By the Way: Jesus healed them all
By Roland Weisbrot on January 21, 2023.
When I was a teenager, the church my family had attended for three generations went through a very large financial scandal. Without getting too specific, substantial amounts of money which was faithfully tithed was mismanaged and lost, and then a coverup was attempted and failed. When the news broke, it caused great harm to the congregation, and many people were hurt not just emotionally but spiritually. During the following weeks and months, I witnessed “good Christians” act in ways that would have made the Devil himself giddy with glee. As such, I walked away from the ordeal quite disillusioned with the church and I also seriously considered leaving the faith. After all, if this is what “good Christians” do, I wanted no part of either the church or God. During this period, I remember asking myself, often in prayer, “Why would God let this happen?” Fortunately, God placed some wonderful Christian mentors in my life at this time who helped me work through my grievances and rebuild my faith However, the healing I needed so desperately did not come until I was led to a new church, the very last place I wanted to be. Nevertheless, participation in a healthy Christian community helped me to heal not just emotionally but spiritually as well. You see, the church-because it is full of sinful and imperfect people like me-can sometimes hurt people very badly; but the church, when it is operating as it ought to be, is also the place of profound healing. In short, the place that hurt me was also the place I needed to be to truly heal after what I experienced. The point I wish to make is this: if the church has hurt you, I am sorry. Truly, I am. But if you give it the chance, it can also be the place of healing that we all so desperately need. Pastor Roland Weisbrot is the lead pastor at Victory Lutheran Church 12-11
