July 2017 - Pastor Craig

 Just because you don't fully understand something doesn't mean you can't believe (in) it.

 During one of the speakers at the Grand Canyon Synod Assembly, this past June, I was doodling and listening at the same time. Whatever it was that was said, made me write the preceding statement in my notes. Since then, I have kept this scrape of paper on my desk not knowing what God wanted me to do with it. As I need to write an article for July it must be Gods intention for me to reflect with you on what this statement might mean for us as Gods people.

 It is 115 degrees. I am ignorant about how an air conditioner works, but I BELIEVE in it. The wonder of a modern day computerized engine of a car is a great mystery to me, but I BELIEVE that it works. We rely as a church on this wonderful copy machine that produces the bulletins and newsletters, but I have no idea the technology or process by which it works, but I BELIEVE that it will function. Suzanne got a new toy at home from Amazon called Alexa. You yell out her name and suddenly she will play music that you request, ordering things from Amazon, and it holds an encyclopedia of knowledge and all you have to do is ask. I have no idea how this works or even if it is a necessary, yet it too works. (As a disclaimer, my daughter has one and I am glad that we don't have a dog with the same name because, we have a tendency to yell "Alexa" from various places in the house.)

 If you take a look around in your everyday experience, you can find your own examples. Don't get depressed about how ignorant we all are about the things that we take for granted, instead find the amazement that there are people in our lives that do understand how these things work. Fortunately, they are just a phone call away.

 When it comes to our relationship with God then, why do some of us use a different standard? Saying things like, I need to figure out my relationship with God, before I will believe. Or I need more information and study and need to have that sign, before I believe. Or, to be like Thomas, Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand on his side, I will not believe. (John 20:25) Amazing isn't it.

 Over and over again, we are surrounded by things we don't understand how they work, yet we know they do.How about God? We know God watches over us. We know that God has forgiven us. We know that Gods Son Jesus Christ died for us. We know that God is with us when we grieve. We know that things have happened in our life that we cannot explain rationally. Some would explain that all of this can be summed up in a word, FAITH, which is true. But it is something more than that. It is living with the knowledge that for somethings, we just have to look at ourselves, throw up our hands and say, I just believe it.

 So, Just because you don't fully understand something doesn't mean you can't believe (in) it.

In Christ,

Pr Craig