Woe. Woe. Whoa!

Clearly, a woe is some kind of deep affliction or tribulation.

One of my favorite "woes" is actually in Shakespeare, when Ophelia, in Act III, Scene I, speaks alone after a distressing conversation with her beloved Hamlet. She believes he's gone crazy and with his craziness goes her future. She is distraught, she is hopeless, she is filled with woe. ["O woe is me to see what I have seen, to see what I see."]

To experience woe is the deepest of depressions, complete misery and hopelessness. It is hardship, sadness, unhappiness. It is tragedy, dejection, and heartbreak. It's the pits.

In Matthew 23:13-33, Jesus denounces the Pharisees (those spiritually closed believers of the day) with SEVEN woes (not just one or two).

Over the next several weekends, at Restore Church, we'll be hearing about each of these seven woes and what meaning they might have for us today.

But before we can interpret the types of woes, we must understand the intent behind Christ's words. You see, it has to do with motive, plain and simple; that is, the truth behind our actions and behaviors, our words and countenance. The truth.

Honestly, I think any one of us might find ourselves under the whammy of a woe if we continue to misrepresent the spirit of the Good News—how the Holy Spirit of Christ is available to everyone and how simple the message can be if we who heard it, live it, and not just talk about it.

There is responsibility that comes with knowledge, just as there is responsibility that comes with wealth. There is accountability for the gifts we have been given.

How much does it really mean to me to be a follower of Christ? Does it matter? Really. To you? To me? Does it show?

Take care, Jesus says. Be warned of the casual life at the great cost of those who have gone before us, of the Son of God on the tree, of the martyrs who held to faith in exchange for their lives. Are they around us today, those who are willing to love people who were not easy to love, who are willing to risk living a life of paradox: loving enemies, giving a second cloak, walking a second mile [Matthew 5:38-42].

Am I under my own woe? Perhaps it's time I stop going this way and turn and go the other. Perhaps it's time to whoa! and go back to my first love.

Irmgarde Brown
Blogger, Writer, Librarian,
Follower of Christ, Woeful
Facebook: irm.brown
Twitter: IrmBrown

Restore Church :: 616 Ontario St., Havre de Grace :: Sundays @ 9, 10:15 & 11:30AM 

Don’t you wish every church rocked? Let’s face it. Many people don’t like church. There are many reasons. All of them are pretty valid: hypocritical, out of touch, cultish, driven by guilt, and judgmental. When the Bible talks about church, are these the descriptions that God had in mind? We don’t like church either ... at least, not these types of church. We need help. We need the love of Jesus to be more real than these descriptions. We need the church to be different. We can change if we can agree on what NOT to be ... we can change if we value God’s dream for the church. Join us as we start 2012 with a six-week sermon series on changing the definition of church, together!