Healing the wounded

I did not grow up in the church of the 1950's when, "Father knew best" or at least that was the collective myth. I never knew a time when absolutely everyone attended the Christian Denomination of their family heritage. I came of age in the 1980's, and started attending church on my own in the late 90's. The cultural revolution of the 1960's was still echoing around as the Charismatic movement of the church brought flower-child-inspired guitar music into the church, and the Episcopal Church even let go of some of the King James English from our worship services. 

More tragically, it became public knowledge that sexual misconduct and abuse took place even within the presumed safety of the church. Along with other established institutions, the church and clergy lost immediate trust of our society. I have been fortunate, experiencing the church to be a generally loving place. I have experienced the love of Jesus through imperfect people who modeled how to be themselves, helping me to become myself. 

I am aware of people who are not so fortunate. I know people who have been wounded by the church; broken people who do not seek healing tend to hurt others in their path. Wounding comes in subtle ways as well as dramatic. Manipulation through fear and shame can disrupt a person without any physical contact. A dear friend who is a therapist told me after I got ordained, "If the church always did its job, I'd be out of work." His mission was to heal those who had been wounded by the church. 

I also see that healing ministry as part of my vocation when possible; sometimes that means just giving someone space. I once saw a person literally flee from a coffee shop when I walked in wearing my black shirt and white collar. I wonder who hurt that person. I live with the awareness that the church has hurt people, so I try to remain sensitive. I don't know anyone's life experience of church or any religion. At it's best church is a sacred container where the love of Jesus is practiced then carried out into the world. We who minister through the church are dependent upon God. I know I have to stay healthy to be able to minister alongside others in the church. The movement Jesus started with the first Followers of the Way is about healing the sick, feeding the hungry, lifting up the lowly, even bringing the dead back to life. It breaks the heart of God when people take advantage of the trust placed in the church or other religious community, and use it for harm.  

I began working in the church full time in 2000, and I'm grateful for the "Safeguarding" training that started back then. It helps train clergy and lay leaders, especially those who work with children, in safe practices and how to watch out for predators who may seek to do harm to others through the church. This is not the 1950's, and gone is the patriarchal obligation to "go to church." More important is to be church,  to live as Followers of the Way. I need the workshop of the church to continue to study, practice, and be inspired by others.

In such a quickly changing world, I pray that as Followers of Jesus we continue to recover the healing ministry Jesus started and that we can be agents of reconciliation by following the Holy Spirit's guidance, doing the work of God's kingdom right where we live.