Sometimes I regret naming this column “Candid.” It forces me to be…you know…candid. So I must tell you I am nervous. Not terribly nervous. But a little nervous, or maybe medium nervous.
Back in August when I was at 9,000 feet pondering what messages I might bring to the pulpit this fall, I thought to myself… “What are some topics that really matter to people but which the church hardly ever talks about?” I emailed Dr Mike Graves back in KC and suggested a number of different possible sermon series for fall. He wrote back “I love the one called, ‘why the church never talks about sex, politics, health and race.’ I replied, “Are you sure because now I’m feeling a bit nervous about that.”
Of course one reason we never talk about certain issues in the church is because they are controversial. Another reason is because they are highly personal. And our opinions are more than thoughts, they are strongly held convictions that define who we are. So the church often dances around these topics because Christianity teaches us to be kind and we fear that if we step on each other’s ideological toes that we might come across as unkind or judgmental.
But none of that ever stopped Jesus. He talked about the issues that mattered deeply to the people of his day. In fact the whole Bible brims with stories of people involved in sexual scandals or in political hot water. From Genesis to Revelation we read about the quest for spiritual and physical health and the dilemmas of living with folks who appear to be different from us.
And maybe one reason that we sometimes drift away from the faith is because the faith community has shirked its calling to let God’s voice speak to the real life beauty and brokenness in human life. So my brain keeps telling me that this sermon series is a good idea. And I keep praying that God will enlighten my soul to speak a holy word to you come Sunday. But I’m a little nervous.
With grace and peace,
Carla
