We Did NOT See That Coming (Part 1)

In some ways, I feel like the last post was the close of one chapter, and this, the beginning of another. But, it’s more than that. A shift in our story begins here. I often talk about how this journey compares to putting together a puzzle. As if the Lord dumped all the pieces on the table, leaving us to put it together without a picture to go by. But on the day I’m about to share with you, it’s almost like He changed the puzzle right under our noses. He didn’t, of course. I really don’t know how to describe it, except to say that up until this point, the puzzle was only two-dimensional.

He was about to completely rock out world by throwing in another dimension to all of this…. one we weren’t prepared for.

The day started like any other. The kids were speaking at a local youth group in Louisiana. When they have an event on a Sunday evening, we try to attend the church service that morning. On this particular Sunday, that meant visiting a Methodist church. It wasn’t our first visit to this particular denomination, so we were very much aware of our theological differences. But, even so, there was something different about our experience at this church.

What I’m about to share with you is obviously from our perspective and it’s incredibly important for you to know that our reception from the people of this church was warm, welcoming, and encouraging. This church community blessed our family in SO MANY ways. This is about the Lord’s revelation to us, through our two interactions with their community, and the PROFOUND effect it had on our family. Some of the potential dangers we had only read about in scripture became very real to us. I’m not sure I can clearly articulate the burden this day placed on our family… on our kids.

Our first interaction: By the time we pulled into the parking lot, I knew some level of discomfort was waiting for me behind the doors of the church. Their tag line is “No Judgement, Just Grace” (For the record, that wasn’t a typo… that’s how they spelled the word judgment.) The repressed Southern Baptist in me was having a hard time. I understand the concept of “no judgment,” but accountability is a real thing. Yes, Jesus tells people to take the log out of their own eyes before approaching their brother about the speck in his, but that passage doesn’t end there. Jesus was a proponent of accountability. His harshest words reserved for the Pharisees. I’ve seen many people bypass accountability by calling it judgment, causing them to avoid sanctification (at best) and/or continue on in unrepentant sin.

There’s a tension there we can’t ignore, or escape.

But, the real tension was felt during the sermon. It started with the pastor’s constant reference to the Holy Spirit as a “She.” This was followed by the FIRST, and VERY visible, swish of my children’s heads… in unison. I tried to assure them, with a casual lifting of my hand, that their heads would not explode, as Jamie and I tried REALLY hard to not die of laughter. Right or wrong, their reaction was hilarious.

Side note: I had an entire class in Seminary dedicated to this issue, so to unpack this subject in a short blog post won’t do it justice. However, I will say this: Throughout the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is referred to in the masculine, although the word for “spirit” (pneuma) is actually gender-neutral. I’m, personally, uncomfortable with referring to the Holy Spirit as a “He” because of this… but, also shy away from the reference of “it.” However, scriptural support for “She” just doesn’t stack up. My opinion. My studying of God’s Word. My wrestling. This is where I land.

This was followed up with the pastor’s interpretation of Numbers 20. To be frank, I’ve never heard a pastor tell the story of Moses’s disobedience the way this pastor did. The short version of the ACTUAL Bible story: The Lord specifically tells Moses to take his staff, instructing him to SPEAK to the rock, telling it to pour forth water. But, instead of doing as the Lord requested, Moses STRUCK the rock with his staff. The consequences of his disobedience led to his inability to enter the Promised Land.

This is a story my kids know well. I mean, I feel like this is a story most people in the church know well. If, for nothing else, the idea that TELLING a rock to pour out water is absolutely ridiculous. But, this pastor COMPLETELY botched it. First, he said that Moses was supposed tap the rock with his staff. Again, in unison, my children rapidly turn their heads in my direction. And then the pastor goes on to explain WHY Moses chose to strike the rock… and his explanation wasn’t biblical. Literally… it’s NOT mentioned in the Bible.

He went on to explain how Moses was rightfully angry with the Israelites, specifically because of their disobedience. He rationalized his anger as being completely understandable given the constant sinfulness of those people. But, there’s a HUGE problem with this… it’s NOT what scripture says. In fact, the blame for Moses’s disobedience actually fell squarely on the shoulders of Moses himself because he didn’t trust the Lord. That’s what the Bible actually says. (And for the third time, the four heads belonging to the children sitting next to me violently turned my direction.) I’m pretty sure Sydney’s was just spinning non-stop by this point though.

But that wasn’t the last of it. (Oh… how I wish it was.)