Rules for Christmas, Part 2

   Welcome to the next installment of Rules for Christmas. See my last post for the first five.  If this is your first visit, I'm giving credit to Sean McEvoy for the original idea. I'm re-writing some of his points with personal examples or ways I've done the same thing. I hope this becomes a way for you to experience the real reason for the season, and I hope it helps to enhance your celebration of the birth of Jesus into our world.

   6. Leaving Work after dark is not fun, but coming home after dark is.  We weren't big on putting lights on the house when I was a kid. My mother was into Williamsburg  decor, and so we did flood lights on the house to show the wreaths and window decor. But when we had children, they wanted lights, it's a joy to see them driving up to the house and seeing other houses lit up as well. One of our family things now is to go out and see the best lit houses, that friends and neighbors have recommended. Or to go to a lighted garden or park together. My grandson loves the lights.

   7. A Christmas Carol is the reset button I press to remember who I want to be as a Christian.  I'm not afraid of the doom Scrooge faced if he stayed a miser, or because I think I'm good enough to earn my way, which I am not, but because there is no better depiction of what it looks like to replace greed/self with giving/others. I had a lot of fun preparing to do Ebenezer in costume for Christmas Eve, last year, to tell the story of transformation and to invite others to take hold of the Christmas spirit all year.

   8. Make your Christmas movie or movies your Mount Rushmore. My favorites include most versions of the Christmas Carol, male or female lead versions. The Road to Christmas, Santa Claus, A Christmas Card, A Christmas Visitor, Christmas Shepherd, (New on Hallmark Channel this year). My wife loves Family Man for many reasons. Watching movies is family time and a special way to get into the season. I love watching them after Christmas too.

   9. The older I get, the less I want. I have a really hard time giving people ideas. I love shopping for others, wrapping the presents, watching them open them, but I don't need too much. I enjoy surprises, but I usually manage to get what I want when it's on a really good sale, or through my Amazon account and clothes when I actually need them. So you might want to funnel your buying to support the charity or ministry of your choice. It will really make a difference in those places, and that's what Christmas is all about.

   10. Christmas is family time. It should be a priority. If there is some dysfunction, try to get it out and over with and offer forgiveness.  Healing is a marvelous thing, and part of the real reason for the season is healing our relationship to God, which often pours out to our relationship to others. Get help, talk it out, but not in the parking lot before Christmas Eve services. See if you can get past the elephant in the room so the rest of the time can be healthier.

   I have several more, but I'll share them later, there are a few more days until Christmas, after all. I want to encourage you to get the most out of the meaning of Christmas and to experience the depth and love that is available  from God for us. Enjoy.

   Blessings on your preparations and your festivities.

Pastor Jeff

Rules for a Good Christmas

   Hello Travelers. I've found a great article at Crosswalk.com that got me thinking. I'm borrowing some of Sean McEvoy's rules and modifying them to fit us. Credit goes, where credit is due.

   Rules for a Good Christmas

1. If you don't like something about Americanized Christmas, like it anyway... your way. You might consider this like the Keeping the Grinch away. I got really motivated when I heard the "Thanks-getting" commercial. It's not about getting but about giving, from God's giving us forgiveness and a fresh start in the birth of the Savior, to our sharing God's love with others. I enjoy the Hallmark Christmas movies, I enjoy shopping and buying for others, I love wrapping presents, the anticipation of "wait till they see this", moments. I love Christmas craft shows, Christmas concerts, and the people who come to church because they feel drawn or called or out of some sense of remembering. I love driving my grandson around the neighborhood to find beautiful lights. Make something about the season special for you and enjoy it. Control the parts you don't, as best you can.

2. Go easy on the snacks. I always have a problem with this, because there are so many good cookies out there, and people share them. I'll try on this one, wish me luck, and good luck to you too. We have a tendency to party and eat this time of year, try some self restraint, or make it a goal to step away from the table, before it gets to you.

3. Every year is someone's last Christmas. So go all out. Rent the cabin in the mountains. Make up with that long-lost friend. Pray with that parent who may not have as many years left as you think. I'm always remembering that my Mom was killed in a car accident and had done some of her Christmas shopping in the summer. We found gifts from her for Christmas after she was gone. That was tough. I've been divorced too, and Christmases after that are never the same either. Pay attention, keep your focus on the moment, enjoy special times, you just never know what might change by next year.

4. Santa rocks. And Santa stinks. You might feel either way, and that's okay. You may be keeping that child like spirit and enjoy wonder and mystery and that's good. You may think it stinks because Madison Ave. and commercialism have so blown it out of proportion. And he shows up way too early in the malls. But you can reflect on St. Nicholas of Myra, ancient Turkey. A real person, pastor, and eventually bishop, who was respected and honored for his secret giving in the spirit of Jesus who said we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing, is such giving opportunities. St. Nicholas is being rediscovered and there are some good books, especially for children, that you might want to explore. I read one of them to the children in church Sunday, to encourage a way to keep Christ in Christmas and enjoy the origin of nighttime secret giving, for real. A lot of Santa is really God like, whether we like it our not. He knows if we've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake. And then take the mercy and grace and forgiveness God offers, for when you've been bad.

5. One present at a time.  This should be a strict rule, as hard as it is. If you can't watch someone else opening his or her gift with nearly as much anticipation as you have opening your own, you need a cheer adjustment. Besides it makes Christmas last a lot longer. Our family has always had this rule, even when the kids were little, even when I was little. Youngest to oldest one at a time, and go around the circle a couple of times. Rejoice with those who rejoice, St. Paul would admonish us.

   I have a few more, I'll write them up later, this should get you started and maybe find a new Christmas experience or purpose or blessing in the midst of them.

   Speaking of new traditions. We are having a Traveler's Christmas Eve Candlelight service on Dec. 18 at 7:30 pm. This Traveler's Christmas Eve is for those who have to work on Christmas Eve, or who will be traveling over Christmas Eve and miss their service. At North Bethesda UMC, it will include singing favorite Christmas Carols, special music, a Bethlehem Character visit to tell the story of the first Christmas, and we end the service with singing Silent Night and lighting the candles. It's a beautiful service and one you might really like to invite neighbors to come with you for this.

   Blessings on your Journey from Bedlam to Bethlehem.

Pastor Jeff

Happy Thanksgiving

   I look forward to Thanksgiving every year, for a variety of reasons. It comes up too quickly and goes away in an instant, I would love to find a way to put it into slow motion, so I could enjoy it more.

   I enjoy becoming William Bradford, second Governor of Massachusetts in character for worship and for school programs, because it forces me to review and re-read the story of our pilgrims first Thanksgiving. They went through so much to get here and we general don't reflect too much on that story. So allow me to reflect a moment.

    William Bradford was born in 1590 in England. As a teenager, he had a serious falling out with his parents, no surprise there, but it was over religious freedom. He was influenced by the Separatists who felt that the way King James was leading the church wasn't good. They read the Bible for themselves and saw a lot of things they didn't like. so William was willing to leave home over the rights of proper worship and faithful life. It made it very difficult for him. Scrooby, love that name, was the town where they had their church. The post master, William Brewster, was like a leader of the community. Bradford was arrested a couple of times in sweeps to get rid of the separatists.

   As a result they decided to move to Holland, where religious freedom was available. But Amsterdam, proved to be too sinful and fancy a city to their licking, and ended up in Leiden, a small town with a University where several of them found work. All was well for a few years, until the older members where getting sick and dying. The children lost their English ways trying to become like little dutch boys and girls. And the King of Spain, threatened war for the Netherlands. Thus, the conversation started about going to the new world.

   Every new idea comes with some excitement and some or maybe a lot, of fear. The voyage to the new world was treacherous. The natives on the other side might be savages. The weather was going to be hard, the ground hard to plant in, no one to welcome them into a comfortable inn when they got there. There was a lot of discussion, according to William Bradford's journal. But they began to think that if God were with them, some of this wouldn't happen, because they relied on the Lord, just as Moses and the Israelites relied on God to get them to the promised land. Not all of their worst fears could all happen. Some trouble could be covered by good planning and preparation, and so they began to move forward with the idea.

   They gathered their money and purchased the Speedwell. A not so sea worthy ship. They connected with merchants in London, who helped arrange for the cost of passage if they paid them back over the next seven years as indentured servants. They began their adventure to cross the Atlantic in Aug of 1620. They had to turn back twice before giving up on the Speedwell. So they put two ships worth of people into the Mayflower. A wine and merchant ship, 102 passengers and a crew of 26. Sailing in September, it took 65 days to get across the Atlantic and the storms had blown them so far off course, they weren't any where near Virginia. Plan B, lets head for the Hudson River and New York. Too far off course for that too.

   They spotted Cape Cod Bay, and dropped anchor near what is now Provincetown. Dorothy Bradford fell overboard and drowned. First casualty of the voyage. During the winter as they were trying to build houses on an old abandoned Indian village, one half of them died. By Spring only 8 men, 20 women and 27 kids were still alive. The Mayflower went back to England in April, promising to return with more people.

   That should give you some things to think about and find some reasons for thanksgiving for not having to face those issues. I'll write more real soon.

Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving. Tell God how grateful you are for all those who have helped you to be where you are today.

Pastor Jeff

Duel in the Sun, or Trial by Fire

   Has your spiritual life hit a drought where you don't feel the touch of God on your life at the moment? Do you feel like you have been limping along and bouncing back and forth between a working relationship to God and one that doesn't seem to be going anywhere? This is not the first time nor will it be the last. But there is a great story that relates to this dilemma found in 1 Kings 18 with Elijah the prophet.

   The nation of Israel was split in two. The two smaller tribes remained faithful to the King in Jerusalem the 10 northern tribes went off and formed their own nation and appointed their own king. Around 875 BC God warned the ten northern tribes that they were drifting away from the right attitudes and worship and to help them realize they were following the wrong deity, God would keep rain from falling on their land until they saw their mistake.

   This was in part to see if they would discover that the Baal they were worshipping, who was a god known for weather and crops and fertility, could over come the God who created the world, and the rain and the crops. They went three years without a drop. the Baal god was not doing so well.

   Elijah heard from God and was told he should help fix the problem by getting King Ahab of the northern kingdom to gather all the priests of Baal at Mt. Carmel for a show down, God to god. Ahab managed to get 450 priests to gather with Elijah.

   Elijah challenged them to a duel of sorts, a test to see who the real God was. The opportunity to prove once and for all who should be worshipped and followed. Elijah proposed that two bulls be prepared for sacrifice. The 450 could choose their bull and prepare it for the altar. And Elijah would take the other bull and prepare it for sacrifice as well. The first God who responded with fire for the altar would be the one true God. The Baal priests gladly accepted.

   All morning long and into the early afternoon they danced and sang and called out to Baal to come and bring fire on the altar. By noon Elijah was beginning to challenge them, maybe even taunt them a little. Where is he? Maybe you should scream a little louder, maybe he is away, maybe he is occupied and needs a reminder? The Baal priests began to dance and shout even louder and some began to cut themselves ceremonially to prove their urgency to Baal. But by 2 there was still no fire.

   Elijah saw that the regular hour for the sacrifice, 3 pm, was coming, so he rebuilt the fallen altar. He took 12 large stones, to represent the 12 tribes of Israel, the united kingdom, and built an altar to the God who delivered them from slavery and gave them the land. He put fire wood on the altar, he cut up the bull and placed it on the altar as well. Then he asked for water to douse the wood and the altar. He even dug a channel around the altar to catch the water which they poured on the sacrifice three times in total.

   At 3 pm, the official time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah called out to God, and fire descended from heaven, consumed the bull, the wet wood and soaked up all the water, even in the trench around the altar. God was God. The people who witnessed this shouted their allegiance to the one true God.

   Then Elijah had the 450 false priests killed for misguiding the people with their false worship. And lo and behold a cloud came up from the west, and eventually it poured, ending the draught, and restoring the land for crops to grow. God is God.

   Now we may not get to see such a challenge for ourselves. But we can be blessed that God has done that before and we should stop vacillating from one spiritual idea to another, and put our allegiance in the one true God. We will be so much better for it, and won't find ourselves in a draught of doubt, or unanswered prayers. God is giving us a new chance to see that God is God and can do what needs to be done, when we put our allegiance in the one true God.

   Don't limp along between ideas of godliness or qualifications to get God's attention. Come and worship the one who is able to supply your needs, and give thanks.

Blessings

Pastor Jeff

The Rush to Hallow Thank Mas

   In reading the gospels again, I am struck by how many times Jesus encourages us to see things differently than the world around us does. Reformation, transformation, renewal of our faith is all wrapped up in that seeing how to live in this world differently, so that we can be more like Christ.

   Martin Luther in 1519 had an idea about renewing the church by reconnecting us to the Bible as the source of life. His tacking 95 Thesis (complaints and fixes) about the church started the Reformation. We are protestants because of that. His major contribution  was translating the Latin, Greek and Hebrew scriptures into everyday German, so that his church participants could read it for themselves and live a life following the teachings of Jesus and learn it for themselves, and not be depended upon the priests teaching alone.

   All my efforts as the pastor of this church and all my efforts for my whole ministry of 38 years, was to help people hear from God directly by helping to make the scriptures clearer and more available to each individual. We end up slipping back into just what the priest says if we are not digging into the Bible for ourselves. It might not be a bad idea to look for and buy The Story  and read it for a fresh perspective.  The Story is a readers' Digest like version, where the most important parts of the Bible are left in, so you can read it with all the helpful components available. You might also want to get into a small group where you can ask questions and learn from others just like you, who may be further along the road than you are spiritually.

   We have many ways to nurture your knowing and connecting to God through the regular reading of the Bible. There are many daily Bibles to choose from, there are many online reading lists. There are many email programs you can sign up for and have a message and a devotional sent into your inbox, that you can read whenever during the day.

   We are losing a battle of faith by not having a clear impression in our own minds about what living with and like Jesus should be. Eighty percent of Christians say they do NOT read their Bibles on a regular basis.We are bombarded by political adds on issues that twist the truth. We see movies and watch television where the decisions that the characters make in the story are so off from a follower of Jesus would do that sometimes I am truly embarrassed to be watching them. It fuels my desire to spend more time with God in study.

   Speaking of reading the Bible, I had a conversation the other day about preaching and it stirred up an idea for me. You might like to know how I decide what to preach on and what shapes the sermons. It’s a journey for sure. I'm using a book by Thomas Bandy, called The Uncommon Lectionary, a book that highlights for pastors, the 52 most important stories about the Bible for those who don't know a whole lot. And 52 important stories followers of Jesus need to have in their system.

   My sermon preparation usually starts during the summer in trying to decide what the upcoming Sundays during the season of September to May are going to look like. If I can plan out a nine to ten month outline schedule, and I begin to collect articles or stories and illustrations that might come in handy when I get to that week's message. I make the list available for people, because I could always use some research assistants. If that's something you would like to do, let me know.

   I pick up the most important Sundays first, like Labor Day and World Wide Communion Sunday and All Saints Day and begin to prepare for them. The HallowThankMas rush (Halloween,Thanksgiving, Christmas) has a power and set of messages all it’s own.  So the message is based on how we can understand what God is doing to help us to feel God's love, God's grace, God's mercy, and how we can demonstrate those qualities in our own lives. St. Paul said, "Have this mind in you that was in Christ Jesus."  (Eph. 2: 5)

  We continually look to know God and share God’s love with one another. Blessings on your faith journey this month.

Pastor Jeff

I Just Want to Celebrate

   Allow me to share what a wonderful day this past Sunday was for us. We joined together in remembering that it's world wide communion Sunday. So we had a great variety of music, the Anthem came from South Africa, and the gathering for communion by standing around the outside wall of the sanctuary to make one big circle was very symbolic of our congregation's origins and the nature of the church of Jesus Christ in the whole world. As brothers and sisters of faith, we form one big circle. We sang the Lord's Prayer together in the circle holding hands and were reminded that this is God's will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

   Not only that, but we left the worship to go to an International Pot Luck Supper. Our diverse congregation brought food to share, from all over the world. Each dish was named for where it came from. It was an awesome feast. We sat down together and shared a heavenly banquet. Just like the kingdom of God is going to be. A chance for all of us to get to know one another and to share what God has done for us and with us. It was a fantastic moment, and I am so glad we had this chance to do so. I am extremely thankful for the chance to do this, and grateful for the many hands that made this work. Our fabulous kitchen crew made the gift of hospitality very obvious for this. THANK YOU all.

   The message that started this off, was the feeding of the five thousand by Jesus. It was fitting that there were twelve baskets full of leftovers, all coming from the lunch of a little boy, who was willing to share it. Put in Jesus hands, miracles are possible. The pot luck dinner had leftovers as well, just let us know that God does provide. Jesus also had a chance to encourage his disciples to get involved in this effort to feed others. We need to know we are going to be asked to share and work with Jesus on lots of challenges. This feeding the 5,000 was another sign that with God's help, all things are possible.

   The miracle is also a part of the work that Jesus does in spite of his own challenges. He was apart from the crowd to grieve the recent death of his cousin, John the Baptist. John was just beheaded by Herod, because Herod was angry at him for teaching the truth about his lifestyle choices and decisions. Jesus went out into the wilderness to pray and recover from this loss. His own disciples had just come back from a major missions trip into the surrounding villages and needed a break to recover from their work. It was supposed to be a time for rest for all of them.

   But Jesus was discovered to be nearby, so a huge crowd gathered around him. And he had compassion on them, and healed their sick, and taught them about the kingdom of God. He saw their loneliness, their pain, their uncertainty and helped them to see God in the middle of all of this. It's only natural that when the day ran out, it was time to get something to eat. Jesus wanted to help them with that problem too. The disciples are more like us, why don't you send the people away, so they can get their own meals and leave us alone for a while.

   No, Jesus said, you give them something to eat. The lesson is that we are in a world where people need help and Jesus is asking us to do something about it. And just when we think we don't have the tools or resources to respond, he challenges us to trust him. So look around and see people who need help, and offer to comfort, to listen, to heal, to provide for them, knowing that God will fill the need and you need not worry about how. Miracles are possible when we begin to do what Jesus asks of us.

   May you see miracles with Jesus encouraging you to do something for others.

Blessings on your journey of faith.

Pastor Jeff

Can These Bones Live? Only God Knows!

   One of the best stories in the Old Testament is the story of Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones. We have songs and stories related to the bones rattling back to life. Shake Rattle and Roll!

   Ezekiel is a priest in exile, dragged away from Jerusalem and living in Babylon, far away from home and has experienced the loss of his lively hood, and his comfort zone, and the relationship to God that was so much a part of the Temple in Jerusalem. But God is awesome and even in exile, God speaks to Ezekiel and begins to reassure him. The visions, the experiences, the moments with God help all who have felt loss, to be strengthened.

   So where have you felt like a dry valley full of sun bleached bones? When have you felt like all is lost, there is no point to going on? When have you sensed that your prayers aren't going anywhere? Are there times you feel exhausted to the point you can't move and you feel like this valley is about your life? Ezekiel is invited to speak God's word to those bones.

   And the toe bone is connected to the foot bone, and the foot bone is connected to the ankle bone, and the ankle bone is connected to the leg bone, and the leg bone is connected to the knee bone, and the sound of rattling and snapping together fills the valley. Muscle and sinews appear, and then they are covered with skin, until the whole person is reassembled, like a mighty army asleep in the valley, Ezekiel discovers.

   Then God asks him if they will live? And Ezekiel is wise enough to know he should answer with another opening for God to work,  "Eternal Lord, certainly You know the answer better than I do" (The Voice) And God answers, and tells Ezekiel to speak the word of the Lord to them. To call for the wind (rauch-breath, spirit, wind) and they come to life. The Spirit of God inhabits them and they are alive. See God says, this is the people of Israel, their hope and life will be restored.

   So, can you let the Word of God spread over you to help you come alive? Can you let the Spirit of God come in and bring you back from the dead? Jesus did the same thing with Lazarus, when he ordered the stone rolled away and he shouted, "Lazarus, Come Forth." God has the power to bring back to life that which was dead. Are you ready to come back to life?

   The vision of Ezekiel tells us that God's word, like the story of Creation when God said, "Let There Be...." and it was, is going on still. God's word put into motion by the Holy Spirit brings us to life. God can restore, resurrect, redirect, renew, revitalize, refresh each of us. The Word comes to give us life. Jesus even said he had come so that we might have abundant life. God desires to bless and restore us. His Word will direct us and help us. This is pretty exciting stuff, don't you think?

   The latest Pew Research poll tells us that 72% of the USA population believes that faith is loosing it's influence. It's as if we have been counted out as a valley of dry bones. But the Message proclaims that God is in the renewal, resurrection and transformation business. God wants to bring us to fully alive in God.

   May your prayer life be revived. May your study of God's word bring you a fresh perspective. May the Word in Jesus' life bring you a new sense of hope and joy and abundance of grace and mercy.

Blessings

Pastor Jeff

Sermon on the Mount

   Hello Blog Readers. This coming week we are going to have a special service following the complete Sermon on the Mount. This is Jesus' best sermon and reflects the essential elements of who he is and what he leaves to us to follow. We are having a "Lessons & Carols" type of service to make sure we hear the full and powerful message from Jesus. We have several of our youth reading portions of the scripture. It will be a memorable celebration.

   One of my absolute favorite ways to see and hear the sermon on the mount is with the Visual Bible: Matthew. The visual Bible is a video that covers the whole Gospel of Matthew word for word but in story and with Jesus in locations that are similar to where Jesus was in his sharing the message. The actor who plays Jesus is so full of life and energy, that he is one of my favorite portrayers of Jesus. I would highly recommend you try to find a Visual Bible and watch this yourself sometime. They are available in Christian bookstores and Amazon has several of them. The Visual Bible is available for Matthew, John and Acts.  It all started with the movie Jesus, which has been seen by more people around the planet than any other movie in history. The movie Jesus is done by the Visual Bible people on Luke, but it was edited down to make it a more reasonable length.

   One of my fond memories in the ministry was doing the Sermon on the Mount at a lake in Centennial Park in Howard County as a part of a church service and picnic after the worship. Standing by the lake I had a chance to say what Jesus would say on several occasions. It was a lot of fun. One of the reasons it was a fond memory for me was that for some people, they had never heard the sermon all together. We usually break it up in worship, read a few verses, the preacher talks about it and we hear another part later on in the year. And if you follow the lectionary in worship, it's in year A and you don't get parts of it until the fourth year when year A rolls around again.

   The sermon starts with the first 12 verses that we are more familiar with, the Beatitudes, Blessed are the..... But Jesus goes on to talk about far more than that. He teaches us about gratitude, about prayer, about caring for others. It really is the essential teaching and the game plan for every Christian. So I challenge you to read it for yourself sometime. Matthew, chapter 5 and 6 and 7. Find a new version to read it, perhaps. The Message will really help you to hear it differently than you may have been used to. If you can't put your finger on a Bible right away, go to www.Biblegateway.com and you can read it there in whatever version you would like.

   A quick walk through includes what it really takes to be Happy. Then comes the idea that you are salt and light, a better way to make the world whole and peaceful. Jesus tells us how important the law is, like Moses with the Ten Commandments, but he reminds us it's the essence of the love of God that makes a difference. Jesus is full of surprises in that he takes excuses we make about all kinds of things and "ups the anti", raises the stakes, in other words he tells us somethings are far more important than we make them. When we are angry, it's like murder, when we lust, it's like adultery, when we say something, it should stand as a guaranty. He talks about divorce, pledges/commitments, retaliation, and love.

   He warns us about showy religion, showy prayer, showy fasting, when we are trying to look better and more faithful than we really are. He warns us about too much dependency on treasurers that can be stolen or rust and get eaten by moths. He reminds us of serving our neighbors to bless them. He warns us how dangerous worry can be. He tells us not to judge one another, like we want to so often. He offers us great ways to get to God, as easy as asking, seeking, knocking to connect with God in prayer. He warns us that it take more effort to concentrate on doing what he asks of us, which makes it a narrow gate. But faithfulness brings fruit and good things.

   Finally he warns us not to be hypocrites. He doesn't want his people to be accused of messing up other people's relationship to God. If we listen and put it into practice, he reassures us that we will be the one who built his house upon the rock. When the wind blew, and the rains came and the waves came up, the house on the rock stood firm. But if we ignore God's directions, we are building on the sand, so that when the rains come, and the wind blows, and the floods come, the house on the sand goes SPLAT!

   "When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he was teaching them like someone with authority and not like their legal experts."  (Matt. 7:28-29 Common English Bible.)

   So come and join us for this service. But more importantly, read the sermon all at once, and then pick the things you will start to do as Jesus says.  Blessings on your adventure, your pilgrimage, your journey as a follower of Jesus.

Pastor Jeff

Bible for Dummies

   Have you ever been overwhelmed when reading the Bible? Lots of people are. They feel confused, lost, and even irritated by the challenge of knowing what this all means. You are not alone. And you don't have to stay that way either.

   Starting on Monday Sept. 8 at 7 pm, I'll be leading a Bible for Dummies type of class. There is even a book by that title, as well as The Idiot's Guide to the Bible, and The Bible for Blockheads. I just purchased a Bible with the Flyover subtitle, a guide, a path, to important parts without having to worry about all of the pages in between. We would love to have you join us at North Bethesda UMC located in Bethesda on 10100 Old Georgetown Rd. at Lone Oak Drive. We are located between the Beltway and Rt. 270. The class will meet on Monday nights at 7 and starting soon, Thursdays at 1:30 pm.

   I've been teaching introductory classes for years and I find that folks really appreciate the chance to get an overview. The class is like a Grand Sweep, a way to see the important introductory stories in Genesis and Exodus, to become familiar with the prayers of Psalms. The know how to learn about Jesus, and the first century church. Even Revelations is looked at to help people see some kind of insight into the message written in a way that hints at what God can do. A long time ago I learned in a Trinity Bible Study that the three points of the trinity are also a good way to read the Bible. What does it say, you have to start there, what does it mean, and how does it apply to me, or what can I do now that I know this?

   I will help you find other resources for study as well. There are guide books, Who's Who, Atlases, and hundreds of other books that might help you find your way into the resources, including internet resources and help, that God can give you for dealing with life. The stories are about real people who heard from God and tried to do what he suggested or asked of them. All of the characters in the Bible except Jesus, had flaws, made mistakes, tried to do things their way first and many other typical, real, usual mistakes that we normal people do. You will find yourself in good company.

   I try to lead the class and share my experience with Scripture, but the class is based on the questions people have, so that we focus on what the needs of the participants are. I've read the Bible cover to cover every year, using the One Year Bible, for about 25 years. I learn something new each time I read it, and surprise myself when I do discover those new elements, or a new emphasis that I may have forgotten from a previous reading. My wife Elaine, accuses me of having a membership in a Bible of the Month club. Not quite true, but I do have most of the version/translations/paraphrases in my collection. I'm always amazed that the notes, and other information that is added to the latest edition of the Bible.

   I look forward to teaching this class again. You are invited to join. Perfect attendance is not required. You should be able to get good stuff from the class whenever you can attend. BYOB, bring your own Bible, that way you can find the material in your own copy. Blessings on your adventures in learning about what God can offer us for meeting the challenges and situations we face.

   Pastor Jeff

 

Don't Disconnect until the download is done

   Jesus tells us that if we want to truly love, the way he loves, we need to stay connected. He used the vine and the branches as his illustration. I think we know if we disconnect before the download is done, we lose the file. I hate it when that happens. And in the olden days of dial up, you could get bumped before the download was finished, or you can have a momentary blip in the electrical current to put your computer on restart and lose the file. It's not fun, and it can be truly nerve wracking.

   Life is too hectic these days, to try to go a long time on old energy and perspectives. Needing a regular update, infusion of spiritual power and resources is a really good idea. Jesus suggested it a long time ago, but we usually prefer our own solutions. So let's work on staying connected to the Vine.

   We had the sound technician come to church yesterday. It was amazing how he plugged his laptop into our system and could test and read all the variables to the system. He could make adjustments in his laptop for maximum output. It was illuminating to watch. But like my conversation with you, it will require an update soon. It's based on Windows XP. There are only four churches in this companies' client list still using the old system. The others have upgraded. Some day, when we have lot's of money, it would be nice. He was telling me of a church that records and videos their services for their service men and women overseas. It's on their church's website, and when ever the soldiers need a touch of home, they can watch the service online, see the people, hear the message and the choir, and know that they are being prayed for. The world is constantly being upgraded. Jesus urges us to remain connected to him for the latest spiritual resources.

   So what can we do to remain connected to the Vine. Here is what Jesus said. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. He removes any of my branches that don't produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch cannot produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can't produce fruit unless you remain in me... If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you."  (John 15: 1-7 Common English Bible CEB)

   Wow, if we remain in his influence, if his words and teachings are kept current in our hearts, we will produce fruit, we will grow, and in the very last part, our prayers will be answered.

   So we need to figure out if we are truly and deeply connected to the vine, or whether we have to prune some things in our lives, so that we can be a healthy branch with lots of fruit? It may start with some tough questions about pruning, cutting back what gets in the way of our connection with Jesus?

   Are we so busy, we don't have time to read the Bible for spiritual direction? Are we confused by the Bible and what it says? Do we need to find the best places in the Bible for good guidance? Do we need a version of the Bible that we can actually understand?  That sounds like a good reason to join a Bible Study. This fall we offer one on Monday nights, an entry level, you don't need any prior knowledge of the Bible to be able to be in the class. So one of the major connections is to be in meditation with Scripture.

   One of the great blessings of connection is a community of faith, a group, of spiritual pilgrims traveling towards a deeper faith life by helping each other. Sometimes we get so busy we don't have time for the worship connection. Maybe our pruning could involve our Sunday schedule, so we can have time for worship. Here we have two elements of connecting, worshipping God and loving our neighbors, two powerful ways to keep us connected to the Vine.

   One of the connections, with a promise of ask what you want and it will be done, is prayer. How much time do you pray? It's a good habit to develop, and like habits, it takes some work. Start out with some more prayer time, At meals, when getting up, when lying down, when waiting for the coffee to fill your cup. when you are on hold on the phone, when you are watching the little beach ball on your computer screen spin around. I pray at red lights, but always with my eyes open, I don't like getting beeped at by the driver behind me. Traveling up and down Old Georgetown Rd, there are lots of prayer moments. You will be surprised how much more prayer you can get in on a regular day. And then when you purposely set time aside for prayer, it will seem even better and a more fruitful endeavor for you.

   Well that should give you some ideas to think about. Blessings on your connections to the real source of love and an awesome life, Jesus Christ.

Pastor Jeff

Going to Miss Robin Williams

   I was shocked by the news of Robin Williams death this week. He always made me laugh and I am a little troubled by the fact that we are the same age. What a loss.

   There are some excellent blogs and commentaries out there on his life and impact, and I simply can't do them justice. I can reflect on some of my thoughts related to how he touched my life however.

   Patch Adams, the true story of a United Methodist Doctor, whose methods brought some vitality and life back into the lives of those suffering mental illnesses and challenges. His fresh attitude made a difference for his patience until the powers that be cut resources for it to continue. Some people just can't handle new things. A sign of Jesus about fresh wine in fresh wineskins, so that they won't be ruined.

   Peter Pan, every grownups dream about staying as a kid for as long as possible. In our spiritual world we need to keep a childlike attitude. Jesus would take a child and place him in the midst of them, and tell his disciples and followers that it was an attitude like a child that would help them enter the kingdom.

   Dead Poet Society, with it's famous line 'carpe diem' meaning cease the day, take advantage of what is before you now. Spiritually we always wait, we don't think now is the right time to take that plunge, that leap of faith, that total level of trust and walk on water. Jesus was a teacher like Robin was in this movie. He was identifying and drawing out of his students the ability to write and experience life and love and passion that was not the norm for some of them. I kept seeing Jesus pushing and identifying and encouraging a passion and connection and commitment to life with God, just like the movie. And just like in the movie, the style of that teaching gets squashed in the end. Jesus was crucified by the authorities who did not like the direction he was heading. Sound familiar?

   Concerts for famine/hunger etc. Robin really cared about helping people and was willing to share his time and talent to help others. The world desperately needs people who are similarly committed to making a difference in the lives of others. The faith of a follower of Jesus will urge us to continue to think and to pray for those who struggle and suffer. The faith of a follower of Jesus will connect to projects, and missions, and efforts to be a blessing for others who need the help. It will take a complete and total dedication, something Robin demonstrated by his involvement in these concerts for others.

   One of the great components for me was his incredible creativity and his willingness to be so about the idea, the sketch, the crazy insight or moment that he was in, that he brought you right along with him.  I see some of that creativity in my working on Sunday's sermon about the help Jesus promised us would  be available in the Holy Spirit. The Counselor, Ombudsman, supporter, informer, coach etc. The Spirit of Jesus available to make a difference in us. To help us fully develop the character and personality of Jesus. And it will take a type of abandonment of your senses, a letting go of our guard on our souls and learn, to live with such joy of spirit.

   Robin, to me, seemed filled with that creative Spirit that I did admire. And I want to be inspired and filled with the creative Spirit of Jesus. And I want everyone I know to become familiar with and filled with the Holy Spirit to help them become fully developed followers of Jesus. It's a stretch I know, to think of Jesus and Robin Williams, and the Holy Spirit in the same paragraph in a pastor's blog. But it makes sense to me. There are times I wish I had his commitment to his character, to his driving force. Think of the magnificent examples of inspiration that energy and humor and creativity would add to the face of Christianity.  I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that simply said "lighten up" Don't we need that sometimes.

   I think I've been around the Holy Spirit enough to know that being funny and laughing can be a good thing. A joyful spirit is good medicine, the Proverbs promise us. Laughter has great medicinal powers. It sends endorphins rushing through our systems that can do really good things to help us healthy wise. We can be about bringing joy to others.

   I pray for Robin's family, his friends, those whose lives he touched and those who are dealing with the horrible pressures he lived with, that we might find comfort and hope in the midst of this tragedy.

Blessings on your journey through all of this.

Pastor Jeff

On Packing the U Haul with Abram

   This past Sunday I provided a glimpse into Abram' call to leave Haran and move toward the promised land. He was asked by God to leave behind all the familiar elements of home, family, security of the community and the multiple gods of the area, and venture to a new place, just based on the word of God, "I will show you." Pretty scary stuff for most of us. But the response of Abram, to go from his home and trust God to lead him to parts unknown are considered the hall mark, or the bedrock of faith. St. Paul writes that Abraham's faith in God was counted as Righteousness, even before Jesus came along. It was that kind of ultimate faith in God that really makes a difference.

   So what kind of challenges does God give us today, that might approach the type of request to get up and go with God that Abram faced 3900 years ago? I think learning to trust that God will provide rather than depending on our ability is a lot like that. We do feel secure in our own ability, our own handling of our choices and issues and situations, that we almost push God out of the equation and loose out on the benefit and the blessings of faith. Abram was blessed with descendants, though a long time coming, land, though he didn't really feel like it belonged to him at first, and the blessings that the whole world we eventually know in the descendent of Abraham, Jesus Christ.

   I want to encourage us to think more about God, than about our challenges that we get overwhelmed with. We often look at the problems we face and the size of the challenge, than the size of God and what God can do. It takes a leap of faith to learn to trust that God can work this out. And it takes a while to get there. It is not easy, but it's worth doing. We live in a world that has taught us and reminded us, and overwhelmed us with the idea, that it's all about us, and what we can do! We only relate to God in the absolute emergency situations when all our resources fail. Why do we wait so long, when God is going to help us from the beginning, just not in the way we thought it might be handled.

   Faith in God needs to be developed to trust God that much. Trust in God will come when we take the time to be in connection with God. The connection occurs in several areas. Worship, giving God credit for all that has been created and all that God does. Nourishing the soul, is taking time to pray, and have a "give and take" conversation with God about the EVERYTHING of life. Prayer and meditation is reflecting on the Psalms and Proverbs, and teachings of Jesus and the disciples that we can find in the New Testament. We need to slow down so that our souls can be nourished, we are killing ourselves with hurry. Abram had to wait ten years, from age 90 to 100 before his wife Sarah gave birth to the promised son, Isaac. Waiting is not easy for any of us, that's for sure. But then if we are not careful, time flies by so fast, we celebrate a birthday with bigger numbers than we ever imagined.

   Besides finding many ways to nourish the soul in meditation, prayer, reflection on what God is doing, reading good books on spiritual life, we also can connect and Embrace our neighbors. God has given us others who have experience the faithful life, who can share their journey and pilgrimages with us so we can grasp what God is doing. The more we know about one another from a divine relationship perspective, the blessings of their knowledge and experience can help us. I encourage you to consider finding a small group Bible Study or Sunday school class this fall to help nourish your soul.

   The way God knew that Abram was going to have faith, was his willingness to pack up and go toward the land that God would show him. It was in action, that faith was demonstrated. We too can share our resources and share our time and energy in serving others, that will demonstrate our faith and trust in God and what God would like us to do. There are hundreds of ways to grow in faith by sharing your money, your time, your ideas, your experiences, your energy, your love, your availability in the life of helping to bless others in the life of the church. If you don't live near to North Bethesda UMC, I know there are other churches out there that will help you to grow in your faith if you get involved. Live by faith, trust God to show you where.

   Keep praying and asking God to speak to you, and when God nudges you, get going, pack your u-haul with faith.

Blessings

Pastor Jeff

True North Compass

   Hello spiritual travelers. Last Sunday I mentioned the compass that I received in a dream about a way to simplify what we are trying to do together to grow in our faith. Now that I am at North Bethesda, I remembered Twila Paris singing a song about True North, so I went and looked for the lyrics. I will quote from them some here. The words of the song talk about our efforts and our getting lost or confused or distracted on our journey and needing a point to aim for, or a reference point to keep from getting too lost. Hence in the navigation world, the true north.

   What occurred to me in my dream was the compass points as it related to being a True "North" Bethesda UMC and finding a great deal of similarity between compass points and the invitation that God gives us when we look at the beginning of the church back in the days following Jesus ascension back to heaven. Those points can be found in Acts 2: 42-47 which I will share here.

   "The believers devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. they would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God's goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved."  (Common English Bible)

   So in response to Twila's song about our challenges "we lost our bearings, following our own mind we left conviction behind. Fear of the future ..hiding the hope that would last. How did we ever wander so far and where do we go from here?"  True North. With the help of God, seen in the beauty of the world God created, we would be drawn back to the main focus of True North.

   The Compass has 4 main points, N. E. S. W. and I began to put the two together, or my dream did. W would stand for Worship God, it's in the discovery of the creation (in the song and in St. Paul's writing) that we recover our sense of Awe and worshipping God enables us to show our gratitude and to seek God's help.

   N would stand for Nourish the Soul, in the Acts passage, they devoted themselves to the apostle's teachings, nourishing our souls is the study, meditation, learning of God's help for our lives that will truly guide us in how we ought to live in this world we find ourselves in. We can provide places for nourishment in Sunday School and Bible Study and groups for learning.

   E would stand for Embrace your Neighbor, and this is so important. The second great Commandment that Jesus emphasized after the "W" and Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, is the "E" love your neighbor as yourself. Love both the neighbor in the church and the neighbor outside the church. So much of scripture teaches us to live with one another, like the Acts verse, all the believers were united. In the early church it was pretty tricky since it included both Jews and Gentiles who were loving God and learning to love one another.

   S would stand for Share and Serve. We will make a difference in our lives and in our world when we share our praise in worship, share our minds in study and encouraging each other, when we share our love for one another, supporting and helping each other any way we can. The essential message of Jesus is about serving as well. We remember he said we would be servants to one another, just as he was, when he washed the disciples feet. "I have given you an example to follow" he said. (John 13)

   Share gives us a chance to show our gratitude to God for the help and guidance in the midst of the storms of life. Share is giving back to God a portion of our financial resources, so we can help others to find the help of God. Share is giving to God our energy, our prayers, our skills and experiences to help others. The points of the compass W N E S = Worship God, Nourish your Soul, Embrace your Neighbor, and Share & Serve, will help us to focus on doing what God asks of us. And it can be a logo or focal point we can easily remember. One of our NB members is helping to design the logo for us. We will be able to use it lot's of places like bumper stickers, Golf & T-shirts, Decals, seat cushions, coffee mugs and cups, the possibilities are endless.

   The main point is to help us remember who we are, needing a compass to head in the right direction. And the compass points will help us remember to work on a balanced spiritual life. We need to Worship, we need to nourish our souls, we need to love our neighbors, we need to share and serve. Most of us are good at one of these, or maybe two of them. To be a truly well balanced and healthy spiritual person, we need all four of them. Let's ask God to help us improve in the areas we need the help. Maybe more worship time, maybe more study times, maybe more fellowship time, maybe more generosity to accomplish what the church needs. All part of an exciting adventure with God's leading and pointing in the right direction.

   Come and join the journey. Come and grow in your faith. Come and help us to make a difference in the lives of others, for Jesus' sake. It will be awesome.

Blessings

Pastor Jeff

Looking Back & Looking Forward

   Today I'm standing between last week and next week. I'm looking back at what has happened so far, both in the message, and the events in the life of the church. And I'm looking forward to see what great things God has in mind fo us as we move into the tomorrows God has given us.

   Last Sunday I spoke about the Welcoming Father in the parable Jesus taught we normally call the Prodigal Son. The point of the parable was Jesus talking about how welcoming the father is in this story to both of his sons. One nearly wrecked the family, causing a third of the property to be liquidated and then taken with him to the far country, where he squandered it on parties and a variety of poor investments, and he had the desire to go home in the midst of his worst nightmares, feeding the pigs and looking at their left over slop for his only source of food.

   The welcoming father also urged the older son to come in and join the party, and that might be more like many of us. We do have a hard time with how much mercy and grace God can show and we wonder why our good behaviour and dependable faithfulness is not more justly rewarded. Why did the wanderer get the fatted calf in celebration instead of our duty and service to the family being properly rewarded. That was his question to the father and the parable only states that God celebrates the recoveries and invites us all to be in the recovery business, regardless of our place in the story.

   There is a whole lot more to this older brother than we sometimess realize. We consider ourselves the hero of most of Jesus' stories and the prodigal, our coming back, sounds more popular than the older brother's staying home. But most of us, especially those in the church, are much more like the older brother. We used to be in a majority, church going was like an American tradition and most of us did, sometime or other. Now it seems that the prodigal brother, the not so deeply invested in the church family, is in the majority. And when they do try to come home, we look at them and scoff, or we want them to become just like us, like our day of worship, follow our dress codes, enjoy our musical styles, remember the stories we are most familiar with, and become a good church going person as quickly as possible.

   Jesus knew we were thinking like this, so he told the story. He wants us to be more open to the welome side of the family. The going out on your own isn't working out as well as we were led to believe. We are seeing it looks better at home. And this can be a good thing for the future of the church. This can be a good thing for getting new people to come and experience God's warmth, love and acceptance. This can be a good thing for welcoming people to the party. But, we have to be welcoming, warm, hospitable, overlooking the sense of the pig farm, that some of our prodigals bring with them.  We have to be genuine in our realizing that Jesus is in the welcome home, and we can help you in your faith development and faith soul journey here among us. Welcome Home.

   Now to looking forward, this Sunday the message is don't be anxious, be thinking about the Kingdom and the will of God above your worries. And we will look at ways to elevate the God priority in our lives, as we look at Matthew 6: 25-34. That's the Gospel of Matthew, the sixth chapter, verses 25-34. It's the middle of the Sermon on the Mount.

Blessings on your turning toward home, and finding God for your life

Pastor Jeff

Looking for Good News

   My first Sunday at the new church went very well. I was extremely nervous about standing up front and leading worship to be familiar to the church, without every having seen what happens there myself. But there is joy in going on a journey when finding someone who has been where you are and can give you some encouragement and some good advice. I had a person give me excellent advice and a cast of characters who knew I was new with them, whispered help along the way. Thank you all for sharing in what we all should do, help people on their spiritual journey by sharing what we have already learned.

   A funny moment, in my own mind anyway, was before I said a word in front of the whole church to begin the service and welcome people, someone stepped into the pulpit ahead of me and removed the microphone from the pulpit. Here is what I was thinking at that moment. Oh great! I haven't said a word and they are taking the microphone away from me. It was funny to me, and maybe helped me to relax a moment before beginning. Now I knew I had a microphone on me, but the sight of their moving the microphone out of the pulpit just struck me as something to tell people about my first Sunday. We had some trouble with my microphone too, the gain wasn't up as much as it should have been. There are some things you just don't know until you are actually there. I think next week will go better.

   I have really enjoyed the meet and greet the new pastor groups this week. I preached on Sunday from Luke's gospel where Jesus is starting his ministry with the reading of the passage from Isaiah 61, that the Spirit of The Lord is upon me to proclaim good news. I thought all of us could be reminded that God wants us to be a source of good news for someone else, especially when they need it. The meet and greet sessions have been good news to me. I've learned a lot about those who attend. We have shared who we are, what we do or did during the day, and what brought us to this church and why did we stay. Almost everyone testifies to the fact that this church made them feel very welcomed and accepted into the fellowship of the congregation right away. I'm seeing that for myself as well.

   I've met Charter Members, who were the first to join the church back when it was just starting in 1956. I've met those who have just come on board recently. I've met people from South Africa, and Zambia and places like Arizona and Mississippi and Washington DC. Some of the people who attend here worked in other parts of the world for a while as well. This is a very talented and dynamic congregation. They are truly looking forward to continuing to be so as we look to find ways to invite and include new people in our congregation. And we are like many other congregations, looking for ways to invite and welcome younger generations of our neighbors.

   These meet and greet times will help me get to know the story of the people of the church so that my preaching and teaching and writing will be in tuned to the ongoing stories already here, and they are working. Thank you for your kind welcome to Elaine and I.

   This week I'm going to share the story of the Welcoming Father, often callled the Prodigal Son, to remind us of how welcoming to others we can be. I welcome you to join us. Summer time worship is at 10 am. And there is coffee and juice and conversations to follow. Come and Join us.

Blessings

Pastor Jeff

Packing and Unpacking

   Moving from place to place always seems to involve packing up at the old place and unpacking at the new place and that's what I'm in the middle of doing now. Unpacking and trying to decide where to put stuff so I can find it. I have a new configuration, a new set of book shelves to fill and trying to decide what is the most logical place for books is a major part of the unpacking.

   I have a system for going out, and it works pretty well at the other end too, but it's still hard. I use old calendars with blank spaces for the days of the month to identify which books are going into which box. I used April May and June in an old Williamsburg VA calendar. So box one was A1 for April first block. I would right the category of books that went into the box on the page square, then I would make a little  address label sticker on the box of what was in it, and mark the box on several sides with the letter and number of this box.

   At the other end, I would look for the box with the books I needed first. In this case it's M16, for May 16 where I put my hymnal and worship planning resources. The pile is six boxes high and about six rows out from the wall. Of course the wall side boxes can't be gotten to and I know now that's where M16 is hiding. Hopefully I'll find it soon. I may have to move the boxes around like that old slide the squares up and down and back and forth to recover the picture. Or it looks like a rubic's cube and I have to figure a way to slide the wall side to the open side, a box at a time.

   The Conference took care of moving my office from one church to this one, but I couldn't keep track of the books on and off the truck. The crew was a great one, and they came early were done in less than an hour, I was ready for them, and they unloaded the books at the other end with just as much efficiency. I was much smoother than I remember. I'll have to tell you that story....

   Ten years ago, the Bishop decided to move me before the church was finished being expanded. During construction the church office and my office were in an old construction trailer, which was kind of exciting, but my books were put in a tractor trailer truck parked on the lot while we were in the construction phase. When it came time to move my office to the new church, we had to dig through the tractor trailer to find my books, and some of them had been rained on and snow covered while still in their boxes. The tractor trailer was not water tight apparently, and that's why it was rented as storage units, I guess. Anyway, unloading those books at the other end proved to be a challenge. So this recent move was much better.

   Now I'm working on where they go on the new shelves.

   I don't think Moses had this problem when he saw the burning bush and was told to go back to Egypt, all he got to take was his rod he used for shepherding, that had been turned into a snake to make a point. Abraham took along a bunch of stuff, including his nephew Lot, when he was asked to venture toward the promised land. Jonah was thrown overboard, swallowed by a big fish and barfed up on the beach before he went to Nineveh, so he didn't have much to pack, so the adventure of going to a place God calls us to go to is always a unique event.

   I'm in day two, unpacking books and meeting new people and having conversations with my staff and trying to get used to new surroundings. May God help us in the adventure. And Sunday is coming.....

 Pastor Jeff

Moving to a New Church

   Hello travelers, now it's my turn for this step in my journey. On July 1 I will be the pastor of North Bethesda UMC on Old Georgetown Rd. in North Bethesda between the Beltway and Rt. 270.

   On the 22nd of June I preached my last sermon at Liberty Grove. It occurs to me and to some others who have suggested it, and it was on my mind as I prepared it, that it might be a good transition sermon, last sermon one church first sermon at the new church. I have some other things I want to say at the new church, but it could certainly be a part of this blog that I am hoping will be helpful to introduce me to my new congregation and church family.

   My reference text is Ephesians 4:1-7, & 11-16 for which I will summarize here for your convenience. I suggest when you get a chance to look it up as well. "Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. You are one body and one spirit just as God also called you to one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all who is over all, through all, and in all."  Gifts are given.. "some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God's people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God. God's goal is for us to become mature adults - to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ...let us grow in every way into Christ, who is the head." (Common English Bible)

   The challenge for us and our mission for our spiritual journey is to recognize the differences in each of us as a part of the body of Christ and to love one another, in spite of the differences. This can be done with Christ's Spirit of love in us, not really possible without it. We remember we have one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. Thus we have many reasons to consider the connection and the unity within us. I pray for the church behind me and for the church in front of me, for the unity of the calling in Christ.

   I spent a large amount time and will continue to do so on the pastor/teacher role that God has called me to, which includes helping each of us to grow in maturity and to reach the goal of Christ like ness. The goal St. Paul says is to reach maturity. Now there is a loaded challenge.

   My role in the life of a congregation is to teach and help you discover God's calling upon your life to grow in faith. I can do that by encouraging you to pray, to worship, to love in the fellowship of others,  to serve our neighbors, and to study Jesus so we can become mature in him. All that I do is to try to help you to reach the level of faith and practice, that God has in mind. You will discover that in my sermons, the Bible Studies and Sunday School classes that I teach, the articles I write, the books I recommend, my blog, the website resources and links, and new discoveries along the way.

   The teachings of scripture encourage us to know, feel, understand, internalize, etc, that each of us have been given a gift, a task or ability, to help the body of Christ, be a witness to the love of God to our world. Each of us have something we need to do, given and determined by God, to show God's love to others. So I teach and preach and maybe even nag... that you grow in your faith in order to do your part in the work of the body. I believe with all my heart, that each of us are a vital component to a healthy body. Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 describe the body and it's parts and work very clearly.

   I can get in trouble, imagine that, by being firm on the idea, that you are an very important piece of the puzzle, we need your efforts to make this work. It is very easy, however, to think that it's my job, rather than to think, my job is to prepare you, teach you, lead you to full maturity in Christ, so you can do your job in the church. This may take some getting used to, and that's okay, I can be patient. Besides I am convinced that the spiritual life is more exciting for you when you are doing what God called you to do, when you discover for yourself that God really wants to use you in the grant plan of showing love to our neighbors. I can help with the teaching and preaching that leads to your maturity. It means everyday can be a blessing, a new adventure, a new discovery of what God has in mind for you. Come join in that adventure, I promise it will be a fulfilling one, plus hard work, but a real uplifting ride toward God.

   My next few messages, both in preaching and on this blog, will reflect what I call an "Uncommon Lectionary". I borrow the idea of Tom Bandy who encourages us to hear the 52 most important lessons in the Bible to help shape us as we seek to become more faithful disciples. So our adventure on Sunday morning will be to hear those most important stories and lessons so that it might pour maturity into our hearts and minds.

   This is going to be an adventure and journey, and I urge you to join us.

Blessings

Pastor Jeff

Another Pentecost

   On Sunday June 8 we will celebrate another Pentecost. The feast in ancient Israel that signaled the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and followers of Jesus, counts as the real birth of the church. It was an awesome day. There where visitors in Jerusalem for this sacred feast from all over the Roman world, and they heard in their native languages the work of God coming alive. The gift of the Holy Spirit is still going on.

   One of the gifts is the awareness that the promise of Jesus to send us his Spirit into us to help us be the disciples we are supposed to be has been fulfilled (see John 14:15-). We have the Spirit that was in Jesus available to us. The good news is that the Spirit is really powerful and really gentle. The Spirit can do all things, like creation and sweeping across dark waters, and chaos and bringing life and light. But the Spirit is also gentle and won't do anything until we invite the Spirit to be available for us and to be willing to let the Spirit guide us and bless us. SO, this Pentecost I urge you to be open to inviting the Holy Spirit of Jesus to become fully alive in your life, give the permission to direct you and lead you in the ways you should go. It is an awesome adventure.

   The second gift is the personality of Jesus can become more dynamic and visible in your life with the fruits of the Spirit. That description is found in Gal. 5: 22-23, the fruits, the personality qualities that were in Jesus are all available to you. They include Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. You couldn't ask for a more fantastic blessing and tool box in your life. The secret to all that Love and Joy, start at the other end and develop your self-control. The Holy Spirit is made for such as this. And with self-control being developed, you will become more gentle. your faith grows with the influence into a greater faith, a greater faith will allow you to be able to do more good, doing good will be seen as kindness to all sorts of people in all kinds of circumstances. When your kindness towards others is developing you will learn how to be more patient, which is a really big challenge, especially today. But, that patience, will develop into a sense of peace in the midst of all the worries, anxieties and ordinary stuff, and then you will see that having peace in that chaos, will lighten up you life and you will sense joy. With a joy filled heart, you can love others because you will want them to know all that you have discovered. See, a great adventure!

   The third great gift of the Holy Spirit is that God has given each of us a role to play, a gift to share, a piece of the puzzle, a part of the body of Christ (see Romans 12 or I Corinthians 12), for the building up of the church, born at Pentecost and equipped by Spirit filled followers of Jesus. You have been given a special gift and maybe more than one, for the work of being the body of Christ in our world today. You have a very important and necessary part to play and I hope you have given the Holy Spirit permission to make that gift or gifts come alive for you to share with your body of Christ. It's not about you, but God's help in you, to make a difference in our world. It's an awesome feeling to know you are playing a major part in making this a better world, filled with the blessings that God intends to share. (see God's call to Abraham back in Genesis 12, blessed to be a blessing)

   Now for me, The Holy Spirit makes it possible for me to be a pastor. What I do, has been a gift from God, not something that I can claim. I'm not perfect and enjoy the glow of appreciation when people see the gifts, but I'm telling you, it's because the Holy Spirit is within me and has directed and encouraged the sharing of those gifts to others. You too can be a part of all of this. I let the Holy Spirit have more room to run my life, way back on Mother's Day in 1970. It's like God gave a new birth to my faith and walk with God and I am so truly grateful for that.

   Now before you wonder about that too much, the Pentecostal gift was to be understandable to those gathered in Jerusalem from all over the world, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the way we should all pay attention to, because by God's Grace, he took away the sins of the world. He took down the barrier that separated us and made sure we would be children of God. I try always to be understandable and relevant, just like the gift of the Holy Spirit is to all of us.

   Come join the adventure. Welcome the Holy Spirit, let the fruit grow in you. And if you have any questions, especially for the North Bethesda Church folks, let me know.

Blessings

Pastor Jeff

The Journey is moving to a new church

   Hello Old Friends and New Friends,

   Life with God, like Abraham of old, calls for leaving a familiar place and going where God wants us to go. This is happening to me this summer. Not only and I recovering from surgery, but on July 1 of this year, I'll be assigned by the Bishop to North Bethesda United Methodist Church. When I accepted God's call into the ministry in the United Methodist Church, I agreed to go where the Bishop appoints me. Like many of my brothers and sisters in Scripture, we don't always know why, but we say as Jesus does, "Not my will, but thine be done."

   So to introduce myself to my new congregation, let me tell you a little about myself.

   I was born in Baltimore, and at 5 years of age, my father accepted an invitation to be a missionary in the Belgian Congo. So we moved to Brussels to learn the language and to prepare for the mission field. We served in Kindu in central Congo and returned for a second assignment to Elizabethville n southern Congo. We had to be evacuated because of a war, and returned to the USA in February of 1962 as refugees, with only the clothes we could bring in a suitcase. But God provides, and soon many individuals and churches helped us with housing, and clothes and the household needs. I've learned early on that God takes care of us, especially when we are doing what God wants us to do.

   I made the decision to follow Christ at a Young Life retreat when I was 17. That was followed by an invitation given by E. Stanley Jones to enter the full time ministry. He was preaching at Chevy Chase UMC when I accepted that call. I prepared for the ministry at Western Maryland College in Westminster, now known as Mc Daniel, in the area of Sociology. I attended Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, specializing in worship, including serving as the chair of the worship committee.

   I've served three rural churches along the Pennsylvania line, an inner city church in Baltimore, that my grandmother was a member of. I served a suburban church, and then Ashton UMC. I spent a couple of years at the University UMC in College Park, and the last seven years at Liberty Grove in Burtonsville. I am looking forward to coming to North Bethesda, just down the street from where I went to High School.

   Elaine and I have been married for 15 years. We met on the internet in a Christian Matchmakers site. We have some interesting stories to tell. We were both divorced and I knew finding the right person was going to be tricky. I have two sons from my first marriage, and the oldest and his wife gave us a grandson, who turns seven this summer. Grandchildren are awesome. Elaine has been a real blessing in my life, and I am truly grateful for her love and support.

   I hope this blog can be a way for us to get to know one another. You fill find links to youtube sermons so you can become familiar with my preaching style. I hope this can be an avenue for your questions that might help you get to know me even better. I'll write about once a week to continue to share my story.

   May God bless our journey of faith together.

Pastor Jeff