I remember a few years ago when one of the many shootings that year took the lives of 50 people. In response to the tragedy, the governor of the state where it happened said, “All we can do is pray.” I was aghast. As a Christian and a minister, I was angry. To hear that anyone, certainly an elected leader, thought that there was nothing people could do at all to prevent tragic things from happening except pray that God would simply fix it all for us.
Sometimes we say prayers and then feel like our job is done; there is nothing left for us to do. But that is never the case. As Jesus followers, we are always called to actively build God’s kingdom of heaven here on earth. So it’s never true that all we can do is pray. We can always show love to others and work hard to stop suffering from happening.
The book of James says, “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (2:15-17). If we are to be people of faith, then, what action needs to happen to stop these terrible school shootings? James would tell us today that if one of us just says to a school “thoughts and prayers,” then “what good is it?”
Over the years, it has been easy to fall into the regular pattern of 1) hear about yet another mass shooting, 2) be sad and/or upset, 3) wonder why it happens so frequently only in our country, then 4) go back to our regular lives as time passes and something else fills the news cycle. Even when the worst happened, at Sandy Hook Elementary, where 20 first graders were shot and killed, you would have thought things would have changed then, but they didn’t. It’s still just as easy for them to happen. And now it has happened to my family.
My mother, Ellen Dunn, is a teacher at The Covenant School in Nashville. She was there the whole time. She locked herself in her room and heard the assault rifle fired outside. She taught all the students who were killed two years ago when they were first graders. She was friends with the staff who were killed. We are so thankful that my mother was not physically hurt, but the trauma of that day will stay with all of the children, parents, and staff forever. So it has been a heavy week, with many emotions that come and go. Maybe for you too. Disbelief, shock, disgust, sorrow, and a full-throated anger that we have not made it harder for these things to happen. If nothing changes, then nothing will change.
We absolutely pour out our hearts and prayers to everyone in The Covenant School community in Nashville. For comfort in the midst of their terrible grief. And also in our prayers, we confess to God that we have let this situation happen again, over and over, only in our country. We beg forgiveness, and we pray that God would break our hardened anxious hearts, so that we will do whatever is necessary and make whatever sacrifice to prevent this from happening again.
We speak in prayer the names of those who were killed on Monday: Hallie, Will, and Evelyn (all age 9); Cynthia, Mike, and Katherine (all brave workers). Lord, have mercy.
A Word from the Pastor – What kind of work are we called to do?(The answer may surprise you.)
Since we’re having a fun lunch this Sunday around the theme of “How can you make a difference,” I’ve been thinking about how everyone is called and gifted to help—both individually and as a church. While pondering some of those different ways, I came across this article about the incredible things a church in Ukraine is doing.
The town of Irpin is outside the community of Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv and the site of horrific destruction and killings. Irpin is sometimes called “the Evangelical Hub of Ukraine” because it has many churches as well as offices for the Ukraine Baptist Union. One of the churches there is Irpin Bible Church (IBC). As soon as Russian troops pulled out of the area, IBC volunteers immediately began delivering food to survivors, cleaning up destroyed buildings, and even removing land mines. (!!) Apparently when the Russians retreated, they left landmines behind to try and kill or maim the people there.
The very idea astounded me. We invite people to volunteer in many ways here—inside and outside the church. But all the good work we do seems so… low-risk, compared to removing landmines. That’s not an activity you’d expect to see on a church Sign-Up Shack.
The Coordination Center of Ukrainian Baptists asked all of us to pray for church volunteers clearing landmines: “prayers for their strength and safety.” That’s quite an understatement. Can you imagine that being on our list of prayer concerns? It’s hard to fathom.
As it turns out, Irpin Bible Church’s ministry center was badly damaged in a bombing raid when the Russians pulled out. (see photo) The congregation had just bought the building a year before; then spent eight months renovating it. I can’t imagine that either. I see everyday the awesome work that our church volunteers are doing on our hallways, ceilings, carpet, gardens, and more. So many work hours they’ve put in to help our church look beautiful, especially as we get ready for our 100th Anniversary this summer. But what if, once we finished, someone bombed our church? It would be heartbreaking.
Despite all of that horror, the pastor of Irpin Bible Church said, “We believe that the Lord will give us the opportunity to rebuild the church building…. But most importantly, we pray for our people in Irpin and try to serve them, so that they will see that in the most difficult times, the Lord is near.” Amazing. What a witness of endurance, service, and strength. (see photo of people sheltering in their church for safety) What an inspiration. And it really puts things in perspective.
The next time we think about the work there is that needs doing, and if our schedules allow it, we can think about the kind of work that church volunteers in Ukraine are doing. Hopefully it will make us all the more thankful for what we have, and the work that we get to do.
Pastoral Pandemic Reflections – One Year On
One year ago this week was the first week of our pandemic time. The previous Friday there was a special called staff meeting where we decided to cancel church that Sunday due to the increasing risk of the coronavirus. Then on Monday, March 16, we had another called staff meeting to figure what we and the church could do and would need to do in the days ahead. What a year it has been since.
There have been highs and lows, laughs and tears, sad from being lonely but worried about being in a group. There have been many changes and learning curves in all our lives. During different phases of the past year, different things needed to be done in different ways—for the church and everyone. It’s certainly not boring being a minister these days. But it has also certainly been a true honor to serve a church that is so compassionate, thoughtful, wise, willing, and good-hearted. All through the past year I have said, “If I had to go through the craziest year on record, at least I could go through it with our people here!” You have been a blessing to me for sure.
I have been thankful to the staff for figuring out new things they had to do. I’ve been thankful for the deacons and church leaders who helped facilitate needed discussions during difficult circumstances. And I am proud of our congregation—for you—in the way that it handled and dealt with this long crisis. With determination, wisdom, care, and humility. Through it all, you continued the two most important things: love God, and love your neighbors.
In a sermon last April, I said the following:
I know that there are a lot of problems, and fears, and uncertainties, and loss. But when I think of the people in our church, and I think of your hearts and your minds…. Folks, I believe this will be our finest hour. Because a crisis this big shows who people really are—as individuals and as a society. It’s easy to look good when things are easy, but during a crisis, your real self is shown, for better and for worse. And I have faith in us, right now, as we do show others who we really are and how we care about people and the power of God’s Spirit inside of us. This season is indeed a true test of faith, but we are in it together.
Those things have stayed true for the past year and on through today.
I have been reflecting and writing about what the year has been like. I felt it was important for history, for the church’s record, and just for me to remember. If you’re interested in reading more pandemic reflections, you can click HERE. I will be updating it from time to time. Although, it is long with lots of information. (You know how preachers like to talk.) For a shorter snapshot, here are some figures for what the church has done over the past year:
1,200 meals made and/or delivered
262 separate videos posted online for people to watch
13,140 total times that people have looked at our various videos
113,340 total minutes that people have watched us (about 1,889 hours!)
120 worship service DVDs made
4,100 visits to the church’s website for information and updates
370 posts published on social media (our website blog posts, the Facebook Page, Instagram, etc.)
21,950 people who saw at least one thing we posted on social media
104 e-mail newsletters sent out (not counting other e-mailed special announcements or pressing updates)
It’s been a full busy year, but full of good things to do. Here’s to another year of God’s wisdom guiding us, the Spirit’s strength sustaining us, and Christ’s compassion inspiring us.
A Word from the Pastor – Gardening, Weddings, and Living in Exile
This pandemic season has felt like an exile from normal life and doing what we enjoy. Fortunately there are many Bible passages that speak to what it feels like to be plunged into exile. One of the biggest baddest things during the Old Testament was when the Israelites were conquered and taken into exile in Babylon for about 70 years. So if you’re interested in Bible readings with big connections to the times we’re living in…… [click View Post above to keep reading]
Word from the Pastor – "What Do You Want to Spread?"
During this pandemic time we think and hear a lot about being contagious. We use words like “aerosolized particles” and “contact tracing” to help us be aware of how the coronavirus spreads. What makes this virus so hard to stop is that people can be contagious for a whole week without even having symptoms—walking around spreading it unaware. Hence, masks and distancing to cut down on the spread. But there’s another kind of spreading we need to remember. We can spread feelings too….. [click “View Post” above to keep reading]
Word from the Pastor – A Big Thank You!
I was so touched and surprised during worship this Sunday that it was hard to say how thankful I was to our sweet church. I appreciated so much the congratulations and gift that you gave for the completion of my doctoral degree. The program took years of different kinds of work, and at times I considered stopping. But even though you didn’t know it, you all helped encourage me to keep going. It was your…… [click on “View Post” below to continue reading]
A Word from the Pastor – “The First Step in Building Peace”
Matthew 10:26-39 always sounded strange to me, because I always pictured Jesus as sweet and smiling, maybe some kids crawling on him, preaching about God’s love and encouraging more peace. And yet in Matthew 10, Jesus announces, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’” That doesn’t fit with the warm fuzzy image of Jesus we’ve put in our heads. What’s going on?…. [click on View Post above to keep reading]
Bible Verses to Read - Mark 1:40-45
In one of Jesus’ first healings in the Gospel of Mark, he touches a man with leprosy. Because of the condition, the man would have been considered unclean and un-touchable. He would have likely been isolated and forced to practice “social distancing measures” because of his disease. Not only would he have suffered physically from leprosy, but also emotionally from being alone. This passage reminds us how important and connecting the touch of another person is…. ]click View Post above to continue reading]
A Word from the Pastor – “Those People”
It is a temptation that every human has, to think about and talk about “those people.” “Those people” are anybody we want to group together and judge: “Well that’s just what those people are like. You know how those people act. Everything would be fine if it weren’t for those people.” When we hear of something bad that a person(s) has done, our minds are quick to group together and judge all the other people who are in that same group. It can be done for any grouping……. [click on View Post above to continue reading]
Word from the Pastor - Present Laments and Future Hope
“What is our world coming to?” A good friend of mine asked that over the weekend as we talked about recent events. Maybe you’ve asked that yourself lately. It’s a good question. We’ll get back to it in a minute. First let’s talk about what our world is and has been, before we consider what it’s coming to. It’s easy to see tough stories on the news from other towns, other states, or other countries, and then go back to the regular routine of our lives. It is a fortunate privilege to have a regular routine when people elsewhere face daily challenges. So we sometimes hear the news, feel bad, maybe say a prayer, and hope things work out for them. Then we go back to our lives and don’t think about it much. But……. [click on View Post above to continue reading]
Mid-Week Bible Study - Ephesians 4:1-16
As we move into chapter 4 of Ephesians, this week's passage encourages us to use whatever gifts that God has given us to help strengthen others as we all grow in Christ-like maturity. We talk about what maturity looks like, and what character traits Paul says we should have to be worthy of our calling.
Click here to read Ephesians 4:1-16.
A Word from the Pastor - Resist Temptation, So We Can Watch Sports
Since Germany has done a good job of controlling the spread of the virus and testing its population, their major league soccer came back this weekend. With that as the only option, starting now I’m a lifelong die-hard fan of teams in Munich and Dortmund. There were no fans in attendance, of course, but gosh it was good to watch. As a matter of fact, South Korea has done such an excellent job in their response to the virus that their soccer league started back two weeks ago. As I have followed all the news over the past 2-3 months of the virus’s spread, it’s interesting to see how different places responded to the crisis, and from a spiritual perspective, how people have responded to temptation. Here’s what I mean….. [click on View Post above to keep reading]
Mid-Week Bible Study – Ephesians 2:11-22
We continue reading through the book of Ephesians during the week. We finish chapter 2 this week, and hear about some of the incredible effects Jesus had to bring people together. Anyone is invited to watch, read along, and offer thoughts or questions in the comment section. Tune in each week around Wednesday afternoons as we read what Paul wrote to the Ephesians and to us about what God has done and how we should live in response.
A Word from the Pastor - Finding Other Water
In the early 2nd century there was a booklet written as an instruction guide for Christian churches, which were still figuring out how to be church in that early period, when the books of the New Testament were still on the “New Releases” shelf. The booklet was called The Didache: Teachings of the Twelve Apostles. It had helpful suggestions for things like worship, church administration, and daily living. Here are the instructions for how to perform baptisms……. [click View Post to continue reading]
Word from the Pastor - You’re Not Crazy, Just Stressed. These Things Can Help.
Have you been extra forgetful lately? Felt absent-minded, or had trouble sleeping? That’s normal. Chronic stress can cause problems with concentration, irritability, fatigue, and changes in sleep and appetite. When we feel stressed or under threat, we often unconsciously start to breathe more shallowly in order to flood the blood with oxygen. The change in our breathing doesn’t get our attention, but resulting tightness in the chest and dizziness does. All that stress can take a significant toll on our mental health….. [Click on View Post above to keep reading]
Mid-Week Bible Study - Ephesians 2:1-10
We continue reading through the book of Ephesians during the week. This week we’re reading Ephesians 2:1-10. Watch, read along, and offer thoughts or questions in the comment section. Tune in each week around Wednesday afternoons as we read what Paul wrote to the Ephesians and to us about what God has done and how we should live in response.
A Word from the Pastor - Make the Most of Your Time
In our area it has been about 5 weeks of social distancing and homeschooling. It’s been hard on every person in different ways. Since no one knows how long it will take for the threat to go away, we don’t know how many more weeks are left. With that stress and uncertainty, it’s very normal for depression to set in. Old habits might come back, or new bad habits might form. So what can we do about it?….. [Click View Post above to keep reading]
A Word from the Pastor - Easter weekend
Life during the pandemic continues to be tough. And the toughness will last for more weeks. One of the many sad parts of this time is that we cannot gather in person for worship, especially for special holy days like Easter. I will miss seeing Easter Sunday’s bright smiles and bright colors to match the bright sunlight outside. That does make me sad. But there is always this good news….. [Click View Post above to keep reading]
A Word from the Pastor - March 25
It’s okay to admit it. It’s okay to say it out loud: “I’m really worried. I’m scared.” The craziness of these days is starting to get overwhelming. With so many businesses having to close for now, so many people without work, the difficulty of having kids be home all day, and real concerns about getting sick—it is okay and honest to say, “I’m really worried. I’m scared”…. [Click View Post to continue reading.]
Word from the Pastor - March 23
I think we’ve all been through natural disasters in the past that made life strange for a while. Usually, when a hurricane would go through, we’d lose power for a few days, play extra board games, chat with neighbors, and maybe go to someone else’s house who still had power, if only to shower and hang out. When the lights came back on, things went back to normal. But the crisis now is different…. [Click View Post to keep reading]