The Walls in Our Lives

    

      Walls and fences made from a variety of materials are used to keep people and animals in a defined area, or sometimes to keep intruders out. Many homeowners plant trees and bushes on the boundary lines of their property to designate what belongs to them. This may send a subtle message, “You stay over there, and I’ll stay over on this side of the wall.”

      I have always been intrigued by those stone fences, which can be found winding their way up and down hillsides and across the mountain pastures. These stone walls reflect many hours of hard, back-breaking work of picking up, hauling, and stacking each stone. By creating these stone walls, fields and pastures were cleared for use, property lines were defined, and farm animals could be kept in or out.

      Not only do people create physical walls, but also we have been known to put up invisible walls to keep other people, different ideas, and even new ways of doing things from interfering with our daily routines. Refusing to listen to others, denying compromise on the non-essentials, and displaying a selfish stubbornness can sometimes lead to “wall building” between individuals, family members, and even congregations.

      Bishop Willimon tells of visiting the moors of Scotland where Robert the Bruce fought to gain Scotland’s freedom in 1314; the same story told in the movie Brave Heart. There is a church there, which dates back to the 12^th century. Mary Queen of Scots was crowned there in 1543. Prince Henry was christened in 1594 and James VI was crowned there in the sanctuary. As he stood there in the ancient church that day, Bishop Willimon said that the guide pointed out to him a line of different colored bricks that went from the center of the floor, up the front and back walls of the church, and down the middle of the ceiling; dividing the church into two identical halves. The guide went on to say that a disagreement in 1656 within the congregation was so great that a brick wall was finally built down the middle of the church. One church became two, altars at opposite ends, and for 280 years they worshipped in a divided manner. However, in 1936 the wall came down, forgiveness was embraced, and they were reunited.

      The tragedy here is that the seeds of selfishness and conflict were first sown in the hearts of individuals. What happened in that Scottish church can, and does happen, between family members, spouses, and long-time friends. We let suspicion, jealousy, miscommunication, and sin become the materials that lead to a wall between us and others, and between us and God. We tend to pull up the draw bridge and get behind the walls of our castle, and shut out God’s love and the fellowship of others.

      But if we do not have walls to protect ourselves, from where will our protection come? After Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild, the first thing they wanted was a wall for protection. However, in Zechariah 2 God said,

“Jerusalem will be a city without walls…I will be the wall around it and the glory within it.”

      Maybe it is time that you and I tear down those walls that separate us from God’s complete will and intention for our lives. Perhaps, we fear living without walls. We are afraid of turning loose of the pretences and prejudices that we have held so tightly for so long. We may have secret sins, which need to be exposed to God’s divine gaze, and a heart cleansing by God’s sanctifying grace.  Freedom to become the disciple God intends for us to be will not be ours until we realize that we no longer need to hide behind the walls of false protection. When we answer Christ’s call to follow him, his very words become our wall of protection. As we abandon the walls we have so carefully built, we will hear God’s voice saying, “I will be your wall and I will place my glory with in you.” God’s holy presence can become the only wall we need.

Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, February 24, 2013