Open Heart Surgery – Part Two
The Train of Trust in the Team
According to the NIH, the average size of a surgical team for open heart surgery is eight, including the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, a host of nurses, and support staff. But beyond that, there’s an entirely unseen team – people who designed and manufactured all the equipment, people who raise the money for the hospital – yes, including patients, insurance companies, and in some cases the government. Let’s not forget the people who keep the surgical suite clean, those who manufacture the sponges, and those who make sure the electricity and plumbing operate properly while the surgery is going on….
Of course, thinking about this before any surgery could be daunting enough to dissuade anyone from having surgery. Questioning the train of trust needed every day to make things run smoothly, unhindered by any “acute supply chain issues,” could scare anyone silly. Did the mechanic who did our last brake job put the caliper on properly? Did the oncoming driver who slightly drifting toward my lane have too much to drink before hopping in the car? If we focused on our fears and eroded our trust by questioning what might happen or what a person’s motives are, we would probably not trust anyone’s word, including whether all eight people on a surgical team really know what they’re doing.
Think about the Church and how precarious it is – filled with folks often wrestling and losing to temptation and giving in to sin, people with weak faith, some dealing with various addictions, while others rarely venture to worship for whatever reason….
But God calls us to trust this team.
It’s an old problem. The church at Corinth was particularly dysfunctional: it is the only church we know of that needed to hear from Paul 4 times. Only 2 of his letters to the Corinthians made it into Scripture. And we wonder what St. Paul said in the other two since the letters we have certainly are eye-opening as we read about lawsuits among members, factions, sexual sin, fighting about who’s got a better gift. Trust no doubt was tested.
In the middle of Second Corinthians, St. Paul writes, “Our mouth has spoken freely to you, oh Corinthians; our heart is opened wide.” (II Corinthians 6:11)
What is Paul saying? He is asking the Corinthians to trust him because he is hiding nothing. He has said some difficult, challenging, critical things. He has called the attitudes and behaviors of this weak team of sinner/saints “sin, idolatry, coveting, worthless.” Why would he be so hurtful? It’s because he had a genuine concern for their spiritual health, and in some cases even spiritual life. Saints were falling out of faith and life, into the numbing void of cultural and spiritual anesthesia.
God desires “open hearts” of all His sickly saints (read “all saints”). When we hold each other accountable through the imaging tool of the Law, it better be motivated by compassion. When the impenitent patients see the result of their spiritual scans, they need to have the integrity to say, “I’m really not feeling sorry.” When the law reveals a broken heart, the transparency of tears could and often should flow freely. When the love of Jesus and the Gospel are pronounced – it needs to be done with faith and without reservation: ”I really do believe that person is forgiven, I really do believe I’m forgiven…. And, yes, we are both afraid I may do it again. But today I stand in the love of God.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, help us to trust each other – in spite of our histories, our weaknesses, and the imperfect way we go about our task of being Your children. Where trust has been wounded by the severity of sin or the frequency of failings, let us speak honestly about these things. May trust be rewarded by trust – may we open our hearts wide when another has the courage to be honest. May love cover a multitude of sins. Bless Your church with open hearts. Praying boldly with and through Christ. Amen.
