Home from Jamaica

Saturday
Going home. And so we say goodbye to some new friends. And we say good bye to a culture that is lost in time, or stuck in time. Almost everything is 20 years old. I notice it the most at the church and in the faith of the people. It reminds me of America in the 1850’s out west. The pastors do not have any theologial education. Not that this makes them worse than we seminary trained folks. IN fact, this may make them far better for the service of God since for us, it can commonly be said that “much learning has made thee mad.”

At any rate, not only did they not attend seminary, they seem to own no books. They have no opportunity to read of people such as Bonhoeffer, Tolstoy or Rob Bell. Their faith is stuck in a time gone by. It is very simple and clear. There are no questions, just the rudimentary pieces of the faith. The problem with this I guess, is that their version of the simple story of faith contains a good deal of the heavy Christianity that places great loads on the backs of its hearers. Their culture also seems to be filled with a great deal of posturing to get things and an honoring of those who have them. I guess if we did not have things, then our culture might be just the same.

Anyway, today we will fly home, God willing. We will reflect on the friends made, the people helped and wonder about the long term good. I will finish tomorrows sermon which I hope will be helpful to the well read Methodists in Lee’s Summit. We return to our lives there with a reminder that we are in mission for Christ at home, just as we are on an overseas trip.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.