JR. Forasteros - March 8, 2020

Pergamum: The Compromised Church

Under Pressure

How often do we examine the roots of our values? Why do we really care about the things we care about? How did we decide what our vision for the Good Life is? Christians in Pergamum had the same problem we do – they assumed the values of their culture were compatible with Jesus’ vision for their lives. Jesus warns them – and us – that’s not the case. How can we know what Jesus wants for us?

From Series: "Under Pressure"

Figuring out how to be faithful in our daily lives is challenging for anyone - especially because there are so many ways to answer those questions. How do we know what real, holy faithfulness looks like? Jesus makes himself known to the seven churches of the Revelation. His answers for them can guide us as well.

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In the years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, I went to the city to do relief work several times. It was during those trips I learned that what victims of disasters want most isn’t necessarily the relief work. Every trip went more-or-less the same:

A big group of us would show up and get to work. Maybe we were gutting a home so it could be cleansed of mold and rebuilt. Maybe we were cleaning up vacant lots to beautify a city block for the other residents. Mostly we were gutting homes – tearing out sheetrock and ripping up flooring. It was brutal, exhausting work, particularly in the New Orleans summers.

The residents would always be nearby, helping if they could or in their FEMA trailers making lemonade for us workers.

And inevitably, over the three or four days we were there, each of us would end up just sitting and talking with that resident. Despite the fact that we were on a schedule. Even though we were working hard to get their home finished.

What they needed most wasn’t a new home (though, obviously, that was important).

What they needed most wasn’t our strong backs and hard work. What they needed most, every time, was human interaction. They needed to tell their story, to be seen and heard, to know they’re not alone in their grief.

Again and again, what gave them hope was not the pounding hammers and loaded wheelbarrows, but a person sitting with them, being present with them.

What does it means to be WITH someone in times of grief? The final movement of Lament is hope, an anticipation that grief is not the final word.

That hope is grounded in our common faith in the God who promised never to leave or forsake us.

Join us Sunday as we see where the journey of Lament takes us!

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