A New Beginning

Our world is facing huge challenges right now. Much of the world has faced these challenges before. But for many of us in this room, we have not. We have felt secure in our nation’s laws, our “moral goodness” – but then we must ask the question, has this goodness been good for everyone? The honest answer is “no.”

Many of us feel fear – fear for ourselves, our livelihood, our plans for the future. Many of us feel fear for those who are already struggling, those who already are without power or privilege. And many of us feel horror as we see people dragged off to prison camps, inhumane conditions, with little to no hope for justice.

And some have said “this is the end.” Perhaps we want it to be the end, because this as a continual reality is too much to bear.

But, what if this is the end of what has been: complacency, self-centered living, and closing our eyes to the oppression of others. What if we have been forced to see what we have previously chosen to ignore?

Perhaps we need to change our question from “Is this the end?” to “Can this be a new beginning?” Can this be a time when we see each person as a loved child of God? Maybe, instead of seeing just how we are affected by the world around us, we begin to see how others are experiencing life?

And, perhaps, we can discover what Scripture has shouted for thousands of years, what Jesus demonstrated over and over as He walked this earth, that life lived together, walking with each other, loving our neighbor, caring, protecting, providing for each other, makes life better for all of us.

Do we stop standing against the evil that is happening around us? Absolutely not! We continue to do all that we can to stop the oppression of our brothers and sisters. But we recognize that we cannot depend upon a government – any government – to take care of the command Jesus gave us to love our  neighbor. This is our call. This should be the life of each person who calls themselves a follower of Jesus.

Maybe this is an end, an end to our dependency on something else to do what God has clearly called each of us to do: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”  This is the kingdom we are invited to inhabit. This is a new beginning.

In Him Because of His Grace
Patti

Thought for Today

The last few weeks have been challenging in ways I have not experienced before.  I’ve journeyed through challenging times in the past, but they were different than the ones I am experiencing right now.  This really shouldn’t be surprising to me.  Life is full of new adventures – which is an optimistic way of saying hardships.  What I am experiencing now, although different, is not the worst road that I have traveled.

But these circumstances caught me off guard.

I was prepared for “2020” difficulties.  We’ve all had them.  I’ve walked with others as they’ve navigated various hardships.  I’ve learned new skills, completed new tasks, found new rhythms – and when those were disrupted, readjusted.  But I wasn’t prepared for the personal health crises that Ed and I would experience at the same time. 

We have been talking in our gatherings a great deal about the truth that God is our strength, that we are weak and He is strong.  Two Sundays ago we remembered that we are enough because God is enough.  We will disappoint others, but God will not disappoint.  Our hope, our trust, is in God alone, not in our own strength.  Today I am challenged:  Do I really believe what I preach?

Yes!  I believe it.  I am living it. 

The breath prayer for yesterday was “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God: have mercy on me, a sinner.”  Yesterday, that prayer was about all I could muster.  I needed God to carry me.  I knew that I was too weak to “hold up” or to “stay strong”, so I allowed myself to find peace in my weakness knowing that God was my strength – even if I couldn’t feel it in the moment!

The breath prayer for this morning is “Let Your wondrous love be upon us: for in You alone have we put our trust.”

This morning I can pray this.  This morning I feel the confidence that was missing yesterday.  Today I know that God who has always walked with me through all that I have faced in the past will walk with me again – is walking with me now!  It is God alone in whom I trust.

Today I have confidence.  Tomorrow I may find myself weak again – but in my weakness I will find that God is strong.  He is strong enough for both of us.

May you find that He is enough – and that because He is enough, you, my friend are also enough.  When we are weak, He is strong!

Thought for Today

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”            Psalm 40:1-2

I’ve read these verses many times, taken hope from them.  But this morning I’m seeing and hearing them call me to listen, perhaps seeing a connection I’ve missed in the past.

“I waited patiently for the Lord…He drew me up…”  Sometimes God doesn’t draw me up as quickly as I would like.  There is much to learn and experience in the pits and bogs.  Sometimes the despair and discomfort keep me from perceiving what I need to understand.  I can be patient in the middle of the pit and the bog because God inclines Himself to me.  He doesn’t simply hear from afar and toss out a life ring for me to grab, He comes near to where I am – seeing and understanding what I am experiencing.  He is with me in the pit and the bog; therefore, I am safe.  I can wait patiently.

I’m thinking this morning about some of the pits of despair I have experienced – loss of job, food insecurity, severe issues with my children – and how at first my plan was to find a way to climb out of the pit as quickly as possible.  But before too long, I found the pit had become a bog, and my feet were stuck in the mud and muck of hopelessness.  I had no power to remove myself from the situation.

I wish I could say that in each situation I waited patiently, or that in all times in any one situation I waited with patience.  That didn’t happen.  But I can say without hesitation, I learned the most when I recognized God’s Presence in my despair.  Knowing God was with me provided the opportunity to look around me, to see the suffering of others who were also stuck, to learn compassion and grace.

And, after a time, God has plucked me out of the mud and the mire, and set me on a secure rock – until the next pit or bog comes along.

Perhaps my ponderings this morning will help me wait with patience, for God inclines Himself to me when I call.  Wow!  I am grateful.

Thought for Today

Eugene Peterson, in His Book The Pastor, makes this observation:

“Congregation is composed of people, who upon entering a church, leave behind what people on the street name or call them. A church can never be reduced to a place where goods and services are exchanged. It must never be a place where a person is labeled. It can never be a place where gossip is perpetuated. Before anything else, it is a place where a person is named and greeted, whether implicitly or explicitly, in Jesus’ name. A place where dignity is conferred.”

This is a concept I will be pondering for a long while. A long time ago, I began lessening the number of times I referred to the people in our gathering as a “church” and instead chose to use the term “congregation”, which I feel is a more accurate description and less confusing to those who are unacquainted with the differences between a gathering within a building and the Body of Christ across the world. But these words hit me. If I were to ask the people within our congregation (and I will be asking!) if this is what they experience, what would they say?

There are times I feel we do a very good job at some – possibly most – of these areas. But I know of times when this has not been true.

I am asking God to grow me into a pastor who fosters this kind of congregation. I am praying that our gatherings will be times for people to discover who they are in Christ and just how deep is God’s love for them. I am asking God to help me be aware of each individual – each child of God – and to treat each person with dignity. I pray that we will never allow gossip a seat at the table, but will be a place of grace and encouragement, a place where we expect the best, and pray for our sisters and brothers when less than the best is expressed.

Would you pray for this with me?

The “Church” has, in recent years, developed a well-deserved bad reputation. May we be a congregation that demonstrates the love and grace God has for His children.

Thought for Today

"Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and mind."  Psalm 26:2

I think this verse is where I am living right now.  Not trying to prove myself to God, or pass His test, but allowing Him to prove me, to try me, to test my heart and mind that I would understand myself.  Do I love God fully?  Am I fully faithful to Him?  Do I love my neighbor, not with words or slogans, but in action?

I love that in these times of testing there exists no fear of failure.  I'm not afraid of what God reveals, because any lack that is brought to light, God fills.  God forgives, cleanses, ignites a passion, and empowers me for His work.  Fear is replaced with joyful anticipation.

"For Your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to You."  Psalm 26:3

Amen, Lord!  Let this be true in me!

My Prayer
Lord, I come knowing there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  I come knowing that I can look at myself, see what You are showing me, not as judgment leading to condemnation, but as enlightenment leading to change.  Please give me ears to hear and a heart to receive.  Amen.

Thought for Today

"When my spirit is faint, You know my way." (Psalm 142:3a)

What a wonderful thought!  What a wonderful truth!

About 15 years ago I had surgery at a local hospital.  I stayed overnight and have very few memories.  I react strongly to anesthesia, so the amount I was given was more than sufficient, and I didn't fully "wake up" until I was home from the hospital.  I have one clear memory.  In my weariness, when my body and my spirit were faint, a nurse guided me to where I needed to go.  I was unable to find the way myself because I was so weary.  I was unable to fully support myself because I was so faint.  The nurse supported me and led me to my destination.

I don't think that nurse was happy that I couldn't navigate myself, but she did what needed to be done, and I am grateful.

 As I read this Scripture today I thought about my experience at the hospital.  There are times in life where we don't have control, we don't have strength.  There are times when our bodies and our spirits are faint.  Sometimes we need to lean upon another person to help us.  Sometimes they are happy to help, sometimes they help out of obligation.

Our God knows the way when we are faint.  When our strength is insufficient, He has the strength to carry us to where we need to go.  Our God leads us and provides for us when we are unable to navigate life on our own.

And God leads us because He wants to, not because He has to. He provides for us because He loves us.  We are NEVER a burden to Him.  When we are weak, He is strong.

May you find rest in God alone when you are weary.  When you are faint, may you trust that God will safely lead you where you need to go.

Thought for Today

Have you ever experienced a time where you recognized that God was trying to get your attention – to help you hear what He was saying?  This morning was one of those times.

This morning the quote in my journal was “Here I am Lord: here again because I need you.”

I began my reading with Psalm 120.  “Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.” (vs. 2)  One might logically think the psalmist was writing about the lying lips and deceitful tongue of others.  But what if the lying lips and deceitful tongue from which I need to be delivered belong to me?  What if I am the one from whom I need to be delivered?

The psalm ends with these words: “I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.” (vs. 7)  Am I for peace?  I say I am for peace, but I wonder if I am lying to myself?  Am I for peace as long as peace comes on my terms?  Am I for peace as long as others conform to my way of thinking?  Is this a place where my own tongue is deceitful, where my lips are lying…to myself?

As I pondered these thoughts, and wondered how I am to know, I moved to Psalm 121.  “I lift my eyes up to the hills – from where will my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (vs 1-2)  The answer to understanding my own deceitfulness, my own lying tongue, comes from God – my Creator, the Creator of all.  He knows truth even when I have trouble understanding.  If I am willing to listen, He will speak truth to me. He will change my heart.

I have, for a while, been growing in the awareness that I need to learn to listen: listen to God, listen to others, listen to my own thinking. To listen does not always mean to agree or to submit.  When I listen to God, I want to agree and submit.  When I listen to others, I learn about God’s heart, I learn to love, by hearing their cries.  Sometimes what I learn requires words or actions on my part.  Sometimes listening and learning is the best thing I can do.  When I listen to myself, I can examine my motives and desires to see how they align with the heart of God.  I can invite the Spirit of God to change my heart.

I invite you to join me today and grow with me as we learn to listen, learn to allow God to deliver us from lying lips and deceitful tongues even when they belong to us.  I invite you to ask yourself, “Am I for peace?”  Are we for peace as long as peace comes because others conform to our desires?  And if we find that we need to change, I invite you to lift your eyes to the hills and remember the Lord who made heaven and earth is the One who is our help.

Thought for Today

Do you ever think about how you act – or fail to react?  This week I have had a severe case of the “Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda”s.  You know, when we say, “I should have done this”, or “I could have done that”, or if things had been different “I would have done…”  Our world is in turmoil.  We face many issues.  I find myself not knowing what to say or how to express my own deep thoughts without assuming the feelings and perspectives of others, and so, I chose Sunday morning to say nothing.

Monday morning, as I spent time in prayer, I realized that I needed to hear other perspectives, I needed to listen to other voices.  I was provided another voice by an email I received recommending that I listen to a sermon by one of the pastors on our District.  I am attaching the link for his message.  I found his words – and his sharing of God’s Word – both challenging and encouraging.  His perspective was a gift from God, one of the voices I needed to hear.  Please take some time and listen.  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Here is a link to Rev. David Hartfield-Dyels’ sermon.

https://youtu.be/ap9EwHOtvG4

Monday evening I met with many of the pastors on our District to discuss, ponder and pray about the turmoil we are facing as a nation.  On Sunday morning I will be sharing a video presented by our District Superintendent.  While difficult to watch at times, this brought great hope as we watched God work through His people.

This Sunday, our denomination is presenting “A Call to Prayer and Fasting for Change.”  Some may choose to fast all food, some a meal, some an activity.  But all of us can choose to fast and pray in some way.  Here is a link to the article from our General Superintendents.

https://nazarene.org/article/call-prayer-and-fasting-change

May God’s Presence fill you with hope as you trust in Him.

Thought for Today

“Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Jesus Christ to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”          
Ephesians 3:20

“…by the power at work within us…”

Sometimes I don’t feel like there is much power in me.  Sometimes I feel weak, see my failures, experience fatigue.  Sometimes I… and the negative list goes on.  I can think of all the things that are wrong, and would gladly list them for you if you asked.

But then I am reminded of the truth.  The truth – God’s truth – tells me that there is power at work in me.  That power is working in me right now.  And Jesus uses that power to accomplish abundant work in me.  In fact, the work that Jesus is doing in me is more than I can ask or imagine. 

Now here comes the tricky part.  The work that Jesus is doing in me may not be the same thing that I am asking or imagining.  The work that Jesus is doing in me is the work HE is doing.  That work is better than what I think or imagine.  If I am looking at what I want, what I imagine, then I am often unable to see what Jesus is doing, and the good work that is happening.  I am unable to experience God’s power at work in me.

Paul tells us how we can identify the work God is doing through Jesus in us: “to Him be glory…”  When God is working in me, Jesus is glorified.  People see Jesus, His goodness, grace, and love. 

The great news for each of us is that God is doing the work in us.  This isn’t about my plan.  This isn’t about my strength.  This is about God working in me, and me recognizing that work – celebrating that work – even when it isn’t what I planned, asked, or imagined.

May you be surprised today by the work God is doing in you!  May His work in you bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ to all generations, forever and ever!  Amen.

Thought for Today

More thoughts from my garden:

I like the look of our backyard plants.  The variety, the way they are comfortably disordered, hold beauty.  If I’m not careful, all I see is the internal list of what needs to be trimmed, replaced or repaired. But when I choose to look, not at what is wrong, but at what is right, I find joy and peace in this place.

Interesting to me:  Seeing the beauty does not mean I am blind to what needs to be done.  Instead, it allows me to do what I can, as I can, while knowing and seeing – and gaining from - the beauty that exists right now.

What can I learn from this about myself? Others? I need to be aware of the beauty of who God has created – who each of us is right now – while remaining open to the work in us God is doing and continuing to do.  God is trimming and repairing the ever-changing areas of our lives that need loving attention.