Forgiveness

Words to Ponder … Forgiveness… Samuel Wells is the vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. He wrote in The Christian Century magazine about a visit with an elderly woman who had left the church when she was a young woman and wanted to come back.

Ah, I thought, a familiar story. A young person grows up in the church, but when she becomes a young adult she decides to get outside and smell a different air. Now that she was over 90 she thought it was time to give the church a second chance. She took her time, I thought, but the church had been patiently waiting for her all this time, as parents do for prodigals.

So I asked, “What was it that led you away from the church for 75 years?” Nothing to lose, I thought. I may learn something. But I forgot the first rule of the inquirer: never ask a question to which you might get an answer you’re not ready to hear. I was in for a shock.

“It was when we wanted to get married. We were in love. The rector wouldn’t marry us.” Well, this sounds intriguing, I thought, and, always a soft touch for the romantic twist on a story, I blundered in where angels fear to tread. “So was there something wrong?” I asked. “Had your husband been married previously, or were you too young, maybe?”

“No,” she said calmly, and I realize now that she was trying hard not to be patronizing or angry. “The rector looked at my hand. You see, I worked in a mill. I had an accident when I was 16.” She held up her left hand. The last three fingers were missing. “The rector said that since I didn’t have a finger to put the wedding ring on, he couldn’t marry us.”

The color drained from my face. I reacted with the gasping half-laugh one coughs out when one hears something so ridiculous that it has to be funny—but of course it isn’t funny at all but deeply, deeply horrifying. It was so absurd that no one could have made it up. It had to be true. Suddenly I felt that 75 years away from the church was pretty lenient. “May I ask what brings you back to the church now?” I said, feeling I couldn’t go on without hearing her answer. “God’s bigger than the church,” she replied. “I’ll be dead soon. The Lord’s Prayer says forgive if you want to be forgiven. So that’s what I’ve decided to do.”

There are numerous reasons to walk away from a relationship, some good and some not so good.  Throughout my ministry I have struggled to find the words to help individuals heal from brokenness. Sometimes, by God’s grace the words come to mind. Yet, my heart still breaks for those who cannot forgive; for it is such a great burden to bear.  I praise God for the woman who finally forgave the church as mentioned in the article above; but I wonder how many people never forgive. My father returned to the church after leaving years earlier when a member accused him of stealing his Bible. Unforgiveness affects the whole family. 

The Body of Christ, the church is God’s gift to us. It is not perfect, and it is even less perfect when good people walk away. Forgiveness opens the broken heart for Christ’s healing grace.  Words to Ponder … from the heart, In Christian Love, Ed

Words to Ponder... Faith is a reality for all people...The Morrow Mirror...July 14, 2013

Words to Ponder… Faith is a reality for all people…The Morrow Mirror…July 14, 2013

Everyone has faith in something: in God, in self, in others, in money, or in material things. The question is not 'do we have faith', but where does our faith truly lie? Christians as well as a few other faiths say it is God in whom they have faith. Yet words spoken are meaningless if they do not come from the heart.  If the heart does not own the words the words are like seeds that fall on rocky soil, they die in the sun!  As we travel this path of faith we need to ask ourselves whether we truly mean what we say (are we living out the words we speak)?  If we are honest with ourselves we will sometimes answer 'no' to these questions, because there are times when we trust self and give little thought to God.

I doubt if anyone who denies the existence of God will read this, so I am writing for those of us who say we believe in God, a God who desires to be in relationship with each of us.  I believe God created all people with a desire to seek God.  Even those who do not understand or believe in God have a passion to know God.  A baby does not know she needs milk only that she is hungry.

As Christians we all hunger for God, we want a relationship with God, but we do not necessarily know what a relationship with God looks or feels like.  Some of us may even believe God is too big for us to be in relationship with; yet it is not only God’s desire, it is why we were created.

In Ephesians 4:10-13 Paul wrote, “So the one who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence. It was he who ‘gave gifts’; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith…” one in Christ Jesus, one with God and one as the Body of Christ.

The church, the Body of Christ is a ‘Means of Grace’ given by Christ as a means for God’s people to grow in relationship with God and God’s people, that oneness in our faith.  A ‘oneness’ that helps us grow spiritually as children of God.

Words to Ponder...In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ Dr. Ed Judy

Words to Ponder, The Decline of the Church (cont)…Morrow Mirror…July 7, 2013

Words to Ponder, The Decline of the Church (cont)…Morrow Mirror…July 7, 2013.  The future of the church has always been one of hope.  When people of faith open their hearts to the power of the Holy Spirit growth comes: individual and collective growth. Christians have hope in Jesus Christ and no one can snatch this hope away. 

I believe, as I said in the last article, the church’s decline is due in part to church members’ reluctance to share their faith stories.  As I pondered this thought, I wondered if some Christians are reluctant because of our cultural emphasis to be politically correct. Political correctness is not a bad concept, but when our desire to ‘protect someone’s feelings mutes our freedom of religion then I wonder if we have not ‘thrown out the baby with the bath water.’  I strongly disagree with misguided Christians who beat up non-Christian with the Bible.  No one should intentionally hurt another person’s feelings to make a point.  However, if Christians are going to reach non-Christians we need to live out the commandment to love our neighbors. 

‘Loving our neighbors’ does not mean we have to agree with our neighbors, only that we will love and honor them as children of God, regardless of our disagreements.  The power of love is greater then any disagreement. To love our neighbor is to establish a caring relationship and relationships open the door for dialogue; and when the lines of communication are opened and empowered with Christian love, prejudices are destroyed and lives are transformed. When the doors of our heart are opened the Holy Spirit enters not with a stick but with the light of Christ, which brings about growth: individual and collective growth. Words to ponder.  In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ, Ed

Words to Ponder...on the decline of the Church

Words to Ponder... The Decline of the Church ... 

In the Gospel Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matt. 28:19-20).” 

Christ commanded the disciples to make new disciples.  It was not a choice it was a command.  However, today’s world is very different, so how we respond is also different then it was for the first disciples.  Paul for example traveled throughout the known world making use of every means of transportation and communications available in the first century to make disciples.  He walked roads and traveled the waterways by boat to spread the Good News to anyone who would listen. He wrote letters to various communities sharing the teachings of Jesus.

If Paul lived today I imagine he would be using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram as well as every possible means of communications to share the teachings of Jesus to the known world.  He would also be sending ministry teams to all know parts of the world to share the gospel and to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To do otherwise would be to ignore Jesus’ command.

The world is different today, so does this ‘difference’ excuse Christians from obeying Jesus’ command?  In a world of billions does Jesus still expect us to travel across the globe to baptize all people? I believe the answer is yes; I also believe Christians today should walk across the street to share the stories of Jesus.   

I confess that I love the church, not just the people that make up the church, but also the institution that is the United Methodist Church.  I believe the United Methodist Church stands on solid ground with a message of hope and love that is true to the Gospel teachings that can make a difference in the 21^st century. In the first century Jesus started the church with twelve men and those twelve men shared the Gospel story with all who would listen. In every generation that followed churches formed and grew when men and women shared the story of hope in Jesus Christ with others.

I believe the church today is declining because “so called disciples” have stopped sharing the story of hope in Jesus Christ with their neighbors. They have stopped walking across the street to share the Good News.  We the people of the United Methodist Church have a story to tell the nations as well as those who live across the street, which is the Good News of Jesus Christ. Words to ponder...

In Christian Love, pastor and friend in Christ, Ed