What's Holding YOU Back?

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, June 20, 2008.

With this post, I finally got all of June's articles online. In a few days, I will get July posted; but , of course, by then it will be August! Will I ever get caught up??



Every year, United Methodists from around the state gather for what’s called Annual Conference. Last week, I joined pastors from across the West Ohio Conference, along with lay representatives from most of the 1145 United Methodist congregations, at Lakeside, Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie. It was my fourth time at Lakeside, and it was also my favorite time, so far.

In gatherings like Annual Conference, the temptation is always present to skip the official meetings in favor of fishing on the lake, cruising to the islands, or simply being lazy on the front porch of the cottage and enjoying the view. Instead, we gather in cavernous Hoover Auditorium (un-air-conditioned) to hear reports from various groups, debate proposed legislation, vote on budgets, and deliberate the minutiae of conference business. Like I said, the temptation is strong to skip…

But one of the highlights of Conference is gathering for worship together. And this year, the worship services were incredible! It was like an old-fashioned camp meeting revival. The music was tremendous, the Scriptures were proclaimed magnificently, and the preaching was powerful and Spirit-filled.

One of the dynamic preachers present was Pastor Rudy Rasmus from Houston, Texas. Pastor Rudy is not your typical United Methodist pastor. The first thing one notices about Pastor Rudy is his beard. It grows straight down from his chin and is braided into three strands. Each strand is decorated with glass beads. They give weight to his beard; so when Rudy talks, his beard dances and jangles.

“I call it my ‘early warning tolerance detection system’,” said Pastor Rudy to the gathering. “I can tell right way whether or not a person is interested in talking to me based on their physical reaction to my beard.”

Pastor Rudy’s beard took some getting used to, but his message was dead-on. He preached from the gospel of John 5:1-15. It’s the story of the paralyzed man who was waiting by the pool of Bethesda near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. Lots of sick, injured, and crippled people gathered there in hopes of being the first person in the pool when an angel came and stirred the waters. Jesus approached the man and asked him if he wanted to get well. Here’s how the story concludes:

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

What a miracle! And most of the time, that’s what we focus on when we read this story. But Pastor Rudy took a different approach. He asked the question: Why didn’t the invalid answer the question Jesus asked? Ii requires a simple yes or no response. Instead, the man gave Jesus excuses for why he had not gotten well.

Pastor Rudy applied the question to us. Why don’t we answer Jesus honestly? Why do we offer excuses? Why do we as a church not demand a truthful response? Pastor Rudy dared to suggest that the truthful answer is that we often do NOT want to get well! We’d rather wallow in the known condition of our lives than accept the dramatic, radical transformation that God offers to us through Jesus Christ!

We are paralyzed by our fears, by our stubbornness of refusing to let go of misplaced values, and by system of church where it’s perceived to be more lucrative to keep the sick in the pews rather than heal them out the doors. Pastor Rudy called such pastors and church leaders “priestly pool pimps” who are more concerned with sustaining their organizational bureaucracies than in participating in God’s work. Their medicine is “preventative” – preventing people from experiencing the totality of grace – and therefore “prohibitive” – prohibiting true healing.

I was profoundly provoked by that message. What have I done to put people fully into the path of grace? What have I done to keep people paralyzed? What’s holding me back from getting the healing that I need for myself?

During the summer, it’s tempting to put faith-forming aside in favor of enjoying the outdoors, cruising the countryside, or simply being lazy on the porch. You may not realize it, but giving into that temptation is paralyzing. What’s holding you back from being a true disciple of Jesus? Are you ready to get up and walk? Then DO IT!! No more excuses. No more priestly pool pimping. Just get up and go with Jesus!