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Pastoral Letter for November - Lex McKee

Bear One Another’s Burdens

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil
the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) This verse
has been on my heart for weeks – though
not in the sense that Paul meant it when he
penned these powerful words. For Paul, it’s
about the burden of restoring a brother or
sister to fellowship when they’ve lost the
plot! Like the shepherd who joyfully carries
the lost sheep back to the flock even though
it weighs heavily on his shoulders.
Context is all! Verse 1 says, “Brothers, even if a man is caught in
some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit
of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.”
As our parents told us, “There but for the Grace of God go I.”
The third and fourth verses remind me of Martyn’s excellent and
unforgettable demonstration with a balloon that he inflated and then
popped! It says, “For if a man thinks himself to be something when
he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each man examine his
own work, and then he will have reason to boast in himself, and not
in someone else.” Let’s not get puffed up (nor huffy!) but rather
joyfully help one another – sharing our burdens.

What’s on my heart is a complementary interpretation with nothing
to do with faults. It’s more a question of noticing the pressure so
many of us are under. We are carrying loads where a proverbial
straw may break the camel’s back. How could we bear one
another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ?

Those of us who go back long enough may remember the
excitement of getting our first emails! When something pinged into
our in-box, it was truly novel. Now, daily, I have an avalanche –
and my in-box no longer fills me with excitement! Add to that texts,
and What’s App, and Messenger… it’s easy to become over-
burdened.

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