A Pastoral Word
Lately I have been hearing a certain question in the wake of the COVID-19 trauma that disturbs me. It is a simple question, and one that is even understandable, given the circumstances. What is the question? “Why is God bringing this world-wide calamity among His people?” And the question has a close cousin, perhaps asking the same thing in a kinder way, “Why would God allow such a terrible thing to happen if He is a God of love and could certainly have prevented it?” More disturbing still is when I have heard the questions turned in to assumptions like, “God is punishing (fill in the _______) for something with this virus,” or “God is doing this to make the church wake up and turn back to him.”
The disturbing thing about these questions and assumptions are that they make God out to be the cause of this pandemic or at least to be an unfeeling enabler of it. I simply do not believe this about God. Let me explain why.
From the beginning, God has created His people to be free. As far back as the Garden of Eden (and how much further do you want to go?) God gave Adam and Eve a choice. “Do not eat the fruit from that tree,” God told them. But the tree was right there. God did not remove it from them, so they could not eat. God left it there. And they ate from it. You see, we have been created to be free, because we have to be free in order to choose to love and follow Jesus. God does not compel us to faith because compelled faith is not really faith, at all. Throughout history and all through the Biblical narrative, God has given His people choices. He wants us to choose Him, because only in freely choosing Him will we be fully His.
Further, we can only be fully free if the world we live in is free as well. That means that bad things will happen. Some of those bad things are directly attributable to our bad choices. But some of them are also a result of nature acting in a way that has terrible results. Storms rage, droughts destroy, pestilence harms and, yes, viruses occur. Innocent people are harmed. Seemingly needless fear and pain ensues. It is easy to ask why God is doing these things because it gives us someone to blame and that somehow makes us feel better; more in control. It is far harder to accept that things happen we do not understand and seek to find the power and hope God has for us in the midst of the trouble we experience.
But there is hope. And it comes from asking what I think is the real question we all need to ask, “What is God doing in the middle of the pain and suffering we are experiencing?” Let me offer some suggestions.
God is offering us comfort in the middle of our suffering and we can bring that comfort to others. 2 Corinthians 1:3&4 say this: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” You see, we live in a free world where there will be trouble, and we find hope and comfort in our relationship to God that we can then give to others who do not know it.
God is also giving us strength to endure. Take a look at John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus is literally telling the disciples there would be trouble for them, and that trouble, we know, was not just people persecuting them. There were shipwrecks and illnesses and all sort of things the followers of Jesus would face. Jesus is telling them not that they should look for who to blame, but to know that they could take heart as He is working in all things, trouble included!
What else might God be doing? I think in the midst of this illness, God is training the church to do things we have never done before that will result in His Word spreading farther and faster than ever. In Genesis chapter 1, we see over and over again that God “created.” And in 1:27, we are told that we have been created in His image. We, too, are to be creative. And I believe that this virus has challenged the Church to be creative in ways we would never have done before, thus “creating” new pathways of proclamation and love. We have all seen news stories about churches that have decided not to be creative…churches that insist on ignoring the guidelines and doing the same things they have always done, to disastrous results! But, by and large, the body of Christ has been creative, working within restrictive guidelines to continue to spread the message in ways that will enable greater proclamation in the future!
You see, it boils down to this: We can blame God for the problem and sit back and wait because, after all, it’s His show anyway. We can sit on our high horses and point fingers at the “wicked folks” out there who needed a lesson that we are forced to endure. Or…we can understand the truth: God did not cause this illness and is not punishing us or anyone else. Rather, God is working in us throughout this hardship so that His goodness and love can be given to those who so badly need it.
I may not know everything about God and I certainly cannot claim to have perfect understanding of His thoughts and will. But I do know this: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5). I trust that through this terrible time God will continue to offer comfort and strength and wisdom to His people so that we can fulfill our calling to share Him with others.
In Christ,
Pastor Bill
|
|
|
|
|
Please Join us in Prayer
Last Sunday in our online worship service, Rebecca called those of you listening to a new discipline that I want to echo here. We want our church to be praying…specifically…together… even when we are forced to be apart. So, please join us in intentional prayer each morning. We thought about calling for a specific time for this but decided that some of us get up at 5:00 am and others sleep a bit later! So, here is what we would like for you all to do: Whenever you get up in the morning, get your first cup of whatever you start the day with (coffee, tea, diet Coke), settle in to a comfortable place and pray for the following:
- Our national, state and local leaders who are making life and death decisions that will almost always be unpopular for some. Pray that God will give them wisdom and strength to make the right call for our safety.
- Our Medical community, that they will find what is necessary to slow and stop the spread of this virus and to bring healing to the sick. May they have strength for the endless hours of research and the treatment of others and may they be protected in the sacrifices they are making for us.
- Those who are essential workers among us: First responders, doctors, nurses, utility workers, delivery personnel, grocery store workers, food deliverers, (you keep the list going!) May they be kept safe as they are risking their own health to keep us well, safe and well-stocked with what we need.
- Churches and faith organizations that they will continue to bring comfort and hope to people who are frightened and alone.
- The sick, that their bodies will be able to withstand the virus and that they will recover from their illness.
- Those who have lost loved ones or who are fearful of losing someone, that they will know God’s comfort in loss and that they are not alone.
- Any others you can think of that need a word of comfort and peace.
Please pray this every morning, that we can face this issue together and focus our attention on the love and care of God in the crisis.
|
|
|
|
|
About Communion
This Sunday is Communion Sunday. We have been thinking about this and have even entertained the idea of trying to do Communion virtually with everyone providing their own elements at home. We have decided not to do anything like that. In the first place, our Bishop, Scott Jones, has reminded us that Communion is, at its heart, a community event meant to be taken when we are together. He has asked that we not try to do this in a virtual format. Second, I believe that Communion is not like any other aspect of what we do together in worship. Communion is a sacrament, meant to be celebrated at the heart of a family event. To try and do it over the internet is to cheapen its place in our community experience.
So, while we are in the midst of this time of separation and online worship, we will not be doing Communion as part of it. However, I will promise you this: We will be doing Communion together as a family the FIRST opportunity we have to return to our meeting together, no matter what Sunday it is! Let our desire to share Communion together be an item of anticipation for when we return to church worship. And return we shall! I am looking forward to the day we can celebrate at the Lord’s table together!
|
|
|
|
|
Please Continue to Give
Please remember that even though we are not gathering at church for the usual things we do as a church family, we are still meeting in a variety of ways and still active in mission and ministry! While meeting together might not be happening, other aspects of the church’s administration and ministry still exist. Mortgage is still due on the church note. Utilities and maintenance still occur as we keep the building in good shape to return to. The staff are still working regular hours, even if it is at home. Bible studies are still meeting, Children and Youth still have activities, and pastoral care continues. Missionaries we support are still working in their fields of mission. In short, the work of the church continues, and we still need your financial support.
Please, if you are able, continue your giving to TUMC. If you have a pledge or are a regular giver to the church, keep that going. If you have not given in while, please consider doing so now. If you are in a financial bind as a result of this virus, we certainly understand, but if you are someone who can do a little more than usual, that would be helpful, too. You see, this time of trial will end. When it does, we need to be in a strong financial position to be able to roar back into full action as well as keeping our ministry going in the meantime.
You can give by mailing your check in to the church. (Mail to Tomball UMC, P.O. Box 1689, Tomball, TX 77377.) You can give by using your online banking to set up a regular transfer to the church (email Pam at pam.mckinney@tomballumc.org for information on how to do this). Or you can give by clicking on the give button on our website under “church guide, Members and visitors” and following the instructions to make a one-time gift or to set up an auto draft.” However you do it, please prayerfully consider helping us stay financially healthy for our mission and ministry now and into the future!
|
|
|
|
|
