The Cry

When was the last time you cried. Most of the time we think of "crying" when their is pain, hurt or loss. Although people may cry over joy and happiness, the cry we most identify with is the first description.
We cry when we can no longer handle it all. We cry because there is just nothing else that we know to do. We cry because what we are going through and facing is more than we can handle and we can bear no more.
The "cry" is talked about a lot in the Bible. The Israelites "cried out" and God heard their cry. They couldn't take anymore. They had lost their identity, their purpose, and hope. So, they cried....and God heard.
There is a "cry" in our communities that the Church (all churches not one in particular) is often missing. There is so much hurt, pain, loss, oppression in our communities. People are going through a lot. Loss of jobs, loss of homes, loss of marriages, loss of loved ones, loss of direction, and loss of purpose being just a few.
As the Church, we are too often interpreting the "cry" as a "whine". The other thing is that we miss the "cry" because, in too many circumstances, we are supporting the very things that Jesus was against (thanks to Rob Bell on that point). When we don't stand with Jesus against things and instead support them, we don't hear a cry, we hear a whine. Then, we are quicker to want to tell people to get their life together instead of providing a loving shoulder and saying "we will walk with you out of this spot."
This Sunday, we will hear the "cry". This Sunday, we will not tell people to "themselves together", we will instead look and see if we are the one's who need to get ourselves together and in line with what God's Dream really is.
Be sure to come and bring a friend with you.