I do not quite remember the year or the Sunday, but the moment was quite moving to me. I was administering the holy eucharist and I could see two men stand up in the back and make their way to one another. They embraced each other and partook in the Supper together. It was years later that I discovered what happened. These two friends had been at odds over some dispute, and on that Sunday, one of them decided it was time to make things right. He approached the other, sought his forgiveness, and his friend quickly granted him his peace.
The first duty of a Christian is to confess his own sins before pointing the finger (Ps. 51). All of us bring something destructive into our relationships—our sins. And if we think blaming others or our circumstances is the answer, we have deceived ourselves. We are echoing Edenic themes.
The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
There are exceptions, but in most cases, maybe we are the problem or fundamentally engaged in the art of the problem. Maybe we don’t see ourselves with clarity. Maybe we love ourselves more than our spouses. Maybe we love our little kingdoms more than God’s cosmic kingdom. Maybe, as Bonhoeffer once stated, we need to confess our sins to our brother so that we are “no longer alone.”
That’s the degree of honesty God expects from us. The other person may be guilty. He/she may be the cause of your pain, but at some time, you must realize that shifting the blame on others is not the solution to our problems. It may simply exacerbate them.
The Gospel imperatives are clear: Admit. Confess. Renew. Restore. You cannot help others unless you have been helped by the Gospel truths. Do not allow the pain inflicted upon you by others to keep you from doing and living the way God intends you to live; to know and to love those God calls you to know and love. Do not allow the sin of others to paralyze you from living your Christian confession.
Prayer: O, Father, my pain is sometimes unbearable, but your mercy is new each morning. On this day, remind me that you are the lifter of my head and the One who took and takes all my pain. Heal and make me whole and be not far off, O God, my righteousness, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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Notations:
*When Abraham Kuyper came to a little country church with his elite modernism, the simple, country, catechized folks listened to one of his sermons. They realized then that he was just another liberal following unbiblical ideologies. So, they did what any good people would do: they refused to let him into their homes.
Barth’s biographer notes that one of Barth’s relatives was quite clear in her political positions. When the first liberal pastor arrived in Basel, “she closed all the blinds of the parsonage on the day of his installation…as though there had been a death in the family” (3; Barth: A Life in Conflict).
The moral of the story is to hide the cookies and keep the good booze hidden, and if you must, serve the liberal pastors cheap wine.
**In Mark 14, Mark doesn’t mention Peter by name when Peter cuts the ear off one of the soldiers. This is Mark’s way of saying, “You act like a revolutionary, your name will be forgotten.” Of course, Mark keeps his name hidden (14:51-52) when he describes the man who ran away naked. Yes, Mark spares no condemnation, even if he is writing his own account.
***James B. Jordan taught me two important things: a) The Holy Spirit does not waste his breath, and b) never imprison your interpretation to one mode of operation. And the second is like unto the first. Let the reader understand.
****My brotha from anotha’ motha, Jarrod Richey, has a substack that will encourage you to be purposeful about music. He writes a few ways to increase music appreciation as a community:
Sing at church—no matter how you think you sound.
Sing for fun at home! Singing is not merely a formal activity.
Enroll in group music classes or choir—for you or your children.
Find skillful and cheerful music teachers and sign up your children for at least 5-7 years of study. (Pick one instrument. Don’t constantly change to new instruments)
Find a musical friend—their interest and ability could slowly rub off on you.