This past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke to the United Nations General Assembly. Currently, there are 193 Member States, plus Vatican City and Palestine, each with a single vote on matters coming before this group, representing nearly every sovereign nation on the planet. With a passion unique to a leader of a country devastated by war, President Zelensky reminded his listeners, “The deepest understanding of war is always found in the home it destroys.”
In his speech, Zelensky urged unity of purpose to help bring an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, in particular, and an end to all wars in general. Two years earlier, Zelensky presented a plan he called the Peace Formula at the G20 Summit in Indonesia. The G20 Summit includes world leaders representing billions of citizens from all parts of the globe.
Russia is more than twenty times larger than Ukraine. Russia is an aggressive bully on the world playground. And Ukraine is an under-resourced nation standing up to Russia. So, Ukraine depends on having friends willing to help.
Zelensky reminded his listeners that every nation participating in the peace summit had a voice and vote. “All were equal,” he said, and “that is what Russia hates the most and cannot control. That’s why Russia says the Peace Formula doesn’t suit it.”
Global politics are extremely complicated, requiring a search for truth, a willingness to listen and compromise—similar ingredients for friendships and lasting peace.
In this week’s reading from our companion book, Andy meets Keely and is not impressed. But Jones sees something Andy doesn’t see. Jones sees potential as Keely learns the importance of truth and its connection to wisdom. “Wise people are rarely offended by the truth,” Jones tells Keely. “A wise person seeks to make peace with the truth, especially when it’s personal and even when it hurts.”
We also get to know a little more about Pastor Burke Ruark. The pastor is struggling with his call and tired of fighting the voices in his head. One voice in particular kept reminding him, ‘He was obviously a watcher, not a doer; a sometimes, not an always. He was an I’ll try, not an I will.” Pastor Ruark had a reputation for strong leadership but wonders if it was all a sham.
And, of course, we’re introduced to the focal point of Jones’ Five and Dime, the “Peace Table.” “This will be the table around which we will solve the world’s problems,” Jones tells Keely. “Along the way, however, we’re going to solve some of our own.”
Pastor Ruark, Andy, Keely, and Ollie plan to attend their first meeting. Friendships begin with listening and being present with one another. The Peace Table is quite large, measuring approximately seven by five feet. The table can accommodate a lot of people. But what will happen when word gets out? Will there be room for everyone who wants to come?
Sometimes, the misconception from those who stay home and miss church on Sunday mornings is that there isn’t room for them. More accurately, the seats are full of people who pass judgment on the rest of us.
Sometimes, the misconception of those who don’t claim an affiliation with a church is that the persons who do show up in church on Sunday morning want to take away their gender identity or tell them who they’re supposed to love or not love to marry or not to marry.
Sometimes, people who choose to avoid gathering with others do so because they believe that those of us who do gather for worship want to control their bodies and make life choices for them.
Sometimes, those of us who gather on Sunday mornings are mischaracterized as putting our burdens on everyone else rather than accepting the forgiveness Jesus offers us.
The sad truth is that the church is often caught up in the political divide, trying to legislate what others are expected to believe.
One of the stories in all three synoptic gospels involves a charge that Jesus was offending God, which is rather ironic to those of us who know that Jesus is God.
In one story, Luke tells us that Jesus is in some unnamed person’s home. It’s standing room only inside, and the crowd is blocking the door. Jesus was surrounded by Pharisees and teachers of the law. He is a guest in someone’s home and is hemmed in, surrounded by persons closely connected with political power and a rather narrow interpretation of scripture that they imposed on everyone else. Their understanding of truth was clear and pervasive in the first century. Believe what they believe, and God will bless you with health and wealth.
In their view of scripture, God picks favorites, and they’re in that group. And they wanted the force of law to back their beliefs.
The “right believers” are several persons deep, making it impossible for anyone else to enter the house. Remember that everyone in this crowd appears to be doing okay for themselves. They walked there on their own power, were likely in good health, and were well fed.
They believed that their good fortune was a reward for their faithfulness to following the rules as they interpreted them.
Where are the less fortunate? Somewhere at the back of the crowd, I suspect. Out of sight and unable to see or hear Jesus with many righteous people in their way.
An unnamed man, unable to walk, is carried by four neighbors to the house in the hope that Jesus can heal him. We aren’t told anything more about the man’s condition. However, it’s likely the crippled man also blamed his condition on his failure to follow God’s rules based on the common belief that God used disease and disabilities as punishment. Given this, it’s amazing he knew four people who were willing to take him to Jesus.
Because of the crowd, however, they could find no way to take him in.
Luke 5:19
However, too many “good” people were in the way. But the group finds a way to get the crippled man up on the house’s roof. So the crippled man is lowered from the roof onto the floor in front of Jesus.
Jesus says to the crippled man, “Your sins are forgiven,” creating a synchronized gasp among the crowd. The Pharisees and law teachers began muttering to each other that what Jesus said to the man was offensive. Jesus violated their narrow view of the world.
So Jesus responded with the words the man most needed to hear, knowing that He was hemmed in by persons focused on pursuing their version of right beliefs. He was sure to hear objections to His declaration.
“Is it easier to say Your sins are forgiven or to say Get up and walk?” Jesus asks the crowd. Which demonstration of power is more compelling? Of course, healing someone who is obviously crippled is immediately verifiable, while forgiveness is less so.
The good news of Jesus Christ is that each and every one of us is dearly loved by our Creator, and forgiveness is ours for asking. Wisdom involves the search for truth, offering a path to lasting peace.
You can join us each Sunday in person or online by clicking the button on our website’s homepage –Click here to watch. This button takes you to our YouTube channel. You can find more information about us on our website at FlintAsburyChurch.org.
A reminder that we publish this newsletter that we call the Circuit Rider each week. You can request this publication by email. Send a request to FlintAsburyUMC@gmail.com or let us know when you send a message through our website. We post an archive of past editions on our website under the tab Connect – choose Newsletters.
Pastor Tommy
Parts of our series are inspired by Andy Andrews. Just Jones: Sometimes a Thing Is Impossible . . . Until It Is Actually Done. Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2020.
“There can be no just peace without Ukraine.” © The Kyiv Independent, September 26, 2024. Retrieved from: link