Locusts and Honey
1 Cor. 2:13
2023-Edition 12
The title to this edition of Locusts and Honey might suggest that the topic is about the ministries and the gifts. However, I am not discussing that important topic. Instead, I am addressing a much simpler question which is simply “How can I contribute to my local church?” Because of theology, circumstances or simply age, your local church may have small interest in the abilities that God has given to you as giftings to the Body of Christ. Circumstances, such as health, age or other conditions, may practically limit your ability to walk effectively in your gifts and ministries. In some cases, God in his great generosity allows you transcend your physical limitations. For instance, Moses began his most productive period of life between the years 80 and 120.
For those of us dealing with health and age issues we may even find it difficult to regularly attend church after a serious health event or disability. Now that I am nearing 80, I encounter some of the limitations which were not present when I was younger or in better health. Many years ago I remember President Kennedy’s famous statement that we should, “Not ask what our country can do for us but what we can do for our country.” That statement was a great statement that captured the very best concepts of our country at the time. From it was born the Peace Corps and other efforts made by citizens to make our country and the world a better place. It engendered an optimism that is sadly lacking in our country today. The counter-part to Kennedy’s question is what can we give to the church today especially if we are battling issues of health and age.
First, there seems to me a big difference between what Christ gives to me and what He demands of me than what the church gives to me and demands from me. Perhaps there should be no difference. I am not sure. However, let me first address the question as a Christian. Christ gives to me all and demands all. I will not deal with this theologically. However Christ gives me salvation, eternal life and joy. Christ grants to me His Spirit. At the same time, he demands all including my life, my goals, my desires, my loves and my all.
The local church, however, is a different proposition. It gives me a place to go on Sunday morning, a place to teach and to be taught, an opportunity for worship with those of like minds, a place to be ministered to by the gifts of the Spirit (for those who might be so fortunate) and a regular place for Christian religious services which can take a variety of forms. There is also an opportunity to come into contact with others for like-minded prayer. These blessings are not inconsiderable. Unfortunately, for many of us (including myself on many occasions) we can be satisfied with a place to go on most Sundays with corporate worship for 30 or 40 minutes and the occasional fellowship dinner along with other aged outcasts of the modern church. We experience a few public prayers and move on with life. Also, unfortunately we seem to get out of this local experience about what we put into it which is very little. Church, instead of being satisfying fresh and hot bread, becomes stale bread which barely keeps us alive, but even if stale, is better than no bread at all.
However, in this edition, we will gloss over what our local church does for us and consider what it is that we can do for our local church. Again, some of your ministries or gifts may not be wanted by your local church. For instance, if your gift involves tongues or interpretation of tongues, it may not be particularly welcome if, for instance, you are attending a Baptist or Church of Christ Church. Likewise, if it is in the music area and you are aging and your voice is cracking, your gift of praise may not be particularly welcome either by your choir director or your church. So the practical issue is what can I give my church in the event that my spiritual gifts are neither appreciated or wanted and I have disabilities due to age or health. There are still some VERY VALUABLE contributions which you can make:
· Loyalty. I can speak positively about where I go locally and about other churches and Christianity in general. This is a characteristic which we can learn to emulate from our Jewish friends. Generally, Jewish people make it a custom, so far as possible, not to speak poorly of others of their own faith. They do this for a number of practical reasons including from their experiences of being a persecuted people. Persecution helps us to resolve our differences and stand against those who persecute us. This is also a situation we find in war where people with differences put them aside and depend upon one another to defend against a common enemy. Differences between races or religion are put aide when you are in a fox hole fighting an enemy. So speak positively about your local body of Christ. Faithfulness and loyalty is welcomed by local churches.
· Money. I am not getting into whether or how much to give. However, whatever you are led to give to the church, you are welcome to give. I have been in a number of situations where my spiritual gifts or teachings or opinions have not been welcome, but never once in my life did any local church which I attended ever tell me to stop giving. Your money is always welcome and is one of the things that you can give despite age or health.
· Words of Encouragement. Just like being positive, words of encouragement are always welcome.
· Praise. Within certain parameters, praise and worship is normally welcome and I can praise God at my church. That being said, in certain churches I may need to leave my tambourine at home. Alternatively, I can look around and find a church where they like tambourines.
· Helping the needy. Jesus said we are to take care of the widow and the orphan. He also said we are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty and clothe those without clothing. I am happy to report that most churches do agree with these admonitions and are happy for me to participate in local or international ministries which take these actions.
· Praying for others. Most churches are happy for me to pray for the leadership of the church and to pray for others within the church as long as such is done in a good spirit. This is even more true if my prayers are quiet ones.
In all these ways, I can give back to the church even though I have the disadvantages of age or disability. As I have thought about the ability to contribute to my local church, I have recently come across a surprising way that I can contribute.
As a teacher in Christ’s church, I am very aware of the value and power of words. This is even more true for those of us who come from a background of positively confessing the word of God in our prayers and over our problems. We know the value of “speaking the word of faith.” However, we are less enchanted about the virtues of keeping silent. From our generally Protestant backgrounds we look askance at Catholic orders where they take a vow of silence. Unfortunately, we ignore the virtues of silence today. Solomon would suggest that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent.
Recently, I was reading a church covenant from the first non-Catholic church in the Mississippi Territory. My ancestors were part of this particular church. The church in the Mississippi Territory was called Salem Church (not to be confused with the Salem Church in New England known for their focus upon the witch trials). This early Christian church which met in the early 1790’s just outside of Nachez Ms. had the following in their church covenant:
“Not to expose the infirmities of each other by any means where it can be carefully avoided.”
A “church covenant” is like an agreement regarding beliefs or actions among the members of the congregation. The covenant to keep things among church members confidential is almost similar to our more carnal statement: “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
The admonition to “keep secrets” is understandable. In the Salem Church, if it got out you were not Catholic, the Spanish Commandant sent soldiers to arrest you. This actually happened to the pastor or that young church. From a Christian point of view keeping your mouth shut and being silent is also important especially since we are commanded to “confess our sins one to another.” Confession of sin is a part of our Christian beliefs. To our Catholic friends this is done to a priest. In the church today, confession is generally a forgotten command . Who wants to confess their sins to other Christian believers and have those sins rebroadcast to a world with itchy ears. This has become even more true in recent years with the ascent of social media. Something which might be confessed in church might quickly find itself in the social media including Twitter, Facebook and the like.
The value of silence regarding sins confessed in church is attested to by the willingness of priests to go to jail rather than to break the secrets of the confessional. We often find similar vows of silence within the Legal and Medical professions. Attorneys are generally forbidden to reveal the secrets of their clients. However, there are generally some exceptions, such as to prevent the commission of a crime. The point is that silence can be a great virtue. All of that being said, we cannot use silence as an excuse to hide sin including the sins of sexual predation. Thus we are always walking a tightrope between keeping secrets and at the same time preventing those who do evil from continuing their evil practices.
Some of us in our old age, do not see or hear too well. Although, this appears to be a disability, in the church it does not necessarily need to be a disability. We need to have dim eyesight so we do not see the flaws of those around us. We do not need to see every action or hear every word. Solomon said: “Don’t pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you.” (Eccl. 7:21). We need to have both selective hearing and selective speaking in the church. We should not hear the complaints of everyone, join in criticism of everyone, or speak every word which comes into our mind. Today, in social media, people are bold to “call out” every short-coming of others. Their boldness comes because they can do so while hiding behind the cowardliness of anonymity. We as Christians should not say everything that comes to our minds. We do not become the anonymous judges anointed by our reader count on social media.
At any rate, even those of us who have our limitations, can contribute to the “stew of the Church.” We have the right to contribute to the church our silence, our forgiveness and our love which hopefully will cause the food of the church to be welcome and nourishing to those involved. As it says in 1 Peter 4:8, OUR LOVE CAN COVER A MULTITUDE OF SINS. Our silence can do the same thing. After all without wood, a fire will soon go out.
