By N. Gordon Cosby
Does your church have a structure through which you can be with those suffering most intensively on a frequent, regular basis - not dipping into it once in awhile? We say, 'We have beautiful services of worship. Come to our church. We work hard on our meaningful services of worship.'
This is what God said through Amos: 'I spurn with loathing your pilgrim feasts. I take no pleasure in your sacred ceremonies. When you bring me your whole offerings and your grass offerings I shall not accept them. Nor pay heed to your shared offerings of straw-fed beasts. Please spare me the sound of your songs. I shall not listen to the strumming of your lutes. Instead, let justice flow on like a river and righteousness like a never-failing torrent' (Amos 5:21 ff). He says shut up with all your talk and give me justice.
So I ask again, is there a structure in your church where you can be with the victims and slowly learn to hear pain to connect with the inwardness of another who is hurting and thus be a human being? If your church does not have such a structure and won't welcome your efforts to create one, then find another church that will. If you can't find such a church, call a new one into being. We must be with the victims.
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