Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

 Good morning, and welcome.

 My friend, wife, mom, and author Kendra Broekhuis sends out a monthly email to those who have signed up for it.  It’s called Present Tense…embracing the tensions of faith in everyday life.  In the latest version of the monthly email, she speaks of Micah chapter 6, and especially verse 8…the verse where Micah says the words of God:  He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

 She speaks of the meaning of justice and mercy and the tension and relationship that is apparent between the two.  One of her comments was that where there is a lack of justice, there will be corresponding needs for even greater mercy.

 She has a point.  Think of some of the injustices that you know about in the world you inhabit.  Do you know of people who don’t have enough to eat?  Who want housing, but don’t have it?  Who are dealing with medical issues but don’t have the insurance coverage or the means to pay?  I’m sure you can think of other such issues that people face in their daily lives.  To act justly is to recognize and act upon these situations as we can and are able.

 To love mercy is to go beyond just the simple act of putting a band aid on someone’s hunger or housing situation.  To love mercy is to recognize all the times we’ve been on the receiving end of God’s mercy and compassion, and get into the weeds, so to speak, with those in need.  To do more than just toss a sack of food their way or give a few dollars.  To love mercy is to insert oneself into the messes of others…bearing burdens, wiping tears, and demonstrating the love and mercy of God.

 But when we do this…when we get “down and dirty” with others in their need, we often feel like there is so much need and so little we can do that it seems hopeless to even try.  Kendra addresses that with an analogy where she speaks of a puzzle.  Here’s what she had to say:

 I like the analogy of a puzzle, kind of like the 1,500 piece our family did last week:

 God knows and understands the bigger picture of everything happening today, even when to us it looks like a million pieces in a random pile, and those pieces are flipped upside down, and oh yeah, we lost the box with the picture on it.

One day, He will restore perfect justice and mercy into every piece of this puzzle that is our world.  In the meantime, He invites me to pick even just one piece of that puzzle and find ways to act justly and love mercy within that sphere of influence.  And, He encourages me with the last part of the verse He so kindly added, which is to walk humbly…fueled by the ultimate expression of both justice and mercy, which was Jesus taking up His cross for us.

 I have wrestled with the fact that anything I might be able to do in the way of justice and mercy is but a small drop in a very huge bucket.  I often wonder if I’m making any headway at all, or if the world is indeed any better because I am living in it.  These words from Kendra are helpful, and help me keep my bearings on what I and countless others do every day.

 And, as my friend Jennifer White has said, “I can’t do everything, but I can do something.”  That too is a good way to think of these things.  No, we can’t do everything.  But we can all do something.  I have many times been sustained by this thought.

 I’ve also found helpful the fact that Jesus Himself didn’t heal the world or feed every human being.  He did good deeds as he went along in life and met people on the way.  The blind man.  The man who couldn’t walk.  Others who he met or who came to him.  One.  Person.  At.  A.  Time.

 And that’s what we do as well.  And when we do, we fulfill what God requires…to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with the Lord.

 Blessings.

A Slightly Different Kind of Thought Today

 Good morning, and welcome.

 I was watching a video last night where Tim Mackie and N. T. Wright were holding a discussion in a weekend seminar that was recently held in Portland, Oregon.  Professor Wright is one of the leading theologians of our day.  Mackie is an outstanding theologian in his own right, and founder of the Bible Project, a crowd-funded effort to bring the Bible to the masses.

They were discussing a passage in John regarding the Holy Spirit.  In the midst of their comments on the passage, this snippet of conversation came out.  “The church is to be a working model of heaven on earth.”  For me, this was an “aha” moment.

I stopped the video, rewound, and listened to that portion of the conversation again.  I noted the place in the video where it was found and decided to look at it again today.  I have done so, and continue to be awed by the thought.

There are a couple of major concepts of heaven.  Without getting deep into the theological weeds of this, one of those concepts of heaven for Christians is that at the end of time, God will take all of the saved to some place in the great beyond…heaven, if you will…and earth and all  physical things will be destroyed.  There, we will play harps, float on clouds,  exist in some kind of ether-like state, and be in that kind of place forever.

The other major concept is that God will, at the end of time, reunite heaven and earth as it originally was in the Garden of Eden.  The saved will have real bodies and live in a unified, real, actual environment where heaven and earth become one.  We will have real work to do, will know others, and enjoy the fruits of God’s grace.

I believe the story of God’s love and redemption as found in the Bible points us to the concept of a reunited heaven and earth.  Consequently, when I heard this statement:  “The church is to be a working model of heaven on earth,” I was immediately caught up in the ramifications of the idea.

So, what do I believe this should look like?  Well, I don’t claim to have experienced any miraculous visions or dreams which might give me a glimpse into the afterlife.  But it seems to me that there are two or three things we might consider as we think about the concept of the church modeling what the new heavens and new earth might be like.

First, and perhaps most importantly, the church should model unity.  In Revelation, John speaks of those he sees in his vision of the throne of God:  “I looked,” he said, “And there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

Think of it.  People from every place on earth, from every era…from every century…all together before the throne of God.  It seems to me that we need to consider how we the church…the redeemed of God…model that in the here an now.

Second, I believe that in this new heavens and new earth, we won’t be idle.  We will be given things to do…work to do…work that is pleasant and fulfilling.  Work that is commensurate with our abilities and talents.

The church can and in many ways does model this now.  Each one of us has been given some kind of talent or ability.  That well-used statement, “I can’t do everything, but I can do something,” is pertinent in this context.  We may not be able to cure cancer, bring about world peace, or ensure that everyone has enough to eat, but we can each do our part.  We can work within our sphere of influence to bring about restoration, even if it is just in one small thing.

You may be able to think of other ways that the church can model the new heavens and new earth.  These two immediately came to my mind as I thought about it.

I know this Thursday Thought has been a little different than many.  I want these posts to give you a glimpse into my mind and heart as we all continue down this road together.  So, from time to time I may wander into a little deeper subject area such as the one today.

May God bless you and keep you as together we experience His love and care.

 

Blessings.

Spreading the Message

 Good morning, and welcome.

 Over the past several decades, the rise of the twenty-four hour news cycle, the advent of the Internet and social media, the demise of  the Fairness Doctrine, and the natural propensity of humans to want to take sides has made what was always present in our society even more pronounced.  The political and social divide has become the news of the day…all day…every day.  It seems we can’t get away from it, even if we wanted to do so.  It’s everywhere.

 Marriages break up.  Families become estranged.  Long-time friends are friends no longer.  Neighbors won’t speak to each other.  Sometimes the divide becomes violent.  Most of the time, it just festers, sitting there like the proverbial elephant in the room, waiting for someone to poke it and inflame it even more.

 Into this societal ill has come a number of ideas on how to not only deal with the divide, but to heal it.  Non profit organizations have begun to stress kindness and civility even more than they did in the past.  Politicians have begun to speak up to their constituents asking them to listen more and talk less.  Pockets of “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you” have sprung up in neighborhoods and in families all across the nation.

 And perhaps most importantly for people of faith, the church has stepped up more, I think, to recognize its responsibility to not only teach, but to practice loving God and loving one’s neighbor.  One can see many examples of that being carried out in projects large and small.  Some church families cooperate with many others to work with large-scale projects.  Others work in more individualized ways.

 But the basis for any church work in this area is the individual member.  Each person…each member of the church family needs to recognize that his or her God-given talents and abilities are there to be used.  That God expects each one of his children to use their gifts to redeem their part of the creation…especially as they are going about their daily lives and living.

 I was reminded of this by a post I saw a few days ago where a church in North Carolina has been buying medical debt for pennies on the dollar…then forgiving that debt.  The comments of the minister who is coordinating this effort is appropriate and telling:  “If every church would just sort of take responsibility for the square mile around it,” he said, “What a changed world we would live in.”

 Sometimes we are led to believe that there isn’t much we as Christians can do until we somehow have been able to “straighten out,” so to speak, our political differences, or until a certain brand of political ideology comes into power.  So, we pour all of our resources and abilities into that goal.  When we do that, we tend to lose sight of the fact that God has work for each of us to do, regardless of the political winds of the day.

 N T Wright made this comment about that very thing in a post he recorded a couple of years ago.  He said, “You don't have to live in a modern, liberal democracy to discern God's will (for you). Wherever we are, we are all living in fragile, and in a measure broken or fallen or corrupted societies. We don't first have to put the society right, then discern what God might want us to do. It may be that doing the little things that God wants us to do will accumulate, and will help our wider society make wise decisions.

 I think both Professor Wright and the North Carolina minister have something here…something that each of us needs to listen to and consider.  We may often think that the things we COULD BE doing using our abilities and talents doesn’t change anything or mean anything in the larger picture.  But I think that’s the wrong way to see this.  Bringing about God’s redemption to the creation begins with one act of kindness and love by one individual.  As my friend Jennifer White has said, “I can’t do everything, but I CAN do something.”

 We all can do something…as long as we have breath and life, we can do something in God’s kingdom to redeem the creation…ONE  ACT  OF  KINDNESS  AND  LOVE  AT  A  TIME.  And we don’t first need the perfect democracy or the perfect political ideology to do that.  Jesus and the apostles turned the world upside down in the midst of one of the most powerful and (in our modern minds) cruel governments that has ever existed.  If they could do that, certainly we can begin to spread the message of sacrificial love and redemption in our era.

Blessings.

Cake of Ice

 I have a niece who lives in Michigan with her family.  Theresa is, as most nieces and nephews are, younger than I am.  However, she has pretty much raised her family and, even though she might disagree, is rapidly becoming middle age.  I'm not sure what that says about my age, but we'll not broach that subject in this post.

Up until a few years ago, Theresa and nephew hubby Kerry were the typical middle-class family unit raising kids, attending school functions, buying groceries, and living the great American dream.  Yes, there were ups and downs in their lives just like there are in all of ours, but generally, things were going well for them as they made their way through life and living.

They still are living the great American dream, and even more so now that their kids have flown the nest.  But something has changed in these past few years that has created an ocean-change in how they think and what they do.  They have become aware that not everyone lives the great American dream.  They have become aware of societal issues like injustice, racism, poverty, and the silencing of opposing viewpoints.

And not only have they become aware, they have acted on that awareness and have...and continue to bring about great change in their community, their school system, and in the lives of others.  They and others in the community, through their activism, have brought about a turnover in the makeup of the city council, the school board, and the local police department.  They managed to have a discriminatory local city ordinance declared to be unconstitutional and of no effect  by a court of law.  They have “marshaled the troops,” so to speak, and have provided educational opportunities as well as opportunities for service and support to many in the community and beyond.  And they have begun to work on issues on a state and federal level as well as locally.  It has been an amazing thing for me to watch all of this take place in their lives.

Here's what Theresa said just a few days ago about herself on a social media post:  I've told ya'll about how I have realized my white privilege and ignorance over these years.  I didn't pay one bit of attention to politics and fell prey to the media.  I learned shortly there after that I contributed to the destruction of what we have fought to become.  I have great remorse. It haunts me to this day. Literally haunts me.

I don't necessarily agree with Theresa politically, and the social issues in my personal stable may be some different from theirs.  But this isn't a political post on my part.  This Thursday Thought is meant to awaken you to the truth that none of us lives in a bubble.  None of us has absolute protection from those societal issues that continue to nag at us for help.  None of us is an island...all to ourselves.  Each one of us is affected in some way by those issues.  Each one of us is touched in some way by racism, homelessness, greed, ideological blindness to truth, and other ills.  And each one of us has a responsibility to act...somehow...in some way...to bring about change.

It is incredibly difficult at best to make any kind of inroad into the labyrinthine snarl that is national politics.  Yes, we need to be aware of what's going on there, and do our best to work for change, even on that level.  But our best bet is working where Theresa and her family have been concentrating their efforts...at the local level.  City council people, school board people, mayors and others CAN much of the time be approached, and will in most cases at least listen to a local citizen expressing an opinion.  Citizens can rally, protest, march, attend meetings, speak during the public comment time, and yes, even go to court if necessary.  Theresa and her crew have done all of that and more.

You may not be in a position to organize a protest or march.  Maybe all you can do is write a letter or send an email.  If you are a person of faith, prayer is, or should be first on your list of things to do.  Christians are called to be difference-makers...to be a “peculiar people,” as the Apostle Paul puts it...to “Do justice, love kindness (read that “love mercy”), and walk humbly before the Lord,” as the Old Testament prophet Micah wrote.  We are called to love God and love our neighbor.  And, we are called to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  But to choose to be ignorant of what is going on around you, or to choose to ignore the truth when it hits you in the face is not an option.

I will close with an excerpt from a play written over 60 years ago by Helen Kromer and Fredrick Silver, called “For Heaven's Sake.”  It's a satirical musical that pokes fun at those who choose ignorance and it urges us all to be serious about our choices in life.  This excerpt is called “Girl In Ice,” and is a spoken part rather than a musical part.

It describes someone who has chosen to live “above” the riff-raff of society...who has chosen ignorance and apathy over “doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly.”

Hear no evil...see no evil...speak no evil...NO!  I abhor it and ignore it...all that sin below.  All those creatured, ugly featured faces filled with sin might beguile me, and defile the temple here within!

I'm above it.  How I love it...where the air is pure.  For evil is as evil does.  And doing nothing's sure to keep my skirts so unbesmirched that anyone will fine...I'm lily-white and clothed in light, and deaf, and dumb, and blind!

I am not contaminated, for I've simply abdicated.  And I'm staying nice...by freezing up and squeezing up into a cake of ice.

May none of us ever become those…cakes of ice.

Blessings,

Listen To the Quiet

 For this Thursday Thought, I’ll be intertwining my own thoughts with some thoughts penned in a blog I found on line by a man named Joe Broadmeadow.  I don’t know Mr. Broadmeadow, but I liked this particular blog of his.  He says what I often am feeling nowadays.

I don’t know about you, but I think we live in a very noisy world.  And much of that noise is noise that we make ourselves, for ourselves.  We constantly have the television, music, game apps, earbuds, phones, or other noise makers on and running.  If we live in an urban area, we constantly are hearing car horns, sirens, street noise, and other sounds of the city.  We may have neighbors close by who turn up the volume of whatever it is they are listening to at the moment.  Even in more rural areas, there is an abundance of man-made noise.  We can’t seem to get away from it…or more likely, we don’t want to get away from it.

As Mr. Broadmeadow says, “It’s a rare moment when we can actually listen to the quiet.”

As I get older, I am more and more drawn to the quiet.  The back yard of our home butts up against the back side of Pawnee Prairie Park in Wichita.  Often, I can go into the yard or sit on the back patio and hear nothing but the occasional barking dog, someone walking on the park path, kids playing somewhere in the neighborhood, nearby birds, and rustling breezes.  The noise of West Kellogg normally doesn’t penetrate.  We live close to Eisenhower Airport, so we do hear the occasional takeoff or landing.  But those are usually short-lived events.  We might occasionally hear a far-off siren, and sometimes we can even hear a train in the far distance.  The closest tracks are several miles away, and it takes a certain atmospheric situation for that sound to travel that far.

I often have the radio in my pickup turned off.  My phone seldom rings or goes off.  I often have the television off when in the same room.  Or if it’s on, it’s in the background or my wife is watching it.  I don’t do noisy video games.  I sometimes go somewhere in the house where there is quiet and I just sit or lay down.  I’ll sometimes turn off my phone entirely.  If someone wants me, they can leave a message or voice mail.  When we have grand kids over, I sometimes will go to a quiet part of the house and “recuperate,” if you will, for a few minutes.  And, I’ve been known to, when we have company, retire to the bedroom and rest for a few minutes in a quiet environment.

I well recall many years ago, we stayed in a bed-and-breakfast somewhere in Central Kansas.  The place was out in the countryside in the Flint Hills.  We both had jobs that were rather intense and sometimes stressful.  We needed a break, so spent, I think, the weekend at this B & B.  One of the first things I noticed there was how quiet it was when we were outside on the porch.  The silence…the lack of any noise whatsoever…was deafening.  It was so much different from what we were used to…it was a place where we hadn’t been in quite some time…a place of solitude and quiet.  My senses perked up as I strained to hear something…anything that would let me know I was OK.  But I needn’t worry.  I WAS OK.  It was just this strange nothingness…this absence of noise…that had me worried for a bit.

Ever since then, I have at times looked for times when I could be still…quiet…and my surroundings were that way as well.  And as I age, I seem to seek out those times and places with greater frequency and stay in them for longer periods of time.

I now have hearing aids.  I remember when I first wore them at the hearing place, and they turned them on for the first time.  It was like a whole ‘nuther world opened up for me.  I could again hear the various squeaks, groans, and other noises in places like offices, vehicles, and at home that I hadn’t heard for years.

But, those aids also made it more difficult to find quiet…absence of noise.  So, instead, I learned to listen to the sounds of the quiet.  Birds singing, rain falling, leaves rustling, squirrels chattering, owls hooting.  It’s not quite the quiet of not being able to hear.  But it’s the quiet, I believe, that we were always meant to hear and enjoy.

I’ll end this thought with a quote from Mr. Broadmeadow, who says this about hearing the quiet.  “Taking a moment’s pause to walk in a snowstorm, anywhere away from the noisy cacophony of the world, one can actually hear the quit.  It may be hard to imagine, in a city or even a small town surrounded by modern society’s mechanism, that one can hear snow fall in a quiet forest.  But you can…and it will be magical.  To hear snow falling, it has to be quiet.  And to hear quiet, one must listen for it.  Shhhh.  Listen to the quiet.”

 

Blessings.

Why We Do What We Do

 Good morning and welcome to another Thursday Thought

 Before I get to my thought for this week, I want to acknowledge the tragic crash that happened last evening between a commercial flight originating in Wichita, and an Army helicopter. That crash happened in Washington, DC last evening.  Apparently, all 67 people on both aircraft have been lost.  If you know of someone who is hurting because of this accident, please be the hands and feet of Jesus as you serve and comfort them.

In the panoply of things I do in my work at the church lies the ministry of benevolence.  There are many ways that benevolent ministries can help both church members and those outside of the membership.  Some of the more common needs are food, clothing, transportation, housing, and help with bills.  We do get some of the more uncommon requests from time to time, such as for denture adhesive, eye glasses, and other such things.  But most of the time the requests wrap around the more common areas of benevolence.

We can’t do everything that comes our way.  We’re a relatively small congregation, so we’ve decided to concentrate our benevolent help on food, clothing, utility bill help, and help with fuel for transportation.  I also, as the benevolence minister, have a sort of cadre of social services people who work in the community non-profit sector who I trust to provide me with good information should they encounter someone with a need they can’t otherwise fill.  They will contact me and ask if the church could help their client with this or that.  We usually are able to oblige, and we trust their judgment.

One such client recently came to us by way of Suzie, one of my social services contacts.  Suzie asked me if there was any way we could provide a little food and some Tylenol and Ibuprofen for a woman she was helping.  The woman was temporarily staying in a hotel, had been in the hospital, was in recovery, and needed to stay in town for a short time.  She had no family or resources.  Nor did she have a way or the ability to go somewhere to get what she needed.

I immediately said we could help.  Suzie and I made plans to meet later that day.  I went to the pharmacy and bought a bottle each of generic Tylenol and Ibuprofen.  The total bill was about eight dollars.  We also provided a small box of food from our food stash that the woman could use in her room by using the microwave.  Suzie gathered the things together and delivered them to the woman.

Yesterday, I received an email from Suzie about the woman we helped.  Here is what it said:  My client wanted me to thank you on her behalf for helping her with the meds and the food items. She felt really lost and like nobody cares. I spoke to her this morning and she sounds way better than she did yesterday.

This is Jay again.  I am sometimes asked how many of those we help in the benevolence ministry attend services with us or want a Bible study.  Their thought is that the benevolence ministry needs to be an evangelistic ministry…and that if it is not getting evangelistic results, maybe we need to be doing something else with those resources.

Very seldom does someone attend services because of our benevolence.  Even less often does someone wish to study the Bible or discuss spiritual matters.  Most of the time we don’t even receive a written thank you like I did with this woman, given through Suzie her social worker.  One might wonder why that is.  I think I have an answer for that.

By far most of those we serve are not thinking so much about what we might call “spiritual things” as they are thinking of ways to survive the day.  That survival could include finding a relatively safe place to sleep that evening, feeding their kids for the first time in two days, keeping the electric, gas, or water utility collections department at bay for another few days, or finding a way to get to work that evening so they don’t lose the job they have.

Most of the time, these people are struggling to survive…and I mean that in a truly literal sense.  They are expending an incredible amount of time and energy to just be able to live, let alone have the time and energy to have a Bible study or clean up for church services.  I think you would agree that if you had no electricity, an empty gas tank, and had just been served an eviction notice from the squalid apartment you were in, you wouldn’t have a lot of desire to sit down and have a Bible study either.

What I do find with many of those we help is just what this woman articulated to Suzie.  These people feel like they are all alone…lost…and that no one really cares about them.  Often they don’t have family.  They often feel like government agencies put more roadblocks in their way to obtaining resources than work with them to provide the help they need.  They tell me that many agencies don’t want to listen to them, act like they don’t have time for them, or reduce their humanity to a number or an appointment.

Being in need of services is all too often a dehumanizing, degrading, and embarrassing experience.  At RiverWalk, we work to make that experience non-judgmental and as helpful as possible.  With few exceptions, we insist that we personally meet the one in need.  We sit down with them, visit with them, hear their story, try to make them more at ease, and give them the dignity and respect they deserve.  We may or may not be able to help them with their need.  But hopefully, we can leave them with a good feeling toward the church and let them know that we care and are hearing them.

I have long ago lost count of the times I have heard someone thank me for just taking the time to listen, even though we couldn’t help with their need.  In fact, that very thing happened again just yesterday.  I’ve also long ago lost count of the number of times we have been able to help by at least temporarily removing the threat of disconnection of utility services and seeing the obvious look of relief wash over someone’s face, usually a woman, and sometimes accompanied by a sobbing breakdown here in the office.

The answer to why we do benevolence is what I’ve just said.  We provide dignity, respect, a non-judgmental listening ear, and sometimes we can provide a sense of relief, knowing that at least for now, the collections and disconnections people have been kept away.  That, in my view, makes what we do here truly a ministry…a ministry to the hurting, marginalized, and forgotten.  It’s a ministry that’s well worth the time, effort, and resources…don’t you think?

 Blessings,

Grace and Peace

 Good morning, and welcome.

 Earlier this week, I came into the office and found a short letter on my desk from Larry.  Larry was one of our church Elders, and had just lost his wife of many years a few weeks before.  The letter was his official, if you will, letter of resignation from the Eldership at RiverWalk church.

 Larry is an older gentleman, and has served with honor and wisdom for many years.  His resignation was not unexpected, because an Elder serves best when his spouse…his companion…his wife…is able to support and sustain him in his work.  Sometimes, a person just knows when the time is right to make a change and move on.  This, evidently, was the right time for Larry.  And we honor his decision.

 To serve as an Elder in our faith tradition is much more than having a meeting once a month or so and making a few decisions regarding building repair or some other administrative thing.  In fact, Elders in our tradition would much rather not have to do much of that kind of thing, and leave those decisions to others who may well be more suited to making them.

 The New Testament likens the work of and Elder to being a shepherd to a flock of sheep.  If you know anything about shepherding sheep, you know that the shepherd cares for his or her flock in many ways.  Finding water and food, protection from predators, giving shelter when needed, and many other aspects of caring for sheep are part of the shepherd’s work.

 Similarly, the Elder shepherds those members of the congregation he leads.  He cares for, loves, guards, teaches, and otherwise fosters and enables spiritual growth in the lives of those people of the congregation.  Paul the great apostle of the New Testament tells the Elders of the Ephesus church to “Guard yourselves and God’s people.  Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.”

 The charge to love and care for the church is, or should be, the primary focus of an Elder.  Larry was always not only aware of that charge, but fulfilled it lovingly, joyfully, and with wisdom and grace.

 In his letter of resignation to be given to the congregation, he spoke of service.  The idea of service is one that is embedded into the fabric of what it means to be a Christian…a follower of Jesus Christ.  Whether that service is in or for the church, or in service to one’s fellow man, a life of service is a noble calling.  Larry’s words are meant specifically, I think, in regard to service in and for the church…that body of believers who meet together from time to time in worship and fellowship with God and with one-another.

 I’ve made some minor edits to make the text flow a little better for this venue, but have not changed his message in any way.  Listen to what he had to say to us all in the RiverWalk congregation.

 My last thoughts that I want to leave you with, is about service.  Why serve?  I know that some time in the future there is going to be an opportunity for you to serve the church in some compacity.  I'm not telling you what you need to do (you know your situation better than anyone else) but you need to share some of your life experiences in service to the church.  It is pretty easy to stay hidden and convince yourself that you aren't able to do anything, there are others more qualified, or there are more important things that require your attention.

 And the truth be told, all those things are probably true.  Here is what I know though.  Riverwalk has faith in you.  That faith is backed up with God's faith and promise.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". (Phil 4:13)  l like the way one commentator explains it that Christ is there to help us endure hardships, and it's about perseverance and not personal triumphs.  And I believe Christ does enable us.

 If you consider yourself a nobody, good.  God likes nobodies.  Nobodies are the ones that step out on faith in God and not themselves.  Just consider the apostles.  God has a purpose for you too.  Consider allowing Him to use you for His purposes.  He has done that with a long list of saints which have passed through the history of this church, and I can testify he has amazed me with how he has used this nobody.

 Finally, I look forward to see what God has planned for you and what He can accomplish in your lives, and this church, and His kingdom by you being a nobody.  Thank you again for being that very special and loving church  Grace and peace to you.

 And grace and peace be unto you, Larry.

 Blessings.

 Good morning, and welcome.

 Today, I could have utilized the services of Microsoft Co-pilot in drafting this Thursday Thought, as it was loaded as an update to my Office suite.  However, I politely declined and disabled the app.  I’m not fearful of A I, but have been doing rather well, I think, writing without it’s “helpful” suggestions all these years.  Although I know I use it by default in other ways…the search engines being one of those ways…I don’t see the need to begin using it now in a writing capacity.  So, what you will hear today…and going forward…will be my own words.

 Bob Dylan wrote the song, “The Times…They Are a Changin’” in 1963.  It was released on an album in 1965.  One of the lines in the song is, “You better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times, they are a changin.”  Sometimes I get that feeling, especially with all of the “new stuff” that comes out about every ten minutes or so.  The various manifestations of artificial intelligence are just one of those things.  And, of course, you can think of many other changes and “new stuff” that have come about in the last while.  I sometimes wonder if the human race is going to run away with itself some time.

 However, even in these times of incredible change, there are those things which tend to bring us back to a reality that is more grounded…more gentle on the spirit.  Think of the seasons of the year.  Yes, they change, at least in our part of the world.  But the change comes on gradually, almost imperceptibly.  They give us time to adjust from spring to summer, fall to winter.  And there’s always the promise of new spring growth, summer produce from the garden, the fall colors, and the winter snows.

 Then there are those things which indeed change, but do so over a period of time that makes that change invisible to us.  I’m thinking of things such as the constellations in the heavens, which, the astronomers tell us, are changing shape due to the motion of the stars that make them up.  Yet we cannot in our lifetimes discern that change in shape.  To us, they are a constant…something fixed.  Something that has been a part of human history for eons.

 In speaking to Job in the book in the Old Testament by that same name, God asks Job if he can control the stars.  He specifically mentions two well-known constellations…The Pleiades and Orion.  “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt?” God asks.  And, of course, Job has no response at that time.

 I’ve said before that one of Archie Bunker’s lines in the old “All In the Family” TV series was, “I like change better when everything stays the same.”  But for better or worse, change is inevitable.  We may not see it.  We may not perceive it.  We may think that we’ll just go on with life and living like we always have.  And there are times when we can “disable” some change like I disabled Microsoft Co-Pilot.  My disabling the app, however, doesn’t mean that it no longer exists.  It’s still there on my laptop.  And it, along with other artificial intelligence applications, are spreading like a virus…pardon the expression…into the world scene regardless of whether I use it to help me write or not.

 I’ll close this by going to a place where I’ve gone before…God and his unchangeable nature.  “I am the Lord,” God says.  “I do not change.”  The Psalmist says, “You remain the same; your years will never end.”  In the face of change…whether that change is swift and easily seen, or whether that change takes thousands of years to detect, God remains the same.

 If you’re anything like Archie Bunker, you’ll appreciate the unchanging nature of God.  You can rest assured that what He is, says, and does today has always been, and will always continue to be…the same.  And that means that his promises, his love, his justice, his mercy, his kindness, his purity, his goodness…always have, are, and will be…the same.

 May God bless you with his unfailing and unchanging love in this time of sometimes radical and incredible change.

Outside Beauty

 Good afternoon, and welcome to this, a Friday edition of the Thursday Thought.  That may at first sound a little strange, but I didn't have a chance to write or record the thought yesterday...so am doing it now.

This week was the week of the big snow in South Central Kansas.  Last weekend we received over three and a half inches of ice and snow.  Yesterday, Thursday, we received another six inches or so of the white stuff.  It's like another world out there.  Sights like this in the Wichita area are all too infrequent, although I'm sure there are many who would rather not have to deal with any of it.

We lost power at our place last Sunday morning, but only for an hour and a half or so.  Others weren't so fortunate and were off for several hours.  We were otherwise fine and comfortable just being in the house for the weekend, and for part of the day on Monday.  I did venture out to work Monday if for no other reason than to check up on the church building to be sure all was OK there, as we didn't have services Sunday and the heat was on, but was set minimally at 50 degrees.  It was cold and windy that weekend, and I wanted to be sure things were OK.  They were.

I stayed for a couple of hours and did some work in the office.  In that time there were two unhoused gentlemen who came to the door at different times.  One who we know as Rocky, needed a few snack items and to warm up a bit.  I let him in, got him some snacks, asked if he needed anything else, and he went on his way.  He had what seemed to be a good amount of clothing and coats on, and looked to be OK.

The second gentleman who I didn't know also needed some snacks.  Normally, we don't hand out food from the office door, but because of the weather and my not thinking to put food into the Paxton's Blessing Box outside the door, I got him some things as well.  I also invited him in to warm up a bit.  He too seemed to be in good shape and had good clothing.

I have a background in emergency health care and did quick assessments of each of them while they were inside because of the cold.  I didn't want to send them back out if they were suffering from the cold...but each of them seemed OK and denied having any issues with the cold when I asked.

After they left, I put food into the blessing box along with a pair of gloves and some hand warmers and water.  That was gone before long, so I refilled it before I left the office.  Much of the time, the things we put into the box don't stay there very long.  They generally are taken by the next unhoused person who comes by and looks into the box.  We can't obviously fill the box except during times when we are at the office, so it goes empty much of the time.  Our office hours are approximately 9am to 4pm five days a week, but can vary depending on other responsibilities we may have away from the office, the weather conditions, or some other reason.

Putting a lot of food in the box doesn't help because the next person who comes by will empty the box whether it has a lot or a little in it.  I get it because their next meal may well not be assured, so they take what is there in order to have maybe two or three meals ahead.  However, we normally put only enough in there for just one meal so more can take advantage of the limited amount of food we have available to give.

The Thursday snowfall was much different from the one last weekend.  The Thursday snow was wetter and came down with virtually no wind to blow it around.  Everything is covered, and the temperatures outside today are at about freezing, so kids can go outside in the sun and somewhat milder air and enjoy the snow.  It is these kinds of snow days that don't come often enough.  Much of our winter snows are accompanied by ice, or wind, or bitter cold.  This one, however, was just right.

Not much else is going on at the Plank home this week.  My thoughts are centered on nature, the beauty of the snows and the pleasure of watching the various kinds of birds attack the bird feeder on our deck.  The occasional squirrel manages to sneak some sunflower seeds and peanuts as well.  Lots of juncos, cardinals, bluejays, and several sparrows, usually the harris sparrows, along with titmice, black capped chickadees, sometimes a red bellied woodpecker, and even once in awhile I think I've seen a house finch or two.  There are also a few doves that come in, chase everyone else away, and just seem to park there eating.  I let them stay awhile, then chase them away to give others a chance.

May your weekend be safe, pleasant, and enjoyable, and above all, may we all glorify God and praise Him for the beauty that is ours to behold outside.

 

Blessings.

The New Year

 Good morning, and welcome to the last Thursday Thought of 2024.

 This year has been for many of us a sort of a mixed bag, if you will.  I’m not certain I’ve experienced a year quite like this one was, and you may well be feeling the same way.  And those I visit with about the year consistently tell me that the year has been an unusual one for them, to say the least.

In the political realm, for diehard Democrats, the year is one of disappointment yet again and a wondering about where things went south.  For diehard Republicans, the year proved to be one of pleasant surprises.  For the majority of us who are in the middle, the year was one that was interesting to say the least, and only solidified our determination to stay above the morass of political fussing and fighting.

In other societal news, mass shootings continue virtually unabated.  Homelessness has been brought front-and-center to the collective societal conscience.  Terror, wars, and all kinds of mayhem continue in the world.  We continue as a nation, both government and families, to spend more than we receive.

And yet even with all of the negative, the good, the right, and the lovely continue to shine through the darkness in the lives of countless millions who expend their time and treasure to make their corners of the world better for their having been there.  One can rather easily cut through the muck and find their stories…stories of generosity, grace, and love for one’s neighbor.  Stories that make the muck and mire so much the more despised…and the desire for gentleness, goodness, and generosity in this world so much more intense.

Many of us have experienced the loss of a friend or loved one this year.  Some of us have gone through…or continue to go through…painful family issues.  Some have fallen on hard times and difficult circumstances.  Others of us who have largely escaped such things still cry out on behalf of our friends and loved ones who have succumbed to tragedy and loss.  We hear and participate in a collective sighing and groaning for relief, whether we have been personally affected by grief and loss or not.

On the other side of things, some of us have welcomed new life into the world.  Some of us have spoken vows of fidelity to another.  Some of us have made a commitment to be a Christ follower.  Some have gotten new jobs or have graduated from school.  Maybe we were able to take that once-in-a-lifetime vacation this year, or finally see and reconnect with a long-lost relative or friend.  We may have been able to remodel the kitchen or buy new transportation.

One thing, regardless of our experiences this year…one thing is certain…things never stay the same.  Change is constant and inevitable.  Oh, it may seem like things are now just as they were a year ago, but that isn’t true, and we all know it.

Archie Bunker of All In The Family…a television sitcom of some years ago, once said, “I like change better when everything stays the same.”  In a way, we all have experienced the desire that time stand still.  However, the endless carefree summers of childhoods of long ago have given way to adulthood and the continued responsibilities and problems that come with that.  Older age brings on the issues of health and wellness, relevance and for some of older age, loneliness and the emotions which accompany that reality.

I hope I’ve not been too dismal in this post.  The reality is, however, that we don’t always experience rainbows and unicorns in our lives.  They do come our way from time to time, but it’s a mixed bag for virtually all of us this year as it is every year.  For those of us who are Christians and are Christ-followers, this mixed bag of life and living is not all there is, and is not the end of things.  For we believe there is a better place that is being prepared for us by Jesus Christ himself.  A place where there is no dismal news.  A place where loneliness is not.  A place where there will be no more loss…no more pain…no more war.  We look forward to that day and say along with the one who wrote the Revelation, “Surely I come quickly.  Amen.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”  That…that is our hope and our future.

So, as we go into the year 2025 (I can’t believe I’m even saying that year, let alone entering into it), we understand that it too will be a mixed bag…a mixed bag of blessing and heartache.  And we look to the unchanging God of the universe as our anchor in the uncertainty of this life.  May God bless you as you look to Him in this new year.

A Christmas Thought

 Twenty years ago, I was in the final days of my tenure as the CEO at the Logan County Hospital in Oakley, Kansas.  The hospital board decided to not renew my contract for another year, and we would soon be on our way to Topeka, where we had found work.

 During our time in Oakley, I was invited by John Montgomery, editor of the Hays Daily News, which at that time was circulating throughout northwest Kansas, to write a twice-monthly opinion column for the News on life in that part of the state.  The specific topics were mine to choose, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity.

 One of my last columns came during the Christmas holidays.  In it, I bent into the realm of faith and the Christmas season.  The column is as pertinent today as it was twenty years ago.  The rest of this thought is that column which was published in The News.

 “Tis the season to be jolly!  Fa la la la la la la la la”.  I suppose these words are very familiar to you, as they’re from the Christmas tune, Deck the Halls.  But if your take on the season is the same as that of Lucy Van Pelt in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, you’ll relate very well to her as she says, “I know how you feel about all this Christmas business, getting depressed and all that. It happens to me every year. I never get what I really want. I always get a lot of stupid toys or a bicycle or clothes or something like that.”

 The unfortunate thing is that many in our society feel the same way.  Instead of a time for joy, it’s a time for depression.  Instead of a time of contentment, it’s a time of greed.  Instead of a time fulfillment, it’s a time of unfulfilled (and unfulfillable) expectations.  We go through the motions, succumb to the commercial temptations, break our necks to have the perfect holiday celebration, and put on the best show we know how, only to find that something is terribly wrong.  We have not found what we’re looking for.  We’re not even close.  And instead of sitting back and taking stock, we pedal even faster, so to speak, in the futile hope that somehow things will be different this time.

 In the TV program “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Charlie Brown, exasperated, tired, and harried because of the antics of the others at a Christmas play practice, shouts out to anyone who will listen,  “Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?”

And Linus Van Pelt, Lucy’s little brother, takes center stage and says,  “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you.  Lights, please. (A spotlight shines on Linus.)”  Linus goes on…

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men'. That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

 It is interesting to note that Linus, forever dependent on his security blanket, lets go of it when he quotes  “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.”  There’s great meaning in that action that Charles Schultz wrote into the script of the show.  Because Immanuel was born on that night so long ago, we no longer need to fear, and we no longer need our security blankets, whatever they may be for us.  And you well know what they are…getting lots of presents, having the approval of others, shopping and spending money (yes, that’s a huge security blanket for many), having the latest and greatest gadgets, and putting on the Ritz in front of others, pretending we’re all together when we’re really falling apart.  We no longer need our security blankets if we truly understand what St. Luke (and Linus) was trying to tell us.

 You know, maybe it’s time for a little less “Deck the Halls” and a little less “tis the season to be jolly”, and a little more quiet reflection and understanding on just what this time of year really means to us.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re Christian or not.  Even atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Jews and others believe that Jesus of Nazareth is a historical figure; that he did roam the earth 2,000 years ago; that he was the greatest of teachers, and that he did die by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans.

 The question is, what are you going to do with Jesus?  And what are you going to do with the time the world has set aside to honor him?  You can choose to ignore Jesus, do nothing and go merrily on your way.  You can choose to honor Jesus as a good man and great teacher.  Or you can choose to worship Jesus as God Incarnate.  But you have to do something.  You have to choose something.

 If Christmas isn’t what you want it to be, maybe you need to choose something different than what you’ve chosen in the past.  Maybe you need to take another look at this man Jesus.  Maybe you need to get a new perspective on him and what he has to offer to you.  Maybe you need to truly understand, as did Charles Schultz and Linus, what Christmas is all about.