Recently a tragedy struck someone that Sara and I know. Needless to say that those around this family rallied. Those who had been touched by a similar tragedy began to talk about what they had gone through, the lessons learned. Some of these lessons were about who needs to be contacted as well as what papers should and shouldn’t be signed. Thankfully these brothers and sisters in Christ were able to speak in spite of their own trauma and tragedy and transform their own moment of pain to help someone else who was going through a similar pain.
I’ve seen several moments like this in the past few months. I’ve seen moments where church members went the extra mile, put themselves out there, rallied around someone who was in pain and hurting. Honestly I don’t think that I’ve ever been prouder of the Church as I was in these moments. Each time you literally saw the church as it should be. These moments have a heartwarming effect on us as we see someone who is in a place of need getting the assistance that they need.
But as wonderful and heartfelt as these moments are it begs the question of whether this is the norm. Is it common for us? Is it something that happens every day?
Once I was approached by someone seeking a moment of my time. They had wanted to compliment how welcoming, loving and caring Hurley Reformed had been to them. At the end of their compliment was a statement, “it’s too bad that it isn’t normal for churches.” If the earlier statement complimenting this congregation picked my heart up, that comment dashed it on the ground. Sadder still is knowing the reality that they weren’t all that wrong.
Now to begin, I don’t know this person or their back story. But I do know a few others who entering a church building is filled with emotions, one of which is fear. Fear of how they will be treated, fear of past hurts and issues. When we encounter persons our knee jerk reaction may be to be defensive. Well we’re not them, that is the person who hurt them. And while factually correct, it seldom advances the conversation.
In moments like this all you can do is love them, and love them as they are. You cannot undo the hurt of the past or the history that they lived out. The pain and hurt that they experienced the challenges, slights and the like are not ours to bear. All you can do is live out Christ’s call and love them as a neighbor. Welcome them as Christ would, love them as he would. The challenge for us, that is the church, is to live out Christ’s command to love our neighbor.
It is up to us, to change those moments of compassion where we step up and act when tragedy strikes, to a lifetime of loving our neighbors. Those heartwarming moments where a body of believers rally around someone in need should become commonplace as the church makes them happen day in and day out. Like everything it needs to start somewhere. Why not this Holy Week and Easter? Why not now? May the day of resurrection resurrect within us the sustainability of compassion for one another at all times. Happy Easter and may we all continue to serve our Lord, Amen.
The Deacon For May is Dino Sumerano