PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

March 27, 2022

RUSH TO JUDGMENT

                Bishop Julius C. Trimble, Resident Bishop of the Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church sent out a pastoral letter March 10, 2022. The missive was prompted by the meeting of the 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church again being postponed until 2024.  The main focus of the letter was the delay in dealing with an anticipated Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation.  Bishop Trimble also addressed weariness caused by the weight of the pandemic as well as concern for the people of Ukraine and Russia.

In his pastoral letter Bishop Trimble mentioned several bits of advice which I think are well worth repeating:

“When I am stressed, disappointed, or discouraged about anticipated change that does not happen, I am tempted to rush to judgment and make decisions that do not honor God or my best self.”

“May we know Shalom not as the absence of problems but as the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us to the pathway of reconciliation.”

“Surely there is a future.  And your hope will not be cut off.” (Proverbs 23:18)

Stress, disappointment and discouragement come to all of us.  They are a part of life.  Sometimes they become either positive or negative defining moments in our lives.  The difference is to be found in how we choose to respond to them.  Bishop Trimble suggests at such times we not rush to judgment and say or do something that does not honor God and does not represent our best selves.  I first learned this bit of advice when I was told to count to ten before I responded to a situation.  We can never get back the words that come out of our mouths and actions we take.

Second, the Bishop suggests that rather than asking for a trouble free life we pray that the Holy Spirit will be with us in all circumstances.  God’s peace comes not from the absence from problems but from the presence of the Spirit of God.  If we have Jesus in our hearts we can know inner peace even though the world around us is in chaos.

I thought the Bishop’s choice of a scripture lesson was interesting.  He might have included the verse before it to emphasize his point: “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the Lord.” (Proverbs 23:17)  No matter how bad today may seem tomorrow will come and God will be there to meet us.  In his letter Bishop Trimble wrote, “In light of the recent General Conference postponement, we are left with questions yet to be answered.  Breathe.  Yes, breathe and remember that the Church is of God, and Jesus Christ is the same today as He was yesterday.” He might well have added at the end “and as he will be tomorrow.”

Bishop Julius C. Trimble’s pastoral letter is a reminder that when stress, disappointment or discouragement comes, we should stop, take a breath and count to ten.  As we are counting we should remember that the Holy Spirit was with us yesterday: He is with us today; and He will be with us tomorrow.  Let us strive to not compound our problems with a rush to judgement that does not honor God, does not represent our best and only makes our situation worse.