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Newsletter -- Winter 2006-2007 Edition, Vol 1 Content: A Drop of Meditation Posted on Dec. 9, 2006 "Then I will make their waters settle
And will cause their rivers to run like oil,"
-- Declares the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 32:14 (New American Standard Bible) The previous verse (v.13) says that the Lord "will also destroy all its cattle from beside many waters;" and that neither men nor beasts shall muddy the waters.
When we are under trial, when we are cut off from the temptations of this world, we are then able to step away from all the noise, and our hearts can be purified. It is at this moment we begin to behold the presence of the Almighty very clearly, whom we were able to see only vaguely when the waters were muddy.
What is important seems, by making good use of this experience, to attain a heart that can stay calm and still, whatever might be going on around us -- because the whisper of God can be heard only when it's quiet. This, like so many other things, can only be done by completely trusting our Lord Jesus Christ and His everlasting love for us. ~S.H.~
____________________________ Simple Questions Concerning Christian Faith in Our Post-Modern Era (The Church in the United States today is facing an entirely new type of challenge. Most of the younger generation has little or no background in Christian teachings and values. This corner aims to identify and enhance our understanding of key issues concerning Christian faith in order to prepare us, the Church, for the future generation in this post-modern era.) Posted on Dec. 16, 2006 "Why Do We Go to Church?"
On December 15, 2006, The CBS Evening News aired a segment entitled, “Wired for Faith.” Nowadays, media technology such as the iPod can allow people to access countless Christian resources wherever they are and whenever they want. Accordingly, many youngsters are now seeking the source of faith in cyberspace. Indeed, many believe that “Cyberspace Christianity” is better than church: It’s easy, convenient and provides access to the best knowledge available in the Western world. Best of all, it demands no personal accountability or commitment!
For post-modern Christendom, the existence of local churches and their significance are under greater threat than ever before.
If you did not grow up in church, the chances are that you came to the Lord and began to attend church when you’d finally found yourself at wit’s end. In times of deep pain and distress, we crawl to a church (or churches) hoping to find supermen and superwomen who would gladly carry our burden for us, who could live life on our behalf.
The reality, however, is that these “saints” (whom we expect to be super-strong) are also human beings. They are people who struggle through their own lives, just as you’ve done in yours. Yet, some are so well-disciplined in love that they will readily provide help and comfort to the most miserable human being who might arrive at their door. Still, it isn’t possible for such a person to “eliminate” our pain nor live a life for us. Or worse, because of the pain that inevitably resides within the human heart, we often end up hurting each other in an attempt to get closer.
So, why do we even go to church? Is it just to get hurt again? Why do we get up early on Sunday—the so-called day of rest—and go to a place where we were once hurt. Why would we be willing to throw away the 10% of our hard labor and then to be forced into more labor for free!? When we look at church this way, viewing it from the secular mindset of our post-modern culture, it appears to be nothing more than a scam.
“We go to church to be closer to God,” or so we are told. Thus the mind, not yet fully persuaded, rebels against the proposition. One will say, “Sure, but in reality you can get closer to Him at home, because God can be everywhere. Besides, we can have church on TV or iPod anytime we want.”
“We go to church to serve, not to be served” In response, the mind nagged by a tired body cries out: “But we serve society all through the week (and sometime weekends) with our hard work and taking care our families. Besides, it seems more effective to serve the cause of Christianity if we just give money to charity organizations by mail.
The fatigued mind and body search for a way of escape. To a restless mind, the Everlasting Love Himself, instead of giving us more reasons why we ought to go to church, whispers a simple question: “Are you happy?”
The greatest paradox a human being can encounter is that we need to give up our lives to be happy. Strangely, despite our natural tendency to be selfish, one is not capable of being happy while living solely for one’s own sake. After all, we must remember that God never meant us to live our lives only for ourselves, nor to have someone else live for us. Each of our lives is “designed” to be given back to the Creator through Jesus Christ, so that it might receive eternal life in perfect harmony with Him. This, in a sense, is the definition of “worship.”
When the weary soul finds absolute rest and peace by relinquishing all the control and expectations of life into the Arms of the Almighty, only then can we accept the harsh reality --that life is tough, and that each of us must live and decide what to do with our own life--only to realize that we cannot live our lives by ourselves. There is only One who is strong and capable enough to help us all the way through. When we give up on our own capacity and relinquish all to Him, strangely enough we can receive the strength we need to care for others and together continue our journey to the Destination, where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”
Well, for the question, “Why do we go to church,” the way I see it is that a local church seems to be God’s usual way of providing us a place where we can truly give ourselves up to Him; that is, a place where one can be free from the “self.”
When the iPod fails the “cyberspace Christians,” will local churches be ready to receive them and provide such a place?
“Ministry is, one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread.”
~S.H.~ Comment from a reader: "This is a very moving little piece. I think it's very true to the questions we have about life and the distance to God. Thanks."
Larry (Sheffield, Massachusetts) ____________________________ Announcements Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all from the SUMC family!!! * The Editorial services of this newsletter is provided by courtesy of TransPros.Net For Newsletter Editorial Inquiries, Please Contact Snow Hirose Add your content here |
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