I should begin by saying that I love worship. The hymns, the prayers, and the communion of
souls gathering at an appointed time for the purposes of worship and growth all
bring so much to my life. But lately I
have noticed something that I have sometimes experienced in churches as I
preach… loneliness.
Anyone who has heard me preach will be familiar with the
fact that my family and my life tend to come up a lot in sermons. But even as I try to be open about my life, I
have to confess that I still find a place where I occasionally feel
lonely. I think sometimes, “If everyone here knew how badly I can mess
up, they would never let me preach again.”
“What if they knew that I sometimes have had moments in the past when I questioned
my faith?” “Do they know that I have
worries and fear sometimes? I shouldn’t
because I’m a man of faith!” Feeling
that pressure occasionally gives me a profound sense of isolation, because I
can’t let these things be known… for I am called by God to this sacred act of
servant leadership and ministry. I am
supposed to be good at it, and good at living faithfully. Luckily I have my wife who is a great source
of comfort and strength, and have also found fellowship with men and women in
ministry who share in these experiences and can offer guidance and
encouragement. That helps me immensely. But what about the people in the pews at our
churches?
It could be that Sunday morning worship is the loneliest
time for many in our Christian experience.
Our final break through to true fellowship never occurs for one simple
reason… our resistance to having sinners in church. We have fellowship as devout and upright
believers, and not as sinners in need of a savior. Pious worship has many afraid to live as
authentic people
