In Love’s Service, Only Wounded Soldiers Can Serve

Photo Credit: Wally Gobetz

From Brennan Manning's Abba's Child:

"God not only forgives and forgets our shameful deeds but even turns their darkness into light. All things work together for those who love God, “even,” Augustine of Hippo added, “our sins.” 

Thornton Wilder’s one-act play “The Angel That Troubled the Waters,” based on John 5:1-4, dramatizes the power of the pool of Bethesda to heal whenever an angel stirred its waters. 

A physician comes periodically to the pool hoping to be the first in line and longing to be healed of his melancholy. The angel finally appears but blocks the physician just as he is ready to step into the water. The angel tells the physician to draw back, for this moment is not for him. The physician pleads for help in a broken voice, but the angel insists that healing is not intended for him. 

The dialogue continues — and then comes the prophetic word from the angel: “Without your wounds where would your power be? It is your melancholy that makes your low voice tremble into the hearts of men and women. The very angels themselves cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children on earth as can one human being broken on the wheels of living. In Love’s service, only wounded soldiers can serve. Physician, draw back.” 

Later, the man who enters the pool first and is healed rejoices in his good fortune and turning to the physician says: “Please come with me. It is only an hour to my home. My son is lost in dark thoughts. I do not understand him and only you have ever lifted his mood. Only an hour.... There is also my daughter: since her child died, she sits in the shadow. She will not listen to us but she will listen to you.” 

Christians who remain in hiding continue to live the lie. We deny the reality of our sin. 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. We cling to our bad feelings and beat ourselves with the past when what we should do is let go. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, guilt is an idol. But when we dare to live as forgiven men and women, we join the wounded healers and draw closer to Jesus."

Brennan Manning: A Favorite Author

I, along with many Christians of my generation, was introduced to Brennan Manning through his intro to the song "What If I Stumble" on dc Talk's seminal 1995 album, Jesus Freak.

Manning's words on that album were:

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

Those two brief sentences instantly interested me and, after getting the opportunity to hear him speak in person a couple years later, I was hooked. I began reading his books at that point and have read nearly everything he has written. His perspective on the unconditional love of God drew me in and his emphasis on the grace of our heavenly Father helped to set me free from the chains I was in. It is no coincidence that my firstborn child shares his name.

The thing about Brennan Manning is that he is no saint in the eyes of many evangelical Christians due to his background and challenges in life. He comes from a Catholic background and has struggled with alcoholism. He is divorced. In a nutshell, he is not perfect. His unique experiences in life and brushes with sin even after walking with Christ have caused some to write him off.

I, however, feel like he has a grasp on the love of God for the prodigal child that few of us may ever understand. His writing has encouraged and challenged me as no other modern writer has done. I was pleased to learn that Brennan has a new book out this year entitled The Furious Longing of God. Michael Spencer, aka The Internet Monk, has written a review of the book here, along with some thoughts on the author. Spencer has this to say:

"Brennan isn’t for everyone. I learned that long ago. But he sure is for me, I can tell you that. Let’s be honest. Brennan Manning isn’t an exegete or a expositor. He’s a Catholic. He’s a mystic. He’s a story-teller. He’s sloppy. He makes no attempt at neat Systematics. He quotes other writers, some of them a bit off the farm. He repeats the same ideas and stories in almost every book. He never seems to be anything other than weak and in desperate need of help from God. His prose is occasionally excessive and sometimes obscure. He can be frustrating, puzzling and disturbing.
And Brennan Manning is, for my life (and the lives of thousands of other devoted readers), simply the most indispensably authentic writer on the God of Jesus Christ I’ve ever encountered. Brennan knows Jesus and can bring you right there like no other writer of our time.
One thing I can say for every critic who finds Manning “a waste of time.” They are not longing, in the midst of the wreckage of their own souls, to hear, existentially and constantly, the assurance of God’s absolute love and affection. I can say this with some certainty, because no one can compare to the ability of Brennan Manning to stop you and embrace you with the astonishing love of God."

If you'd never had the privilege of reading a book by Brennan Manning, I'd encourage to check him out. I'd start with either The Ragamuffin Gospel or Abba's Child and see if his take on the Christian life resonates with you. I'm sure you'll be glad you did.