Beatitudes for Those Who Have Been Hurt by the Church
Blessed are you who identify as Christian or have identified as Christian, and you find yourself wrestling with God and what you’ve always believed… or you struggle to make peace with this messy, faulty, religious institution. For you may be hurting and healing simultaneously, and learning to spiritually navigate your world in a new way.
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Blessed are the closeted, hidden, misunderstood individuals whose beleifs have evolved, but remain in more conservative churches because you need to keep your job, or because of family expectations, or because you don’t know where else to go. It’s not safe to speak up or to venture out of the world you’ve always known. May you have courage to speak up and help others, or to leave and blaze a new trail. God is with you.
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Blessed are the doubters, the questioners, the skeptics, who don’t let things slide… but instead follow the that gut feeling that “something’s off”, then do the hard-loving work to dig deep to investigate and find God at the center of the questions. May you find answers. And when you don’t find them, may you find peace.
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Blessed are those who are under-represented, excluded, and even cast out of their churches, simply for having a certain kind of body or a way of being that’s misunderstood, unwelcome, or not validated by church leadership. Women, Queer folks, Black & Brown children of God – You are often kept out of these spaces and “God’s word” is the reason why. People in power use God’s name to keep themselves in power, but they’ve forgotten God created YOU. May you never again be made small by small-minded men trying to define your worth. YOU are an image bearer.
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Blessed are those who’ve been traumatized, abused, and neglected by church leaders. May you heal. May you be able to separate the true God from broken people who do harm in God’s name.
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Blessed are the torch-bearers… Those who know the Church can & SHOULD be better, and are paving the way for reformation. May you continue to shake things up, push us beyond our comfort zones, and create change through holy fire.
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Blessed are the peacemakers, the bridge builders… who hold uncomfortable space both for those on the right and the left and help us stay connected even when we are divided. May you continue to remind us that we belong to one another, and help us find common ground.
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Blessed are those who have somehow kept their faith inside the walls of this Church that at times feels like a sinking ship… because you believe there’s still good here left to be salvaged. We need your optimism and we admire your tenacity. May you have the strength and endurance to leave the Church better than you found it. And when you run out of strength, may you rest.
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Blessed are those who can no longer stay… who’ve left the Church altogether and maybe even separated from God, after years of crying out, trying to make it work, and experiencing pain inflicted by the Church time after time. We wish you well on your journey, wherever it leads. May you find divine peace, grace, and love as you move through this life outside of these walls.
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May we go in peace and God lead us in love.