Can I confess something to you? For some reason I am struggling to find something to read as of late! Especially in the “Christian” sector. When that happens, I often find myself heading over to the Barnes and Nobles bookstore in Woodinville. For some reason, actually holding the book in my hand, instead of clicking through an endless mirage of electronic pics, rekindles my love for reading. And, sure enough I came home with 5 promising Christian titles. A
The one I’m reading now is called “Wholehearted Faith” by Rachel Held Evans. And I have to say that this book has been an absolute breath of fresh air for me. She is (or was) such a wonderful writer. I say "was" because sadly Rachel Held Evans is no longer with us in body. But her books still sing with a refreshingly positive Easter message…her spirit still lives on through her writing.
As I have poured over this book, this passage keeps coming back to me. Read it with me:
“For better or for worse, there are seasons when we hold our faith, and there are seasons when our faith holds us. In those latter instances, I am more thankful than ever for the saints, past and present, who said yes and whose faith sustains mine. They believe for me when I’m not sure I believe. They hold on to hope for me when I’ve run out of hope. They are the old lady next to me in the pew and the little kid behind me who recites the entirety of the creed on my behalf on those Sundays when I cannot bring myself to say all those ancient words wholeheartedly—Is this what I really believe? They pray for me when the only words I have to say to God are words that I refuse to allow to be printed on this page, because they would make even my most foulmouthed friend blush.
I’ve come to believe that wholehearted faith isn’t just about coming to terms with the heart that beats inside of me. Wholeheartedness is about seeing and comprehending my place in a bigger family of faith. It is about risking hurt and confusion for the sake of the thing that so many of us seek: belonging.”
Don’t you love it!?!?
A couple of weeks ago I met with a family that has been coming to Bear Creek UMC and they told me that one of the things they love about Bear Creek is the fact that we aren’t just a young church, or an old church, but that we are both. “It’s just good to sit and worship with people of all ages sometimes. Our youngest came home from church the other Sunday and said, ‘I want to go back there and sit with that my old guy again! It’s like having another grandpa!'"
And the next Sunday, sure enough I looked out in the congregation and there was this 9-year-old sitting right next to one of our 80-year-olds, and both were smiling from ear to ear!
That, my friends, is why Bear Creek is Bear Creek! This is what we are trying to do and be: a place to belong. A place where a tired old 80-year-old can find new hope in the 9-year-old that wants to sit by him, and a place where the confused, struggling 9-year-old can find grace next to the lap of an 80-year-old with a wrinkled hand full of wisdom and grace.
I know it’s not always easy. For the young folks that means putting up with some old hymns sometimes, and for the older folks it means singing some songs that seem like they belong more as part of a rock concert than a church. But we do all that so that all will be able to find something to hold on to, something to belong to, something to cling to so we can get through these tough times. Church communities like ours matter! Being Bear Creek UMC matters!
Your friend and pastor, desperate for a whole-hearted faith that includes me and each of you, Brook