As I have talked with congregation members, neighbors in the neighborhood and with family members over the past few weeks I have heard a consistent refrain.
People are weary.And at times they are angry. Whether talking about politics,the coronavirus or daily life, I hear a whole lot more, “I’m hanging in there” or “I’m doing what I can” than “I’m doing really well.” It doesn’t matter where you stand, whether you “lean” left or right. People are weary. Many times they are angry. This past week I was forwarded an article by four different people — from church, from family,from the community — about an unfortunate trend in evangelical congregations.Apparently when some members in various congregations have not agreed with their pastors in their preaching, or their leaders in their decisions, there have been campaigns to discredit pastors or lay leaders through social media, by email, letter or phone calls. The efforts have looked a lot like political smear campaigns that seem to have gained ground in recent years, whether by TV, social media or other means. Alan Jacobs, a professor at Baylor University interviewed in the article, points to a trend in our technological era; more and more we are consuming — and being consumed — by media. We live in a time when there are many different choices for receiving news content from a viewpoint that agrees with our own, and we’re keeping the TV or talk radio on for more and more and more of our day, so for four, six, eight hours or more per day — even if it’s in the background as we are involved with other activities — we are held captive to the perspective of those who want us to listen to their way of looking at the world. With people bombarded with programming for dozens of hours every week, as opposed to an hour or two of worship on Sunday, and perhaps another hour or two for Bible Study,Jacobs asks, “Who do you think is going to win out?” For those who call themselves Christian, it is time to return to Jesus, and what Jesus has to say about anger and weariness, and about the way we live with one another. Especially when we disagree. “Come to me all that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” Jesus says, “and you will find rest for your souls.” “You have heard it said you shall not murder, but I say to you if you are angry at a brother or sister you will be liable to judgment,” Jesus challenges, and further instructs his followers to “love your enemies.” We are not instructed to stuff down our ability to disagree or debate with one another, but our marching orders for life are not from the information overload we are tempted to be swept away by each day, but from the one who desires for us life that really is life, not only for ourselves, but for our neighbors as well. The other day I met a friend for coffee at one of our local coffee shops here in Waynesboro. He had come in a few minutes before, and he was masked as he came into the shop. Another guy, dressed in black motorcycle leathers was heading out, and was unmasked. He scowled at my friend as they passed one another. The first temptation of my friend was anger at this minor confrontation. The next temptation was to ponder some judgmental thoughts against the man. My friend looked outside and saw the guy getting ready to get going on his motorcycle. It was a classic, older bike that was one of my friend’s favorites. He went back outside to ask about the bike, and soon both guys were talking in friendly, animated terms about what was so great about the classic bike, and sharing stories of great rides and places they had in common. Weariness gone, anger extinguished, a good memory for the day, even if they still disagreed about masking as the motorcycle drove away. It won’t make the news or the latest media post. And in a weary, angry world, that’s probably the point.
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AuthorPastor Paul came to Grace to serve as our Pastor in October 2012. After a first career in product and graphic design, he was ordained in 1993, and has served as a parish pastor in Virginia and South Carolina. He is married to Jill and they have two daughters, one at Roanoke College and one at James Madison University. Archives
December 2021
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