Worthy of the Call: Confession

In my women's Bible Study, we are chugging through the book of Philippians. One of the study books, Living the Letters: Philippians, collects excerpts from various books and asks questions to draw out the main point of the text and newly illuminate its topics. This is an excerpt from In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen, for Philippians 2: 1-8 on the topic of 'One Another.'

“The sacrament of Confession has often become a way to keep our own vulnerability hidden from our community ... How can priests or ministers feel really loved and cared for when they have to hide their own sins and failings from the people to whom they minister and run off to a distant stranger to receive a little comfort and consolation? How can people truly care for their shepherds and keep them faithful to their sacred task when they do not know them and so cannot deeply love them? … It is precisely the men and women who are dedicated to spiritual leadership who are easily subject to very raw carnality. The reason for this is that they do not know how to live the truth of the Incarnation.”

Mr. Nouwen's work is always challenging for me read. I wish the I could read context of this excerpt. What are the passages that surround it? How does he recommend resolving the issues he raises?

He takes no time in raising two central issues to the Christian life: Confession and Sexuality. I will divide my thoughts between two posts. [One of the most challenging things about blogging is to condense volumes into one digestible kernel of Truth. These posts will represent only where I am in wrestling with these life-long topics at this very moment. My views are subject to change, if God wills.]

It is very interesting that those who focus on spiritual leadership “do not know how to live the Truth of the Incarnation” and so are “easily subject to very raw carnality.” It rings true. How many pastors and prominent evangelists have fallen to adulterous behaviors? So many that I practically expect it. It seems only a matter of time before another scandal arises – and that is truly sad.

We must pray for and hold our leaders accountable, all the while remembering they are human, too. We must not be tempted to hold them to a higher account than we are willing to submit to ourselves. Clearly we must stop this double-standard pattern and lift our leaders up to the Only Perfect One. We must trust that He is always at work, crafting each of us into a more perfect and new creation. We must allow our leaders to be human, to be real, to struggle, to come to us for help and prayer. Confession is not a popular topic. It is an even less popular practice. But it is essential if the Body of Christ is to function well. The Apostle Paul challenges us in his letter to the Ephesians:

“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (4:1-3).

I heard a gifted teacher, Karen Kutz, last Autumn (2010) illuminate this idea. Living a life 'worthy of our calling' is to remember how impossible the calling is, but how amazing that God gives us the ability, in small steps as we follow Him, to start fulfilling that calling. She reminded me how easy it is for anyone to slip down the slope: anyone could be a monster. The only thing that keeps me from it is God's Grace. In humility, we should hold onto that knowledge – God's Grace is the only rescue, the only redemption. And when we choose to follow Christ, to accept the Father's adoption (Eph. 1:5), we must extend the Grace we hold onto out to others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially our spiritual leaders. Let us not fall for the Lie that some sins are worse than others. [That is another post.]

Yes, we must challenge leaders, ourselves, and everyone, to strive for excellence, but we need to come down more often on the side of Grace rather than Judgment. “For it is by Grace you have been saved...it is a gift from God” (Eph. 2:8-9). We must Practice Grace, leaving the rest to God.