I have struggled all day with what to write for our January newsletter at church. This seems to be the area of ministry that can really trip me up, though I tell myself that it doesn't need to be a big deal. I know it is January and I should probably be writing about all the amazing miracles that have occured in ministry during the last twelve months, or at least about the provision that God will provide for 2013. However, all day I have been plagued by this sense that there is more to do, more people to reach, and new ways to reach them. Below is my newsletter article. If you receive the newsletter you'll get a repeat tomorrow, sorry! I am interested in your thoughts on this topic and the potential influence the church could/should have.
JANUARY 2013
I’m sure many of you have read the
recent newspaper articles about the young soldier, Eric Harm who took his own life
at the end of December. Many members of
the Harm family live in our community and I am sure that some of you must know
them personally. This has certainly
filled the Harm family with great sorrow and grief as they do their best to begin
2013 with some sort of hope. Suicide is
such as difficult and tragic outcome and only causes everyone close to the victim
to question what they might have done to prevent it. So often during these times I am questioned
about God’s opinion on the subject. Many
people have been taught by the church that suicide is deal-breaker with God. This is not something I have read in
Scripture, though I do have high regard for the value of life.
I have found in my limited
experience that things like this happen only when someone’s mental state has
been altered. If capable of thinking clearly,
I don’t know that anyone would really want to end their life. In this instance, Eric was struggling beyond
anyone’s understanding with his experiences as a soldier in Afghanistan. What
those experiences were that tortured his spirit we will never know, but I believe that our loving God has wrapped
Eric’s broken soul with His great love.
After all, as it says in Romans, “nothing can separate us from the love
of God in Jesus Christ.” My prayer is
that just as Eric was overtaken with the love of God, freed from the pain and
fear that plagued him, his family might also be as we (their community) do our
best to support them through this tragic time in their lives.
As the daughter of a Vietnam
Veteran who is ultimately proud of his service as a Green Beret, I know
personally the effects that military service can have on a soldier’s life. Though they may come back home to family and
friends, after fighting in a war life is rarely able to go back to being the
same. As wars end and transitions are
made the number of service men and women facing this type of transition is
astounding. Many soldiers come home and
are unable to find work, thousands are homeless. Those who faced combat are often plagued by
flash-backs and diagnosed with Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. At last count, the number of Veterans in the
United States totals about 22 million people.
Currently 680,000 of these folks are living in Michigan. The
number of soldier-suicides is at an all-time high. That tells me that as a congregation, and as
children of God, we must be equipped to welcome in the Veterans in our midst,
more importantly to reach those who have not yet stepped into our
fellowship.
The family of Eric Harm wants
nothing more than to help prevent this from ever happening again. Shouldn’t this be the goal of our church as
well? How can we reach out to this
population of people to show our support and offer help and guidance? We can no longer expect folks to come to us,
we must reach out to them. It is not
about preaching salvation as much as it is about coming alongside those who are
hurting, broken, and afraid.
I am sure you have done some
reflecting as the New Year approached.
Is God calling you to something new?
Is God calling you to step out of your comfort zone? Today as I was reading through some emails, I
received one from the UMC’s latest campaign:
ReThink Church. They have created
a program to challenge local churches to connect with those who have served our
country. There are many different
suggestions as to how this might come to be, but I would like to hear your
ideas. I know that many of you are
passionate about caring for and praying for our military. For me, this means that God is clearly
challenging my spirit with our ability to serve those men and women who have
yet to step inside our church building.
One suicide is one too many.
If you’re interested, I’d like to
have some conversation (not debate) around this topic on Thursday, January 17th
at 7pm in our fellowship hall. Perhaps
God is calling us to a new ministry. If
this is not where God has called you I ask that you join in prayer as a
community for the family of Eric Harm and the many other soldiers like
him. Together let us discern how the
Prince of Peace can come to life through our words and actions. Thank you to those of you who have served in
the military, your sacrifices are not taken for granted.
May God continue to challenge us as we strive to be His
people in 2013!
Pastor Devon
