Was Prayer Unanswered in Colorado Fire?

As of Tuesday, the massive Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs that has been burning since June 23, has consumed nearly 18,000 acres and is the most destructive in Colorado's history was reported as 55 percent contained. After days of high temperatures, drought and wind, which made fighting the blaze difficult, firefighters were helped this week by cooler temperatures and higher humidity.

Still, full containment isn't likely until July 12 at the earliest, officials say.

The conflagration, being fought by 1,581 firefighters, is believed to be responsible for two deaths. At its peak, more than 32,000 area residents were forced to flee their homes.

The Waldo Canyon fire is but one of several major wildfires ablaze in several Western states, all driven by high heat, low humidity and dry-as-tinder vegetation.

Rain, of course, would have helped in stopping these fires, but none was forthcoming. And David Ramsey, columnist at The Gazette newspaper in Colorado Springs, wants to know why God didn't send rain in response to the great many prayers requesting it. Ramsey said in a recent column that he'd heard from dozens of friends who said they were praying for his family, his home and his city, all of them petitioning God for rain.

So, "Where was the rain we all so desperately needed?" Ramsey asked.

For his column, Ramsey contacted two members of the Colorado Springs clergy for a response. One, Rev. Patty Walker of First Congregational Church, was among the evacuees and said she also prayed for rain. She told Ramsey, "You can't tell God how to respond. Even though it doesn't rain, it doesn't mean God isn't showing up. God has shown up in a million other ways."

Walker added, "We have a very involved God. I believe God is crying with people who lost their houses. ... There is a holy mystery around suffering."

Another pastor, Brady Boyd of New Life Church, said he had prayed "without ceasing" all week, and maintained that God had answered the prayers. He prayed for rain, for the firefighters and for the evacuees. The firefighters have performed amazing feats, Boyd said, and no one has died (it's not clear when the two reported deaths occurred). "We've received two out of three, and that's pretty amazing," Boyd said. "That's a miracle."

Ramsey closed his column repeating Boyd's claim of "two out of three" and asking, "Is that enough?"

More on this story can be found at these links:

Why Didn't God Deliver Badly Needed Rain? Gazette.com
Colorado Springs Fire: Progress, but Full Containment Is Days Off. LA Times
 
The Big Questions

1. What is the purpose of prayer? Is there more than one purpose? Why have Christians over the centuries affirmed its necessity and value? How do we know that we should pray?

2. What does it mean when we pray and the thing for which we ask God is not granted? What does it mean when the opposite of what we ask occurs?

3. How do we identify answers to prayer, especially when the seeming answer is not what we have petitioned God for? Can "coincidence" be another term for "answered prayer"? Explain your answer. Are all sincere prayers answered in some way? If not, why not?

4. What do you make of the "two out of three" explanation of answered prayer? Does asking for some things that are likely to happen along with asking for something less likely to happen make for a too-easy claim of answered prayer? Why or why not?

5. What do you make of the "holy mystery around suffering" explanation for seemingly unanswered prayer? Is it an adequate view of God to say that God cries with those who have lost their houses while also noting that God did not prevent the loss? Is it "good enough" that God cries with us?

Confronting the News with Scripture
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Psalm 115:3
"Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases." (For context read 115:1-11.)

It is very important to read this Bible verse in context. Taken by itself, it can make God sound capricious -- the sort of deity who, on a whim, lets Colorado burn while sparing Kansas from the flames. But that's not what this verse is saying. In context, it's referring to the superiority of Israel's God over the idols of surrounding nations. Those idols, says the psalmist, are "the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; they make no sound in their throats" (vv. 4-7). In other words, they are useless.

In contrast to those idols, the psalmist says, Israel's "God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases." This means that God is completely independent of human beings, neither made by mortals nor expected to do their bidding. The verse is a statement of God's sovereignty.

At the same time, however, the psalmist calls on Israel to give glory to God's name, "for the sake of [God's] steadfast love and ... faithfulness" (v. 1). With those words, the psalmist affirms God's character and nature. Yes, God is totally independent of humankind, but his nature is steadfast love and faithfulness, so he therefore does not act capriciously toward us.

Questions: If God "does whatever he pleases," what is the point of prayers of petition? Why even bother to pray?

Genesis 4:4-5
"And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard." (For context, read 4:1-16.)

Although Bible commentators suggest that Abel's attitude or actions made his offering acceptable and Cain's attitude or actions made his intolerable, the text gives us no clue about why God received one offering and not the other. There is something of the same mystery as to why some prayers seem to be answered and some seem not to be.

Questions: Is prayer subject to statistics? In other words, is it something we can keep track of, in a data base or a graph, where "success" or "failure" can be charted? Why or why not? Have you ever used the "success" of your prayers as examples of God's faithfulness? Have you ever cited the "failure" of your prayers as evidence of God's lack of regard for you? Are either of those accurate measures? Explain.

Job 38:25-28
"Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain, and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no one lives, on the desert, which is empty of human life, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground put forth grass? Has the rain a father ...?" (For context, read 38:1--40:2.)

This is part of God's "non-answer" answer to Job's complaints about the undeserved woes that have befallen him. It's a non-answer in that God does not explain his purposes in allowing Job to suffer. It's a non-answer because God does not address Job's specific questions. It's a non-answer in that God responds by asking Job a series of rhetorical questions. But it's also an answer in that God gives Job a view of the bigger picture of creation, a larger context in which Job can view his own troubles. It's not an "answer to prayer" in the traditional meaning of the term, but it's a response that changes the picture about which Job is praying.

Questions: Does "God's perspective" thinking help you when you are in the midst of trouble? Why or why not? Should having a larger perspective give us more peace in the face of both answered and unanswered prayer? When you are suffering and struggling, is your perspective of the larger situation greater or lesser?

2 Chronicles 6:26-27
"When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and then they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin, because you punish them, may you hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your servants ... and send down rain upon your land ..." (For context, read 6:12-14, 22-40.)

These lines are from King Solomon's prayer at the time of the dedication of the first temple in Jerusalem. In verses 22-39, Solomon enumerates the many prayers that will be offered in or toward the temple in the years to come. Among those prayers, he expects, will be petitions for rain.

In the thinking of that time, any drought was assumed to be punishment from God because of sins of the people. Therefore, Solomon asks that in time of drought, God would forgive the sins of the people and send rain.

Questions: Most people today do not view drought or natural disaster as divine punishment. But if they are simply the reality of natural forces, why does God, whom we believe both loves us and has ultimate control over nature, not keep those forces from destructive extremes? Are there any "sins" of humankind that affect the weather today?

Matthew 5:45
"... so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous." (For context, read 5:43-48.)

Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers to love their enemies as well as their neighbors, just as God sends the blessings of sun and rain on both righteous and unrighteous people.

Note that Jesus interprets God's use of the weather differently from how the Old Testament people did. There, if a drought occurred, the assumption was that it was punishment for sin. Here, however, Jesus sees the range of weather as occurrences independent of human morality.

Questions: If God sends blessings of sun and rain on people without regard to their morality, is it reasonable that he allows natural disasters to fall on people without regard to their morality as well? Is there anything that is unreasonable about it?

Matthew 7:7-8
"Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." (For context, read 7:7-11.)

These are also words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, but taken out of context, they sound like the wording of a guarantee: Follow these instructions faithfully and you will get the desired results. The words seem to promise that we can receive anything we pray for if we pray with enough intensity and persistence.

Yet in context, that is not the intent of Jesus' words. In the Sermon on the Mount thus far, Jesus had already asked his hearers to live righteously, to forgo anger, to shun retaliation, to avoid lust, to love their enemies, to forgive those who injured them and to not be anxious about the future. We can imagine that some in the audience that day were thinking something like, "Well, Jesus, that's all very nice, but how am I going to do all those things? I can't even forgive my neighbor for making too much racket, so how am I going to love my enemy? And then there is anger and lust. I don't want those things, but they just overtake me. You might as well ask me to give up eating or breathing!"

Jesus, however, anticipates those questions, and so makes his comments about prayer. He tells his audience to just ask God. Ask for the ability to live righteously, to love one's neighbor, to forgive those who hurt them, and so on. Those are the qualities praying affects. In other words, Jesus tells them that the answer to prayer for themselves most often comes in the form of spiritual graces in their lives, not in God changing the course of events.

Questions: What spiritual changes have you experienced because of praying? Are spiritual changes more important than the requests you made through prayer? How comforting is this when your prayers were for the survival or health of those dear to you, and those prayers are not answered?

James 5:16-18
"The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest." (For context, read 5:13-18.)

James is here referring to the Old Testament story about Elijah's confrontation with wicked King Ahab found in 1 Kings 17-18. James' point is not specifically about praying over the weather, but he sees the effect of Elijah's prayer as an example of the effect of prayer by the faithful in general.  

If we go back and read the Old Testament account, we see that it is not clear whether Elijah's prayers actually caused the rain to stop and start or whether Elijah simply announced what God was doing. Nonetheless, James' point is that we should set no limits on the power of prayer, for it is far more powerful than people commonly think. He says to his readers: Are you suffering? Pray for help! Are you sick? Pray for healing! Are you a sinner? Pray for forgiveness! After all, he says, look what Elijah was able to accomplish even with the weather through prayer! James is not saying that the rest of us necessarily change the weather with our prayers. James is saying that we can count on God hearing our prayers no matter what the weather brings.

Question: Would you agree that in response to prayer God either changes the circumstances or helps the pray-er get through what he does not change? Why or why not?

For Further Discussion

1. Respond to this, from David Ramsey's column: "In the end, our view of God's response comes down to what we expect. If you truly expected a torrent of rain in response to prayers, a torrent preventing this week's agony and confusion, there's no doubt you're disappointed."

2. Is there any usefulness to praying with an "It's worth a shot" mentality?

3. Should repentance be part of prayers for rain? Why or why not?

4. Comment on this, from Rev. James Berger, who has survived a hurricane, an earthquake and a tsunami: He says that we sometimes confuse prayer with magic. "Prayer is seeking to discern the will of God. Magic is seeking a means to manipulate the fates/future/gods to bend them to doing our will. So, do we pray for victory before the big game? Do we pray for victory before the battle? Rain, to rescue us from fires that only threaten us because we built our homes in a fire zone? Deliverance from earthquakes when we build on a fault line? Most of what we say about prayer in our churches is really a magical wish. My will be done, not thine. After all, my will is what matters."

5. Rev. Frank Ramirez shares this: "A friend of mine spoke to me by phone about the dry weather in her state. She felt guilty about her relief in this matter because it meant that her sump pump would be able to handle the load and not be overwhelmed by too much water, but the same week her pastor, who farms on the side, asked everyone at the church to pray for rain because his crops needed it badly. How do you suppose God prioritizes the needs of those in prayer? Whose prayers should get priority? Is this subject to human standards?

"In the movie Bruce Almighty, a TV newscaster (played by Jim Carrey) whose life is falling apart cries aloud to God that the universe is unfair. God (played by Morgan Freeman) invites him to take over answering prayer for a week. At one point Carrey decides to save time and answer everyone’s prayer with a yes. The result is that everyone whose prayer was to win the lottery is granted their desire, but the big prize, divided up thousands of ways, results in awards of just a few dollars.

"Game theorists talk about the zero-sum game in which someone has to lose in order for someone to win. Are there circumstances when prayer becomes a zero-sum game? Does answering one prayer in the affirmative require another prayer to be denied?"

6. Respond to this: Rev. Stan Purdum tells of conducting a funeral for a young man who had been killed as the innocent bystander during someone else's quarrel. When they got to the cemetery, it was a bright sunny day. After the graveside service, the brother of the deceased, overcome with grief, suddenly threw himself across his brother's coffin, clutching it tightly and sobbing, "No. No. No." Neither his family nor his friends nor the pastor could get him to release his grip. While all this was occurring, the sky quickly darkened, and all at once, a hard, driving downpour occurred, which finally caused the young man to let go of the coffin and rejoin his family. Purdum says, "Given the circumstances, the rain was providential. I've often thought that if we humans had control over the weather, it could hardly have been put to a better use than it was that day."

Responding to the News

This is an opportunity to think and learn about prayer. Rev. Nancy Lane points out that prayer is a relationship and conversation with God in which we also take time to listen for the response. She suggests these questions as a way to do that thinking:

1. Do we pray for and accept God's will or pray for our will and disparage God when our will isn't done?

2. Do we expect God to rescue us from the consequences of our choices and behaviors?

She suggests that when the answer we want doesn't come, we should open ourselves to God's grace, help and strength to guide and sustain us through the situation. That, itself, she suggests, is an answer to prayer.

It may also be helpful to talk to church members who have been Christians for years and have lived through trouble. Ask them to describe what prayer meant to them during those times, as well as during times when all was going well.

Other News This Week

Hall of Fame Pitcher Gives Up Trophies

Former Baltimore Orioles star pitcher Jim Palmer is auctioning off his three Cy Young Awards and two of his four Gold Gloves to convert his trophies into funds to help educate his grandchildren and provide care for his autistic stepson and charitable gifts to the autism project of Palm Beach County. "At this juncture of my life ... my priorities have changed," said the Hall of Famer.

"Certainly, when you talk about Cy Young Awards and Gold Gloves, these are the elite level of personal awards," said David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, which is taking bids on the trophies. People like Palmer who surrender such prizes "lived the moments, and their accomplishments are really the reward," Hunt remarked.

Palmer pitched on Baltimore's six pennant-winning teams and is the only pitcher in big-league history to win World Series games in three decades (1966, 1970-71, 1983). During his 19-year major league career of 575 games, Palmer compiled a 268-152 record with 2,212 strikeouts, a 2.86 ERA, 521 games started, 211 complete games and 53 shutouts in 3,948 innings, and never allowed a grand slam or back-to-back homers. He won 20 games in eight different seasons and won spots on six all-star teams and two ERA titles. He led the American League in victories three times and retired in 1984 as a member of the defending World Champions.

In 1966, Palmer became the youngest pitcher to win a complete-game, World Series shutout, defeating Sandy Koufax and the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-0. The shutout was part of a World Series record-setting 33 1/3 consecutive shutout innings by Orioles pitchers.

The 17 years between his first World Series win in 1966 and his 1983 World Series win is the longest period of time between first and last pitching victories in the World Series for an individual pitcher in major league history. He was the first and only player in Orioles history to participate in all six (1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1983) of their World Series appearances. Palmer was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.

But Palmer, 66, says he doesn't need polished pieces of hardware to remind him of his accomplishments on the field. "To me, those are things that happened in the past. ... Whether I have the awards or not, it's not going to take those memories away. While I am immensely proud to have received these awards, that chapter of my life has passed," he said. "I am aware of people that love baseball and would treasure items like mine. Hopefully, these awards will bring happiness into baseball fans' lives and allow me to make a difference in my family's future."

More on this story can be found at these links:

Orioles Hall of Famer Jim Palmer Auctioning Off ... Awards. Baltimore Sun
Jim Palmer. Wikipedia

Bible Verses and Questions

1 Corinthians 9:25
"Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one." (For context, read 9:24-27.)

Jim Palmer apparently discovered that prizes he worked so hard for years to gain were not as important to him in the end as other things.

Question: Give examples of things you used to value that are no longer important to you. What happened to make you change your mind?

Matthew 6:19-21
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (No further context needed.)
Luke 12:33
"Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven ..." (For context, read 12:22-34.)
Luke 18:18, 22
"A certain ruler asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' ... When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.'" (For context, read 18:18-27.)

Questions: Why are treasures on earth ultimately unsatisfying? Why does the heart yearn for treasure in heaven? How can you "make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven"?

Matthew 13:44-46
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it." (No further context needed.)

Palmer did not express regret over auctioning off his prized possessions; to the contrary, he seems genuinely joyful over the fact that he can use what he has to benefit others.

Questions: Why do some people cling to earthly possessions while others find the act of giving away what they hold dear liberating? What is worth so much that you would gladly sell everything you own to attain it?

Matthew 12:35
"The good person brings good things out of a good treasure ..." (For context, read 12:33-37.)

Palmer apparently wants to transform his material treasures into something more intangible that will make a difference in the lives of others.

Questions: Is it possible to convert earthly goods into heavenly treasure that will last forever? How can you do that?

1 John 2:15-17
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world -- the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches -- comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever." (For context, read 2:7-17.)

Questions: What does the Bible say has eternal value? Are you investing your time, talent and treasure in things that are passing away, or in things that last forever?

For Further Discussion

Comment on this: Rev. Charles Alkula says that the Palmer story could also be used to teach congregations about the transient nature of the buildings they occupy. For every historic building that deserves to be preserved for its architectural significance, there are many more that are "white elephants" or albatrosses that weigh down the potential ministry of a congregation and the church.

Closing Prayer
 
We pray, O Lord, that your will might be done in all the places where fires rage. Be with those who battle the blazes, those who must flee from them and those who have responsibility for overseeing recovery. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Communication Resources

 

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Sandusky's Church Deals With His Criminal Conviction

Until Jerry Sandusky was arrested in February on charges of sexually molesting eight young boys, he and his wife Dottie had been regular attendees at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in State College, Pennsylvania, rarely missing a Sunday service. For his fellow church members, the charges against Sandusky seemed out of character with the man they thought they knew. From that time through Sandusky's conviction this week on 45 counts related to predatory sexual crimes against boys, the congregation has had to come to terms not only with the moral disconnect between Sandusky's public and private life, but also with how to respond as a community of faith.

Glimpses of two Sunday services at St. Paul's this year show that the congregation is not ducking the issue.

In February, three weeks after Sandusky's arrest, Dana Garrett, a senior producer at CNN, showed up for a Sunday service at the church. When she identified herself as a CNN producer, a man greeting people at the door told her the media was not invited but, after some conversation, said that, yes, she was welcome to worship with them.

During a ritual called "passing the peace," in which attendees extend wishes of God's peace to one another, the man who'd initially met Garrett at the church door greeted her again, warmly, and brought the pastor, Ed Zeiders, to meet her. Zeiders greeted her as well and told the man to "make sure she gets mugged." Garrett didn't know what to make of that, especially because CNN and other network satellite trucks had been vandalized on the Penn State campus while covering the emerging scandal. She was relieved, however, when the man presented her with a coffee mug bearing the church's name. Inside it, she found a card with the church's service schedule and a message reading, "Do you know that God's love can and does achieve great things, even amid the turmoil of today's world?"

In his sermon that day, Zeiders did not mention Sandusky by name, but he clearly told that congregation that the only way to respond to the tumult swirling around the community was by being "authentic" Christians, with love and without judgment, for the victims and for the accused. "We are entrusted with the light of the world," Zeiders told his congregation. "We are the bearer of each other's burdens ... [called to] care for each other as deeply as we can."

After the service, Garrett spoke with Zeiders and learned that he was in regular pastoral contact with Sandusky and his wife. She asked if, assuming the charges were true, Sandusky should be forgiven. Zeiders immediately said yes, but added that forgiving did not mean forgetting and that people should be held accountable.

Garrett also talked with some parishioners, some of whom admitted to being in a state of shock regarding Sandusky. He had not been back to church since the charges, but as the allegations were still unproven, Garrett asked if they would welcome him back in the meantime. She was told that perhaps half the congregation would.

Garrett concluded her report of her visit saying, "... despite the upheaval and torment in this parish family, they were still willing to welcome a stranger who they may have at first viewed with suspicion. I came as just a member of the intruding media. I left there having received peace, the body and blood, a warm embrace, a mug and a better appreciation for the anguish that is being felt in every fiber of this community."

Last Sunday, with Sandusky now convicted and incarcerated, Garrett visited St. Paul's again. She heard Zeiders address the conviction, asking the congregation to "pray for all those who are victims and for all of those who are predators."

Zeiders began his sermon with a question: "In light of the misery, sorrow and suffering we see, affecting every aspect of our life, within us, in the midst of us and around us -- what are we to do? The world needs an answer, our community deserves an answer, and we need to answer together what is the most efficacious way to move forward from here."

He went on to say that in the midst of this "storm," the church had an opportunity: "If ever a local congregation has been given a moment to ... reveal what it means to be Christian," Zeiders said, "this is that congregation in this moment in history."

Zeiders then spoke about the transformative power and saving grace of God, making a connection between faith and ethical behavior. "If we are to claim Jesus as Savior, we must, without fail, come face-to-face with our own morality." He said that Christians must not succumb to the idea that "my faith and my morality are solely my business."

The congregation is still working to mesh the Sandusky they saw in church with the Sandusky revealed in the courtroom. Garrett reported that one member said, "We are like a family, and the allegations were stunning. I didn't want to believe them, but there was too much evidence not to."

The service last Sunday included a baptism. Afterward, Zeiders asked his congregants to vow to "guard and protect" children, reminding them they were stewards of their safety.

There is no indication that Sandusky ever abused a child within the church. The United Methodist denomination has a well-regarded child-protection program called Safe Sanctuaries with proactive protocols to ensure that children are kept from harm while under the care of the church.

Zeiders continues to be in pastoral contact with both Jerry and Dottie Sandusky.
 
More on this story can be found at these links:

Sandusky's Pastor Addresses Conviction From Pulpit. CNN
Can God's Love Be Enough? Inside Sandusky's Church. HLN
Safe Sanctuaries. General Board of Discipleship (UMC)
 
The Big Questions

1. How is it possible for someone to sit weekly under the teaching of the church and continue to commit acts that are directly opposite those teachings? While in Sandusky's case, the wrongdoing was criminal, in what less extreme ways do we behave in opposition to what our Sunday worship teaches? Why? Are there times when the sermon or service makes you uncomfortable with your own failings? Should it?

2. How should a church respond to a member who is revealed to have sinned in a stomach-turning and/or criminal way? Is your answer different if the person has not admitted the wrongdoing (as Sandusky has not)? How should a church respond to members of that person's family? Is it better to address families affected by such circumstances in private or in public? Is it better to leave such issues unaddressed in order to prevent discomfort or conflict?

3. What does it mean to be an "authentic" Christian in such circumstances?

4. What measures help a congregation heal after its "family" nature has been fractured by the significant sin of a member?

5. What proactive protocols are in place in your church to protect children from predators?

Confronting the News with Scripture
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

2 Samuel 13:20
"Her brother Absalom said to her, 'Has Amnon your brother been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother; do not take this to heart.' So Tamar remained, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom's house." (For context, read 13:1-29.)

King David's son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar, which, of course, left her devastated. Tamar's full-brother, Absalom, made plans to avenge his sister, but only told her to "Be quiet for now ... do not take this to heart," which was terrible advice for a victim of a sex-offender. It left her "a desolate woman." Even David, upon learning of the wrongdoing of one of his children against another of his children, did not bring any penalty upon Amnon.

All of this festered, and it led to Absalom murdering Amnon and to other problems in David's family and in the kingdom.

In times past, even the church has sometimes treated sexual offenses within its sphere by looking the other way or by asking victims to "be quiet." Thankfully, most church groups no longer do this, but congregations still have great difficulty facing the fact that sexual predators or doers of other great wrongs could be among them.

Questions: In what ways does your congregation guard against asking victims of sexual offenders within the church to "be quiet" about the harm done to them? Is there a forum or place within the life of your church where there is a time for lamentation? How comfortable are you or your congregation with deep expressions of emotion?

Ezekiel 33:6
"But if the sentinel sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any of them, they are taken away in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at the sentinel's hand." (For context, read 33:1-9.)

God called the prophet Ezekiel to be Israel's spiritual "sentinel" to warn the people of judgment to come. As long the sentry did his job and faithfully warned the people, there was no blame on the sentry, even if the people did not heed his warnings. But if the sentry did not issue the warnings, then God would hold him responsible for the fate of the people.

In a sense, congregations need to be "sentinels" for the well-being of their members and attendees when they are in the sphere of the church's responsibility.

Questions: In what ways is your congregation a sentinel for its children? its youth? its adults? its senior members? Do you publish a notice about the policies for child-protection in your church? If these things are left unsaid or just assumed, should that be changed?

Matthew 13:29-30
"But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" (For context, read 13:24-30.)

These are the concluding lines from Jesus' parable of the weeds among the wheat. Jesus told this parable to reveal something about the kingdom of heaven as it exists on earth. Its membership is a mix of wheat and weeds -- genuine Christians and those who only seem to be so. For our purposes, we note that the parable accepts that such is the way it is, that the "sorting" will have to wait until harvest time, the final judgment.

That's helpful news, for it relieves us of the task of trying to figure out who is a "wheat" person and who is a "weed" person -- except when actual behavior reveals that a person is other than who that person appears to be. In the meantime, we should put the "sentinel" protocols into place.

Questions: In what ways can premature judgments cause harm to a community of believers? In what ways can deferred judgments allow bad situations to continue? How do we decide when to act? What does it mean to leave judgment to God, yet be proactive and faithful in protecting members of the congregation? Is it possible to allow individuals such as predators in some worship settings, yet maintain boundaries of safety? (For one answer, see "Further Discussion #1 below.)

Romans 7:22-23
"For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members." (For context, read 7:14-25.)

Paul here speaks of an inner conflict -- what we might call a "divided self," a person at war with himself. Part of him wants and wills that which is God-pleasing. Part of him wants what is self-pleasing even if that flies in face of what is God-pleasing.

When someone who is living in great wrongdoing, even criminal wrongdoing, also attends church, it's possible that such a person is merely using their church connection as "cover" for their sin/crime. We recall, for example, that the BTK killer was an active member of a Lutheran church and had been elected president of the church board. It's always possible, however, that such a person is genuinely drawn both to Christianity and to his or her evil practice. Paul found the solution to his divided self in what he called "walking according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:4-5). He was, of course, referring to the Holy Spirit, the indwelling power of God. The biggest difference that makes is that the overriding motivation and guidance the person in the Spirit receives is not from his or her human nature but from God. Thus, walking in the Spirit, we can live in a way that is pleasing to God, and life-giving to ourselves and others.

Sometimes, when we speak of being "converted" or "born again" or "deciding to follow Jesus," we are thinking only of a moment in which we change direction, but of course, that is but a beginning. Paul here talks about walking in the Spirit as allowing that moment of change to blossom into a way of life. Walking in the Spirit means that we listen to God's direction within us, and that's like having an internal sentinel.

It's always possible that a person's divided self is pathological, which may preclude any real inner struggle, but many wrongdoers also feel the pull of righteousness.

Questions: When we feel pulled both ways, how can we give "walking according to the Spirit" the edge over "walking according to the flesh"? Should understanding our own sinful nature shape the way we treat or prejudge others? Is safety of those for whom we are stewards more important than inclusion?

Ephesians 6:18
"Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints." (No additional context needed.)

"Saints" as used by Paul in this verse refers not to especially holy people, but to believers in Christ -- in effect, church members. Most of us are good about praying for our fellow members when they are sick or have some obvious calamity, but Paul is here talking about praying for them in general, which would include supplications for their spiritual well-being. He was aware that simply being part of the church was no guarantee of spiritual health.

Question: What spiritual matter might you want others to pray about on your behalf?

For Further Discussion

1. We know of a church where an adult member admitted to the pastor that he felt sexually drawn toward children. He said he had never acted on that impulse, so there was nothing for the pastor to report to authorities, but the man also said that he wanted to continue to attend the church. The pastor agreed that he could, but only if the man would agree to having a small support group of men informed about his predilection toward children and allow a volunteer from that group to stay with him in church each Sunday -- including when the man used the restroom. Also, he was to consider the children's-ministry parts of the building off limits. The man agreed, and the arrangement has worked successfully, with the volunteers considering their time with this man as part of their personal ministries. What do you think of this arrangement? Should something different have been done? Why?

2. Tell why you agree or disagree with this statement (summarized from various sources): When a church member is a sexual predator, the wrongdoing itself is his or her own sin. But if other church members learn of it and do nothing, it becomes an institutional sin as well. It is also an institutional sin when the church has put no safeguards in place.

Responding to the News

This is a good time to review what proactive child-protection protocols your congregation has in place.  

Other News This Week

Mob Mentality on a School Bus, and on a Donor Website

In a 10-minute video posted on YouTube by a middle schooler, entitled "Making the Bus Monitor Cry," four 7th graders taunt 23-year-veteran-school bus monitor Karen Klein, saying, "You don't have a family because they all killed themselves because they didn't want to be near you." (Klein's son committed suicide 10 years ago.) One boy pokes Klein's arm with a book, saying if he were to stab her, his knife would go through her "like butter."

Reaction to the video, which has gone viral, was immediate and overwhelming. Overnight, written apologies were issued by the boys, who have received death threats and face possible suspension from school for the coming school year.

Over $650,000 poured in to an online website from 29,000 individual donors across the globe to fund vacation trips and an early retirement for the 68-year-old grandmother of eight, who refused to press charges. "I feel kinda bad for them and their families because of what's going on," she said. "They're being harassed terribly, and I don't like that. I don't want any harm to come to them."

Humanity, Twain wrote, is "governed by minorities, seldom or never by majorities. It suppresses its feelings and its beliefs and follows the handful that makes the most noise. Sometimes the noisy handful is right, sometimes wrong; but no matter, the crowd follows it."

Commentator Alexandra Petri wrote: "The Internet creates mobs just as surely as the backs of buses. It is simply that the mob can swing both ways. The test of character is not what you do when no one is watching. It is what you do when everyone is watching. It's as Twain said. For every noisy handful there are 29,000 who are kind -- or would be. If only you could remember this on the bus, at the time. If only they weren't so quiet. In the meantime, we're all sorry."

The links:

Karen Klein the Bus Monitor and the Noisy Handful. Washington Post
Bullying and the Limits of "Turn the Other Cheek." Christianity Today
Bullied Bus Monitor Thankful for Support, Pleads for Threats to Stop. Yahoo! News
Karen Klein Responds to Apologies, Says Boys "Can Do Better." Huffington Post
On Bullying: Resources and Questions for Writing or Discussion. New York Times

Some Questions and Bible Verses

1. Have you ever been the target of a bully? Describe that experience. How did you handle the situation? How did the experience change you?

2. Have you ever bullied someone? How did the experience change you?

3. Have you ever witnessed someone being cruel or mean to someone who was different? How did you react? Did you do anything about it? Why or why not? What were the consequences of your action or inaction? Have you witnessed "people being mean or cruel" online? Have you joined in? Is it easier to gossip or bully online than it would be face-to-face with the victim? How can the use of social media "echo and amplify" bullying? Do you agree with the statement "There is no such thing as an innocent bystander when it comes to bullying"?

4. How do the following Scriptures apply?

"First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts." (2 Peter 3:3)

"Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers ..." (Psalm 1:1)

"Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. ... All of them said, 'Let him be crucified!' Then he asked, 'Why, what evil has he done?' But they shouted all the more, 'Let him be crucified!'" (Matthew 27:20-23)

4. Can a bully learn empathy? Is there hope for a bully to be transformed? What is a suitable punishment for a bully? Being required to apologize to your victim? Suspension from school? Death?

"Scoffers do not like to be rebuked; they will not go to the wise." (Proverbs 15:12)

"Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and flogging for the backs of fools." (Proverbs 19:29)

5. "Just as disturbing as these cruel taunts ... is that Klein never responds. An adult with the clear authority in the situation (ironically, bus monitors are hired precisely to stop bullies), Klein stays seated, eventually crying," Katelyn Beaty observed in Christianity Today. "I wonder ... if Klein sat passively because she had come to believe, somewhere along the way, that good people 'rise above' extreme personal offense and brush off insults. Or, in Christian parlance, that they 'turn the other cheek.' Biblical scholars understand Jesus' command as a warning against letting anger and the urge to retaliate consume a victim of mistreatment. Explicitly countering the 'eye for an eye' teaching his original listeners know well, Jesus is outlawing revenge. ... But self-defense and revenge are not the same. Unlike revenge, which lowers the victim's dignity to the level of the abuser, self-defense preserves the victim's dignity, showing the abuser that the victim won't stoop to their level or passively forbear such evil. Instead, the victim becomes a person with agency -- the kind of person God created him or her to be -- who loves herself enough to refuse such hatred." What options did Klein have that she did not exercise on the school bus that might have resulted in a different outcome?

6. What does the following Scripture mean in a situation like this?

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile." (Matthew 5:38-41)

Closing Prayer

We pray, O Lord, for all victims of sexual abuse, that they may find fullness of life beyond the abuse. We pray, O Lord, for all sexual abusers, that they might find the will and strength to desist. We pray, O Lord, for all victims of bullies, that they may not be damaged by the bullying. We pray, O Lord, for all bullies, that they may find constructive uses for their power. We pray, O Lord, for churches, that they may be safe sanctuaries of healing and hope. In Jesus' name. Amen.
 

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