A Pastor’s Lament
“You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Rom. 2:23-34)
“Lament” is not a word defined in the dictionary of our daily lives. In fact, I would go as far as to suggest that “lament” is banned from our vocabulary. Even in our churches – churches which subscribe to the holy, inspired, and inerrant Scriptures that are full of lament, our hymnody and popular music shy away from those passionate expressions of grief and sorrow. We have lost the ability to reconcile heavenly joy and deep sorrow. In an age where our youth struggle with depression, we have doomed them to a life of hypocrisy or hollowness.
But I must take a break from our time in the Gospel according to Mark to lament. For everyone who picks up this article, do we not have great grounds for lamenting? Pastors of various denominations have filled our headlines, being arrested for the most heinous of crimes. Oh, how the name of God has been blasphemed! More than pastors, Christians of every age and stripe live day-to-day, barely distinguishable from the world around them. Our goals, our purposes, our ambitions match and mirror those around us. How little do we care about godliness? Much like in Hosea 6, they call upon God with their lips, but live contrary to God with their lives. Hypocrisy brings more dishonor to God than open rebellion. Oh, how the name of God has been blasphemed because of us!
Does this not cause us all to lament? Should not Christ’s church we filled with shame and sorrow? The greatest hindrance to the spread of the gospel in Hinds County will not be persecution, nor will it be false teaching. Rather, the work of the kingdom will be hindered because of a lack of honor. Pray for the pastors, elders, and deacons of our local churches, that they would pursue a greater measure of holiness, honoring God in their teaching and conduct. Pray for our churches, that they would be a foretaste of that holy heaven where God dwells. Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters, that in every way they would honor God as holy.
