A WORD FROM PASTOR ANDREW HOOK

June 25, 2020

Proverbs 12:15

“The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”

My mother used to say, “God gave you a brain for a reason. Use it.” My friend says, on the rare occasion that I say something that makes sense, “way to use that noodle in your head for something other than spaghetti!” Our Methodist way of Christian discipleship is based on scripture, but enlivened by reason, experience, and tradition. Scripture calls us to seek wisdom, to use our brains, and to listen to smart people.

And right now, really smart people are concerned with what’s going on in the Houston area regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals are raising all sorts of red flags and trying to get everyone to listen to them. What they are currently seeing and what their projections are showing has them more than a little worried. There are grim things being said about what is just around the corner. Yet, so many people can’t be bothered to listen or to change their behaviors for the sake of others.

“The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”

My previous church announced yesterday that they are returning to online only worship for at least the next two weeks because of what is going on around them. An area pastor here in Magnolia stated that they’re probably not far from going back to online only again. I’ve received text messages and phone calls wondering if we need to go back to online only. And I’ve wondered it myself. A month ago, I didn’t know anyone personally who knew anyone who had it locally. Now, several people that I know have several people who have it. Now, I know at least one person locally who has it. People I know work with others who have been confirmed to have it. The circle is growing smaller. 

And all the while, people’s opinions are all over the place. This is the end of the world. It’s not that serious. This is incredibly serious. It’s just the flu. This is going to change everything. It’s just a hoax. Everyone it seems is an expert and have numbers and stats to point to from all manner of sources and organizations. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there due to this being a new virus and as knowledge grows, so does the guidance. And to be fair, when the experts initially misled us to try to prevent a shortage of PPE, despite their good intentions, it certainly hurt their credibility. 

“The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”

I don’t know what the right path is, or what the correct decision will be. Every choice seems fraught with downsides and unintended consequences. Friends, know that I and church leadership will be closely watching this situation. We will listen to the advice of experts and seek to be faithful to God while protecting you and our community. God created us with the ability to think and to reason and calls us to look beyond ourselves for the good of all. God, in scripture, invites us all to pray for wisdom. And if there’s ever a time for the people of God, heck for everyone, to exercise all wisdom, it’s right now. And if there’s ever a time where foolish thinking and behavior can have unimaginable consequences, it might be right now. Listen to God; seek wisdom.

Finally, a couple quick announcements. This Sunday, we begin a new worship series looking at 6 biblical characters who were less than perfect, who were flawed, yet God used them for incredible things. Join us in-person or on the livestream for the first in our “Broken Vessels” series. Secondly, our verse today comes from Proverbs. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs and July has 31 days. I challenge everyone to read a chapter a day in Proverbs starting July 1. And July 12, we will have a church-wide Zoom call to discuss a proposed change in our church governance structure. Mark your calendars and join us for an informative discussion about how we might become more efficient and effective in how we organize for God’s mission.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Andrew