Hatched, Matched, and Dispatched

As I was hanging with My Shepherd this morning, I began to think about a phrase I heard not too long ago. As a pastor from the South, I have utilized a certain suit in which I would marry folks as well as bury others. So, I called that suit my “Marrying and burying suit.” A Catholic nun I know used a term hatched, matched, and dispatched. It was utilized to describe the different times people come to the church. It refers to being born, or hatched; then being married, or matched; and finally, being dispatched referred to someone who had died.

In church life the nun and I agreed. There are those who only come to the church when a service is needed. Many will come on Easter and Christmas, and well, in church life, that is something will understand. However, I would challenge yourself to think about this thought: God has been there through it all. God has been there at your birth. God has been there as you wed. And God will be there when it is our time to go.

I completely understand where folks are coming from when they speak of hurt which came from a church member or pastor somewhere in their past. I have my own battle scars as well. However, God is still God, even amid the hurt and dismay. God has not let us down, people have. Hurting people, well, they hurt people. Churches are filled with hurting people. Churches are filled with people who need God. However, folks would rather focus on the hurt than the healer.

So, whether it is a place where we are hatched, matched, dispatched, or even patched, it begins and end with God. Healing comes from the Lord. In Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Do you have a crushed spirit today? Know that the Lord is near to us as we hurt, and as we are patched up through the Lord’s restoration.

Something to Reflect On,

Pastor Mel