When they leave us

I love the western Tombstone! The iconic lines by the heroes, even the villains, in the movie have often found their way into my every day communication! Although directed toward the Earp family as they left Tombstone after being shot up by the evil "Cowboys," Curly Bill Brocius's farewell has become an often used salutation, even among us "good guys!" I confess, I've whispered it under my breath, trying to convince myself one's departure hadn't bothered me at all!

The problem is, when people who we've invested in, befriended, established a relationship with, ministered to and alongside choose to leave, it hurts. It both saddens AND comforts my heart that Jesus knew the heartache of being left by those who could not follow what he taught, or how he was leading! My favorite Gospel to read is John's, primarily because it communicates the humanity of Jesus, often in a way that is so palpable, more than the other 3. In John 6, Jesus had just finished a difficult teaching in which he made the statement that "The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:54) The verses that follow, John 6:60-71, reveal that MANY followers of Jesus left him, claiming this teaching was just too much for them to accept and follow. The words of Jesus that I have so often identified with are in verse 67, as Jesus asks the 12 who first followed him, "You don't want to go away too, do you?" 

As I prepared myself, personally and ministerially for Easter, tears welled up in my eyes as I came across John 6 yet again. Once again, I felt one with Christ in his feeling of being abandoned, simply for presenting a hard truth regarding God's purpose in His life and eventual sacrificial death. The fact of the matter is that in contemporary culture, particularly church culture for pastors like myself, people leaving, checking out, moving on..."feeling God leading me, or us, in another direction" is pretty common. Whether one's departure from a relationship, place of employment, our neighborhood or community, AND from our church family is legitimate, best for all involved, and inevitable, "saying goodbye" often hurts. While my tendency is to silently utter a thick skinned, tough, even hard hearted, Curly Bill inspired, "Well...bye," I am so affirmed and comforted by the fact that Jesus' watching people walk away from him hurt him too!