A Terrible Blogger

Obviously I'm not one who posts blogs on a consistent basis. I have various activities that I count as a higher priority than writing a blog. You may ask, well then why did you start one? I started one share thoughts, to post shameless plugs for various church activities, and because there are times when something needs to be said.

It does not seem like October is more than halfway over, because the trees have not become as colorful as that have in the past. The warmer temperatures keeping the leaves greener longer have made it seem like the seasons came in a different order this year. While this thought may be trivial compared to other things happening in the world, the world around us can tell us a lot about how things are going. Honestly, things are not so good. It is no wonder the trees are confused about that fact that winter is quickly approaching when humans have no idea how to treat other people or the earth and its resources.

Speaking of things happening in the world, I must include the sorrow felt and the prayers lifted due to the terrible events that happened Monday in Sparks, Nevada. When acts of violence come up, we, all people, feel a deep connection with the pain and loss that is inflicted. We cry out about the injustice and the need for stricter laws in one form or another. Yet, as a person of faith, as a member of the clergy, I have to ask where is the church in the midst of all this? Have we simply chosen a side of the argument and say that that is the only thing we can do? Surely we realize that Jesus’ mission wasn’t to change laws. Christ came that we might know true unconditional love and reconciliation. In a time of crisis, certainly the church might step up to offer families comfort, to speak to them about the hope of resurrection, to share the love of Christ in action, even to simply hold their hands and let them know they are not alone.

The church needs to get the real message out that these acts of violence come from a deeper place of brokenness.

Yet, what is the church doing to show that Christ came to heal brokenness, to offer peace, and to bring the world into a reconciled relationship with the divine being we know as God? How might we share the love of Christ with the families who need to know God is a personal God? We get involved, personally. This is not just for the people we see on television who are affected by tragedies, but also for the people who live within our local neighborhoods. We cannot just write a check to UMCOR or the Red Cross and think, I've done my part. While, sending money is important, our participation cannot stop there. We must go out of our comfort zones, our houses, our church buildings, our circle of friends, and speak to "strangers" we pass by, get to know someone who lives in a shelter for people who have been victims of domestic violence on the other side of town, and share a meal with a person who is homeless and begs at the corner down the street.

I’m sure it seems a bit hypocritical to be typing this blog from a very impersonal computer into a world wide “web” that can seem like a community, but has no personal contact. This is why I am a terrible blogger. For me a community is made up of the people I can see without a 3-second delay, it is the people I can hear talking without the use of a phone or internet connection, and it is the people I can physically hold hands with in saying hello or in saying a prayer.

While the church is trying to figure out what its online presence will be, hopefully the church will remember that Jesus touched the man who was blind, he heard (and healed) the men who had leprosy, he touched the little girl who had died, and  he ate with women and men of the streets, the people who are considered outsiders. Let the Body of Christ live into its calling of helping people to see what the true kingdom of heaven can look like as it connects with people personally. This world has a lot of hurt and loss, none of which can be undone, which is why people must gather together in person. As we engage with people physically and not through screens, we let people know that they are loved and that they are not alone. This is what Christ offers to the world and calls the church to demonstrate in his absence.