Skip to main content

There is No Easy Answer

I wrote this for the local paper...it isn't much and it is very "politically and religiously safe" because I don't think my little spot in the paper should be used for tearing the community a part. We all struggle in our own way with the state of the world. These are just a few of my thought on how we can maybe struggle together...without beating each other up about it.

Pasrson to Person  “There is No Easy Answer or Solution?”
Rev. Andrea Brownlee First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The work of ministry is nothing short of finding the balance between absolutely crazy and astonishingly beautiful. In the course of a week it is not unlikely for me to sit at someone’s beside in the hospital, spend time with children and youth discovering what it means to be a follower of Christ, visit with a couple preparing to start their life together, help someone figure out how to pay an overdue bill or find food to feed their family until next month’s check arrives. The work of ministry whether we are pastors or layity is not easy and is not for the faint of heart. It is sometimes difficult work in difficult places with difficult people and we can struggle to find the balance. The good news is that in our faith journeys and our “ministries” Christ doesn’t call us to walk or work alone. Jesus calls us to follow him, learning the steps it takes to live in a world that so desperately needs God’s love and grace. More than Jesus’ calling to follow is his calling for us to go out on his behalf. “Go and do likewise” he says over and over in the Gospels. Share God’s love with anyone we might encounter, not because they “deserve” but because you know I did the same for you first.
There is enough polarization in the world that I do not need to add to it by writing words that can’t be taken back. The world, as of late, has become a much crueler place than ever before and we (each and every one of us) struggle to find the correct words to say, the correct thing to do, and the correct meme to post on Facebook. It is becoming increasingly obvious that unchecked fear leads to widespread panic. Widespread panic leads to irrational actions. Irrational actions lead to a continued cycle of more irrational actions. There is not an easy answer or solution. Closing boarders to refugees who are not connected to terrorist organization won’t keep those who choose to inflict terror from finding ways to infiltrate. Offering asylum to people who have been cast out by their own country does not excuse us from taking care of our own citizens who struggle to have to basic necessities for living.  There is not an easy answer or solution.
As we strive in this community to live into Christ’s call to follow him, his words from the Gospel of Matthew ring loudly in my ears.
Matthew 25: 35-40 “35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

You should know I struggled to write this article as I try to warp my own head and my own heart around recent world events. I pray that as community we will be willing to work together, for the greater good of God’s world. I pray the even though we might not agree on everything we are able to find common ground in order to live and work and “do ministry” together. Let us hear Jesus’ words and live them out together “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Blessings to you and yours, Pastor Andrea
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Changing of the Seasons

"I don't like this cold..." SERIOUSLY not even two weeks ago some of the same people who are saying this were more recently saying "I can't stand this heat, I wish it was cooler." You got your wish, quit complaining!  Why is it we are never happy in the moment? It is too hot, too cold, too boring, too silly, too dry, too wet, too overwhelming, not overwhelming enough...the list continues. As I sit in my office this afternoon, reflecting on the past few week's events (funerals, Sunday school starting, children and youth activities starting, countless meetings, and moments(very few moments) of silence) I hear in the back of my mind a voice not my own reciting the beginning of Ecclesiastes 3     1  For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:  2  a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;  3  a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break do...
2 comments
Read more

Words from the Board...Bulletin Board that is

I have a bulletin board hanging on my office wall; it has various things thumb tacked to it. At some point each of the things hanging there were important to me. I suppose since they are still hanging there even after making a 740 mile move cross country, they are still important. The things hanging on this board vary in shape, size, meaning, and appearance. A Chalice sun catcher, a map of the church, several cards from family and friends, a picture of my paternal grandparents in front of the "Arc de Triumph" during WWII, my father’s obituary, the preaching schedule, and a couple crosses…just to name a few. When I am sitting at my desk, this bulletin board is on my left; every time I glance at it the same thing catches my eye. I am always drawn to the same card. I believe I received this card at my Ordination and if memory serves I received three or four of this same card that day. The card reads; “Be who you are. Do what you love. Make a difference. Change the world.” ...
2 comments
Read more

10 Years, One Decade, No matter how you say it...Thank you!

 It is hard to believe that a decade has passed since I stood in front of a church filled with my family and friends and said the vows that brought me into the Order of Christian Ministry. Time flies even if all of it hasn’t been fun. The past 10 years have been a roller coaster . The past 10 years have been terrifying. The past 10 years have been exciting. The past 10 years have been exhausting. The past 10 years have been overwhelming. The past 10 years have been amazing. I thought on my 5 th anniversary I wrote a blog about the top 5 things from the first 5 years but I must have dreamed it or not posted it or somehow lost it on the inter-webs  (according to some people that can happen you know hahaha). So this year in honor of my 10 th anniversary I would like to share 10 of my favorite memories from the last 10 years. It’s a pretty generic list because there is no way to boil 10 years of ministry into 10 exact memories, so here they are. 10 memories. ...
1 comment
Read more