Whatever the Weather

"I want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship, and the whole world for my mission field." - John Wesley.
    
“Whether the weather, whatever the weather, whether you like it or not.” It’s a pithy way to express the futility of complaining about the weather and other things over which you have no control. Of course, it just feels good to get things off your chest sometimes, and it helps to have a sympathizing comrade. We’ve all had plenty of opportunities to feel powerless over circumstances and it just gets old after a while. Sometimes you can change environmental conditions - like a person who suffers in cold weather moving south to places like Florida. It won’t mean an end to circumstances beyond your control, but it relieves an unhealthy, overarching dynamic. For example, when you move from Minnesota to Florida, you exchange long, cold winters for the persistent threat of hurricanes. So, “Whether the weather, whatever the weather, whether you like it or not.”

The people I live with in the world of our circumstances are anxious because of a lot of talk they hear about our parent denomination imposing unreasonable demands upon our local church and the potential for us to disaffiliate with “them.” We’ve lost a lot of credibility in our best efforts to “weather the weather” because we live in a generally conservative community and the lack of clear vision and effective leadership from our denominational head is apparent. We find ourselves confronted with a tough decision because it feels like a time for moving from one climate to another. There are tradeoffs, of course, and moving from a familiar environment to a new, unknown one is accordingly frightening. We may leave long, cold, dark nights and aching joints for warm sunny days and the occasional terrifying storm. On the eve of my 60th birthday, I’m grieving the relative shortness of southern Indiana summers more and more, and am thankful I no longer live in the north, so the reference is somewhat personal. 

I hear you asking, “Are you talking about the weather or what?” Fair question; I am not talking about weather as much as using it as an analogy to our current plight. For many of us in the local church family, it feels like a time for a major move from one prevailing atmosphere to another. There are plenty of questions and doubts about the decision, but our discomfort compels us to consider the costs and step out in faith, anyway. We hope to be better off because of it, but who can say for sure until we settle into our new world? Are we fed up enough with trust clauses, disreputable leadership, disunity, and increasingly secularized religion? If so, then it is worth the risk of moving in a new direction and facing the unknown. If not, then how much weather can you weather before regret sets in? 

I’d like to leave you with words I hope will give you some peace. Like John Wesley, quoted above, “I want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship, and the whole world for my mission field.” I only desire to serve my Lord, Jesus the Son of God, not a religious institution governed by whatever sort of women and men. The “whole Christ” is a lifelong pursuit that is only bogged down by dogmatic devotion to personal comfort and social acceptance. While the Word of God, that is the heart and mind of God, is not only present in Scripture, I believe the Bible suffices to inform my soul and plumbing its depths is a lifelong pursuit. The Kingdom of Christ hosts citizens and seekers across the globe, and they crave an authentic Christian community, like I do. Therefore, uniting with those family members locally and abroad is a lifelong pursuit, too. As long as I remain as your pastor, I will keep working toward these things “whatever the weather.”

I wish I could say the coming months of discernment and cost-counting will be easy, but it seems doubtful. Patient, compassionate, disciplined care for one another will be essential. We must remember what each of us is feeling and struggling to understand. We must urge each other along the way, so faith replaces that fear. Endeavor to question rumors, criticisms, and violence wherever they arise. Focus less on what we are moving away from and more on what we are moving toward. Most of all, make prayer and kind encouragement hallmarks of your Christian character as you keep your eyes on personal holiness of heart and mind.