Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Tuesday musings January 29 2019


                This is supposed to be my Tuesday musings, but is really my Wednesday wanderings. Today has been the coldest day of this winter. Living in an apartment has been a unique experience especially in an apartment complex in a larger community. People tend to live in their cubicles, isolated and sometimes I wonder if they are afraid or suspicious of others. When I say hello and even offer my name, it seems that they are hesitant to respond (though they often do). One way of breaking the ice and actually get to talk is to speak to their animals and learn names through constant contact. I see this often as the microcosm of the world outside of our complex. I can see this even in churches and have experienced in churches that I have visited. If they are not aware that I am a retired pastor or former District Superintendent, I rarely feel welcomed. This is not dependent on the size of the church or even to some extant the pastor. Thankfully, Nancy and I have found a church that works well on welcoming, but even so there can be the tendency to once you sit down to not speak to those sitting next to you. I have found this to be true in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Being an introvert, I can be comfortable with not being overly communicative. I have been working on that and being a pastor has forced me out of shell. It is an area that churches and ourselves can continue to work. In fact, I believe that churches that are growing in many areas of the state and conference, are those that work intentionally on hospitality and connecting people to people.
                This month, Water’s Edge will be looking at relationships. This is appropriate for February. I often look at those who are in committed relationships that have lasted a number of years. I marvel at how people adapt to one another. I have compared ideas that can lead to long-term relationshipswhen I do wedding homilies-or least for some- to a three-legged stool. The seat of the stool is love which is the foundation that ties everything together. I am not talking about the feeling of love, but the love that incorporates the physical aspect, the emotional aspect, and most importantly the spiritually aspect (agape). Love is not a feeling that comes and goes, it is a choice an act of volition. Those who have been able to be in any long-term relationship experience the need to wake up thanking God and choosing to be in love again. This even applies to those who are not now in a relationship or have experienced loss of a relationship. I find it is important to thank God for the love that has been given to each of us and to thank the creator, the giver of love, and the sustainer of that relationship.
                Love has been so emphasized in our society especially sexualized. All you need to do is go to the self-help books about finding the right man or woman. The number of dating sites that one can go to find your partner. To be alone, whether dating or not, is an anathema. Many have tried to describe love whether in poetic language or prose. So many much better than I could ever do. The best that I have read and re-read comes from a letter to the Corinthians that Paul wrote about love, 1 Corinthians 13. In our study of Revelation, one of the resources stated that a “church without love is dead.” In the day to day of being with someone or even in a church, what Paul has to say is instructive for all of us.
                The three legs of the stool are caring, commitment, and communication. These will be musings for February. Until then stay warm, stay committed, and most of all stay in love with God and neighbor as yourself.
Eldon

No comments: