I don't do too many funerals. At my last church, there was a large senior citizen population and funerals happened with great regularity. In preparing for services, the family would always make sure that I would read Psalm 23 - a "staple passage" for most funerals. In fact, when I read that famous chapter at the graveside, people would often join in because the words are so familiar. Like the Lord's Prayer, they know every word.
Psalm 23 is so much more than a graveside recitation. It's a glimpse into the reality of painful life experiences. The shadow of death is real and the valley is bleak. Sometimes, we find ourselves walking through difficulties with no light at the end of the tunnel. Ted Haggard is still looking for hope and asking for help. He doesn't have too many supporters and he can't get a regular job. At one point, he was distributing Domino's Pizza flyers door-to-door. He was a leader who sinned and suffered the consequences.
The one-time megachurch pastor and leader of the National Association of Evangelicals was banished from his church and all forms of Christian leadership when a man stepped forward and revealed that he had been having a sexual relationship with Haggard for years. Months later, a former church intern went public with news of his own gay experience with the pastor. It was (and still is) a devastating time for Haggard's church and millions of Christians who had placed him on a pedestal. Within days, Haggard went from evangelical poster boy to a man who had been exiled to his suburban home with dozens of media in the front yard.
A Las Vegas pastor/author interviewed Ted and his wife Gayle last week during a conference in Atlanta. Through all the revelations and the pain it's caused, Gayle has stood by her man. She was the one with the greatest betrayal and was hurt like no one else in Ted’s fall. Yet, she stayed, loved, and forgave him. Her commitment is incredible. However, there is a large segment of the Christian community that refuses to forgive Haggard or, at the very least, believe that he is broken and contrite.
In the interview, Ted said, “If people hate me, that’s just. If they are kind and accepting, that’s grace. I don’t judge those who are mean. I’m grateful for those who are kind.”
I'm glad Jesus looks at me through the lens of grace. My prayer is that we can do the same thing for people in our lives when they go through the valley's death shadow. I want us to be people of the second chance.
2 comments:
Its' kind of hard for me to go to church anymore since I only fellowship with broken people.Wish I knew where Ted goes to church now!
I have invited Jim Bakker to speak and I'm trying to track down Ted.
Every church in America has broken people. Very few, however, have broken people who feel safe to admit that they are broken. I hope that you can find a community that embraces brokenness - whether it's in a "church" or not.
With regards to Ted, my fear is that there aren't too many churches that would welcome him with open arms. My prayer is that he finds a community where he can be restored and experience God's grace.
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