Today’s Scripture Reading (September
7, 2016): Proverbs 24
I am in an
ongoing conversation with a good friend who is angry with the Christian Church.
Sometimes, I am sure that he believes that I just don’t get it. But I do. I
have met a lot of evil people in my life, and many of them have existed within
the walls of the Church. I know what it is like to be the object of gossip and
to be made fun of people that are
desperately trying to prove themselves worthy of something. I have watched as
those in power have abused their position to take advantage of the weak. I see
their smiles, knowing that nothing exists behind those teeth except contempt. I
get it. I just don’t accept that this is the way that the Christian Church has
to be. We can be something different.
Some years ago I
had a gentleman in a position of influence who would regularly stop by my
office and take me out “to find out how I was doing.” Maybe I was naïve, but I
would talk with him, sometimes in a restaurant and other times just sitting in
his car. Looking back on my time with him I recognize the language of violence
that filled our conversations, but at the time I totally missed it. When I had
returned to work, my associate would storm into my office and plead with me not
to trust the man. According to her, there was something desperately wrong with
him. But I ignored the warnings and continued to meet with this man of power. I
am not sure that I envied him, but I began to desire his company. By the time I
realized that my associate had been right about him, it was too late. In his heart, there was only room for violence and
trouble, both of which would inevitably be
turned toward me.
Maybe we
could call this power through coercion. We force our way into positions of influence. And it is a
shortcut that can be a temptation for all of us to take. But it is also only a
temporary solution. Evil is always a temporary
solution, even if it appears to be a path that we wish we could take.
The way of love is slower, but always better. I wish I had heeded the proverb. The
truth is that we have enough violence and trouble inside the church, without
envying the power of those who are creating it. I get it. But I know it doesn’t
have to be that way. We can be so much better than we are – if we are willing
to follow the non-coercive path of love. And to my friend I have this message,
this non-coercive love is what I hope to see every time I look at the church. This is the future toward which I desire to work.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:
Proverbs 25
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