Monday, 9 September 2019

Body of Christ

Rachel Held Evans, in Searching for Sunday,  describes talking about church as “attempting to explain the most important, complicated, beautiful, and heart-wrenching relationship of my life...without yelling or crying or saying any cuss words.” 

Lord, when we cannot stand it any longer
When we refuse to keep going back for more
More hurt
More rejection
More disappointment
You don’t help us find a way out
You compel us 
to make things different
You challenge us
to be ourselves
Not compliant
Not resigned
But persistent
Because we know 
we are called to be
in relationship
with you
and with each other.
So you keep on 
nudging us back
You keep on
teaching us how to compromise
You keep on
reminding us
that we don’t have all the answers
You keep on
showing us
that you hurt
when we are hurt
that you are diminished
when we withdraw
And you don’t let go.
So help us
to head back into the fray
knowing that just as we are not perfect
neither is your church
But we are called 
to stick it out
as far as we can
as much as we can
Because, alongside us
you share our frustration
For you too were rejected
You too became an outsider
You too were a disappointment
Yet you never stopped loving
You never stopped caring
And you never gave up hope
Lord, give us the strength
to stick with
faith, hope and love.


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