When being a member or the church hurts...
Every pastor has experienced it. Preparing a sermon, preparing to enter the pulpit to preach God's Word to God's people, but his thinking is clouded by hurtful words that still echo in his head. A member...a loved and trusted member of the church...said something deeply hurtful to the pastor. Maybe the comment was about him personally. Maybe it was about something the he does or doesn't do. Perhaps, worst of all, it was said about his wife or family. Such comments are deeply hurtful. I could give you personal examples, but I won't out of love and respect for the individuals involved and because it would be poor pastoral practice to do so. How can a pastor deliver God's Word in a faithful way in such a situation? The temptation is to use the pulpit to vent about the situation or to "address" the thinking that led to such comments. Or not to preach at all, because who wants to talk to people who have hurt you so deeply? The temptation is real,