11-14-12

Dear Family of faith, When I opened my Internet news tonight the following first line greeted me: “Citizens from more than 40 states have filed petitions with the White House seeking to secede from the union, and by Wednesday, seven states had gathered enough signatures to qualify for a response to the largely symbolic protest.” This is the bizarre society in which we now live! I’m sure all of those who signed the petitions consider themselves loyal citizens and don’t see the inconsistency that wanting to break up the country is the complete antithesis of patriotism! Have we come so far in this culture of entitlement, so coddled by getting what we want so often, so driven by emotions instead of our intellects, that we now demand to “have it our way or else?” Talk about sore losers! It’s no wonder our kids throw a temper tantrum in the store when they don’t get what they want! They are learning this way of reacting from their parents and other adults around them! When will this all stop? When will we be able to accept that life doesn’t always give us our way, that votes don’t always go our way, that people don’t always think the same way that we do? The other thing that bothers me greatly about this secessionist movement is that most of those who have jumped on this bandwagon consider themselves Christians. They do, by their actions, however, reject the very teachings of Jesus who spoke about his disciples becoming peacemakers and reconcilers and living in harmony. We have great examples of disagreement in the Bible that ended not in self-pity and enmity, but in reconciliation and even mutual affection: Abraham and Lot couldn’t live together in the same land, so they chose to go different ways: Paul and Barnabus couldn’t agree over whether to take John Mark on their second mission trip, so they went on different trips; Paul and Peter disagreed over whether to share unkosher meals with Gentiles, but in the end supported each other completely. Those who follow God have much to teach the world. Let us all strive to be that light so badly needed in our time! I recently read an article on the negative effects of stress on our bodies. The physician who wrote the article named the following ways it harms us: (1) it damages blood vessels and our heart; (2) it causes our body to release hormones that cause the liver to release sugar and store fat (which ends up on our stomachs!); (3) it exhausts our adrenal glands and can lead to disrupted sleep and decreased energy; (4) it cause muscular tension that can lead to headaches, backaches, and muscle soreness; (5) it can increase the amount of stomach acid released and affect the motility of our intestines and colon, leading to gastrointestinal problems; and (7) it suppresses the immune system, making us more susceptible to infections and certain chronic illnesses. In short, it makes you fat, tired, sore, nauseated, and sick! Not exactly a great thing to have! What, then, can we do about stress (short of dying)? Well, since we can’t get rid of all the stressors of life; we have to learn how to minimize their effect; and one of the best ways to do that is to live close to God. That’s why worship and prayer are so helpful. I invite you all to come, let loose of your life’s stresses in the presence of God and among the family of God this coming Sunday, Thanksgiving Sunday. The title of my sermon for the day is “Can You See Beautiful?” With affection for all of you, Pastor Carlan