One thing I celebrate is that the culture (whether agnostic, atheist or Christian) is asking deeply theological questions. However, it can also be adding to our misunderstanding and confusion. The questions, I am hearing revolve around our understanding of heaven and hell, as well as how now do we live? How do we live our lives rooted in human and divine love? Does love require anything of us? In regards to the recent writings of Rob Bell's book and O.A.R's release of heaven, indeed we are asking some great questions. As a local pastor in the United Methodist Church, might I be so crazy as to suggest that church is the place where we can dialog and discern these questions. I have to couch that with I can't spoon feed anyone easy answers to these deeply theological questions. The REAL journey is in asking and living the questions for ourselves and for a community of faith.
At the risk of sounding like Rob Bell, I share his frustration...who ever said the decision as to heaven is made by myself or anyone else for that matter? John Ed Mathison (Alabama UMC Pastor) once quipped "it is time we stop doing God's job and start doing God's work". The work is in living the questions. The work is in the love that takes us higher and asks us to reach beyond ourselves and our own self-interest. The work is out of our brokenness (yes, we all have it) and discovering what fullness/authenticity rooted in divine love is all for us with our unique set of gifts. By the way, we all have gifts too! We all have gifts God can use for a broken and hurting world. The love that takes us higher will bring us to those places where our greatest gifts and the world's greatest need are on a collision course to make a difference in the world. To work towards not a heaven where our major concern is whether we get in or not, I believe God's got it under control. Our call as church is to work for the Kingdom of God here and now. To know that when some people look out their window there may be a million lights, but it doesn't feel like heaven because they are hungry, hurting, suffering, trying to discern what it means to live in the midst of dying.
Living requires a realization that this life makes a difference, and that we are assured of life beyond death. I point to the scripture on the Road to Emmaus, where Jesus appears to the disciples on the road and is unrecognizable in some way. I believe death transforms us; it is another one of life's transformational birthing processes. However, Jesus is recognized and revealed to those dialoging disciples on the road through the symbolic act of breaking bread with them. As a pastor, I don't have easy answers but what I do have is a deep passion and energy for living the questions and inviting others to live them with me within a community of faith, love and grace.
This post was inspired by three music video's found on you tube, "Heaven" by O.A.R (I love O.A.R because they help me through the gift on music wrestle with good questions), "Broken & Beautiful" by Mark Schultz, and "Unloved" by Michael W. Smith. I can't post you tube links here, but I will try under the note from the pastor. The Icon with pastor's pick at the bottom of the page.
Here at Keeler/Silver Creek, come spring/summer 2012 we will dialog all the following resources: O.A.R's "Heaven", with Rob Bell's book "Love Wins", with Francis Chan's "Erasing Hell", with John Wesley's Sermon on Hell, with the Time Magazine article.
Don't ask me to tell you the conclusion; I am afraid I can't do that! I can facilitate the dialog and help you wrestle with drawing conclusions...it's not only my job, it's my call!!
See you at church, at the grocery store, on the street, in dialog or wherever it is we might meet and greet along life's journey. I know it isn't just broken and beautiful it is also blessed! Come join the dialog and discernment! It's a wrestling match riddled with grace, and you won't want to miss it!
Peace & Grace,
Pastor Heather
At the risk of sounding like Rob Bell, I share his frustration...who ever said the decision as to heaven is made by myself or anyone else for that matter? John Ed Mathison (Alabama UMC Pastor) once quipped "it is time we stop doing God's job and start doing God's work". The work is in living the questions. The work is in the love that takes us higher and asks us to reach beyond ourselves and our own self-interest. The work is out of our brokenness (yes, we all have it) and discovering what fullness/authenticity rooted in divine love is all for us with our unique set of gifts. By the way, we all have gifts too! We all have gifts God can use for a broken and hurting world. The love that takes us higher will bring us to those places where our greatest gifts and the world's greatest need are on a collision course to make a difference in the world. To work towards not a heaven where our major concern is whether we get in or not, I believe God's got it under control. Our call as church is to work for the Kingdom of God here and now. To know that when some people look out their window there may be a million lights, but it doesn't feel like heaven because they are hungry, hurting, suffering, trying to discern what it means to live in the midst of dying.
Living requires a realization that this life makes a difference, and that we are assured of life beyond death. I point to the scripture on the Road to Emmaus, where Jesus appears to the disciples on the road and is unrecognizable in some way. I believe death transforms us; it is another one of life's transformational birthing processes. However, Jesus is recognized and revealed to those dialoging disciples on the road through the symbolic act of breaking bread with them. As a pastor, I don't have easy answers but what I do have is a deep passion and energy for living the questions and inviting others to live them with me within a community of faith, love and grace.
This post was inspired by three music video's found on you tube, "Heaven" by O.A.R (I love O.A.R because they help me through the gift on music wrestle with good questions), "Broken & Beautiful" by Mark Schultz, and "Unloved" by Michael W. Smith. I can't post you tube links here, but I will try under the note from the pastor. The Icon with pastor's pick at the bottom of the page.
Here at Keeler/Silver Creek, come spring/summer 2012 we will dialog all the following resources: O.A.R's "Heaven", with Rob Bell's book "Love Wins", with Francis Chan's "Erasing Hell", with John Wesley's Sermon on Hell, with the Time Magazine article.
Don't ask me to tell you the conclusion; I am afraid I can't do that! I can facilitate the dialog and help you wrestle with drawing conclusions...it's not only my job, it's my call!!
See you at church, at the grocery store, on the street, in dialog or wherever it is we might meet and greet along life's journey. I know it isn't just broken and beautiful it is also blessed! Come join the dialog and discernment! It's a wrestling match riddled with grace, and you won't want to miss it!
Peace & Grace,
Pastor Heather
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