Statement of Faith

            I believe that there is only one triune God who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each of the persons has specific functions; theses functions complement each other even when at times they overlap.  This model of unity serves as an example of how the church should function.  I also believe that God is all-knowing, ever-present, wise, loving, forgiving and just.

            I believe that God the Father is the creator of everything.  Among God’s good creation is humanity.  God has created all of humanity in his image; an image tarnished by the effects of human rebellion and sin; but still God’s image remains in all of us and with that comes our value.

            I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the eternal One, who in his majesty and in his frailty lived, walked, and taught among us.  He was executed brutally on the cross for my sin and for all of our sin, and was physically resurrected from the dead, providing a victory over death and bringing eternal life in which all believers share.  This work of Christ is a gift from God and the heart of the message of reconciliation that I am called to boldly proclaim.

            I also believe in the Holy Spirit who is actively working in the world today.  The Holy Spirit points to the rebellion and sin in my life, and drives me to that reconciliation with God that is found only in the great news of Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit prods me to live a godly and thankful life and equips me with earthly and supernatural gifts for service, mission, and ministry.

            I believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the inspired Word of God and the determining authority for life, faith and practice.  This inspiration continues whenever I call upon the Holy Spirit to help in my interaction with and understanding of Scripture.

            I believe that God calls all believers in Christ to lives in which our God-granted talents, gifts, and possessions are to be used in His service.  Along with proclaiming the gospel boldly in word, I am called into compassionate action in my church, community, and throughout the world as a response to the compassionate action of Christ in my life.

            I believe in the Church, both the local Church where we gather as a family to worship, grow and serve, and in the universal church that, through a common faith, through one baptism, and in sharing of the Lord’s Supper, is drawn beyond distinctions in human circumstances and denominational boundaries. I believe God has given the Church the two Sacraments as very visible yet mystical signs of his assurance of forgiveness, love and eternal life.

            I ultimately trust not in my own worthiness, but in the unwavering faithfulness of God, knowing and trusting that in life and in death God claims me for his own.  This claim is not based on any merit I may think I have earned, but is based solely on God’s conventional love; so that I, with an indescribable confidence can conclude as the Brief Statement of Faith joyfully concludes, “With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or death can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  Amen.”

-Chris Enoch

Buckner

 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28

Bill Buckner passed away on May 27. 

Bill was a very good ball player.  I followed his career after he first came up to the majors with the Dodgers back in 1969. He had a fine career, first with the Dodgers but also with the Cubs, Red Sox, and few other teams as his career wound down.

He was clutch. Bill was the type of player that  you wanted to see at bat with the game on the line. Or, if you were pulling for the other team, you did not want to see him coming up to the plate with the game on the line.   His career batting average was an excellent .289  and he finished with 2,715 hits. In major league baseball, if you finish with 3000 hits in your career, you are almost automatically given serious consideration for the Hall of Fame.

Bill finished 285 hits short of that mark. He was a very good ball player, but there is no hall of ‘very good.’

When Bill died, there was quite a bit of publicity. Because, according to most, he was best known for an error he committed in game six of the 1986 World Series between his Red Sox and New York Mets.  A softly hit ground ball that inexplicably trickled  between his legs at first base that allowed Ray Knight to score the winning run – leading to the Mets taking the World Series and extending the Red Sox 'Series drought  to 68 years; a famine that was a recognized result of the dreaded trade of Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919.  It would take Boston another 18 years to break that “Curse of the Bambino.”

Most of the articles I read or stories I saw on TV focused on that one miss-play, and yet almost always the reporters would write or say something like, it’s a shame that such a fine player and person was and will be recalled for one simple play not made.

I’d like to offer a slightly different opinion on that. Perhaps that one dreadful play made, not just Buckner’s career, but perhaps his life. And I say that for two reasons.

First, had that play not happened, his passing from Lewy Body dementia on May 27 would have hardly made the news. Maybe just a short blurb here and there. I would have noted it because, as I mentioned earlier, he was very good player whose career I followed…error or not. But most fans would have made the note, had a few memories, and moved on. Buckner was a very good player, but not a hall of fame player.

But the second reason that the ‘play’ may not have been such a curse is found here. Many, not all, news outlets reported a statement put out by Jody Buckner, Bill’s wife of 39 years.  The statement was short and to the point. It reads like this:

“Bill Buckner passed away early the morning of May 27th surrounded by his family. Bill fought with courage and grit as he did all things in life. Our hearts are broken but we are at peace knowing he is in the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

A very small statement that gave a large insight to the man.  Bill was a Christian, and his wife wanted to make it clear that in spite of everything from disease to errors, that was what was most important. Even more important than the Hall of Fame.

I can’t help but think of the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

All things. Even…errors.

Which in turn makes me wonder. What will I be remembered for?  My mistakes, my errors? They are legion. Or maybe how God was able to use my mistakes and errors for the greater glory of the gospel and His kingdom? 

And then…. What do you want to be remember for?

Bill Buckner passed away on May 27.  And there is a lot more to that story than meets the eye.

Brood VIII

“…locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks…” Proverbs 30:27

Just before Memorial days, they started appearing.  Brood VIII.  Cicadas.  All over our yard.  

Gross.

When I was a much younger Christian, I created a long list of questions I wanted to ask God when the time came. As I have aged, the list has dwindled greatly. Not because my questions have all been answered, but because the urgency has left me.  I think as I have matured, my ultimate trust in what God has, is, and will do has mellowed my need for answers.  I have confidence in what God is doing, and in that confidence lie answers to questions that…I no longer feel the need for more immediate solutions to.  God is good, his will is perfect. And I’m OK with that.

Except…maybe…cicadas.

I think I’d like to ask the Lord why they exist. And then exit. Every 17 years. To create a mess.  To make a lot of noise. And then. Disappear. Next appearance – the year 2036.

I suppose, if you really look at it, the various ‘broods’ of Cicadas are amazing. How is it they have managed to synchronize the coming of age every 17 years is rather astonishing.  Scientists will tell you that it’s an adaptation of the insect that assures the species survival by showing up in overwhelming numbers.

Or...is it just another example of the amazing things that God has created and ordained?  The quote from Proverbs above is from a section of the book that starts out by saying, “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise.”

Maybe the wisdom being shown here is God’s after all. Having the multitude (if not millions) of insects show up at the amazing same time to assure survival of the species….shows wisdom. And I believe it to be the wisdom of the Creator. 

Which goes back to my list of questions. As quickly as I add a question about cicadas onto my list…I take it off.  God knows what he is doing, he is good, and his will is perfect. And I’ll remain OK with that.

Even if the bugs are gross.

Mystery

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9

Susie and I visited the Winchester Mystery house in San Jose, California on Monday.  It is rather infamous, even having a movie made about it last year, albeit a film that got terrible reviews.

The ‘house’ is actually a sprawling mansion that was inhabited by Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Winchester, of Winchester firearms fame.  After William’s death in 1881, Sarah took her massive inheritance and moved from Connecticut to California. She did so after going to a medium in Boston who told her that she was being haunted by the ‘spirits’ of those who had been killed by Winchester rifles.

She bought a farm house in San Jose, and, following the medium’s instructions, started adding on to the house until it eventually contained 161 rooms, including 40 bedrooms, 2 ballrooms, 47 fireplaces, over 10,000 panes of glass, and 17 chimneys.  Many of the rooms have 13 adornments of various sorts, as she was told that 13 was her lucky number.  There are doors and staircases that lead to nothing, odd shaped rooms with various ceiling heights as all these additions were done without planning or blueprints.

You see the medium had told her that as long as she continually had construction going on at the home, she would never die.  She was also advised that the 24 hour a day hammering and sawing noises would scare the spirits along with the odd doors and stairwells confusing them. Freighted by the prospect of spirits aiming for retribution, the continuous construction carried on until September 5, 1922, the day it all went silent.

For on that day Sarah Winchester died of heart failure at age 83. And so it seems that  eternal life was not achieved.

The tour of the mansion was both captivating and ultimately deeply unsettling.  While it was a bright sunny day as shown in my photograph above, I left the house experiencing darkness. A woman had spent a good part of her life building out fear. Peace was fleeting for her. All based on a meeting with a seer, which in and of itself, is another sad story for another time (read 1 Chronicles 10:13,14).  Darkness, there was no light in her  life.

I suppose all of us have things in our lives and past that haunt us.  Haunts that we fear we cannot be forgiven from.  Haunts sometimes deserved, sometimes not so much. Certainly, there is not a one of us that deserve forgiveness, including the long-gone Sarah Winchester. But one need not fear the spirits of our transgressions. We have the ultimate forgiveness in Christ Jesus.  One that will result in eternal life. 

As I said, when the tour ended, I felt a profound sadness. For here was the saga of a person who could not or would not approach the source of real forgiveness. I’m not God, mine is not to ultimately judge, but I have a feeling that with her death, peace was still not achieved.

But true peace is available.  It is a truth. The gospel writer John shares this truth, and does so in a most succinct manner.  "If we confess our sins," he writes, "he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

I’m saddened that Mrs. Winchester could not find that peace.  But I’m hopeful that anyone reading this can.  It’s found in Jesus.   Turn it over to Him.  He is faithful. He is just. He will forgive. He will cleanse.

No hammers and saws needed. It is, ultimately,  not so much a mystery.