Jennie Churchman

In the sermon on Sunday, I will be addressing the questions: Why is there suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people. I thought you might like a preview.

Sometimes people think that bad things happen to them because God is punishing them. That’s the perspective of the disciples in the story from John 9 about Jesus healing a blind man. Sometimes people say if you’re suffering it means you don’t have enough faith. You’re not praying enough or you just don’t understand the ways of God. Sometimes people say it must be because God is trying to teach us a lesson or that suffering is God’s will, part of some pre-determined plan. 

I don’t believe any of this. 

I think suffering just is. It is part of the human condition. Bad things just happen. Sometimes unspeakably bad things happen. We can’t get away from pain and suffering because they just are. They are a part of living in these mortal bodies, and they are part of living mortal, fallible lives that are prone to brokenness. Pain and suffering just are. 

“Why is there suffering?” and “Why do bad things happen to good people?” are questions that don’t get us anywhere. Better questions are: Where is God when we are suffering? and What do we do with our suffering once we are on the other side of the pain?

We will explore these questions Sunday.

I’ll see you then.

Jennie

Worship at 10:00 a.m.
On-site at 302 South Main Street       Eureka, Illinois
Online at eurekachristian.org/worship-online or facebook.com/eurekacc/live

I am preaching this Sunday on the problem of suffering using the story from John 9 of Jesus healing a blind man. (See related post, “Why Suffering?”) In the course of writing the sermon today, I went on a tangent about stumbling blocks to faith. I thought it was worth sharing separately.

The story opens with Jesus and the disciples coming across a man who has been blind from birth.  The disciples ask, “Teacher? Who sinned? This man or his parents that he was born blind?” What makes them think they have the right to cast judgement on this man? Why is it that disciples of Jesus Christ are always so quick to cast judgment? 

Do we not realize how very many stumbling blocks this puts in the way of people coming to know Jesus through us? Now that I finally have in my life a whole circle of friends who have given up on church and in some cases Christianity altogether, I see with my own eyes the stumbling blocks this creates. I listen to my friends. I hear their stories. They finally trust me enough to share the things that have been said to them or about them or about people they love, and it just makes me want to weep. Or pull my hair out. 

As Christians—as little Christs—we are supposed to move through the world in a Christ-like manner. Can we not open our ears and hear how comments like the one those first disciples made so long ago sound to those on the receiving end? Can we not open our eyes and see the pain this causes? 

I’ll see you Sunday.

Jennie

Worship at 10:00 a.m.
On-site at 302 South Main Street       Eureka, Illinois
Online at eurekachristian.org/worship-online or facebook.com/eurekacc/live

Join us this Sunday, March 19 as we host our sister congregations in the Illinois Valley Cluster for a Lenten service of worship.

The service will begin at 4:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary, followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. Rev. April McClure-Stewart will bring the Word, and her daughter Annalivia will provide the special music.

In her book Boundless Compassion, spiritual writer Joyce Rupp writes, “Consider seeds as symbols of the four main spiritual qualities necessary for compassion’s growth: nonjudgment, nonviolence, forgiveness, and mindfulness.”

May a spirit of compassion grow in each of us this Lenten season.

In the youth-led worship service on March 5, our amazing teenagers, led by our Youth Ministry Interns Grace Dearhamer and Hayden Skaggs, wrestled with the question: “How am I working to protect and enhance God’s creation?”  That’s a good question for all of us to ask, ponder, study, and pray about I think.  Here are some of my thoughts and personal actions.

I have always considered myself to be proactive in my care for God’s good earth:

• I have recycled faithfully since my college days. 
• I used cloth diapers exclusively with Rachel for the first year of her life.  Once she got mobile, we were dealing with leaks at every turn, so I gave in and switched to disposables.  With a little more research and a willingness to invest in different gear, I think I could have continued using cloth diapers longer, but hey—I was trying to work full time and had an excessively long commute (3 hours daily).  I did my best.  (More on that in a minute.)
• I use tote bags for my groceries. 
• I participate in several CSAs (community supported agriculture programs) that provide me with locally-grown and produced fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, and flowers. 
• I also recently started eating a vegetarian diet. 

I am proud of all these actions, small though they are.  And, I recognize that there is still more I can do.   

For example, I have only recently become aware of the challenges of plastics recycling.  Even though these products technically are recyclable, the hard truth is that there is very little market for recycling plastics.  Many of the plastic bottles, containers, etc. that I have dutifully cleaned, sorted, and taken to recycling centers for over thirty years now still end up in a landfill.  A story called “Recycling Plastic Is Practically Impossible” aired on the October 24, 2022 broadcast of All Things Considered on NPR last October opened my eyes to the issue.

So, lately I have been making an effort to reduce my plastics use.  Let me tell you, it is hard!  Plastic is everywhere.  I have come to the conclusion that I won’t be able to eliminate plastic usage entirely, but I am doing my best.  (See comment above.) 

• When I buy products at the store, I intentionally look for metal, paper, cardboard, or glass packaging and avoid buying products in plastic packaging.  It’s not always possible, but I can see that my plastic use has already been reduced in just these few months of intentional purchasing.
• I have replaced all the pump hand soaps in my house with bar soaps. 
• I am now using a bar dishwashing soap.  (The first product I tried was subpar, so I’m now on my second go-around.  So far I like this new one.) 
• I have been trying out various shampoo bars.  The jury is still out on this; I’ve been through three different products so far and am not sold on any of them.  But—hey!—again, I am doing my best.  Which I think is a good goal for all of us.

I have long-heard of micro-plastics in the oceans and waterways.  I always assumed this was from plastic packaging that somehow found its way into the water—dropped or blown in or washed downstream, etc.  I now know that the two main sources of micro-plastics in our waterways are from the breakdown of tires as we drive and fibers from synthetic clothing that come out in the wash.  I was stunned to learn this.  There’s not much I can do at this point in my life about the tire issue.  Quite frankly, the clothing issue is going to be difficult too, as most of my clothes are made from synthetics.  However, I have made the commitment that when I need to replace something, I will look for a natural fiber alternative.  More expensive, yes.  Challenging, yes.  But…I am doing my best.

Which in the end is all any of us can do.  “How am I working to protect and enhance God’s creation?” our youth asked us last Sunday.  These are some of the ways I am responding to their question.  Let’s start a conversation.  What are some of the ways you are working to protect and enhance God’s creation?

For a 24-hour period from 8:00 p. m. on Maundy Thursday, April 6 until 8:00 p.m. on Good Friday, April 7, we will keep vigil with Jesus during the pivotal moments in his journey to the cross.

In this reimagined experience of the classic Stations of the Cross you will be invited to pray and meditate at eight prayer stations that will be set up in our Chapel:

• Station One:  In the Garden
• Station Two:  Betrayal and Arrest
• Station Three:  Peter’s Denial
• Station Four:  At Trial
• Station Five:  Torment and Anguish
• Station Six:  Crucified
• Station Seven:  Last Breath
• Station Eight:  Laid in the Tomb

There are a few one-hour prayer times still available. Sign up this Sunday or contact Rev. Jennie at (309)467-2369 or minister@eurekachristian.org.

Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 12. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night!

It is time to register for summer camp!

Through our CCIW regional ministries, we have camps for students grades K through 12 plus two family camps. To register, please go to the camp program page of the CCIW website, click on the camp you are interested in, and follow the registration instructions. Eureka Christian Church pays ½ of the registration fees for church members, so when you get to the payment, select the option “I am making a partial payment and my church will pay the balance.”  Please register by April 30^th because the fees increase after May 1^st.  If you have any questions, contact the church office at 467-2369.

Visit the Camp Walter Scott website for more information about the campground and the programs they have available.

With the return of the Illinois Valley Cluster Lenten gatherings, you may be wondering, “What is the Illinois Valley Cluster?”

The Cluster is made up of sister congregations in our immediate geographical area. These congregations are: Creve Coeur First Christian Church, Henry First Christian Church, Mackinaw Christian Church, Pekin First Christian Church, Peoria First Christian Church, Glen Oak Christian Church, Memorial Christian Church, Washburn Christian Church, Sunnyland Christian Church, and us, Eureka Christian Church.

We gather regularly for worship, service projects, and fellowship events. See the Highlights newsletter for more information about up-coming Cluster events.

Make plans to attend the youth-led worship on Sunday, March 5! The service begins at 10:00 a.m.

Under the leadership of our Youth Ministry Interns Grace Dearhamer and Hayden Skaggs, our youth have designed and prepared this service on the theme of caring for God’s Earth. They will also offer special music. Please come not only to support our youth but also to hear the Good Word they bring.

I’ll see you Sunday. 

Jennie

Worship at 10:00 a.m.
On-site at 302 South Main Street       Eureka, Illinois
Online at eurekachristian.org/worship-online or facebook.com/eurekacc/live

The latest edition of The Youth Times is now on the Youth Ministries page of our website. This includes all the latest info on up-coming events. Check it out! Our youth groups for grades 5-12 meet most Sunday afternoons from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Friends are always welcome!