Jenny's preaching on Matthew 7.21-29 tomorrow morning, and the picture above seemed to lend itself to the topic at hand for a background slide. It was taken by Trey Ratcliff and is titled "Three Muses of Malaysia." It's licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License. You can see a larger version (with options for even larger versions) at www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/244574932/.

Updated T-Shirts

Because of a hefty "early adapter tax," we've made some changes to the t-shirts. We've moved the logo from "the pocket" to the center on the front of the t-shirt. The back has been left the same. Both front and back t-shirts and front only t-shirts may be purchased. You can find the cafepress store through our website or go straight to www.cafepress.com/firstumc.

Yoga at 11:00 am Tomorrow

Yoga has been moved from 10:00 am to  11:00 am tomorrow.

Voice of the Day

Via Sojourners:

We cannot help conforming ourselves to what we love.

–Francis de Sales

All the more reason to let the love of God reign in our hearts.

Luther

The Aldersgate Experience class and the youth group have both watched the movie 2003 movie Luther, staring Joseph Fiennes as Martin Luther. I highly recommend it and the church library has a copy available to borrow.

Help Wanted

We need someone with a green thumb and a love of landscaping to put the beds in front of the main entrance to the church back in order. If you're interested/willing please let us know at johnandjenny@revcollins.com.

Biked to Work

Biked into work this afternoon. It's a first, but something I hope to do all summer. At 2.4 miles (according to Google Maps), I should be able to get my legs into shape in no time.

Voice of the Day: Oscar Romero

Via Sojourners:

"Nothing is so important as human life, as the human person. Above all, the person of the poor and the oppressed... Jesus says that whatever is done to them he takes as done to him. That bloodshed, those deaths are beyond all politics: They touch the very heart of God."

–Oscar Romero, March 16, 1980

Archbishop Romero was a great advocate for the poor in El Salvador according to Wikipedia:

"Romero was killed by a shot to the heart on March 24, 1980 while celebrating Mass at a small chapel near his cathedral following a sermon where he called on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God's higher order and to stop carrying out the government's repression and violations of basic human rights. According to an audio-recording of the Mass, he was shot moments after the homily, which he had concluded with an improvised pre-Eucharistic prayer thanking God (the homily in the Roman Catholic Rite more or less signifies the end of the Liturgy of the Word and the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist or Mass of the Faithful). When he was shot, his blood spilled over the altar."
"It is believed that the assassins were members of Salvadoran death squads. This view was supported in 1993 by an official U.N. report ..."

N. T. Wright on Life After Death

Time magazine has an interview with New Testament Scholar, and Anglican Bishop N. T. Wright on the subject of life after death. N. T. Wright is the author of the book Evil and the Justice of God which I spoke of in Sunday's Sermon.

Link: www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1710844,00.html

Galileo, Darwin, and God

According to Barbara Brown Taylor in The Luminious Web: Essays on Science and Religion, pages 29-30:

"In 1996 Pope John Paul II endorsed evolution as part of God's master plan, just four years after he lifted the Roman Catholic Church's three-hundred-fifty-year-old condemnation of Galileo. When he first ordered a reexamination of Galileo's case in 1980, he made a statement that might have applied to Darwin as well. 'Research performed in a truly scientific manner can never be in contrast with faith,' he said, 'because both profane and religious realities have their origin in the same God.'"

Website Updates

I've updated a couple of things on the church website at www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org. A revised version of the Lay Leadership Committee (formerly the Nominating Committee) Report is available on the "Downloads" page and more recommended books have been added to the "Books" page.

About that Second Slide

You may have noticed that the second slide (seen above) in this mornings presentation contained title and photographer information for the photo used in the background of the rest of the presentation . I thought I would explain a little about that here. Most of the time we use actual photographs for the background of our slides. Early on, I purchased photos from istockphoto.com. The problem is that prices at istockphoto.com keep going up. I found a partial solution in that there are many excellent pictures on the popular photo sharing site, flickr.com. These pictures are free and many are licensed for use under a Creative Commons license of the same kind that we use for the church website and this blog. One of the conditions of use is that credit is given to the photographer. This second slide (after the slide with our logo, mission statement, and BHAG) is an attempt to do just that.

The slide above was taken by Trey Ratcliff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License.

Quote of the Week: Tony Blair

Via Sojourners:

"One of the oddest questions I get asked in interviews, and I get asked a lot of questions, is: Is faith important to your politics? It's like asking someone whether their health is important to them or their family. If you are someone "of faith," it is the focal point of belief in your life. There is no conceivable way that it wouldn't affect your politics."

—Former Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair

Another Online Calendar Note

The online church calendar is interactive. You can click on individual items to reveal details. You can also select from daily, weekly, or monthly viewing options. It can be found at www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org/Calendar.html.

VBS is Coming

Vacation Bible School is coming: July 14-18, 2008 9:00 a.m. to Noon.
This year for Vacation Bible School, our theme is, Beach Party: Surfin' Through the Scriptures, where we will be learning some Beach Be-Attitudes.
We are still in need of volunteers for helping to make this year’s VBS another wonderful week of sharing God’s word in a fun and exciting way. If you are willing and able to help out either before or during VBS to decorate, help with snacks, crafts, as a class leader to take kids to the different areas, Bible storytelling, music, recreation, or childcare (for leaders with children too young to participate in VBS) please let me (Jenny) know at 251-3240, 251-4706 or johnandjenny@gmail.com.

I Now Know Less Than When I Started

In preparation for Sunday's sermon, I've been reading Evil and the Justice of God by N. T. Wright. I'm in one of those situations where I've both learned a lot and now know less than I did when I started.

New T-Shirts

T-Shirts with the new logo are available at www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org/T-Shirts. We ordered some this morning, but I haven't yet seen them in person so an early adopter tax may be applicable.

Newsletter Available for Download

The June edition of The Parish Visitor (the newsletter of First United Methodist Church) is now available on the "Newsletter" page of www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org.

Newsletter Article Updated

I added the parenthetical reference "(both theirs and ours)" to the third paragraph.

Newsletter Article

From the June edition of The Parish Visitor:

A View From the Pulpit: A Radical Thought on the Problem of Evil [1]
Rev. John R. Collins

Perhaps I should begin by attempting an adequate definition of the “Problem of Evil.” It is the ancient problem of claiming that God is omnipotent (all-powerful and all knowing [2]), and omnibenevolent (completely good), while confronting the fact that evil exists in the world. This problem raises difficult questions: wouldn’t an omnipotent God have knowledge of the existence of evil and the power to eliminate it? Wouldn’t an omnibenevolent God want to eliminate it? And yet, evil continues to exist. This problem is probably the most commonly cited reason given by people who don’t believe in God, for not believing in God.

There are three ill-advised “solutions” to this problem, each involves the failure to take one side of the quandary seriously. The first denies that evil really exists. I have seen too much suffering among parishioners and other people I love to go this route. The second would be to deny that God is omnipotent, to claim that evil exists because God is not capable of getting rid of it. The account of creation in Genesis 1.1-2.4, the example of the exodus from Egypt, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are examples of why I refuse to take this route. The third “solution,” seldom invoked, is the assertion that God is not wholly good, the most powerful rejoinder to this “solution” is the life and death of Jesus Christ. So we are back where we started, how can Christians assert God’s omnipotence and omnibenevolence in the face of evil’s existence.

I believe that the best solution to the problem of evil is found in the second account of creation in Genesis, which begins right where the first account left off at Genesis 2.5. This is the story of how the primordial fall of Adam and Eve, due to their disobedience to God, brought an end to creation as God intended it. As we talked about Sunday, “Adam” is Hebrew for “John Doe” and Eve is Hebrew for “Jane Doe.” The story is metaphorical, describing a reality that the early Isaelites (and perhaps we as well) would not be able to understand if it were put any other way.) The point of the metaphor is that because of human sin (both theirs and ours), humanity can no longer experience the blessed existence free of evil that was the creator’s original intent. I believe that the effects of the fall were felt not only by Adam and Eve and their descendents, but by all of creation, that is, the fall of humanity from a state of grace had a cosmic impact.

Recently, my understanding of the problem of evil was enhanced by reading N.T. Wright’s engagement in a "blogalogue" [3] with the agnostic Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman (yes, apparently there are such people). Wright is the Anglican bishop of Durham and a leading New Testament scholar, renowned for his defense of the literal resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Wright made many good points, but I want to highlight just two. The first is that the Bible is less interested in addressing the question of why suffering exists than it is in describing what God is doing about it, namely the whole arc of salvation history from Genesis through the book of Revelation. The second (and this is the radical one) is one I will share in his own words and comes initially from the head of the Anglican Church, the archbishop of Canterbury: "I once heard Rowan Williams suggest that it might actually be immoral to try to ‘solve’ the problem of evil, because as soon as you say, ‘There, look, that makes it all right, doesn’t it?’ you have radically belittled the problem, blinding yourself to the real, powerful and radical nature of evil." I am reminded that Job’s friends were initially doing well as they made themselves present to Job in empathy to his condition and sympathy to his plight. Things went wrong only when they began to attempt to explain why what was going on was going on. Perhaps we can all learn from their example.

_______________________________________

[1] Regular readers of the blog may recognize this title and some of the content of the article, but I have expanded it considerably.
[2] All knowing, or omniscience, is sometimes considered as a distinct attribute of God, but for this article I will consider God’s omniscience a sub-category of God’s omnipotence.
[3] A “blogaglogue” appears to be a dialogue in blog form. According to The American Heritage Dictionary: A blog is a Web site on which an individual or group of users produces an ongoing narrative.

Calendar Available Online

Just a reminder that we have a copy of the church calendar online at www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org. This is instantly updated any time that Jenny or I add an event to our calendars. It's the first place to look for any new events.

Well ... that Didn't Work

I slept no better last night, despite the fact that the sermon was over.

Voice of the Day: Martin Luther

Today's voice is Martin Luther with an argument for taking care of the environment (and other matters) before it was known that the environment needed our care. (Instead of counting on Jesus to put everything right when he returns.)

Via Sojourners:

"If Christ were coming again tomorrow, I would plant a tree today."

–Martin Luther

Voice of the Day: Interdependent Love

To me, this seems like it may be self-evident, but it's important enough to merit reinforcement.
Via God's Politics:

"Knowing one's self, finding one's self, and expending one's self for another are intertwined activities. Love of self, love of God, and love of neighbor are interdependent."

—Sidney Callahan, With All Our Heart and Mind

When to Listen to "The Voice of Truth"

Bluefish is a company that produces Christian videos for youth, sermon illustrations, etc. The video above is a reminder of why it is important to listen to, as the Christian band Casting Crowns put it in their song by the same title, "The Voice of Truth." When all the world tells us that we can't do something, the Voice of Truth tells us a "different story," the Voice of Truth says "do not be afraid."

New Logo Approved

You may have noticed the new logo of Coffeyville First United Methodist Church in the column to the right. The Vision Team approved this new logo Wednesday.

God Loves to Do That

This is the quote I shared in my sermon on April 27:

"Sometimes a writer, in her determined attempt to tell what she knows, just can't help telling about God ... Sometimes, despite themselves, God gives writers the slip and pops up in a story, even when the author thought that this story had no room for God. God loves to do that."

–William H. Willimon, Reading with Deeper Eyes

No Yoga Tonight

The yoga class will not be held this afternoon, it appears that almost everybody will be at graduation.

One Soldier's Struggle with the War in Iraq

Found in the Anchorage Daily News:

Magistrate backs soldier for conscientious objector status
Judge backs Christian soldier's conscientious objector petition

Links: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/ap_alaska/story/404668.html
http://www.adn.com/iraq/story/405341.html

BHAG Approved

The Church Council approved "Excellence in Children's Ministry" as our BHAG* at Monday night's meeting. The BHAG does not replace, but instead supplements our mission statement.

*In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins (no relation) talks about a BHAG as a "Big Hairy Audacious Goal." For church use, we've altered that to "Big Holy Audacious Goal."

Pearls Before Swine

I was initially attracted by the biblical title*, but since then I've really enjoyed the Pearls Before Swine comic strip. I think as a blogger that I'm morally obligated to post a link to this particular strip.

*Matthew 7.6

Link: http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20080512.html

Possible New Logo

Above is a possibility for a new logo. Churches are often encouraged to stay away from featuring their buildings in their logos, but we have such a distinctive facade that I think everyone in town knows it. With this logo they can know which church that building belongs to and where to go if they want to join us. Let me know what you think at john@coffeyvillefirstumc.org and I'll pass the word on.

New Direction Considered for Platform Lift

The trustees have long been considering adding a new platform lift (much like an elevator) to provide access to the sanctuary. The new lift would be able to accommodate the larger motorized wheelchairs that are more common today and would allow people with handicapping conditions to enter the front door of the church instead of having to go around to the old elevator in the back alley. The problem has always been where to locate a new lift. Last Wednesday, the trustees asked Dave Larimore to look into the possibility of locating the lift shaft in the old bathroom at the back of the sanctuary. The bathroom would be removed and a door would be cut through the sanctuary and lobby walls into the lobby for ground level access.

Preschool Meeting

Jenny, Julie Thompson, and Cari Redden met again today with Maria Rippe from the Health Department to discuss the state requirements for opening a preschool.

More on the Problem of Evil

I can't help agreeing with Bart Ehrman, even though I'm reluctant to take lessons in theology and the Bible from agnostics who do not believe in Jesus' resurrection, when he says:

"Even if we cannot, in the end, know the reasons for suffering, we can at the least have appropriate responses to it. We ourselves can feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked; we can work to solve problems of poverty; we can give money to agencies finding cures for cancer and AIDS; we can volunteer more often locally; we can give more to international relief efforts. We can, in fact, fulfill the urgent demands implicit in Matthew’s account of the judgment between the sheep and the goats, for 'as you have done this to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you have done it unto me.'"

The last quote I want to share comes from Bart Ehrman's theological sparing partner N. T. Wright:

"I don’t think much of the Bible is actually addressing the question, ‘Why is there suffering?’, but rather the question, ‘What is God doing about it?’"

Wright's answer involves Abraham, the first coming of Jesus, the Resurrection of Jesus, the second coming of Jesus and all of God's plan of salvation. I would encourage you to read the entire post.

And a final passage from that same post:

"The other side of the coin of ‘the problem of evil’ is, after all, ‘the problem of good’: if there is no God, no good and wise creator, why is there an impulse to justice and mercy so deep within us? Why is there beauty, love, laughter, friendship, joy? How do you then tell the difference between Ecclesiastes and Sartre?"

The "problem of good" is a theoretical problem not for Christians, of course; but for atheists and agnostics.

Links:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/blogalogue/
http://blog.beliefnet.com/blogalogue/2008/04/thanks-bart-for-a-further.html

Greet One Another with a Holy Kiss

It's 3:28 am and I'm looking over the lectionary readings for next Sunday. I don't plan to preach on it, but it occurs to me as I read the epistle lesson from 2 Corinthians 13.12 that Paul's injunction to "Greet one another with a holy kiss" is seldom, if ever, followed, at least in the Midwest.

That said, I probably won't be focusing on it much. Right now my sermon is headed in the direction of Genesis 1.1-2.4a and Matthew 28.16-20.

Don't miss Jenny's sermon in 5-8 hours, I've read it, you don't want to miss it.

Baptisms Tomorrow

I'm a little late with the announcement, but, as if you needed any additional reasons to attend worship tomorrow, both Kenedi Redden and Bennett Thompson will be baptized at the 10:50 service tomorrow.

A Radical Thought on the Problem of Evil*

From N.T. Wright in his "blogalogue" with the agnostic Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman:

"I once heard Rowan Williams suggest that it might actually be immoral to try to ‘solve’ the problem of evil, because as soon as you say, ‘There, look, that makes it all right, doesn’t it?’ you have radically belittled the problem, blinding yourself to the real, powerful and radical nature of evil."

*The problem of evil might best be summarized as follows: God is omnipotent (all-powerful and all-knowing), God is omnibenevolent (completely good), and yet evil exists. How can these three be true at the same time? The particular problem of evil I'm currently struggling with the most is: God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent and yet my daughter has Type 1 diabetes.

Scholarship For Travis

We just got word that Travis Walker has been selected to receive a matching award through the 2008 United Methodist Dollars for Scholars program. Through this program, First UMC sends $1,000 in to the United Methodist Foundation (which we already have done). Since Travis will be attending Iliff School of Theology in the fall, which is a Triple Your Dollars institution, Travis's total Dollars for Scholars Scholarship for the 2008-2009 school year will be $3,000.

Scheduled Post Publishing

This post has to do with the inner workings of this blog. Blogger is now offering "Scheduled Post Publishing" which allows me to write a post at one point in time and schedule it to be published here at another point in time.

Many times I've encountered several nonurgent matters I want to post about on one day (often within the hour) and then nothing for several days in a row. I've tried to save those different matters for posting at a later date on my own, but I tend to lose track of where I read something, or forget what I was going to say.

This new feature ("Scheduled Post Publishing") allows me to spread these posts out and better ensure that something new will be up every day when you check in. In fact this particular post was one I wrote yesterday.

UMCOR Responds to the Disaster in Myanmar

UMCOR has begun responding to the cyclonic disaster in Myanmar (Burma) by working through Church World Service. You can read about the response here. If you feel moved to contribute you can read how here. If you put your gift in the plate this Sunday marked "UMCOR Advance No. 3019674" we'll be happy to forward it. As the website says,

"We're [UMCOR] 100% efficient. Every dollar you give to this emergency will provide humanitarian relief and recovery only for this emergency. That's because gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering covers UMCOR's costs to administer your gifts."

Youth Sunday

Jenny and I really enjoyed Youth Sunday and many of you have told us that you feel the same. If you haven't told the youth, I would encourage you to do so. Thanks for all your support of our youth.

Graduation Sunday

We'll be offering official congratulations to graduates the Sunday after next (May 18). If you know of a graduate who didn't make it on the list in the bulletin or newsletter please call the church office or email Linda at linda@coffeyvillefirstumc.org.

Organ to be Tuned, Pastor to Work from Home

The organ will be tuned Thursday, Friday, and maybe Saturday. I'll be working from home because of the noise. It doesn't sound anywhere near as good when it's being tuned as it does on Sunday morning.

Wednesday Gathering on Hiatus

The Wednesday Gathering will be on Hiatus from now until June 11, 2008.

Tending to Two Vineyards

I feel that I could have written this. The difficulties of tending to both the established vines and planting a new vineyard at the same time.

Voice of the Day: Julian of Norwich

Via God's Politics:

"And thus I understood that any man or woman who deliberately chooses God in this life, out of love, may be sure that he or she is loved without end. This endless love produces grace in them. For God wants us to hold trustfully to his: that we be as certain, in home, of the bliss of heaven while we are here as we will be, in fact, when we are there. And always the more delight and joy we take in this certainty, with reverence and meekness, the better it pleases God."

—Julian of Norwich

Taizé Service Wednesday

This Wednesday's Gathering will be a meditative Taizé service. I'll be working on arranging child care and I'll let you know.

Pilates Cancelled

Or, at least I'm guessing it is. Our instructor is out of town on business.

Voice Mail

I know that everyone would prefer to talk to a real person rather than a machine (I prefer a real person as well). For that reason, let me clarify the use of the church's answering system. When you call the church office and get the answering system it means that Linda is not in the office. If you get the machine please know that it is only because Linda is not available. I mention this now because Linda is going to physical therapy at the hospital for the next few weeks and you may get the machine during regular office hours while she is gone.

$5 Million Grant to Fight Malaria

From United Methodist News Service:

"To fight malaria and other diseases of poverty, The United Methodist Church will receive a $5 million grant from the United Nations Foundation with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bishop Thomas Bickerton has announced."
...
"Bickerton also announced that the Nothing But Nets anti-malaria campaign has raised more than $20 million since it began in 2006. The United Methodist Church is one of the founding partners of the campaign, which fights malaria by purchasing and distributing insecticide-treated sleeping nets in Africa. A donation of $10 covers the cost of delivering one net and teaching a family how to protect themselves from malaria-carrying mosquitoes."

The whole story is here at www.umc.org.

Homophobia and Heterosexism Resolution Came from KEC

It turns out that the resolution adopted by General Conference on May 1 in opposition to homophobia and heterosexism came from the Kansas East Conference.

Divestment from Israel Rejected

From United Methodist News Service:

"United Methodists have rejected attempts to have the denomination endorse divestment from Israel as a way of addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict."

Since the United Methodist pension plan alone has $17 billion, divestment probably would have had a significant impact.

Youth Sunday Reminder

A reminder that this coming Sunday is Youth Sunday. Brian Walker has a great sermon prepared.

Newsletter Available for Download

The latest copy of our newsletter, The Parish Visitor, is now up on our website on the "Newsletter" page.

"Witness" Added to Membership Vows

From United Methodist News Service:

"FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)—People who join United Methodist churches henceforth will promise to be faithful in 'their witness' as well as in their 'prayers, their presence, their gifts and their service.'

The 2008 United Methodist General Conference voted April 30 to add the witness phrase to the liturgy the church uses when a person makes a profession of membership."

As the article noted, congregations repeat these vows along with new members. I think this is a welcome development.

No Yoga Saturday

Both instructors will be out of town.

A View From the Pulpit

Article for the May edition of The Parish Visitor:

As many of you know, last week marked the beginning of the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church. This year General Conference is being held in Houston, Texas with the theme, “A Future With Hope.” General Conference is the top governing body of the church and lasts for 10 days. Decisions made at General Conference, and only decisions made at General Conference, speak as the voice of the church. General Conference meets every four years and after each General Conference there is a new United Methodist Book of Discipline published with the changes that have been made.

As a connectional church, the decisions made at General Conference affect us. General Conference is made up of lay and clergy delegates from every Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church around the world. If you have access to the internet, there are updates throughout the day on the various proceedings and worship services that are going on. For daily updates as well as live coverage of some events, go to: www.gc2008.umc.org. Also, two of our younger alternate delegates have a blog in which they are detailing daily events, often as they occur to help keep folks updated on what is going on. Their blog site is: stephandjanatthegc.blogspot.com/. From their blog you can also reach the blogs of several other Kansas East delegates.

One highlight I noticed today on the General Conference website was an appearance by a young girl who had raised $10,000 for the “Nothing But Nets” campaign to wipe out malaria by giving mosquito nets to protect people from the mosquitoes while they are sleeping.

As United Methodists we are a connectional people. Through our church structure we can visibly see the body of Christ in action. As we work together, we can do so much more than we can do alone. Please join with us in prayer for the delegates to General Conference as they prayerfully consider the many pieces of legislation brought before them. And may the strength that comes from such a great gathering be felt back here at home, as we benefit from so many people coming together in worship and prayer to discern the future direction of the church. The folks at General Conference are immersing themselves in the theme, “A Future with Hope.” It is that future that they are helping to shape: a future with hope for you and for me and for our children and our children’s children.

May you know that the future that God has in store for us is in fact a future with hope. And may we work to discern that future here in our local United Methodist Church, while delegates are discerning that future for the church as a whole.

GC Retains Stance on Homosexuality, Opposes Homophobia

You can read the full United Methodist News Service article here. There is another article here.

Links: www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2639513&ct=5318849
www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2639513&ct=5315905

New Hymnal in 2012?

General Conference has created a "hymnal revision committee" according to United Methodist News Service. That committee will bring a proposed new hymnal to the 2012 General Conference. Some of the fiercest theological battles in the UMC are battles over the hymnal so this revision will not be an easy task, and I'm wondering how much of an effect, if any, it will have on local congregations. We can already introduce new hymns via the screens and so can many other congregations. Will it be worth it for this congregation to purchase new hymnals?