For Shame
“For Shame” (Genesis 3:1-7)
Brennan Manning once wrote;
“In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.”
Shame. Where do we begin? Many of us have great big boxes of it stored inside of the warehouse of “me.” We don’t like to give the people in our lives access to the warehouse, because there are just some things that are too painful to reveal. Still, some have snuck into the warehouse, in moments where we’ve let down our guard or have been too careless to lock the door.
And in hindsight, we can be thankful for those moments. Why? Because those that snuck in and looked around at our stuff ended up being our closest companions. And in this, there is healing.
Ryan Phipps is the Senior Minister at Church In Bethesda.
Raised in the church, becoming a pastor was the one thing Ryan vowed he would never do. After spending many years away from faith, he found that for all of its flaws, the church can still occupy a unique place of good in the world if it is willing to evolve with reason and empathy.
Ryan has a special place in his heart for those who have been damaged or disillusioned by the church, and longs to lead those within it toward a more just and generous expression of itself.
Ryan has pastored churches in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Manhattan, New York City. He is also the host of Meditations For The Metro, a podcast of daily devotions for people with busy lives, writes music under the pseudonym, “Saturne,” and is a former contributor to the Huffington Post.