Faith Reflections on the Recent Botulism Outbreak

The recent news about a botulism outbreak at a neighboring church in the community where I serve leaves us all with heavy hearts. Many are critically ill and one person has died from this illness.

The United Methodist clergy in our surrounding area met this morning for our monthly prayer and discussion gathering. There are ten of us that meet. We lifted the Cross Pointe Baptist church and their pastor in prayer. We also ended up sending a message to the church and their pastor that we are praying for them and are available to make any pastoral hospital visits on their behalf since those who are ill are patients at various Columbus hospitals. It's the least that we can do in a situation as sad as this. 

One of our pastors offered a very helpful insight during our discussion. She said that we as clergy need to provide a sense of Christ's peace and calmness in the midst of this time of fear and anxiety about potlucks and gatherings that involve home-made food. While it's important to be better educated about the preparation of food at home, we also need to keep in mind that these cases are very rare according to the data.

Jesus ended up calming the storm by saying, "Peace, be still."

Whenever I feel anxious and fearful, I am reminded of the story of when Jesus was in the boat with the disciples and a storm appeared out of nowhere. As the boat was taking on water and the disciples were fearful, Jesus ended up calming the storm by saying, "Peace, be still."

The real miracle in this gospel story isn't so much that Jesus stopped a storm, but that he was able to bring peace to the disciples who were facing the storm. This tragic situation that has happened to a neighboring congregation reminds me that Jesus is in the boat with us as we face these large waves.

This storm may cause us to feel anxious and remind us of our mortality, but the good news of our faith is that we are not alone in the storm. The risen Christ is with us.

"Peace, be still."

The Kingdom of Heaven in Lancaster, Ohio

When Jesus sent out his disciples to cast out unclean spirits and cure every disease and sickness, he also told them to proclaim the good news, "The kingdom of heaven has come near!" (Matthew 10:7)  This must have been a strange thing for the disciples to announce, especially when they were surrounded at every turn with illness, heartache, and despair. How can you announce that heaven is near when there is so much brokenness and pain around us?

Sometimes, ministry can be very draining. It's hard to keep up. There are so many needs in our congregation, on our block, and in our local community that we sometimes don't know where to begin. It can be easy for us to experience the condition of what golfers refer to as "paralysis by analysis." We can focus so much on the mountain of needs around us, that we can easily "freeze up."

And yes, we do need to take breaks from ministry now and then. The disciples had those moments with Jesus where they would spend time with him on the mountain, away from the crowds. So taking care of ourselves and spending some time away are absolutely necessary when serving in a busy ministry environment.

Imagine the surprise of the disciples when miraculous things began to happen as they offered God's healing and love to the people around them. In Luke's Gospel, we learn that the disciples were filled with joy after they returned from their ministry of healing. They couldn't believe what God was able to do through them simply because they stepped out in faith. Even with so many needs and ministry demands around them, they were able to see how the Kingdom of Heaven was coming near.

Yesterday during our mid-week church gathering, a member of the church told me that a large drug bust was taking place here in our city. The police had closed down a road in order to shut down a meth lab that had been operating. The drug problem in our community is well known and stories like this are not uncommon. Addiction is a powerful force that can tear apart families and ruin lives.

I was on my way out the door of the building when this church member shared this news with me. Ironically, I was leaving to attend a community event sponsored by the Fairfield County ADAMH staff in which a young lady was about to share her inspiring testimony about overcoming her drug problem. The event was being held at the downtown outdoor band shelter which included a free picnic for the community. A crowd had gathered. Some people were drawn to the event because of the smell of the grilled  hot dogs and some came out of curiosity.

The young woman spoke about how she got caught up in drugs and how people in her family and community have been helping her to overcome her addiction. She now attends college and she wants to work in a field where she can give back by helping others who are struggling with drugs.  She said, "Every day, I thank God for all of my blessings and for helping me experience healing." Everyone applauded her and thanked her for her testimony.

The front page headline of our local newspaper this morning is about yesterday's drug bust here in our city. I just wish that more people knew that around the same time yesterday just a few blocks away, a young woman offered a story of hope in overcoming her drug problem.

The Kingdom of Heaven came near yesterday, right here in Lancaster, Ohio.

Church Members in the Community

Today was the annual Partners in Education breakfast/awards program sponsored by Xenia Community Schools. The purpose of Partners in Education is to recognize the support our schools receive through businesses, organizations, and churches.

This year, a new award was created to highlight how being a partner between the schools and the community is a two-way street. The award is for a school group which has helped an organization in the community.

The first recipient for this new award was a Central Middle School class that was taught by Betsy Murray (far right), a member of Faith Community for the work of her class in helping the Xenia Adult and Recreation Services (formerly known as Golden Age Senior Citizens Center.)

Two of the class members, Ashleigh Spahr (4th from right), and Sarah Middlebrooks (2nd from right), were part of the 2007 confirmation class at Faith Community. It's always great to see our church members being recognized for shining the light of Christ in our community. Way to go!

Making the News for the Right Reason

Unfortunately, Xenia, Ohio has recently been in the national news because of a bad decision made by a couple of people at a fast food restaurant. The bad decision? An employee decided to take a bath in the restaurant's sink to celebrate his birthday and someone videotaped it. The health department didn't think it was very funny.

When I ordered at a fast food restaurant for lunch today (not the same restaurant) I must admit that I hesitated before placing my order. The truth is, our bad decisions can lead to other people suffering the consequences.

The Old Testament readings from the Book of Common Prayer have been from the Book of Judges and today's scripture was specifically about Samson who we often revere as a heroic person who helped Israel. But in today's scripture, Samson made a really bad decision. No, he didn't take a bath in a public restaurant sink but he did needlessly kill 30 people and take their possessions just so he could pay off a silly wager that he had made.

The Bible isn't a book about the good guys and the bad guys. The Bible is a book about people (you and me) who have been created to be God's image bearers and who sometimes fail to live the way God intends us to live. Yes, some of our bad decisions are more noticeable and damaging than other bad decisions. (Note to self: don't grab a quick shower at your local fast food restaurant and don't make silly wagers!)

So let's learn from Mr. Samson and Mr. Fast Food Man. If we're going to show up on the nightly news, let's make sure that it's for the right reason...for spreading God's transforming and healing love in our communities and world.