From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(June/July 2011)

Jesus said, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”    ~ John 4:23-24

How do we offer God the best worship that we can?  How do we provide quality worship?  How do we encourage a vital and vibrant encounter with God through our weekly gathering?  How do we worship in spirit and truth?

One of the characteristics of growing, developing churches is passionate, inspiring worship.  This no doubt is worship that connects people to God by providing the context for us to express our worshipful feelings about God.  Worship is the conduit for identifying and expressing what we hold in our hearts about God, human beings and the relationship we have with God.

In the Natural Church Development survey our minimum factor (or lowest self-assessment characteristic) was inspiring worship.  The way we answered questions about ourselves indicated that we could do better in providing an experience that connects people to God.

Some of the general comments about congregations who rate themselves low in the area of inspiring worship is that they are experiencing worship more as a duty or obligation than an encounter with the living God.  Certainly a spirituality that emphasizes the importance of being in worship as a habit or discipline has a measure of merit to it.  But we also realize that worship is more than just an obligation.  Worship comes alive when our duty is also permeated with the expectation of encountering God and a celebration of what God has done and will do in our lives.

We can tweak a lot of things about worship based upon personal preferences, but the real guide for adding or subtracting or tweaking things is the question of whether or not the things we do help us connect with God.  This was the point of inquiry which the Growing In Christ Task Group has been leading us to discuss as a part of the NCD process.  The worship changes we want to make are those that expand and improve the ways we connect with God.

Much has already been done along these lines by increasing the frequency of Children’s Sermons, adding a Hot Topic in the monthly schedule, and revising what we do at the beginning of worship.  In these last few months we have been asking worshipers to complete a survey with a major focus asking about when and where they connected to God in our worship.  (See the summary of our worship survey results included in this newsletter on page 15.)

Worship has often been defined by theologians as the work of the people.  Where are people connecting with God in our work of worshiping God?

One of the clear ways I observe from our survey is through the participation and leadership of our children and youth.  There is clearly a generative experience when our young people are actively involved in leading worship.  The Story on the Steps (Children’s Sermon), Children’s Choir, Voices of Praise, Youth Praise Band, etc. are all experiences that evoke a connection with God in many of our worshipers.

It also seems clear that many of our worshipers connect through prayer and the sacraments.  The opportunities we provide for personal prayer and meditation are moments that people feel a closeness with God.

Music is also another moment of connection either through singing hymns that express our feelings or the offerings of our choirs that touch us emotionally.

Fellowship is a place that many identified a connection with God.  An important part of Sunday’s gathering is being with others who desire a connection with God.  We are not alone in desiring to feel God’s presence and we are not alone in the venture of living out our faith.

In the area of inquiry about what hinders our connections with God, I was impressed by the self-awareness that we often get in our own way.  Some commented about their own struggles to stay focused and keep their thoughts from wandering. 

I was interested to see that according to our ratings the time schedule was not our greatest need for improvement, but it is still one that divides some of us.  Perhaps we are doing better with honoring time commitments.  Given our Sunday morning schedule in which Sunday School follows worship, we obviously have a commitment to hold together the importance of both worship and study. 

By the ratings it would seem that we are doing well at conveying genuineness through our leadership, being God centered and Bible based, and communicating a clear theme.  Our growing edges seem to be in the areas of being celebrative, relational and creating a smooth worship flow.  As we digest the information from the survey, I ask your prayers that God may truly bless us with holy moments in our worship.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(May 2011)

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’  This is my message for you.”                ~ Matthew 28:5-7

The victory that we celebrate at Easter is that the worst news becomes the best news.  The Friday of execution becomes “Good Friday.”  Let’s be real; there is nothing good about the cross.  It was designed to cause a painfully slow, torturous death and thereby evoke great fear in the citizenry and in doing so to keep control.  The whole point of this kind of capital punishment was to deter any attempts at rebellion or protest of the Roman occupation.

Friday does become “good”, because of what God accomplishes.  By joining with human suffering at the hands of sinful people, Jesus becomes God’s gift of salvation.  Jesus is willing to drink from the cup of sacrifice, so that we can be made right with God.  He is willing to become the means for repairing humanity’s broken relationship with God.

On Easter we celebrate the victory of life over death; holiness over sin; love over hate, hope over despair, and good over evil.  On Easter the last chapter of a mystery novel called human existence is reveal.  God’s ultimate purpose and plan for creation is proclaimed.  All the questions we have about the meaning of life get answered.  Love wins!

Bad news has become Good News!

As the church we are called to live out this journey from bad news to good news.  It is our mission to find a need and fill it; to find a hurt and heal it.  This is precisely what God was doing in Jesus Christ.  Human beings were weighed down by the burden of sin and the pain of disobedience.  Jesus came to fill our need for salvation (reconciliation with God) and to heal the pain of our guilt and shame.

As United Methodists we share the common missional task of “making disciples for the transformation of the world.”  In recent months with Pastor Dan Bilkert at First UMC, we have been stepping back to look at how well the United Methodists in Ashland have been doing in living out this mission.

Frankly our first look at the data of the last ten years seems a lot like bad news.  I found it somewhat painful to look at the graph of a ten year average attendance decline in both churches and to acknowledge our common past and present failure to keep faith with our mission and ministry by paying 100% of our Shared Ministry expenses.  When we don’t pay our share, some other church(es) in the conference are picking up our responsibility.  How do we turn it around?

The good news is that we are not alone in this struggle and the questions they present us.  We decided it was time to gather some leaders together to face the data and explore the possibilities of responding to it.  We convened a gathering of the Methodists who are ordained or academics in Ashland on April 9, and a gathering of representative church members on April 16.

There were moments of laughter, seriousness, passion, and the sense that these are good and helpful things to talk about.  The general sense that Pastor Dan & I received from these discussions was that we can strengthen each other and our missional calling can be supported and furthered through holy conversations and the strategic sharing/partnering of our unique gifts and graces.

    To this end, our respective Administrative Boards will be considering the formation of a Strategic Mission and Ministry Task Force to continue the dialogue.

     We want to be clear that this venture is not a veiled conversation to force a merger, but rather coming alongside each other to reverse the downward trends and restore vitality to the United Methodist movement in Ashland.  Downward trends are bad news and they can lead us to a place of fear, but we are a resurrection people.  We trust in the power of Christ to give life.  “Be not be afraid; he has been raised!”

As United Methodists we share a common mission and calling: “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”  Now is the time to reflect upon how we can use our diverse and abundant resources for building the body of Christ and reclaiming our central identity as the makers of disciples.

Your pastors are committed to an open process and an open discussion.  Both congregations will be kept apprised of their board’s Task Force formation and the work of the Task Force.  Working together in holy conversation and prayer, we can strengthen our fulfillment of God’s missional calling.

I am praying that God will bless us with an amazing transformation of Bad News becoming Good News for the work of Jesus Christ in Ashland.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(April 2011)

We are a people in need. We need food to live, Air to breathe, Clothes to cover our bodies, A home to protect us from the weather, Sunshine to brighten our spirits, Water to drink, Rain to supply water and food, Someone to talk to.  God also created us to be a spiritually thirsty people. We have within us a deep yearning, a hunger, a thirst, a desire to know our creator.  We are a people in need.

The problem is that we try to pretend we have no needs. We try to pretend we are something other than what we are. The sin we all commit is the sin of pretending that we are self-sufficient, the sin of pretending that we are not needy people, the sin of pretending that we do not need God.

God knows we are needy and God knows we sin; yet God loves us still. God continues to be a loving and faithful creator. We are needy and God brings the answer to our needs.

God is a God who meets our needs. When we are oppressed, God liberates. When we are thirsty, God quenches.  When we are lost, God finds us.  When we are burdened by sin, God frees us.

The Samaritan woman whom Jesus meets at Jacob's well outside of Sychar was in need. Why would a woman go outside of town in the heat of the day to fetch water from a well, when water was available from a living spring in the middle of the city? It seems obvious that she was doing this to avoid running into people. Here was a woman who lived on the fringes of society. She was not acceptable to the people. Relationships apparently were so strained that she would go to great extents to avoid running into people. She would go to get water at a time and in a place where she would not be likely to run into anyone.  She went in the heat of the day.

And there sits Jesus, a man and a Jew. Nothing in their social code suggested that they should talk. Men did not talk with women to avoid possible accusations of adultery. Neither did Jews speak with Samaritans to avoid being accused of religious heresy. Nothing suggested that they should talk, except that God is a God who fulfils the needs of God's people.

The woman led a life of brokenness, being an outcast from her community. Jesus spoke to her and a transformation begins.  It was an awakening that grows out of her confusion.  Jesus first asks for a drink, and she can’t believe that he would even acknowledge her much less talk to her.  Jesus speaks of giving her living water that would bring healing and quench her spiritual thirst, and all she sees is that he doesn’t have a bucket.  How could he give her anything?  He speaks of living water that will quench all thirst forever, and she simply dwells on the idea of never having to come to the well for water again.  He speaks of her sin, having five husbands and currently living with one who is not her husband, and all she sees is his ability to know things about her, he must be a prophet.  Then she tries to divert the conversation to a theological debate about the best place to worship, and Jesus speaks of the time soon coming when worship will be in spirit and truth.

Finally she comes to see that Jesus is the messiah, the One who is to come and who brings healing and wholeness. She becomes aware of how marvelous it is for the messiah to talk with her.  Even though Jesus knows all that she ever has done, the good and the bad, Jesus knows her sin completely and still faithfully loves her.  God will not let human sin change his love for us and God’s love is sufficient for the healing of our brokenness.

Because of her encounter with Jesus, she winds up talking with the very people she was trying to avoid. She leaves her water jar, perhaps an indication that she will no longer need it, and goes back to the city where she says to the people, "Come see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" The woman was giving testimony about Jesus to the very people who had shunned her. Because of Jesus, she was being reconciled with those whom she avoided.  She is a changed person.  She has discovered a new sense of belonging, a new sense of purpose for her life, a new role to play in the community. Instead of being that "immoral woman," she has become the woman who believes, the woman whose brokenness was healed, the woman whose need was met by the grace of God.

Like the Samaritan woman, we can let our neediness and brokenness alienate us from others and from God.  But the experience of meeting Jesus gives us a new sense of identity and mission.  The work of Jesus Christ is more important than our fears and alienation from others.  We are to be a people who love others empowered by the love God has given us through his son, Jesus Christ.

In April we will be taking the gift of a New Testament to our immediate neighborhood.  We do this not because of self-interest, but because the Good News of Jesus Christ is simply too good to keep to ourselves.  Following Jesus is not a place of privileged status, but a place of service and self-giving.  It seems right that a people who have received the free gift of salvation should be about the business of giving free gifts to others.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(March 2011)

The church has to be about something more than buildings, maintenance, and money. 

We need these things for ministry, but if they become the main focus of our existence we are in fact doomed to fail.  “The church is not a building, the church is the people.”

The church always has been and always will be about Jesus Christ.  When he becomes the focus of all we do and all we are then I believe we succeed.  We are successful when we lift up the name of Jesus Christ.  We are a failure when we lift up anything else.

There are so many things that are tempting to become focused on.  But if we are not busy building up the body of Jesus Christ then we are guilty of loosing our focus and allowing our church to die.

I believe that we should be about the business of nurturing people in the faith and sending them out to ministry and mission.

Yet I would have to say that we still have a ways to go.  Some persons may not yet have had a powerful experience of Jesus Christ that compels them to go forth to share it.  Others may have had the experience but feel woefully ill-prepared to talk about it with an unbeliever.

For a long time the United Methodist Church has been facing a decline perhaps in part brought on in part by our methods of evangelism (sharing the gospel).  Congregations can grow through procreation (members having children), transferring Christians from one congregation to another, or making new Christians.  For most of my ministry the church has excelled at the first two methods of growing.  But now with a change of culture these methods are not sufficient to sustain the church and pass the gospel on to a new generation. 

We must discover anew the process of making brand new Christians or the church as we have known it will cease to be.  The Holy Spirit is moving us in new directions.  One of them is rediscovering our gifts for sharing our faith with others.

A missionary pastor I heard about said something that has stuck in my mind and heart.  He said, “Every Christian ought to be able to preach, pray or die at a moment’s notice.  Are you ready to do these three things?

Some people would rather die than preach.  But it is not so hard.  All of us have a faith story about coming to Christ and being changed or strengthened by Christ.  Evangelist teach that there are three simple questions which we can all answer that truly make up the sermon we can be prepared to preach.

1. What were you like before Christ?

2. How did you meet Christ?

3. What are you like after Christ?  What changed in you?

Every Christian should be prepared to know, articulate and share your faith story with someone when God opens the door.  I feel strongly about the fact that we all need to be prepared to witness to Jesus Christ.  We all have a responsibility to do so.  It is what being a Christian is all about.

There is a story about a gathering of African churches.  At the gathering the congregations were reporting the number of converts they had in the first quarter of the year.  A Church of about a hundred people shared that they had taken in 15 new believers in the first quarter of the year.  But a bishop responded with alarm.  We have to help this congregation get back on track.  If a hundred people can only bring in 15 new persons then something is terribly wrong there.

What a zest for the gospel!

I fear that we Christians in this country have lost our zest and our zeal for the gospel.  Most of us are reluctant to consider that it is our mission to tell the story of Jesus Christ to the lost and the unbelieving.  We have lost our enthusiasm for the gospel and tolerate instead a fearful reluctance to approach the topic of faith and belief with others.  Sometimes we are even fearful about talking about these things with other church members!

We shall be held accountable. Jesus says in Luke 9:26ff, “Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the father and of the holy angels.”

The Spirit of God is not a spirit of cowardice, as Paul writes to Timothy in his second letter.  It is a “spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

We glorify God when we discipline ourselves to be alert to the opportunity to speak of Jesus and to tell of his love.  Claim a spirit of boldness.  Banish your fears.  Discover the incredible joy of witnessing to the power of Jesus Christ in you life.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(February 2011)

[From Pastor Jim] As our thoughts turn toward Valentine’s Day in February, Kate thought a little relationship advice might be appropriate for my newsletter column.  She offered the following exchange of emails as a possibility and I agreed.  She expressed some things we both try to live. 

A few weeks ago out of nowhere, Kate received an email from one of her former youth group members who was now a Soon-to-Be-Bridegroom and looking for a pastor to officiate.  He remembered Kate and wondered if she could do the service.  Because of her health issues she had to say no, but the following email exchange took place.

Thank you very much for getting back to me. It was so nice to hear from you, and I hope your day is going ok today.

I am glad that you still remember us! The time we shared at Portage Faith was indeed a good and important time in my spiritual journey. ASP [Appalachia Service Project-Youth Mission Trip] certainly was a great experience, and I was thankful to have enjoyed one of those trips with you and Pastor Jim. I remember clearly how you and Pastor Jim acted both together and in the community. You two were always holding hands, and those were a few things you had taught me in addition to the messages on Sunday. You truly are a role model. It feels nice to find someone who I enjoy holding hands with as well.

Although you can’t officiate my wedding, please know that I am thankful you and I were able to talk prior to my marriage. Do you mind giving me a few pointers if you get a moment? I would really love to know how you were still holding hands after so many years of marriage, because I don’t see that too often! Was there really glue on your hands after a hard day’s work for ASP and your hands were just stuck together? I would have helped pry them apart but no one asked me to!

Any pointers would be helpful and appreciated. Thank you again and I wish you all the best.

Dear Soon-to-Be-Bridegroom,

You are still as funny as ever. You still make me laugh and laughter is the best...especially in a marriage.  PJ and I have been married almost 30 years now.  We are still kissing, holding hands and looking lovingly into each other's eyes.  The glue that holds us together you ask?  (I know that the ASP glue was never as enduring as what we share. LOL)

I would say that most important of all is depending upon God's grace in your relationship.  Inviting God into the marriage is what will make it work the very best....for wherever two or three are gathered there is bound to be all sorts of stuff happening.

In the midst of your life together God helps you go beyond yourself.  You tend to put the other person foremost in your thoughts and learn what it is to truly love and cherish the person you marry.  Not just in words but in your everyday actions.  Never forget to cherish each other and you will be stuck together like glue, because that is the one you want to be with forever.  You can't wait to see each other when you wake up in the morning or come together in the evening after work.  You want to kiss as often as possible because when you are apart you have something to look forward to when you get back together.  When you learn to love and cherish, and it becomes your focus, the fruit is joy and lots of laughter and all that other fun stuff that goes with marriage.

When there is conflict between the two of you, God helps you to go beyond yourself to understand the other person's point of view and feelings on what is at the center of the conflict.  This is not hard to do when you cherish someone because you know that they will do the same with you.  Conflict gets ironed out much easier when God is in your relationship.  For it is God who helps you to ask for forgiveness when it is needed and to extend forgiveness when it is needed.  Remember always that forgiveness is a process and doesn't happen in an instant.  God teaches us how to resolve our differences and forgive one another.  The fruit of resolving your differences and working them out together is one of the most satisfying things you will ever do in your life. If you are not able to do it between the two of you then by all means go to a good marriage counselor.  That is a sign of strength in a relationship and not weakness.

God also helps us to stay focused on the good gifts that each person brings to the relationship.  God will teach you how to build each other up and praise each other for who you are and what God is calling you to be.  God helps us not to focus on each other's faults and short comings.  That is something a person already knows within their heart.  The rest of the world is critical enough of a person.  So God helps us to learn to build each other up within the marriage.  Cherish the differences you have and use them to your advantage.  It will make your marriage stronger.

Another bit of advice?  Honeymoon often.  If the honeymoon is good the first time around then do it over and over and over again.  Honeymooning never gets old.....even though we do.  LOL  PJ and I are still honeymooning after all of these years.  I still love and cherish PJ more than the first day we met.  So I look forward to running away with him so it can be just the two of us doing what we like to do.

Last but not least:  Remember too that life is full of surprises.  Some you will welcome.  Some you will conjure up for each other to keep the romance alive and growing.  Some will disappoint you.  Some will bring you sorrow.  Some will be more challenging than others.  Yet with each surprise that comes your way in life....God is with you....because you invited Him into the marriage to begin with.  So you will never be alone....and that is a good thing.

Oops...I think I wrote a mini sermon....but you asked what the glue was in the first place.  So there you have it.

My love and blessings to you and your bride.  Let me know how things go.  I love hearing from you.

I’ll tell you right now; I think I am one of the luckiest men in the world.  May you be as blessed as we are with the presence of God in your relationships.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(December 2010)

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  ~ Isaiah 9:6

Jesus comes to us as a fulfillment of God’s covenant with his people. 

From the beginning of creation God loved us and has always sought us for God’s loving purposes.  We were created in God’s very own image, given the freedom to choose whom we would follow and whom we would love.  We were made to love God.  In order to truly love God, we had to be free to choose. True love is only experienced in the act of choosing one above all others.

God has chosen us above all others.  God wants us to choose him above all others as well, but the power of sin makes us ashamed and fearful of choosing to love God. 

God has not been ashamed of loving us.  The Bible is full of the stories of God’s choice to love us.  After the first sin in the garden, God clothed Adam and Eve. Though they were cast from the garden, their lives were spared.  God preserved human existence through Noah on the Ark and in the sign of the rainbow covenanted never again to destroy the world in a flood. 

God choose Abraham and Sarah to be the parents of a people of faith.  Though they were old and seemingly incapable of fulfilling what God had designed for their lives, with God’s love nothing is impossible.  They conceived and gave birth to a son, Isaac.  Through Moses, God gave the law for the salvation and prosperity of his chosen people.  The law became a defining expression of their covenant and set them apart from all others.  Through the inspiration of prophets, God continually sought to restore his people to a loving and covenantal relationship.

The power of sin and death continued to lead us from choosing to love God.  It even corrupted the law, making us feel self-satisfied if we met the “letter “of the law while abusing the “spirit” of the law.  God had chosen us to love and gave us the law to define us as covenant people.  If God allowed the power of sin and death to prevail, God would not have been faithful to the holy purpose.

So God gave us Jesus Christ, the word made flesh, the essence of God in a face we could see and touch and believe in.  A baby was born of a virgin, not in a palace, but in a humble manger, for God has chosen to love the afflicted and the outcast, the “least of these” in a world gone crazy with power and the fear of being powerless.  Into this world comes Jesus Christ who is the embodiment and fulfillment of God’s covenantal love.

God confronted the powers of sin and death upon a cross and showed us what true love is about.  God chose to love us even if it meant that his son must suffer a gruesome death.  God chose to love us by showing us the way to life through Jesus Christ.  God chose to be faithful and fulfill God’s covenantal promises.

In Christ Jesus we are new creations, the old has passed away.  We are no longer in bondage to the power of sin and death.  We have new life born out of Christ’s sacrifice for sin upon the cross and resurrection victory over the grave.

It is this love and this faith that makes us Christians today.  We celebrate God’s saving work as we celebrate the incarnation, the word becoming flesh.  Christmas is about God’s personal investment in creation, revealing and giving the essence of God’s heart to bring about the redemption of the world.

On January 9, we will have the opportunity to renew our baptismal promises and our commitment to be his living body, the church, in the world.  We will remember the ways that God has saved us through the water and recommit our lives to love God above all others.

At Christ Church, we choose “to love God, love others and bring people to Christ.”  This is not just our mission but our covenant to be faithful disciples.  As members of Christ’s body in the world, we choose to be active participants in the work of Jesus Christ.  We support what Christ is doing in our lives and in the world.  We support our church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness.

Praise be to God for the many signs and actions of faithfulness to the covenant of love.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(November 2010)

It is hard to give thanks if we can’t see beyond our own efforts.  If you don’t need anyone or anything, you have no one to thank except yourself.

In the movie, Shenandoah, Jimmy Stewart, playing the dad returns thanks for a meal in a way that shines somewhat of a humorous light upon the human hubris of self-sufficiency.  The prayer goes something like this.

“Lord, we cleared this land.  We plowed it, and sowed it, and harvested it.  We cooked the harvest.  It wouldn’t be here; we wouldn’t be eating it, if we hadn’t done it all ourselves.  We worked dog bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you just the same, anyway, for this food we are about to eat.  Amen.” (Shenandoah, 1965, writer, James L. Barrett)

The obvious attitude in this prayer is that the thanksgiving is just perfunctory because most everything including the food is a result of our own hard work.  The dad knows what he has done with his own hands and just chooses not to see what God had done.  So giving thanks to God seems a little pointless.

I believe that God has compassionate ears when it comes to our prayers.  If God has any of the qualities of a loving parent, God graciously receives our prayers and is please whenever and however we pray.  So I can even imagine God being gracious when we offer a prayer that is more about what we have done than about God.  Just like a mom or a dad who enjoying hearing from the kids, so God, our heavenly father, enjoys hearing from us kids here on earth.

The attitude expressed in that dad’s prayer is still something we have to struggle with spiritually.  Truth be told, we are heirs of a North American mindset that values a spirit of individualism and independence.  Most of us have a cultural voice in our heads that says, “You only get what you earn.  There are no free lunches.  And when push comes to shove you just need to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”  We don’t even see the impossibility of lifting oneself off the ground by pulling on one’s bootstraps.  We just blindly accept that everyone, ones-self especially, should be able to handle everything alone.

We are somehow shamed if we need help and have to ask for it.  It almost seems like our dependence upon God is a betrayal of what is admired most within our society, that spirit of individualistic independence.

Perhaps it is our affluence that makes it hard to see our dependence upon God.  We live for the most part in places that we control.  We try to minimize the time we spend in the places where things are beyond our control.  So it is harder to see just how vulnerable our lives are and just how gracious God is to provide for us.

The Pilgrims in Massachusetts had no problem understanding their vulnerability and God’s graciousness to provide for them.  It’s clearly express in Governor Bradford’s first Thanksgiving Proclamation made three years after they first settle at Plymouth and in particular in response to a very successful growing season.  The proclamation was as follows:

“Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.”

—William Bradford

Ye Governor of Ye Colony

If we are to grow spiritually in the areas of gratitude and extravagant generosity, we will need to be intentional about recognizing the grace of God around us.  We will need to reacquaint ourselves with the fragility of our lives and just how dependent we ultimately are upon things beyond our control.  Where our control ends, God’s control begins and God is ever faithful and gracious.  Psalm 100 seems a good guide for this spiritual journey.

¹Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. ²Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. ³Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. ⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. ⁵For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(October 2010)

Vince Lombardi, whose name is recognizable as an NFL football coach, was quoted as saying, "If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm."  I recently heard this quote at my niece’s grad-school graduation and I’ve brought it home to worship.

I’ve been using it to encourage an enthusiastic greeting of our neighbors at the beginning of worship.  It certainly seems consistent with the practice of radical hospitality that we all strive to be enthusiastic as we welcome those around us in worship.  Need I remind you again?  The church’s welcome is not just the job of a few enlisted to provide an “official” welcome.  The “un-official” welcome often speaks so much louder.

But even more than just hospitality, I think we need a little self-examination and repentance when it comes to living out our faith.  When you’ve been a Christian for a long time one of the dangers is to fall into a “ho-hum” faith that has lost its enthusiasm for what Christ can and will do in our lives.  We are sustained and strengthen by God’s grace, yes!  But because we are so accustom to the stories and experiences of grace, we forget what an amazing grace it is!

In the Revelation to John there is a pretty harsh judgment upon the church that has become “unenthusiastic.”  Revelation 3:15-16:  ¹⁵ “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” 

To be sure Revelation begins with a unique word of judgment for each of the seven churches.  The church in Laodicea just seems to have the quality of being apathetic about their faith in Christ.  They don’t reject Christ, but neither do they burn with the fire of excitement about him.

When I reflected on Lombari’s quote, I wondered if God would fire us as ambassadors of Christ in the world.  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:20, ²⁰ So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  We have a mission to represent Christ.  Do we represent Christ well?  Are we enthusiastic?  If we aren’t doing this, then by the word expressed in Revelation is that there very well could come a day when we will be “fired with enthusiasm”.   Revelation looks to the Day of Judgment when the Son of Man comes to hold us accountable for our stewardship.  We have been entrusted with the Good News of Jesus Christ for our generation and in particular for our neighborhood and mission field.   Are we enthusiastic about representing Jesus Christ in Ashland?

The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, was quoted in his guidance to some of his preachers and class leaders, “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”  There is something contagious about an enthusiastic faith.

We, who regularly handle the holy mysteries of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, might very well think them ordinary and unexcitable.  It is possible to loose our sense of awe or fear of God, as expressed in Psalm 33:8, Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.  God is no ordinary god.  We may have grown accustom to the grace of God, but it is far from common place.  Unconditional love is still too scarce a commodity or experience in this world.  It is something we ought to be enthusiastic about.

If we are not enthusiastic, we need to repent.  I for one don’t want to be spit out because I was “lukewarm”.  I’d much rather live my faith in a way that will bring the day when the Lord will say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

God grant us the grace to be fired with enthusiasm so we won’t be fired with enthusiasm.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(September 2010)

It’s all in the adjectives.  The adjectives describe, challenge and motivate us by creating a vision for which to strive.

As our Growing in Christ Task Group begins to create a strategy in response to the Natural Church Development survey, the materials I have read draw attention to the adjectives of the eight characteristics.  Let me list them again, because I know we all are still learning what they are.

q   Empowering Leadership

q   Gift-oriented Ministry

q   Passionate Spirituality

q   Functional Structures

q   Inspiring Worship Services

q   Holistic Small Groups

q   Need-oriented Evangelism

q   Loving Relationships.

Look at what the adjectives do.  They draw us to envision how we can become better in these basic and common characteristics that every church has.  Almost every church I can think of has worship services.  The question is whether or not the worship service is inspiring.  The same is true for all the other characteristics.  The nouns represent the functions that every church has.  Whether or not the church is growing depends upon the descriptive adjective.

We rated high in Gift-oriented Ministry which means that we were generally better at finding places for people to use their gifts and graces in ministry.

Our low end or “minimum factor” was inspiring worship services.  There is no doubt that we have worship services.  The question is whether or not they are consistently inspiring.

One of the dangers of our United Methodist Culture is that we communicate an obligation factor to worship attendance.  Many of our long standing worshippers have made worship attendance a habit.  It is part of our weekly routine.  “My week just wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t attend worship.”  Attending worship is driven by a sense of obligation as a Christian.  Worship as habit is, and can be, a good thing.  But the dangerous part is that it can lead us to mediocrity or low expectations.  “I will be there whether or not the worship service helps me connect with God.”

The lowest response in the worship area of the NCD survey was in the response to the question, “I connect with God in a meaningful way during the worship service.”  This may mean that we have a strong sense of habit, commitment and obligation behind our worship experience, but a low sense of expectation and anticipation of encountering God in essential and life changing ways.

I believe that the worship leaders truly desire to provide experiences that will inspire and connect people with God.  Perhaps we will need to talk more about our successes in this area and call forth more feed back about the ways that you connect with God in worship.  Personally, I am more than eager to hear about this.

Through September and October I will be doing a sermon series on the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.  As the NCD process does, the “Five Practices” describe the common characteristics of growing and developing congregations.  I pray that I am not muddying the waters in doing this.

The “Five Practices” have grown out of United Methodist leadership’s study of successful congregations.  The question is always, “What are growing congregations doing that other congregations are not doing?”  The answer some UM leaders have given is this:  Fruitful Congregations all seem to have these Five Practices in place.

q   Radical Hospitality

q   Passionate Worship

q   Intentional Faith Development

q   Risk-taking Mission and Service

q   Extravagant Generosity

The list is different.  There are five practices rather than eight characteristics.  The adjectives are different, but they still grab me and challenge me to seek the highest levels of excellence.  In this list we speak of Passionate Worship.  I suspect that passionate worship is also inspiring worship.  It is worship that is alive and vibrant.  It is worship that connects people to God and to one another.

My prayer is that we let the adjectives, the descriptors, provoke us to higher levels of functioning as Christ’s body in the world.  The church is the body of Christ.  Like it or not, we represent Christ in the world.  We have a responsibility to communicate more than habit and obligation in the practice of our faith and the worship of God.

I invite you to pray for our congregation, for the growing in Christ Task Group, for the sermons series on 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations.  Pray that God will use the adjectives to draw us to more creative and faithful ways of living out our faith in the world.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(August 2010)

I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

I can sing these words with the Psalmist for they truly are my story this past month and recent years.  Kate and I have lost a parent a year for the last three years:  my mom in 2008, Kate’s mom in 2009 and my Dad this past June.  What I can testify to is that even in the toughest moments, God pours out blessings upon us.  In every situation we experienced blessings from God.  I particularly felt this with my Dad.

I experienced the blessing of God showing up.  There is an old spiritual that goes, “God may not come when you want him, but he always comes right on time.”  Just when the clouds of confusion were gathering, God spoke a word that brought grace, healing and hope.  And this didn’t just happen once, it happened over and over again.

Since December Dad has been in and out of the hospital numerous times.  It seemed like one thing after another.  During the week of Annual Conference, Dad had reached a point of saying, “no more.”  As the one who was responsible for speaking his wishes, I felt compelled to know and act upon what he really wanted and to make sure he understood the circumstances.  A task that was not always easy because of his quiet, private nature as well as his hearing problems.

I felt particularly blessed when we were able to face the picture together.  We could continue on the “fix it“ path that seemed to be producing discomfort with no real positive results and there was no real possibility of him regaining his active lifestyle.  He would not be able to return to independent living.  The other option was the comfort path with Hospice.  It would mean facing the inevitability of death with dignity and compassion.  It was not giving up on life; it was living the fullest in the moments God had given us.

There is an incredible blessing in this moment when we break out of our denial and face the truth of the situation.  The amazing grace of these times is that we were now free to say the things that needed to be said.  No more pretending that what was happening was not happening.  It is the grace of acceptance.  When that occurs, the things we say and do change.

I have often thought and counseled others that Medical science makes us feel that we have the power of choosing between life and death.  We don’t really.  Turning off a switch or stopping a life sustaining medication may feel like power, but God’s power and timing is far more superior to any power we think we have.  In the end God gave a blessing with the knowledge that the decision about life and death was not ours, it was God’s.

There were moments in his last day when he startled awake, crying, “Help, help.”  I would take his hand and say, “I will help you.  What can I do?”  No answer, just that distant, unfocused stare.  There really was nothing that I could do.  It took me a while to realize this.  The help he needed was not mine to give.  He would need help from the other side of life.  He would need his loved-ones to welcome him, the angels to guide him and Jesus to take his hand as he let go of the body and experienced the freefall into new life.

In some way I imagine the dying process is something like falling backwards.  Because we may not be able to see where we are falling, it is not an easy thing to do.  We reach out desperate to grasp anything to stable ourselves.  When I start to fall, crying for help and clinging to something is a natural response.  It often takes several attempts to overcome my instincts and let go.

One of the things that is hard to let go of is our care for those we love.  “What will the effect of my death be upon them?”  “Will they be okay after I’m gone?”  In every death we have experienced these last years, it seemed important to let them know that we would be okay.  We would go on.  We would be taken care of.  I think it is one of God’s blessings at the time of death to say, “I will be okay.  You can let go.”  It truly is “loving someone enough to let them go.”

I experienced the blessing of being able to tell my Dad, “I’ll be okay.  The family will be okay.  You don’t have to worry about us.  I’ll take care of all that needs to be done.”

“Count your blessings, name them one by one,” the old hymn advises.  It is good counsel in the valley of the shadow of death.  Here is some of my counting:  The blessing of saying, “Its okay.”  The blessing of breaking through denial.  The blessing of accepting the truth of the situation.  The blessing of being born up in prayer.  The blessing of seeing God arrive right on time.  The blessing of a community of support and compassion.  The blessing of receiving so many acts of kindness.

There are worse things than death.  When clinging to life means on-going suffering, we have to ask why?  When the results, of this mindless striving and automatic treatments, do not ultimately produce healing or positive results, we have to ask, “What do you do when you are not going to get better?”  “What do you do when you are not going to be able to bounce back?”  “What is the quality of life worth to you?”  “What makes life worth living?”  The questions are not easy and I suspect the answers are a little different for everyone.  But one thing is certain, every person will have their own moment to ask them.

What I know for sure is that those moments can contain a powerful blessing from God.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(June-July 2010)

I like the inquiry which compares worship to theater and asks:  “In the drama of worship, who is the audience? Who are the actors/players? And who are the directors/prompters?” 

This inquiry was first offered by the 19^th century Danish philosopher/theologian Søren Kierkegaard, who became concerned about the attitudes and practices in worship of his time.  He drew the comparison of worship with theater and tried to differentiate what happens in worship.

In the theater, actors are prompted by people offstage to perform for the audience.  Kierkegaard was concerned that this model seemed to dominate the worship practices of many churches.  The pastor, choir and leaders were viewed as the actors.  God was the offstage prompter, and the congregation was in the role of the audience expressing approval or disapproval for the drama. 

The attitude this creates is that worship is no more than entertainment which promotes a consumer mentality for the person in the pew.  From a consumer perspective worship is nothing more than a performance designed to entertain or inspire the audience.

Kierkegaard challenges us to see the model differently with a focus on God.  He would say that God is the audience, the people in the congregation are the actors, and the pastor/choir/leaders are the prompters moving the drama of worship forward.  In true worship, the one we want to please the most is not the person in the pew, but rather the God who is worthy of our best effort.  Worship in this view is bringing the best we have and offering it to God.  Public approval by the person in the pew is only secondary to God’s approval.

In my opinion the question of ultimate value for worship is this, “Does the Sunday morning performance of the people in the pews honor and please God above all else?  Pleasing God is of central importance in all we do especially in worship.

This also leads me to reflect on the place of applause in worship.  I know that many have ambiguous feelings about clapping in worship.  Is it appropriate or not?  Here is my sense of the pros and cons.

On the side against clapping, since God is the only one worthy of our praise and adoration clapping (and some may feel “all” clapping) is inappropriate.  Worship is about the praise of God, so we should not be praising human beings.  We should rather honor the humility of our offerings to God.  When we clap sometimes it feels like we are drawing attention to human skills and abilities rather than to God.  The fear that makes us apprehensive to clap in worship is that we are making worship a performance whose only purpose is to entertain the gathered crowd and praise the performer.

On the other side which speaks in favor of clapping is the need to express our encouragement for one another in our praise of God.  We all need cheerleaders who will exhort, challenge and encourage us to give our best.  The memory of applause may be the encouragement we need to do even better the next time.

Clapping can also be an expression of gratitude for a person’s offering given to God.  Sometimes we just want to express our thanks for a deep and authentic expression of faith that has spoken to us and for us.  When someone says or sings what we feel in our hearts there is a gratitude that needs expressing.

In another perspective, clapping can be a way that we express our praise and thanksgiving to God.  When I am moved and touched by God, I feel the compulsion to express on the outside what is happening on the inside.

So is clapping in worship right or wrong?  It depends.  The core value is whether or not it is an expression that honors and praises God.  Does our encouragement of one another ultimately give glory to God?  Does our clapping express something that pleases God who is the true audience in worship?

The life of a disciple is that on going quest toward “more of God and less of me.”  Clapping can be an expression and encouragement of this virtue in worship.  We clap because it’s all about God and less about me.  We clap because we are not the audience, but rather the performers striving to please God above all else.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(April 2010)

 Christ is risen from the dead!  Alleluia!

I believe that Jesus is risen.  The impact of this belief has a transforming effect on me.  It changes the way I approach life.  The victory of Jesus Christ over the power of sin and death, becomes the context out of which I live my days.  It becomes the foundation upon which I experience all my joys and struggles.

The ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates, is famous for saying, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”  Examining our lives is not an easy task.  We often have parts of our lives about which we would like to be in denial.  Every one of us has character traits or deeds of the past that bring us shame.  They are the parts we would rather not have to face or acknowledge, the parts we would like to pretend don’t exist, the parts we would like to remain unexamined.  But as long as we leave them unexamined there is no hope for change or transformation.

The Bible says truthfully that “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”(Rom. 3:23)  Sin is a universal experience of human existence.  I like to think that when we were “knit together in our mother’s womb” the image of God was placed within us.  God has a purpose for our lives.  The journey of life is awakening to that purpose and living it out.  Yet we get involved in all kinds of things that mar God’s image within us.  Our sin diverts us from God’s purpose and disfigures the pure image of God within us.

Believing in the resurrection gives me the courage to face the truth of my sin and seek to reclaim that image of God within.  The resurrection stands as a victory over sin and a restoration of God’s purpose in our lives. 

The resurrection reminds me that the sins of my past do not define my future.  Jesus’ victory on the cross opens up new possibilities for tomorrow for all of our lives.  St. Paul says in Corinthians 5:17, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”  That is the power of Christ’s Resurrection, to make us new creations each day. 

The prophets spoke the hard and painful truth with the goal of repentance and redemption.  Jesus bore the suffering and pain of the cross with the goal of salvation and eternal life.  Our guilt is sure, but even more sure is God’s grace poured out through Jesus Christ.

No life is lived without experiences that bring us pain.  When we are able, we try to avoid those experiences.  But ultimately they cannot be avoided forever.  Painful experiences have a way of sneaking up on us.  Sometimes it’s the loneliness we feel on a holiday or the grief we feel on the anniversary of a death we thought we had gotten over long ago.  Sometimes it’s the pang of guilt we feel over something we said or did.  Believing in the resurrection helps me to face these moments head on.  I can face moments of loneliness, grief or guilt, accepting them as a part of life.  I can face them because I know they do not have the last word.  They do not have the power to destroy me. 

Facing our pain can be unpleasant.  But for me it is faith in the resurrection that gets me through.  It is the power of the resurrection that keeps me from being overwhelmed by hopelessness.  The resurrection tells me that the cross does not have the last word.

The cross looks like a pretty ominous last word.  It is a word of suffering, fear and pain.  It is a word of political maneuvering and expediency.  It is a word of injustice and the misuse of power.  But the resurrection tells me that all of these things are not the final word.  Evil is not the end.  Sin is not the end.  Death is not the end. 

Rather than the cross, Jesus has the last word.  God’s son rises victorious.  God will not leave us in the tomb of suffering and despair.  God will not let life be snuffed out.  Jesus is victorious over death so we will know that sin does not have the last word.

With a faith in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, we can brave the uncomfortable valleys of the shadow of sin and death.  Jesus Christ goes with us through every experience.  And the good news is Christ is victorious!  We are new creations through Christ Jesus our Lord!  The last word is this–Christ is risen from the dead!  Alleluia!

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(March 2010)

 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of any-thing that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, . . .”  (Exodus 20:4-5)

Sometimes an idea grabs me and stops me dead in my tracks.  Here’s one that did it to me—“Far too many of us are committing idolatry by worshiping the god of our circumstances, rather than the God of True Power!”

It is idolatry to give our circumstances more credit for our behavior than God!  We so easily bow down before our circumstances.  We surrender to them, fearing their great power.  The truth is they only have the power we give them.  The truth is their power is false.  God is the only powerful One.  God, and God alone, is worthy of our worship.

How do our circumstances rise to the level of an idol?  I believe that anything or anyone that takes the place of God is an idol.  When we take the power and authority away from God and give it to our circumstances, we are clearly turning away from God and toward something else.

The things that happen to us can become an idol, if we let them take the place that only belongs to God.  A bad day at work is a bad day at work.  It becomes an idol, if we give that circumstance the power to ruin our time at the dinner table.  Only God should have the power to direct our words and our deeds.  A car that cuts us off is a car that cuts us off.  It becomes an idol, if we let that experience take control of our hearts.  Only God should rule our hearts.

In a Bible study conversation, a woman was describing her visit with a relative who had recently had both legs amputated.  She related how surprised she was at his attitude.  She imagined that these circumstances would have brought about grief and anger, or perhaps a bit of depression.  But there he was with a sense of humor, a smile on his face, and a general sense of well being.  How do you explain that?

I cannot say for a fact, because I was not there, but I have known others who have experienced terrible things.  People tend to respond better to life when they have the capacity to worship God more than their circumstances.  People who stand in the shower of God’s blessings know who loves them no matter what happens to them.

I believe we commit idolatry when we worship our circumstances.  We worship our circumstances whenever we declare that their power over us is greater than God’s power over us. 

I believe we also commit idolatry when we fall in love with our circumstances.  We are in love with our circumstances whenever we use them as an excuse for our behavior.  One of the reasons that we love problems is that they give us an excuse for avoiding responsibility.  If we let our problems direct our lives, then we are not letting God direct our lives.  God needs to be the excuse for our actions, not our circumstances!

The scriptures remind us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.”  With this broad definition and understanding of idolatry, I believe that we are all guilty at one time or another of putting something in the place of God in our lives.  We are all guilty of attributing power and authority to false gods.

The journey with Christ requires us to be constantly vigilant.  The questions are ever before us.  What controls me?  To whom am I giving the power for my life?  Is it the god of my circumstances or the God of real power?  When bad things happen to you, someone has said, you can get “bitter” or you can get “better.”  I think we grow bitter when we worship our circumstances; we get better when we worship God.

Praise be to the God who is truly powerful and worthy of our worship and adoration!

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(February 2010)

Why do we make such a fuss about Lent?

The season of Lent is the 40 day period excluding Sundays prior to the celebration of the resurrection on Easter.  It is often defined as a time of spiritual preparation.  During Lent the church challenges its members to take on special spiritual disciplines like fasting, abstaining from some food, acts of special generosity, prayer, or study.

All of these disciplines seem like things we ought do be doing all the time.  But we don’t.  The truth is, for me at least, I need this special focus.  Without it, I know that business as usual will not bring the same results.

I need a time of challenge to keep me growing in the faith.  Our relationship with Christ is a life-long journey.  We never truly arrive at a place where we can stop growing.  There is always some part of our life that needs improvement.  There is always some part of our relationship with Christ that could be better.  If we are not going forward spiritually, then we are either stuck or even worse falling backward.

Unless I am intentional about growing in the faith, I usually stay in the comfortable old places.  Unless I plan to go somewhere, I wind up going no where. Lent for me, then, is a time to plan on going forward with my relationship with Christ.

As a season of preparation in the Christian family, I encourage you to become purposeful and intentional about things that will help you deepen your faith and grow spiritually.

What are some of the things you can do?

·         Commit to regular worship attendance.  Even if you are away from Christ UMC, go to church somewhere.

·         Commit to regular Bible Study with a group or individually.  I think a group is preferable, but alone is better than nothing at all and has the flexibility of fitting into our busy schedules.

·         Commit to regular devotions.  Pick a time that works for you every day.  Keep it.  If you aren’t using the Upper Room, pick one up.  It only takes a few minutes.  If you are already using the Upper Room devotional, add some more time to your prayer time.  Expand your time with the Lord.

·         Commit to a group focused on spiritual growth like a Sunday School class or our Prayer for Peace service on Saturday evenings during Lent.

·         Commit to prayer before every meal.

·         Commit to fasting by skipping a meal a week or by abstaining from some food that has meaning for you.

·         Commit to setting aside some change every day for a special Lenten missions offering.

·         Commit to ending a bad habit or changing a behavior that you know injures another.

Do what is meaningful to you.  Let the spirit lead you.  Plan to do something that will increase your time with Jesus.  But whatever you do, offer it to Jesus as a means to grow closer to him. 

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(December & January 2009)

Are you looking for light in the midst of darkness? 

The older I get the more aware I am of the shortening days and the loss of light.  I miss the sunshine, the long days.  The darkness and the cold force us inside and I miss the days when it doesn’t get dark until ten at night.

For some the loss of light can cause a low grade depression.  As our bodies adapt to the darkness some suffer a physiological change that results in a condition diagnosed as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  People with SAD experience a change in the way in which they eat and sleep, the way they feel about themselves, and the way they think about things.  Our bodies, responding to the darkness outside, experience a change that creates a kind of darkness in the soul.

I sometimes wonder if the loss of light drives some of our shopping frenzy during this season.  As the days get shorter, what do we do?  We drive ourselves to the florescence cathedrals of our culture.  We take up shopping to spend time in the places where artificial light abounds.  The danger here is that we are trying to fight off the darkness with a “shopper’s high.”  Unfortunately the exhilaration of a purchase is far too fleeting to solve the problem of darkness and unrestrained, unconscious shopping can result in an even greater darkness due to financial woes.

The up-side of this season may be that our culture gets strongly focused on generosity.  Acts of giving really do help us have a better sense of well-being and self-worth.  Thinking about others is a far more effective antidote to the darkness of our souls.

I wonder if we also seek to fight off the darkness with amazing light displays.  Whether someone is Christian or not, the lights go up on the house and the lighted Christmas trees fill every family room.  In some ways the darkness becomes the canvas to paint the joy of light.  Yes, lights are a testimony to the human spirit that seeks to make the best of a hard situation, but there are still limits to the ability of human beings to redeem the darkness.  Our labors alone will not win the battle against darkness.  We need help.

The proclamation of the Advent, Christmas, Epiphany seasons is that Jesus is the Light of the World.  As the gospel writer says, ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.  (John 1:5)

We celebrate the birth of Christ in the deepest part of the darkness.  December 21 is the winter solstice which marks the shortest day due to the tilt of the earth away from the sun.  We gather three days later on Christmas Eve to proclaim the victory of light over darkness with carols and candlelight.  The darkness is pierced by the light of Christ.  Jesus provides the illumination we need to survive and overcome the darkness in our souls.

In the midst of the darkness, Kate and I wish you a blessed and holy season celebrating the victory of light over darkness.  Do not grow weary, but rejoice in the truth that was born in a manger.  Jesus, the Light of the World, has come.  We do not stand alone against the darkness.  We stand with the one whose glory shines and no darkness can overcome it.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(November 2009)

I’d like to enter into the health care debate.  I am indebted to Gordon Ruggles who put me on to an article in Newsweek, [November 21, 2009, pp 42-45] which clarified a lot of the issues and terminology for me.

I stand with our United Methodist Social Principles when they say,

“We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God.  We therefore work toward societies in which each person’s value is recognized, maintained, and strengthened.  We support the basic rights of all persons to equal access to housing, education, communication, employment, medical care, legal redress for grievances, and physical protection.”

Perhaps I had blinders on or just never really considered the implications of what is going on.  I generally feel pretty proud of our nation and our society, but there were a number of statements in the Newsweek article that disturbed me.  When it comes to the morality of our health care, it seems we don’t stand as tall among the other advanced nations.

· “The USA, the world’s richest and most powerful nation, is the only advanced country that has never made a commitment to provide medical care to everyone who needs it.”

· “According to government and private studies, about 22,000 of our fellow Americans die each year of treatable diseases because they lack insurance and can’t afford a doctor.”

· “The US is the only developed country where medical bankruptcies can happen.”

Does America lack the moral conviction to provide access to basic health care for all our citizens?  Have we really made the moral decision that it is okay for people to be denied access to health care?  Do we really believe that it is okay for people to go bankrupt should they happen to get sick?

Even with our Social Principles statement, I guess I hadn’t really thought of health care as a moral decision of our society.  But here it is:  apparently our economic and special interests have kept this great society from providing access to something my theology considers a basic human right.  I’m disturbed by this.

Change is hard.  Changing a system that is so entrenched in our day to day dealings is even harder.  When facing a change, we can expect the fear mongers.  They are people who will create and disseminate polarizing rhetoric because it plays to our fears.  When we are afraid, we resist change.  Do you remember the Israelites who suggested they return to the slavery in Egypt because they were afraid of surviving in the desert?

In the debate a number of terms are tossed around, I think, to create fear and misunderstanding.  “Socialized medicine” and “universal coverage” are not the same thing.  Socialized medicine means the government owns the hospitals, employs the doctors, and pays the bills.  Universal coverage means a system of private doctors, private hospitals, and private or government insurance plans.  One or the other or a mixture of both are the techniques for making good on the moral conviction to provide universal access to health care.

In our society, everyone over 65 already participates in a universal government run coverage (Medicare).  The leap here is not the idea of universal coverage, but rather to provide that coverage from “cradle to grave.”

“Rationing of health care” has been a part of the debate and used to create fear.  But let’s not deceive ourselves, rationing already occurs.  We are perhaps blind to the way it is being rationed because we are used to it.  We currently ration health care by wealth.  Those who can afford it, have it.  Those who can’t afford it are denied.  Who among us speaks for the poor and the marginalized?  Who expresses their fear?

Many will raise concerns about the economic cost.  I pray for smart people to lead us to good answers to these tough questions, because I believe that we also have to consider the moral and ethical costs.  I really don’t want the America I love to be taking the position of Mr. Scrooge who said, “If they’re going to die, let them and decrease the surplus population.”

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(October 2009)

The United Methodist understanding of our membership covenant is rooted in our Baptismal covenant.  Through baptism we are incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation.  We are claimed by God’s grace.  The Baptismal Covenant is God’s word to us, proclaiming our adoption by grace, and it is our word to God, promising a response of faith and love.  Those within the covenant constitute the community we call the church, therefore our membership covenant begins with this sacramental act of being incorporated into Christ Jesus our Lord.

Covenant is the Biblical word for agreement between two parties.  In particular, we are talking about the agreement between God and humanity.  As the rainbow is the sign of God’s promise to never again destroy the earth by a flood, Jesus Christ is the covenant which God makes for the redemption of our souls and the victory of life over death.  On God’s side of the covenant, Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises and the invitation to eternal life.  On our side of the covenant, we accept what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, we trust in his grace, and we promise to live a life of love as citizens of God’s victorious kingdom.

The sacrament of baptism is a celebration of our covenant with God and has a past, present and future reality.  It is an act that looks back with gratitude on what God’s grace has already accomplished, it is and act of God’s grace in the present here and now, and it looks forward to what God’s grace will accomplish in the future. While baptism signifies the whole working of God’s grace, much that it signifies, from the washing away of sin to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, will need to happen during the course of a lifetime.  Baptism also anticipates the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives drawing us to a fuller relationship with Jesus Christ.

As we are incorporated into Jesus Christ, we are united to one another as Christ’s body in the world.  In the Sacrament of Baptism, the Church pledges to the one baptized: “Your joy, your pain, your gain, your loss, are ours, for you are one of us.”  Church membership is built upon this basic commitment we have with one another because of our covenant with God.  It is no wonder that we feel such pain when one to whom we have made this commitment chooses to withdraw from our fellowship.

As members of Christ Jesus, we commit to three levels of identification.  We first identify ourselves as a Christian, a follower of Christ.  Then we identify ourselves with a style of Christian discipleship reflected by the various Christian denominations (i.e. Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, etc.).  Finally, we identify ourselves with a particular place where our day-to-day discipleship is carried out, the local congregation.

The local congregation is where the rubber meets the road.  It is where we strive to live out our Christian faith, to love and forgive one another, to embrace our spiritual gifts for ministry and to work toward the building of God’s kingdom in the world.  It is in our local church that we weekly worship God and participate in ministries that transform the world.

The membership covenant that we make with God in our local church is that we will support it with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. 

Most recently our General Conference has added the words “our witness” to our local church covenant.  I believe this reflects the growing awareness of how the church and Christians must be about the work of sharing Christ in the world.  Worship and action must be part of the same movement that lifts Jesus up as Lord and Savior.

We are tied together by our membership covenant and it is in these bonds that we seek to grow spiritually for the glory of God and the transformation of the world.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(September 2009)

      Out of our Growing in Christ Task Group has come a vision and call for spiritual renewal and ministry with young families.  One of our strategies for spiritual renewal is to have a six week all church worship and study focus.  This means that we will have a sermon series followed by small group (Church School Class) discussions on the same material.

I have chosen the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church as our first “all-church” focus.  We have purchased a booklet which includes the text of the social principles and teaching exercises/aids.  I would like most of our membership to receive a copy so that you can read it at your leisure.  The Sermon series will begin on Sept. 13^th and end on October 18^th.  You can find a sermon topic plan in the worship section of this newsletter.

I expect two things.  First, timely discussions from a biblical and theological perspective on relevant issues we are facing in our country today.  Secondly, I expect that not everyone will agree on everything -- And that’s okay.  Just because we can agree and affirm that Jesus Christ is our Lord, does not mean that we will agree with every position on social issues.  Social issues by their very nature are complex life issues involving real people with different experiences.  It would be unrealistic to agree at all times.

The area of love in which we are stretched is our capacity to love, stay connected with and tolerate persons with different opinions.  This means finding and building up the areas we have in common and allowing people, as our founder, John Wesley, said, to think and let think.

The thing about the social principles which has its roots in the biblical narrative is this:  Since we are God’s chosen people--claimed, redeemed, sustained by God, are there marks or signs of that relationship which appear in the way we live our lives and function in community?  How are God’s people supposed to act and live?

The ten commandments in Exodus 20 and much of the legal code in the Hebrew Bible was an expression of this.  Given our unique relationship with God, what does it mean to be a community of justice and mercy?  Believing that God truly does care about us, we ask the question, What is God’s vision for social justice?

Quoting from the preface of the social Principles:

The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social justice. Its members have often taken forthright positions on controversial issues involving Christian principles. Early Methodists expressed their opposition to the slave trade, to smuggling, and to the cruel treatment of prisoners.

A social creed was adopted by The Methodist Episcopal Church (North) in 1908. Within the next decade similar statements were adopted by The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and by The Methodist Protestant Church. The Evangelical United Brethren Church adopted a statement of social principles in 1946 at the time of the uniting of the United Brethren and The Evangelical Church. In 1972, four years after the uniting in 1968 of The Methodist Church and The Evangelical United Brethren Church, the General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted a new statement of Social Principles, which was revised in 1976 (and by each successive General Conference).

The Social Principles are a prayerful and thoughtful effort on the part of the General Conference to speak to the human issues in the contemporary world from a sound biblical and theological foundation as historically demonstrated in United Methodist traditions. They are a call to faithfulness and are intended to be instructive and persuasive in the best of the prophetic spirit; however, they are not church law.  The Social Principles are a call to all members of The United Methodist Church to a prayerful, studied dialogue of faith and practice.

In Wesleyan circles we talk about four guidelines for doctrinal and ethical discussions: Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason.  Given a particular issue, we ask four questions: What does the Bible say?  What does Christian Tradition say?  What does my experience say?  What does my reasoning say?  The Social Principles represent Christian Tradition from a United Methodist perspective.

I invite you to join me in exploring what the UM tradition has to say about current and relevant issues we are facing in the world today.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(August 2009)

Our core mission as Christ United Methodist Church is to “Love God, love others, and bring people to Christ.”  An expression of our commitment to this mission is the current renovations and new look of our foyer area outside the elevator.

We have transformed this space which is now furnished with café tables and chairs.  We also have two coffee carts and on most Sundays plan to make coffee available before and after worship.  The current plan is to begin this on August 9^th.

The task group considers this transformation a work in progress and I believe they are aware of other things they would like to do to make the space more inviting and friendly.

The vision is to provide a comfortable informal space for fellowship and the work of loving others through the building of relationships.  Facilities have a way of communicating our core values and what we believe.  I see the café setting communicating that just as we feel the importance of loving God through worship, we also feel the importance of loving others through fellowship.

I am so aware of how the culture is continually changing.  The church must find its ways to proclaim the old, old story in ever new and relevant ways.  Adam Hamilton of the UM Church of the Resurrection says, “Congregations are either getting better or they are dying; remaining the same is not an option.”  The world is changing so fast as is illustrated in the way music is sold.  You may remember the progression from record albums, to eight track tapes, to cassette tapes, to CD’s and now MP3 players.  Stores that once sold all the previous ways of getting your music are now out of business.  It truly is a case of either keeping up with the changes in technology or find yourself left behind and disconnected from the very people you long to serve.

The same challenge is facing the church.  While the need for Christian fellowship, a sense of family, and essential loving relationships remain the same, the ways that people connect are changing.  While it may be the same thing that we want and need, the reality is that people do it differently than they did it fifty years ago.

The realization of this is why café settings are appearing in more and more churches.  It represents an acknowledgement that the environments in which people like to connect with others has changed.  The “Coffee Café” has become a symbol of connection with others.  It communicates an invitation to build a relationship.

So, how can we afford to make this environment available?  While we continue to be challenged to meet our budget through current giving, our congregation has been blessed with some investment monies.  Some are permanent endowments and others portions are available as a need arises.  We have five investment Funds:  The Building and Maintenance Fund ($169,252), The General Fund ($20,068), the Pastoral Housing Fund ($35,494), the Memorial Fund ($48,788), and the Scholarship Fund ($82,725).  The café was paid for through the General Fund which is controlled by our Trustees to be used at their discretion.

Again, the vision is to communicate that the heart of our congregation is to love God, love others and bring people to Christ. As people come into the building the café is a sign and an invitation to build loving relationships.

My prayer is that through the outward transformation of the foyer area, we might discover the blessings of an inward transformation, which brings us closer to our Christian brothers and sisters as well as providing opportunities to invite new believers to a deeper faith in Christ.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(June & July 2009)

Our core mission as Christ United Methodist Church is to “love God, love others, and bring people to Christ.”  This is our congregation’s purpose and identity lived out under the umbrella of the United Methodist movement which sees the mission of the church as “Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

A key element of these missional visions is to experience God, not just for the experience, but for the transformation of the world.  It is not enough to know God, we are also called to share God.  Our faith calls us to have a concern for our neighbors and the world, and to use our influence in ways that the world becomes more pleasing to God.

Our mission statement does not just give us something to do, but it also tells us how to do it.  We are not just directed to bring people to Christ or transform the world, but we are directed in how to do this ­love.  Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.  (1 John 4:20)  The scriptures implore us to be a people and a community of love.  Jesus was clear about this.  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  (John 15:12)

As people compelled to love, we find ourselves asking the question: What can we do to show our love?  1 John is helpful in this regard.  How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?  (1 John 3:17)  Simply put, what 1^st John guides us to do is open our eyes to the needs around us.  “Find a need and fill it; find a hurt and heal it.”

Our desire to be a people who love others so that we may bring them to Christ leads us to continually ask, “How can we show our love to the world?”  What can we do today that shows our love for others rooted in God’s unconditional, unmerited love for us?

We strive to teach our young people this truth with activities like Serve Ashland, doing yard cleanup without getting paid, or the Joshua Trip, performing home repairs free of charge.  We also live our love through projects like sending care packages to our college students, and creating a Christmas for families in need.  Many years ago the question was answered by starting a farmer’s market in our parking lot.  What an amazing history this missional event has brought to the community of Ashland.

The challenge of any well established “love” ministry is the ongoing communication of why we do what we do.  We do it for love, but “the reason for the season” is a perennial communication concern.  Christians of every era must learn how to explain who and what we are, and why we do what we do.

Most recently the United Methodist Church has started a campaign to reach the 18 to 29 year old generation.  The campaign is entitled, “Rethink Church.” The “Mosaic” generation, as the sociologists call them, are a generation of people who are skeptical about the institutional church, while still being open to a relationship with Christ if it manifests itself in transformed lives and experiences that make a difference in the world.  So the Church is responding by an invitation to rethink what they think they know.

“Rethink Church” is a campaign to explain the transforming power of love that leads us to be in mission in the world and about the business of changing lives and loving others.  (A website to check out is www.10thousanddoors.org,)  The campaign seeks to explain that the church is not as a place to come to and stay within, but as a base of operation for expressing faith by moving out into the community and around the globe to become part of God’s plan for world transformation.

As we seek to bring people to Christ, we may want to invite them to rethink what they know about the church, but most especially invite join in the blessings and joy which comes from the work of transforming the world through Jesus Christ.  Being a disciple of Jesus Christ always involves the concrete work of putting our love into action.  We who have been in the church all our lives may not have to “rethink church” so much as “remember church”–doing what we already know.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(May 2009)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Grace is sometimes a hard thing to comprehend.  (Maybe that’s why it’s amazing.)  Part of the problem in understanding grace is that it must be comprehended in both our heads and our hearts.  This is a “must,” at least, if we want to feel its life changing, life guiding power.

Most of us know the story of salvation.  It’s in our heads and we can recite it.  We can say with our lips that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.  While we can affirm our faith outwardly and intellectually, we may still struggle inwardly with feelings of doubt and assurance.

Because we are so focused on human behavior, on our own striving for goodness, we find it hard to completely rely on God’s goodness for our salvation.  But as long as we think human goodness is necessary for salvation then our salvation is in doubt.  Doubts are raised within us because we know our sin.  We know our faults and failings.  We know how easy it is to be wrong and do wrong.  We know that we are not good enough to be saved.

Because the world around us seems so based upon a reward system, it seems foreign to trust God’s grace.  We are used to a consequence “if-then” system that says, “If you do this, then this will be the result.”  “If you work hard, then you will get a promotion or a raise.”

It seems more unusual to trust a “because-therefore” system that says, “Because I died for you, therefore you are forgiven and accepted.”  Or “Because you love me, therefore I will love others.”  How can we really trust an action that was and is out of our own control?  Conditional love based upon our own actions makes sense to us; unconditional loved based upon God’s actions seems harder to understand.

We can easily understand striving to be good enough to earn god’s pleasure or messing up enough so that god will just give up on us.  It is much harder to believe in a God who accepts, forgives and loves us in spite of our goof-ups and attempts at being good enough.

Salvation by grace through faith is trusting that in the salvation equation, God’s goodness is far more important than our own goodness.  We are saved because of God’s faithfulness, rather than human faithfulness.  We are saved because of Christ’s sacrifice, rather than human sacrifice.

The question immediately arises that if everything of significance in the equation depends upon God, why can’t we do anything we want?  Why can’t we sin without worry or conscience? 

I believe that our behavior gives testimony to what we hold in our hearts.  If we hold in our hearts a faith that trusts God’s goodness and love, then there is no room for irresponsibility.  Grace is not a license to sin.  Grace is our liberation from sin, so that we can walk in paths of goodness in the present.  Grace is what puts us in relationship with God so that the love we receive becomes the driving force for everything we do.

Every moment brings the choice.  Either we live under the burdens and shame of our past.  Or we live assured of our future salvation and God’s ultimate goodness.  The goodness we have is not ours, earned by our deeds, but God’s goodness given, received and revealed in our lives.

“If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)  Claim the promise of God.  Have faith in God.  Trust Jesus.  Be assured that you will be saved!

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(April 2009)

As we move toward the end of Lent and the great celebration of Jesus’ victory over death on Easter, my thoughts go to the changes and transformations that have come about through Jesus Christ.  At the Resurrection, Jesus changed the world forever.  He conquered the powers of evil and suffering.  His victory casts out fear.  For those who believe, human existence is significantly transformed for ever.

One of the places that I personally experience Christ’s transforming power is in worship.  How is it for you?  Does worship on Sunday change you?  I don’t just mean in a feel good way.  Most people who have the habit of regular Sunday worship will report that their week just doesn’t feel the same if they aren’t in church on Sunday.  That’s the way I feel.  There is something about worship that completes the rhythm of our lives and our weeks.

Feeling good is a great by-product of worship, but I’m talking about something more.  The question is about something deeper: how is it that we grow mature in the faith?  How is it that people are transformed by the spirit of God?

I have a sneaking suspicion that most of us are shaped and molded more by the demands of our culture, society, and families, than by the living word of God.  How do we turn this around?  How do we reach a place where our lives are lived more in accordance with the scriptures than with the culture?

I marvel at the mystery of how some Christians seem to have such a deep and mature faith.  How did they get there?  I wish there were some easy formula that could be bottled and reproduced to grow faithful disciples.

Alas, I know of no sure-fire formula, but it seems to me that at least two things are necessary for disciples to grow spiritually. The first is a willingness to be changed.  The second is purposeful attention to the process.

Like so many things, the harvest we reap is largely dependent upon the energy we put into growing.  If you want a good marriage, you will have to invest some energy.  If you want to be successful at work, you will have to invest some energy.  If you want to grow spiritually, you will have to invest some energy.

The attention we give to the spiritual life is frequently marginal.  It is often concerned with only the externals of religion, rather than the internals of the soul.  We focus on special religious activities, but not on lifestyle.  We become concerned with worship, but not with values.  We focus on blessing, but not commitment; prayer, but not service.

One of the perennial issues within religion is our tendency to worship God with our lips, but not with our lives.  The prophets speak of how that kind of worship is a stench in the nostrils of God.

When we worship in spirit and truth, I believe that we do so by opening ourselves up to have our lifestyles changed.  We are opening up the center of our existence to be shaped by the love of God.  We are willing to see ourselves in a new way.

Since most of us would agree that there is not a perfect person among us, then it seems reasonable to expect that an encounter with God in worship would lead to some kind of change in our lives.  Do you attend worship just to have your views and behaviors blessed and sanctified?  Or do you attend worship to be challenged and changed?  Are you only seeking a God who agrees with you?  Or are you also seeking a God who knows you and wants you to be more that you were yesterday?  A life of obedience is not a one time event, but a lifetime journey.

Jesus came not to bring peace but a sword, the kind of sword that will continually perform surgery on human hearts full of imperfections.  Therein lies the hope for humanity and the hope for our souls.  Come to worship and care for your soul in a way that keeps you growing in the faith.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(March 2009)

Our theme for Lent this year is the journey from death to life.  The scriptures from beginning to end are the story of God’s life-giving purpose in creation and the struggle against sin that resists this purpose.

God desire for life is seen at the beginning of Israel’s history as Moses declares the choice before God’s people.  19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, (Deuteronomy 30:19).  God offers us life, indeed it is God’s desire that we have life, and it is God’s word that exhorts us to choose life, but it is still our choice. 

We are free to live in obedience or die in our sin.  It is the age-old cliché, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.”  Lent is a time to reflect on our choices and whether or not they are leading to the life God wants for us.

There clearly are things we can do that have life-giving consequences and there are things we do that have death-giving consequences.  An example of this is the control of our tongue.  The things we say do have consequences that nurture or destroy the life in our relationships.  How often in our lives does a hastily spoken word result in great destruction?  The scriptures acknowledge how dangerous the tongue can be.  James, chapter 3, compares the tongue to a forest fire.  How quickly a raging fire can be started by one uncontrolled word.

We can choose to control the tongue.  We can choose to refrain from gossip about our neighbor.  We can choose to refrain from tearing down our leaders in the church.  We can choose a path that leads to life or a path that leads to death.  Far too often the mission of the church is undermined by we who give in to the temptation to gossip or tear down.

Yes there are lots of things wrong with the church today, but there are also lots of things right with the church today.  Is it better to be vocal about what is wrong with the church today or vocal about what is right with the church today?  Which would you say is the path of life?

When bonds of trust are broken, as they will be from time to time, we are again faced with a choice between life and death.  The choice is whether we will cling to the hurt or strive to forgive and find reconciliation.  Which do you think is the path of life?  Which do you think is God’s desire for our lives?

The whole point of the cross is reconciliation between God and humanity.  When Jesus calls us to follow him, he invites us to pick up our cross.  He leads us to the life-giving work of being a community of reconciliation.

Choosing the path of life may be the right choice, but it may not feel like the easiest choice.  Forgiveness and reconciliation are not a natural part of human interaction.  We more naturally understand judgment and retribution.  It may be easier to explain keeping a grudge than letting go in forgiveness.

As the church in which we proclaim Christ as our head, we are challenged to choose the path of life that grows out of reconciliation.  To walk in Jesus’ steps and to strive to become more like Jesus means making the hard choices that give life rather than the easy path of destruction.  It seems so much easier at times to criticize and tear down than it does to encourage and build up.  The choice of life and death is ever before us.

The amazing thing about this season and the good news of Easter is this: God’s love does not abandon us regardless of our choices.  We are people who choose obedience and disobedience, sometimes even in the same day.  We are sinners, but we are not forever trapped in our sin.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ shows that God has broken the power of sin.  We are never discarded or rejected as being hopeless.  Repentance is ever an option for us.  And especially as we grow to understand God’s unconditional love through Jesus Christ, we discover again the possibility of unworthy sinners returning to the choices that lead to life.

The choice of life and death is ever before you.  What will you choose today?

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(February 2009)

Last November our Administrative Board approved a new mission and vision statement which has grown out of the work of our Growing in Christ retreat and continuing task group.

Our Mission is to love God, love others and bring people to Christ.

We envision that Christ UMC is becoming a place where people come to Christ, grow in Christ and transform the world through Christ.

As Christ followers, we realize that the only way to fulfill our mission and become what we envision is through faithful discipleship to Jesus Christ.  Our vision of a faithful disciple is someone who truly knows Christ in a personal relationship; is growing in Christ manifesting the gifts of the spirit and spiritual maturity; is actively involved in the service of Christ through ministry; and shares Christ with others motivated solely by the desire for others to experience the amazing love of God.

The whole purpose of a mission and a vision is to keep us on track.  As a wise sailor once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will never be able to tell the difference between a fair wind and an ill wind.”

Christ is most certainly our destination.  We want to love God through Christ and to learn how to love others through Christ.

Through this new statement of mission we are responding to the voice of Jesus who is calling us to share our faith with others.  We need to learn again the skills of being an evangelist for Jesus Christ.

There was a day when our energies were caught up in just providing quality programs for those who were on there way or already professed Christians.  But the world and the culture has been changing while we have been busy programming.

Our core assumptions of living in a “Christian” culture are being shaken at their foundations.  I was disturbed recently in reading the book, “Unchristian” by David Kinnaman of the Barna Group, to learn that the mosaic generation, those 16 to 29, have a predominately negative perception of Christians and the church of Jesus Christ.

Quoting from the book, “One outsider put it this way:  ‘Most people I meet assume that Christian means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, anti-choice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe.’”

At the core of our mission is love.  How do we love and reach out to people who might view us in a negative light?  Have we lived our faith in a way that has turned off a generation?  Are there some truths in the negative perceptions others have of us?  Do we have the capacity to repent and live a more radical obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ?

Though we and/or the church may have become a stumbling block, Jesus still looks good.  Jesus still saves lives, forgives sins, heals the soul.  Jesus still gives us the power to live an abundant life, to assess our priorities, to overcome temptation and to live for something more than ourselves.  Jesus still transforms lives and that’s the kind of work we need to be about today.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(December 2008-January 2009)

Advent is the season of preparation to celebrate Christ’s coming.  In fact the word “advent” stems from the Latin word, “to come.”  The season is full of scriptural exhortations to prepare the way for his arrival, watch and wait for his coming, wake up, be alert.  Don’t let the world lull you into a false security.  The Lord comes at an unexpected time.

With the impatience of our culture and the media, we almost miss the focus of patient, alert, watching and waiting.  With fast-food expectations we don’t want to wait for anything.  We want all the good feelings of Christmas right now.  Yet we can’t rush time, as much as we hate it, we must wait.

In advent we are mostly focused on Christ’s coming as a babe in the manger and celebrating Jesus’ birth.  But a broader and more expansive understanding of advent also considers his coming into our hearts in the present time and his coming in final victory at the end of time.  Jesus is not just a man of history, but a living Lord who comes into relationship with creation at all times—past, present and future.

We live in the “in-between’ time, caught between the time that Jesus walked the earth and the time when he comes to establish his reign.  The “in-between” time is that place between the Kingdom of God already present and not yet fully present.

An analogy that I think describes this time is to compare it to a pregnancy.  From the moment of conception, the baby is already with us but not yet fully present.  We feel it kick within the womb.  We prepare a nursery and we sort through possible names.  We experience the promise and we plan for its arrival.  But it is not until labor and delivery that we experience the fullness of the promise. Not until the baby is born do we experience it fully with crying and feeding and diapers and the blessed warmth of that baby sleeping in our arms.  Pregnancy is an “in-between” time, between the already and the not yet.

With the birth, life, death & resurrection of Jesus, the Kingdom of God was conceived in creation.  But there are aspects of that Kingdom which are still not fully present.  We live in a time of pregnant expectation, when creation is literally pregnant with the Kingdom of God. 

The promise of the Kingdom is sure.  We see the signs of it kicking as the spirit moves among God’s people.  We sing about it.  We make preparations for it.  We change to accommodate it.  We celebrate it.  We are certain of its presence with us.  But there are still aspects of the kingdom for which we must wait for their fullness to come.  There are still parts of the Kingdom that we long for and wait for.

The Kingdom promises an end to evil and the struggles against the evil one.  The Kingdom promises a day of justice and peace, a day when everything wrong is made right.  The Kingdom promises a day of truth and light when everything we don’t understand is made clear. 

We know this day will come, but for now we must wait.  For now we must celebrate the signs of victory and the kingdom of God when we see them.  In this holy season of Advent do not be so busy that you forget to watch and wait.  Plan for some stillness so that you will be able to see Jesus kicking within the womb of creation.  Feel him with you, remember the promise, make plans to welcome him when and wherever he comes.

Kate and I wish you a very blessed and holy Christmas.  You are all in our prayers and we feel so blessed to be in your midst.  Your faith and your faithfulness continue to encourage and strengthen us.  Grace and Peace to you all!

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(November 2008)

Last March our leaders met for a Saturday retreat to focus on the vision and processes our congregation offers for Growing in Christ. Out of that experience a group has continued to meet to discuss the ideas that were brought up in the retreat.

Recently the group has offered the following vision and mission statements to guide our congregation.

At the core of this statement is the movement from inward journey to outward action. We are blessed with an experience of God that leads us outward to share that experience with others and invite them to experience their own life changing relationship with God.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(October 2008)

What does it mean to be United Methodist?  It means to be a part of a connectional church.  We see ourselves as fulfilling the Biblical expectations of what the church is called to do by connecting with other United Methodist Congregations.  Together we can do things which can not be accomplished individually.

For example, the church is called to send fulltime missionaries into the world.  As a lone congregation we do not have the resources to fulfill this expectation, but if we pool our resources with other United Methodist Congregations then we are able to meet this function of a Biblical church. 

It is through our “connectionalism” that we provide for the functions of the church that we could not do alone.  We reach out in service to the world.  (Matthew 28:18)  We provide for the administration of the larger church and the supportive ministries for our local congregations.  (Acts 6:1-6)  We ensure that our pastors’ well-being is cared for.  (1 Timothy 5:17-18)  We provide for the oversight and supervision of the ministries of the church.  (1 Timothy 3:1 ff.)  We recruit and train pastors and those called into full-time Christian service.  (1 Timothy 4:6-16)

These functions of the church are accomplished through a system that we are now calling shared ministry.  Each congregation contributes a share of support for the larger ministries in Christ’s church.  Our Annual conference sets the budget for these ministries when we meet annually in June at Lakeside. 

In our Conference the formula for calculating how much each church’s share of these financial goals is based upon what churches spend on their own ministries.  Some may remember when our membership numbers were a part of this formula, but this is no longer the case.  (The economics of the old formula seemed to encourage losing members rather than gaining members.)  For at least the last ten years our share is determined only upon what we spend for our own local ministries.  Churches that spend more have a greater share.

How do we benefit through our shared ministry support?  The most visible thing is pastoral leadership.  Our District Superintendent visits our church annually to discuss our ministry and needs for leadership.  In consultation then with the Bishop and cabinet a pastor is appointed to lead our congregation each year.  There are no gaps in pastoral leadership through this system.

We benefit through the spiritual and administrative leadership which our Bishop, District Superintendent and conference staff provide.  We benefit by sharing the costs of providing healthcare for pastors

We benefit through the support of seminaries that train our pastors and through the work of our Board of Ordain Ministry that helps pastors to discern their call and be prepared for ministry.

We benefit by supporting health and welfare ministries that serve over 8,000 people right here in Ohio, through institutions like the Wesleyan Senior Living in Elyria, Copeland Oaks Retirement Center, Berea Children’s Home and Flat Rock Homes.

We benefit by having quality conference youth events like Youth Jam or Youth Annual Conference and we benefit from a camping program where many young people make a first decision for Christ.

We benefit by having training programs to aid our leaders in coping with the challenges of ministry in this 21st century.  We will be hosting a District event in November.

We benefit by having resource persons who are trained to aid us when we need help.  We benefit because today new churches are being started and existing churches are being revitalized. 

We benefit from the knowledge that we are helping to support over 1,000 missionaries in the U.S. and around the world.  Over 9,000 mission projects in 165 countries are supported.

Through the church’s “family budget” we are making a difference in the world and receiving the leadership we need to fulfill the expectations of a church we find in the scriptures.

As a people who love Jesus and his Body the church we can do no other than share in the financial responsibilities for these ministries.  There is great joy in seeing the work of Jesus Christ accomplished through our stewardship and financial support.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(September 2008)

For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. (James 1:23-24)

I like this image from James’ letter when he talks about looking in the mirror and then later forgetting what we look like.  He is saying that the things we do and say should be influenced by our faith and beliefs.  We must not forget what we are like or are supposed to be like.

Too often we fall into the trap of segregating our lives so that what happens on Sunday morning seems utterly remote and unconnected to what happens the rest of our week.  When this happens we have looked in the mirror on Sunday and seen ourselves in the image of God, but then as we step away from the mirror of worship and devotion, we forget what we look like.  We take on a different image, an image that the world reflects upon us.  We let the blowing stresses in the world give us a bad hair day, rather than keeping the image God wants us to have.

I believe that each of us, created in the image of God, has a part that God wants us to reflect.  We are each created by God with unique gifts and abilities.  God has designed a purpose for our lives.  Further, God has overcome the bondage of sin and death.  We are a new creation in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Jesus has atoned for our sins upon the cross.  He has taken a sinful, disobedient image of the flesh and replaced it with a forgiven, accepted and justified image of the Spirit. 

This later image is the one we see in the mirror of worship, study and devotion.  This is truly who we are and who we want to become.  We must strive not to forget what we have seen in this mirror.

When I look in the mirror in the morning, I’m checking to see if I’m presentable to the world.  I comb my hair, trim up the hairs that are too long, out of place or unseemly.  I brush my teeth and check my smile.  I look for dirt or skin imperfections.  I’m grooming what I have so I can appear the best that I can be.

When I look in the mirror of my daily devotions, I’m checking to see if I’m presentable on the inside.  I straighten up the parts of my heart that need grooming.  Some parts need combing; some need trimming, some removing.  I look for the dirt of sin that the soap of confession can clean up.  I look for the reasons to smile.  This mirror of devotion helps me groom my spirit, so that I can be the best that I can be.

I am also aware that looking in the mirror once a day often is not enough.  Lots of things happen in the course of a day that can mess up one’s hair and one’s soul.  It’s good to do a mirror check throughout the day to seek how one’s appearance is holding up both outside and inside.

So when you look in the mirror remember to look inside as well.  A brief prayer or memorized scripture verse can help to straighten up the inside.  Whatever you do, do not forget to take a look at what you are like on the inside.  If we don’t pay attention to our spirits, then there is no way that Sunday morning will ever get connected to our other mornings.

Become both a hearer and a doer of the word for the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(August 2008)

“Spiritual Formation”, as Christians talk about it, refers to the process of being shaped into Christ’s likeness.  Persons interested in Spiritual Formation inquire into the questions about how we become more like Christ.  Are there things we do that are more effective in producing the mind of Christ within us? 

The answer is “of course.”  From the beginning of our time in Sunday school or worship, you and I have been challenged to spend time in the word of God.  The Bible is the chief way that God infuses divine truth into the lives of disciples.  If we want to be shaped into the likeness of Christ, we must immerse ourselves in the stories of Jesus.  St. Paul speaks about this when he writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)  

It seems that we have a choice.  We can either let the ways of the world shape us or we can let the word of God shape us.  Unfortunately whether we are aware of it or not, the values of the world and the values of the kingdom of God are competing for our souls and our minds.  The world is perfectly capable of spiritually forming us, but perhaps not in ways that are pleasing to God.  Therefore as devoted followers of Jesus, we must be ever vigilant in seeking to be formed by the values of God’s kingdom. the intention of our hearts and minds

Rev. Dana Flemming, our Growing in Christ retreat leader, quoted several times in our planning meetings that “systems produce the results they are designed to produce.”  This raises the question, “Into what does the faithful participation and service in Christ United Methodist Church form us?  If we practice our faith following the expectations of CUMC, then what will we become?  Will we become the kind of disciples Jesus wants us to become?

As I have reflected on the scriptures and the function of the church, it seems that there are four elements present in the life of a mature and effective disciple of Christ. 

1. Jesus wants us to love God above all.

2. Jesus wants us to grow in love of others.

3. Jesus wants us to participate actively in the ministries of his body, the church.  

4. Jesus wants us to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) i.e. invite all people to faith in Christ.

The journey of Spiritual Formation moves almost universally from self to others.  We may begin a relationship with Christ being self focused, even concerned only about our own eternal destination.  We begin wanting to save our own necks from the fires of hell, but the journey of faith leads us away from self-interest to other-interest. 

The journey is one of transformation from a consumer heart to a servant heart.  Jesus leads us on that Journey.  Remember, he came to give his life for the life of the world; he came not to be served but to serve.  “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)  It seems clear to me that to be truly spiritually formed into Christ’s likeness, we must be involved in a process which brings us to the destination of giving our lives away for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Growing in Christ Task Group which is following up on our discussions at the retreat is actively reflecting on the way our church forms disciples and envisioning the kind of disciples we want to become.  As a part of the discussion I have share that I envision Christ United Methodist Church to be a place where people come to Christ, grow in Christ and go out to transform the world.  I would like to see our church excited about and participating in ministries that are changing lives and changing to world to be more like God’s kingdom.

There is something incredibly attractive, magnetic and exciting about a life transformed by Christ.  I think that one of the marks of a mature disciple of Jesus is active remembrance, celebration and sharing of our own transformations in Christ.  We have a story to tell to the nations, an not just the nations but to our neighbors as well.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(June 2008)

During my high school years one of my summer responsibilities was to mow the fields of our farm.  We had a red 1930's Farmall M Tractor.  I used to marvel at the owner's manual because of all the fuss it made over the new improvement called "pneumatic tires."  A sickle bar mower was bolted to the hitch and there was many a time when raising and lowering that mower bar left me shaky and tired.  There was no better feeling than to watch the grass lay down as the mower cut through it; but when the blades loosened and the mower clogged up -- what a hassle!

I remember clearly my father's instructions about the first cut down a field.  "Look for a tree or some object on the horizon and drive toward it.  If your first cut is straight the others will be much easier."  I also remember getting distracted by the mower or other things and looking back on a weaving path that complicated the mowing for the rest of that section.  There is a very practical lesson for life in this.

Too often we let our eyes get distracted by the problems of the moment so that we forget to look where we are going.  The moment we forget where we are going, we create a lot of obstacles for the accomplishment of our goal.

I believe that the church must hold up a vision that is Christ centered and mission focused.  When we look ahead the one we want to be driving toward is Christ and Christ alone.  Christ and his work are the reason the church exists; serving Christ is the goal of our life together as his disciples; and Jesus ought to be the only object on the horizon that the church is driving toward.

There are times, however, when the church is guilty of misdirecting the focus.  We often do this when we become leader focused.  Whenever we are seduced into the adoration or criticism of our brothers and sisters in leadership, we are guilty of driving toward the wrong thing.  While adoration and criticism seem like such opposites, they accomplish the same results - they take our focus away from Christ.  I believe this is why St. Paul is so animated in 2 Corinthians about having nothing to boast about save Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Every ministry of the church has the potential for loving its leader or loving to complain about its leader.  But whenever the central focus is upon the leader, then people are not taking responsibility for their own discipleship.

By our baptism into Christ Jesus, we each have a ministry in his church, and we are each accountable for our behavior in the church.  Whether or not we like or dislike a leader does not excuse us from our responsibility to serve Christ and the work he has called us to.  The mission is far more important than the sinners who guide it.

I invite you to be in prayer for our church that we might continue to grow into a more mature faith.  Pray for the grace that places responsibility far above adoration or criticism.  Pray for the grace that sets our sights upon Christ and Christ alone.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(May 2008)

As the Resurrected Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, he responded to his disciples saying, “⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”⁹When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:8-9)

One of the first things I notice about this passage is that Jesus gives his disciples the responsibility of being witnesses.  Those who have experienced Jesus are given the job of telling the story to others.

The second thing I notice in this passage is the geographical progression.  They are to be witnesses in Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth.  There are ever expanding circles of people to whom we have the responsibility of sharing the gospel.

The question arises as to how we respond to the responsibility of being a witness.  It is not enough to be a witness in our home town among people who look just like us.  But it is also not enough to be a witness only to the ends of the earth.  We must be a witness among both our familiar culture and the cultures and people who are very different from us.

One of the dangers we Christians face today is that we feel the power of money.  If we want something done, we can just throw some money at it.  We can convince ourselves that the action of giving money has relieved us from any other personal responsibility.  The effect is that we “buy” ministry rather than “do” ministry.

The problem with “buying” ministry is that we have either lost or not developed some of the essential skills of being witnesses.  Being a witness to Jesus is a responsibility of every Christian.

It is the responsibility of every worshiping Christian to make guests welcome.  Yes, there are greeters, and yes, there are ushers, but nothing communicates the friendliness of our congregation like a greeting from the person beside you, or in front of you, in the pew. Every person in worship has the responsibility welcoming others.

This requires intentional and purposeful action. Given our natural desires, we feel more comfortable just seeing and talking with our friends.  But Jesus calls us to love the lost and forgotten as well as our good buddies. The saddest tragedy in the church is when someone comes to worship needing a compassionate word but we are so busy with our friends that they slide in and out without having anyone acknowledge their presence.  It is the responsibility of every person in the pews to welcome and greet new guests.  It is everyone’s job to acknowledge those who have not been in worship for some time.

It is also our responsibility to be a witness in Samaria.  How can we invite the lost to faith in Jesus Christ, if we spend all our time in Jerusalem and never spend time in Samaria?  Jerusalem and Samaria are of course symbolic.  Jerusalem represents the comfortable places and relationships we have.  It is the Christian fellowship we already enjoy.  Samaria represents the uncomfortable and unfamiliar places and relationships.  It is our connection with people outside the church who have yet to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord.

If we are to bring the lost to Christ we must go to the lost.  We must meet them where they are, build relationships that earn the right to witness about Christ.  Every one of us has the responsibility of being a witness.  Every one of us is called to the work of loving someone into a relationship with Christ.

This again requires us to be intentional and purposeful.  Given our natural desires we would prefer the safe places.  But we must ask ourselves, do we have ministries or opportunities to intentionally connect, serve or work with non-believers in our community today?  What are the things we could do that would move us out of Jerusalem and take us to Samaria?  Where are the lost in Ashland?  How can we reach them?

These are questions that every one of Jesus’ witnesses necessarily must ask if we are to become witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(March 2008)

Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) He also said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) 

Two things are certain:  God wants us to have abundant life and God wants us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus.

It almost seems counter-intuitive.  How can a cross—a cruel means of execution used to instill fear and enforce control—how can a cross be the means to abundant life?  The cross and an empty tomb seem like odd symbols for abundant life.  They seem more like symbols for death than life.  What is God trying to tell us about the purpose of our lives? 

The victory of the cross is truly Jesus’ sacrificial gift of love.  Jesus loves us so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own life for our lives.  It is the virtue of altruism at its highest level.

When our natural, intuitive sense says that we can only survive (i.e. live) by a posture of clinging and protecting, God speaks a different word through the cross.  God says that true survival, true life is only found in a posture of giving and embracing.  Abundant life is only found if we are willing to stretch out our arms upon a cross, giving our lives in love for others.  Can this be true?

I find it amazing sometimes how our scientists and researchers can spend a lifetime empirically verifying what we all know to be true through our experiences, both personal and generational.  Dr. Stephen Post recently spoke at a Stephen Ministry gathering about the positive health benefits of altruism.  He referenced study after study whose results are showing that when we help other people, when we sacrifice for others, there is a positive health benefit—we live longer.  Amazing!  Science is verifying what Jesus told us thousands of years ago.

As a congregation we are asking two questions:  What are the marks of a mature disciple of Jesus Christ? And, How does our congregation help people mature in Christ?  Most certainly the “home run” of growing in Christ is when we find our hearts passionate about serving, helping and sacrificing for others.  This is seen in nearly all the expressions of a discipleship process.  The following are some of the ways other congregations have expressed their discipleship processes.

• Connect, Grow, Serve.
• Love God, Love others, Serve the world. 
• Know Christ, Grow in Christ, Serve Christ, Share Christ. 
• Connect to God, Connect to others, Connect to ministry, Connect to the lost. 
• Discipleship includes being intimate with God, living in community with other believers, serving the body of Christ, and sharing the gospel.
• Discipleship is lived through our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service.

All of these processes suggest that maturity in Christ means turning outward to our brothers and sisters in the world.  The path to abundant life, life in Christ, is an outward turning path.

It is no wonder that Paul in Philippians exhorts us to a mature faith with these words:  ³Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. ⁵Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:3-6)

From the Pastor’s Study . . .

(February 2008)

“If a thousand tastes are available to me why would I be upset about not having one?”  It is a different way of looking at life.  Too often we get so fixated on the one thing that we can’t have or shouldn’t have.  Being focused on the limitation, we forget about the joys and interesting tastes that are still accessible to us.  It seems that we can either be driven by our obsessions for what we can’t have, or enjoy and celebrate the possibilities which are within our reach.

I have experienced this most keenly whenever I am thrust into a lifestyle change. Whether it is a move to a new community, a change in finances, or grappling with a health concern that requires a different diet or way of functioning, to focus on the new choices and possibilities is far more life giving than staying obsessed about the limitations.  Within every circumstance there are still an amazing number of tasty experiences that can be entertained.  We only need open our eyes and our hearts to them.

During the season of Lent, we often encourage one another to accept a spiritual discipline of fasting or self-denial.  The basic understanding is that we make a sacrifice in order to grow spiritually and prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.  The sacrifices we seek are those which will benefit us either in body or spirit.  Choosing a purposeful sacrifice helps us wrestle with the longings and desires of our physical life.  We seek to remember that we are more than a physical being, that our spirits can guide what we do.  We acknowledge that not everything we “want” to do is something that we “should” do.

St. Paul celebrates and proclaims the freedom we have in Christ.  But he also acknowledges that every option we have available to us is not beneficial.  While Christ sets us free from the law, we also know that not everything we are free to do glorifies Christ.   In 1 Corinthians he writes, “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12)

The season of Lent is a time to reflect on the tastes and the habits that dominate our lives.  Not everything in our day-to-day lifestyle is beneficial and some things can dominate and control our lives.  We can develop habits, or addictions, that are contrary to the abundant life which Jesus came to provide for us.  Giving up something for Lent can be a way of focusing on this reality.  While we are reminded that we are free to choose; some choices we make do not glorify God.  They in fact lead to death, rather than life.

In Romans St. Paul writes, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5-6)

You and I are not just beings of the flesh, responding only to stimuli, desires and impulses.  We are also spiritual beings who find meaning and purpose in our choices.  Honoring our Spirits and seeking a spiritual life is the path of true life and peace.  So often giving in to our earthly passions and nature leads to pain and suffering especially in our relationships with one another.  For example, the words we speak and hear, out of a lust for the “smut”, really do hurt others and ourselves.  Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to bite our tongues.

Jesus teaches his disciples to set our hearts upon things that have eternal worth because whatever we set our hearts upon directs our destiny.  Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:9-21)

Consider what you treasure; consider your longings.  Do you long for things that are not beneficial?  Do you obsess about things which do not glorify Christ or lead to life and peace?  Do you dismiss the pleasures of the tastes or behaviors that are beneficial and life giving?  You are also a spiritual being.  You can overcome the “things of the flesh.”  Choose Christ.  Choose life.  Discover the overflowing, abundant joys of a life lived in obedience to Christ.