"Midweek and Discovering Violence in the Most Unlikely Place" Pastor Cindy's Devotion 11/20/2019

Good morning!

Every Tuesday at 4:30 a small group of people gathers in my office for #Just Read.  The name says it all.  We just read the bible for an hour.  We read a few verses, stop and talk about what it might mean, and then we read on.  There is no set group of people.  Whoever wants to drop by does.  We read through one book of the bible, chapter by chapter, and when we finish one, we start another.

Last night we were reading our way through the book of Joshua and it was painful.  Have you read Joshua lately?  Joshua and his army are preparing to settle in the Promise Land.  They make their way in destroying city after city, nation after nation.  Every person is killed.  “Slaughtered” is the word used in scripture (Joshua 10:10).  They “utterly destroyed all that breathed” (Joshua 40:40.)   And according to the writer of Joshua all of this happened because the Lord God of Israel commanded it. 

Ten of us were gathered in my office, and as we read this, we had to stop and from time to time and catch our breath.  No one in that circle would ever take part in such violence.  No one could condone it.  We tried to picture Jesus walking through the burned cities and lifeless bodies and we couldn’t. 

This led to lots and lots of really good questions:

Would God condone or even command such violence? 

What were Joshua and his men thinking that they could carry out such horrifying acts?

When we read the bible should we read it all as fact?  And if this is fact, what does it say about God?  

Is this a legend, an exaggeration, a means of bragging, about how powerful the Israelites were?

Do massacres like this still happen? 

Is it easier to accept violence when it is far away, out of our sight? 

And what would Jesus say or do if he stood in the middle of those cities and all that death?  

How deep is the potential for violence in each of us?

Thanksgiving is just a few days away and here’s what I am thankful for: 

• People who can ask hard questions. 
• People who can hold in tension horrifying violence and the merciful grace of Christ. 
• People who can look to their own hearts and wonder how we are complicit in violence and how we partner with grace. 
• People who will take what they have learned and pondered and allow it to form their lives and change their behavior.  

The world needs people like this.  The church needs people like this.  God needs people like this because the world is complicated.  

Next Tuesday we will be reading on through Joshua and all the while asking God “what do you want us to see here?”  You are invited. 

Blessings to you all,

Pastor Cindy

Pastor Cindy Hickman

West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826

Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc! 

We worship on Sunday mornings at 8:30 in a traditional way and at 11 in a casual way.  You are invited.  And we are now live streaming the 8:30 service!  Our technology is improving all the time!  Pretty excited about what is happening!

This week at WDMUMC:

Tonight!  Midweek Refuel and all our Wednesday night programming!  Supper is on at 5:30.  Tonight our cooks are serving up White Chili Chicken, cornbread and chicken nuggets for the kids.  Come for supper!

Visioning With the Bishop!  What will the United Methodist Church look like in the years to come?  Want to have input?  Bishop Laurie is holding a visioning meeting at 6:30 tonight at the conference center at 2301 Rittenhouse, Des Moines.  You are invited!

Equality, a Dream Not Yet Realized That’s our sermon series this month, and we are asking hard questions about how we can be so divided and unequal when God loves each of us completely.  What does that mean about how we live our lives?  See you on Sunday!

Equality Experiment!  Pastor Trevor is leading an Equality Experiment on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. in Heritage Hall.  Come on down and join as we experiment with just how equal we are. 

Living Lives of Abundance and Supporting Our Ministries!  If you have not yet made your pledge for 2020 and you would like to, call the church office for a pledge card.  Together we can make a difference.