March 15, 2011
Distraction
There is a Catholic church in Denver that has a mural of the Virgin Mary in a prominent place behind the altar. A priest determined the mural was drawing attention away from the Blessed Sacraments, so he erected a wall to block of the view of the mural which angered some parishioners. I can’t help but think that the physical wall that the priest erected is really nothing compared to the wall of divisiveness and division he built in the congregation. I’m reminded of Paul’s caution about submitting to the world’s rules, “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch! These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self–imposed worship…” (Col2:21- 23a NIV)
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Gail;
-----I don’t think church leaders will ever learn this lesson. They seem to be oblivious to the simple truth that they are merely people not unlike all their parishioners. So when something bothers them about the church atmosphere, whether it be decor, style of music, nature of dress, order of ritual, etc., etc., etc., they fail to realize they are nobody special to be bothered. Rather, they think their positions of authority are somehow commensurate with great spiritual insights. Then they view things as the affairs of the church their understanding should well rule over, for when something bothers them, it must bother God. It must bother everyone. It must change.
-----It is inconsiderate. I entirely doubt the inconsideration is intentional. There is more about the people around us we do not know than there is we do know. This forms a vast void within which only a few points of actual knowledge float. Because the mind is habitually reactive, it does not think about what does not exist to it. So people take the void for granted and do their own thing as if nothing is in that misperceived void. Yet, more than can be imagined is there inside all those others. In them all, a vast and solid reality of thoughts and feelings stir up meaning and familiarity about their surroundings. And the more their surroundings are about the Greatness they worship, the more important to them are the meanings.
-----In that reality of thoughts and feelings are the affairs of the church. To rule over these affairs well means teaching and guarding the doctrine delivered by the apostles (not by the denominations) and the principles of godliness they wrote into the Word. It is to influence and inspire from those thoughts and feelings considerate, honoring, and loving attitudes and desires, spurring them on to the good works which were prepared beforehand for us to walk in. The fact that the most of another person is unknown to one’s own self is a call for one’s self to pick up a proactive nature and inspire and influence according to the picture of godliness only the Word draws.
-----As for the mural on the wall, who knows to how many it does or does not have significant meaning. It is not the affair.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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