Burn Notice

There is an irony in going through times in life where individuals or situations "burn"; through the confusion and pain we learn about God and ourselves.

I like to watch the TV show, "Burn Notice". In the show Michael Westen is burned by the CIA and through trying to get his job back he learns of his love for an ex-girlfriend, loyalty of a life long friend, and constant care of a wounded mother. If you've ever seen the show, you'll agree, it's mostly entertaining and not very deep; however the simple plot speaks to the reality of our lives.

I have friends who have been burned by the church - how sad: to be hurt, trampled on, and stabbed by fellow Christians. The only comfort comes in the truth of Psalm 53: "God looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there are any who understand, any who seeks God. Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."

But it's the previous Psalm that teaches me today. In Psalm 52 we find words of trust in spite of evil acts committed against us. The faithful are like a luxuriant, productive olive tree; they trust in God's unfailing love (verse 8). In contrast, the evil doors, those who trust in their own wealth, strength, and deceit will be uprooted, made a vagabond, and destroyed like a building (verse 5). Much like Psalm 49, here in 52:7 we find the righteous learn a lesson from the judgments of God. One commentator states: "Those who live and act independently of God, trust in themselves, and better themselves at the expense of others will be brought down … when their riches, houses, and power, are taken away, their lives fall apart."

When Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich spoke courageously against Nazism, he found himself in a concentration camp. It is there he wrote this beautiful hymn:

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have.
Friends have bound me to earth, enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.
Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world. Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world.
They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself.
They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments.
They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself.
They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.
Bless my enemies, O Lord, Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish.
Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a dwarf.
Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background.
Whenever I have rushed to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand.
Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep.
Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out.
Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of your garment.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitterly against me:
so that my fleeing to You may have no return;
so that all hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs;
so that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul;
so that my heart may become the grave of my two evil twins, arrogance and anger;
so that I might amass all my treasure in heaven;
ah, so that I may for once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life.
Enemies have taught me to know what hardly anyone knows, that a person has no enemies in the world except himself.
One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends.
It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends or enemies.
Therefore bless, O Lord, both my friends and enemies.
A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand. But a son blesses them, for he understands.
For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life.
Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them.

So when we find ourselves "burned" like Michael Westen - let us not retaliate in political maneuvers, let us find love for our "enemies", and let us learn from the hurt and confusion.

"The Church"

A reason I've heard for people justifying their disconnection with and repulsion of "the Church" and not wanting to be a part of it is: "I've been burned by 'the Church'."
Unfortunately, I think these victims have been mislead in what "the Church" actually is and my hope to all these lonely souls is that they would realize "the Church" not only is the body of Christ consisting of human believers but also sinful by nature, therefore flawed and bound to screw up. Enter Grace and Forgiveness. (Now would be a good time to read Ray Miller's blog post on said topics inspired by Rachel Getting Married.)
I do not blame anyone who has used this line and must say I identify with you often if this is you. Why be a part of something if this is the representation? (I will refrain from offering examples as I feel this would be unnecessary and hypocritical.) Instead of offering blame; I issue a challenge to both parties and include myself as I find myself on both sides.

Challenge to "the Burned": We all mess up. We all have weak moments, no matter the strength of the weakness. Let us pray that God would remind us of our own weak moments when we are prepared to judge someone else's that we may be humbled enough to forgive their idiocies as they will very soon be forgiving ours. Let us be gracious to each other and quick to offer embrace.

Challenge to "the Church": We are "the Church". We are the representation. It is our responsibility to bring heaven to earth. We do that by loving orphans and widows (James 1:27) and offering our coat when someone asks for our shirt (Matthew 6:40). Heaven happens because we have become less and God becomes greater (John 3:30) through action and thought. These things take choices- mind you, I'm not referring to self deprecation; that is a whole other issue. As "the Church" let us be honest with ourselves and each other that we may see ourselves, each other and God for who we all truly are. Let us be gracious to each other and quick to offer embrace.

In closing, the picture below was taken on my walk this morning and is actually the inspiration for this post. It is a humorous reminder to "the Church" to be honest and reminder to everyone else that "the Church" is made up of humans.