you dare ?? ..

it's sunday

as per usual i'm sitting in the coffee shop
fb'ing to see what's up with my family/friends
listened to stuff about the awful mess in the Philippines
said a prayer for a wounded friend
thinking ...

and there are 2 women at another table
coffee and eats
and 1 says, as i walk by
" .. and i wonder if they prepared anything, or just got up there and rambled .. " . . ... . . .... . .

so do i .. .
me too

i try to do positive things here on sundays
it's the day we worship God in Body
encourage
come alongside
weep with the weeping and rejoice with the joyful
discuss the truths of scripture
praise the God of all
for whom we live and move and have our being ..
good day

but i reflect on the comment
and weep
it's cause for weeping ..
Jesus weeps

so ... .
pastor
teacher
elder
as you stand before those people
God's children
and open the scriptures
God's words .. . .

did you  ?
did you seek God in this
did you ask for wisdom
guidance
direction

did you tell God
" it's your stuff ..
i'm in this awe-some position ..
there are people looking to me for wisdom
and i have none, really ..
i need yours
i need to know what they need from you
open my heart
fill my mind with your thoughts
so that when i open my mouth
you come out
to them
for them .. "

did you  ?  ?

or did you borrow something
yesterday
online
from someone else ..
or pull an old 'sermon'
   with the dates you preached it written in the margin
   figuring noone would remember ... it was too long ago . . . ..

there are people
lovely folk
that take issue with me for the anger i have towards the christian church
and the abuse it has foisted on God's children ..
misrepresenting God  !
they abuse the good name of God  !
they abuse God  !
they
abuse
God ..  ! !   !

and they say i'm too angry ..

there's this person i follow
   or am trying to
and he used to get angry
very angry
in fact if he's consistent
he's still angry

he's angry because of that very thing
the very people charged with the awe-some responsibility of caring for God's people
are abusing them
misguiding them
leading them astray

it's like a shepherd leading a flock of sheep into dangerous territory
places where wolves and other predators roam about
looking to see who they can devour ..
sound familiar  ?

i think Jesus is angry
and sad ..
the tears blot his shirt ..

the only people i know of that Jesus was angry with
are those very people
the ones in the seat of authority over his people
religious authority
for they misinterpreted God
misrepresented him
and used Godness to hurt
used God's goodness to squash and burden and condemn and marginalize

Jesus was angry
he still is
so am i

i think i'm justified in it

if you're 1 of those charged with telling people about God today
i think you ought to read the parable Jesus told of the 'unfaithful servant'
you'll find 1 of the tellings at Matthew 24.45 ff ...
that parable
   in my estimation
refers precisely to you

if you stand before people today
and presume to tell them Godstuff
i hope it's gone through you first
i hope there's a sense of trembling in your gut
a holy sense of awe
a feeling of the incredible responsibility
of daring to tell someone else what God says

i hope so

if not
do us all a favour
leave
go find something else to do
and find yourself in one of those seats in the congregation
and let someone else dare to

for God's sake
in Jesus' name


shalom