"To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure." v. 15a
Not sure what to do with this. Because I certainly don't believe that all things are pure -even within the church. And I'm not sure how to interpret what Paul meant, because he certainly believed in the power of evil to corrupt good people -- so what did he mean by "all things are pure"?
Without knowing Paul's meaning here, and without knowing God's...I can at least draw from this scripture the truth that I am frequently much more negative than I should be. I have a well developed jaded eye. No matter how hard I work on healing from my past in the church, I carry it with me.
My first appointment (in Lutherspeak: first call) was truly bad. I stayed for 3 years - and no other pastor had lasted that long since one man's 1942-1948 stretch. Of the 4 pastors who served that church right before me, 3 left ministry within a year of leaving that church. It angers me that I carry that with me as much as I do...that those years in my life still have so much power...but they do.
So I struggle against becoming too negative in the church. Loving the people, distrusting the institution.
Paul's words are a small condemnation, a call to accountability, a reminder of what should be. "to those who are pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupt...nothing is pure."
As an aside - I'm off on vacation starting tomorrow. My father's birthday, my sister's anniversary, my anniversary, and my parent's anniversary - one BIG OLE PARTY in Denver this week. My laptop's being repaired, so see you in a week.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It was nice to see you at the game last night. I can totally relate to how you speak about the institution of the church. 8 years after my ordination, I never thought I would be in my 4th call. I nearly left the ministry altogether after my last call. But if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again.
ReplyDelete