen with the intent of hearing those around you and not with the intent to respond. When someone comes to you with hurt, pray for them, and do not dismiss their pain in defense of the church. Honor and recognize that the church has work to do when reconciling. I chose Micah 7:7 as the title verse for this series because I think it's a verse that allows all to come to the table for their different reasons. In their respective seasons, they have a common ground when calling on the Lord. In the case of those hurt by the church, I think it's a special reminder that their hurt is heard by our Father in Heaven, and that He is listening and mourning with them. In the same regards, we should remind them that wherever they are in their journey with the Lord that He still hears their cries. 

I'm going to ask you to pray this prayer every day this week for those who have been hurt by the church:

Father, You are a God of healing and restoration. In a world where all are yearning for love, You reveal that to us through your Holy Spirit. Forgive us for when we fail to represent you well. Forgive us for when we speak in Your name and Your words are nowhere to be found. Forgive us for the pain we have caused those in our communities. Forgive us for not knowing who we've hurt. We ask that You remind us day by day that Your love is a gift that we have received when we have not deserved. You are God, we are sinners. Humble our hearts to serve who we consider the least deserving. Remind us that when we serve victims of church hurt: we serve You. O God of All, make us remember that you suffered church hurt first. When we utter the words 'may Yours be the glory in all we do', remind us to take those words seriously. 
In Your loving name we pray, Amen.