APRIL 21 BALANCE (and Fear)

Psalm 56: 1-4 “What can mortal man do to me?’

In this week of tragedies and disasters, it was hard to concentrate.

So many memories flooded back to me on the near- misses for my own family. A bomb in a market of Djibouti, Africa.  Passengers on a train in Thailand hauled off and shot.  Husband on a plane going to New York City on 9/11 and the plane is stopped.

And right there, our family in Boston sheltering in place.  The city at a standstill hunting for two mad men.  Cell phones not working.  The Internet seems too slow for what is happening.  One suspect is killed. Finally, the other is captured. 

Layered on top of this is the explosion in West, Texas with the horrible result of first responders becoming the victims.  How does this happen? The firemen and paramedics were just trying to save others.

And Rev. Jason is describing the fear and shock on the faces in our congregation:

• If this happened to me, what would be my response?  Am I safe?  Where would I live?
•  Where is my sense of comfort?  Where is my security?

I am questioning how bad things can happen to good people.  Days later, I am still unsettled.  I take solace in this verse:

 ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.’  John 14: 17-19

“Can there be hope where fear is?”  Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)

Where there is hope, there is life. Where there is life, there is love.  Where there is God, there is peace and light and everlasting spirit.

I am a Renewed Christian.

APRIL 14 BALANCE (and Rest)

Deuteronomy 5: 12-15

^"13For six days you shall labour and do all your work.¹⁴But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God…”

“Covenant Cares for Kids” is the mission statement of our church’s planned approach to one local, one regional and one global project for mission work.  On Sunday, our Serve Team showed a presentation with photos and videos of the recent trip to Haiti, and Rev. Jason talked about the Tabernacle of Christ Methodist Church.   This Methodist church has taken in the orphans from a nearby home where the agency had to close due to lack of funds.  Covenant plans on making a trip there in July and running Vacation Bible School, and other programming.  Interested?  See Rev. Jason Burnham or Laura Jacobson for more details.

The candle wax cartoon.  I wrote about the cartoon of the guy asking for more wax because he was burning the candle at both ends.  With Sunday’s sermon, I thought back to that time and remembered how I wore my “candle wax” cartoon as a badge of honor.  I was so busy, that I needed extra wax- but I was proud of that.  That meant I was important to my company, and I worked even harder to keep moving up that ladder of success.  As a young mother, I believed in that badge of honor.  Why- look at all that I accomplished today!  I kept a score card of all the time and effort I put in, making my house spotless, my kids well-dressed, my husband and marriage happy and bright.  I forgot to take care of myself many times, but everyone around me was content, cleaned and pressed, and well-fed.  How good they looked was a reflection of me-right?  I was doing my job well-right?

Actually no.

I spent a lot of time making sure that that reflection was bright, shiny and all about me.  I worked very hard all the time to make sure people knew it was me that was the reason for such accomplished and fortunate family.  Not only did I not rest on the seventh day, but I did not give God credit for leading me to provide for my family. 

And I was tested for that. When my kids became teenagers, I had to trust that what I modeled and how I behaved gave them the strength to make good choices and live their own lives.  I found myself giving “free advice” and holding out opinions- most of which was resented and went unheeded.  My relationships with both of my young adults became strained, and then worse.  Because it was all about me still.  I had to have the last word, the critical opinion, the best advice.  After all, I had raised them and I had done a damn good job.  Right?  If only I had “let go, and let God”.  You know who was broken? Me, if I really was honest with myself.

I had to come back to a real understanding of what faith means, and what renewal can bring to an empty life.  I am working on that every day. And now after this spiritual reminder of “rest”, I will work to find that day to reflect on God.

Renewed Christian.

Last week’s challenge:  Check in with a current friend and with a lifelong friend.  Take the pulse of your friend’s life, and make sure to connect with “fierceness”.

Challenge for this week: Spend one day where you don’t do the work of the ordinary.  Spend this day on rest, but also on the replenishment of your faith. 

APRIL 7 NEW SERMON SERIES: BALANCE (...and Fierce Friends)

MARK 2: 1-12

 “⁴And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.”

^“8At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and take your mat and walk”?”

First a word about Balance.

I admit to being a victim of “burning the candle at both ends”.  This is a standard joke in my family, started off by the now famous cartoon my mother sent me from the newspaper.  I was in my mid-20’s and at the height of anxiety going to a Master’s degree program and striving for the next rung on the career ladder. The cartoon showed a man in a doctor’s exam room saying patiently to the doctor, “I know I am burning the candle at both ends.  I came to you for more wax”. 

So here I am, sitting in church, listening and reading the Scripture passage for the day and thinking, “how in the world does this passage apply to Balance?”  (Note the capitalization- I still have to think of balance as a major concept in my life.) And then at first, I find myself marveling at the miracle Jesus has just performed and comprehending that Jesus had to show, to demonstrate who he was, in order to get the attention of the scribes who were second-guessing faith. 

Rev. Jason then explained the situation of the passage.  Jesus has come back to Capernaum, and the news of his return has drawn a huge crowd.  There is such a throng in the house that people are literally spilling out the door.  Four people come carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.  They cannot get their friend close to Jesus, no one can or will make room for them.  So they climb the stairs to the roof, and literally chop a hole so that they can lower their friend down to the floor in front of Jesus. 

What an incredible image- a set of friends so dedicated that they will do the unthinkable and cut through the roof of another’s house.  These friends had such faith that Jesus would help their paralyzed friend, and Rev. Jason called them “Fierce Friends”. And Jesus recognized the friends' faith in Jesus and their faith in their friend, so that Jesus goes on to perform the healing of this paralyzed friend.

Fierce Friends are the friends who have your back. They are the “go to” crisis management team, the shoulder to cry on, the ultimate of every cliché but with the power to change your life. 

And hence, friends are crucial to balance in our lives. 

Rev. Jason mentioned that he would always want Fierce Friends. I could not agree more.   

Renewed Christian

March 31 Easter Sunday for all

Luke 23: 44-56 and Luke 24: 1-9

^“5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. ⁶Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 

Corinthians 2: 16-21

“16From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. ¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

Easter Sunday has fond memories for me- a new dress, lots of photographs, a special meal with relatives and friends.  And of course, chocolate!

Covenant UMC had the all-in-one Easter celebration yesterday.  The church service with adults and children, a special Easter Brunch catered by one of the best breakfast places in The Woodlands- The Egg and I- and a traditional Easter Egg Hunt for the kids.  The Easter Bunny even made a guest appearance for photographs.

A special mini-sermon at church was led by Patricia Scott, Director of Children’s Ministries.  If you ever wanted to know what your child is learning while you are in church, this was a wonderful opportunity to see and comprehend. 

Miss Patricia started by having Michael Rafferty, our worship leader, put on an old overcoat belonging to a relative, and then she tied him up!  This was to demonstrate how we can get “tied up” with all the things that may be wrong or repeat bad behavior- and at the extreme, sin. She explained that if we can change, if we can believe in Jesus and God, then we have a chance of being without sin and therefore free. And she cut the ribbons tying Michael’s hands.  But as humans, it is hard to change.  She asked Michael to keep his hands clasped as if he were still tied, and try to remove the sports coat.  He could not.  We have to really want to change and work at change to keep ourselves from sin.

More importantly, during Rev. Jason’s portion of the sermon, we learned that humans can become new with the Resurrection of Jesus, and letting the Holy Spirit into ourselves and our lives. While Jesus lived and died a long time ago, the gift of Jesus for Christians is hope and salvation.  Christians can live in the day with the Holy Spirit and live for eternal life.  I really listened to the words of Communion- how uplifting to talk of Jesus on this day. 

Renewed Christian

March 28 Turning the tables

John 13: 1-17

^“14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.¹⁵For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.¹⁶Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

There have been plenty of “firsts” for this Renewed Christian this year.

Last night was a first- attending a Maundy Thursday Service.  Another first, I washed my husband’s feet and he washed mine, just as Jesus did before the Last Supper. 

Rev. Jason helped us understand the cultural and historical significance of feet washing in the time of Jesus.  Feet washing was an act of hospitality, a way of setting the stage for a guest of the household to feel welcomed.  As such, it was delegated to the servants to do or for the slaves of the household, and it became a divider of status.

By washing feet in last night’s service, we had a chance to “set an example” of humility and care.  Children washed their parents’ feet, parents returned the favor, friends washed friends’ feet, and Rev. Jason washed the feet of Michael, our worship leader.

At first I was nervous- such an intimate act and an act I thought demonstrated humility and obedience- kneeling before another and washing that person’s feet.

And then I thought, this is another ultimate example.   

Jesus is quite deliberate in his actions, telling the Disciples that they too should wash each other’s feet- that there is no division in God’s world.

Think of how many phrases humans have for this role change:

180° change     Turning the tables     Changing places     Put in place of

Switch     Turnabout      Reversal     Reclassification     Game changer

Exchange     Role change    Trading places    And so on…

We use words to describe this deceptively simple role change.  Jesus used personal example to impress upon the Disciples how important it is to give the acknowledgement of humanity.  Little did the Disciples know how everlasting a memory Jesus also created.   

 “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end”.

Renewed Christian