What Can I Do?

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Wayne Gillespie

There are times in life when words can’t fix things.

We were all stunned, last week, when a young man walked into an elementary school, and shot 19 little children and 2 of their teachers. Almost at once, people were inclined to say things like “You are in my thoughts and prayers” to people whose lives had been shattered and whose lives will never be the same. Politicians quickly aligned themselves in the Capitol Building and we heard the same rhetoric that we’ve been listening to for decades. We are divided. We can’t seem to agree about a path forward. Many of us probably feel powerless and unable to do anything in the face of continuing tragedy. We might even be asking each other, “What can we do?” or, more personally, be asking ourselves, “What can I do?”

Jesus once prayed for His followers in words that are now called the “High Priestly Prayer” which is found in the seventeen chapter of John’s Gospel. Jesus is praying for the Church. Jesus is praying that God will make us one with each other. Jesus realized that those who follow Him have an opportunity to change the world and make it into a better place.

And, with that in mind, if you’re asking yourself, “What can I do?” here are some ideas that spring from the “High Priestly Prayer” and that can help us to be “one”:

America is the way that it is right now because of the way that we act. We honk the horn on our automobiles or scream at other drivers who don’t burn rubber through intersections and get out of our way when stoplights turn green. We are tired and stressed, right now, partly because of the pandemic, and that is clearly visible in the ways that we act. We are all on edge. We drive and act aggressively. We argue about things on social media that just don’t matter. If you’re asking yourself, “What can I do?” perhaps it’s time to slow down; to think more intentionally about the ways you are interacting with others; and, in times of conflict, to ask yourself, “Is what I am doing helping the situation, or is what I am doing ratcheting the conflict up to a higher level?”

America is the way that it is right now because of the ways that we talk to each other. We type words on social media platforms that we would never say to people face-to-face. We label people with words that pigeonhole all of us into enemy camps that are filled with people who cannot have a reasonable discussion. We, sometimes, even say things that we know are going to cut other people like a knife. If you’re asking yourself, “What can I do?” perhaps it’s time to stop for a moment and think about the words that you use. And, it’s not just about the words. Think about the context. Think about how you think others are going to hear what you say. Think about the setting. Are you trying to address a difficult issue when you are in a public setting where the person you are speaking with will be embarrassed? Studies have shown that discussing difficult issues while eating a meal can be absolutely disastrous. If you’re asking yourself, “What can I do?” watch the way that you are talking to other people.

America is, also, the way that it is right now because of the specific words that we use. We have, sadly, become more accepting of name-calling and abusive language. St. James once said that our words have the power to start a raging and consuming fire. If you’re asking yourself, “What can I do?” perhaps it’s time to think more about the words you use. Do your words build other people up, or do they tear others down? Do your words uplift, or belittle? How often do you swear? If you’re asking yourself, “What can I do?” perhaps you could select your words more carefully and stop setting fires?

American is, lastly, the way that it is right now because people have forgotten about the 8th Commandment. Martin Luther once said that the 8th Commandment is one that calls us to interpret the actions of other people in the best possible way. Most people are trying to do the best that they can. Most people do not live their lives intentionally trying to hurt people and do things that are wrong. If you’re asking yourself, “What can I do?” perhaps you could embrace a more charitable attitude toward other people. It’s easy to misinterpret the actions of other people – particularly when you are stressed and impatient. It’s easy to find yourself bearing false witness in times of conflict and disagreement. If you’re asking yourself, “What can I do?” perhaps you could look for the best in other people and interpret their actions in a more charitable way?

There are times when words can’t fix things; however, there ARE things that you can be doing during these unusual times to make our world a better place. We may not be able to control the behavior of other people, but we can control the ways that we act and interact with others. And, even though you may not be able to fix everything that’s happening in America, right now, we can all ask ourselves, “If it’s not going to be me, who is it going to be?”

Verbal Emission Standards

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Wayne Gillespie

I began my career as a Chemical Engineer. I helped to design pilot plants – small versions of larger chemical plants that were going to be built in the future. I worked with computer programs that simulated what would happen as chemicals traveled through the plant, so that I would know what kind of products and emissions were going to be produced. And this was important to me because I was interested in protecting the environment.

I first became interested in protecting the environment as a child. I remember sitting at the McDonald’s in Baden, Pennsylvania and watching orange dust from the steel mill across the river settle onto our car as I ate my cheeseburger. The hillside behind the lead smelter where I worked was totally devoid of vegetation because of the poisonous emissions that had been released by the plant.

But now, being environmentally conscious is all the rage, isn’t it? We are concerned about what comes out of the tailpipes of our cars and burning coal has become taboo. We are supposed to buy energy-efficient lightbulbs and set blue cans filled with recyclables at the end of our driveways each week. Scientists have become increasingly concerned about greenhouse gases as rivers that supply drinkable water to tens of millions of people fall to record lows. We even send cleanup crews out to pick up trash along highways because some people just roll down their window and throw trash from the moving car.

Jesus was, also, concerned about emission standards. He once said, “There is nothing outside of you that by going inside will defile. It’s the things that come out of you that can defile.” It’s not the types of food that you eat or the things that you decide to drink that can make you unclean in the eyes of God. What makes you unclean are the things that come out of your heart and that, eventually, come out of your mouth: Your verbal emissions.

We are living in strange times, aren’t we? People are on edge, and little things are suddenly becoming big things. A lot of people don’t care about how they are using their words, and social media has made it even worse because it’s easy to type words onto the screen of an electronic device that you would never speak to someone face-to-face. Political debates are destroying friendships, are dividing churches and are even tearing our families apart. The space between “being on my side” and “being on your side” has become, for many of us, a nearly impossible chasm to cross.

Today, as a pastor, I’m telling you that it needs to stop.

We need to work together, as God’s people, so that the way that people are using their words these days doesn’t become normalized and an acceptable part of our society. We need to stop defining ourselves only in terms of “us” and “them” and believing that verbally attacking “them” (whoever “them” may be) is OK. As Jesus people, we need to be drawn back to the base of the Cross where Jesus calls us to confess whatever part we have played in creating the divisions around us; and then, we need to repent and change course. As Jesus people, we need to hear God’s call to look for the good in each other, to encourage and build each other up, to search for what we still have in common when we disagree, and to do our best to speak words of truth to each other in loving ways.

I guess that there is still a Chemical Engineer inside of me. But now, my calling as a pastor is to speak as clearly about what comes out of our hearts and out of our mouths as I used to speak about what escapes from a chemical plant’s smokestacks.

Jesus once said, “There is nothing outside of you that by going inside of you can defile.” St. James once wrote, “Be quick to listen and slow to speak. And remember: If you think that you are religious and do not bridle your tongue, you are just deceiving your heart and your religion is worthless.“

Let’s think about those words as we move through the coming week; and let’s, also, allow those words to lead and guide us as we live and interact with each other in these strange and unusual times.

Christian Emissions Standards

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Wayne Gillespie

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

I began my career as a Chemical Engineer.

I helped to design pilot plants – smaller versions of chemical plants that would be built in the future. I worked beside a computer programmer every day, and our daily task was to write and utilize computer programs that simulated what would happen as chemicals traveled through a chemical plant – so that we could accurately predict what would come out of the plant based upon what we put into it. And that was always important to me.

I remember my parents taking my sisters and I down to the McDonalds in Baden, PA and watching orange dust from the steel mill across the river settle onto our car as we ate our cheeseburgers. I remember the brown hillside behind the lead smelter where I worked – totally devoid of vegetation because all of the plants and trees had been killed by the chemicals that had been spewed from our plant for decades. And that’s why I became “environmentally conscious” long before many other people even cared.
But now, people talk about the environment all the time, don’t they?

We are concerned about what comes out the tailpipes of our cars, and many people want us to stop mining and burning coal. We buy energy-efficient light bulbs, and we talk about the irreparable damage that could be done to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota if mining companies are permitted to take-over a pristine, untamed wilderness. We talk about animals (like the black rhinoceros) becoming extinct, and stories about carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere fill the news. And that’s good. I think that it’s good for us to watch what we are doing and to remember that God has placed us on the face of this earth to take care of it – not to just consume it.
Jesus was concerned about “emissions standards,” too!

“There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile,” Jesus says, “but the things that come out of us are what make us unclean in the eyes of God.” (Mark 7:15) “The things that we take into our bodies are not the things in life that make us unclean in the eyes of the Lord,” Jesus says. “What makes us unclean in God’s eyes are all of the things that come out of our hearts and, then, out of our mouths.”
According to Jesus, Christians need “emissions standards.”

How many times do we all hear faithful Christians swearing and using vulgar language when they are speaking with each other? How many times have we used our own tongue to spread gossip, to talk about people behind their backs, and to speak to each other in unhelpful ways? How often do we find ourselves attacking people that we haven’t even met on social media? I suspect that we’ve all let words fly from our lips – or from the tips of our fingers – and suddenly wished that we could take them back. But it’s often too late for that, isn’t it?

In this week’s message, “Christian Emissions Standards”, we explore what it means to be good stewards of our language. St. James once wrote, “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for, your anger does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19b-20) James further writes, “If any of you think that you are righteous and do not bridle your tongue, you just deceive your hearts and your religion is worthless.” (James 1:26)

How would our lives be changed if we more carefully chose our words, so that we spoke to others in encouraging and up-building ways more consistently? How would our lives – and our country – be changed if we became as concerned about what comes out of our mouths – and off the tips of our fingers – as we are about what comes out of smokestacks at chemical plants?

We can protect our environment by bridling our tongues and by being more careful about what we post on social media. We need to remember that we don’t have to enter every debate and every argument. Sometimes, it’s best for us to say absolutely nothing than to say what we think in a way that hurts people.

How can we use our voice – and the words that we type on our computer screens – to foster deeper understandings, to call forth the best in each other, and to “be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves“? (James 1:22)

Perhaps, in an age of increasingly divisive rhetoric and ugly arguments that end life-long friendships, one of the best things we can do is become better stewards of our language – by watching what comes out of our mouths more carefully – and by being just as careful about the words that emerge from our fingertips as we leave messages on social media?

Freedom of Speech?

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Wayne Gillespie

Many people seem to believe that we have the “right” to say whatever we want to say to each other these days.

Social media is atrocious! Conversations turn into ugly arguments; and, before you know it, profanity is flying through the ethers of the universe. Folks who don’t even know each other call each other names and type words on their computer screens that they would never say to each other in public. And, somehow, we need to make sense of that. How do we make sense of our freedom of speech in a world where words can be used to praise and honor God, and where words can be just as easily used to curse people that God has made?

Many years ago, Saint Paul was asked about meat that had been sacrificed to false gods. “What do you do,” the Corinthians asked, “when you’re not sure about where the meat behind the grocery counter came from?” “What do you do,” the Corinthians asked Saint Paul, “when you’re not sure about where the meat behind the grocery counter came from because the temples in Corinth are selling animals that were sacrificed to the false gods in the meat market.”

And I find Saint Paul’s answer absolutely fascinating!

Saint Paul tells the Corinthians that it’s OK to eat the meat because, after all, an idol is just a piece of wood that really doesn’t matter at all. Saint Paul tells the Corinthians that it’s OK to eat the meat because there’s only one God and idols are just humanly-created trinkets. “And yet,” Saint Paul continues, “as you prepare to take a bite of your steak, you need to stop and look around.” Other people are watching you! People can be led astray in their walk with Christ because of the way you behave. It’s all about community! It’s all about relationships! It’s all about doing what’s helpful and turning away from the things that can harm other people.

People who call each other names and spew profanity from their computer need to stop for a moment and think about the people who will read their words. People who spread gossip need to remember that words are powerful and can destroy people’s lives. When we swear and speak harshly to each other in front of little children, we are telling them that it’s OK for them to do the very same thing. Every time we find ourselves in an ugly argument, we need to ask ourselves: “Is what I’m debating more important to me than my relationships with other people?”

Words have the power to change people’s lives – even in a country that is committed to free speech, and that’s what this week’s message, “Freedom of Speech?”, is all about.

People can be led astray in their walk with Christ as they watch the way that we speak to each other, and as they watch the way that we interact with others on social media. Just as Saint Paul told the Corinthians that they need to stop for a moment and look around before they take a bite of their juicy steak, he would also tells us that we need to be very careful when we exercise our freedom of speech in modern times.

The words that we speak have a power of their own and can never be taken back. And that’s why we need to choose the words that we speak, or type, very carefully.

What’s My End Game?

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Wayne Gillespie

We all have times when relationships are difficult, don’t we?

We face times of conflict in the places where we work and even in our own homes. We sometimes find ourselves in a conflict with people that we’ve known for years and with people who sit beside us in worship. We disagree with our “Friends” on Facebook; and, before we know it, our disagreements turn into angry exchanges and angry exchanges come to an end when we hit the “un-Friend” or “Block” button. We all face times in life that are filled with conflict – and sometimes those conflicts are resolved and sometimes our relationships with other people, unfortunately, end.

Jesus provides an honest and authentic way to handle times of conflict in our lives.

Jesus challenges us to sit down with people in times of conflict, and invites us to speak with people who have hurt us in an honest and authentic way that promotes deeper understandings and that strives for resolution. Jesus, also, challenges us to invite level-headed and Godly people to work with us when our relationships are falling apart. And there’s even a role for the Church. But Christ’s teachings about conflict resolution (that we find in Matthew 18:15-20) can be twisted and perverted into something they were never intended to be, and they can be used to justify causing irreparable damage in our relationships with others.

In this week’s message, “What’s My End Game?”, we are challenged to step-back and to ask ourselves some serious questions during times of conflict. Do I want to the “right” or do I want to be “reconciled”? Do I want to simply gather a group of people who share my thoughts and perspectives, and come after my opponent with a “like-minded army” or do I want to ask faith-filled people to help me to find a path back? Is God calling me to deal with what’s troubling me in an open and authentic way, or have I already decided that the issue that stands at the heart of the conflict is more important than the relationship itself? Am I prayerfully seeking God’s help and direction (knowing that Christ promised to help me when I’m facing times of conflict), or have I already decided that it’s time to gather-up my toys and go home?

Times of conflict are never easy, and in this week’s message – “What’s My End Game?” – we’re challenged to ask ourselves some serious questions and to think about how we would like the conflict to be resolved as we search for our next step forward.

When relationships are difficult, we need to ask ourselves: “What’s My End Game?”