Not So Fast

 

 

A few years back in a historic church in Nova Scotia, three words were spray painted, writ large, on the side of the sanctuary for all in the village to see:  "God is Dead".  The vandal's timing was effective.  It was written mid-week, holy week, with precious little time to re-paint the entire side of the church.  The leaders met and wrung their hands.  The west side of the building was the talk of the town.  One of the leaders of the church said, "Let's wait.  Trust me."  This leader had a lot of clout and trust among the church and community.  On Saturday evening of holy week, she took a can of bright spray paint, and she wrote her response on that wall:  "Not so fast.  Happy Easter."  This conversation started long before spray paint.   It certainly was swirling in the first believers' hearts.  We might call it Good Friday, but it doesn't gloss over all the broken hearts and dreams of the followers of Jesus that first holy week.  Mary, Peter, Judas, Mary Magdelene, Joseph of Arimethea, and all the rest.  None of us escape the dark night of the soul, when things don't make sense. It's no use covering it up and painting over it; we doubt, we worry, we wonder.   To that, I believe, God says:  "Let's wait.  Trust me."  Holy week is about that most powerful conversation, and about being patient enough to hear it out to the last word.  Not so fast!  Happy Easter!

Peace,

Bruce

A Note from Melissa Bosserman: Producing Love

 "Wow, your church cares a lot! And, for a lot of people." "Did you know they make a quilt for everyone at the shelter?" "We are scared and lonely but we sure look great!" "This is more than we've ever gotten, ever, even at Christmas!"  "It may sound silly, but we feel like your church is behind us no matter what happens."  These are just a few of the things said by two fourteen year old children I have been working with over the past few weeks at Powell Middle School. They have recently made the journey out of their home, where they were being abused and neglected, and into a local shelter. 

I was told the state would kick in and provide for their basic needs. After a week of watching them wear the same clothes, I wasn't so sure. Unclear as to where to turn, I called Bruce and Philip. This wasn't the first time I had asked PHUMC to help out at the school. In January, a speaker cancelled at the last minute for a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day assembly. I called the church, requesting a speaker with a half a days notice so that the students would have a meaningful message, on a day of such importantance. Bruce was nervous! More nervous than I had seen him but he arrived with a willing heart and the love of God, for all of His people, and the children and adults were inspired!  So, really it was no surprise that the response on this new day of need was, "Do whatever it will take. We'll figure the rest out later.".

As I reflect on the care for community at PHUMC, I can't help but get a visual image of a little factory producing love and it makes me smile! And, as I looked around the church on Sunday, I could see it makes you smile as well!  There are times when looking at the needs of God's people is overwhelming. Sometimes, it seems the answers are too much, too hard to find.  It's weeks like these, where we see the answer through others, that we know God is in our mist. He's in our talents of speaking, giving, caring, praying and SEWING!  He blesses our gifts, multiplies them, and offers them to others with perfect timing and presentation.  Continue the production with excitement and purpose...in His Holy name! Amen!

Melissa Bosserman

The Color Purple

The season of Lent goes back to the earliest times, when the early church prepared candidates during this season for baptism on Easter.  By the time of Charlemagne in 730 AD, the length of Lent became forty days.  People used this time to pray, fast, study, give alms to the poor and prepare for the day commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Lent begins tonight at 6:00pm when we gather in the sanctuary for a service of ashes-- a stark reminder of our own mortality and of our need for God's forgiveness and love.  Here are some other ways in which we'll invite people into a deeper connection with God during this season:

1. We are offering a six-week "Confirmation for Adults" on the Wednesday nights, beginning Wednesday night, February 29th.  We have found a rich and powerful resource that will help us to deepen our relationship with Christ and the Church, and to re-discover what it means to be a disciple in the Methodist tradition.  You'll not only learn a lot about our theology-- but how to put our faith into practice.  After reviewing this resource, I can say I have never seen curriculum that is more clear or can make a greater impact on our walk with God.  I will be teaming up with Bert Felder to lead this six-week course. 

2.  Sherry Felder will be leading a "Companions of Christ" group on Wednesday nights, which will be open to anyone who wants to deepen their prayer life by exploring the ancient spiritual practices.  This group will serve as a source of prayer and companionship along the way.  Sherry is a very gifted leader, and she is passionate about helping others grow in their walk with God.

3.  We will have a Maundy service of worship on Thursday night, April 5th, which will remember Jesus words to his disciples in the upper room. 

4.  We will also gather at noon on Good Friday, April 6th, to meditate and reflect on the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross.

5.  We will have an early morning Easter sunrise service at 6:30am on Easter morning.  Philip Messner will be sharing the early morning message of hope on this powerful day!

6.  Finally, I will be inviting you on a journey every Sunday morning during this season.  I'll be preaching a sermon series called: "Forgiven"-- and we will explore the dimensions of this amazing gift and challenge God holds out to each of us! 

I really encourage you to take full advantage of each of these opportunities.  Beginning tonight, we will drape the cross on the parkway with purple.  Starting today, when I drive by it, the cross will stick out in a powerful way.  I hope this serves as a metaphor for all of us. 

My prayer for this Lenten season: Holy God, during these forty days, may we turn our eyes upon Jesus in a new way.  May the cross of his love and passion for us stay in the forfront of our minds.  May we notice the cross of Christ in a new way in this season of preperation! 

Finding the Right Trail

One of my great joys each morning is to drive onto the campus of Parkway Hills.  Both the building and the land say something important about our belief in God.  Though we live “east of Eden” (see Genesis 3:24), this piece of property reminds me that God beckons us back to the way creation was meant to be.   The greening of the campus this spring calls me to slow down, pray often, enjoy life in all its goodness, repent of the ways that I hinder life, to renew friendships, and to nourish the hope in my heart for the world that God so loves.  This land reminds me of Adam and Eve walking with God in the garden before everything went haywire. 

As we head towards late Lent, I’m planning on going down the hill to walk the Stations of the Cross.  For those of you who don’t know, there is a gravel trail with fourteen stations right here on our campus.  The Stations of the Cross commemorate Jesus’ painful and deadly journey to a trash-heap outside of town reserved for criminals and insurrectionists.  It was a walk he gladly took to get us back in the direction of the garden.  You’ll remember that in John’s gospel, Mary walked down into the cemetery to the tomb that held Jesus’ lifeless body.  She walked by a person that she thought was a gardener.  When he said her name, she knew it was Jesus.  She was right on both accounts.  May we be guided by the living Christ to move closer to the way God intended us to live, one step at a time.  May we find the right trail.  This is Lent’s gracious invitation.



An Invitation to Lent

We will begin our Lenten season on Wednesday night as we worship together on Ash Wednesday.  Lent lasts 40 days, not including Sundays.  It was traditionally a time when aspiring Christians went through training and teaching in preparation for their baptism on Easter morning.  I invite us to make it a season to re-commit our lives to Jesus Christ and his Kingdom.  

Many Christians around the world are compelled to fast during Lent-- to give up and let go of something in their life for a season.  The purpose of fasting is to go without in order to be mindful of the true source of joy in our life-- the love of God.  Sometimes our lives are so crowded with things that we forget that our greatest need in life is to connect with God.  John Wesley skipped lunch on most Fridays of his adult life.  He would also donate the money he would have used and give it to the poor.

What might you give up for Lent to remind you of your dependence on God?  

Chocolate?  Alcohol?  Facebook?  Eating out?  Fast Food?  Junk Food? Softdrinks?  

Whatever it is, I invite you to join me on this journey.

I haven't decided how I'm fasting this season-- but whatever I give up, I'm going to take the money I'm saving and make a contribution to the Methodist Children's Home.  I am going to give this amount separately, and in addition to my pledge during this season of Lent.  On the note of my check, I'm writing:  Designated Giving:  Methodist Children's Home.  Will you join me?  Wouldn't it be awesome if one result of our fasting together was that we helped our United Methodist Men fully furnish a room for a child who has been separated from her parents?  We are $2,400 away from our goal to fully furnish a room at MCH.  

This Lent, may we all grow closer to Jesus Christ, who gave everything for us and for the world!  May your journey through Lent be rich and meaningful!

Peace, 

Bruce

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.” Psalm 1-12