Health Promotion Sunday: Devotions for Board Meetings and Small Groups

Dear Church Leader,

The theme for Health Promotion Sunday 2000 is "Making Our Churches Safe Places." Many people in our communities are hurting. Sometimes these people experience the church as judgmental and without grace. Too often something gets in the way of the church extending compassion and grace to those who are struggling, hurting or living with the consequences of their choices.

Jesus modeled a compassion and openness toward people in his community. He and his message were accessible to all. He created safe places for people to be themselves, to seek acceptance and to find healing.

This devotional resource is intended to raise the consciousness of our church leaders to follow Jesus' example in creating safe places. Each devotional addresses this topic from a different perspective, and is designed as an opening meditation for any church meeting. We encourage you to use these throughout the coming year.

We hope these devotionals are helpful in your congregation as you make your church community a place of sanctuary - emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Staff of the Association of Brethren Caregivers

An American and a Japanese company decided to have a boat race. The Japanese won by one mile. So the Americans hired specialists to find the problem. They discovered that the Japanese had one person managing, and seven rowing, while the Americans had seven managing and one person rowing. The Americans immediately restructured their team. They had one senior manager, six management consultants and one rower.

In the rematch, the Japanese won by two miles. So the American company fired the rower.

Sadly, one of the least safe places to be in a congregation is in leadership. When there are problems and conflicts, the anger is often directed at them. Instead of anything being "our" problem, it becomes "their" problem. And criticism, second-guessing, blaming and even character assassination can occur.

The Apostle Paul gives us clear instructions on how we can and should be treating the leaders in our churches. He calls us to respect them, to hold them in the highest regard - in love. Weak and fallible though they may be, they are doing their best for the church, and often sacrificing significant hours to do it.

How can we help and support them? The following instructions are pretty clear. We are to live in peace. Quarrels and divisions drain a lot of energy from everyone. We are to warn the idle. The idle are too frequently doing nothing within the ministries of the church, but seem to have time to criticize and second guess those who are at work.

We are to encourage the timid; to find those who may be able to share in ministry with us, but are afraid to try their gifts. We are to help the weak, to train and encourage new leaders. If we are patient, we will give new ideas, and the people who create them, time to work out. When nobody pays wrong for wrong in the church, memories of mistakes are not remembered or repaid with distrust. Instead, we are kind to each other.

Continue to look at the rest of this passage and discover together how this instruction would make your leaders truly enjoy serving your church! What would you need to change to make this happen?

Closing Prayer
May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way, and keep your whole being, spirit, soul and body, free from all fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you will do it, because he is faithful.

Creating a positive, welcoming environment in our congregations is harder than most of us realize. The scripture lesson reminds us that "our" and "my" brand of religion often leads to our demise because we become self serving. Keeping Christ central keeps us from the pitfalls of building walls that keep outsiders out.

Researchers tell us that the longer a congregation is in existence the higher the walls become that separate the insiders and the outsiders. Insiders assume that friendliness is automatic. Outsiders are often looked upon with cold suspicion and piercing eyes. It communicates to visitors that this is a "cold church." Our body language communicates 60 percent of what we say and do. Our guests (visitors) pickup our signals during the first two minutes of worshiping with us. They sense our welcoming and inclusive signals as well as our tight knit and exclusive signals.

Romans 15:7; John 13:34 and Matthew 25:35 indicate that a friendly welcome must be communicated in our greetings and rituals. The needs of the "guest" always rank equal with those of the hungry, the thirsty, the prisoners and the sick. (I was a stranger and you welcomed me). All this begins by paying attention to and becoming intentional about an "open door" welcome. "Open door" policies of biblical hospitality include:

An atmosphere of relaxed fellowship preceding the more formal aspects of our worship experience. Remember, lonely people are hungry for relationships. This may be your only opportunity for connecting with them.

A two or three minute greeting spot during the worship service. This communicates a relational tone in your congregation.

A Pew Greeter for every two, three or four pews, depending on the pew size. This ensures a handshake greeting and welcome for every guest.

A fellowship time following the worship service. Be especially intentional to include your guests (visitors) in your relational circles. Then introduce them to your friends.

Do everything you can to put your visitors on the inside for Jesus' sake. God's Kingdom demands it. "Welcome others as Christ welcomed you for the glory of God."

Closing Prayer
O welcoming God; Teach us to accept, welcome and affirm others in the same way you welcomed, accepted and affirmed us. Grant us the privilege of helping "outsiders" become "insiders" in your holy family. May our Church doors be an open welcome for Christ's sake. Amen

Recently I heard Michael Eric Dyson being interviewed about a new book he wrote on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The interviewer pointed out that the author dealt openly with two matters King has been criticized for: (1) uncited "borrowing" in the body of his dissertation and (2) unfaithfulness in his marriage. The author was asked why he didn't apologize for these foibles. His helpful answer went something like this: It was how Martin rose above his humanness that is the measure of his greatness.

Many church-going people think of themselves as good people - purer than most. By some standards they are. Often those good folks are the "leaders" of the church, the ones who "make things run." It's important for the church to "run" smoothly in terms of the physical plant and program, but it is easy to forget what the main thrust of Jesus' life was. Marcus Borg reminds us in Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, that Jesus was an exemplification of compassion. Compassion, Borg says, means "feeling with." It's easy for church leaders to become so involved with making things run in the church that they forget how to "feel with" people around them who are in trouble. It can become difficult to build the atmosphere of acceptance and openness that is needed to make the church safe for all people, psychologically and emotionally as well as physically.

Years ago, a lecturer on a college campus described how his image of a saint had changed when he found a person who shattered every image he ever had of sainthood. This "saint" smoked, drank and swore with the toughest. It was the selfless contributions the "saint" had made to the lives of hosts of people that impressed the speaker, and forced him to rearrange his thinking about what made a person saintly.

There is a story believed to have occurred in the 1950s when the World Council of Churches sponsored a project in the devastated rural areas of northwestern Greece. In celebration of the good work the volunteers had done, the Greek archbishop offered a toast to the workers, most of whom did not drink. The Brethren refused the offer, but one of the British volunteers partook of the wine. When asked afterward by the Brethren volunteers why he had done so when he didn't drink, the volunteer is supposed to have answered, "Well somebody in this group had to act like a Christian!"

These stories are NOT meant to suggest that it is a good thing to drink, smoke and use foul language. They are NOT meant to suggest we should have no standards with which to align our actions. They ARE meant to encourage thinking about what is primary in our dealings with others, to keep ourselves open enough as church leaders to "feel with" others, who, at least for the moment, may not be living safely.

The factors that make for good health in an individual are interrelated and complicated. They include psychological and emotional stability as well as physiological balance. So it is in the church. If church leaders do not nurture the openness and acceptance that leads to a healthy atmosphere, then the church is not as safe a place for all people as it might be.

Closing Prayer
Help us daily, God, to think about our own failures, asking for forgiveness and strength. May we be open to the needs of others in a non-judgmental way. Help us to feel with them, lifting them up with compassion. Give us insight to determine, individually and collectively, what the most important goals are in each endeavor we undertake.

My co-workers remark about my supposed strength. But those close to me know I have only His strength. Still, my prayers have been answered and I am able to do my job. Yet in church, surrounded by the family of God, I lose control. Tears start - at first softly dampening the corners of my eyes, then uncontrollably dripping from my cheek to the dark wood pew. Why here? Why now? I used to try very hard to hide the tears from those around me. But now...

My husband and I were embarrassed and felt like failures when we entered our middle son into long-term drug and alcohol treatment nearly 10 years ago. We thought such problems didn't occur in church families. "Good parents" wouldn't have to deal with drugs or alcohol if they raised their children in the church. Or so we had heard. It was tough to talk about. "Is anyone else struggling?" we wondered. "Dare we share?"

Months later our son revealed he was sexually molested by his uncle. I vividly recall sitting in the church balcony watching the little ones sing on Children's Day with tears streaming down my face. All I could see was my precious son as he happily sang not so many years before. The innocence and promise of those wee ones were more than I could bear. Dealing with disappointment, betrayal and the disintegration of my extended family led to some very dark moments. I was angry, even though some told me anger is sin. I wondered if it was humanly possible for me to forgive the abuse. Even though it made us uncomfortable, we couldn't avoid the issue - our son needed support during treatment and his uncle's expected trial. As we started to open up, victims and survivors were drawn to us. Yes, even in the church. Victims who had been told they should "get over it," needed someone to understand. "Is that, Lord, why we are on this path?" we prayed. "Please help us to find a purpose that will provide some relief from this pain."

Despite our support and love, our son struggled desperately and was jailed for minor offenses. We thought no other Brethren parent would ever face this! Yet we came to know differently and drew strength from others. Sustained by prayers, counseling and tough love, we asked him to leave home unless he changed his destructive behavior. Many tears washed onto the pew during those weeks he lived on the street. From my conversations with God, I knew He understood my pain and anguish, but did those around me?

Through the years I found myself crying even when things were fine, because I never knew when the other shoe would drop. That shoe came crashing down when our son was charged with and convicted of murder and sentenced to death. I was placed on strong anti-depressants as I tried (and failed) to cope with the depression that enveloped me. "Certainly, if I am strong enough and rely on God, I should be able to handle this without drugs, shouldn't I?" I thought. "Depression doesn't occur in Christians - or does it?"

Early in 1999, we were only nine days from the scheduled execution of our son. My tears flowed without fear of reprisal, clouding my vision. My heart was truly broken. The death warrant haunted me despite the lawyers' assurances it wouldn't happen then. That day the tears in the sanctuary were understood and accepted. Beside, in front and behind me were my brothers and sisters in Christ who make this place of worship safe for me. That's why tears flow unchecked, here and now.

The local media have prevented our journey from being private, perhaps making my tears and pain more easily shared, and through sharing I have been comforted by His people. My concern is especially for those with private tears flowing uncontrollably on the inside. Pastoral and lay leaders must seek out these individuals, giving them a safe place to expose their sorrows and seek solace. As brothers and sisters, we must actively seek to intercede on their behalf as Christ intercedes for us.

Closing Prayer
Lord, help us make your church a true sanctuary where both unhindered tears and intercession flow and all may experience your true healing and perfect peace. Amen.

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, I was a boy of 12. Several times following that awful event that launched the United States into the Second World War, I had nightmares of enemy planes flying over my house and dropping bombs. I would awaken, shaking with fear. To soothe my anxiety, I would sing silently (because my three brothers also shared the same room!) the chorus of a gospel song I had learned at Sunday school. "Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms."

Before too long, life had convinced me that nothing in this world can make us "safe and secure from all alarms," however, Christ did promise to be with us in every circumstance of life. In recent years, we have made some progress in our efforts to make our churches safe places, physically. More attention to making them more accessible, as well as safe, is needed. However, we face the much more difficult task of making our congregations safe emotionally and spiritually.

I would guess that most people would say that their congregation is such a safe place. Yet, wherever I go there are genuinely committed persons who feel, rightly or wrongly, they cannot share their addiction, their sexual orientation, their mental health problem, a long-past indiscretion or their crisis of faith even with the same folks with whom they worship, fellowship and study week after week.

The first step in making our congregations a safe community of genuine trust is for those of us who are leaders (pastors, Sunday school teachers, moderators, deacons, church board members, etc.) to allow God's Spirit to make us more vulnerable. Too often, I feel, we convey to others, "I have it all together! I have never strayed from the straight and narrow. I am free from the sins, fears, anxieties, addictions, etc., with which others struggle." We know that this is not true! But, to put it bluntly, we often live a lie!

When we, as leaders, become more open with others about our own sins, fears and failures, then we may begin to make some progress toward really helping our churches become safe places for those who, along with us, are hurting and struggling. My own mantra as a retired pastor is now I Peter 5:7 which reads "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you" (NRSV).

Closing Prayer
Loving and caring God, help me to be honest with myself, with others and especially with you. Change me into someone who will help move my family, my congregation, my community and your world toward the prophet's vision when all your children shall sit under their own roof and in the safety of their own home and place of worship where no one or nothing shall make them afraid.* Amen.

Compare the amount of time spent in church meetings on issues like building maintenance, finding names for the ballot and paying the pastor, with the time allotted to talking about global hunger, local homelessness and the state of the environment. Which set of concerns takes more time in the course of the church year? Why is this?

Certainly there's nothing quite so urgent as a leaking roof, but I suspect it is not urgency alone that keeps these items on our plate and the others off the table altogether. After all, with tens of thousands of children around the world are dying daily from hunger-related causes, one could say there is a sense of urgency here as well.

I think one of the reasons these other concerns don't surface any more regularly than they do in Sunday school classes or board meetings is that folks don't feel it's safe to discuss them. After all, these are the very kind of issues that bring out differences of opinion, contrasting interpretations of the Bible, and widely varying perspectives on the role of the church in the world. They are subject to the same dynamics that plague other discussions - even concerning the roof! At the core of this dynamic is our inability to disagree gracefully, the tendency of one or two dominant voices to control the discussion, or our readiness to personalize issues by aiming our comments at the one with whom we disagree rather than at the topic itself.

Thus, for those members who may wish to have these issues discussed in the congregation, there often seems to be a lack of safe space to do so. And what's worse, these important concerns are rarely brought up in the church - the very place where such matters should be considered.

There are ways to begin to create this kind of safe space in congregational life. Many Brethren have received "Six Thinking Hats" training, a method of discussing issues that moves us toward consensus rather than driving wedges between us. People in every district have learned about the Worshipful Work style of conducting meetings, a style that intentionally interjects moments of prayer and worship into our deliberations. This reminds us of God's presence and calls us to a sense of Christian community, things too often forgotten in the heat of debate. There are people throughout the denomination who can lead workshops on managing conflict constructively. And you doubtless have your own ideas about what it takes to make the church a place for everyone to speak their mind and express what's on their heart.

The church's mission in the world is too important not to talk about. Because if we can't talk about it, we sure can't act on it. And if we, the people of Christ, are not acting on it, then who is? As a result, not only will our outward witness suffer, but our inability to love and listen to one another will diminish the witness of our lives as Christians in the eyes of our neighbors.

In closing, read 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, remembering that the "you" in the passage is a plural pronoun in the Greek text. A translation could be: "Do you folks not know that you together are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your Christian community? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you yourselves, living as Christ's community, are that temple."

Closing Prayer
Dear God, grant us ears to hear, hands to reach out, minds to understand, and hearts to care that we may be a community where every concern is welcome and every voice is heard, and where Christ is glorified in our life together. Amen.

The longer I walk my faith journey, the more convinced I am that relationships are a vital aspect of following Jesus' teaching. As we seek to be faithful to God's call in our lives, we are God's presence to each other.

For almost 20 years my family has lived with a son who is addicted to alcohol and other drugs. This behavior of a loved one has caused much pain, misunderstandings and brokenness in our family life.

As my spouse, George, and I had both been raised within the church, we felt there would be support from our church family as this sad reality of our family life penetrated our daily living. We learned quickly that the church was not a safe place to share our story. Often church friends whom we had trusted for years had unlimited advice as to how to correct our son's behavior. We were told, "If you would only do such and such. Why are you allowing such bad behavior? How can you be a Christian? This doesn't happen to Church of the Brethren families."

About 10 years ago, while attending a Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, George and I became aware of support groups offered by the Association of Brethren Caregivers. There was a group for parents of troubled youth. Finally! A safe place within the church to share with others, to encourage others, to learn that we were not alone with our pain and disappointment. At last, the words we longed to hear, "We can't promise that your situation will get better, but we can promise to be God's presence with you as you seek to help your loved one."

Jesus' commandment to "love one another" is lived out as we walk in solidarity with our hurting brothers and sisters, at home and around the world. The words from one of my favorite hymns, "Help Us to Help Each Other," written by Charles Wesley in 1742, give us the image of living God's love as we relate to others.

Closing Prayer
Help us to help each other, Lord, each other's load to bear, that all may live in true accord, our joys and pains to share. Help us to build each other up, your strength within us prove. Increase our faith, confirm our hope, and fill us with your love.

"Good Christians do not become mentally ill." These words still echo in my mind. I recall hearing them from the pulpit while on a weekend pass from a psychiatric hospital. You can guess what became the primary agenda for Monday's therapy session. It was just one of the many sessions held in conjunction with electroshock therapy as I climbed my way out of clinical depression.

As a leader and a pastor in your church, I hope you do not share that belief. Unfortunately, for centuries the mentally ill have been demonized as "demon-possessed." This is a stigma which has proved extraordinarily hard to shake in all societies.

This extreme belief may be a primary reason why certain clergy and other spiritual leaders tend to ignore the symptoms of mental illness - in themselves, among their congregation and even among their own family. While we do not hesitate to regularly see a physician in order to maintain a healthy body, we would not dare to mention our concerns about personal mental illness. We fear achieving pariah status or losing our jobs.

Depression is known as the "common cold" of mental illness. At least one out of every five persons will experience depression during their life. As those who have experienced it know, it can be terribly debilitating if ignored. But there are medicines and psychotherapeutic techniques which help a person set healthy limits and boundaries
in their work and relationships. The important thing is for your church to be a safe place for its members who struggle with mental illness. Creating the space to dialogue about this important issue is the way to start.

Thought for the Day
"Good Christians are not immune to mental illness!"

Closing Prayer
Spirit of health and wholeness, forgive us if we have judged those who suffer form mental illness. We have heard so many myths and untruths about the diseases of the mind that we haven't always known what to believe. Guide us to more understanding, wisdom and truth as we confront those with mental illness. Give us the courage and strength to recognize when mental illness has become an illness of our own or of a family member or a member of our congregation. Lastly, be mindful that the Master Healer healed the mentally ill just as he did illnesses of the body. Amen.

I often say to those whom I counsel, "Part of my role as a pastor is to help you talk about things you don't want to talk about." There is an almost natural avoidance of wanting to openly discuss things that are painful. We have learned from experience that when unpleasant things are expressed there is an almost instant negative reaction. So we don't talk about things we need to talk about! If this is the practice for individuals and families, it is even more the practice of congregations. We are notorious, as a body of believers, for not wanting to "see what is as being so." We think by ignoring the reality of "what is," that it does not exist. We often lack not only the will to confront the unpleasant, but the expertise to deal with the unpleasant.

Often both factors come into play. The church should be a safe place in terms of knowing that whatever our disagreements we should all be challenged, in the words of the Apostle Paul, "to speak the truth in love." We are not called to judge one another, but rather to love one another, to speak the truth in love no matter how unpleasant or unwelcome that may be. As the Apostle Paul also noted in Ephesians 4:29b, whatever words are spoken we need to keep uppermost, that, "... it may impart grace to those who hear."

Closing Prayer
O Christ, you who know our innermost thoughts and our secret sins, enable us to know that true healing comes not in denial, but in acknowledging our sins and receiving your forgiveness. May your church always be a place where hope is given and forgiveness extended, a safe place where we continually pray for one another for healing, that we may be both the recipients and bestowers of your grace. Amen.

Life deals to each of us changes and transitions. Some are natural and expected. Other changes can come from a variety of circumstances and may transform us from the persons we were to those that barely resemble our former selves. Accepting those changes, coping with the problems that follow often results in emotional pain, loneliness, stress and a search for a safe place. For Christians, the obvious place for help is the church, that community of fellowship we call our "rock" and our strength. It is logical for us to expect to find there a safe place, one that will offer love, understanding, comfort, even guidance and counsel.

Congregations are slowly showing increased awareness and concern for the needs of the physically challenged. Ramps, elevators, hearing devices, and large print publications are becoming more the rule than the exception. Many congregations, however, continue to be ill-equipped for recognizing and responding to the emotional and spiritual dilemmas individuals face. They offer no safety net.

Consider the following stories. Are they variations of stories in your congregation? How would your congregation respond to Michelle? Would you reach out to Gary and his family? What about Lydia? Is there something more the church can do?

Michelle is 19 years old, single mother of nine-month-old Seth. Everyone in the congregation knows Michelle. From infancy she has been part of the congregation. She served as acolyte, sang in the choirs, was the "spark" among the young people and their creative projects. She attended college for two years, fell deeply in love with Joel and was married. Abruptly Michelle stopped coming to church. Little by little the story has surfaced that Joel suddenly packed up and left. Ugly rumors are part of the story. For the most part, the church family has been stunned and responded with silence, not knowing how best to reach out. For Michelle, the silence has been devastating. These are the same people who welcomed, loved and nurtured her all through the "good times." Her church home is no longer a safe place for her to come.

Gary, born into a troubled family, was adopted at the age of five by a young family with two children of their own. Everything went well for a brief time. Soon, however, Gary became a challenge to his adoptive family as well as teachers. The love, patience and understanding offered to Gary were spurned. He is 14 now and has been suspended from school for fighting with other students and setting off false fire alarms. He is disruptive in Sunday school and refuses to participate in youth activities - "a bunch of sissy stuff," Gary says. Recently his family has been irregular in church attendance; they prefer to stay home rather than face the embarrassment Gary causes them, especially his brother and sister. Some "sidebar" conversations around the church tend to blame his parents. For Gary and his family the church is not a safe place.

Lydia, for over 60 years now, has been faithfully participating in all programs of the church - choirs, the quilters, food preparation, visiting shut-ins and the sick, mentor for the youth -always a great spirit. Lately she has missed meetings, become testy and critical when working in the kitchen. Sometimes she appears to be in another world and doesn't join in the conversation. Lydia is a victim of depression, and that baffles her friends. They tend to turn away from her to avoid problems. Her church is no longer a safe place for her.

As you begin to discuss these stories, reflect on Henry Nouwen's words, "While efficiency and control are the great aspirations of our society, loneliness, isolation, lack of friendship and intimacy, broken relationships, boredom, feelings of emptiness and depression, and a deep sense of uselessness fill the hearts of millions of people in our success-oriented world." And many of those same people, carrying these burdens, sit among us on Sunday mornings. We need to ask the question, "Is our congregation a safe place, a 'house of prayer for all people?'"

Close the discussion with these words from Henry Nouwen as your prayer.

Closing Prayer
"Knowing the heart of Jesus and loving him are the same thing. The knowledge of Jesus' heart is a knowledge of the heart. And when we live in the world with that knowledge, we cannot do other than bring healing, reconciliation, new life and hope wherever we go. Our desire will be to say to our brothers and sisters who are hurting, 'You are loved.'" O Lord, so let our desire be. Amen.

Do you have a river running through the middle of your church sanctuary? Now, that's a silly question to ask, unless, of course, you have been one of the unfortunate communities that have suffered from devastating flood waters over the past couple of decades. Figuratively speaking, each of our sanctuaries should be graced with a river, a very evident river, that provides a source of refreshment, cleansing and healing for all who come to its "banks."

I grew up less than half a mile from a river. It did not actually pass through our farm, but only a small woods separated our pasture field and Middle River. I often crossed the fence and went through the woods just to see what that ol' river was up to. One thing that fascinated me was the river's never ceasing flow. I could always count on it being there; even in the driest seasons, there was always some water sending sweet rippling sounds over the little rocks in the river's bed. Many's the time in my pre-teen and early teenage years I sat by the bank watching the water flow and listening to the soothing sounds of its gentle splash. And in that mesmerizing effect, my anxieties and pains seemed to be minimized. I would always return from my visits to that river with some renewed vigor to resume my farm tasks - with a brighter perspective on my responsibility in home and community relationships.

Our two scriptures suggest the image of a river flowing through a city, a river created and given by God. No city can exist without a water supply, so varied are the functions of water. The river soothes and heals, it cleans and refreshes, it is a source of power. What's more, it is available to everyone, there are no restrictions on its use and it provides everyone with the same gifts.

Is there a river running through your sanctuary, where everyone can find the healing, soothing, refreshing love and power of God? Why did the woman who was hospitalized for depression say that she did not feel comfortable coming back to church because she felt she "let everybody down?" Why did the man whose marriage failed comment that there did not seem to be "a place for him any longer in the congregation?" What happened to the person who told someone he had just been released from prison while visiting the Sunday morning worship service? Does anyone know the name of the teenager who was told he would have to "dress up" before he could come back to church?

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High" (Ps. 46:4). If that river is not flowing through your sanctuary, perhaps it is time to do some dredging!

Closing Prayer
God of the refreshing, healing waters, come and cleanse our churches with the river of your righteousness and love. May they be fellowships in which persons of all needs find soothing and healing. Let your healing waters flow through us that we too may be restored to joy and hope as we share the river's unending supply with others. Through Christ, the Lord of the River of Life, we pray. Amen.

Read or sing "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken," 619 in Hymnal: A Worship Book, especially verse 2:

See, the streams of living waters springing from eternal love, well supply thy sons and daughters, and all fear of want remove. Who can faint while such a river ever flows, their thirst t'assuage - grace, which like the Lord the giver, never fails from age to age?

Because of the Worshipful Work training, some of us are realizing the importance of telling stories; stories about the history of the church and about our participation in the church. As the Israelites found solace and renewed faith in continuing to recount their stories of old, so the modern day church is in need of finding this same solace and having faith renewed. However, there is another area where the story is usually hidden - to the outside world and especially to our brothers and sisters in the church. This is the story of what is happening in our homes. It is the story of our dysfunctional families. We want everyone to believe that we are a "Leave It to Beaver" - June and Ward Cleaver family - the perfect family. We aren't willing to share the truth about our families because we anticipate condemnation, or ostracism. We wouldn't want anyone to think "we don't have it all together," but who among us has "it all together" most or even some of the time?

In working with a particular congregation, I learned that for the first 30 to 40 years of their existence they were a good-sized family church. The pattern by which they operated was that no one talked openly about what was really going on. Children were definitely not included in those "parking lot" discussions, yet they along with everyone else felt the discord that was present. The inability to openly discuss, and when necessary, to confront, was passed from one generation to the next.

The best way to confront what is evil in our midst is to share it, repent for it, and seek forgiveness. The enemy does not have even a toe-hold if that takes place, rather Jesus is granted permission to heal and release all parties involved.

Perhaps if church members were encouraged to share their stories of pain in a small group setting, which for many of our smaller congregations might well be a committee, then support, love and forgiveness could take place in a way that not only helps heal a particular household, but brings healing and freedom to the whole of Christ's body.

Are we not as brothers and sisters in the household of faith to live our lives with the same compassion that Christ has shown us? Should we not be the ones to bring relief, refreshment and ease to another who is hurting? If we cannot be faithful to this while being part of the church, how can we expect there to be a witness to those who still need to know the freedom that Christ provides?

Closing Prayer
God help me to tell my own story even when terrible pain is a part of it. Help us all to listen with compassion to each other's hurt and to be used as reconciling agents in our life together. Then we will know that our burdens have found release in the yoke of Jesus. Amen.