First United Methodist Church of Winchester

The earthquake in Haiti has left hundreds of thousands dead. Many more have been left without running water.  The transportation system has been severely damaged. The scope of this destruction has caused many people to ask the question, “Why?”  Sometimes in the wake of a natural disaster there are those who say that the event was “divine retribution” for sin.  I do not agree with this philosophy and I do not see it supported by the Bible as a whole.

Although in the Old Testament there are instances in which God punished sin through natural disasters, this perspective is neither supported by other portions of the Old Testament or by the New Testament.   An earlier Old Testament idea implies that a Godly life prevents hardship.  If a person is good, kind, loving, prayerful, and worshipful, then he or she will reap the blessings of God and nothing bad will happen to him or her. Most people remember Noah and the flood in Genesis.  Noah, a righteous man, is told by God to build a boat that will save his family and the innocent species of the world from a flood sent to destroy the unrighteous people. This story and others similar to it lead people to conclude that natural disasters are God’s punishment for bad behavior, retribution for sin.

But look further in the Old Testament and we find that suffering comes to the righteous and unrighteous alike. The 73^rd Psalm, and other similar Psalms, point out that righteousness does not protect one from disaster.  In the book bearing his name, Job’s home is destroyed by a tornado yet the text says he was a “righteous man.”   Job’s good behavior was not a shield from the natural calamities that affected the world around him.

In the New Testament, Matthew 5:45 [show]Matthew 5:45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (ESV)
states that God “makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends the rain on the just and the unjust.”  Given these scriptures from the Old and New Testaments, it is hard to make the case that natural disasters are punishment for sin. With these words, Jesus seems to disconnect sin from the forces of nature.   Jesus is describing that God and all that he created is present for the just and unjust alike. God’s love is not whimsical or conditional.

Though some may try to make the case that the earthquake was God’s judgment, I would like to think that there is another way to look at this tragedy altogether.  When the apostle Paul was on a mission trip, he encountered a great earthquake (Acts 16:25-33 [show]Acts 16:25-33 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. (ESV)
) which destroyed the jail cell in which he was living.  After the event, Paul’s jailer and the jailer’s entire family became Christians.  Others became followers of the Christian way as well.  The earthquake became an opportunity for him to witness to his faith in Christ.  He took the terrible and turned it into a triumph, through Jesus Christ. Paul turned what is unquestionably an event that was tragic into an opportunity to share the love of God with others, inviting them to have the hope that God provides. Perhaps this earthquake will be an opportunity for contemporary Christians to share their faith as well.  This will be a time when we will reveal our truest character through our words, prayers, and actions. We can respond with judgment.  Or, we can be a Christian witness through mercy ministries, prayer, and finding ways to show God’s love.  Which will it be?

Here are three ways that members and friends of First United Methodist Church can help with the disaster in Haiti.  First, the most efficient way to provide immediate assistance is through financial giving. Gifts made through UMCOR (the mission arm of the United Methodist Church) provide 100% direct aid.  All administrative expenses have already been absorbed by apportionment giving through the United Methodist Church so you can be assured that 100% of these gifts will be used for immediate needs such as food, water, shelter and medicine.  If you would like to help in this way, please make out a check to First United Methodist Church.  Write UMCOR Advance #418325 on the memo portion of your check.  Second, our church is partnering with the Shawnee Ruritan Club and MedMissionary.Org to provide clothing for Haitian children. Bring “new”, “summer” clothes to the church for infants and children under the age twelve.  Remember, Haiti is a Caribbean nation.  It is warm year round. Heavy clothes are unnecessary.  New items should be placed on the stage in the Fellowship Hall of the church.  Ruritans will pack items received and Haitian doctors will deliver and distribute them. Third, please continue to pray for the aid workers as well as the people of Haiti. Two United Methodist UMCOR workers, stationed in Haiti before the crisis, died in the earthquake.   We will continue to update you on responses to the Haitian crisis through our church.  Please check the newsletter and bulletin periodically.

Haiti is located about 750 miles southeast of Florida and slightly to the east of Cuba. It is an independent Caribbean nation. The history of Haiti and that of the United States have been intertwined since the 1900’s. Before that time, Haiti was a French colony. Haiti broke away from France in the only successful slave rebellion which ended in 1803. French is still the official language, but most people speak Haitian Creole which is a combination of various languages. The United States sent Marines to occupy the country from 1915-1937. After the Marines left, the nation became a democracy. Some of the elected leaders failed to step down when their terms expired including the infamous “Papa Doc” and his son “Baby Doc”. The United States intervened once again in 1996 and 2004 to help with the transition of power as the terms of elected leaders expired. Since 2004 the United Nations has been present to ensure the stability of this nation. Haiti enjoyed a period of relative calm prior to the earthquake. The United Methodist Commission on Relief has been in Haiti for many years.

We have just begun the season of advent at First United Methodist Church. Advent is a compound word made from the Latin words ad and venire which literally means “to come to.” This is a season in which God “comes to us” by taking flesh in Jesus Christ. We read about this miracle, the incarnation, in the first chapter of the gospel of St. John. Advent is also a season when we “come to” God. Notice in Luke 2:15 [show]Luke 2:15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." (ESV)
how the shepherds said to one another “let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened”. More visitors will probably attend our services on Christmas Eve than other times of the year. What would it look like if those with faith in Christ saw advent and Christmas as an opportunity to invite others to “come to” know Him? Helping others come to God is a wonderful way to put our faith into practice during this season. We can do that by inviting others to join us for Christmas Eve and by showing everyone who visits hospitality. We can also do that by encouraging them to attend the many ministries we perform here in the name of Jesus.

As we all know, the culture often celebrates this season in absurd ways. At the very least, people are encouraged to over buy and over eat. If the past is any indication, the media will probably pick up a story about someone taking this holiday to a consumerist, secular extreme. Perhaps they will be hailed for their enthusiasm. As Christians, we should be more introspective. It isn’t necessary for us to reject the culture outright because as John 3:16 [show]John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV)
states, “God so loved the world.” It is, however, important for us to be inwardly and outwardly on a different path. Reason tells us that if we seek God we will find Him. When we “come to” know Him, we will be challenged to not only love God, but also our fellow human beings (1 Cor. 13 [show]1 Corinthians 13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (ESV)
). We show love to our fellow human beings by performing acts of mercy and kindness during this season. If we are equipped and able, we can roll up our sleeves and take up the challenge of assisting CCAP with the Christmas distribution on December 21 and 22. We can also perform these acts by assisting the youth with their outreach through TOPS (Budget Motel). Or, we can give blood, sing carols at the Rose home, send a letter to a soldier, or use our own creativity to find ways to show Christian love during this time. All of these are things we can do to celebrate advent and Christmas in holy ways! They will help us be a light to the world during this season. Grace and Peace, Pastor Will

Did you know that not everyone has been brought up to smile?  When McDonald’s restaurants invaded Russia, the bosses insisted that the Russian young people working behind the counter give customers the standard Mickey D smile. Russian customers were outraged–and insulted–because in Russia smiling at people you do not know means you’re making fun of them.  How did Mickey D Russia solve the problem? They hired personnel called “Smile Explainers” to shout into bullhorns at customers in line: “When you reach the counter, you will be smiled at. This does not mean we are making fun of you.”

Sometime back there was a news article about an organization called Depressives Anonymous. It banned several people from their organization–because they weren’t depressed enough. I guess there are worse things than being banned from a group because you are not depressed enough. On the other hand, maybe some of those people who were banned from the group felt so bad about it that now they are qualified for re-admittance. Who knows? Some people have difficulty with the task of being happy.

Could it be that many people also have real difficulty feeling a sense of gratitude?  In the familiar story of the ten men with leprosy who were healed by Jesus, only one gave thanks to the Lord. What happened to the rest? Too busy? Perhaps. Too self-occupied? More likely. Could it be that a few of the nine didn’t feel all that grateful?

There are people who have unlimited resources and won’t even pretend to be Thankful on Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, there are people in small huts in South America and Africa who offer a sincere prayer of gratitude to God each and every day for the little they do have.

During John Wesley’s student days, a poor porter knocked on Wesley’s door. It was a cold night, and Wesley suggested that the porter needed a thicker coat. “This is the only coat I have,” the porter replied, “and I thank God for it.”  Wesley asked the man if he had eaten and the porter answered, “I have had nothing today but water to drink, but I thank God for that.” Wesley was deeply moved by the man’s sincerity and he said to him, “You thank God when you have nothing to wear and eat. What else do you thank God for?”  The simple man replied, “I thank God that he has given me life, a heart to love him, and a desire to serve him.” After the man had left with a coat from Wesley’s closet, some money for food, and words of appreciation for the witness he had made, Wesley wrote something like this in his journal, “I shall never forget that porter. He convinced me there is something in religion to which I am a stranger.”  It seems to me that attitude and perspective are the keys.  What can you smile about at Thanksgiving?