Two Pastors |
| Posted by Mark (mark) on Aug 26 2008 |
Jonathan was enjoying the fresh spring breeze as he strolled through the park. It was his habit to take a long walk each Saturday, to mull his sermon for the next day. It was invigorating this time of year; new life springing forth all around and he found it so inspiring. He wondered to himself, whether the new life around him was going to coincide with new life inside him; he’d been asking God for a spiritual revitalization lately. A decade of Pastoral ministry had left him weary, and he felt the need for something more—a personal revival. The birds singing in the trees and the flowers blooming on the ground gave him hope that his prayer would be answered soon. He could feel it in his bones.
He was lost in such thoughts when he came upon them. A small group of people gathered in playful conversation under an old oak tree. There were maybe fifteen adults with eight or nine children playing nearby. The remnants of a picnic were obvious but what struck Jonathan was the contribution of one man to the group; he was reading a passage from a bible. “Perhaps it’s a bible-study; and what a wonderful idea to hold it out here amidst all the new life,” thought Jonathan. “It’s certainly good weather for it. That man must be the elder. I wonder what church they belong too? Such an innovative idea. Would they mind if I interrupted for a moment? I wonder. Should I? No, I shouldn’t disturb them. But wait, what if this is the answer to my prayer? Could I really just walk by? This is a wonderful way to get out into the community and be visible. We’ve been looking for ideas. No, I must stop, I need too. It could be God answering me.” His thoughts were jumbled, rapid and terse, but he felt a new excitement galvanizing his stride.
Approaching the group tentatively he spoke as though trying to restrain his inward vigor, “Excuse me, I’m very sorry, I hate to bother you.”
“It’s no bother,” or a similar derivative was the resounding group response.
“Well thank you, you’re very gracious. I was just wondering if I could, um, speak to your pastor or elder,” he said looking toward the man with the bible.
The group looked around at each other and murmured. Finally a diminutive woman spoke up, “We don’t have a pastor or elder in the sense you’re speaking of .”
The response puzzled Jonathan but he persisted, “But surely someone leads or gives oversight...you see I’m a pastor myself and I think it’s just a wonderful idea to have your bible study out here in the park. I just wanted to talk to your pastor about it, I’m very excited by it.”
“I, I don’t think you, you understand,” stuttered another man, “We’re just friends gat...gathering for a meal and encouraging each other in our re...re...relationships with Jesus.”
“Well do you meet like this regularly?”
“Yes, but it, it isn’t a func...function of program.”
“Herbert is right. We just choose to share our lives together. Holy Spirit has knit us together for now, and we’re just living that. It’s really not what you think,” chimed in another lady. “It’s more like a nuclear family, than an institution.”
Jonathan wasn’t sure what to make of it all. “You sir,” he said pointing to the man he thought was leading it, “Could I speak with you for a minute?”
“I guess so,” stated the man hesitantly. Putting down his bible he slowly got up and walked toward Jonathan.
Leading him away from the group Jonathan finally spoke, “What church do you guys belong too?”
“Belong too? Is there more than one church?” the man retorted quizzically.
“Now don’t make fun of me,” he said playfully, “You know what I mean.”
“You’re right, I do. I can only wish though, that you knew what I mean.”
“Alright then,” said Jonathan brushing his statement aside, “Which church is it?”
“In the way you mean church, I would have to say none. We don’t belong to any one of them.”
“So this is some sort of ecumenical bible study then? In that case who oversees it?”
“Well no, we really don’t belong to any of them. None of us do. And who said it was a bible study?”
“It seemed obvious that it was.” Jonathan was beginning to wonder if he’d misdiagnosed the whole scene. “Isn’t it? You were reading from your bible to the others.”
“Well yes, I was sharing with them what Father had shown me this week. Scripture is part of my life and their lives and so it becomes part of our relationships. But it isn’t a structured bible study as you assume.”
“You’re just splitting hairs now,” said Jonathan with a tinge of frustration.
“As I said, I wish you could know what I mean.”
“Well, just who runs the group, who is in charge. It’s you right?”
“No, no one is in charge. No one runs the group. It’s relationship. Like Darlene said, it’s more like a nuclear family than an institution.”
“Well of course it is, all Christian churches are families.” Jonathan felt as though the man were trying to annoy him now.
“I suppose you can call them that, but I’m not sure you and I mean the same thing.”
“Just tell me this, who is your covering?” said Jonathan with some shock at the man’s ambiguous answers.
“Covering? What would we need that for?”
Jonathan’s jaw hung agape for a split second. “To protect and guide you; to stop you from falling into heresy; to stop the enemy and world from corrupting you.”
“And you think a man does that?” There was genuine disbelief in his voice.
“Well,” Jonathan gasped with exasperation, “God uses his appointed leaders to do that. Ultimately it’s God who does it, but he does it through men. It is always the lone rangers who fall into heresy. You can’t be separated from the church. It’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous to whom?”
“What?”
“Dangerous to whom? It seems to me, those labels like lone ranger are tools in the hands of fear-mongers and only useful to keep people controlled and under a pastors thumb. So again I ask, dangerous to whom?”
Jonathan was disheveled now, in awe of the complete impudence toward the church he sensed in this man, “I’ve seen many a lone ranger leave the church, and spread poison and bitterness where ever they go. They leave only because they’re sick, and then on their own they never get help.”
“No, they leave because the system is sick. The lone rangers who spread bitterness and poison, do so regardless of environment. There are plenty of people within your own church I’m sure, who spread bitterness themselves. Being in or out of your club has nothing to do with it. That’s just an excuse in my eyes.” The man’s voice was soft but unflinching.
“I fear without the guidelines of good leadership you’ve already lost your way. You need to join a church sooner than later. It doesn’t have to be mine, I could even recommend a few good ones. Really, it’s for our own good,” said Jonathan magnanimously.
“I don’t need your guidelines to keep me from gross heresy.”
“Then what will? In my eyes, you’re well on your way already.”
“Holy Spirit and a genuine heart. Whatever happened to all of us knowing Him from the greatest to the least? I don’t need you as an intermediary between me and God.”
“God has given us the church, and leadership and elders and pastors to help guide us and teach us.”
“Yes, but not in the way you envisage it,” he paused to take a breath and looked deeply into Jonathan’s eyes, “Sir, might I ask how many hearts have been transformed by your rules and obligations and traditions?”
“Well, its always a hard thing to measure. But certainly I see God at work in many hearts.”
“Yes, you see God at work, but God isn’t a set of regulations, is he? Or do you really see God as a set of rules and obligations and sacrifices? Yes, I suppose you do.” He said answering his own question.
“You must hear my plea,” Jonathan’s voice was trembling mildly, “You guys need help growing up into Christ. Don’t spurn my offer, please take my advice.”
“Do you not understand the concept of a spiritual family, unless it fits into the nice package you already know?” The man stared at Jonathan with solemn anticipation in his eyes, and peace in his voice, “There is much teaching and sharing that go on here. The elders in the faith participate and speak into the lives of the others as if they were their own children—flesh and blood children.” He looked back wistfully at the group, before continuing, “Do you know what the surest sign is that you don’t understand family?”
Hesitantly Jonathan answered, unsure if he cared to know, “What?”
“The children never grow up. Look around at the world. How many young adults lack the basics of behaving in any sort of respectable way?”
“Well, I can’t disagree with that,” said Jonathan, and he couldn’t.
“Yes, and look at your own church. How many of the spiritual children grow up?”
“What?” started Jonathan indignantly. This man had never set foot in his church.
“How many of them grow up? How many begin feeding themselves at home?”
“I would say most of them.”
“Really, and what would happen if you shut down all your programs and bible studies and the like? Do you really think most of them would continue feeding themselves? Why do they need to come week after week to hear the same sermons? Aren’t they learning? Aren’t they growing up?”
“What on earth—”
“Why, if people are growing up in your church, must they be sent away to seminary in order to be fit to be parents of their own? Shouldn’t they have learned from you? Does that sound like any healthy family you know? Better yet, would you send your own sons and daughters away to a special school before you’d let them marry and have children?”
“Well of course not, that’s absurd.”
“Exactly! It is, isn’t it?” The man looked at Jonathan eagerly, and chuckled warmly. “Don’t you see?”
“I see—” he paused, processing the whole bizarre conversation, “a terribly deceived man. You don’t understand anything, but think you know everything. Many through history have spouted such things, and history has proven the folly in it.”
“Who do you think writes church history? And can that history, truly overrule the freedom and life of the kingdom spilling forth from my heart?”
“I fear I must insist you submit yourself and your group to a local church, or—”
“Or what?”
“I will be forced to warn my parish, and the entire ministerial of your destructive views,” he said with resignation.
“You would shun us?” He chuckled again, but it was warm and not derisive, “Have you come to simply spy out our freedom in hopes of taking it away? Why do you hate our freedom so?”
“I didn’t come with any intentions, I just feel,”
“So, it just spilled out of your heart. It’s good then, being surprised by what has arisen.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, the way you have reacted to us, should be a revelation to you, a window into your own heart and its motives. Don’t miss this opportunity.”
“I take it by your attitude, that you won’t listen to me.”
“I have listened, I just don’t agree.”
“You’ve a hard heart friend, I’ll make sure to put you and your group on our prayer list.” And with that, Jonathan dismissed himself politely and was on his way; convinced God had indeed wanted him to stop, that he might pray for those poor souls.
Last changed: Aug 26 2008 at 7:38 PM
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