I'm a bit shaken today. I've received an email from our District Office for an urgent prayer concern for one of our retired pastors, his wife and family. His daughter and her family were the victim of a horrific home invasion. Perhaps you saw it on the news: a doctor and his family in Connecticut, the Dr. William Petit was severely beaten, his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their daughters Hayley & Michaela were murdered and then their home set ablaze by the invaders in order to cover their tracks. I don't know this colleague of mine nor his family, but my heart is breaking for them all the same.
What perpetrates such evil? He was a endocrinologist, his wife a nurse and the head of the health department of a private boarding school, so I'm assuming they were fairly wealthy. The news describes their home as part of an "upper-middle class neighborhood." And the news reports that one of the intruders forced Jennifer to go to the bank to withdraw money. And while I can't justify robbery, on some level I get why some people would feel desperate enough to force someone to give them their money. But to violate these innocent people - to make a deliberate attempt to destroy their lives and bring such devastation to those who know and love these people? I guess in a nutshell I'm asking the age-old question - why?
Since I've entered pastoral ministry over 12 years ago, there is one thing I hear over and over again from people - "We're not supposed to ask why." I always challenge that comment, because of two things: 1) God has made it part of our human nature to seek to make sense of things, and 2) If our Lord Jesus Christ could quote Psalm 22:1, asking, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me," as he hung dying on a cross, I think we can ask God why, also.
It's okay to ask why, the key is where we take our "whys." When we take our "whys" to God, we take them to the right place. It's okay to ask God "why" - don't always expect an answer - don't always expect things to make sense - but, in taking our "whys" to God, we allow God into our hearts and minds, and there God can transform our fears, our anxieties, our anger, our jealousies, our yearnings, etc. If we take our "whys" to God, then God can begin to heal our deepest hurts. If we take our "whys" to God, God can begin to help use the worst of things in our lives for good.
Some of the earliest theological questions people asked were questions of theodicy -- If God is good and God is all powerful, then why is there evil in the world? I can give you all the theological explanations that have been used down through the ages to explain how a good and all-powerful God would allow evil to exist in this world. I enjoy discussing and grappling with the answer to this question, but in the end I'm faced with this question: "What do you say to someone who has experienced the kind of evil like what we read about in the Hawke and Petit families?"
I can't explain with certainty why these kinds of evil things happen in the lives of good people. I do believe that God created human beings with free will - and some human beings use their free will to choose evil. God's desire is that we would choose God's way and God's grace enables us to do so. Some have chosen their own way and while I appreciate all of the explanations of why people might get caught up in destructive patterns, ultimately there is no excusing this kind of behavior. I'm not sure that anyone can offer a pat answer as to why these kinds of things happen - ultimately only God knows.
What we know is that our good, all-powerful God is always with us. Jesus promised us that when after his crucifixion and resurrection he said to his disciples, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
So, while we cannot assert we know for certainty why these things happen, we do know that our God is with us, and if we trust him with everything in our lives, our God will work out everything - even the most heinous of things that happen in our lives - for good. We know every detail of our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (Romans 8:28, The Message)
So what do we say to someone who is suffering so much? Sometimes we can't say anything, all we can do is offer our presence. Before we offer any explanation, maybe we just show up and state that we don't know what to say, but we're there to uphold those who suffer, offering them the light of Christ when there seems to be only darkness around them. Go be the best Jesus you can be to someone today --- and hug your family and tell them you love them.
By God's Grace,
Michelle
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Memories...
I missed posting last week because I was working at one of our Western PA Conference camps - Jumonville. Jumonville is in Hopwood - about 2 miles southeast of Uniontown in Fayette County. Jumonville is like a second home for our family - Steve and I have spent at least 1 week there every year for the past 24 years. We raised our children going to Jumonville. Our son Craig spent 3 summers as Program Staff there and now deans a camp every year. Our daughter has spent several weeks every year volunteering as a counselor for various camps at Jumonville. Jumonville is a special place for us.
We were at Jumonville last week for Creative Arts Thing Camp - C.A.T. Camp for short. We started going to CAT Camp at Jumonville in 1991 as a family vacation. Now Steve is in charge of child care and Ellen and I teach classes. And after 16 years at CAT Camp we've made some very special friends, friends that we only see once a year.
Every year at camp we have some campers who get homesick - usually the elementary campers and most of the homesickness passes by Tuesday or Wednesday. But this year there was an older camper who ended up homesick at the end of the week - me!
This year on our way home from camp we were able to meet our son Craig & his fiancee for lunch in Irwin, PA. Now, Irwin is where we lived for 20 years and where we raised our children. We've not been in Irwin for probably 3 years. It was odd to be in such a familiar place and feel so out of place, having not been a part of the community now for over 5 years. It really surprised me to have such an emotional reaction of homesickness.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We have a lot of changes going on in our family this year - a new church, new home, new community, a new family member to be added in September (our son's fiancee), and Steve has a momentous birthday next month (the big 5-0) and I'm not far behind him! Changes like these cause you to reminisce and realize the brevity of life. The older I get the faster time seems to go.
It makes me think of the preacher in Ecclesiastes who writes: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." And then the author spells out all the seasons of life -- birth-death, war-peace, planting-reaping, killing-healing, destroying-constructing, loving-hating, crying-laughing, letting go-holding on. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
It's the last one that's sometimes the hardest -- knowing when to let go and when to hold on. Holding on to memories is good, but holding out for things to always remain the same in this life will bring us heartache and disappointment every time. We need God's wisdom to know when to let go of what used to be, in order to embrace the infinite possibilities God has in store for us through the next stage of life God has in store for us.
Make no mistake, we are very glad to be in Erie! However, there are things that tug at our heart from "home." It's the wisdom to know that while the memories are wonderful to hold on to, we've moved on to this season of lives.
We all go through various seasons of life. As we move from one season to another, most of the time we will have a sense of mixed emotions - joy at what's new and sorrow at what's lost. The key is to give God ALL of our days, trusting that God will make the most of them if we allow him to.
James writes: "Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Sounds a bit depressing - and this truth of life can cause us to become either fearful or inactive. But the uncertainty of life is not cause for sadness - it's a reason for realizing how completely we depend on God. The way of Christ is not to be terrorized into fear or paralyzed into inaction by the uncertainty of our future. The way of Christ means that we commit our future and all our plans into the hands of God, and then allow God to order our days so that they are in keeping with God's will.
And so, we venture forward, holding on to the memories and fondness of our past, ready to embrace the wonderful future God has in store for us, all the while savoring every moment of every day in our present lives, giving all glory and honor to God!
By God's Grace,
Michelle
We were at Jumonville last week for Creative Arts Thing Camp - C.A.T. Camp for short. We started going to CAT Camp at Jumonville in 1991 as a family vacation. Now Steve is in charge of child care and Ellen and I teach classes. And after 16 years at CAT Camp we've made some very special friends, friends that we only see once a year.
Every year at camp we have some campers who get homesick - usually the elementary campers and most of the homesickness passes by Tuesday or Wednesday. But this year there was an older camper who ended up homesick at the end of the week - me!
This year on our way home from camp we were able to meet our son Craig & his fiancee for lunch in Irwin, PA. Now, Irwin is where we lived for 20 years and where we raised our children. We've not been in Irwin for probably 3 years. It was odd to be in such a familiar place and feel so out of place, having not been a part of the community now for over 5 years. It really surprised me to have such an emotional reaction of homesickness.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We have a lot of changes going on in our family this year - a new church, new home, new community, a new family member to be added in September (our son's fiancee), and Steve has a momentous birthday next month (the big 5-0) and I'm not far behind him! Changes like these cause you to reminisce and realize the brevity of life. The older I get the faster time seems to go.
It makes me think of the preacher in Ecclesiastes who writes: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." And then the author spells out all the seasons of life -- birth-death, war-peace, planting-reaping, killing-healing, destroying-constructing, loving-hating, crying-laughing, letting go-holding on. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
It's the last one that's sometimes the hardest -- knowing when to let go and when to hold on. Holding on to memories is good, but holding out for things to always remain the same in this life will bring us heartache and disappointment every time. We need God's wisdom to know when to let go of what used to be, in order to embrace the infinite possibilities God has in store for us through the next stage of life God has in store for us.
Make no mistake, we are very glad to be in Erie! However, there are things that tug at our heart from "home." It's the wisdom to know that while the memories are wonderful to hold on to, we've moved on to this season of lives.
We all go through various seasons of life. As we move from one season to another, most of the time we will have a sense of mixed emotions - joy at what's new and sorrow at what's lost. The key is to give God ALL of our days, trusting that God will make the most of them if we allow him to.
James writes: "Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Sounds a bit depressing - and this truth of life can cause us to become either fearful or inactive. But the uncertainty of life is not cause for sadness - it's a reason for realizing how completely we depend on God. The way of Christ is not to be terrorized into fear or paralyzed into inaction by the uncertainty of our future. The way of Christ means that we commit our future and all our plans into the hands of God, and then allow God to order our days so that they are in keeping with God's will.
And so, we venture forward, holding on to the memories and fondness of our past, ready to embrace the wonderful future God has in store for us, all the while savoring every moment of every day in our present lives, giving all glory and honor to God!
By God's Grace,
Michelle
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
And So We Begin...
Well, it's the first week of my new appointment as the pastor of Christ Church. What a whirlwind of a beginning! As I write this, I am very much appreciating the 4th of July, as it gives me some time to take a deep breath to get a little rest and to reflect on our journey thus far.
There are unique situations, but for the most part, United Methodist pastors begin their new appointments on July 1 of a given year. This is the first time in any of my transitions to a new appointment that July 1 was actually on a Sunday morning. Usually there are a few days in the office, unpacking a few of the most necessary boxes, feeling a little settled in and then Sunday happens. But not this year - wham! First day and first Sunday all in one fell swoop! But God is good, all the time -- all the time, God is good!
From my perspective I was pleased with worship. I felt God's presence with me and felt as though I was connecting with the people in the pews. The folks here have been very welcoming and gracious. I'm excited about the possibilities of ministry God has in store in Erie with and for Christ Church. I feel as though we're off to a good start together - part of that due to David Janz, the previous pastor of this church and the good way in which he has helped to prepare myself and this congregation for this new appointment -- and ultimately due to God's grace that just abounds!
I'm also glad for this break in the middle of the week, because as we begin a new ministry and settling into a new home here in Erie, our family is also preparing for a week at C.A.T. Camp at Jumonville starting on Sunday afternoon. Now, for those of you who don't know - we have three GREAT camps in our Western PA Conference. Jummonville is the one we know the best, but all 3 camps are terrific! And for those of you who are wondering - what in the world is C.A.T. Camp, I'll tell you - Creative Arts Thing Camp. This is a great family camp - leather crafting, stained glass, basket weaving, fabric dying, scrapbooking, quilting, kids' classes, jewelry making, sketching, Ukrainian eggs - to name a few! What started out as our family vacation, has now turned into a week in which we contribute to the camp as teachers. My husband Steve is in charge of child care, our daughter Ellen teaches scrapbooking and I'm teaching rag-basket making this year. It is no longer a vacation, but we still love to get up on God's mountain to catch up with old friends and make new friends. Jumonville is just one of those places that I find spiritual renewal. But, in getting ready for teaching at camp, there's a lot of work involved - and on top of that, the challenge of making a change in our home and church family and my new work schedule.
Everybody says change is hard, but change is easy - it's transition that's hard! Change is an inevitable part of life -- it's getting used to new ways of doing things that's the hard part. Like going to a cupboard in the kitchen to look for a cup and finding that in a different kitchen, the cups work better on the other side. Or, going into a different bathroom with lots more switches and trying to remember which one turns on which light. Or, learning the nuances for different worship services.
Change and transition are words that are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. Change is a one-time occurrence - we change clothes, change houses, change jobs. Transition is the on-going process of dealing with a change. Transition is letting go of what we're used to and embracing how things might become. Transition periods can be some of the most productive periods of our lives, if we remember that we're not throwing away what's happened or where we've been in our lives. Transition means that now we accept the changes and search for the way God is calling us forward. During transitions we might grieve what we've lost, longing for how things used to be -- and that's okay. But transitions are also a wonderful time of discovery and renewal. It's a time to say what do we want to keep in our lives, what needs renewed in our lives, what needs to go? God is the great change-agent -- God is always longing to renew us and make us more and more into the image of Christ. And in my experience, God most often uses the every day events of life to do that, if we allow God's Spirit to be at work within us and among us.
In Benedictine spirituality, "statio" is an important concept. "Statio" acknowledges the times between times. In Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister explains, "The practice of statio is meant to center us and make us conscious of what we're about to do and make us present to God who is present to us. Statio is the desire to do consciously what I might otherwise do mechanically. Statio is the virtue of presence."
So I'm pausing to think, "What drawer is the silverware in?" and "Which key opens what door?" and "What do we do next in worship?" -- and in pausing I'm having to be conscious about things that are usually mechanical and I'm finding that God is always in that moment of the pause. I'm also being reminded as I pause for some rest and reflection on our nation's birthday, that every day I need to take the "pause that refreshes" - quiet moments all through every day to take a deep breath, center my life again in Christ, and go forward with God ready to guide me to the next step.
I hope for you who read this that you take some time today to thank God for where you've been, think about where God is calling you forward and trust God to do that. And in your pauses of today's moments, in between the hot dogs and the fireworks, pray for our country, our leaders, our soldiers in harm's way, those who are controlled by oppressive regimes and pray for oppressive leaders - that they would choose God's way. In fact - why not weave sacred pauses into every day routine things - thank God for the moment and savor that moment, because you will never have it again.
By God's Grace,
Michelle
There are unique situations, but for the most part, United Methodist pastors begin their new appointments on July 1 of a given year. This is the first time in any of my transitions to a new appointment that July 1 was actually on a Sunday morning. Usually there are a few days in the office, unpacking a few of the most necessary boxes, feeling a little settled in and then Sunday happens. But not this year - wham! First day and first Sunday all in one fell swoop! But God is good, all the time -- all the time, God is good!
From my perspective I was pleased with worship. I felt God's presence with me and felt as though I was connecting with the people in the pews. The folks here have been very welcoming and gracious. I'm excited about the possibilities of ministry God has in store in Erie with and for Christ Church. I feel as though we're off to a good start together - part of that due to David Janz, the previous pastor of this church and the good way in which he has helped to prepare myself and this congregation for this new appointment -- and ultimately due to God's grace that just abounds!
I'm also glad for this break in the middle of the week, because as we begin a new ministry and settling into a new home here in Erie, our family is also preparing for a week at C.A.T. Camp at Jumonville starting on Sunday afternoon. Now, for those of you who don't know - we have three GREAT camps in our Western PA Conference. Jummonville is the one we know the best, but all 3 camps are terrific! And for those of you who are wondering - what in the world is C.A.T. Camp, I'll tell you - Creative Arts Thing Camp. This is a great family camp - leather crafting, stained glass, basket weaving, fabric dying, scrapbooking, quilting, kids' classes, jewelry making, sketching, Ukrainian eggs - to name a few! What started out as our family vacation, has now turned into a week in which we contribute to the camp as teachers. My husband Steve is in charge of child care, our daughter Ellen teaches scrapbooking and I'm teaching rag-basket making this year. It is no longer a vacation, but we still love to get up on God's mountain to catch up with old friends and make new friends. Jumonville is just one of those places that I find spiritual renewal. But, in getting ready for teaching at camp, there's a lot of work involved - and on top of that, the challenge of making a change in our home and church family and my new work schedule.
Everybody says change is hard, but change is easy - it's transition that's hard! Change is an inevitable part of life -- it's getting used to new ways of doing things that's the hard part. Like going to a cupboard in the kitchen to look for a cup and finding that in a different kitchen, the cups work better on the other side. Or, going into a different bathroom with lots more switches and trying to remember which one turns on which light. Or, learning the nuances for different worship services.
Change and transition are words that are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. Change is a one-time occurrence - we change clothes, change houses, change jobs. Transition is the on-going process of dealing with a change. Transition is letting go of what we're used to and embracing how things might become. Transition periods can be some of the most productive periods of our lives, if we remember that we're not throwing away what's happened or where we've been in our lives. Transition means that now we accept the changes and search for the way God is calling us forward. During transitions we might grieve what we've lost, longing for how things used to be -- and that's okay. But transitions are also a wonderful time of discovery and renewal. It's a time to say what do we want to keep in our lives, what needs renewed in our lives, what needs to go? God is the great change-agent -- God is always longing to renew us and make us more and more into the image of Christ. And in my experience, God most often uses the every day events of life to do that, if we allow God's Spirit to be at work within us and among us.
In Benedictine spirituality, "statio" is an important concept. "Statio" acknowledges the times between times. In Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Joan Chittister explains, "The practice of statio is meant to center us and make us conscious of what we're about to do and make us present to God who is present to us. Statio is the desire to do consciously what I might otherwise do mechanically. Statio is the virtue of presence."
So I'm pausing to think, "What drawer is the silverware in?" and "Which key opens what door?" and "What do we do next in worship?" -- and in pausing I'm having to be conscious about things that are usually mechanical and I'm finding that God is always in that moment of the pause. I'm also being reminded as I pause for some rest and reflection on our nation's birthday, that every day I need to take the "pause that refreshes" - quiet moments all through every day to take a deep breath, center my life again in Christ, and go forward with God ready to guide me to the next step.
I hope for you who read this that you take some time today to thank God for where you've been, think about where God is calling you forward and trust God to do that. And in your pauses of today's moments, in between the hot dogs and the fireworks, pray for our country, our leaders, our soldiers in harm's way, those who are controlled by oppressive regimes and pray for oppressive leaders - that they would choose God's way. In fact - why not weave sacred pauses into every day routine things - thank God for the moment and savor that moment, because you will never have it again.
By God's Grace,
Michelle
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