Rumor has it

“Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor; they shall keep seeking a vision from the prophet; instruction shall perish from the priest and counsel from the elders.” (Ezekiel 7:26)

During a recent Bible study, someone shared a rumor about me that was going around among church people in the community. As one can imagine, all sorts of feelings came forth: hurt, anger, sadness, desire for vindication and truth, as this sort of rumor could be damaging to one’s credibility. Ultimately, the more I sat and prayed with it, the deepest thing that emerged was concern for the effectiveness of our local church community’s witness and ministry.

Gossip and spreading rumors are some of the most common sins of the church. Perhaps it is a desire to appear better than others or a desire for attention. Perhaps a bit of both, for the more dirt you have to dish out, the more attention you receive and the better you look by comparison. Perhaps it is for other reasons entirely. Whatever the case may be, rumors and gossip are incredibly damaging to the church.

Whether we like it or not, the witness of the church is a collective witness. If we participate in the spreading of rumors and gossip, our witness is soiled, the ministry suffers and we look like hypocrites.

The only entity that I can think of that wants to damage the church is the evil one. Rumors, gossip and in-fighting are the seemingly harmless – yet incredibly destructive – ways the evil one uses to distract us from our mission, to cause deep wounds that fester for generations and to divide us. The evil one knows “a divided house cannot stand.”

The unfortunate tendency among religious people toward spreading rumors, gossip and suspicions of one another is happening and needs to stop. Participating in such worthless things only allows the evil one to run rampant. And indeed, the evil one certainly seems to be busy lately.

People seem more angry and lonely. I’ve heard about more suicides in the last two years, particularly among our elderly men. Drug, alcohol and gambling addictions are widespread. Many school-age children are not able to live with one or both parents. Then add the increased anxiety among the many in our community who rarely have enough to make ends meet.

As our attention gets diverted by rumors and gossip, the “least of these” among us are often abandoned and ignored. I hope, dear friends, that we can instead abandon the sinful tendency toward rumors and gossip and instead turn our hearts and minds to look around our community and ask, “Where does it hurt?”

Once we ask this question, trusting in the immeasurable grace of Christ, we will be led to the wounded places in our midst that need the healing love and mercy of our beloved Savior. This is where the church can truly be the church – as the healing presence of the body of Christ.