A modern parable: The Life We Choose

Words to Ponder…A modern parable: The Life We Choose…Morrow Mirror…September 1, 2013

Stories have been told throughout the ages to entertain and to inform the minds of others.  These stories sometimes have a literal truth and/or a hidden truth within the words, the words to ponder.

There once was a young man who traveled around the countryside in search of peace - peace not for the world but for his soul. This may sound strange, but we are all in search of peace, not a physical place where we can be safe from life’s harms, but a spiritual place where our spirit can be at peace in the midst of life.  One day this young traveler was sitting on a bench at a bus station waiting. Waiting not so much for the bus, but for life to pass by.  As he sat there on the cold bench, frustrated for reasons he could not understand, an elderly employee for the bus station approached him and asked, “Where are you going sir?”  The young man answered with a hint of arrogance in his voice: "To hell". Then he waved the elderly man away with little concern for the harsh words spoken or for the pain his words might have caused.  Standing off to the side was a minister who overheard the answer and was startled by the young man's cold demeanor toward a stranger whom he knew nothing about, not his heart, not his burdens, nor any of the man’s struggles.  The young man knew nothing and cared nothing about the stranger in his midst.  In his eyes the bus employee was an undesirable interruption to his self-imposed prison.

Later on the bus the minister sat down in the seat across the aisle from the young man. He watched him for a while, speaking a quiet prayer for strength as well as for the young man's health and spirit.  After awhile he began a conversation hoping to connect with this trouble soul.  Soon into the conversation he asked the young man when he expected to arrive at his journey's end!  The young man said he did not know, because he had several stops before he would arrive at the coast where he hope to board a freighter to work his way across the sea. The minister responded that he meant the place he had told the elderly gentleman at the bus station he was going, before he got on the bus. The young man answered with a venomous tone, "Perhaps it may be so."

So many in this world have no hope for eternity and their answers to life's questions are often filled with confusion and uncertainty. For Christians, however Christ is our hope and He has all the answers (1 Tim. 1:1).  

Eternity is not so much a destination as it is a way of life. To live in hope or despair is a choice made daily, a choice that affects the soul. 

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

God Talk

Words to ponder … God Talk … Morrow Mirror, August 25, 2013

Jon Macks, was a political consultant for Illinois Senator Paul Simon as well as the head writer for ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno, but it is not his affiliates that interest me. What interests me is his book, “Heaven Talks Back”. 

As a Christian and most certainly as a pastor I believe God talks to us all the time, we just tend to be too occupied with life to listen. Now I do not necessarily believe God talks to us in words, but through the Holy Spirit God speaks. However, in Jon Macks’ book God just begins talking to him one day and he writes it all down for a year.

I find the idea of God sharing his feelings an interesting premise for a book.  Interesting because I believe many of the things Christians believe are necessary or important are actually irrelevant to God.  So I do wonder, what would God say to us individually and as the church, the Body of Christ about our faith journey; our ‘to do’ or ‘not to do’ list?

I also wonder what God would say about worship?  Jon Macks’ book is fictional but what God would say to us is worth pondering as we strive to grow in relationship with God.  In his book Heaven Talks Back he wrote:

“Did anyone ever think that maybe I have needs? Did any of you ever stop your constant whining and begging for favors for one second and ask; is there anything I can do for God? Don't get me wrong; it's nice being worshiped; it's just that you humans always have an ulterior motive. When do I ever hear from you unless you want something? Never. Just once I'd like to have someone make a sacrifice or a burnt offering without immediately following up with a demand. Surprise me this weekend.” 
[John Macks, Heaven Talks Back (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990), 65.]

I wonder what God would say to us about our worship.  Do we spend too much time focusing on the business of the church and on pleasing self that God gets forgotten. Jim Wallis said, “we have forgotten we are God’s people, and we have fallen into the worship of American gods…trapped in our false worship, we no longer experience the freedom that is our birthright in Jesus Christ” 
--Jim Wallis, The Call to Conversion (HarperSanFrancisco, 1992), 31.  

The American gods Jim Wallis is talking about are all the material things we cherish and spend our time on, which keeps us focused on self instead of God. So I wonder what God would say about our worship (the church’s worship today). Is worship about ‘me’ or is it about God.

I pray we all come to worship seeking God; but I believe what both John Macks and Jim Wallis are saying, is that our prayer and worship should be about God. In prayer we talk with God. In worship we praise God – the Word proclaimed is God’s words to us and worship is our response; our praise and thanks to God for loving and saving us from ourselves.

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

A Great Cloud of Witnesses

Words to ponder … A Great Cloud of Witnesses … Morrow Mirror, August 18, 2013

A young man in his early thirties was promoted to manager in a local manufacturing company where he supervised over 150 employees. He was occupying a position that many in the company envied and thousands of perspective employees applied for with more education and management experience.  It was a good solid company with great benefits and salary.  Besides being in line for the promotion, how did he get it? He did not have the education his competitors had; his father was not rich nor did he or any other family member work for the company.  He was the son of a laborer.  

The young man's secret to success was his attention to detail and the continuous accuracy of his work. He began as an errand-boy, and did his work accurately.  In his leisure time he studied to perfect his writing and analytical skills.  He spent hours in the library learning everything he could about his work.  He made sure the work he was responsible for was above standards. At each step his employer commended his accuracy, and relied on what he did, because he was just right.

It does not matter whether our work is waiting on tables or designing buildings, the person who does the job well is the favored one.  Employers do not wish to spend all their time looking over an employee's shoulder to ensure the work is done right. If a carpenter must stand at his apprentice's elbow to be sure that his or her work is right, or if a business owner must run over the bookkeeper's column, she might as well do the work herself; one thing is certain the employer will get rid of an inaccurate employee as soon as she can.

As Christians in the workplace our attitude should always be to live the Christian life, not just to speak about it. People who do not know Christ may have only the chance to watch us being Christians in order to find out what the Christian life really means (Phil. 1:27; Heb. 13:5).  When we fail to live up to Christian principles we miss the opportunities God gives us in our everyday lives to witness for Him.

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

The Body of Christ

Words to Ponder, We are the Body of Christ … Morrow Mirror… August 4, 2013  

To be a pastor is not necessarily an easy road to walk. However, those of us, or at least many of us, who have accepted this journey would not walk any other road.

The road at times is difficult. Sometimes it requires saying goodbye to a sister or brother in faith.  I have served four churches and I have said many goodbyes.

I have said goodbye to dear friends, to those I barely knew, and to others I met through the stories told by family and friends.  I have laughed with families and I have cried with families. It never gets easy, but it is a great blessing to walk with a family through the valley of shadow of death.  It is also a great burden to represent the living God, but this is what we do as pastors and as people of faith.  We stand as reflections of God love in life and in death.  Sometimes by God’s grace we do it well and other times we struggle, yet again by God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit Love comforts and provides grace when it is needed most.

When you read this the week will have passed, but as I write these words the week is just beginning.  It is 6 am Monday morning and I prepare for the week: meetings and worship services to prepare for, things to read, to write and times to just listen.  There is never enough time to do what needs done. Life, every moment is precious. 

Once again I say goodbye.  I never look forward to these moments (to funerals), but I would not be anywhere else.  As the Body of Christ we strive to make a difference in life, and in death we celebrate the difference Christ has made in our lives.

I have presided at more funerals then I care to remember, from infants to adults who have lived a century plus and many ages between.  Every death brings sadness and joy: sadness in our loss and joy in knowing that Jesus defeated death. This week, by God’s grace I will speak the words God gives me to speak. I will say good-bye and hopefully help the family and friends say their good-byes as well.

My friends as the Body of Christ what we do and do not do has eternal implications.  May God give us the strength, courage, and wisdom to do what we have been called to do for the kingdom of God; after all we are the Body of Christ!

Words to ponder.  In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ, Ed

The Church

Words to Ponder… The Church…The Morrow Mirror…August 11, 2013

Those of us who have grown up in the church have heard it said, "a church is a hospital for the broken" "a place filled with sinners trying to get it right".  You do not have to be around a church very long to realize it is not a place of perfect people, but rather a place for imperfect people who want to be better human beings and to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.

The truth is that whenever you get a group of people together they will disagree about something. Sometimes the 'something' is important and sometimes it is not as important as perceived; at least not as far as the big picture goes.  

There really is no perfect organization, not even the church. Since the beginning of the church, discouraged individuals have walked away for reasons that have nothing to do with doctrine or the teachings of the church. In all groups people sometimes leave because they don't get their way. A person once told me she was leaving because the children made to much noise. I prayed for the person leaving and praised God for the children. On another occasion I was told I needed to fire a staff member. I refused and the person left.

Years ago a person told me someone said something that upset him so he stopped coming to church. It had been 15 years since this person had been in the church. So I wonder how long should we hold a grudge. A better question might be how long do we use the actions of another to justify our sins (the sin of unforgiveness or the sin of turning our back on God). Yes we are imperfect people but by God's grace we have hope that no one can take from us.

The unchurched will often say they don't want anything to do with church people because we are just a bunch of hypocrites. Well I believe every church is filled with a bunch of sinners who are trying to love God and their neighbors and it is not always easy, but we keep on trying by God's grace.

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

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