Call to Prayer

Grace and peace to you from The Lord Jesus Christ.  I am writing to you after hearing the terrible news about yet another mass shooting in which lives of many young people were lost.  It is impossible to imagine the trauma that this act of violence has caused.  I call all of you to a time of prayer for the people affected by this tragedy and for this world of ours that often turns to violence as a response to anger and pain.  May we be instruments of peace.

Will the World Come to an End on December 21st?

We have heard for some time now that the ancient Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012 and some have speculated that perhaps this is a prophesy that the world will come to an end on that day.  This would not be all that unfamiliar.  People have been predicting the “end of the world” for centuries.  I remember when the calendar turned to January 1, 2000 there was some thought that this would be the end.  A number of religious groups regularly give dates for the last day or the day of the Lord’s final coming.

The truth is we do not know when the world will come to an end.  The Bible is clear about this (Mark 13:21) but we do know that the scriptures say there will be a coming day when God will make all things right.  There will be a new heaven and a new earth and there will be no more pain or crying or war (Revelation 21:4).

During this week when we have experienced a terrible shooting incident at an elementary school and where globally wars are escalating and human suffering is great one can only hope for that day to come soon.  December 21st would be fine with me.  However, I suspect that God will give this world more time, more time to get it right, more time to win more souls for Christ, more time to make amends for our faults and failures, more time to do good.

With the time we have left in this world, let us resolve to follow the words of John Wesley: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, for as long as you ever can.”

Hymn of Praise for Thanksgiving from Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

On this Thanksgiving week I give thanks to God for all of you and the amazing ministries that are happening here in the Eastern PA and Peninsula-Delaware Conference.  May you continue to draw strength from our amazing God, who provides us with all things needed for the work.  Here is a new hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (which can be sung to the tune of “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.”  The Text is Copyright 2010 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.  All rights reserved.  This is being used by permission.  For further use of this hymn you can e-mail  bcgillette@comcast.net)   For other hymns by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette check out her website at www.carolynshymns.com.

All of life is filled with wonder, so we thank you, God of love
For the crash of evening thunder, clearing clouds, then stars above
For the night that turns to glowing as we feel the morning mist,
God, we praise and thank you, knowing every day we’re truly blessed.

For the joy of daily waking, for the gift of each new day,
For the smell of fresh bread baking, for the sound of children’s play,
For the ways we seek to serve you as we work and volunteer,
God we humbly praise and thank you for your presence with us here.

For the ways we’re blessed with plenty – love and laughter, neighbors, friends,
Nature’s wonders, seasons’ bounty, life in you that never ends.
For the ones who’ve gone before us, giving witness to your way
We rejoice in all you give us every moment, every day.

For your love in times of trouble, for your peace when things are tough,
For your help when hardships double, for your grace that is enough.
For a stranger’s gentle kindness, for a doctor’s healing skill
God, we thank you that you bless us and you bless your world as well.

For the baby in the manger, for the cross and empty tomb,
For each time a searching stranger finds at church a welcome home
For your kingdom’s great surprises - poor ones lifted, lost ones found
God, we thank you! Hope still rises, for your gifts of grace abound.

Thank a Vet

On this Veteran’s Day weekend we pause to thank the veterans of our armed services for their sacrifices made for their country.  We remember the families of veterans who serve in their own way as they support their loved one in the service.  We also need to give thanks for countless people who gave their lives in defense of freedom.  Be sure to thank those veterans that you know and meet on the street.

                

Veteran’s Day was originally known as “Armistice Day” and was established as a day to remember the end of World War I (November 11, 1918).   It was changed to “Veteran’s Day” in 1954 and was broadened to remember all those who served their country in all conflicts.  The word “Armistice” means “a temporary cessation of fighting by mutual agreement or a truce.”  (“The Free Dictionary” by Farlex)  The word literally means “arms stand still.” I am struck by the “temporary cessation” part.  War seems to be inevitable on this earth.  At the end of WW I people thought that was the war to end all wars. Sadly that was not true.  Wars rage on the earth constantly on almost every continent.  For arms to “stand still” takes an act of agreement that in my opinion is harder to come by than by military means. 

                

United Methodists believe that war is “incompatible with the teachings and example of Jesus” (Social Principles, Paragraph 165.C) and as followers of Christ we are called to the work of “armistice” that is, putting down arms through the difficult work of peace-making.  The Social Principles “insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to work together to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them.”  

                

So on this day we honor those who strove to do this as they served in our military forces and we also need to observe this day by personally making a commitment to the work of peace-making in this world.  As the song goes “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” 

                

Election 2012

In just a few weeks we will be voting for a president in the general election.   We are bombarded with election coverage in the news media and on social networks.  The debates, the paid advertisements, the commentaries, the radio talk show drama, it all adds up to American politics.  What did John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement have to say about elections?  

Quoting from his journal on October 6, 1774:  “I met those of our society who were voting in the ensuing election and advised them:  1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy;  2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against; And, 3. To take care that their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”

What great advice!  Let it be so for the sons and daughters of John Wesley today.

Happy Birthday to Me!

On October 7, 1972 I accepted Christ as my savior.  I had grown up in the church and participated fully in every aspect of Sunday School, choir and youth group.  I was baptized at the age of 4 months and confirmed at the age of 12 but I did not really know Jesus as my personal savior.  I knew him as the main character in many wonderful Bible stories.  I felt bad about the crucifixion as it seemed like a bad thing to have happened to a nice person like Jesus, but I did not connect the cross of Christ to the sins of my life and my need for Christ’s death as the way of salvation.

I went off to Lebanon Valley College at the age of 17 and met a group of Christians there.  I could see that Jesus was the center of their life and that they actually had a living relationship with the Spirit of Christ that was in them.  I contrasted that to my life and it was clearly different for me.  Through my relationship with these campus Christians, my own peers, that I came to understand about Jesus’ death on the cross as the way forgiveness and that I was in need of that saving grace.  I accepted Christ and that was the point where I made the decision to live for Jesus.  Christianity means being a “little Christ” out in the world.  Exchanging your life for Christ is at the center of salvation.

Still today relationship is everything.  Our world is obsessed with cell phones, pagers, Facebook and e-mail.  We are starved as a culture for connections and relationship.  It is that relationship with Jesus that truly satisfies and puts all other relationships in context.

William Barclay once wrote: “Christianity does not mean knowing about Christ, it means knowing Christ and to do that requires not earthly wisdom, but heavenly grace.”   It is the “old, old story of Jesus and his love” that we need to continue to tell the world.  By our loving relationships with people we model Christ’s love.  That draws people to Christ.  We don’t talk people into salvation by head knowledge or skilled apologetics.  We build relationships that nurture people into an understanding of Jesus’ love through our witness.

Who does Christ want you to lead to him?  We do it one person at a time.  It comes by taking time to be with people in relationship and being sure that our witness is genuine and our lives are a model of Christian grace and patience.

**Learn more in our Evangelism and Faith Sharing Training event with Dr. Eddie Fox on Saturday, November 3 at Bethany UMC in Allentown:
http://www.epaumc.org/news/stories/2012-faith-sharing

Dialogue on Homosexuality

Homosexual Dialogue – September 22nd:  Dialogue - not debate

On September 22nd  the first of three “Dialogues on Homosexuality” was held at Gretna Glen Camp.  During this event there was conversation about the paragraphs in the United Methodist Discipline that state that homosexuality is contrary to Christian teaching,  that self-avowed practicing homosexuals are banned from ordination, and that no pastor is allowed to perform same-sex holy unions.

About 80 people came to this gathering which was co-sponsored by the Reconciling Ministries of EPA and the Evangelical Connection of EPA.  Dr. Karin Walker, a District Superintendent from the Baltimore-Washington Conference was the facilitator.  Dr. Walker had led an initiative in the Baltimore-Washington Conference in the past that brought people together on this issue for conversation and learning.

The process involved an introduction to the idea of dialogue rather than debate and to have conversations where people can hear each other’s hearts.  A 60-minute video which was produced by the Reconciling and Evangelical committees was shown.  The video consisted of a  prepared  15-minute position talk and 3 five-minute testimonies of people who either were homosexual  in orientation or who had been and transitioned to a straight lifestyle.  The video was shown with each piece alternating from one perspective to the other.  A broad sweep of Biblical, social, interpersonal, and societal issues were covered in the video.  Some of the personal testimonies were tearful and all of them were compelling and well-prepared.

After the video and a short break the group broke into groups of about 8 people and the group shared their hearts around what they heard in the video and where there was common ground.  Following the small group discussion there was a wrap-up session.  The response to this event was overwhelmingly positive.  Everyone agreed that holy conferencing around difficult issues is possible when we listen to one another.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION -
There will still be two other events: Saturday, October 6th (9 am – 1 pm at St. Matthews UMC in Valley Forge) and Saturday, November 17th (9 am – 1 pm at Solebury UMC in Newtown).  To register go to the EPA website: https://www.epaumc.org/news/stories/dialogues-on-homosexuality-sign-up.  Each event is identical and everyone is welcome.