Crippled Churches???

Ice pack... prayer... pain medication... prayer... heat pack... prayer... chiropractor... prayer. I hurt my back just before leaving Waskaganish on Friday. Sitting through bumpy flights and carrying luggage didn't help. The pain was crippling on Saturday. It's getting better, but I wish it would get better faster! Sometimes the Church of Jesus Christ becomes crippled. Moving forward hurts too much, or is too tiring, or doesn't seem to make a difference. So we pull back. We lose our voice in the world; we lose our impact on the world. Other voices are raised and other forces leave their mark. These "others" don't always bring light and life. Sometimes we don't recognize that we're crippled, so we don't seek treatment, and we don't get better. We just keep on doing the same things we've always done, but without any light or life. And we wonder why God isn't doing anything about the darkness and death out there.

• John wrote about Jesus: "In him was life and that life was the light of men" (John 1:4)
• Jesus said: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).

Time to throw away the crutches! Let's apply whatever treatment is needed. Let's BE His light and life to the world.