Hello Pilgrims on a Spiritual Journey, I've been working on our sign for out front of the church and came up with March Madness, from ashes to lilies. The Lenten journey is one that begins with the Ash Wednesday experience and moves toward the joy and gladness of an Easter celebration. I'm hoping you have been on a journey and growing in your faith this Lenten Season.
The current sign reads, Lent a time to fill in the potholes in your life. With all the car eating potholes on our streets, I hope some people can relate to the gift of God to fill in some of our potholes in our spiritual travels. God is in the repair and resurrection business.
Today is a collection of thoughts.
Sunday our choir presented their February music presentation, delayed not once but twice by the weather. The choir sang about the blessings and gifts that come to our worship experience, coming out of the slavery of African Americans. We learned between the songs where they came from and how they have blessed thousands over the course of time, and have continued to make a difference, even to us today. It was a real blessing to witness.
Something unusual happened in church yesterday. One of our new members, who usually sits up front in the sanctuary decided that they would like company up front. So with my permission, they made an announcement, that if people would move up and sit in the first five pews on either side and fill them up, for the next three weeks, they would give an extra $1,000. in the offering. That challenge was promptly matched, which totally surprised me. But then a large portion of the sanctuary folks, took them up on the offer and moved up front. It made for great singing and made the whole sanctuary appear filled, which makes this preacher happy. Now if only for the next two weeks, and then beyond people would be sitting closer to the front, that would be awesome. It didn't hurt them one bit either.
The choir appreciated the show of support. The children's expressions could be seen by those in the first few rows, as they participated in the children's message. It was a great moment.
We had a Birthday Party Pot Luck Lunch for everyone in the fellowship hall after that musical special. The Birthday party was postponed by weather as well. We set up the fellowship hall with 12 tables and decorated each one for a special month and then invited folks to sit at the table of their birthday month, not by families. It was so much fun to hear people say they got to meet people they had never talked to before by doing it this way. And of course the food was out of this world, we have the best cooks, sharing their food with us for this. We sang happy birthday, had cake and dessert and people hung around for a long time. It was so much fun.
I got in the mail a Church Kit to help connect our congregation to the NBC Easter and following airing of the first ten chapters of the book of Acts, called AD. It is produced by Roma Downey, and her husband Mark Burnett. They did the Bible episode in 2013 for 100 million viewers. Anyway, this is the first ten chapters of the book of Acts, the beginning of the church. It's a 12 week tv episode on Sunday nights at 9 pm on NBC. The Church Kit helps coordinate the message, educational opportunities and bulletin and worship resources to maximize the experience. It even suggests that we have some viewing parties around the congregation to watch and reflect on the episodes. We will find a way to have discussions here at church. The Monday and Thursday study for those 12 weeks will look into the show's message about the beginning of the church in those early days following the Resurrection of Jesus and the impact of Pentecost. Wow.. looking forward to that excitement.
I can't believe how fast a year goes by. It was a year ago in late March that the Bishop decided to move me to North Bethesda UMC. It was a year ago in late April that I went into the hospital for surgery. It just doesn't seem possible so much time has passed. And now Easter is upon us once more. The Easter message is all about restoration, recovery, new life, new opportunities in faith, new components of life, thanks be to God.
I pray that your Easter experience will bring new life to you, because with God all things are possible, as God continues to demonstrate them to me. May God's peace and grace be with you all.
Pastor Jeff
Monday, March 16, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
Snow Enough
Hello Spiritual Pilgrims
Here we are in the first full week of Lent and it has snowed for two weekends and on Ash Wednesday. What a way to start the Lenten journey. We are working on giving up Bad things for Lent, I'm ready to give up shoveling this snow. Please Stop, Whoever has the power to do that, cut it out.
Yesterday, Sunday Feb. 22, we decided to go ahead with worship at 11 am. The choir special on Gospel Music in Song was put aside because several key members of the choir were snowed in. We turned to the back of our hymnal and followed the Service for Morning Prayer and Praise. We sang some favorite hymns, we read from the Letter of James, encouraging us to pray and we prayed for our church and for people who were mentioned or written about on the prayer request forms.
I was blessed by the fellowship and the casual nature of our worship. I had not planned a sermon since the choir was singing. So we worked on the prayer list I had prepared for the congregation to begin this Lenten season. I had a two column page with the names of all our church leaders by day of the month. I asked for prayers for our staff. I asked for prayers for the fruitfulness of our congregation. And I asked for prayers for me during the week, that I might hear clearly from God to be able to lead this dynamic fellowship.
We were blessed with several visitors from other congregations that had called off worship. We found a couple of people who were looking for a church home that came because we were open and doing worship. They even stayed for our Coffee Hour, so that they got to know us a little better, and we got to know them. It was a real blessing.
We had 48 people all together and they were willing to sit in the front half of the sanctuary, it was nice and cozy and very spirit filled time together. We had several children among the visitors, so I did an impromptu children's message. Fortunately I had a baseball and a coach's hat in my office and we talked about the similarity of Lent and Spring Training. It's time to get ready to be able to play, and for us as followers of Jesus, we are working on doing a better job of following and living the Christian life. Giving up something bad for lent, is like getting ready for a full season.
I now ask each of you to pray for the coming of Spring. The week long forecast is calling for snow on Saturday night or Sunday morning. I say enough of that. Let's pray it waits until we are past the worship time.
The Lenten season is always special for me. Over the years it has changed, but still calls me to deepen my walk with God. In college I discovered Godspel and Jesus Christ, Superstar musicals, I would play those albums over and over to give me a wider and deeper appreciation for all that God was doing. When I served in Baltimore city, the pastors of the other denominational churches would study together during Lent, and we would offer a three hour Good Friday service based on the last words of Jesus from the Cross, or some Good Friday witness, like seven characters around the cross. It was always very meaningful.
I dig out old devotional books during this time, and try to do more prayer and meditation time, because I know my busy schedule takes that away from me. So let's pray we all get a season of preparation to be faithful followers of Jesus.
Blessings on all you do
Pastor Jeff
Here we are in the first full week of Lent and it has snowed for two weekends and on Ash Wednesday. What a way to start the Lenten journey. We are working on giving up Bad things for Lent, I'm ready to give up shoveling this snow. Please Stop, Whoever has the power to do that, cut it out.
Yesterday, Sunday Feb. 22, we decided to go ahead with worship at 11 am. The choir special on Gospel Music in Song was put aside because several key members of the choir were snowed in. We turned to the back of our hymnal and followed the Service for Morning Prayer and Praise. We sang some favorite hymns, we read from the Letter of James, encouraging us to pray and we prayed for our church and for people who were mentioned or written about on the prayer request forms.
I was blessed by the fellowship and the casual nature of our worship. I had not planned a sermon since the choir was singing. So we worked on the prayer list I had prepared for the congregation to begin this Lenten season. I had a two column page with the names of all our church leaders by day of the month. I asked for prayers for our staff. I asked for prayers for the fruitfulness of our congregation. And I asked for prayers for me during the week, that I might hear clearly from God to be able to lead this dynamic fellowship.
We were blessed with several visitors from other congregations that had called off worship. We found a couple of people who were looking for a church home that came because we were open and doing worship. They even stayed for our Coffee Hour, so that they got to know us a little better, and we got to know them. It was a real blessing.
We had 48 people all together and they were willing to sit in the front half of the sanctuary, it was nice and cozy and very spirit filled time together. We had several children among the visitors, so I did an impromptu children's message. Fortunately I had a baseball and a coach's hat in my office and we talked about the similarity of Lent and Spring Training. It's time to get ready to be able to play, and for us as followers of Jesus, we are working on doing a better job of following and living the Christian life. Giving up something bad for lent, is like getting ready for a full season.
I now ask each of you to pray for the coming of Spring. The week long forecast is calling for snow on Saturday night or Sunday morning. I say enough of that. Let's pray it waits until we are past the worship time.
The Lenten season is always special for me. Over the years it has changed, but still calls me to deepen my walk with God. In college I discovered Godspel and Jesus Christ, Superstar musicals, I would play those albums over and over to give me a wider and deeper appreciation for all that God was doing. When I served in Baltimore city, the pastors of the other denominational churches would study together during Lent, and we would offer a three hour Good Friday service based on the last words of Jesus from the Cross, or some Good Friday witness, like seven characters around the cross. It was always very meaningful.
I dig out old devotional books during this time, and try to do more prayer and meditation time, because I know my busy schedule takes that away from me. So let's pray we all get a season of preparation to be faithful followers of Jesus.
Blessings on all you do
Pastor Jeff
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Beginning of February
Hello Fellow Spiritual Travelers,
Well the Super Bowl is over now, the game was close, you can still argue about what happened and why, but I won't. The Commercials had a friendly, be kind to one another flavor to many of them, which is good. There were no costume malfunctions to worry about this year during the half time show, and there are people going to Disney World.
This is a transition month, we might be enduring more winter, or we might be getting closer to Spring. I like Spring, so that would be fine with me if the groundhogs were wrong this year. But what do they know? And one of the mayors got bit on the ear trying to listen to the groundhog give his prediction, there has to be a lesson learned in there somewhere. I don't think they were meant to be weather experts anyway. But we always look for an angle don't we?
Lent begins this month too. Ash Wednesday is on Feb. 18th, coming up much quicker than we realize. So we find ourselves wondering how do we make a spiritual commitment to grow this year? I found a devotional we will use at North Bethesda, written by a United Methodist Pastor, James Moore, about giving up something bad for lent. I like his premiss, why not get rid of bad things in your life during Lent, than suffer putting off eating dessert or something that you like. He suggests that we work on improving our spiritual life with good things, by working on giving up the bad things at this time. We will have a study on Monday nights, Wed mornings and Thursday afternoons if you are interested in joining us.
Rev. Moore suggests we work on giving up something bad for Lent. He recommends that we give up harsh condemning judgments for instance. Just stop doing that. He suggests that we give up enemies for Lent. He encourages us to give up our bad habits, and you know we all have them, for Lent. He goes on to suggest that we give up pettiness for Lent. All that time we spend on nitpicking and complaining could be developed into positive encouragement. I like that.
"It is my genuine hope and prayer that as we go through the pages of this Lenten Study and the accompanying Scripture lessons for each chapter together, we will be inspired and encouraged this year as never before to give up something bad for Lent and then be better prepared to wrap our arms around the good news of Easter." James Moore, from the Introduction to the study. I agree completely and would hope that would happen.
This coming Sunday Feb. 8 we will celebrate Scout Sunday. I am proud to say that the United Methodist Church has been a major sponsor for the scouting movement. When we first got to Africa as missionaries, one of the young students at our mission school asked my Dad to start a scout troop. He had not been a scout, but read the scouting manual in French and translated it to Swahili for the unit. He had to turn young men away who wanted to become scouts because they had not had the opportunity to be involved when they were younger. I was a scout for a while, then we moved and I didn't reconnect to a troop. But I wished I had, years later of course.
Both of my sons were scouts. I was active in the Cub Scout program and served as Chair of the Committee for many years. When they moved up to Scouts, I would go on the summer camp trips as a dad, when many other fathers could not take that much time away from work. I couldn't go on the weekend trips because of my preaching duties, so it worked out well. God has a great sense of humor. The troop was 95% Roman Catholic, and I got to be the chaplain for the troop during the summer camp trips. What fun. We had great fun going to Michigan, New York, Maine, Wyoming, and Tennessee. My oldest son is an Eagle Scout. The Bishop moved me just before my younger son could complete his advancement and didn't hook up with the new troop to finish his.
A Scout is Reverent, acknowledging God and appreciating the many ways scouts can connect their variety of faiths with the basic training the scouting movement can give them. So thank the leaders of the programs that have such a blessing and influence on so many young lives, both girls and boys.
I'll wear my uniform one more time, and encourage those who can to do so this Sunday.
Blessings on your spiritual journey, wherever the influences come from to help you pursue the dream to be the kind of person God wants you to be.
Pastor Jeff
Well the Super Bowl is over now, the game was close, you can still argue about what happened and why, but I won't. The Commercials had a friendly, be kind to one another flavor to many of them, which is good. There were no costume malfunctions to worry about this year during the half time show, and there are people going to Disney World.
This is a transition month, we might be enduring more winter, or we might be getting closer to Spring. I like Spring, so that would be fine with me if the groundhogs were wrong this year. But what do they know? And one of the mayors got bit on the ear trying to listen to the groundhog give his prediction, there has to be a lesson learned in there somewhere. I don't think they were meant to be weather experts anyway. But we always look for an angle don't we?
Lent begins this month too. Ash Wednesday is on Feb. 18th, coming up much quicker than we realize. So we find ourselves wondering how do we make a spiritual commitment to grow this year? I found a devotional we will use at North Bethesda, written by a United Methodist Pastor, James Moore, about giving up something bad for lent. I like his premiss, why not get rid of bad things in your life during Lent, than suffer putting off eating dessert or something that you like. He suggests that we work on improving our spiritual life with good things, by working on giving up the bad things at this time. We will have a study on Monday nights, Wed mornings and Thursday afternoons if you are interested in joining us.
Rev. Moore suggests we work on giving up something bad for Lent. He recommends that we give up harsh condemning judgments for instance. Just stop doing that. He suggests that we give up enemies for Lent. He encourages us to give up our bad habits, and you know we all have them, for Lent. He goes on to suggest that we give up pettiness for Lent. All that time we spend on nitpicking and complaining could be developed into positive encouragement. I like that.
"It is my genuine hope and prayer that as we go through the pages of this Lenten Study and the accompanying Scripture lessons for each chapter together, we will be inspired and encouraged this year as never before to give up something bad for Lent and then be better prepared to wrap our arms around the good news of Easter." James Moore, from the Introduction to the study. I agree completely and would hope that would happen.
This coming Sunday Feb. 8 we will celebrate Scout Sunday. I am proud to say that the United Methodist Church has been a major sponsor for the scouting movement. When we first got to Africa as missionaries, one of the young students at our mission school asked my Dad to start a scout troop. He had not been a scout, but read the scouting manual in French and translated it to Swahili for the unit. He had to turn young men away who wanted to become scouts because they had not had the opportunity to be involved when they were younger. I was a scout for a while, then we moved and I didn't reconnect to a troop. But I wished I had, years later of course.
Both of my sons were scouts. I was active in the Cub Scout program and served as Chair of the Committee for many years. When they moved up to Scouts, I would go on the summer camp trips as a dad, when many other fathers could not take that much time away from work. I couldn't go on the weekend trips because of my preaching duties, so it worked out well. God has a great sense of humor. The troop was 95% Roman Catholic, and I got to be the chaplain for the troop during the summer camp trips. What fun. We had great fun going to Michigan, New York, Maine, Wyoming, and Tennessee. My oldest son is an Eagle Scout. The Bishop moved me just before my younger son could complete his advancement and didn't hook up with the new troop to finish his.
A Scout is Reverent, acknowledging God and appreciating the many ways scouts can connect their variety of faiths with the basic training the scouting movement can give them. So thank the leaders of the programs that have such a blessing and influence on so many young lives, both girls and boys.
I'll wear my uniform one more time, and encourage those who can to do so this Sunday.
Blessings on your spiritual journey, wherever the influences come from to help you pursue the dream to be the kind of person God wants you to be.
Pastor Jeff
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
a New STAR Trek, part 2
Come and join our pilgrimage, our spiritual journey to become the kind of people the original designer had in mind. The last blog we started this adventure with the Magi and the word STAR, to help remember the Studied, Traveled, Adored, Redirected, STAR, experience of the Magi. So here is the next installment.
I chose the second word to be T Traveled, because after the Magi discovered the phenomena in the sky, they Traveled to further discover what this was all about. So often we get stuck at one place and never quite move beyond where we are. New Year's resolutions to lose weight for instance often require that we travel to the gym, and that seems a bigger obstacle than we first realized. So we stay stuck.
This adventure was different because the Magi were willing to travel. They arranged for a journey to find the King of the Jews who was to be born according to the great star/light in the sky. They went looking for the baby. It meant they left behind the familiar and went looking for the new discovery. We ought to be so inclined as we encounter Jesus, we ought to leave behind the past and the ways our faith didn't work, and find a new relationship and encounter with Jesus.
Some travel might not be too far. It's getting out of bed on a Sunday morning and going to church. I know that this is harder and harder to do for more people. Attendance at worship services continues to decline, people come less often per month and still feel like they go all the time. Some of this may be our fault for not making the services and encounters with God that Passionate and exciting. Pray for us as we move into new ways to worship so that it will be Passionate and encouraging and uplifting and help you make a connection to the Creator.
Some travel might include a missions trip somewhere to make a difference for someone else. Go on a Volunteers in Mission trip to rehab broken down houses, or hurricane restorations. Or go dig a well, or teach people how to do better with nutrition or education. There are thousands of opportunities for you to take a week of you time and invest it in some worthwhile project. It will be life changing. I've been to Africa University in Zimbabwe to help build faculty housing. I've been to Rochester NY to rehab run down houses with our youth group. I've been to Red Bird Mission to bring water into to homes that did not have it. I've been to Denver CO to refurbish a run down apartment complex that was being renovated to be a second chance for single moms. I've been to our camps to put in new screens in the windows, paint walls, etc. You can travel somewhere and make a difference to others and ultimately for you.
Some travel may not be external but internal. You may have to figure out a way not to react to somethings people say, because you are thinking more what would Jesus say in response. Some travel may be to find a different response to people who are nasty at work. Maybe there is something going on in their lives that needs fixing, and until it is, they will always be nasty. Maybe it's traveling across the hall, or down to the coffee pot and staying there for a time to see what you might do to make a difference in some one else's life. Caring goes a long way.
Some travel may be interior as you explore what is the most meaningful thing you can do with your talents, abilities, and skills. You may find you are in the wrong place and might want to explore where God might have you work instead. That can be scary and it will change a lot of things. Hopefully for the best. The travel should be the result of wanting to be the person God created you to be, to be the person that Jesus role modeled for you to follow.
Jesus often ended his conversations with people he met, with come follow me. See traveling again. It meant to be willing to hang out with Jesus long enough to get what was important in life. It meant discovering how we might love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and how might we love our neighbor the way Jesus loves us. It might mean to follow a class to learn what the difference that Jesus makes can be all about.
This new year, I hope you can travel for your faith, so that in six months or so, you can look back and see that you have changed and made a difference in your own life and in the lives of others. Looking back and seeing lives you've touched will be an awesome story to tell.
Come join us, travel with Jesus.
Next issue will be on the Adored part. How do we bow down and worship God and not some idol we have created that get's all of our attention.
Until then
God Bless Us Everyone
Pastor Jeff
I chose the second word to be T Traveled, because after the Magi discovered the phenomena in the sky, they Traveled to further discover what this was all about. So often we get stuck at one place and never quite move beyond where we are. New Year's resolutions to lose weight for instance often require that we travel to the gym, and that seems a bigger obstacle than we first realized. So we stay stuck.
This adventure was different because the Magi were willing to travel. They arranged for a journey to find the King of the Jews who was to be born according to the great star/light in the sky. They went looking for the baby. It meant they left behind the familiar and went looking for the new discovery. We ought to be so inclined as we encounter Jesus, we ought to leave behind the past and the ways our faith didn't work, and find a new relationship and encounter with Jesus.
Some travel might not be too far. It's getting out of bed on a Sunday morning and going to church. I know that this is harder and harder to do for more people. Attendance at worship services continues to decline, people come less often per month and still feel like they go all the time. Some of this may be our fault for not making the services and encounters with God that Passionate and exciting. Pray for us as we move into new ways to worship so that it will be Passionate and encouraging and uplifting and help you make a connection to the Creator.
Some travel might include a missions trip somewhere to make a difference for someone else. Go on a Volunteers in Mission trip to rehab broken down houses, or hurricane restorations. Or go dig a well, or teach people how to do better with nutrition or education. There are thousands of opportunities for you to take a week of you time and invest it in some worthwhile project. It will be life changing. I've been to Africa University in Zimbabwe to help build faculty housing. I've been to Rochester NY to rehab run down houses with our youth group. I've been to Red Bird Mission to bring water into to homes that did not have it. I've been to Denver CO to refurbish a run down apartment complex that was being renovated to be a second chance for single moms. I've been to our camps to put in new screens in the windows, paint walls, etc. You can travel somewhere and make a difference to others and ultimately for you.
Some travel may not be external but internal. You may have to figure out a way not to react to somethings people say, because you are thinking more what would Jesus say in response. Some travel may be to find a different response to people who are nasty at work. Maybe there is something going on in their lives that needs fixing, and until it is, they will always be nasty. Maybe it's traveling across the hall, or down to the coffee pot and staying there for a time to see what you might do to make a difference in some one else's life. Caring goes a long way.
Some travel may be interior as you explore what is the most meaningful thing you can do with your talents, abilities, and skills. You may find you are in the wrong place and might want to explore where God might have you work instead. That can be scary and it will change a lot of things. Hopefully for the best. The travel should be the result of wanting to be the person God created you to be, to be the person that Jesus role modeled for you to follow.
Jesus often ended his conversations with people he met, with come follow me. See traveling again. It meant to be willing to hang out with Jesus long enough to get what was important in life. It meant discovering how we might love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and how might we love our neighbor the way Jesus loves us. It might mean to follow a class to learn what the difference that Jesus makes can be all about.
This new year, I hope you can travel for your faith, so that in six months or so, you can look back and see that you have changed and made a difference in your own life and in the lives of others. Looking back and seeing lives you've touched will be an awesome story to tell.
Come join us, travel with Jesus.
Next issue will be on the Adored part. How do we bow down and worship God and not some idol we have created that get's all of our attention.
Until then
God Bless Us Everyone
Pastor Jeff
Monday, January 5, 2015
A New Star Trek
Hello Spiritual Trekkers, going on the adventure following the sign from God is a good thing. I've come up with a formula to share the story of Matthew 2: 1-12 and it relates to a STAR. Imagine that.
What I am planning on doing is preparing four sections to this blog, one a day, to share the insights and wonders of the sign from God that we find in Matt. 2: 1-12. I hope you come back in a day or two to pick up the other pieces. This started out as research for my sermon on Jan. 4, which is Epiphany Sunday in some church world circles. It has been celebrated by Christians from very early in our history, sometime before Christmas became a big deal, to commemorate the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. It was a good way to say to non-jews who were becoming Christians as the message and the Good News spread, that there were other gentiles who were noticing what God was doing with the Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
I've chosen the word STAR, because it helps me to keep my thoughts together. S stands for Studied, both the Magi and the experts of the law studied and had parts of the answer to the quest for the baby who would be born King of Jews. We need that component still.
I've chosen the second letter T to stand for Traveled, the Magi left behind their study halls and went looking for this great result of the sign from God. This is a clue to the need for us to get up and follow where God is leading us. More to come on this letter in another day's blog.
I've chosen the third letter A to stand for Adored, the Magi adored, worshipped, bowed down, respected the Boy Jesus for who they knew him to be, the King of the Jews. In a world where we feel so important, or think we are, Adoring the child of God, the one whom God sent to connect with us so that we might know God is with us, it is important to Adore, to worship, to give value and recognition to the Creator of us all. We lose so much when we don't have an" other " to worship.
I've chosen the fourth letter to be R to stand for Redirected. The Magi were warned in a dream to head home in a different way than the one they came in. It was in part to stay away from Herod, but it's also a great symbol for, coming to encounter the Love of God should make us different people as a result. We should go away from the encounter with the Creative force of the Universe, who knows us and wants a relationship with us, a different person that before the encounter. We should be Redirected in our goals and purposes in life because we have met the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
So back to Day one thoughts...
The Magi knew something extraordinary was happening in the sky, because they knew the sky. Part of their ability to resource and equip Kings and Emperors and Caesars, was their deep knowledge of important things. They Studied, they knew history and Astronomy, and Astrology, and science and could bring the wisdom of the ages together to advise those who sought their wisdom for help. They discovered something was going to happen because of what they saw, what they studied. We don't know exactly what they did see. There have been many blogs and papers written and argued about what the phenomena was that they witnessed, but I'm not going there. It was enough to get them excited that something was about to happen.
The connection to modern day seekers is the value of Study. We need to read and learn about what God is doing, and the best place for that is Scripture. Now I know that's a tall order, but it's one that has been truly helpful for centuries. The struggle is that we have to become familiar enough with the book, a library actually, to make sure it's helpful. It's a collection of the experiences of many people who encountered God and wanted us to learn from their experience, to guide our experience. When Herod was so upset about a rival King of the Jews, he turned to the scholars around him. They knew their Bible well enough to know that the answer was the promise of Micah, that the child would be born in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem, the town of David the King who wrote all those Psalms. The David who was able to have faith enough to take on Goliath. The David who was King and who brought the nation of 12 scattered tribes into a powerful force. The David who was able to bring worship and government and lifestyle together for the people. A new King of the Jews, a ruler for all our lives, should be born in a place like that. The meaning and connections to all those qualities are worth seeing to understand the power of Jesus in our lives.
The S of STAR, is an invitation to you now to study what God is doing, so that you gain wisdom for your journey through life. Study, read a few chapters of the Bible through at a time. Get a One-Year Bible, in what ever translation or version you are comfortable with and read a section a day. Go online and sign up for a daily email study. Get an app that will provide a daily guide to reading like You Version, it can be a tremendous help. Study 5 Psalms a day to develop your prayer life, to help you know what and how to pray about anything, which can be big help for a whole bunch of other things you worry about. Discover BibleGateway.com for a wealth of study helps.
Study is also best with a group of friends. A Bible Study, a Sunday School class, some people gathered at a coffee shop or burger joint, who want to talk about the Bible can be a good idea. We can encourage and stimulate each other. John Wesley made small groups for learning a priority among Methodists, and as long as we made that a commitment, we were dynamic. We've lost our touch because we don't require everyone to do that anymore, we've lost our edge at changing people's lives for the better. But Study is important. Find a group to study, you'll be glad you did.
I'll come back tomorrow or the next day to talk about the T of STAR, for Traveled, making a significant difference in your life. Blessings on your STAR gazing....
Pastor Jeff
What I am planning on doing is preparing four sections to this blog, one a day, to share the insights and wonders of the sign from God that we find in Matt. 2: 1-12. I hope you come back in a day or two to pick up the other pieces. This started out as research for my sermon on Jan. 4, which is Epiphany Sunday in some church world circles. It has been celebrated by Christians from very early in our history, sometime before Christmas became a big deal, to commemorate the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. It was a good way to say to non-jews who were becoming Christians as the message and the Good News spread, that there were other gentiles who were noticing what God was doing with the Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
I've chosen the word STAR, because it helps me to keep my thoughts together. S stands for Studied, both the Magi and the experts of the law studied and had parts of the answer to the quest for the baby who would be born King of Jews. We need that component still.
I've chosen the second letter T to stand for Traveled, the Magi left behind their study halls and went looking for this great result of the sign from God. This is a clue to the need for us to get up and follow where God is leading us. More to come on this letter in another day's blog.
I've chosen the third letter A to stand for Adored, the Magi adored, worshipped, bowed down, respected the Boy Jesus for who they knew him to be, the King of the Jews. In a world where we feel so important, or think we are, Adoring the child of God, the one whom God sent to connect with us so that we might know God is with us, it is important to Adore, to worship, to give value and recognition to the Creator of us all. We lose so much when we don't have an" other " to worship.
I've chosen the fourth letter to be R to stand for Redirected. The Magi were warned in a dream to head home in a different way than the one they came in. It was in part to stay away from Herod, but it's also a great symbol for, coming to encounter the Love of God should make us different people as a result. We should go away from the encounter with the Creative force of the Universe, who knows us and wants a relationship with us, a different person that before the encounter. We should be Redirected in our goals and purposes in life because we have met the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
So back to Day one thoughts...
The Magi knew something extraordinary was happening in the sky, because they knew the sky. Part of their ability to resource and equip Kings and Emperors and Caesars, was their deep knowledge of important things. They Studied, they knew history and Astronomy, and Astrology, and science and could bring the wisdom of the ages together to advise those who sought their wisdom for help. They discovered something was going to happen because of what they saw, what they studied. We don't know exactly what they did see. There have been many blogs and papers written and argued about what the phenomena was that they witnessed, but I'm not going there. It was enough to get them excited that something was about to happen.
The connection to modern day seekers is the value of Study. We need to read and learn about what God is doing, and the best place for that is Scripture. Now I know that's a tall order, but it's one that has been truly helpful for centuries. The struggle is that we have to become familiar enough with the book, a library actually, to make sure it's helpful. It's a collection of the experiences of many people who encountered God and wanted us to learn from their experience, to guide our experience. When Herod was so upset about a rival King of the Jews, he turned to the scholars around him. They knew their Bible well enough to know that the answer was the promise of Micah, that the child would be born in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem, the town of David the King who wrote all those Psalms. The David who was able to have faith enough to take on Goliath. The David who was King and who brought the nation of 12 scattered tribes into a powerful force. The David who was able to bring worship and government and lifestyle together for the people. A new King of the Jews, a ruler for all our lives, should be born in a place like that. The meaning and connections to all those qualities are worth seeing to understand the power of Jesus in our lives.
The S of STAR, is an invitation to you now to study what God is doing, so that you gain wisdom for your journey through life. Study, read a few chapters of the Bible through at a time. Get a One-Year Bible, in what ever translation or version you are comfortable with and read a section a day. Go online and sign up for a daily email study. Get an app that will provide a daily guide to reading like You Version, it can be a tremendous help. Study 5 Psalms a day to develop your prayer life, to help you know what and how to pray about anything, which can be big help for a whole bunch of other things you worry about. Discover BibleGateway.com for a wealth of study helps.
Study is also best with a group of friends. A Bible Study, a Sunday School class, some people gathered at a coffee shop or burger joint, who want to talk about the Bible can be a good idea. We can encourage and stimulate each other. John Wesley made small groups for learning a priority among Methodists, and as long as we made that a commitment, we were dynamic. We've lost our touch because we don't require everyone to do that anymore, we've lost our edge at changing people's lives for the better. But Study is important. Find a group to study, you'll be glad you did.
I'll come back tomorrow or the next day to talk about the T of STAR, for Traveled, making a significant difference in your life. Blessings on your STAR gazing....
Pastor Jeff
Thursday, December 11, 2014
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
Monday, December 8, 2014
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
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
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