Brothers,
if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore
him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone
thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:1-3 ESV).
Perhaps you have heard, or even used the familiar saying, “Don’t throw rocks. We all live in glass houses.” It is a simple reminder to be careful in our judgment of others. The Apostle Paul speaks to this in our reading today. It is a part of his letter to the church in Galatia. It seems they had become hyper-judgmental and legalistic.
Throughout my years of ministry,
I have often heard stories from people who felt abandoned by their church,
particularly when they felt they needed their support the most. Several years
ago, while living in Tennessee, I worked with a Divorce Recovery Group. One woman
said, “When I needed the church the most, it was not there for me.” That story
has been repeated in one form or another many times. The circumstances might
have been different, but the result was the same. When people felt burdened
they also felt abandoned.
It’s easy to walk right
past people who are burdened—sometimes because we don’t know, and other times
because we don’t want to be bothered. Thank God, though, that there are many
church members who make it their business to carry the burdens of others. Some
go out of their way to invite someone for dinner who has no family. Others
faithfully pray for people they know who are dealing with hardships, and some
send a note to let people know that someone is thinking about them. Still
others faithfully call on people who can’t get out.
And that, according to our
reading today, is the way things should be. We are to carry one another’s
burdens. When you find yourself in church, take a look around and try to see
who might need you. Reach out to people in your local community also. And keep
fulfilling the law of Christ by showing his love. This is just one of the ways
we can make this season joyous for those who feel no joy at all!
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