| Greetings!
Football Playbooks, Wikileaks and the Word of God - Last week while attending a continuing education event in Nashville, Brenda, Noah, Isaac and I all stayed in a hotel a short drive from the Tennessee Titans football team's training facility. A couple of days after we arrived in Nashville the Titans team began training camp and the hotel was suddenly full of aspiring young athletes trying out for the team and coaches who were all carrying three ring binders. Those three ring binders were always in their hands or tucked under their arms whenever you saw them. Whether they were sitting on the couches in the lobby, riding the elevator or walking out the door those binders were in their hands. Those binders were the playbooks for the team. Unfortunately, for some of those young guys they would not get to keep that book if they were cut from the team. While they might get opportunities to play with another team somewhere else they wouldn't get to take one team's secrets, philosophy and game plan with them.
It seems the secrets, philosophy and game plan of the U.S. Military may have all been put on display recently by the Wikileaks website and organization. This is no game, though. The information reportedly is around the successes and failures of the U.S. Military. The concern? It is making public the very information that many believe shows the weaknesses of the war efforts abroad and allows the very people the U.S. is at war with to see how to be successful. In other words, how to cause injury and death to soldiers from the U.S. It is a difficult dimension to governing for many who like to know details that our government might want to keep some things a secret from the greater nation. Wikileaks has divulged this information believing it is in the best interest of the public who elects our government. By doing so they believe they have made it possible for "we the people," to formulate our opinions to the best of our abilities and act accordingly. Many believe that it is information that simply puts at risk too many of our women and men who are living in harms way. We should keep the playbook of our military a secret because it saves lives.
There is a fundamental difference in how many Christians believe the good news of Jesus Christ should be shared with the world. Many believe that this news ought to be "wikileaked" all over the place. Others might have the perspective of keeping the game plan a mystery. Only a chosen few who have the maturity, intelligence and status to handle the truth are allowed to know the whole truth.
The truth is in the tension for those of us called Christians. We are a people of the word. The word of God is central to our philosophy and game plan in all things. For United Methodists, our fundamental playbook is the ancient wisdom of the scriptures, the Traditions of the church, the personal and corporate experience of God's people and the capacity of the human to reason and think through things with holy common sense. It all begins with our playbook, though.
Whether you want the word of God "wikileaked," or hidden away behind the glorious walls of beautiful church buildings and rituals of a people who follow God, our playbook is one that ought to be passed on with passion, courage and mutual respect with others. Our "holy work" is to keep trying to do the best we can to share openly, keep the traditions and mystery of the church as well as continually seek to know our community more and more deeply in order to share the love of God. Because, in the end, whether we share it or hide it in the rituals, the love of God transforms and saves lives wherever it is expressed openly in love. And, that's no secret.
 5 to the 5th Power - The fifth Sunday of this month, August 29, Pleasant Valley will be the hands and feet of Jesus for our neighborhood. Our Mission and Service Committee will provide opportunities for everyone to get involved by serving our community. Come prepared by dressing casual for church, grab a bite to eat after church and get ready to make a difference in our community and greater world!
Ignite faith in the lives of others by inviting them to join you for worship, a class or a fellowship time this month. By doing so, you pass on the light of Jesus Christ!
Grace and peace to you all,
Nathan D. Stanton
Senior Pastor,
Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church |
