July 2006

It has been asserted that the historical Jesus was only a human being, that his divinity was an accoutrement added later by a power-hungry church. Again, in The Faces of Jesus, Buechner’s reply is almost poetic:

The paradoxical assertion that Jesus was both fully man and in some way also fully God seems to many the unnecessary and obfuscating doctrine of later theologians, but the truth of the matter is that like all doctrines it was an experience first, in this case the experience of the simple folk who had actually known him. Having talked with him and eaten with him, having seen him angry, sad, merry, tired, and finally dead, they had no choice but to say that he was human even as they themselves were humans. But having found in him an undying power to heal and transform their lives, they had no choice but to say that he was God too if only because there was no other way of saying it.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

To be better stewards of God’s good creation, First United Methodist Church is now recycling:

• Shredded office paper
• Glass: must be rinsed out.
• Aluminum Cans: must be rinsed out.
• Newspaper: in paper sacks or boxes.
• Paper Sacks
• Plastic Bags
• #1 Plastic bottles: must be rinsed out.
• #2 Milk Jugs: must be rinsed out.
• #2 Colored Plastic bottles
• Magazines and Catalogs
• Phone Books: must be kept separate from magazines and catalogs
• Cardboard: keep separate from paperboard
• Paperboard: keep separate from cardboard.
• Ink Jet Cartridges
• Toner Cartridges
• Cell Phones

We’ll be storing these items in the basement (inquire in the church office as to exactly where). We’ll need volunteers to take these items to recycling centers (many out-of-town). Please let the church office know if you’re willing to help.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

I’m currently reading The Faces of Jesus: A Life Story by Frederick Buechner. It is a short book , but as always Buechner has a better way of expressing things I have longed believe. One of the things Christians have longed struggled with is called “The Problem of Evil.” In a nutshell it goes as follows: if God is completely good and all powerful, then why does evil exist? Here’s Buechner’s summary of what is commonly called the “Free Will Defense” to the problem:

It is of the very essence of love to leave us free to respond or not to respond because the moment it attempts to force our hand, it is no longer love but coercion, and what it elicits from us is no longer love but obedience. The greatest single argument against the existence of God is the presence of evil in the world, and to the degree that the Christian faith attempts to answer it, its answer is all tied up in this [the nature of love]. The argument is simply stated: If there is a God who is both good and all powerful, why do terrible things happen in the world? Why does God allow us to murder and wage wars? Why does he allow us to remain indifferent to each other’s needs so that the poor go uncared for and children starve and in a sense all of us go hungry if only for the peace and understanding that the world cannot give? If there is a God, why did he not with his great goodness make things right in the first place, or why does he not with his great power intervene in the affairs of the world to make things right at least in the second place, now? What Christianity in effect seems to say is that God could presumably do these things–could have turned us out perfectly as an inventor turns out a perfect invention or could step in when we get out of line and move us around like pawns on a chessboard. But as Christianity understands it, God does not want us related to him as an invention to an inventor or pawns to a cosmic kibitzer [a meddler who offers unwanted advice to others]. He wants us related to him as children are related to their father. He wants us in other words to love him, and if our love is to be spontaneous and real, we must be free also not to love him with all its grim consequences of human suffering. Evil exists in the world not because God is indifferent or powerless or absent but because man is free, and free he must be if he is to love freely, free he must be if he is to be human.

It has been argued that the “free will defense” explains human, but not natural disasters. The counter argument is that when humanity fell from grace, we took all of creation with us. The human roots of global climate change would be an example of this happens.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Bishop Scott Jones of the Kansas Area of the United Methodist Church, Bishop Gerald Mansholt of the Central States Synod, the Evangelical Luthern Church in America, and the Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas issued the follow letter recently:

We, as bishops of churches in Kansas, urge all of our members to take seriously their responsibility to vote in the Primary Election, August 1, 2006 and the General Election, November 7, 2006.

Christ said that the greatest commandments were to love God with heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:34 -40) . God calls us to live our lives so that we do all that we can to follow God’s will for ourselves and the rest of creation.

Participating in the political process is part of our Christian witness. The Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and our Kansas Constitution ensure that the full weight of governance falls upon the good actions of the citizenry. Each one of us has the important task in making sure that we exercise our responsibility at election time. Regardless of party affiliation, we need to make our voices heard.

Because we love God and neighbor, each of us has an obligation to vote in the primary and general elections being held this year. We citizens are crucial in determining the ongoing success of our governmental system. If there is a weakness in the system, if the system is flawed, or if the system is not responsive, then a part of the responsibility for these flaws rest[s] with us, the voters.

Committed Christians live out their faith, in part, by exercising political responsibility. One church body has expressed that responsibility in this way. “The strength of a political system depends upon the full and willing participation of its citizens. The church should continually exert a strong ethical influence upon the state, supporting policies and programs deemed to be just and opposing policies and programs that are unjust.”

We call all our members to prayerful consideration of our civic responsibility. We care. We vote. All of us need to participate in both the primary and general elections.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

On July 23, 2006 Revs. Jack and Marily Gregory of Independence First United Methodist Church had the following letter published in the Independence paper. I wanted to reprint it here and received permission to do so. It is an excellent letter. The only thing I would add is an aside that the second chapter of Genesis contains a second account of creation and that this would seem to indicate that the Bible is not interested in exactly how God created, but that it was God who created all that is and called it good. Rev. Gregory has informed me that this point did not make it into their letter because of the newspaper’s 400 word limit.

Science and Religion

Conversations about religion and science have moved to center stage. Some assume the scientific endeavor threatens belief in God. Others assume that belief in God makes it impossible to be an unbiased scientist. We believe that God created us to be curious and thoughtful beings and that theology and science need not be in conflict.

Evolution is the most accurate explanation biologists can make for the variety of life. The mechanics of evolution include natural and artificial selection, gene drift and mutation, and adaptation of life forms to their environments. Scientists are not of one mind about the particulars, but there is agreement with the outline of evolutionary theory.

Christians are not of one mind, either, about how we read and understand the Bible. Some believe that the Bible is the direct word from God, without error, and read the first chapter of Genesis as a historically and scientifically accurate description of the origins of life. Others understand that the Bible is a collection of writings by humans whose experiences of God and understandings of God’s purposes bring us into a closer relationship to God. We read Genesis as a witness to God’s creative power and God’s purpose for human beings. Both readings of the Bible take the text seriously and shape readers into faithful followers of Jesus.

Francis Collins, a respected scientist, head of the National Human Genome Research Institute and a deeply committed Christian, said: “I am not aware of any reasons why one cannot be a completely dedicated person of faith who believes that God inspired the writings in the Bible, and also be a rigorous, intellectually honest scientist….” Adam Hamilton, pastor of the 9000 member Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, said, “I believe that evolution is a process that was designed by God.” We have sometimes said that science addresses the questions of “When?” and “How?” The Bible addresses the questions of “Who?” and “Why?”

Christians have a right to be offended when a scientist implies that his research proves there is no God. When religious leaders, in the name of openness, cast doubt upon the validity of widely accepted scientific thought; they, too, have overstepped a boundary.

Let us continue the conversation about science and religion. Let us talk about the Bible, how it came to be and how we are to read it. Let us learn all we can about the origins of life and the relationships between life forms. These conversations only deepen our sense of wonder before our God and Creator.

Jack and Marilyn Gregory

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

We are going to have a planning meeting for ministry with college students on Monday, July 31, at 7:00 pm at the church. We are going to be talking about ways to reach college students and make plans for the fall. All who are interested in this exciting ministry outreach are invited to come.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Just a note to those of you who have out-of-area phone numbers. The church is now using a calling card for our long distance (it’s cheaper, lots cheaper). If we have to dial long distance, your caller ID will probably show something like “unknown” or “no number.”

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

I preached on Ephesians this morning talked about a Biblical attitude for those who are sojourners and aliens. You might also be intered in Bishop Scott Jones’ statement on immigration. You can download it from our website at: www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org.

7:54 PM Update: I just posted my sermon notes as well.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

You may have heard the term “annual conference” batted around in church. As this article notes the term can refer to three distinct interrelated entities: a regional body, an organizational unit and a yearly meeting. Read the article to learn more.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }