Do no harm, do good, stay in love with God.
Pastors Peace....
Something occurred to me the other day.....with not being able to do so many of our normal activities, you would think the year would have moved at a snail’s pace. Yet, here it is almost December. It hasn't been the same as usual for us, but the stores are doing their usual thing; shelves are bursting with decorations, candy, and presents. It hasn't been the same for us since March and it looks like Christmas and the holidays will be no different. Most of us won't be celebrating the same as in past years. We remember that John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Movement, summarized God's directives in “Three Rules: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God.” This basically means that we refrain from causing harm, right? Sometimes we don't do it intentionally, but there are times when our words and actions cause harm to our relationships. Eating or drinking too much over the holidays may cause harm to our bodies. Are there times when we could be taking better care of God's creation? Each of our struggles look different.
The holidays for many are stressful enough as it is. But this year we are exhausted emotionally, physically, mentally, and for many spiritually. We have been inundated with conflicting information on the use of masks, vaccines, social distancing, how the COVID-19 virus is transmitted, the devastating numbers of people sick and dying, what should be open or not open, and who is telling us the truth or not. How many of us are tired and frustrated and anxious? I am.
So I am going to do something rather simple. I'm going to pick one source to listen to and I am going to think about the other person. What does this mean? I choose to listen to Dr. Fauci (this is not political). My background is in the field of neurology and I worked in hospitals and clinics for 25 years. I was around when the AIDS epidemic hit – and it hit HARD, if you remember. So I choose this...I will listen to Dr. Fauci because he was at the forefront of the AIDS epidemic, leading the research and finding medicines to help. And he did a fantastic job. Then I will go back to my experience; knowing that I tested many patients in isolation. I always wore a mask and gown and in 25 years, I never contracted any disease. Then I listen to John Wesley and he says “do no harm.” And last, I listen to the teachings of Jesus, who admonishes us to care for each other. Yes, I do have freedoms and we are lucky enough to live in a country that gives us those freedoms. But sometimes freedom means having to give something up and think about others. My father was a Marine and he gave up a lot so we could have our freedom in this country. I believe that following some simple guidelines will give us a way to move forward and into a New Year with new hopes.
Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. The man who was beaten, lying on the side of the road, was a Jew. Jews and Samaritans hated each other. But the Samaritan was the only one who would stop to help the Jew. He bound up his wounds and took him to a nearby inn and paid the innkeeper to take care of him. Our country, even our families and friends, may not be on the same page in many ways, but we can find ways to take care of each other, as the Samaritan did. Let us go into this Christmas season looking out for one another. By following some simple guidelines we are doing as John Wesley asks. We are “doing no harm, doing good, and staying in love with God.”
Shalom.....Pastor Rosemary