Love and Fear

We are preparing for yet another trip to Juarez this week. This will be the 11th trip for our congregation and the 12th mission trip for me to Juarez. Yet, more than ever this year, Juarez is in the news and is the focus of much of the violent wave sweeping through Mexico. Those going on the trip and those who are not have expressed their concern over our church going. In understand and hear all of those concerns and believe that our decision to go is an informed decision (though I heard one voice suggest if I was "ignoring" what was going on.

Here are some of my observations regarding this trip:
+There are nearly 7,000 troops now patrolling the city and have been given the authority over the police department (which for years has been linked to the drug cartels.
+Since the troops have arrived the violence has dropped dramatically. The U.S. Consulate recently released information that indicates the violence has been cut nearly 75%. The work of the army has included many raids and arrests and has created a sense of security for the many innocent citizens of Juarez.
+The violence is concentrated on those involved in the drug trade and takes place at night in the Southeast side of town. We are all locked in our house (adorned with the cross and flame) by 5:00PM and our work is on the opposite side of town.
+Our trip in January was in the midst of the peak of violence and not for one moment did we feel threatened.

The bigger picture that I keep thinking about, beyond Juarez and mission work, is this notion of fear. Fear is a real feeling and emotion that we feel in response to danger or threats. I am not talking about my fear of snakes or of heights .... but real fear that shakes our security, threatens our safety and questions our confidence. We experience that fear in failure, in the face of violence and when our future is in doubt. We experience that fear when we have been hurt or when we are uncertain of what we are to be doing.

The words of scripture gave me great comfort in January while in Juarez come in 1 John 4. "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment."

It is easy to keep that in mind in Juarez as mission work is no doubt my passion and I have a deep love for the people in Juarez. In many ways, in my mind, there is no question that such love in my passion casts out any fear that would have been there. Perhaps perfect love is encased in passion.

But what about the other fears in our lives? How do we find a love strong enough to alleviate fears? "I am with you," are the strongest words in scripture in these times. It is God's promise over and over to us that as we walk, struggle, discern, plan, and move ... it is not on our own ... but in the presence of the one who is love. Are we confident in that love?

Religion Mall

I remember taking a class in seminary on the future Church. The class was actually called History of Christianity 3 and while it was meant to cover the history of Christianity in the 20th Century it also took a look at where the church was going. My group project ended up being the vision of a "religion mall" as religion in the 21st Century, we envisioned, would consist more of a picking and choosing churches and aspects of faith based upon one's needs. We envisioned that there would be less "brand loyalty," and more of a movement beyond denominations to open communities. We presented the notion the very idea that people would attend worship one place, Bible Study at another, and other aspects at other communities.

Were we prophets? Hardly. But I see this taking place more and more in the spiritual pursuits of people. The odd thing is while I found much benefit from this concept in my first 8 years in ministry at Faith ( I used to have the confidence in telling people that they won't get a better sermon or music ministry anywhere in town that what Faith offers at all services), that trend has shifted. The last six months I have said farewell to some close friends who have chosen to participate in worship in other places or no where at all. They have told me that their kids' friends attend these other places or the other location is closer to their homes or the dynamic of their faith are better suited at another place of worship.

I find myself wrestling with a sense discomfort and shaken confidence. Early in my tenure at Faith, our visioning team sought to be all things to all people. Our core value which focuses on children, includes the component of "inviting all, welcoming all, and educating all," through living the love of God in all our relationships and ministries. We have done that and done that well. But as I seek to understand this morning how these recent months have unfolded, perhaps it truly is what we had envisioned 11 years ago in that seminary course. How do we step back and allow the natural cycle of God's timing be at work? Ecclesiastes 3 suggests there is a time for everything including, "a time to seek and a time to lose."

Finding a sense of comfort also in Ecclesiastes 3, the writer continues, "God has made everything suitable for its time." There are many issues we face day in and day out that create panic or fear or insecurity. I was telling a friend yesterday that nothing is permanent. Nothing is ever permanent. In this fluid culture, there is flexibility and movement in all things ... but it is God who has prepared us for this very thing.

I better have gotten an "A" in that class ... because I think we had some insight in the way the future would unfold.

Oh the Guilt!

I was talking to a friend today, explaining to him how I was surprised by how many people poured into the Catholic church last night. As a part of the confirmation requirements, I took our class of 8th grace students to observe a Catholic Mass at an area Roman Catholic Church. My surprise was that when the Mass started last evening, there was still 4 minutes remaining in the big Illinois game against the 9th ranked Michigan State. My experiences thus far in Champaign-Urbana suggest that U of I sports take precedent over church activities and services on the list of priorities. My friend, however, then pointed out to me that the Catholic church has something going for them ... Catholic Guilt.

I have been accused of putting guilt on people through the years. If you have been missing church for awhile and if I happen to have your cell phone number, you will receive a friendly text message from me letting you know that I missed you. It really is not my attempt to put guilt on anyone, just purely letting you know that you weren't here and I noticed which meant that I missed you.

Doing a quick search of the word "guilt" in the Bible, that word does not appear in the New Testament at all. In the cases it appears in the Old Testament, it largely refers to "guilt offerings" that are made by people in the time of temple sacrifice. It suggests that there are people seeking forgiveness and release from their guilt. As a human emotion, Wikipedia describes guilt as being closely related to remorse and suggests that it is "a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes - whether justified or not - that he or she has violated a moral standard, and is responsible for that violation. Does that include attendance at church?

I have always suggested that guilt is no way to approach faith ... but it comes out of a desire to seek out, live greater, and be in wonder at the joy of the life offered in Jesus Christ. But there is something about guilt that seems to capture us. Guilt can not be put on another person. "Don't make me feel guilty!" Only you can do that to yourself, when you feel that something you have done opposes who you truly are.

The mission of the church should be contrary to the idea of putting guilt on others, rather to take that guilt away. Jesus Christ offers a way of grace, a away of love, a way of deliverance ... even from that of guilt. In fact the Aramaic translation to Jesus Lord's Prayer suggests that we are to "release the strands of guilt that others cling to." Not only are we to forgive, but to be in a ministry of deliverance. There is an amazing life that awaits us in faith ... can we be wrapped up in such joy?

The Bible and Science

The following is the transcipt of Sunday's sermon from the theme, The Doubting Sessions.

I remember the day I sat in the Associate Pastor’s office at my church growing up in Galesburg, Illinois, and he talked to me about becoming a pastor. He knew that I was struggling with some career decisions as for some reason the guidance counselors in high school pressed upon the sophomores (yes, I was only a sophomore) to start discerning their future. Perhaps they forgot that 75% of all college students change their majors anyway. But being only a sophomore in high school and being the kid of person I was (and still am today) I stewed for many days over what the future held for me. Lawyer? Doctor? Major League Baseball Umpire?

Pastor? Now that was a new one. I had a good laugh when I told him about our Shumaker family history and even more so our Shumaker family dynamics and habits. But he kept pressing me on this issue, trying to affirm me. But as the conversation took a more serious turn, we started down the path of theology. I remember saying to him “Rev. Kacick, it would be really hard for me to consider being a pastor with my family and all and besides I really have a tough time believing to begin with.”

“Believing what?” He pressed further.

“It’s this whole science thing. Were Adam and Eve cave people? There is no reference to prehistoric creatures in the Bible, and what about the Big Bang Theory (not the show but the scientific theory of the origin of the universe?”

See I used to be smart but I stopped going to school. But our science backgrounds have seemed to stand in conflict with the stories of faith and have proved to be a block for us in our comprehension of the work of God in our lives. In his book, The Reason for God (the basis of our theme of the Doubting Sessions), Timothy Keller draws on some the top authors of our day who suggest that science in general and evolutionary science in particular has made belief in God unnecessary and obsolete. Concludes one author, “you can not be an intelligent scientific thinker and still hold religious beliefs … it has to be one or the other.” Is he right? Has science disproved Christian belief? Must we chose? Have millions of Christians or billions of religious types through the history of the world been so wrong?

A few weeks ago, I asked you to define religion, today I ask you to define the word science. That’s our question for this morning. I invite you to turn to your neighbor this morning and come up with a definition you can both live with. What is science? Please, no electronic devices to use the internet, so put your crackberrys away. I will give you 30 seconds. What is science?

Wikipedia suggests Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge" or "knowing") is the effort to discover and increase human understanding of how physical reality works. The “authoritative Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines science as the state of knowing: knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding. Hmmm. Now if we were to hold religion and science or Christianity and Science in opposition or as either/or, then does that mean faith or matters of faith are of ignorance or formed in misunderstanding? Does it mean that Christians have a lack of understanding of reality? Man alive, no wonder it is so hard to be a pastor, to have to deal with you people. Just kidding.

We have to remember, that this too is a worldview or a religion itself. We asked what religion was a few weeks ago and one of the definitions was that it was our set of answers to the questions of life, Science can be one of those ways to achieve some of those answers.
There are actually two main areas where we see the conflict of the bible and science, or better where the arguments originate, the questions of creation and miracles or the resurrection. Interestingly enough we don’t take issue with the writings of Paul, the words of the Psalms or the prophets or the books of history. Though some discredit the Bible completely and some take it literally word for word, the conflict with science is with the debate of Darwinism and Creationism AND how to interpret the miracles of Jesus and his resurrection and both of these topics have been going for years.

A few months ago, an angry person came across my blog on skepticism and he brought up this topic of creationism vs. Darwinism This other blogger spoke with eloquence in proving his points but he offered them in such a way that he spoke in absolutes. In trying to be done with the conversation, I suggested that this was just an old debate of the 1970’s (how would I know I was born in 75). But this isn’t just a debate of the 1970’s, but even today this very question is given publicity in the schools as to which curriculum should be taught, and also the already discussions on stem cell research, in vitro fertilization, and other areas of medicine.

But as to whether evolution disproves the Bible, I can venture down that road discerning that there will not be a head on collision. We look to Genesis one and say that God created the world in six days, so what about the apes, the dinosaurs, the cavemen. But read on. Genesis 2 tells the story of creation without the specific days. There are high points in the Bible that have two tellings. The passing through the Red Sea appears in Exodus 14 and 15 … they slightly differ. Judges 4 and 5 tell the story of a battle … they slightly differ. There always debates as to why there are two accounts … but the second telling in each of these situations offers the poetic side of the event … a recitation that would be used in ancient Jewish worship services. Sure we can say that to God a day is much longer than our definition of a day. But what we know is this … in the beginning God created. This week read both Genesis 1 and 2 and see how the world unfolds, one as the poetic worship song, the other in seeing the beauty of God’s love poured out. I can go on and on for hours about how we look to Holy Scripture to help us explain, perhaps we can explore that in another setting.

There is no one true Christian position on evolution, but perhaps they to not have to be held in opposition to one another. Perhaps they both work to explain the other. Evolution as an all encompassing theory has it’s flaws. But there are many things that science cannot prove that religion explains and there are things that religion cannot prove that science explains .. they are not meant to be held in opposition to one another.

The question is, can we live with both? In many ways, people push religion off on matters of the heart and suggest that science is a matter of the mind. Can we love, live, and believe with both the heart and mind? Absolutely, it is the nature of who we are. It is possible for our heart felt faith and the scientific questions and challenges in our minds to coexist and when they do, we deepen our relationship to God. When I started to love Jesus with my mind, I could begin to answer some of those questions and see Jesus in a whole new light for what he truly was to a whole population of people who needed to hear the love and connection for them.
The other matter is the miracles of Jesus and his resurrection that are often subject to scientific criticism. So I want us to look at the scripture following Jesus’ resurrection in Matthew 28. Again this is right after our Easter story of the tomb being empty. Matthew 28:11-20.

Like the Da Vinci Code suggested in its movie, there were many theories as to the disappearance of Jesus body. This, taken right out of scripture is one that has been widely spread that indeed it was a plot by the disciples to take the body. But what I want to point out is verse 17, “while they (the disciples) worshiped him, some doubted.” This post resurrection Jesus appears to them. Easter has happened. Yet in the midst of worship, some doubted. The very founders of Christianity still had doubt. We are not the only ones to struggle or be questioned, it is in our Christian DNA as disciples.

But also it is the point of miracles that we are to see here. It isn’t necessarily the point of a miracle to cognitive belief, but to be in awe and wonder and in worship. Jesus’ miracles or the resurrection were not magic tricks, but they were expressions of love to show the sick healing and wholeness, to feed the hungry, to raise us from death, and to bring peace to our stormy lives.

There is a lot to be said about the nature of whether to take scripture literally or not … but as we have discovered here that when we dive deep into the scriptures there are many, many meanings. And so we take our experiences and we look at how they are brought out in scripture and how we measure who we are in light of the mission of Jesus Christ. It is ok to live with these questions of discernment and doubt and to allow others to question us, but the reality is we have to avoid the absolutes and allow our doubt to let us question with our hearts and our minds.
So there I sat in that office that day. A sophomore in high school scared to death at the prospect of being a pastor and filled with doubt … but his answer will always stick with me … “Brad, we know in the beginning God … the first words of the Bible, but how God unfolds the rest is in God’s hands.” We have to trust that scripture is being lived out in us and our story is God’s story in us. That God is creating, redeeming, and sustaining us. That God is giving us proof in our own living and dying.

Are we just a random collection of cells that exist in the midst of the rest of this creation without real purpose or direction? Or is there such a thing as destiny or purpose or relationship to one another or a higher being?

My friend was telling me this week that as they sat around the table at a restaurant celebrating his grandchildren’s birthdays, that he paused during the dinner hour to look around the table. And as he looked at each of his grandchildren around the table, he started to tear up dreaming about their potential. As he looked in each face he wondered what they would become and who they would grow up to be and who they would love and what their purpose would be. Is God any different?

So let me ask you this … can you honestly stand on the beach and look our into the horizon at its vastness and endlessness and suggest that there is no Creator? Or can you stand in the meadow with the breeze sweeping through you and believe that this just so happens? Or can you watch the trees turn their colors in the fall or watch the mountains mirror themselves in the lakes below and believe that we just evolved to that point?

Can you see the love poured out in Mexico or youth bending their knees to the poor of Appalachia and believe that would still happen without Jesus Christ miraculous power on this earth? Can you say there are no miracles when you see the power of reconciliation happen between you and someone you love or when you see friends walk side by side with those in pain or those suffering from terminal illnesses … is that possible without Christ showing us how to do that in his ministry? You tell me …

“When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.” Then they went into all nations with that truth … I am with you til the very end. There is a relationship that science can not explain … but we know it to be true.
In Jesus Name, Amen.

A New Hope

A New Hope is the title of the Star Wars Episode 4 (or the “original” Star Wars, if you will). Did you know that? Episode 3 closes with Anakin Skywalker taking on his new identity as Darth Vader and the empire emerging into rule and the Jedi headed into hiding and the world of peace coming to a close. Anakin is overcome with anger and bitterness, a desire for power, and a sense of independence that led him away from a defined and disciplined way of life into a very “dark side” of his soul. The New Hope is the beginning of a movement of the rebels to find the life without inhibition, but not to be overlooked is that this is also the beginning of Vader’s journey to his son and the life that was intended for him.

A New Hope. I hope that is what I am feeling as I wrap up the last few days of my vacation time. I think back to other times when I felt a “renewed sense” of hope after a mission trip, retreat, or vacation, but then getting back to the grindstone left no room for hope. My last vacation time I spent grieving over my father’s death and helping my mother adjust her finances and make the transition to life without dad. There are many other times, especially early in my ministry that I spent my vacation time either stewing over things back at the office or building up my anxiety about returning to work and facing adversity (that was in the past).

What I am experiencing now is that I have been able to utilize my mind to think not about regret or what has been done or not done … but to be free to think about who I am in my family roles and in my pastoral role. I have thought and prayed a lot about the future … though many things are unclear (as they always are as a United Methodist Pastor) I am excited about returning to the pulpit on Sunday and reuniting with the community that I serve with. Besides the office, I have not been in contact with many through this last week which has deepened my desire to refine my role as a pastor in relational ministry.

I pray this is not a false hope or a fleeting renewed hope. But a New Hope. One that is unlike the past. One that is refined by God. One that lives forward in faith for where we are going. One that shapes me into the man God planned. One that helps me embrace that my older son refuses to leave my side and my younger son is seeking a little attention when he steps outside his little world.

A New Hope. I wish I would have seen vacation and Sabbath differently when I started ministry.