"CONNECTING ALL PEOPLE TO CHRIST THROUGH LOVING GOD AND LOVING NEIGHBORS NEAR AND FAR"

I’ve been wondering lately. Could too much bad news be a health hazard? All the bad news is certainly making me weary. Sometimes when I get up and take a look at the latest news headlines, I am tempted to run back to bed, pull the covers over my head, and make an attempt to sleep until things take a turn for the better! Another reaction that I have to the daily round of bad news is to fret. Fretting means worrying and stewing over what might happen next and what can be done about it. I am an excellent fretter, but I have a sneaking suspicion that as a coping behavior, fretting is even less helpful than sleeping. I think God must be on to my behaviors. I think so because the other day when I picked up my morning devotional book, the featured Scripture reference was from Psalm 37. “Do not fret—it leads only to evil. For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.” (vs. 8,9) Hmmm…..could this be a word for me and all my fellow fretters? Here’s what I heard the Lord is saying to me in the face of the bad news du jour: bad news is nothing new, it’s been going on since the world began. Sin is real and its effects are devastating. That’s the source of all the bad news—so don’t be so surprised when it gets especially bad. Just look at the crucifixion—that’s what human sin will do to the Son of God. But keep on looking. Sin can’t defeat God, even when it looks that way. God is not defeated at all! In the midst of the bad news is the good news of resurrection- an indestructible life that comes right out of the midst of sin and death. Therefore, DO NOT FRET! God is at work even in the midst of bad news! Because of the GOOD NEWS of God’s work through Jesus, no bad news has the final say. With the Psalmist, we too can say, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” (28:7) Praise be to God!

I love the beginning of the Church Year!  Advent, the joyful season of expectation and preparation for Christ's coming both as a baby human being (God in flesh!) and Christ's coming at the "end of the age."   Advent leads us to Christmas, then Epiphany, then Lent, then Easter, then Pentecost!  What rich meaning our seasons bring to us!  

The story of the incarnation of God in Jesus, his life, death for our sins, his resurrection and his ascension is an amazing story of how God comes to be with his own created people and how God's daring plan of rescue gets put into play. 

Lot's of people have trouble with the Christmas fanfare.  They associate it with the loss of loved ones who shared the celebration in the past or they become overwhelmed with the expectations that the culture puts on them to make a "perfect Christmas."

Truly, though, the true meaning of Christmas is filled with simplicity.   A young girl who becomes pregnant and gives birth in a barn.  A baby boy who  grows up hanging out  (we suppose) in his dad's carpenter shop.  A man who travels from place to place teaching God's ways and healing human brokenness wherever he finds it.  Nothing complicated or fancy, just simplicity at its best.  

Advent calls us to reflect on this simple life of Jesus and to reflect his ways in our own lives.  Can we simplify our lives during this time?  It will mean going against the grain, but what joy there is in the celebration of the simple fact that God Saves!

Have a blessed Advent!

Nancy

There are some wonderful little surprises that come to a rural church.  For instance, yesterday a chicken graced us with her presence all day long.  She was there for early church, pecking and scratching around for insects and whatever else might stir up a chicken's appetite.  During worship, she scratched in our newly mulched flower beds, making a big mess on the sidewalk.   She was busy doing her "chicken thing"  while we were busy worshiping God.  She didn't come without her gifts, though.  Later in the day, she laid an egg in the flower bed next to the fellowship hall!   I don't know why this chicken's visit to the church grounds should stir up such joy in me, but it does.  I suppose it speaks to me about the beauty and wonder of God's creation--something that always brings me joy.  I think it was the egg that delighted me so much.   The egg was the chicken's unique offering--something only she could give. 

Each person who comes to RUMC brings his or her own individual and unique gifts as well.  As individuals, we may not think they amount to so much, but when they are all put together, what a rich offering!   I pray that each person will realize that he or she brings something wonderful to our rural church--something that only he or she can give.  Maybe the chicken visited us just to remind us of that very thing!

Nancy

Sometimes God seems to withhold. I reflected on God's abundance in the last blog as I witnessed an overabundant crop of blueberries.  It was raining then.  Now it's dry.  No rain in sight for the past six weeks.  Not a drop the whole month of August.  The crops are drying up.  The tomatoes are shriveled,tough, and tiny things...barely edible.  The field peas look like they are producing, but the pods are practically empty. 

Not only have the crops dried up, but it seems sometimes like people are drying up. Businesses continue to close and lay off people, jobs are hard to come by, non-profits see dwindling support from once generous donors.   Fear seems to be driving many people.  Loud voices stridently express ideas that most of us once would have considered totally off the wall.  Imposters are everywhere shouting out "what God told" them.  ("By their fruits you will know them," says Mt. 7:16)

Like the Psalmist, we cry out:  "Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb.  May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.  Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves."  (Ps. 126: 4-6)

What can we do in such times of turmoil, but cling ever more tightly to the promises of God?  Psalm 131 speaks for us:  "O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and for evermore."

Enough said!

Nancy

Picking blueberries off the bushes in my back yard has given me a glimpse into the prodigal nature of God.  Prodigal--meaing extremely abundant or wastefully excessive--is a word that is most often used to describe the younger son in Luke 15 who wastes his father's inheritance on reckless living.  On the other hand, the Father in that story is also prodigal--forgiving the wayward son and throwing a big party to welcome him back home.  Excessively extravagant, we might think.

As I pick and pick and pick and pick blueberries,  I can hardly believe the abundant production of fruit on what was originally nine scrawny little twigs just a few years ago.  I can stand in one place and pick the fruit for a solid hour and never have to move.  What extravagance!  This experience has given me a tangible glimpse of God's glorious nature.  God gives us abundant gifts all over the place.  God  gives us the gift of creation, including plants that produce sweet, delicious food;  God gives us a span of life or time in which we can serve God in the amazing bodies He has given us to live in;  God has given us each other--brothers and sisters in Christ who live all over this planet--brothers and sisters who come in different colors and who speak an array of languages;  God has given us the gift of the Son, Jesus, to bring us salvation;  God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and brings different gifts that make us useful in God's kingdom work; and these gifts are just a little bit of what God intends to give us.  With God, there is always more! 

This kind of extravagance can lead to both gratitude and trust.  When Jesus said not to worry about our lives, about what we eat and what we wear, but rather to consider the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and to notice how God abundantly provides what they need, we can stop worrying so much and begin to offer words of thanks for all God provides for us, trusting that God's provision is more than we'll ever need.  Extravagant!

Nancy

This summer our focus will be on our life as stewards.  You might be wondering why.  Well...the whole earth and everthing on it belongs to God...right?  That's what Psalm 24:1 says.  So if it's all God's, then what is our relationship with the earth and all that's in it?  If we are not the owners, it must mean that we are the managers, the caretakers, or the stewards of everything.  The question then becomes:  are we good stewards or poor stewards? 

Some things over which we have stewardship that we will be considering are:  the Church or the body of Christ; in other words how do we care for one another?  the time that we are each allotted as a lifespan;  our own individual bodies;  our environment; our money; the gifts of the Holy Spirit;  our salvation; and the stewardship over the mission that Jesus gave the Church.

Each week we will be challenged to take one step toward better stewardship in each of these areas.

Nancy

Picking up litter has opened a new window in my prayer life.   Last week as I walked along the road I've claimed as  a clean zone,  I suddenly realized that I was praying!   It was not so much an intentional prayer as a stream of consciousness.  I thanked God for the breeze that brought relief from the sun's heat. I thanked God for neighbors who passed by in their cars.  I asked for blessings on those who threw out the trash, and petitioned God to show them new ways to dispose of their garbage.  I confessed my own wastefulness that throws away so much.  I confessed my own love of convenience that drives the fast food business.  I confessed my own laziness in using disposable utensils rather than real ones.   As I alternately thanked, blessed, and confessed,  I discovered that words of scripture began to come to mind that shaped my prayers. 

At the end of my walk, as I stuffed the last piece of trash down into my garbage can, I looked back down the road and felt satisfaction at seeing the green roadside free of paper cups, beer cans, etc.  I also felt a light heart and a renewed spirit from having spent some quality time with God.     Clean road, clean heart....what could be better?

I'm reading a good book entitled "Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies" by Marilyn McEntyre.  On my latest book shopping adventure, the title caught my attention because I have been considering the use, misuse, and abuse of the human language lately.  So many words are so eloquently spoken from so many different sources, yet so many are untruths or distortions of truth used for manipulation, propaganda, or whatever agender the speaker might have.

How do we know what is the truth?  It is especially difficult to sort out all the words because we no longer function very well in community.  We don't know the people who are talking, writing, etc., so we don't have any idea if they are people of integrity or not.  We don't know who to trust, so we don't know whose words we can trust.  This is a difficult situation because the best way to know if someone's words are true or not is to know how he or she lives his or her life.  If the words match the behavior and ethics, we know the words are true whether we agree with them or not.

This current cultural dilemma makes it especially crucial for those of us in the church to become good stewards of our words.  After all, the gospel is shared verbally as well as behaviorly.  Our language is a sacred trust. We must measure our words carefully.  Self-control is necessary.  Before we speak, let's run a mental check list on what we are about to say.  Is it true?  Is it necessary to say?  Is God glorified by what we say?  Will our words build up or tear down?  What is our motivation for speaking?  

I've often heard that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason, and that is to remind us that we need to listen twice as much as we need to speak.  In a culture of lies, let us guard our speech and serve as beacons of light in the darkness. 

Nancy

Rev. Dr. Tim Reeves' message at the Sanford District Lay Rally was a great reminder to us who are followers of Christ: "Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

"These things"  refer to the disasters referenced in Luke 21 and include such things as wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines, plagues, and great signs from heaven.  Of course, such "things"  have been occurring since Jesus' day.  It does seem that "these things" have been ramped up to a high level in recent times.   The daily news that assaults us is usually bad and can stir up in us feelings of fear and great anxiety.  This news also stirs up our prayer life, our sadness, our compassion and our willingness to offer aid to  those who suffer the immediate effects of such disasters. 

"These things"  also give us a reality check.  We are not invinceable.  As human beings, we are vulnerable to every one of these things that pose so much threat.  YET, as people who follow Christ, we are not to be caught off guard.  The scripture continues to remind us not to be "weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness,"  but rather to "be alert at all times" and praying for strength to escape these things and to "stand before the Son of Man." 

We need each other to be reminded to stand and to look up to God at ALL times, for it is through God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that we find our strength and our salvation.

In times like these, it is really important to focus our thoughts on the words of Scripture; to meditate and to let those words soak into our psyches.  Words like those of Psalm 27: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?"  (vs. 1)  and "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"  (vs. 13-14)

This past Saturday evening, I thought about Kelly Frye's sermon title a couple of weeks ago which was:  "Me, Powerless?" 

I thought about it as the darkness and cold began to close in on us at the end of a day with no electric power.  We were optimistic, because even though the power may go out here occasionally, it always comes back on within an hour or two.  So, when it went out at noon, we were confident that by early afternoon, it would be back on.  Not so.  It was the darkness that  caused me to start to feel vulnerable.  I thought about what a thin veil there is between us humans and the elements.  My powerlessness hit me like a ton of bricks--we could not cook, we had no light (candles, of course), no phone service, no internet service, and with temperatures plunging toward the teens, no heat! 

You've probably experienced this sort of powerlessness, too.  Some spiritual insights came to me in my time of vulnerability.  One, when all our gadgets are off, it's REALLY quiet--leaving me to understand that we have lots of distractions in our lives that keeps us from hearing the "still, small voice of God."   Two,  I am fooling myself when I think I'm self-sufficient.  I'm not.  I depend on other people and I'm quite vulnerable without them.  "Love your neighbor" is the only way to live.  Three, being prepared for emergencies takes planning and thinking ahead.  This is true in my spiritual life as well as my physical.  If I'm not disciplined in the practice of prayer, soaking up God's word, and servanthood, then when the emergencies come ( as they most certainly will), I will not know what to do.

Thankfully, our electricity came back on right before bed time, saving us from a miserable night.  Thank God!   Hopefully, I learned something in the process.

Nancy