A Word from your Lay Leader

A modern colloquialism for someone who must have proof—doubting Thomas! This scripture is often used as a vehicle to discuss faith, reason and witnessing the gospel. The disciples shared with Thomas the good news that Jesus had risen. Thomas, like most of us, says, “yeah, I’m gonna need proof because that sounds crazy!” That really does sound like most of us, doesn’t it? In today’s world, proof is found in more than just pudding. Resumes, licenses, pictures, youtube.com, and eye-witnesses. The Guinness Book of World Records has very strict rules about proving records. The Catholic church has even stricter standards to prove miracles—certainly more than touching scars! Let’s not forget the fish that Joe caught last week or the “oh yeah, well prove it then,” in the schoolyard or all the testing we do in school and professionally.
It isn’t hard to see that we have a fixation on verification!

Recently, a client was discussing with me an impactful moment he experienced at church. A question had occurred to him relating to that particular passage. The question struck me and I have been thinking about it ever since. Of course, when questions like that strike me, I looked them up on Google. Apparently, others around the world have also wondered, and so might you. The question is: “Why did Jesus have scars?” At first, I didn’t bite—Duh! Of course he had scars! He was nailed to a cross and stabbed! That tends to be the result. Then like my first cup of coffee in the morning it dawned on me, “he came back from the dead!” That is some major healing! Doesn’t it seem weird that the healing would just stop at coming back to life? If you had the ability to rise from the dead, would you stop at life, or would you fix all your scars, blemishes, illnesses, etc.? I have a bum shoulder from a snowboarding accident 15 years ago; I would not miss an opportunity to throw ball like I used to! So why did Jesus, in arguably his most impactful moment, stop with a half-baked healing?

My first thought (after ‘duh’) was, that is just how one proved things back then. No one else would have those same scars, but that still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. It has always seemed weird that Jesus was somehow unrecognizable to the people who followed him so closely for so long! Almost as if there was some intention behind Jesus not being recognized. On top of that, there are so many other ways Jesus could have proven himself to the disciples besides scars. He could have walked on water, or turned water to wine or called down angels or struck them blind or a hundred other things. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that Jesus having scars was intentional—that there was a message in it even. I love finding secret messages and meaning in things. I so enjoy that “ah-ha” moment when I discover meaning or truth that I didn’t have before. So far, I don’t have that feeling very strongly which means that I must keep digging.

My next idea was to think about the nature of scars. When do scars happen? Well, they begin with a wound. If we broaden the context of a wound, we can include physical wounds, emotional wounds, relational wounds, spiritual wounds and others. Scarring happens as those wounds begin to heal. If we have a hole in us that isn’t supposed to be there, even if it heals, it won’t be completely filled; it won’t be…perfect. Emotional or internal scars use our memory as a medium. We experience emotional pain that we remember, then those memories store that pain to keep us from making that mistake again. Just like physical scars, they may fade a little over time but they are always there. The more painful the experience, the more vivid the scar in the memory. I feel like I am getting a little closer to the truth about Christ’s scars, though this doesn’t quite fit either. I don’t think Jesus’ scars are there to help him avoid crucifixion again. What then? The part that seems like a reminder may be more on point. What might we be reminded of?

Christ said, “do this in remembrance of me” when he passed the bread and wine to the disciples at the last supper. “This is my body, broken for you.” I am almost there! This is how scripture works in my head. Something doesn’t make sense to me so I have to run it through the gauntlet of what I already know until something vibrates at the right frequency and harmony happens. I feel a little more harmony when I imagine Christ purposefully bearing the scars of our sin, and those scars being the evidence that he truly is risen!  That vibration feels right but I think there is more. He bore that weight and suffering and was raised, a symbol of our own redemption, our own freedom. We have freedom from the cost of sin but the mark doesn’t go away?

What do you think when you see someone sitting alone in the park on a bench in tears, or when you see someone with burn scars on their face or knife scars on their wrists? What do you feel? Aren’t we taught to look for scars in others? We even have phrases to talk about people: damaged goods, has baggage, has demons, skeletons in the closet. What we mean is that a person has scars and we are able to recognize them to some degree. We are taught to avoid or be wary of these people. We learn that they are dangerous or unhealthy or not a good pick for a relationship. This is partly true. It isn’t wrong to teach our children to be safe and to be safe ourselves. Unfortunately, the result of avoiding the scared is isolation, fear, hiding ourselves from others’ judgment and setting up a world where it isn’t safe to be ourselves. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

It turns out that scars can also let you know that a person has overcome some type of conflict or tribulation or that they have experienced pain and survived--healed. Scars have a really neat way of connecting us to others. Alcoholics Anonymous is a good example of this. At its best, the church is like this. At its worst, it is a place where we feel we have to hide our wounds and scars. I have been to churches where I felt I could share my scars and those I couldn’t.
My last thought about Christ’s scars is that perhaps he kept them after the resurrection to show us that being saved doesn’t mean our scars will disappear either. That believing in Christ’s death and resurrection does not mean we forget the hurts we have endured or those when have inflicted. In fact, just as Jesus’ scars were proof to Thomas that it was really him, back from the dead, ours will be a testament to other would-be Christians that Jesus came for EVERYONE.

Be vulnerable when you share the Message. You may find that others around you begin to let down their guard and take off their masks. Let others put their hands on your scars so they will know you belong to Christ and that they too will believe! Amen.

-Josh Bynum

Oregon-Idaho Reconciling United Methodists SAVE THE DATE - AUGUST, 5! It’s the Oregon-Idaho Reconciling United Methodists 2017 UN-Picnic/Summer Gathering - and you are invited! Come join in the fun.  A catered lunch will be served at noon (not a potluck picnic).  The event will be held at beautiful Suttle Lake Camp, located outside of Sisters, Oregon. Click here for a map and directions. The cost is $16 per person for a full day’s use of the Camp including the catered lunch. If you wish to stay overnight, contact Jane Petke at the Suttle Lake Camp office (541-595-2818) Suttle@GoCamping.org Registration Form

Pastoral Transitions Wisdom Shared

In this article Lovett H. Weems Jr. of the Lewis Center of Leadership shares some important thoughts for pastors who are making the transition to a new community and a new church, outlining them in four key challenges in pastoral transitions. It's a timely message, as several churches throughout the Sage District will be welcoming, and also saying goodbye to, their incoming and outgoing pastors next month. Check out Gwen's article above to find out the pastoral changes happening in our district.

UMCOR "Kit Kamp" Registration is open

Registration is now open for the third annual “Kit Kamp” at Camp Magruder October 26-29.  The camp provides fellowship and fun while sewing baby clothes, school bags, and other items for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) “kits” that are used in disaster relief and humanitarian situations worldwide.
 
Accommodations for the Thursday-Sunday event are in Edwards Lodge, where campers will be housed in comfortable rooms with adjacent bathrooms.  The lounge area is ideally situated for sewing stations, and non-sewers are welcome to knit, iron, help with assembly, or just relax and enjoy the ambiance.
 
Participants may also wish to take advantage of the beautiful autumn weather on the coast for such activities as beach walks, wetlands and the Magruder labyrinth.  Cost is $199, which includes all meals and three nights’ lodging.  For further information, or to register visit the website here.
 

Job Posting

Columbia and Cascadia districts of the Oregon-Idaho Conference are working together to create a position to connect and strengthen youth ministry at the local church level. We are seeking a candidate to lead a pilot effort, engaging in a year of discovery and evaluation to determine how youth coordination can best support the needs of our regions and communities.If you would like to know more, please check out this job description.