Rural Work

PK’s Corner                                                                               August 2013 

Matthew 9:37-38

³⁷Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’ 

I have spent most of my life in rural communities.  The town I grew up in had more cows than people, and more dogs than kids.  In fact my dad often jokes about living on “poke and plum” street, it is where you poke your head out of the window and you are plum out of town.  Small rural communities have been the life blood of this country since its founding, and still they have a lot to offer.  

But, it seems the church and the world would just as soon leave them behind.  Big farming is making the family owned farm untenable, and factories are shutting down that brought hope to the economy of the rural communities around them.  Whole denominations are turning their back on the people of those rural areas for the more lucrative crowds of urban communities.   

We need to stop letting this happen, and we can start right here.  These rural areas are areas of harvest that can bring change to a hurting world.  People in these areas need to know Christ and what Christ can do in their lives.  We as a church need to start working the rural fields again, and start harvesting what was planted and then plant what will be harvested later.  

It isn’t easy work, but it is a mission.  It is a mission that Doniphan and Neelyville UMC will share in as we explore and implement ways to change the world through these rural communities.  We don’t have to do a mission trip to Honduras to reach people for Christ, we have our mission cut out for us right here. 

In the coming months, I ask that you lift up our mission in prayer, and that you pray the Lord will send workers to the field.  We have people in our midst that need to know Christ, and we need to get to work.  

Amen

A Blue Elephant Gun

PK’s Corner                                                                   July  2013

John 8:11

¹¹She said, ‘No one, sir.’^* And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’

 

There is a children’s joke about how do you shoot a blue elephant, and then it asks how you shoot a pink elephant.  Elephants are wonderful animals, and a lot of fun to talk about, until you have one in your room.  The elephant in the room is that thing you know is going on, but you don’t talk about it.

 

Every church has an elephant.  The elephant can vary from infidelity issues to questionable business practices in the congregation.  Everyone knows, or thinks they know what is going on, but we don’t talk about it.  It makes for some very uncomfortable situations.  Rumors start, and instead of church, you end up with hurt, pain and misunderstanding.  Meanwhile, the elephant drains the resources and the energy of the church, and yet the elephant continues to be in the room.

 

As a church, we want to love, but addressing the issues may mean making others uncomfortable.  In the scripture today, the dialogue is between a woman caught in adultery and Jesus.  The Pharisees came to Jesus with her and asked what to do, by law she was to be stoned.  Jesus told them that the one of them without sin was to throw the first stone.  Thus we have an elephant in the room.  We can talk about the desire of the Pharisees for political and spiritual fallout from what Jesus could have said.  We can talk about the unjustness of a law, or the justness of that law, but the bottom line is, someone watched her commit adultery, else they could not accuse her. 

 

But what happened after every one left?  Jesus tells her that he does not accuse her, but to go and sin no more.  Jesus did not give her a blank check, nor did he give his approval, he knew who she was and what she did, but he did not accuse her, and only told her to go and sin no more.

 

Elephants are hard to manage at times, but they need not be dealt with in an angry and self-righteous manner.  Elephants need to be dealt with in love and we need to seek understanding.  As a church we need to offer correction, love and hope to all parties affected by the elephant.  To approach an elephant with self-righteous anger is a mistake that can only increase the damage and fall out.  Love, Prayer, Counseling, Correction, Encouragement, these are the tools we need to use and we need in our own lives, because the elephant is in us also.

 

When the elephant makes itself known, let’s follow Jesus and not accuse, but help the elephant to sin no more.

 

And now the joke: How do you shoot a blue elephant?  You use a blue elephant gun.  How do you shoot a pink elephant?  You hold its nose until it turns blue then you shoot it with the blue elephant gun.

 

God Bless

 

Amen.