Hearing the Music

Every Two Minutes

As we continue through 2 Samuel, we come this week to chapter 13, which narrates the sexual assault of Tamar by her half-brother Amnon. It is a brutal chapter that not only captures the nature of sin, but the narrator also gives an insightful look into the experience of the victim.  Some may wish that this chapter were not in the Biblical record or argue that we should not deal with it in during the ordinary course of worship. However, as we have noted previously, all scripture is God-Breathed and is given to us for our edification and is therefore useful and necessary for us to pursue. A couple things in particular stand out as being pertinent to reckon with in covering a chapter like 2 Sam 13.

First, statistics show that a sexual assault occurs every 2 minutes in the US. One in four women and one in six men report being victims of sexual assault, with the numbers assuredly being much higher as sexual assault is woefully underreported given its sensitive and shaming nature. Sexual assault occurs both within the community of faith and outside of the community of faith. This means that we share the pews with those who have been victimized by sexual assault. If the numbers hold true, our best guess would be about 100 to 150 of our regular attenders.  

Second, in addition to its violent, non-consensual nature, one of the factors that contributes to the power that sexual assault has in the life of its victims is the "code of silence" that so often surrounds it. In our text for this week, Tamar is told to "keep her peace" by her brother Absalom and is sent away into isolation from her family. David, the king, her father and should-be protector, is angry, but does nothing. Tamar lives out her days as a desolate woman. Part of the grace of this passage is that God sees and does not bury this incident, but rather has it recorded for subsequent generations to grapple with.

Please join me in covering our service this Sunday in prayer. For some, this text may stir up very strong responses. Pray that we as a community would steward these responses well. We do take seriously the abuse that occurs within our broken world. As a denomination, we have produced a comprehensive report on domestic abuse that includes solid theology as well as practical guidance for ministering to victims and perpetrators. As a church, we have policies in place meant to protect our children, training meant to equip ministry leaders with appropriate tools for recognizing abuse, and ministries such as Advocates for the Wounded and Abused and Journey groups that seek to come alongside those who are struggling. If you do find that this text is triggering for you in any way, we pray that you will find the necessary strength to reach out.

 Photo by Patrick Langwallner on Unsplash

Stewarding Our Gospel Vision

Careful readers of the bulletin may have noticed that, at our most recent meeting, the session agreed to begin the process of looking for a church planter to lead another church planting effort from Christ Church.  We are humbled to be able to have this opportunity and excited about what it portends for the future! Having just watched Gracehill particularize, we realize afresh the impact that new churches can have on a community. It is our goal as a Gospel centered church to do all that we can to both nourish those already within and welcome those outside the current fold. This vision presents both challenges and opportunities as we see people drawn to this Gospel vision. Especially with respect to those currently outside the fold, there are multiple things which we must attend to if we are to steward this vision well.  

First, as in all things, we must persevere in prayer together. In our public meetings and our private chambers, we must maintain an attitude of humble supplication before the the throne of grace looking to receive from our Heavenly Father wisdom, creativity, patience, selflessness and everything else that is needed to faithfully steward our Gospel vision. Both the opportunities and challenges require creativity and patience that is beyond us.

Second, we must be intentional about welcoming those thirsty for Gospel centered community into Christ Church. Theoretically, this means continuing to invest in ministries that get outside of our local doors. CarePortal, ministries such as Grace's Table, active ministry on college campuses all bring us into contact with those who are outside our current fold. Practically, as people find themselves connecting to Christ Church, this means things like maximizing seating in the sanctuary, looking for creative solutions for classrooms (reorganizing, portables, acquiring property, building expansion), welcoming new people into C-groups, Bible studies, or into our homes for meals. In short making space, both practically and relationally.

A third thing we can do as a church is nurture options for people that are other than Christ Church. People in the GR area are looking for vibrant, Gospel centered churches to be a part of. One way to ensure that these types of churches are available and identified is if we continue to use our resources (leadership, people, finances, etc …) to partner with other Gospel centered churches so that this vision can be easily accessed by all who look for it. This type of partnership could range from shared ministry to shared worship in ways that builds up the greater body. In particular, this could mean being attentive toward supplying needs of congregations that may require assistance in carrying out the Gospel vision. Or, as we decided this past week, nurturing options means that we continue the strategic planting of new congregations through active prayer, planning, equipping of planters, and deployment of teams.

As you can see there is much to hold before the Lord as a community.  Stewarding the Gospel vision that the Lord gives us has many facets to it and we have not even touched on other aspects of our stewardship such as global missions or our own internal discipleship efforts. But thanks be to God, He always gives us what we need to accomplish what He requires. Christ Church is filled with people both hungry for the Gospel in their own lives and eager to share with others!

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Put No Confidence in Princes

In Psalm 146:3, the Psalmist reminds the worshippers to "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation." The exhortation of the Psalm is to trust in the Lord who is the only true help of mankind. While we are not sure who wrote Psalm 146, it is not a jump to imagine that the insight to put no confidence in princes came, at least in part, from watching the life of David.

2 Samuel 9 was a high point for David in terms of his character and reflecting the heart of YHWH. Unfortunately, from this point on the stories are less glamorous, many even downright difficult to read. Over the rest of his life David will struggle with pride that will lead to power plays, sexual sin, an unwise census, etc... He will struggle with denial, depression, a weakening of his effectiveness as a ruler and a father. The consequences of his sin, though forgiven, will continue both throughout his lifetime and throughout his dynasty. And truthfully, these stories will most likely strike close to home. In some cases surgically opening up our own hearts to expose the rot that has set in. In other cases, poking at a wound that others have inflicted, perhaps causing pain or a resurfacing of anger.

So "why go there", you ask? Well, we go there because that is where the scripture takes us. As a church we are committed to the "whole counsel of God". We believe that every bit of the Bible is given for our building up and training in Godliness, even the difficult parts. We go there because it is against that backdrop of human failings that we discover, rediscover, that God is our refuge and our strength. He is the only one who is worthy of our trust. Furthermore, we are reminded that though our sins are many, His mercy is more. David and the rest of the cast of characters find themselves in a morass of brokenness brought about by their own sin as well as the sins of those around them, but God is still at work. Sometimes he works from the shadows to be sure. Sometimes his brush portrays only a small dash of color in an otherwise bleak landscape. But He is there. Every story whispers His name.

Photo by T. Selin Erkan on Unsplash