Reflecting Christ's Light from Our Doorsteps to the Ends of the Earth
Join us this Sunday, March 26 as we welcome the Eureka College Chorale and Chamber Ensemble to the Traditional Service. Their gift of music will truly be inspiring and uplifting. Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to invite friends and neighbors to join you for worship.
I’ll see you Sunday.
Jennie
Worship at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m.
On-site at 302 South Main Street Eureka, Illinois
Online at eurekachristian.org/worship-online or facebook.com/eurekacc/live
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 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.)
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:
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 30th because the fees increase after May 1st. 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.
What will I do this winter for work?
I think I hear in your question not only uncertainty but maybe even a little fear, and I can understand why. Having a seasonally-dependent job means the loss of that job when the seasons change. Which also, obviously, means a loss of income. And that is scary. So what can you do? While this is not my area of expertise, I have some thoughts:
Find a winter-specific job to supplement your other income. For example, you can join the IDOT “Snowbird” program. Retail and package-delivery services also hire seasonal workers, at least during the holidays. These are just a few ideas to get you started; I am sure there are others.
Manage your cash flow to take you through the winter months. My sister is self-employed and never knows just how many clients she will have from month to month. Because she has owned her business for over twenty years, she has been able to chart her cash flow and can now anticipate which months will be lean. What this means in practice is that she sets aside funds during months of higher income to use when she has less money coming in. Perhaps something like this will work for you too.
Expand your employment options. Is there a specific certification you can earn or more education you can complete that will make you a more viable candidate for different employment opportunities? Think about the skills you already have and build on those. If what you are doing now is not enough to meet your financial needs throughout the year, then perhaps a change is what you need most.
These are all specific actions you can take to manage the fear (and possible reality) of not having enough income. In my experience, taking action has been the best antidote to fear.
I can get myself absolutely tangled in knots of anxiety, worry, fear, you name it. So much so that I can’t think of anything else except for this thing I’m stressing over. And what has this done for me? It hasn’t solved my problem, that’s for sure. Instead, I have poured so much energy into being afraid and anticipating all the things that can possibly go wrong that I haven’t left any energy for actually dealing with the problem. However, when I have been able to channel all that energy into making a change or doing what needs to be done, I have realized that—yes!—I can do this! Perhaps you don’t struggle with fear like this. But if you do, maybe this will help.
And one more thing. For me, life has been much more satisfying when I have found meaning and purpose in what I do. Sometimes we talk about having a sense of “call” in our work; that’s what this is. Doing something with our lives that makes a difference. What do you enjoy doing? Where do you feel like your gifts can be the most useful? These might be good questions to ponder and pray about. When I am living out my call, it doesn’t feel like work. It just feels right.
“Find a job you enjoy doing,
and you will never have to work a day in your life”
Mark Twain
How can I help grow my mini-mowing/yard work bisness [sic]? (I am just a kid.)
This is a great question! It speaks of your work ethic, your determination, your independence, and your sense of responsibility. I bet your parents are very proud of you!
How can you grow your mowing/yard work business? Work hard and do good-quality work are my first responses. Mow when you say you are going to mow. Communicate with your customers if you know you might be delayed. (For example, if you get sick or overwhelmed with homework or if your family goes out of town.) Do a thorough job. Clean up after you are done. Pay attention to the things your customers have asked you to do or not do—for example, don’t weed-whack the flowers they asked you to leave alone.
Your customers will appreciate all your efforts and, perhaps more importantly from a business point of view, they will stay your loyal customers. Some businesses are really good about getting new customers, but they do not do enough to keep the customers they already have. You can’t grow a business that way. You grow a business by keeping the customers you have and adding new ones.
Which brings me to the next thought for growing your business: ask your current customers for referrals. If they are pleased with the work you have done for them, then they will be more than happy to let their friends, neighbors, and family know about your business. You might even want to create fliers or business cards for them to hand out. One word of caution, however: don’t add so many customers that you can’t continue to offer good-quality work to your current ones. There is a sweet spot here—having enough customers for your business to thrive, but not bringing in so many new customers that the quality of your work suffers.
And one last thought: be open to new possibilities. In addition to mowing, maybe add weed pulling in the summer, leaf raking in the fall, snow shoveling in the winter, or hedge trimming in whatever season hedges are trimmed. Pet sitting might also go well with a yard business because you’re at the house already—might as well feed and water the animals!
Good luck!
