1) Members that have not been attending church
2) All sec sch students' exam
3) Vision, direction & prog of the youth ministry for 2007
4) Youths overseas for school or work
Prayer meeting on 6 Oct, Fri, 8pm at Fel's home
Monday, February 27, 2006
No Place to Hide by John Fischer
"Had I one friend -- or were it my worst enemy -- to whom, when sickened with the praise of all other men, I could betake myself and be known as the vilest of all sinners, methinks my soul might keep itself alive." So remarked Reverend Dimsdale to Hester Prynne after living for seven years with the hidden knowledge of their affair.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, Scarlet Letter, Hester has to bear the public scorn for adultery in the form of an embroidered "A" on her chest, while Reverend Dimsdale bears his part of the act in the secret agony of his own soul, and the author presents living the lie as being worse. I think he's right.
Here's a suggested translation from old English. "I'm exhausted with living a lie. I can't handle anyone looking up to me anymore, thinking I am the epitome of spiritual perfection, when I know full well I am the worst of sinners. If I could just tell someone the truth about my sin and resulting torment, I think I might be able to actually live with myself."
Reverend Dimsdale is the picture of what happens to us when we cannot or will not confess our sins. There is healing in confession. There is torment in hiding. The Book of James says, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (James 5:16 TNIV).
How much pain, sickness, and depression do we go through simply because we refuse to confess our sins to each other? Dimsdale would have wished even for an enemy he could tell, but in his view, there was no one. Of course we know that at any time, he could have come forth with the truth and borne the consequences, but his idea of the holiness he had to maintain in his position as a Puritan minister did not allow it. He was trapped in an invisible prison of his own making.
One of our primary purposes in living a purpose-driven life is to create a community of love that makes this kind of hiding unnecessary. We have a gospel that gives us the authority on which to build such a community, the Holy Spirit who gives us the power to tell the truth, and a cross where we can all meet at the same level; all we need is the courage to live it out. In the church as Christ intended, both Hester and Reverend Dimsdale could have found forgiveness, love, acceptance and a new beginning. We're all members of that church; let's make sure we live like we are.
"...and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)