A Service of Death and Resurrection for Gene Arnold will be held Tuesday, September 16, 2014 at 7:30 pm at the Martin-Becker-Carlson Funeral Home.
Thanks
It looks like we’ll be able to use the new screens in the sanctuary this Sunday. I want to take time to thank everyone who helped with this project. Steve Schwarting was the first one to bring up the possibility of using flat screen TV’s instead of a projector and was the driving force behind this project. Bill Burwell gave of his time and the use of his truck to bring the screens back from Salina. John and Scott Schwarting wrangled them into place high above the sanctuary floor.
Please note that I was responsible for selecting, ordering, and installing the electronic equipment to get the screen images from the control booth to the screens themselves. This is where something is likely to go wrong on Sunday. When it does, it’s on me.
From Survival to Love
Evolution is a messy, painful, and ruthless process. Recently I saw an article* mistakenly suggesting that because of the difficulties of evolution no one can accept evolution and still believe in a benevolent God. I knew they were mistaken, because I myself accept the evidence for evolution and still believe in a benevolent God. The problem the author of the article was trumpeting (and they were trumpeting it as if they had discovered something brand new), was the problem of evil. In a nutshell the problem of evil is the difficulty in reconciling an all-loving, all-powerful God with the evil, pain, and suffering we observe all around us on a daily basis. Despite what the misguided author thought, it is a problem that Christian thinkers have been wrestling with for centuries (and Jewish ones even before that, e.g. the book of Job).
I didn’t think any more about that article until I came across another article titled “From Survival to Love: Evolution and the Problem of Suffering” by Bethany Sollereder in The Christian Century. She reviews a book by Andrew Elphinstone that deals with this very issue. She sums up his book as follows by quoting the following statement, “The present primacy of pain and unrest in the world is part of the raw material of the ultimate primacy of love.”
Needless to say, I was intrigued and I kept reading despite the fact that it was a relatively long article. But how are pain and unrest transformed into love? Here’s her summary:
“From this evolutionary perspective, the ubiquity of pain in the world is not an argument against the love or goodness of God. Rather, it is the key to understanding our high calling of love. When we are in pain, more than any other moment, our passions are invoked and shaped. When our pain leads us to violence, hate, or revenge, our desires turn to evil. If instead, in the moment of pain, we choose to forgive, the power of pain is broken. It is not passed on in aggression or turned upon the self in shame. Forgiveness is the ultimate defeat of evil and freedom from it. While we may still be in pain, we may also find joy in the transformation of love. There is redemption in finding that without retaliation we can relinquish the role of victim and become the victor.”
I’ve encountered this line of thinking before, but never in directly in the context of a discussion of the theory or evolution.** I commend the article to you, but please know that The Christian Century will apparently only let you read a limited number of articles free each month.
*Sorry, but I can’t find the article. I was really happy to find an example of a militant atheist saying something stupid about Christianity, rather than a Christian saying something stupid about science. However, I didn’t bookmark the article and now I can’t locate it.
**I don’t question the theory of evolution and I accept the scientific evidence for it, but I also wouldn’t be troubled if biologists presented a new theory of human origins tomorrow. I accept the evidence for evolution, but I reserve the statement “I believe” (which denotes faith, trust, and commitment) for the Triune God.
Link: http://goo.gl/QsUqmw
Special Music: The Church’s One Foundation
The following post was received from Clark Williamson:
At worship on September 14th, Angie Hoerner and Clark Williamson will play a piano duet entitled “The Church’s One Foundation”, arranged by Lani Smith. The piece for 2 pianos incorporates the hymn tune “AURELIA”, which was composed in 1864 by Samuel Sebastian Wesley, grandson of John Wesley. Besides writing music, Samuel also served as an Anglican Church organist of noted fame. The words of the hymn were originally penned by Samuel Stone in 1866. (The Brits sure liked to name their children “Sam” in the 19th century.) Here are the lyrics for the first stanza in a modern adaptation by Laurence Hull Stookey (1983), found in our United Methodist Hymnal on page 546.
The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord;
we are his new creation by water and the Word;
from heaven he came and sought us
that we might ever be
his living servant people,
by his own death set free.
The Sermon This Sunday
This Sunday, I’ll be preaching on Exodus 14.19-31. This is the passage in which God dramatically delivers the Israelites to freedom through the Red Sea. This is an important event in the life of Israel by extension, an important part in the life of the church universal.
I’m planning to show a clip from The Price of Egypt on one of the church’s new 60″ flatscreen televisions during the sermon. The flatscreens (there will eventually be two) will update our current screen and projector combination. I know that many of you have long been anticipating this update. I think showing the clip will be a good way to highlight the advantages of the new system.
2014 Church Conference
Our 2014 Church Conference will be Sunday, November 2, 2014 at 7 pm. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee will meet with the District Superintendent at 6:45 pm. This is the most important administrative meeting of the year and every member of the church is eligible to participate. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
Young, Younger, and Youngish Starts Tomorrow
A friendly reminder to our Young, Younger, and Youngish Adults that the new Sunday School class starts tomorrow at 9:15 am. We’ll begin with introductions, housekeeping matters, and then move to sharing what parts of the Bible we’ve had questions about or difficulty with in the past.
That discussion will serve as a prelude to our first book study: Making Sense of the Bible: Rediscovering the Power of Scripture Today by Adam Hamilton. The book isn’t required reading for the class, but it’s a solid introduction to biblical interpretation and I think you’ll find it extremely helpful. Copies will be available with a suggested donation of $16.
Youth Trip to the Manhattan Zoo
A youth trip to the Manhattan Zoo trip has been scheduled for this coming Monday, September 8, 2014. The group will leave the church at 9:30 am and return at 2:30 pm. Individual youth are asked to bring a lunch and $2 for the admittance fee.
Karlene Taylor and Jenny Collins are going and can transport a total of 10 other people. Wendy Robinson will be unable to attend the trip so we are looking for additional adult drivers. Please RSVP to Wendy Robinson by tomorrow night (Friday, September 5, 2014) If you can attend or parent is willing to be a driver.
Davis Baptism this Sunday
Jenny and I are looking forward to the baptism of Elise Davis, daughter of Holly and Scott Schwarting, on Sunday, September 7, 2014. This baptism will take place at the 10:30 service. We’ll also be welcoming Holly into Membership.
As it’s the first Sunday of the month, we’ll be celebrating Holy Communion, but don’t worry I’ll cut the sermon short. Come and celebrate with us.
Observing Labor Day
Please Note: The following was originally posted in 2011.
The original purposes of Memorial Day and Labor Day are often obscured by the nature of our celebrations. Just as it’s good (indeed essential) to remember the original reason for observing Memorial Day, it’s also fitting on Labor Day to remember and honor those who strove and those who still strive for justice for all who labor. The world more closely resembles God’s original intent and eventual promise because of their efforts.
Photo Credit: Lewis Hine/Library of Congress via PINGnews. Additional photo information: TITLE: 488 Macon, Ga. Lewis W. Hine 1-19-1909. Bibb Mill No. 1 Many youngsters here. Some boys were so small they had to climb up on the spinning frame to mend the broken threads and put back the empty bobbins. Location: Macon, Georgia. More.
