February 9, 2021
Hello, members and friends of Epworth UMC!
I admit it, I watch the Superbowl for the commercials. I barely even knew who was playing this year. Once upon a time, my brothers and sisters and I and our families descended en masse on my parents’ house to watch and eat and be the loud Italians that we are, but even then I had very little interest in the actual game.
There were some hilarious ones, and some touching ones this year as always. The one that seems to be inspiring the most conversation (at least, among the pastors I know) is the Bruce Springsteen ad for Jeep. It references a chapel that sits in the almost-exact center of the United States’ lower 48 (more on that in a minute), and urges us to find hope “in the road up ahead” for the re-uniting of America. I found it really moving and good; it touched on a deep longing in many for an end to conflict and a rebirth of understanding and love for one another. Not sameness, but peaceful harmony. The Bible would call that “shalom.”
But the critique I am hearing is important, too. And just to be clear, the critique is not about the ad itself but about something much bigger. Just as we tend to rush past Good Friday to focus on Easter Sunday, we humans tend to want to rush too fast past the work of reconciliation to forgiveness. A disease in the body can’t just be wished away by human will; it has to be removed with surgery or medicine before healing can begin. A marriage broken by hurt or betrayal can’t be restored by pretending the hurt didn’t happen, as much as the hurt-er might prefer; it has to be carefully and honestly addressed with apology, changed behavior, recommitment, and forgiveness. And even then, healing isn’t instantaneous. It takes time and effort, faith and work, whether it is the body or the relationship that needs healing. The same is true of our country, our world, and the Body of Christ expressed in our churches. So the call to unity in the ad is striking some folks as a call to ignore all that may be broken for the sake of a false peace.
That is not the kind of peace Jesus promises, and not the kind of peace people of God long for. We seek a *true* peace, born not of the absence of conflict but of the presence of justice. In Jesus Christ we find the transforming power of reconciliation, in which repentance is an absolutely critical component.
It turns out, the little chapel in Lebanon, Kansas is not exactly at the center of the lower 48. The exact center is disputed, but the strongest evidence appears to be a spot about half a mile from the chapel, right in the middle of a hog farm. Now THAT is Biblical.
“So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.”
~ Luke 15:17-20
Forgiveness from God is as free as from the prodigal son’s father, who came running to meet him on the road. But the relationship is not truly restored and shalom is not found without the son’s regret and repentance.
Let’s not rush past the important work of reconciliation. If we do, we miss the incredible gift of true unity.
Leaning on the everlasting arms,
Worship at Epworth and at Home
It’s Scout Sunday!
2021 is the 101st anniversary of Scouting in America, and we are SO blessed to sponsor Scout Troop 1776 here in Fallon. We all know men and women who have been positively impacted by Scouting, and it is a strength of our community to have such a healthy, active, growing program.
To be “reverent” is a central ideal of Scouting, and part of the Scout Law that every Scout learns to recite from memory. According to scoutlife.org, “A Scout is reverent. He is faithful in his religious duties and respects the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion.” Another site, Scouts for Equality, expands on this saying, “Reverence is a deeply-held, constantly evolving set of beliefs and ethics. For some, it is embodied by organized religion. For others, reverence is represented by a respect for others and the world around us. Reverence is as much about respect for one another’s beliefs—or lack thereof—as it is about a Scout’s own beliefs.”
What an outstanding concept.
This Sunday, Scouts from Troop 1776 will lead us in prayer and scripture, and share a lesson for the Young at Heart. It also being Valentine’s Day, we will wrap up our series about God molding and making us into sacred vessels of God’s grace by talking about the Biblical concept of love, and the courage it takes to live into it. As you prepare your hearts for worship, you might like to take a look at Ephesians 6:10-17 and see what God might have to say to you in it.
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