Becoming God’s Blessed Community
Devotions and Small Group Readings For the Lenten Season
Chelsea First United Methodist Church February – April, 2020
v2 2 8 2020
Devotions in Preparation for All-Church Lenten Study For Use Prior to Ash Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Pages 1-3 provide an introduction and example of the format and content of the upcoming Adult Lenten study. Each week’s materials will contain 3-4 pages – a mixture of Scripture, associated readings and questions for reflection and discussion. The goal is to focus our minds and hearts on the needs of people around us, and to help us discern how to be Christian Neighbors in these situations.
A Plea to the Lord Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; According to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Psalm 51: 1-3,6-7,9-10
Readings Is that the sort of fast that pleases me, a day when a person inflicts pain on himself? Hanging your head like a reed, spreading out sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call fasting, a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me: to break unjust fetters, to undo the throngs of the yoke; to let the oppressed go free, and to break all yokes? Is it not sharing your food with the hungry or sheltering the homeless poor; if you see someone lacking in clothes, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own kin? Isaiah 58: 5-8
With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6: 6-8
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Video Story The video can be found at https://vimeo.com/273009173; this story is one of several. It begins at about 8 min 37 sec, and goes for roughly 4 minutes. The voice of Pastor Ellen Zienert runs over video images of parishioners driving to a dairy farm on a sunny winter day – Ash Wednesday. The group stands together with farm workers in the barn while all share in a short service of the application of the ashes.
Transcript: I’m Ellen Zienert and I’m Pastor of St Johns First United Methodist Church in St. Johns, Michigan. Today we’re out taking ashes to various farms and homes of our students.
The Neighbors Ministry started at the church about eleven years ago when the idea came to teach English to Spanish-speaking farm workers that live in the area. And when they tried it they realized there was a need there and that their gifts matched the need and they could be in ministry with people who were in our community.
A few years ago we decided we would take ashes out to the farms to those people who would like to receive ashes. We have a lot of dairy farms around this area in the center of Michigan, primarily Mexican immigrants work on those farms. There was a need for translation, a need for support in terms of transportation, because in Michigan, undocumented immigrants cannot receive driver’s licenses. Often the wife needs to get to school to be in a conference with the children, or take the children to a doctor’s appointment, things like that. And it’s a real blessing to have people who can help translate a little bit, or even if you can’t translate, just be there as a support and a calming presence. Just driving people places, and that’s a pretty easy thing to do.
I was a Spanish major in college and taught English in Columbia for a year after I left college. I just felt like God had placed me here, that this was a place where I could use that talent that I had to further my ministry and be of service in this community.
I think this church was really faithful to listening to God’s call. Because originally they really thought that they would offer a 16 week English class to maybe 15 people and that would be good. I’m thinking that 11 or 12 years this ministry has been going on. It really has opened up this Congregation’s eyes and hearts to the plight of immigrants. They see real people who are working very hard jobs, who are here because they want to provide for their families, who left desperately poor situations at home.
It’s been a great two-way learning opportunity for both of us to get to know a little of the Mexican culture and for our students to help them to more fully enter into the culture in the United States.
I think that’s the main thing in any kind of ministry, just to listen to where your heart takes you and where God is taking you as you try to engage in ministry. And not to be afraid that you don’t have all the Spanish it takes or all the knowledge or anything else. Just to be there in ministry and in love with people.
Sharing of the Ashes at St. Johns (MI) First United Methodist Church Video prepared by the Michigan Annual Conference
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Reflection Lent is traditionally a time of waiting, of repentance, and quiet contemplation of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. Are there particular questions or issues that you wish to focus on – either privately or with others -- during this season? Do you come from a family or a faith tradition that had particular ways of marking Lent? Did you celebrate “Mardi Gras” or “Fat Tuesday” with partying or rich treats? Did you ever “give something up” during Lent? Did you attend worship on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday? Does this time in the church calendar have meaning for you? If not, what might make it so? The prophets are dismissive of “burnt offerings” and the typical sacrifices meant to gain favor with God. How does this translate to our lives and practices today? What are Lenten activities or sacrifices that we can adopt that would be pleasing to the Lord? Have you ever felt profoundly welcomed in a place where you were a stranger? What was it about that experience that made it moving or significant? What does it mean to you to welcome someone in the name of Christ? Or to welcome someone as if he or she was Christ? How is it different from simply being friendly and polite?
Poem for Ash Wednesday
I said to my soul, be still, and let the dark come upon you Which shall be the darkness of God. As, in a theatre, [when] The lights are extinguished, for the scene to be changed With a hollow rumble of wings, with a movement of darkness on darkness….
I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing. From T. S. Eliot, “East Coker” Provided in A Service for Ash Wednesday, www.spaciousfaith.com
Prayer Dearest Lord, Create an opening in my life and my heart for you to enter. Reshape me, and apply me to your purposes. In Christ’s holy name, Amen.
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Devotions for Week 1 (Centered around the First Sunday in Lent, March 1, 2020) Contemplations on the Pain of Shame and Worthlessness
Lament My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; And by night, but find no rest. But I am a worm, and not human; Scorned by others, and despised by the people. Do not be far from me, For trouble is near and there is no one to help. Psalm 22: 1-2, 6, 11
Jesus Knows Our Sorrows
He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Mark 15: 33-36
Consolation
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a
Know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1: 18-19
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Readings Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:1-10, Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin
Church language often communicates, “Come and get plugged into what we are doing! We have a place for you. We have amazing things going on.” That can translate to: “There is something wrong with you. You are not fulfilled. You are working at a deficit….” But consider Jesus’ parables of the lost coin [and] the lost sheep…. We can get caught up in the lostness of each, but really we believe Jesus is [emphasizing] the worth [of what was] being found…. They had great value as they [already] were. The Neighboring Church, Rick Rusaw and Brian Davis, pp 30-31.
At the center of God’s and our intertwining stories is Jesus Christ…. Salvation is the impact of God’s desire to bring goodness into human lives and our openness and willingness to receive that goodness. For Christians, the dovetailing of God’s story and ours happens through Jesus Christ. Jesus is our savior and the object of our affection. Jesus Christ saves us from our wandering ways and brings us back to God….
For many mainliners, [traditional or evangelical] explanations [of God’s salvation] are too stark… [These include beliefs expressed as “the only way out of hell is belief in Jesus,” and “we only get to heaven after we die by believing in Jesus.”] Many mainliners ignore the topic. We, the authors, find that not dealing with the topic of salvation has watered down the Christian message in many mainline churches. If you do not talk about salvation publicly (in sermons, conversations, small groups, worship services and other venues of church life), your church will be nothing more than another self-help organization…. There are many ways you can tell God’s story of worship and salvation. Building Worship Bridges by Cathy Townley, Kay Katan and Bob Farr
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God’s Blessed Community [At a speaking engagement at a Catholic college,] a woman in the audience asked a question. I’ll always be grateful to… her for allowing curiosity and frustration to overcome discretion. “I don’t mean to be offensive,” she said, “but I just don’t understand how you can get so much comfort from a religion whose language does so much harm.”
I had spent too many years outside the Christian religion to be offended by her comment. I know very well that faith can seem strange, even impenetrable, to those who do not share it. I understood all too well where that question was coming from. But how to respond, there and then, to this woman’s evident bafflement, and even anguish? I took a deep breath, and blessed clarity came. I realized that what troubled me most was her use of the word “comfort,” so in my reply I addressed that first. I said that I didn’t think it was comfort I was seeking, or comfort that I’d found. Look, I said to her, as a rush of words came to me. As far as I’m concerned, this religion has saved my life, my husband’s life, and our marriage. So it’s not comfort that I’m talking about but salvation.
Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith -- Essays by Kathleen Norris on her conversion, writing, and experiences with Benedictine monasticism. From the Preface.
My son [12-year-old Dev] told me he wanted to go to church. When I asked him why, he said, “To see if God is there.” Writer Mary Karr, describing her recovery from alcoholism and conversion to Roman Catholicism, in her memoir, Lit.
Reflection
Often the messages we get in our day-to-day lives about what makes us “valuable” or “useful” are very different from the Bible’s message that God loves us unconditionally. It can be a struggle to fully accept and live into God’s love and grace.
What in your experience of church life has been an encouragement to you when you were feeling down on yourself? Do you find communal activities like worship and fellowship to be different in this regard than solitary study and prayer? Has a casual acquaintance or short encounter with someone ever made you feel more worthwhile, more like a beloved child of God? If yes, how, exactly? How might we be a “balm” to those who are discouraged, even if we don’t know them well? What do you most need from your church and congregational life to help you live fully into God’s peace and salvation? Activities? Worship? Study? How do or don’t these things work for you as a bridge to God’s presence? How does the word “Salvation” relate to how you comprehend that you are valuable in God’s eyes? Would being better able to express and talk about Salvation be helpful to you in dealing with feelings of anxiety or unworthiness? Think about what it would be like to attend a church you are not familiar with. What would help you to experience God in that new place? How would you discern “if God is there?”
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Hymn There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead To save a sin-sick soul.
Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work’s in vain. But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.
If you can’t preach like Peter, if you can’t pray like Paul, just tell the love of Jesus, and say he died for all.
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul. From United Methodist Hymnal #375; Hear Mahalia Jackson at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFMY4V7RdbU
Prayer Loving God, You have claimed me as your precious child. You have redeemed me; you have stamped me with a mark of great worth. As you sustain me, help me to sustain others. Strengthen and soften me, that I may be a friend and a comfort. Let me see Your face in every Neighbor and Guest. In Jesus name, Amen.
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Devotions for Week 2 (Centered around the Second Sunday in Lent, March 8, 2020) Contemplations on Poverty, Persecution and Desperation
Lament Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor; Let them be caught in the schemes they have devised. Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; Under their tongues are mischief and iniquity. They sit in ambush in the villages; In hiding places they murder the innocent. Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; They lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; They lurk that they may seize the poor; They seize the poor and drag them off in their net. Psalm 10: 1-2, 7-9
Jesus Knows Our Sorrows
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Philippians 2: 5-7
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Luke 9: 57-58
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. Matthew 26: 3-4
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Consolation
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10: 29-31
Readings
“Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or lacking clothes, sick or in prison and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” Matthew 25: 44-45
An average of 10-15 family groups shop the clothing room each day…. We regularly provide food for 100 or more households each month. Faith in Action Website, www.faithinaction1.org/programs-services
Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” John 8: 2-11
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God’s Blessed Community
I was sitting in my office at the church that very first year. It was almost Christmas and I was ready to quit. The debt. The grants. The audits. The staff. The poor. The donors. I was a mess, ready to call the bishop to request a circuit – four or five congregations – in the Upper Peninsula, when a knock came at the door. Actually, the person beat on the door as if it were a bass drum.
Because I had gone to the finest seminary in the country, where they taught us about empathy and sympathy, compassion and counseling, “seeing Jesus” in the poor and “entertaining angels unaware,” I yelled just before the birth of Jesus, “Go away, I’m busy.” In fact, I was agitated by the interruption. A Kilimanjaro-pile of paperwork awaited my attention or signature.
The intruder was not fazed. The banging began to sound like a battering ram. Every pound caused the door to shake in its frame, as if the person behind it was saying, “I don’t care how ugly you are, I’m going to stand here and pelt this door until you let me in.” Then, because Boston University equipped its grads with emotional intelligence and an “as you did it unto the least of these” theology, I screamed, “All right then, come in!...”
The door swung open ever so slowly and there on the other side was Carla. Like Tippy Toes, even if I hadn’t recognized her, I would have quickly guessed her occupation. She was every bit the television stereotype. Dressed in spandex tight pants with a loud, low-cut top, a leather coat and thick make-up, Carla was drenched in perfume. It really didn’t matter what she was wearing, though; customers were eager and willing to pay just about any street prostitute $10 a half hour in the alley behind my church.
Without entering the office, Carla pointed her index finger at my face. “Rev. Fowler, you’ve … got … to … get… her … off … my … corner!”
I looked up. Like one of the emaciated children cowering by the Ghost of Christmas Present, a girl, just 12 years old, was in Carla’s clutch. At that moment, despite the excellent education that I had been privileged to receive, I couldn’t think of a thing to say. I summoned one of our caseworkers to call her parents and notify the authorities. My eyes followed them as the pre- teen was escorted out of the office. Then, Carla and I sat there alone on opposite sides of my desk. She spoke quietly and I will never forget what she said. “You know, Rev. Fowler, I wasn’t so much worried about losing business, but when I looked at that little girl, I saw myself and I knew that the church could save her.”
From This Far by Faith: Twenty Years at Cass Community, by Rev. Faith Fowler (available as e-book or paperback from Amazon)
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Reflection
This week’s Lament speaks of absolute desperation – of imminent danger, of deliberate persecution, of being the target of predatory attacks, of being caged like an animal. Think about the relationship between poverty and desperation. How does poverty relate to being under attack, with no one to help? Besides poverty, what else can be a cause of such desperation? In our time, and in Chelsea, what do you think are causes of desperation? In what ways might the desperate feel or be persecuted? Consider a newcomer to our church – someone who has known desperation, is maybe getting help from Faith in Action for immediate needs, but who wishes to test the notion that “the church can save.” What would you want that person’s experience to be like, the first time they come?
Hymn Well if I could I surely would O Mary don't you weep, don't mourn Stand on the rock where Moses stood O Mary don't you weep, don't mourn Pharaoh's army got drownded Pharaoh's army got drownded O Mary don't you weep. O Mary don't you weep.
Mary wore three links of chain One of these nights bout 12 o'clock On every link was Jesus' name. This old world is gonna rock. Pharaoh's army got drownded Pharaoh's army got drownded O Mary don't you weep. O Mary don't you weep.
Moses stood on the Red Sea shore Old Mr. Satan he got mad Smote' the water with a two by four. Missed that soul that he thought he had. Pharaoh's army got drownded Pharaoh's army got drownded O Mary don't weep. O Mary don't you weep.
Brothers and sisters don't you cry God gave Noah the rainbow sign They'll be good times by and by. Said, "No more water but fire next time." Pharaoh's army got drownded Pharaoh's army got drownded O Mary don't weep. O Mary don't weep.
Bruce Springsteen’s take on O Mary Don’t You Weep, UMH #134; See www.youtube.com/watch?v=tebjshm7f_I
Prayer
Dear Lord, I know whose side You are on. You are on the side of those who have nothing, and who are made to feel like nothing. Help me to align myself with Your purposes; teach me to apply myself to places of hurt. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
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Devotions for Week 3 (Centered on the Third Sunday of Lent – March 15, 2020) Contemplations on Grief, Disaster and Loss
Lament [A messenger] came [to Job] and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house, and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.”
[Job replied,] My sighing comes like my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water. Truly the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. O that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me; When the Almighty was still with me, when my children were around me. [But now] my inward parts are in turmoil, and are never still; days of affliction come to meet me. My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.
Job 1:18-19; 3: 24-25; 29: 1-2, 5; 30:31
Jesus Knows Our Sorrows
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. John 11: 1-3, 17, 30-35
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Consolation
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” Revelation 21: 1-4
Readings
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.”
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!”. And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age).
Mark 5:21-23, 35-42
Better than baptisms or marriages, funerals press the noses of the faithful against the windows of their faith. Vision and insight are often coincidental with demise. Death is the moment when the chips are down. That moment of truth when the truth that we die makes relevant the claims of our prophets and apostles. Faith is not required to sing in the choir, for bake sales or building drives; to usher or deacon or elder or priest. Faith is for the time of our dying and the time of the dying of the ones we love. The Undertaking, by Thomas Lynch, a poet and undertaker from Milford, MI
You must apply in person for Emergency Burial Assistance at your county DHS office, and provide supporting personal financial records as well as any required co-payment or supplement…. We regret that due to the uncertainty of eligibility, we cannot complete or schedule any services until receiving a decision notice from your caseworker and payment from the state treasury. This may result in services being delayed for several weeks or longer. Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care website, www.mi-cremation.com/financialassistance (page no longer active) 13
God’s Blessed Community
Tony is a guy in our church who has really … started to know and love his [actual] neighbors. Some of the neighbors and their kids got into running 5Ks together. After one of the races, there was a party at one of the family’s houses. While this party with thirty people in the backyard was going on, a huge beam from the swing set fell and tragically and instantly killed the eight-year-old daughter of the family who lives there. Tony and the other neighbors helped his family as best they knew how in the days following the devastating accident. Our church was able to help by doing the funeral services, since the family had no faith background. The family met with one of our care pastors about the arrangements and the care pastor pulled me in to pray with the family.
Later, the father contacted me and said he wanted to meet with me, along with his wife, brother and his wife’s sister. I was a little confused because I wasn’t doing the funeral, but of course I agreed…. When we met, the father who had just lost his daughter said to me, “what’s going on here? All my neighbors have been cooking meals for us. My family has been coming in from all over the country and my neighbors have said, “Your sister is going to stay with us and another neighbor is going to take care of your other family coming in.”
He told me how this neighborhood of people that he just “kind of knows” have stepped in to help over and over again. Then he said, “I thought I was a good person, but I want to know what this is all about.”
“This has everything to do with Jesus and his calling for us to love our neighbors as ourselves,” I said.
“I want to know more about that,” he said.
God’s love has a profound effect. Be the best neighbor your neighbors have ever had. That’s the goal.
The Neighboring Church: Getting Better at What Jesus Said Matters Most By Rick Rusaw and Brian Mavis, Chapter 3
Reflection The death of a loved one is a deeply unsettling event. Through funeral ministries, churches place themselves in the middle of profound pain and grief. In your own family’s times of bereavement, what were sources of comfort? Were there particular aspects of a church’s funeral ministry that conveyed God’s grace? Have you seen cases where a church provided bereavement help to families with no connection to a congregation? How did this happen? What difference did it make to family and friends? Consider cases where deep grief is compounded by severe financial concerns – having to borrow to pay for the funeral, or facing deep anxiety about the loss of a wage earner. Given the Bible’s admonishments about widows and orphans, how do we discern our responsibility in these situations? How would the church know of such needs? Think about a personal loss being magnified because it takes place during a major disaster, such as flooding or earthquake, that causes many deaths along with destruction and suffering. Do you have any experience with such disasters, either as a helper or as an afflicted person? How can people be the hands and feet of Christ in these situations?
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Hymn
I was standing by the window Can the circle be unbroken On one cold and cloudy day Bye and bye, Lord, bye and bye And I saw the hearse come rolling There's a better home a-waiting For to carry my mother away In the sky, Lord, in the sky
Lord, I told the undertaker Can the circle be unbroken Undertaker, please drive slow Bye and bye, Lord, bye and bye For this body you are hauling Lord There's a better home a-waiting I hate to see her go In the sky, Lord, in the sky
I followed close behind her Can the circle be unbroken Tried to hold up and be brave Bye and bye, Lord, bye and bye But I could not hide my sorrow There's a better home a-waiting When they laid her in the grave In the sky, Lord, in the sky
Went back home, Lord, my home was lonesome Can the circle be unbroken Miss my mother she was gone Bye and bye, Lord, bye and bye All my brothers, sisters crying There's a better home a-waiting What a home so sad and lone In the sky, Lord, in the sky
Can the Circle Be Unbroken, Carter Family version of hymn originally by Ada Habershon, 1907. See Johnny and June Carter Cash, www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLFbUbmH7To Original version at https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/will-the-circle-be-unbroken
Prayer Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for Your love’s sake, Amen. From the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer
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Devotions for Week 4 (Centered on the Fourth Sunday of Lent – March 22, 2020) Contemplations on Exile, Alienation and Disconnectedness
Lament I have become a stranger to my kindred, An alien to my mother’s children. Do not let the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; According to your abundant mercy, turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant, For I am in distress—make haste to answer me. Insults have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none. Psalm 69: 8, 15-17, 20
Jesus Knows Our Sorrows
They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour?” …. All of them deserted him and fled. Mark 14: 32-37, 50
Consolation
What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? …. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: 31, 35, 38-9
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Psalm 23:4
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
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Readings
The most important [commandment] is this: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:28-31
“Some of the biggest problems we see in our community are loneliness and isolation.” From an interview by CFUMC Outreach Team with a Chelsea community leader
The city called me to say they had a problem [with a homeowner.] The grass in her yard was five feet tall. They had sent … several letters asking her to take care of her yard, but to no avail. The city was at the point where they were going to have to send out workers to take care of the yard [and charge her, at great expense.] As a last ditch effort, they reached out to [our church].
[We] learned that this woman had recently survived stage-four cancer, and she was taking care of a nine-year-old girl in foster care…. I was happy that our church was going to help her…. In a few hours, we had the yard looking almost as good as new. We prayed for the homeowner, and we felt great about what we had done…. [Later,] I called the woman to see how she was doing. While I was silently congratulating myself, the Holy Spirit said, “This is nothing to be proud of. This should never have happened.”
I immediately knew the full meaning of this gentle rebuke by God…. If we as a church had done a better job of helping our people learn to love their neighbors, then I never would’ve received a phone call from the city in the first place. At the very least, when her grass started to get a little too tall, somebody would’ve gone over and checked on her to see what was going on. Better yet, what if the grass never grew too tall because neighbors knew one another and knew the moment their neighbor was diagnosed with cancer? They would’ve stepped into action, taking care of her, praying for her, bringing her food, visiting her in the hospital, taking care of her yard, and helping to support her foster daughter. The Neighboring Church, by Rick Rusaw and Brian Mavis, Chapter 1
The goal to loving your neighbors is to be best at what Jesus said matters most. We love our neighbors because we are Christians, not because we are trying to make them Christians. We need to stop hijacking the endgame with other things. It happens so subtly. We love our neighbors so they will go to church. We love our neighbors so they will join our small group. Those motives fall short. Those motives turn people to be loved into projects to be directed. If those are your motives, will you give up on them in they don’t cooperate enough? What’s your motivation now? People will know when they are a project…. We should [think of] neighboring as an act of obedience, which Jesus accepts as love to him.
The Neighboring Church, by Rick Rusaw and Brian Mavis, Chapter 3
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Ninety-seven percent of all newcomers to a church have had a major life transition in the past two months, according to [recent research]. They are going through some sort of significant change or challenge. This could be a move, a new baby, the death of a loved one, an accident or a job loss. Get Their Name, by Bob Farr, Doug Anderson and Kay Kotan, p. 82.
You never know what has happened in someone’s life the week before they showed up on Sunday.
Building Worship Bridges by Cathy Townley, Kay Kotan and Bob Farr, p. 62
God’s Blessed Community
If I were to give a slide show of [those] ten years of my life, it would begin on the day I was baptized, one year after I got sober. I called Reverend Noel at eight that morning and told him that I really didn't think I was ready because I wasn't good enough yet. Also, I was insane. My heart was good, but my insides had gone bad. And he said, "You're putting the cart before the horse. So -- honey? Come on down."
… [T]here would be thousands of slides of Sam and me at St. Andrew. I think we have missed church ten times in twelve years. Sam would be snuggled in people's arms in the earlier shots, shyly trying to wriggle free of hugs in the later ones. There would be different pastors along the way, none of them exactly right for us until a few years ago when a tall African-American woman named Veronica came to lead us. She has huge gentle doctor hands, with dimples where the knuckles should be, like a baby's fists. She stepped into us, the wonderful old worn pair of pants that is St. Andrew, and they fit. She sings to us sometimes from stories of when she was a child. She told us this story just the other day: When she was about seven, her best friend got lost one day. The little girl ran up and down the streets of the big town where they lived, but she couldn't find a single landmark. She was very frightened. Finally a policeman stopped to help her. He put her in the police car, and they drove around until she finally saw her church. She pointed it out to the policeman, and then she told him firmly, "You could let me out now. This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here."
And that is why I have stayed so close -- because no matter how bad I am feeling, how lost or lonely or frightened, when I see the faces of the people at my church and hear their tawny voices, I can always find my way home.
From Anne Lamott’s conversion story as told in her memoir, Travelling Mercies
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Reflection
It is an ancient church teaching that we are – all of us – living in a state of exile and alienation from the life that God intends for us. In our own time, we recognize that our sense of exile is made worse by social isolation and disconnectedness. And also, ironically, by “social media.”
What in your life gives you your greatest sense of connectedness and true belonging? Has this changed over the course of your life, or stayed constant? What forces in your life seem to work against a sense of connectedness and belonging? Have you ever walked into a group of people you don’t know, and quickly felt a strong bond? Was it something you had in common? Was it the way you were welcomed? What aspects of church life, for you, provide a profound sense of home and belonging? Are these experiences that can be accessible to a newcomer? Or do they require time and nurturing? Have you ever felt like someone else’s “project,” rather than being valued for yourself?
Hymn Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Come home, come home; calling for you and for me; you who are weary come home; see, on the portals he's waiting and watching, earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, watching for you and for me. calling, O sinner, come home!
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, Come home, come home; pleading for you and for me? you who are weary come home; Why should we linger and heed not his mercies, earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, mercies for you and for me? calling, O sinner, come home!
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, Come home, come home; passing from you and from me; you who are weary come home; shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming, earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, coming for you and for me. calling, O sinner, come home!
O for the wonderful love he has promised, Come home, come home; promised for you and for me! you who are weary come home; Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon, earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, pardon for you and for me. calling, O sinner, come home!
United Methodist Hymnal #348, Softly and Tenderly Hear a stunning version in the final credits for the film, “A Trip to Bountiful,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAdn7ZSzVWw
Prayer
Heavenly, Most Loving God, You comfort me in my moments of loneliness; you walk beside me every step of the way. I find my home in you. Help me extend myself to my neighbors; to truly see them, to gently inquire into their wellbeing, to share in Christian fellowship and mutual compassion. In Jesus’ gracious name, Amen
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Devotions for Week 5 (Centered on the Fifth Sunday of Lent -- March 29, 2020) Contemplations on Mental Illness, Obsession and Addiction
Lament Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; My eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, An object of dread to my acquaintances; Those who see me in the street flee from me. I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many – terror all around! – As they scheme together against me, As they plot to take my life. Psalm 31: 9-13
Jesus Knows Our Sorrows Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Luke 4: 1-2
Consolation The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free. Luke 4:18
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:35-36
Readings According to 2019 Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Survey, 33% of students in 9th – 12th at Chelsea High School report feeling nervous anxious or on edge for more than half the days or nearly every day in the past month. As well, 18% of students in 9th – 12th grade at Chelsea High School report feeling down, depressed or hopeless for more than half the days or nearly every day in the past month. Chelsea Update, Aug 2, 2019, “ Youth Mental Health Community Collaborative”
In 2011, there were 29 opioid-related deaths among Washtenaw County residents, but that number grew to 65 in 2014, and then to 81 in 2018. “Healing in the Face of a Human Crisis,” in The Washtenaw Voice (student publication of Washtenaw Community College), January 14, 2020
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They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
[Later, the people] saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Mark 5: 1-8, 15
God’s Blessed Community
It was the singing [at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church] that pulled me in and split me wide open…. Something inside me that was stiff and rotting would feel soft and tender. Somehow the singing wore down all the boundaries and distinctions that kept me so isolated. Sitting there, standing with them to sing, sometimes so shaky and sick that I felt like I might tip over, I felt bigger than myself, like I was … tricked into coming back to life.
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith Essays by Anne Lamott on her alcoholism and conversion to Christianity
My husband once went into a depression so severe that he had to be hospitalized for several weeks. I was stunned to learn that we had no medical insurance – in his descent into despair he had cancelled it – but I also comprehended that this was the least of our problems…. One day at the height of the crisis I was talking to a friend in New York City, who asked, “What are you doing for yourself? Are you seeing a counsellor? Did you get someone to give you a prescription for tranquillizers?” “No,”, I replied, and then I startled myself by saying, “I’m ok; I’ve been praying the Psalms.” “And that’s enough?” she replied, incredulous.
The funny thing is, it was enough. I was not praying the psalms alone but with the Benedictine women who had graciously taken me into their small convent near the hospital, offering me a guest room there for as long as I needed it. There is no way I can measure the help they gave me.
I told [one of the sisters] that I had come to feel, once the initial shock had worn off, that our situation no longer seemed like a disaster. My husband was in a safe place, being well cared for. My pastor, the sisters, and the monk who was the hospital chaplain, had cared for me. My family had been wonderful…. Friends from everywhere … had also offered invaluable moral support. “When I look at all of this, I can say, despite everything that’s happened, that it hasn’t been such a bad week.” The sister rolled her eyes. “You really are a fool for Christ,” she said, laughing when I shrugged and said, “Happy Lent.” Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith -- Essays by Kathleen Norris on her conversion, writing, and experiences with Benedictine monasticism. From “Detachment.”
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Evil is real, and not theoretical. Scratch the surface of any ordinary church congregation and you will find not hypocrites but people struggling with demons. I know one pastor of a small (100 member) church in a rural area who has several men turn over their paychecks to him to deliver to their wives; otherwise they know they would gamble them away. The closest thing that they have to a “support group,” outside of their families, is that minister’s prayers, and the church to which they can go on any Sunday and be reminded that only Jesus Christ is in a position to condemn them, but he would rather they accept his forgiveness. Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith -- by Kathleen Norris. From “Exorcism.”
Reflection
It is a catastrophe of our time and place that so many are possessed by addictions, or by obsessions and false thoughts due to mental illness. In your experience, what are the best examples of how church life can comfort and help those so afflicted? Do you feel that you could estimate how many people in our congregation are affected by these issues – either themselves, or a close family member? If it were you or your family, how many others would know? How does respect for privacy affect a church’s ability to help? Facing addiction or mental illness can strip away our protective layers and allow profound changes to take hold in our attitudes, including toward God. How can we create a space in our church that allows such changes to take root in fruitful ways?
Hymn
My hope is built on nothing less On Christ the solid rock I stand, than Jesus' blood and righteousness. all other ground is sinking sand; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, all other ground is sinking sand! but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
When Darkness veils his lovely face, On Christ the solid rock I stand, I rest on his unchanging grace. all other ground is sinking sand; In every high and stormy gale, all other ground is sinking sand! my anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, his covenant, his blood On Christ the solid rock I stand, supports me in the whelming flood. all other ground is sinking sand; When all around my soul gives way, all other ground is sinking sand! he then is all my hope and stay.
When he shall come with trumpet sound, On Christ the solid rock I stand, O may I then in him be found! all other ground is sinking sand; Dressed in his righteousness alone, all other ground is sinking sand! faultless to stand before the throne!
My Hope is Built, United Methodist Hymnal #368 See an ecstatic version by the Alabama A&M Gospel Choir at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTohQpt7rX4&list=RDRN_uVXClbIg&index=2
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Prayer
Dearest Lord God, Those suffering from addiction or mental illness can be hard to help. Symptoms can manifest themselves in ways that make people seem illogical or manipulative or even frightening. Medical and psychiatric professionals have the appropriate expertise; church people typically do not.
And yet, I know that You are powerful to save. Help our church to be a place of refuge and healing – in whatever form is beneficial – to individuals and families riven by addiction and mental illness. And reveal to me my part.
In the Name of Christ our Beloved Healer, Amen
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Devotions for Week 6 (Centered on the Sixth Sunday in Lent – Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020) Contemplations on Obstacles to Loving Our Neighbors
Lament Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing. Oh Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O Lord, how long? Turn, O Lord, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love. Psalm 6: 2-4
Jesus Knows Our Sorrows
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. Matthew 14: 13
He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed. He said, “Father, if it’s your will, take this cup of suffering away from me. However, not my will but your will must be done.” Then a heavenly angel appeared to him and strengthened him. He was in anguish and prayed even more earnestly. His sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground. Luke 22: 41-44
Consolation
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. Exodus 20: 8-11
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Readings
[A man] asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10: 29b-37, The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The story of the Good Samaritan shows us two obstacles that keep us from loving our neighbors well.
Fear. Fear was one of the primary deterrents to the priest and the Levite engaging. To stop and help the wounded man would have put them at risk. After all, if he had been attacked on the desolate road between Jerusalem and Jericho, what guarantee did they have of safety? What if the attackers were still close by? What if this dying man was part of a set-up? Fear is one of the primary factors keeping us from loving our neighbors, too. We ask, “What will the effect be on our lives if we get involved? What will the effect be on our kids if we open up our lives and homes to people with problems?”
Lack of Margin. For many of us, the problem is not that we don’t have a desire to help. It’s that we haven’t left any room for it. Our heart may be in the right place, but our calendar isn’t.
From the blog of Rev. J.D. Greear, President of the Southern Baptist Convention https://jdgreear.com/blog/two-obstacles-keep-us-loving-neighbors/
Are we willing, as disciples of Christ, to create spaces in our lives, to notice other people in our pathway? Culture is driving us away from some space or margin in our lives. Create margin in your life that is not rushed or packed with activity. It is actually countercultural to have that margin.
Get Their Name, by Bob Farr, Doug Anderson and Kay Kotan
Face your fears with faith. Examine your assumptions in light of the facts. Attack your anxieties with actions. Release your cares to God.
From Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times, Rev. Adam Hamilton, Lead Pastor, Church of the Resurrection UMC, Leawood, KS
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God’s Blessed Community
On that very first Day of Ascension so many years ago, the disciples were faced with a transition that surprised and challenged and frightened them.
I can only imagine what they must have been feeling that day. Jesus, their master and friend, was suddenly lifted up into the sky and taken away by a cloud. Jesus, the one they had left everything to follow, went up into the air like a rocket and disappeared right before their very eyes. They stood there, the disciples (minus Judas, of course), staring up into the heavens, dumbfounded, not believing what they had just seen, wondering what in the world they were going to do now.
The disciples, you see, knew of their ministry and their life only in relationship to Jesus’ ministry and Jesus’ life. In Jesus, they had experienced the living Lord. They had walked with him and talked with him and broken bread with him. They had been transformed by his teaching and by his love. They had seen him heal the sick, preach to the masses, care for the poor and marginalized, and calm the seas. He had assured them they had nothing to be afraid of and he forgave them when they were still afraid. They knew he was the Messiah. How would they go on without him? What would they do? How would they live? What did Jesus expect of them without his physical presence to guide them?
Courage was not a new virtue for these men.... After all, they had the courage to leave their homes and families and follow this man Jesus. They had the courage to go with him to Jerusalem, even though he spoke of his own death. They had lost their courage, though, as he was taken to the cross; they allowed their fear to overtake them. They gathered after Jesus’ death behind closed doors because they were so afraid that what had happened to him might happen to them. They were so afraid that their lives of following Jesus were over.
These were the kinds of [thoughts] that were quite possibly bouncing around the disciples’ heads as they stared blankly into the heavens that day. Eleven men in utter shock, too scared to take their eyes off the clouds, hoping maybe Jesus had just gone up for a quick pow-wow with God and would come right back. But as they stared, the heavens stayed empty. The finally had to face the truth. Jesus had left them.
What courage would be required of them now?
The disciples were startled out of their stupor by the voices of two men in white robes – angels, of course – who said to them, “What are you doing, guys? Why are you staring at the [heavens]? Jesus will be back. But not if you stand there staring all day.”
I think this story has much to teach us about tearing our eyes away from the heavens in order to see and participate in what God is doing in our midst – and in order to bear to the world Christ’s message of hope for the hopeless, food for the hungry, justice for the oppressed, a voice for the voiceless, and love for those who have been discarded by the world.
It won’t be easy. It will require a great deal of courage. Courage to work for peace, courage to speak and rail against injustices toward people of color, women, the imprisoned, those who have mental illnesses, those who have a disability, the poor, the sick, the oppressed, the victims, and the people long silenced by the voices of power, money, and position. Being the church in the world means we can’t just wish for peace and justice. They don’t just, as William Sloan Coffin preached thirty years ago in New York City’s Riverside Church, “come rolling in on the wheels of inevitability.” … Being the church and working for peace and justice will take all the courage we’ve got. 26
It took courage for the three men in Portland, Oregon to stand up to stop a bully on a train and defend two women from anti-Muslim hate speech. It took courage for rescue workers to come into a Manchester concert after a bombing that killed twenty-two innocent people. It will take courage for Coptic Christians in Egypt to be active in their city again after twenty-nine people were killed in a bus attack by ISIS militants. It takes courage here in Durham [NC] to defend the rights of the forgotten prisoners, courage to stand for the protection of immigrants, courage to fight for SNAP food benefits for the poor and those who are food insecure. It takes courage to fight against racism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia. It took courage for those disciples to tear their eyes from the sky and get on with the work of the church and it will take courage for us to tear our eyes away from the daily horrible news dispensed to us every day like crack to addicts. But courage is exactly what will allow us to take our eyes away so that we can begin with our minds, hearts, and bodies to live the gospel message of Jesus Christ, just as the disciples in the early church did, guided by the Holy Spirit and moved always along the path of love toward the peace that passes all understanding.
[And know this:]
Jesus has not left us alone. Jesus, who disappeared into the clouds that day is now present with us all – by the power of the Spirit - present and faithful and full of forgiveness and mercy, hope and love. Jesus, who knows life and death, betrayal and pain, and suffering and loss – this Jesus is with us to strengthen us and to give us courage to move forward in love for those around us – in love for the world. Courage that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the world might be changed to a place where justice, truth, peace and love are available to all God’s people.
And so, as people of faith, let us develop our courage together, so that we may have:
Courage to live. Courage to die. Courage to work for justice and peace. Courage to change the world with love.
Why are you standing there looking at the heavens? Have courage. Follow Jesus. Be the church. Change the world.
Excerpted from “Start with Courage,” a sermon by Mindy Douglas, First Presbyterian Church of Durham, NC, Ascension Sunday, May 28, 2017 https://firstpres-durham.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/05.28.17-Start-with-Courage-Douglas.pdf
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Reflection
Christian discipleship calls us to a path of increasing service to others. Doing this well means battling our fears. What do you think are sources of fear and anxiety here in our community? Are economic issues the main stressors? Or is it something else? Imagine what it would mean to transform Chelsea and your neighborhood into your vision of God’s Blessed Community. What would be different? How would your own life be different? What obstacles are in the way? Are you conscious of feeling a lack of “margins” in your life? What would help you adjust that? Ultimately, our fears are eased via confidence in God’s promises and Christ’s resurrection. What role do we, as members of the congregation, have in reinforcing each other’s confidence and faith? What can we do – via words or actions – to convey that confidence to newcomers?
Hymn
What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms; Safe and secure from all alarms; What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms; Safe and secure from all alarms; Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms; Safe and secure from all alarms; I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning on the everlasting arms.
United Methodist Hymn #133, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms See a moving slide show of vintage photos, with Iris Dement singing, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1r-aTbaA-c
Prayer
I have fears, Lord. Concerns for myself and my family lead me to scramble for a sense of safety. Help me to remember that Your Way offers a life of human flourishing, and that in You, the worst thing is never the last thing. Let me put on Your whole armor, and be the neighbor You would have me be. In the name of Christ our Lord, Amen
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