Sharing God's Love . . .

            Quick!  What’s the most important aspect of being a Christian?

            It’s sharing God’s love.  We share God’s love with those around us.  We share God’s love in response to God’s profound love for each of us.  Our foundational text of scripture this weekend is 1 John 4: 7-16.  In this passage, the writer underscores the importance of responding to God’s love, when he writes, poignantly, “Beloved, since God loves us so much, we also ought to love one another.”  (v. 11)

            The elder, who is writing 1 John, goes further by describing how discipleship is informed as a response to God’s love for us:  “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  ..No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.”  (vv. 7, 12)

            As disciples of Christ, we respond to God’s love for us in three distinct ways:

1.      Love God.  We love God when we worship and pray.  We also love God when we seek to grow closer to God through Bible study; spending time with God in personal prayer and reflection; and worshipping as a community of faith, especially through celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

2.      Love Neighbors.   Typically, when we think about loving our neighbors, we focus on helping those who have needs.  And, it is vitally important for Christians to help those with physical, mental, and psychological needs.  In his only words about how God will judge us, Jesus focuses on whether we have cared for our neighbors.  It is those who have fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and visited those in prison, who will be saved and welcomed into God's Heavenly Reign. 

But, loving our neighbors also includes sharing the Gospel—literally, the Good News—that God loves us so much that Jesus came to show us how to live.  Even in his death on the Cross, Jesus was still showing humans how to live.  Of course, sometimes the best way to share the Gospel is by simply living the Gospel and caring for the physical, mental, and psychological needs of our neighbors.  At other times, sharing the Good News—that is, to say, loving our neighbors—includes inviting them to come with us to church and to experience the genuine love of a community of faith.

3.      Love Creation.  Sometimes Christians forget that responding to God’s love for us includes caring for the Earth.  We learn from Genesis : 26-30 that humans are special because we are created in God’s own image, the imago Dei.   Historically, Christians have assumed that to be created in God’s own image conferred great privilege upon humans above the rest of God’s Good Creation.  That is wrong.  Actually, the imago Dei comes with great responsibility.  God has entrusted us to be good stewards or caretakers of the rest of God’s Good Creation.  So, part of sharing God’s love is loving God’s Creation by being good stewards and taking care of it.

Meriden United Methodist Church, the church that I serve as Pastor, has the following vision statement: 

 

 “Sharing God’s love with our community and into the world community.” 

 

  This Sunday (June 1st), we will be exploring precisely what that means for us as a community of faith.  What does it mean to share God’s love.  Everyone is welcome to join in with us in this exploration.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services, which are both now on Sunday:

Ø  Our classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Sunday evenings.

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

How Should Christians Support Our Troops?

            Here in our little corner of the world in northeast Kansas, we frequently see bumper stickers and other signs that proclaim:  “Support Our Troops.”  This slogan expresses a nice sentiment, but what does it really mean?  That is, how do we really offer support to our troops? Sometimes, it seems to me that well-meaning slogans like this can become cliché, and we don’t really think seriously about how we can genuinely support our troops.  How can we make a real difference in the lives of our troops and their families? 

So, as we celebrate the Memorial Day holiday this weekend, I want to ask, how should Christians support our troops?

At this point, a caveat is in order.  I have been ordained in the United Methodist Church for over 30 years, and I have served in multiple parishes, as well as ministering in other, non-parish ministry settings.  I have been blessed with very rich and varied experiences in ministry.  However, I have never served in the military, either as a Chaplain or as a typical serviceman.  As a result, I bring very little experience or expertise to this question.

So, in order to help inform my reflections on this question, I sought out another pastoral colleague:  Rev. Douglas Brown, who is a military chaplain, currently assigned to the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System in Topeka.  During our Sunday services, I will share several video clips from my time talking with Chaplain Brown.  However, essentially, Chaplain Brown pointed out that the first step in supporting our troops was simply to find out what they need.

First, ask military personnel what they need.  What a simple response and, yet, it is also very incisive and profound.  I think that frequently well-being Christians assume that they already know what the troops need—the same is true when we are trying to support others in other contexts.  Sometimes, it seems to me that the slogan, “Support Our Troops” gets high jacked for political purposes by people on various points of the political spectrum.  That’s just wrong.  We should always put supporting our troops above politics.  Chaplain Brown is absolutely correct:  If we are genuinely concerned about our troops, we should first ask them what they need.

The scriptural foundation for my reflections on supporting our troops is 2 Samuel 22: 1, 29-38.  This passage occurs at the end of 2 Samuel and it is a royal psalm of thanksgiving by King David, as he reflects back upon his life as a warrior and a king.  The psalm occurs in three parts.  In the first part, David gives thanks for God’s deliverance throughout his life.  The second part lifts up the importance of moral virtue and working for justice. 

The third part, which begins with our passage at verse 29, is a song of victory.  As the biblical scholar Bruce Birch observes, this section “celebrates both the success of human action and the enabling power of God that makes such actions effective.”[i]  This victory song is permeated with exultant affirmations, “I can crush…I can leap over a wall…I pursued…I did not turn back…I consumed.”  Yet, continually interwoven through the triumphant affirmations is the acknowledgement that, ultimately, all victories are made possible by God.  The epitome of this interweaving of triumphal affirmation of David with acknowledgement of God’s empowering presence in David’s life, occurs in verse 36, where David says simply, “…your help has made me great.”

I want to suggest that this scriptural text forms an important context for reflecting on how Christians should support our troops.  Christians should bring a unique perspective to the question of supporting our troops.  Our perspective differs from the perspective of fellow American citizens because we are persons of faith.  Perhaps one of the most important ways in which Christians can support our troops is by remembering them in our prayers.  But, in addition to that, our Christian faith asks us to see support for our troops within the context of living faithfully for Jesus Christ.

When I met with Chaplain Brown in preparation for this weekend, he also shared with me a speech by General Douglas MacArthur, which he has found especially meaningful.  It was MacArthur’s acceptance speech, when he received the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award in 1962.  Among the passages that Chaplain Brown shared, I was especially struck by these words by General MacArthur towards the end of his speech.  Speaking to the West Point cadets, he said:  “This does not mean that you are warmongers.  On the contrary, the soldier above all other people prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”[ii]  As MacArthur suggests, in addition to praying for our troops, another important way in which we can support them is by working for peace with justice, so that our troops are not continually placed in harm's way.

Helping our troops with their needs after service; praying for our troops; and working for peace with justice so that our troops are not placed in harms’ way are just three ways in which Christians can support our troops.  I have some other suggestions, which I will make during my messages this weekend. 

Join us this Sunday (May 25th), as we commemorate Memorial Day and reflect on how we as disciples of Christ can genuinely support our troops.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services, which are both now on Sunday:

Ø  Our classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Sunday evenings.

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[i] Bruce Birch, commentary on 1 and 2 Samuel in The New Interpreter’s Bible, volume 2 (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM version.

[ii] General Douglas MacArthur, “Thayer Award Speech – Duty, Honor, Country” given 12 May 1964 at the West Point Academy, New York.  Accessed online at http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-24/au24-352mac.htm on 23 May 2014.

Successful Failing

          Failure is an integral part of life.  Regardless of how hard we try; regardless of how smart we are; regardless of how well we prepare, all of us experience failures throughout our lives.  And yet, even though it is inevitable, most of us try to avoid failure as much as possible. 

            Failure can be a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, failure can be very negative.  Afterall, failure frequently comes with dire consequences that we would prefer to avoid.  Even worse is the fear of failure.  Many people allow their fear of failure to grow and grow, until it takes over their lives.  An unchecked fear of failure can become paralyzing.  We can become so dominated by this fear that we are afraid to step out and try something new.  We become so afraid that we are going to fail that we never take a chance; never make an investment; or never seek to grow.  We become imprisoned by our own fears of failure.

            On the other hand, failure can be very positive.  Sometimes we can learn and grow from our failures.  There is a story about Thomas Edison, which illustrates this point.  Edison and his associates were trying to develop a better battery.  After 9,000 attempts which all failed, one of his associates said, in frustration:  “Isn’t it a shame that with the tremendous amount of work … you haven’t been able to get any results?”  Edison, with a smile on his face, replied:  “Results! Why, man, I have a gotten a lot of results!  I know several thousand things that won’t work!”[i]  We can learn, mature, and grow from our failures.  At the same time, the fear of failure can also be positive, if it motivates us to try our hardest at whatever we are doing.

            As Christians, we believe that God has given each of us a unique portfolio of special gifts and talents, which we can use to make a real difference in the world and to establish and build God’s Kingdom.  We can make the world a better place by using our special gifts and talents at home, at work or school, and in our community.  Gathered together as the church, God calls us to this work of Kingdom building, collectively using our gifts and talents, through service and witness. 

Whether as individuals or collectively as the Church, God does not intend for us to be paralyzed by fear.  Actually, doing nothing because we fear failure is evidence of an acute lack of faith.  God calls upon us—both as individuals and as churches—to step out in faith, trusting that God will provide.  Will we sometimes fail?  Of course, we will experience failures.  But, failure can become important building stones for success in the future.  We can learn and grow and mature from our failures.  This is just as true for churches as it is for individual persons.

Even when we fail, we have this promise from God that we are not alone.  God is with us, watching over us, and caring for us.  Ultimately, we are in God’s hands.  Jesus expressed this faith very poignantly in his “Sermon on the Mount,” when he told the parable of the “birds of the air.”  Jesus said:  “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6: 26).

 

Come, worship with us this weekend.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services each weekend:

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings.  This Saturday, our contemporary service will be worshiping at Lake Perry State Park, at the “Lake View Shelter House #8.  We will be helping launch our Summer Lake Ministry, led by retired pastor Bob Sutton.  Pastor Bob will lead weekend services at Lake Perry State Park and the adjacent camping area administered by the Corps of Engineers.  The theme of this outdoor service will be “Making Lemons into Lemonade.” See the church website, www.meridenumc.org,  for more details on the lake services. 

Ø  Our classic service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings.  This weekend, I will be exploring the role of failure in reaching success. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted at both services because God loves us all.

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[i] Reported by the Quote Investigator.  See http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/31/edison-lot-results/, downloaded 15 May 2014.

"World's Okayest Mom"

            This weekend our society celebrates “Mother’s Day,” a time to recognize the love, sacrifice, and dedication that mothers make on behalf of their children and families.  Many people look forward to Mother’s Day—or, Father’s Day in June—as a joyful time to celebrate and thank their mother, or father. 

Yet often, in our drive to recognize our parents, we praise them to the point of putting them up on some impossibly high pedestal.  On Mother’s Day, we develop some sort of amnesia that allows us to totally ignore our parents’ human frailties and flaws.  At least for the day, our mothers become perfect in every way.  To illustrate this point, consider the following verses from a poem, which I found on the internet: 

“Since the moment I entered this world,

You have cared for me like no other.

There is only one word to describe you,

That is in every way a perfect Mother. …

Your warm touch is one of a kind,

So gentle to send me to sleep.

Your voice is of an angels [sic]

A beauty only you deserve to keep.”[i]

When most mothers and fathers are completely candid with themselves, however, we must acknowledge that we are far from the perfect parent described in these verses or other, similar verses in a thousand different Mother’s—and Father’s—Day cards.  The truth is that most of us parents feel inadequate and mistake-prone most of the time.

There is a great deal of uncertainty and silent anxiety in parenting in the twenty-first century.  As parents, we are constantly trying to balance giving our children both the freedom and the structure which they need in order to become happy and mature adults.  As Christian parents, we are constantly trying to balance the sharing of our Christian values while also respecting our children’s need to experiment with values promoted by a secular society, which is sometimes hostile to religious faith.  As parents we are constantly trying to balance protecting our children and keeping them safe, while simultaneously allowing them to experience some failure, which is required in order to become responsible adults. 

There are no magical formulas for this balance.  Instead, it is an ongoing series of decisions made in a fog of uncertainty and worry.  Frequently, we parents get it wrong.  We tilt too far to the side of freedom and then over-compensate by tilting too far to the other side of structure. 

Our failures at maintaining proper balance are compounded by our multiple human flaws and failures.  Sometimes we get angry and say things to our children that we should have never uttered.  Sometimes we get preoccupied with work or finances or life and we aren’t really listening when our children are sharing something vitally important to them.  Sometimes we just forget or do something else that is … well, human.  We parents are not perfect, just human persons.  Most of us are trying to do our best as parents.  Actually, the parents which scare me the most are those parents who actually believe everything that gets written on Mother’s—and Father’s—Day cards.  The ones who actually believe that they deserve to be on the pedestal.

In the Church, we believe that God creates every single person for some form of ministry.  Each of us is a unique person, with our own special portfolio of talents and gifts for different types of ministry.  These different ministries are quite diverse, including music, teaching, justice-making, hospitality, administration, and building—to name just a few.  Some types of ministry are specialized, while other types are generalized ministries that all of us are called to practice. (See Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12). The ministry of prayer is one of those types of generalized ministry that we are all called to practice.

I have come to see that parenting is also a form of ministry.

I believe that parenting is one of those forms of generalized ministry.  It is not a specialized ministry reserved only for biological parents.  Instead, we are all called to be engaged in the ministry of parenting because it is that important and that demanding.  No two biological parents can ever responsibly raise their children without a lot of help from family, friends, teachers, choir directors, coaches, Scout or 4-H Leaders, counselors, the occasional stranger—and many, many others.  One of the most important dimensions of the local church is that it provides a community of persons who are engaged in the ministry of parenting.

Of course, everyone engaged in the ministry of parenting is flawed and makes mistakes.  That’s why I love Paul’s analogy of a clay jar in his second letter to the Corinthians.  He writes, “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9) 

Of course, when Paul penned these words to the Corinthians, he was thinking about his own special ministry as a traveling evangelist.  Even though Paul has been given this special ministry as an evangelist and Apostle, he recognizes that ultimately the ministry belongs to God.  God has given this special ministry to Paul for a short time.

As he writes these words, Paul is remembering all of the persecution and dangers that he has experienced as a missionary.  Yet, the Bible is timeless, intended to speak to all peoples in all times and places—from the first Christians in Paul’s day to twenty-first century Christians on our day.  So, Paul’s words also apply to each of us in our various ministries as parents.  Even though we are flawed and make mistakes as parents, we are not alone in our ministry.  God is with us, guiding and strengthening us, and working through us in our ministry of parenting.

Just as the Apostle Paul before us, God has given to each of us this ministry of parenting for a short time.  But, ultimately, the ministry belongs to God and not to us.  Of course we are flawed and make mistakes, but despite our frailties and imperfections we know that ultimately God will make all things right.

Come, join us this weekend (May 10th and 11th), as we recognize our Mothers and as we celebrate this special ministry of parenting, which God gives to each of us.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services each weekend:

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings.

Ø  Our classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[i] Nicola Steel, “A Perfect Mother,” accessed online at http://www.ellenbailey.com/poems/ellen_435.htm, 9 May 2014.

"Giving Is Transformational"

            Why do we give money to the church?

            Do we give out of a sense of duty or obligation?  Do we give as a sort of investment, expecting that God will reward us with unexpected income or power?  Do we give as a sort of eternal investment, reasoning that God will reward us by reserving a special place for us in Heaven?  Do we give money, with the idea of paying our membership dues for the church, just as we pay membership dues for the golf course or some other club?  Do we give to the church out of hope that somehow the church will use some of our contributions to help those in need?  Do we give to establish God's Reign here on Earth?

            I believe that the Apostle Paul has some important insights into why and how we should give money to the church.  Throughout much of his missionary travels, Paul sought to receive a collection of money that would be given to the Christian Church in Jerusalem.  The Jerusalem Church had an important need for financial assistance, due to the large number of poor and marginalized persons that it was trying to help.  Throughout his letters to churches he had founded, Paul lifts up this special collection for Jerusalem and asks the churches for financial support.  I think that there is a great deal of wisdom in the Apostle Paul’s appeals for financial assistance.

            One of those passages is 2 Corinthians 9: 1-11, which will serve as the foundational scripture for our services this weekend.  Paul begins this passage with a metaphor:  “The point is this:  the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”(v. 6) Then, Paul offers a three-point guideline for giving (v. 7):

1.      Each person must follow their own heart in deciding how much to give the Church

2.      We should not give out of a sense of obligation or under compulsion

3.      Rather, we should give cheerfully because “God loves a cheerful giver.”

Then, Paul observes:  “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” (v. 8) Here, it seems to me that Paul has a brilliant insight.  When I think back on my own personal history of giving to the Church or to charities, the force that causes me to hold back on my contribution—or to give less—is fear.  The fear is that in a future crisis I might really need that money or those possessions.  I’m afraid that I will regret my own generosity.  This fear can become paralyzing so that we give little or nothing at all.

Katharine Hayhoe observes, “When we act out of fear, we are thinking of ourselves.  But, when we act out of love, we think about our neighbors.”[i]  When I am afraid that I might not have all that I need in the future, then I am stingy and unable to be generous out of love.  Yet, the Apostle Paul reminds us that we need to have faith.  We need to trust that God will provide us with all that we need in abundance, when we share and give generously to the church or those in need. 

(A caveat is important here:  Some Christians have mistakenly misinterpreted this and similar scriptural passages to say that, when we give to the Church, God will reward us by showering us with money and many material possessions so that we will become very rich.  This school of thought is called “prosperity theology.” It is based on a flawed and incorrect interpretation of these passages.  Scripture does not say that God will make us all millionaires as a reward for giving to the Church.  Rather, these scriptures say that God will provide us with what we need so that we can put away our fears and give joyously, knowing that God will take care of us.)

Paul doesn’t promise that we will become millionaires if we give to the Church or to the poor.  But, when we give with glad and generous hearts, Paul says that God will bless and transform us.  He writes, “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity…”.  God will not enrich us with just material possessions, rather God will transform us, providing us with a joy and happiness that is much deeper and greater than the happiness of having material things—as nice as they are.  When one person gives with a glad and generous heart, then two persons are blessed:  the donor and the recipient.  To reiterate, giving with glad and generous hearts transforms us so that we grow closer to God and live joyful lives of flourishing.

 

Join us this weekend (May 3rd  & 4th), as we explore how giving can be a transformational experience, drawing us closer to God and enabling us to experience genuine happiness and flourishing.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services each weekend:

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings.

Ø  Our classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[i] Katharine Hayhoe, “Climate Change Evangelist,” a video talk available online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/blogs/secretlife/environmental-science/katharine-hayhoe/ .

"Caring for Creation"

This weekend (April 26 & 27), we will be celebrating Earth Day.  The theme of our services will be “Caring for Creation” and our principal scripture reading is Genesis 1: 27-31.  Part of this scripture says:

“So God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

“God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’”

            Since this passage of scripture is part of the larger story of creation in Genesis 1, it frequently gets caught up in the sometimes bitter debate among Christians and nonChristians, concerning the implications of the theory of evolution for religious faith.[i]  While questions of science and faith are critically important in their own right, these few verses make a major contribution to Christians’ understanding of our relationship with nature—and, our relationship with God.

            As persons of faith, it is essential that we understand what these verses say about our relationship with nature and our relationship with God. 

            It is so important that we bring the right questions to this text. Yet, even when Christians do ask this text about our relationships with nature and God, they frequently misinterpret what these verses say about our relationships.  A case in point is the recent book, A Climate for Change, by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist who is also an evangelical Christian, and her husband, Andrew Farley, an evangelical pastor.  In their interpretation of Genesis 1: 27-31, Hayhoe and Farley write:

“If we’re honest, there is really nothing here [verses 27-31] beyond be fruitful, increase, rule over the animals, and eat anything you want. Furthermore, if we conclude that there is an ecological mandate for today within this passage, then we must equally conclude that our mandate is to have more and more children and to increase the world’s population.  This would, in turn, contribute to more climate change and environmental issues, not diminish them.”[ii]

            When we faithfully interpret the scriptures, it is important to ask about the context of those persons who first read a particular passage.  We need to ask ourselves, what would the first persons have thought about, as they were reading this passage of scripture—or hearing it read—for the first time.  To faithfully interpret the scriptures, we need to take seriously how the first readers would have understood the passage.  Although well-meaning, the problem with Hayhoe and Farley’s interpretation is that they do not examine how this passage would have been heard by the first Hebrews.

            Biblical scholars remind us that the first Hebrews to read this passage were living in a context in which they were surrounded by the Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures.  Both cultures were ruled by a king.  In these cultures, the king was described as possessing the divine image of that culture’s god.  That is to say, the king possessed the “divine image” of their gods.  As someone possessing the image of the divine, the king was the divine representative on Earth.  For the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, the king was supposed to care for all of the citizens, as well as the country’s environment.  Biblical scholars refer to this understanding in Egypt and Mesopotamia as the “royal motif.” 

            The first Hebrews reading Genesis 1: 27-31 would have interpreted this passage within their context, surrounded by the countries of Egypt and Mesopotamia.  They would have understood God as saying that all people are created in God’s image—not just the king or ruler.  Further, they would have understood God as saying that everyone is responsible for caring for one another and for nature—not just the king.  To be created in God’s image is both a privilege and a responsibility.

            When we take into account how the first Hebrews would have read and interpreted this passage, then Genesis 1: 27-31 offers profound answers to two of the most important questions concerning life:

1.      What is the relationship between human persons and God?  God sets humans apart from the rest of creation as being special and different.  In this special relationship, God makes humans stewards of the rest of God’s Creation. 

2.      What is the relationship between human persons and nature?  God gives humans dominion in verse 28.  However, dominion does not mean domination, as when one wrestler dominates another.  Instead, dominion refers to the charge that someone has to care for another.  Thus, the human relationship with nature is one of stewardship, reflecting the love and care that God has for all of Creation.

Come and celebrate Earth Day with us this weekend.  We will reflect on our special relationship with God, as well as our special calling to be good stewards of God’s beloved Creation.  At the end of each service, you can even plant some flowers outside our buildings.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services each weekend:

 

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings. 

Ø  Our classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted at both services because God loves us all.

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[i] For a discussion of evolution and Christian faith, please see my previous blog, “Can I Be a Christian and Also Accept Evolution,” posted on 17 January 2013 and the follow up posted on 24 January 2013.

[ii] Katharine Hayhoe and Andrew Farley, A Climate for Change, Global Warming Facts for Faith-based Decisions (New York:  Faith Words, 2009), 126-127 in the NOOK edition.  (Italicized emphasis in the text.)  (Note that their claim that this passages permits us to “eat anything you want,” is also a misreading of verse 30, where God says, “I have given every green plant for food,” which the vast majority of Biblical interpreters agree refers to a restrictive vegetarian die.)

Transformed! ! !

Doubt disturbs us.

            It seems that a basic component of the human condition is the need for certainty and stability in our lives.  We want to know what is going to happen to us—even if it is bad.  As much as possible, we also want to have control over our lives.  Doubt creates uncertainty and instability.  It undermines our sense of control.  Doubt is very disturbing.

            This weekend is Easter, when we celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection and ultimate victory over death.  People will flock to churches for Easter services, but for different reasons.  Many will gather to worship from a deep conviction and certainty that Jesus’ Resurrection marks God’s ultimate victory over death.  However, some will gather with much less certainty.  Although it is usually unspoken, these others will harbor doubts about Easter and Jesus’ Resurrection. 

Just as their more certain brothers and sisters in Christ, those who doubt want to believe and accept Jesus’ Resurrection and the promise of resurrection for all of his disciples.  It is just that Jesus’ Resurrection seems so fabulous and so awesome that it is hard to believe.  It is, literally, news that’s too good to be true.  Doubt disturbs us.  Christians with doubts rarely share them on Easter Sunday because they’re afraid that raising their doubts about the Resurrection will disturb others and ruin their Easter celebrations.  So, they keep their doubts to themselves.

In addition, I suspect that some Christians keep their doubts to themselves because they are embarrassed and ashamed.  Perhaps they believe that they are not very good Christians because of their doubts and questions.  At this juncture, it is important to point out that all four of the Gospels report that some of Jesus’ disciples and other followers experienced doubt when they learned of his Resurrection. 

In the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus’ disciples meet him on the mountain following his Resurrection, “they worshiped him; but some doubted.” (Matthew 28:17)  In Mark and Luke, the disciples doubt Mary Magdalene and the other women, when they report that Jesus has been resurrected (Mark 16:11 and Luke 24:11).  And, of course, in John we have the story of “doubting Thomas,” who said:  “‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’” (John 20:25)  Doubt is very much an integral part of the Easter story.

I have a special fondness for Easter skeptics because doubt has been a frequent companion during much of my journey of faith, as well.  Just as my more certain brothers and sisters in Christ, I have longed to embrace the Easter story without reservations; without doubt.  Yet, despite my deepest longing for a clear faith, unencumbered by doubt, I have still wrestled with doubts about the Resurrection.  Afterall, there are no scientific paradigms to explain how someone can be brutally tortured (literally to death) and then be resurrected.

Doubt disturbs us.  Still, in my spiritual pilgrimage, I have learned that it pays to acknowledge our doubts; confront our doubts; and struggle with our doubts.  It is never easy and frequently unpleasant to struggle with religious doubts.  Yet, I have discovered that my Christian faith has deepened and matured through acknowledging, confronting, and struggling with my doubts about the Resurrection.  As we celebrate Easter this weekend, I have no doubts about Jesus’ Resurrection.  My Christian faith is clear and strong and certain. 

Let me tell you what has been important for me in prevailing over my doubts concerning the Resurrection: 

I think that most Christians get Jesus’ Resurrection confused with someone being raised from the dead.  Of course, the Gospels do have accounts of Jesus raising persons from the dead.  In John 11, Jesus raises his good friend Lazarus from the dead, even though Lazarus had already been buried in a tomb.  The other three Gospels all tell the story of Jesus raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Matthew 9: 18-26, Mark 5: 21-43, Luke 8: 40-56).  And, Matthew records that when Jesus died on the cross, “The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.” (Matthew 27:52)  Presumably, all of these persons who were raised from the dead eventually died again at the end of their biological lives.

Resurrection, however, is qualitatively different than being raised from the death.  In the stories of someone who is raised from the dead, the person is not substantively changed.  Instead, their biological life has simply been extended.  By contrast, Resurrection is not a biological extension; rather it is a transformation.  This realization that Resurrection is qualitatively different than being raised from the dead was a huge breakthrough in my own struggles with doubt.

For me, it was important to see Jesus’ Resurrection as part of the overarching story of God’s Creative work in the universe.  All Christians are familiar with the Creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2.  These chapters remind us that God created everything in the universe and judged it to be very good.  Yet, it seems to me that we Christians sometimes forget that God’s creative activity is not limited to just the beginning.  Actually, God continues to be active in Creation, down through the ages.  God continually creates and redeems.

Ultimately, all of Creation is in God’s hands.  God will redeem Creation and make it new.  The New Testament Book of Revelation says:  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…[and God said], ‘See, I am making all things new.’”(Revelation 21: 1-2, 5) 

In God’s New Creation, the old will be transformed. 

Just as through metamorphosis, the caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly;

          just as through hatching, the egg is transformed into a chick;

              so also, through God’s redeeming, creative work,

                      all of Creation will become transformed  into a New Creation. 

 

When viewed within the over-arching story of God’s creative activity, Jesus’ Resurrection clearly marks the beginning point of this transformation process.  It is through Jesus’ Resurrection that God confirms and guarantees our own, eventual transformation into a resurrection people.

Nicole C. Mullen expresses the same spiritual insight very powerfully in her song, “Redeemer.”  Part of the lyrics go like this:

Who taught the sun
Where to stand in the morning
Who taught the ocean
You can only come this far
And who showed the moon
Where to hide till evening
Whose words alone can
Catch a falling star

Well I know
My redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testifies
There's life within the Christ
I know my Redeemer lives
Yeah
The very same God
That spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary
The worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands
That hold me when I'm broken
They conquer death to bring me victory

Now I know
My Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
That there's life within the Christ

Doubt does disturb us.  But, I have also become a stronger, deeper Christian by struggling with my doubts about the Resurrection. 

Come and celebrate Easter with us this weekend.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services each weekend:

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings. 

Ø  Our classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings. 

 

Everyone is welcome and accepted at both services because God loves us all.