Does it Seem Strange to You?

Does it seem strange to you that three men being crucified side by side, suffering inconceivable pain would engage in conversation on the cross? One speaks in desperation, another in humility and hope, the third in words of promise and a future. Does it seem strange to you that a dying criminal would use the little energy he has, mocking Jesus? Or that the other criminal would go to Jesus' defense as the life drains from his own body? Does it seem strange to you that a promise of salvation would be extended to a criminal without the prerequisite confession of sin, profession of faith, or baptism? I'm not sure what all this means except to say that even on the cross Jesus refused to allow others to define his mission. Jesus died as he lived, bringing good news to the poor, release to the captive and recovery of sight to the blind. The irony is even those who mocked Jesus while he died on the cross had this grace available to them, if only they would receive it.

Life Without God

A church member recently sent me a blog entry titled, "Life Without God." It was an interview with a United Methodist minister who had lost his faith and eventually left the church. Its been my experience that no one is immune from the "crisis of faith," not even a minister. And more then once I've had questions about certain aspects of my faith but I don't consider the questioning process to be a loss of faith. In fact, its been my experience that people don't fully own their faith until they learn to question it. It saddens me that someone who considered himself  called to ministry has concluded he's been "sold a bad set of goods." Still I don't fault a minister for losing faith. I do fault them for continuing to lead a church despite this loss of faith. To me this is dishonest, selfish, and subverts the servant role of clergy. While I understand the economics of losing one's job and the loss of face that might occur, to remain active in this role is to make a mockery of the people a minister is entrusted with. In short, it is to alternately "sell them a bad set of goods." Its been my experience that the people I serve, while far from perfect, would be genuinely concerned and supportive of a minister transferring out of a leadership role because a crisis of faith. And I think to automatically assume otherwise, is to sell short their compassion. For my part, I can't imagine life without God.

Pastor Resigns

The evening news anchor reported that a minister from the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist church has been accused of sexually harassing a member of a local church. The member has filed a civil lawsuit (he was a legal adult when it occurred) against the pastor and the North Texas Conference. I learned of the accusation (without any of the details) previous to the news report and was aware that the Bishop had begun a supervisory process to investigate the accusation. The accused minister has since surrendered his credentials and is no longer a United Methodist minister. While my immediate concern is for the abused individual (who is now serving as a United Methodist pastor), my heart also aches for Jesus' church. When something like this happens it’s not just the abused who is victimized but the very church Jesus died to establish. So while we must allow the legal process to run its course (innocent until judged guilty), pray for all those involved. Pray that there is healing as well as appropriate justice. Pray that those outside the church not judge Jesus' church on the actions of a few. So much good happens because of the church’s work in the world and only it has been given the unique “commission” to share the good news of God’s love in Jesus to the world! 

Kingdom Issues

We are currently working with a local sign company to replace our monument sign outside the church. In working with the sign company consultant we've come up with a design that compliments our existing signage and buildings while at the same time incorporates the technology that will allow us to digitally change the sign information. It also will bear on it the name of the church, "First United Methodist Church" in back lit lettering. While the design has been approved and the monies raised, the sticking point has been the color of the lettering to be used in the signage. The color originally proposed by the vendor is pretty bright (even for me), so the current discussion is whether it looks cheesy or resembles a Bahama themed beach restaurant. Certainly no one wants that but it reminded me of a story I heard at one of my former churches. Apparently someone had ordered the new sanctuary carpet in a color others didn't like. There had been major fallout over the new carpet; gossip was spread, words spoken, feelings hurt, some even left the church ( I suspect more to escape the conflict then any real concern about the carpet). When does something become a Kingdom issue? And if it isn't a Kingdom issue, does that mean its unimportant? I think something becomes a Kingdom issue when it derails our unity and focus as a church. The Apostle Paul writes a great deal about the need for unity in the Body of Christ. I don't think that means non-Kingdom issues are unimportant. But I think clarity about what are Kingdom issues and what is not will help us stay on task in the making of disciples for Jesus Christ, while lessening the emotional weight that a difference of opinion can create in the life of the community. So while we look for other colors for our sign, we do so openly acknowledging this is not a Kingdom issue.