The Times They Are A-Changin'

   The city of Columbus was incorporated in 1828 and the people needed a source for the news. So, the Enquirer newspaper was founded the same year. The Ledger started publishing in 1886 and in 1930 it acquired the Enquirer newspaper and began publishing a Sunday Ledger-Enquirer. Two printed daily papers was the way the people of Columbus got their news for nearly six decades before the two merged in 1988. Of course, television came along sometime in there and with it Walter Cronkite. But, print editions of newspapers and magazines long held the driver's seat in the arena of delivering news. 

   In October of this year news came that another giant in the world of delivering news was similarly consolidating and changing formats. Founded in 1933, Newsweek was ever-present on the coffee tables of many American homes for decades, keeping people abreast of everything from the Vietnam War to movie reviews. This week's issue dated December 31 is its last print edition as it transitions to an online-only format. It is both a stewardship of costs and also an awareness of how the times are changing, as traditional print news outlets witness an exodus of readers and advertisers to the Web.
   So, it is with must less fanfare or national attention that our Epworth weekly bulletin transitions to a new schedule and format next week. Based on the recommendations of a group gathered twice this year to consider the January 2013 changes in policy by the US Post Office, this will be the last bulletin mailed to over 230 homes before becoming a monthly newsletter format. The new format will be mailed just before the start of a month and will include the prayer lists and calendar for you to use.
   For many, this is a welcomed change: we already email out the midweek edition of our bulletin to over 150 people who receive it a day earlier, and expect this number to continue to go up. Others will want to know more details about the reasons why. The best explanation is that the USPS is requiring a more expensive paper to be used for bulk mail that will triple our costs. They are also changing the routing of bulk mail which will add a day to the delivery. The combination of higher costs and lowered effectiveness was the reason we are making the change. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of appreciating this change, we want to thank you for allowing Epworth to connect you more deeply with God's work in the world and God's people in this congregation. We also want to encourage you to be sure your signed up to receive the latest news and inspiration by email. Simply email church@epworthumc.com to sign up.
   Change is constant. This is made clear in the scriptures and in our experience, as well. May we be faithful throughout. Grace and Peace to you, Scott!

Help Me Be Strong

Help me be strong.

Help me be.

Help me.

   We can imagine these are the words being whispered on the lips of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the days, weeks, and months leading up to that trip from the northern regions of Galilee down to southern Bethlehem. But, they also could be her words as she and Joseph fled to Egypt with Jesus still a young child. They also sound like the words of a mother raising one as precocious and gifted as their son must have been. Remember when he was 12 years old, separated from his parents for at least three days, and they finally find him talking with the smartest minds in the nation gathered in the Temple? What parent wouldn't utter words of desperation and dependence at such moments?
   These prayerful words were sung in this weekend's Cantata so beautifully delivered by our Sanctuary choir. Written by Amy Grant and Chris Eaton in the song Breath of Heaven, they capture the emotions of a mother coming to grips with how powerless it feels to be a parent. They are words with such depth, and truth, they travel with us beyond the notes on the page.
   After Friday's tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut, I believe most Americans can relate to such feelings of helplessness. Whether you've ever had children that age or not, the news of the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School strikes deep in the soul. I have found that thoughts and images cannot be held back from overflowing the walls I built up in my mind to keep in the raw emotion of the loss and hurt. The hurt continues this week as the brief stories of each child are told in eulogies over their lives cut short.
   The dependence captured in this lyrics goes beyond the suffering of one moment of tragedy, though. I hear in these words the dependence that is the only natural reaction to the suffering of what it means to be human. I imagine these words on the lips of Jesus on lonely, dusty highways and surely in Gethsemane's Garden. A plea for help and a cry born out of dependence is the pinnacle of being human in the eyes of God. God desires that we would choose to depend on him. Paul describes how Advent works when he says Jesus "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 2:7-8). That doesn't happen without dependence and faith.
   We are three weeks into the season of waiting for the Coming of Christ, and our eyes are opening to just how dependent we really are. Mary's song is our song. Help me be strong. Help me be. Help me.

The Sound of Other People's Children

   The sights and sounds of our front yard differ depending on the time of day. When school is out our boys are often seen throwing the ball, with our little white Maltese standing watch. However, when school is in session there is a different sound in the neighborhood. It is the sound of other children at play. The playground of the neighborhood school a block from our home isn't more than a hundred yards away. Our boys attend another school, about a mile from here, so the sounds I hear on days I am around the house are the sounds of other people's children.
   The sound of children at play is high-pitched and steady. We can remember from our own youth what kind of games illicit such sounds: tag, chase, cowboys, and the like. The details of the game never mattered much when we were that age, as long as we could stretch our legs and were not behind a desk. But, on this day, the sounds matter a great deal. It is a sound that is more important and more precious today.
   The news coverage out of Newtown, Connecticut today is terrible. Children and adults killed in senseless violence. Our nation is praying for those families. I am. I trust you are, too. Let our prayers not stop before they turn us to a deepened commitment to care and concern for other's people children every day and not just on days like this. I will embrace my children more tightly today. May it not stop there. For me or for you. May our passion for raising children to mature into adults who care for others and don't do harm extend beyond our own.
   The sound of someone else's children at play reminds me of what a precious stewardship we have been given on this earth. Many have rightly proposed that we are measured by how we treat other people's children. Jesus' own words offer important examples: If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:6). Earlier Jesus gives a positive example: And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." (Matthew 10:42)

   Our first reaction to the news from Connecticut is to pray. I hope we don't stop with a prayer. I hope we find a place to invest in the lives of other people's children. Volunteer at your local school to read or sit in the lunchroom. Offer to mentor a child through a local agency, like the Matthew Promise Academy at Open Door here in Columbus. Sign up to teach a Children's Sunday School class in your local congregation. Of course, not every person can do this directly but you can do something. Lend your support, contribute money, write notes of encouragement, and certainly keep praying. I want the sound of my children and others to remain that of joy and play.

Worthy of Your Attention, Your Time and Your Money

Our Sanctuary Choir stands before our gathered congregation every week through the year, save a few breaks, and inspires us in worship. They are prepared and they sing with joy. I can testify that they have fun while they do it, too. This week they move beyond the single anthem to lead us through the story of Christmas with the Cantata, All is Well. Based upon scripture and our own remembrances of the story, you will not want to miss this gracious act of worship.

During the season of giving we turn our attention to ways we can directly help three of our key partners in ministry through our Helping Our Neighbors at Christmas Offering. This was a great success last year and we can do it again. Our Missions Committee has set goals to support Open Door ($2,000), the Wynnton Neighborhood Network ($1,000) and Brown Bag of Columbus ($1,000). The total received will be shared among them. If you feel led to give beyond your regular contribution to Epworth, consider supporting this opportunity. Donations can be made in honor or memory of loved ones or you can receive a certificate to give directly as a gift at Christmas.

Epworth Christmas Parties have long been a great tradition of for families to celebrate the season. This year's Birthday Party for Jesus keeps the tradition going while pointing the direction of our celebration on the very reason for the season. In addition to the food (bring $1 to eat all you want), songs, reading the Christmas story, and fun, the kids are also collecting money to help purchase a gift for a village in need of help farming. The proceeds will go towards a farm animal they choose. Everyone is invited to attend on Wednesday, December 19 at 6:00 PM.

Accommodating the Mess: Life as Art and Form

To find a form that accommodates the mess, 

that is the task of the artist now. - Samuel Beckett

   I came across this quote while studying some from a personal productivity guru, David Allen. He wrote the book Getting Things Done and is a leader among leaders in the area of organizing your life and work in order to accomplish the stuff of your dreams: which might be conquering the world or just getting your desk cleaned off and email inbox down to empty. I don't much about Beckett but, his quote inspires me. He died in 1989 is widely regarded as among the most influential writers of the 20th century. I've read that "his work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature," which is exactly what my mind turned to when I saw his quote. Our lives are often the mess.
   Our lives are messy. One corner of my desk is messy and if you saw into the junk drawer in my office you would then know messy, for sure. The world is messy. Relationships, which make up most, if not all, of what it means to live in this world, are messy. There are loose ends. There are broken connections. There are unkept promises. There are lists not yet completed. There are spills and breaks and cracks and falls. There is hurt, there are tears and even blood that is shed. Our lives are messy.
   Beckett says that it is artists who find a form to accommodate the mess. I think it is the stuff of being human. We all try and make sense of the mess but, more than that, we all try and respond in a form that makes sense. What is the form for you? 
   The critical, epic, history-altering truth proclaimed by believers at Christmas is captured in the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus' birth allowed for his life which set up his death and resurrection. But, as Christians, we don't stop at Easter and the life we have because of it. Jesus Christ doesn't just make life possible he also determines its shape.
   What form have you found to accommodate the mess? Everyone has one but, are we satisfied with the shape our lives have taken? In the busyness of December, how can we allow our lives to be patterned after the shape of the One whose very birth gives us reason to celebrate? Paul said we are to be transformed as we are conformed - not the world - to Christ who gives our lives shape and purpose (Read Romans 12). In the midst of the mess may we find the grace of Jesus.
   Grace and Peace be on you, Scott

“I See Christmas”

   Walking through the wide corridors of the mall, the little girl, with mother in tow, screams out, “Mommy, I see Christmas.” I looked up to see to what she was referring. I saw lights, garland, ornaments, a tree, and even reindeer. For a girl her age, this was certainly Christmas. 
   Of course, it was only November 14th, but why wait? Retailers don’t wait. Advertising, decorating, and discounting begins in October. Radio stations have been “all in” for Christmas for five weeks, already. This year, some large retailers started Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving day in an effort to gain early access to the wallets and purses of Americans. No one is waiting these days. 
   The truth is that most of the time I don’t mind any of that. But the church has a different way of marking time. Listen to my friend, Mark Westmoreland, a United Methodist pastor in Fayetteville;

As the whole world screams “Christmas”, the church speaks, in a calm, even prayerful, voice, “Advent.” As the world shouts “It’s here!” we say, “We await him.” Advent is a time to consider our need for Christmas and the salvation that comes with the one who is “God with us.” Advent is a time of waiting in the promises of God. But waiting isn’t easy. So, in our impatience, we are tempted to skip Advent…. This year, let’s try to trust the great story.

   This Sunday, let us also be those asking for the whole story of Christmas. Let us be reminded about how important it is to wait, to prepare, to be ready. That is the message of 
Advent: four weeks of preparation for the coming of a Savior. So when our children finally exclaim, “I see Christmas,” we’ll all know the true meaning has nothing to do with what’s found under a tree. This is exactly what we are going to deliver on in the sermon series, The Thrill of Hope. We mailed out postcards to our neighbors and gave them to you to invite people to hear the Good News at a time when news that is really good is in short supply. The Christmas message is amazing and wonderful. It is even worth waiting for....
   Grace and Peace to you, Scott

It is Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, Norman Rockwell

   It is the Lord's Supper. It is breaking bread. It is the divine liturgy, or mass, or the service of table. It is the sacrament of holy communion. It is known by all these names but none is more ancient than the name Eucharist. It is a Greek word that literally means thanksgiving. This sacrament, passed down directly from Jesus Christ to his followers and referenced throughout the Gospels as the center of worship for Christians, was named early on for the central prayer of thanksgiving, or eucharistia. The Eucharist is and means thanksgiving.
   Beyond a variety of names this sign-act commanded by Jesus had nearly as many metaphors to describe it in the early church. They wanted to explain what the experience of breaking bread together meant to them. The New Testament contains at least six of their attempts: communion fellowship, remembering the historical act, sacrifice, mystery, the work of the Holy Spirit, and thanksgiving. James White, noted United Methodist professor of worship, places thanksgiving at the top of the list. He writes, "It is hard to imagine thanksgiving as absent from the joyful action that bubbled over as the Jerusalem church broke bread with glad and generous hearts" (in Acts 2:46). In fact, Jesus lived out this thanksgiving with every meal he shared with his friends and followers. Thanksgiving is at the center of the Gospel.

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   Which brings us to this week. What we do this week, many of us separated by miles but all still gathered around tables, is the very stuff of the Gospel. Thanksgiving is the good news. We sit and are thankful. We are nourished by what, for the most part, others have gathered and prepared. We suspend rivalries and enmity and celebrate. We slow down long enough to appreciate what we have and from where we have come. All of this is Thanksgiving and all of this is the life of faith. This is what it means to do life together as Christians. 
   You are in my prayers this week. Wherever you are, you are loved. You are forgiven. You are blessed and you are called to be a blessing. May these days find thanksgiving at their center. 
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Prayer and Issues

I asked a friend recently about how she understands intercessory prayer. Specifically, how to not feel burdened by the long list of persons who need our prayers and, instead, stay joy-filled while praying, even in the midst of many of the serious concerns related to each name and situation. She shared an article with me and I pass it on to you as a pearl of great treasure:

   "Why has the world become such a heavy burden? We simply can't blame the media. I suspect that while we become more informed about the world, we become less transformed by the living Christ.  The strategy of the power of evil is to make us think of life as a huge stack of very complicated issues, too many to respond, too complex to understand, and too frustrating to deal with.  The more entangled we become in issues the harder it is to recognize Jesus as the saving Lord of history.
   As long as issues dominate our lives, whether they are Third World issues, hunger issues, nuclear issues, or women's issues, we cannot pray. Prayer is not directed to issues; it is not meant to unravel complexities or solve problems.  Prayer is directed to a personal God who loves us and hears us: it is a cry from heart to heart, from spirit to spirit.
   Issues easily imprison; a person can set free.  Issues easily divide us; a person can unite. Issues easily exhaust; a person can give us rest. Issues easily destroy; a person can offer new life.  Despair is caused by orientation toward issues, but hope emerges when we direct ourselves with heart and mind to the person of a saving God.  That is prayer.
   Jesus leaves little doubt about the meaning of prayer when he says: 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can't do anything.' (John 15:5).  Dwelling in Jesus is what prayer is all about.
   Life becomes an unbearable burden whenever we lose touch with the presence of a loving Savior and see only hunger to be alleviated, injustice to be addressed, violence to be overcome, wars to be stopped, and loneliness to be removed.  All these are critical issues and Christians must try to solve them; however, when our concern no longer flows from our personal encounter with the living Christ, we feel an oppressive weight."

Henri J. M. Nouwen, a selection from Prayer Embraces the World

Pass Onto You What I Received

   Last week I was reading from a book that I have had for years. As I went to return the bookmark I was using to mark my spot I slowed down long enough to notice that it was a folded scrap of paper that had typewriter ink on it. When I looked closer I realized it was a clipping from an old church bulletin. Then I saw a note in my grandfather's handwriting scribbled across the bottom. I flipped to the front of the book and saw this was once his copy of Mack Stokes' Major United Methodist Beliefs. As I held both the book and the little note in my hands, I paused to appreciate what a gift it is to be connected. What a precious thing to receive gifts from others.
   The Apostle Paul knew where he stood. He was not first in line, and he was not last. He, like us, stood somewhere in between. Therefore, he was intentional to pass on what he, himself, had received from others who came before him. These legacy gifts can be found in his writings. 

"I passed on to you as most important what I also received:
Christ died for our sins in line with the scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:3

"I received a tradition from the Lord, which I also handed on to you: on the night on which he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread. 24 After giving thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this to remember me." 1 Corinthians 11:23-24

   
   Like Paul, I stand in a long line of those relying on grace as we journey through life and ministry. Like Paul, I cherish the traditions I have received. I wish so very much my grandfather, Rev. Carlton Carruth, were here to meet you and you him. He would love knowing the people of Epworth. I have a hunch that he would walk our hallways and study the history found here. He would tell me personal stories and remembrances of the pastors who have served here that he counted as friends. He would ask about the names of the men and women that adorn plaques and items of significance throughout our building. He loved history. He knew he was not first in line or last, but lived in the middle of amazing generations of faithful persons who are living out what it means to be faithful.

   Continuing our church's tradition of connecting people across generations, I am looking forward to welcoming Sister Chris, a Catholic Sister from the Blessed Trinity Shrine Retreat in Fort Mitchell, to worship with us this coming Sunday. I want you to be here, too. I am proud to be a United Methodist, and especially proud to be a part of Epworth. 
   Grace and Peace, Scott

How Voting Can Lead To Sin

"I met those of our society who had votes 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 their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side."

Rev. John Wesley, October 6, 1774

   John Wesley encouraged those in the Classes and Societies, which were the small groups that made up the Methodist movement in its opening decades, to vote in local elections. He went on further with a word of warning about the temptations of human nature. Wesley encouraged them to resist the tendency to speak or think badly of those who voted on the other side. John Wesley has taken a truth from the scriptures and brought it all the way to November 2012. Jesus made it clear in the Gospels that not only are we to resist the actions that cause harm to others, we are also to avoid the thoughts and inner work that can be just as harmful. He said we can murder in our mind. We can cheat with our thoughts. Go read about it in Matthew 5:21-30.

   He knew us well, didn't he? After forming our thoughts along any issue or contest, our next inclination is to begin forming opinions against those who see the thing differently. Many of us believe that if you are for something you must be against those on the other side. We find it easier to place things into categories, so being able to fit people inside of 'little boxes' is one of the lazy ways our minds would prefer to work: he is a conservative, she is a tree-hugger, they are all free-spenders. It is not fair, it is not correct, and it is certainly not 'of Jesus' to try and hold a person captive in a little box. Jesus publicly proclaimed that he came to do the very opposite when he said, "He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free," in Luke 4. 
   In just the one issue of voting alone, we find where our tendencies and our nature can cause us to stumble. I am talking about sin; the very sin that leads us away from the Father and separates us from the path to life eternal. I pray that we guard our hearts and our speech. I pray that we avoid placing people in little boxes, or even large ones. This is not the way of Jesus and we are either with him or we are not. Let us not be led into temptation over something as passing as an election.
   Grace and Peace, Scott

We Write Down Where We Want To Be

   I once read that Charles Wesley wrote hymns that started on earth and finished in heaven. He did not consider himself above those who would sing the songs he wrote. He, like us, was grounded on earth as mortals aware of our small place in this giant world. But, like us, he also knew that we are more than just flesh and bone, made from dust only to return there. We are something more.

   It was also true of his brother John's theology. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement nearly 300 years ago, was a fascinating study of a man. He synthesized his experience and the vast readings he consumed throughout his life into a unique theology unlike any other around today. The most unique part of his theology was what he believed about life after the moment we are saved, or justified, by the grace and work of Jesus Christ. He preached about it extensively, referring to it as sanctification that leads to Christian Perfection. Thomas Langford wrote, Wesley "was firmly convinced of the coming day of Christ, which is not yet, but toward which humankind, with the whole creation, is moving."

   I'll grant that he is speaking more eloquently, but it was this very truth that I was trying to convey to the children seated at my feet this past Sunday. I was holding the $1, $5 and $10 and talking about the motto "In God We Trust" found on each of them. It is an inspiring and equally puzzling phrase.

   I said sometimes we write things down that are not yet true, but that we want to be true one day. As a nation, we are both trusting and striving to trust in God. As individuals, we are both faithful to that which we cannot see yet still believe, and desperately praying for our faith to grow. We are both there and not even close. We are moving. We are being made perfect, but have a long way to go. For some of us, a very long way! 

   To live like this requires grace. To remember that none of us has arrived takes patience. To believe that any of us can one day get there, requires a great deal of faith, doesn't it? God really will be a miracles worker if some of the people I know can get in! But it is true.

  All of this, in my mind, is related to Consecration Sunday. We are asked where are we and where is God leading us? We are not stationary or standing still. God wants us to grow in grace and not stop moving. I believe he has trusted us with abundant blessings so that we would get a glimpse of what is still yet to come. I am so thankful for the faithful and trusting people of Epworth. Let us continue to grow and trust.

New and Old

   Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver and daredevil, set a couple of new world records on Sunday when he was lifted to the edge of space in a balloon before jumping out. He fell an estimated 24 miles as he set an even more amazing record for speed: an estimated speed of 833 miles per hour, or Mach 1.24. Beyond the significance of this new level of craziness and daring, even the date was historic. The first person to break the speed of sound, US Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager, broke the record on October 14, 1947, exactly 65 years prior. If you did not see the video footage of Baumgartner, I highly recommend it (check it out here). As far as new things go, it is amazing.
   However, there is more to the story than new records. Like the story of God's work in the world, there is both the new and the old. The Gospel of Luke opens with God doing a new thing, but the very words used to describe it were of old. Mary, Zechariah, and a host of others are quoting the Old Testament. When the baby comes, one of the best moments features Anna who, who we are told, is 84 years old (Luke 2). It is like the new thing cannot be described without a reminder of the old thing.
   It is hard to believe that 65 years has passed since Yeager's first record flight. He is 89 years old now. On this Sunday afternoon, as the young Baumgartner sets a new record, we could easily see Yeager sitting somewhere comfortable, watching and reminiscing. That was hardly the case, however. Yeager was flying. Fast. Again. It is what he does. 
   Taking off from Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, this legend, nearing being a nonagenarian, flew in the second seat of an F-15 for another trip. Exactly 65 years to the moment after he first piloted the Bell X1 jet past the speed of sound, he took the controls and did it again. Imagine. What is especially rich is that his speed on Sunday just slightly edged Baumgartner's. A nod to say, I still have the "Right Stuff." 
   We see similar acts of wonder all of the time. Of course, we celebrate the new: the newly born, baptized, converted, or joined. But there is something just as amazing about those who have done it before, and go out and do it again. I see such folks every Sunday, and visit with them on the days in between. They do not stop flying through life with faith after their first success. It is what they do. They persevere. I celebrate them. They are witnesses, like those first who appeared in the Gospels, to the God who continues to do new things with each of us.
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Consecration Sunday Is Coming

   I am pleased to be able, again, to share about Consecration Sunday in the life of our church. This is the third year we have undertaken this specific program, and Epworth’s response the previous two years was excellent. Our stewardship team feels that this is a good way to teach the biblical and spiritual principles of generous giving in our emphasis on stewardship.
   Congregations that approach financial stewardship from a biblical perspective do not view the money Christians give to their church merely as a way to pay its bills. Rather, such congregations see financial contributions as a way to help people grow spiritually in their relationship with God by supporting their church’s mission and ministry with a percentage of their incomes.
   Consecration Sunday is based on the biblical philosophy of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, rather than on the need of the church to receive. Instead of treating people like members of a club who should pay dues, we believe followers of Jesus Christ want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. Consecration Sunday encourages people toward proportionate and regular giving in response to the question, “What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?”
   During morning worship on Consecration Sunday, we are asking our members and regular visitors to make their financial commitments to our church’s ministries of worship, study and service in this community and around the world.
   Every member and regular visitor who completes an Estimate of Giving Card will do so voluntarily by attending morning worship on Consecration Sunday. The procedure will be done in such a way that no one feels personal embarrassment if he or she chooses not to fill out a card.  We will do no home solicitation to ask people to complete cards. During morning worship, our guest leader will conduct a brief period of instruction and inspiration, followed by members making their commitments as a confidential act of worship.
   We will encourage participation in worship and the meal on Consecration Sunday through letters, announcements in worship, and assistance by leaders in our church. Since we will make no follow-up visits to ask people to complete their cards, we will make every effort to inform, inspire, and commit everyone to attend Consecration Sunday worship.
   Thank you for helping make this year together at Epworth so very good from a ministry and financial standpoint. I am grateful to you for allowing me to partner with you in ministry in this great church.
   Steve Sawyer - Church Council Chairperson

Psalm 101 - A Psalm of David

Oh, let me sing about faithful love and justice! I want to sing my praises to you, LORD! I want to study the way of integrity— how long before it gets here? I will walk with a heart of integrity in my own house. I won’t set my eyes on anything worthless. I hate wrongdoing; none of that will stick to me. A corrupt heart will be far from me. I won’t be familiar with evil. I will destroy anyone who secretly tells lies about a neighbor. I can’t stomach anyone who has proud eyes or an arrogant heart. My eyes focus on those who are faithful in the land, to have them close to me. The person who walks without blame will work for me. But the person who acts deceitfully won’t stay in my house. The person who tells lies won’t last for long before me. Every morning I will destroy all those who are wicked in the land in order to eliminate all evildoers from the LORD’s city. - Psalm 101 (Common English Bible)

   Psalm 101 was believed to have been written first for the coronation of a King, but later used more as a reminder of the values that God desires to be found in all humans, not just those who lead while in office.  I read the following in a commentary on this Psalm:

“In a society where the word politician has become almost synonymous with crooked and where much speech - for instance, advertising - is designed to mislead, the invitation of Psalm 101 is particularly timely: that we speak and embody the truth in love as a witness upon our lives and our world.”

   I admit that at first some of what the writers says is tough to hear. This seems holier-than-thou, maybe even harsh. But on a second reading, and then a third,  I allow myself to ask “What If?” What if we did operate this way? What if my first goal was to walk and speak with integrity? What if I despised wrongdoing in my own life, and avoided it at all costs? The path my life should take would be These words are goals for everyone, and not just limited to leaders. 

   This Sunday we join with Christians around the planet to celebrate World Communion Sunday. I spoke to the children this past Sunday about how much of what we use does not translate or work in every corner of the world: currency, cell phones, or even electrical plugs. God’s love, though, is something that works everywhere we go. For all of the ways that we are different, we share much in common. This Psalm reminds me that maybe nothing is more important as our shared need to have our deeds and words be held to a higher standard.

Keep Moving

   Prophecy is defined in the Holman Bible Dictionary as "reception and declaration of a word from the Lord through a direct prompting of the Holy Spirit and human instrument thereof." We have reduced it to being able to predict the future. But is more than just the future. It can also be a word about the present. Will all of that in mind, I offer two words: Prophetic and Timely 
   Those are the words I would use to describe Bishop King's message to Epworth on Sunday. As we celebrated the 52 years service to the families of our church and our community, his word went beyond the typical 'Well done church' message that would have easily and comfortably applied. He said keep moving. My favorite illustration was that of a parent standing over a child who has stumbled and fallen. We would never say, "It's Okay, you can stay there. No need to get up, just stay there." No! We would tell them to get up and keep moving, because life is about moving forward and staying active. His words were prophetic, as he spoke to our future and our present.
   I thought his message was timely, too. It is matches what our very own leadership has been talking and praying about for some time. We have continued to maintain and improve our buildings and grounds, but that is only one step. We knew another important step was to make our place in the community known. Our people voted for that very thing in February, and after careful movement forward we have agreed on the purchase of the Manchester property with a tentative timeline of March 2013 as the date we might close. This is exciting for our church, to be able to bring to reality the plans that were started over 30 years ago, but it is not the end of our journey. We must keep moving. So we are asking the question, What is next? Where is God leading us, and how can we answer God's call to serve and reach the beautiful people of God around us? This was exactly the message Bishop King preached to us. 

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   It was certainly a high day in the life of our church. Along with Bishop King, we were joined in worship by Rev. Dr. Buddy Cooper, our Columbus District Superintendent, and Teresa Tomlinson, the Mayor Columbus and one of our esteemed former pastors, Rev. Dick Reese. Each of these four, and truly every person in attendance, experienced a great morning of hospitality. From greeters up front, prayers in worship, photo albums on display, tables and chairs moved all over, and amazing amounts of great food...it was a day that our Epworth family shined brightly. Lots of people deserve credit, but Michele Thurman's role as Homecoming Chairperson needs a special word of appreciation. She recruited great help and never wavered...even when the power stayed off for 30+ minutes before our first early service. She is to be commended - drop her a note or speak to her in church.

History, Homecoming, Our Future

   Our church celebrates homecoming this Sunday. It is both an event and a word that implies movement back to a place that is important to us. We are invited to come home. It is really the stuff of the Gospel, as Jesus came to show us the way back to the Father. I also think it's the stuff of our history and our future here at Epworth. 

   Let's consider locations that are important to the overall story of God's work in the world.

• The first that comes to mind is Capernaum, on the northern beaches of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew 4:13 labels it the home of Jesus. In addition to being a place rich with people who knew the Hebrew Scriptures, it was also on a very busy trade and travel route, the Way of the Sea or Via Maris. It is referred to in Matthew 4:15, and predicted as important in Isaiah 9:1.
• The second that comes to mind is Golgotha, where the Gospels locate the crucifixion of our Lord. It's well known and documented that the Romans who killed Jesus would have chosen a spot just outside of town on a busy highway so that everyone could see it. John 19:20 supports this.
• Finally, travelers to the Holy Land learn that the very site that Revelation 16:16 says will be the final battle of Earth (Harmagedon in the Hebrew) is in the Jezreel Valley where, it just so happens, the two busiest trade routes in all of ancient times crossed. 

   Do you see a pattern? These places where chosen to host critical episodes in history. But notice that in each instance they are located along a significant travel route. When we think about going back, or returning home, to the places of our faith they just so happen to be places well known and heavily traveled.

   We want people from our history to return to Epworth for Homecoming. But we want more than that. We also want new people to arrive and call this home in the future. One critical piece of such hope is our location. Thanks to our leadership and our congregation, we are getting even closer to taking our place out on one of Columbus' busiest routes. 

   From the earliest parts of the Church's story, location has played a role in getting Word about the Way spread quickly. Epworth is taking a page from that same good Book.

   See you Sunday, Scott

A Story Worth Telling

   Our people made the news, yet again, this week. I hope you caught it, though I imagine you might not have immediately connecting the story with Epworth UMC or our legacy.
   Timothy Mescon, PhD, President of Columbus State University, wrote a special piece in the Ledger-Enquirer last Thursday. It told about a new initiative rolling out this month in Columbus, and highlighted both the story and the players involved. Read a section of it:


The Circles in Columbus initiative is part of a national movement to end poverty. The National Circles® Campaign is a high-impact community strategy to end poverty one family at a time through intentional relationships built across economic class lines. Columbus is the second site in Georgia to participate in this national movement. Rather than targeting specific needs of low-income people in our community such as housing or job training, Circles in Columbus seeks to expand social capital by fostering and providing a structure for relationships across economic class lines. Circles in Columbus is designed to assist families in creating their own personal paths out of poverty while at the same time expanding opportunities and connections and eliminating barriers in our community that make it difficult for families to thrive.

Circles in Columbus aims to move 10 percent of the current population living in poverty into economic self-sufficiency in 10 years, thus reaching a tipping point toward eradicating poverty in our community. The National Circles model must be implemented on a small scale in a community first and then naturally grow and expand to include a variety of community partners who facilitate Circle Leader Training and feed into Circles in Columbus. 

Open Door Community House, a vital United Way partner in Columbus and the Valley, has taken the leadership role in launching the Circles Program. Meg Olive is the gifted coordinator overseeing this essential effort. Read more here. 

Did you catch it? Did you catch the Epworth connection? Open Door has agreed, with overwhelming support from its Board of Directors, to take the lead in what could be one of the most important new offerings to the Chattahoochee Valley in our generation. Imagine enough people out of poverty, by their own efforts and relationships that help advise and steer them, that their influence changes the entire community. This is the vision Open Door bought into.
   It is also the vision that a little Methodist church bought into about 80 years ago, when it started the ministry that would become Open Door. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those visionary sisters and brothers. While none of them are still with us today, we do have in our midst folks from Hamp Stevens that brought with them that vision of investing time and resources into the lives of others to make a difference. This is the kind of mission Jesus sent us out into the world to carry out. Every Sunday these who carry the Hamp Stevens UMC DNA into our worship and our classrooms, we are made better. It might not make headlines in the paper, but it is a story I think is worth telling.
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Why I Am Going Back To School

   I start my first class in a Doctor of Ministry program next week. I was accepted to study at Columbia Theological School, located in Decatur, Georgia, and the first class starts September 10. Columbia is the second largest Presbyterian seminary in the US, only after Princeton. The schedule for this Introduction Class is Monday afternoon to Wednesday at Noon, on the second week of September, October, November and December. If you are wondering if a DMin program is rigorous, consider this as an answer: I am to complete two papers, totalling 10 pages in length, and read 78 pages from a theology textbook...all before I arrive on campus. There will be seven classes in all and they’ll require around 48 nights away over three-four years. Yet, despite the time away and the extra work, I am excited about the opportunity. Let me explain...
   I am not going back to school because I didn’t get enough of college the first time around. Did  you know I was in college or graduate school eleven straight fall terms from 1992-2003? While I received a BS, an MBA and finally a MDiv in that span, I was thoroughly done with school at the end. Since then, I have loved reading books that are not required and have loved attending conferences and classes that don’t finish with an exam or a grade. I am not going back to school because I have missed taking tests or writing papers, that is for sure!
   I am going back to school because I know I have a lot to learn. I first heard Bill Gates, the brilliant founder of Microsoft, refer to the necessity of being a lifelong learner back in 1997 and the idea stayed with me. I want to study and read and process from the great minds throughout Christian history, and sit at the feet of today’s scholars and professors who challenge me to excel and dig deeper.  
   One primary reason for starting an advanced professional degree, different than the Master’s 
degree required to be ordained a UM Elder, is how practical it is. Every class and every assignment is intended to translate directly to ministry in the local church. Going back to school helps me to better lead Epworth. You see, we are very close to hurdling one of the biggest obstacles to our future, namely a lack of visibility in this community, with the property purchase on the expressway. When that happens, we need to be already moving on the next steps and next actions. It is one thing for people to know where we are. We are soon going to want them to know who we are. That is where our leadership is headed next. I want to be prepared for the great things ahead.
   I first shared my thoughts with Wayne Morris, our church’s Staff-Parish Relations Chairperson, 
back in April. He actually assisted me in the application process with a letter of recommendation. He and I shared it with the SPR Committee in May, and with the Church Council last month.  Both groups offered warm feedback and encouragement. To be honest, I have been surprised at the number of people who have popped their head in my door or written me notes to wish me luck. It is so awesome to feel loved. The feeling is mutual. We love Epworth. I am excited about the chance to study with Epworth in mind! I covet your prayers...and is anyone interesting in proofreading?

Read, Ponder, Pray

   John Wesley wrote to John Trembath in 1760, "Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way; else you will be a trifler all your days, and a petty, superficial preacher." Don't be petty and don't trifle away your days.

   I believe Wesley was correct, but on Sunday I extended his word of counsel far beyond the preacher's in the room. These words are true for every person who has uttered the prayer asking Jesus to be Lord of their life. Reading from the Bible each day, or close to it, is required of those who are striving to be like Christ...which is what the very name Christian means.

   A classical spiritual practice, grounded in the Word of God, has become the way I begin most of my days. It is called lectio divina, and is available to every person I know. As an indication of the small number of items needed to get started, I brought in the end table and lamp from the front room of our home; it doesn't take much! A place to read and reflect, a Bible, and possibly a devotion guide to help you get stared are all that is required. As for time, I sometimes read and pray for 12 minutes and other times an hour passes. It honestly depends on my day and how I am led.

   Father Luke Dysinger offers this concise method of practicing lectio divina:

• Read. Turn to the text and read it slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the “still, small voice” of a word or phrase that somehow says, “I am for you today.” Do not expect lightning or ecstasies. In lectio divina, God is teaching us to listen, to seek him in silence. 
• Ponder. Take the word or phrase into yourself. Memorize it and slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories, and ideas. Do not be afraid of distractions. Memories or thoughts are simply parts of yourself that, when they rise up during lectio divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self.
• Pray. Whether you use words, ideas, or images—or all three—is not important. Interact with God as you would with one who you know loves and accepts you. Give to God what you have discovered during your experience of meditation and found within your heart.

   It is my deep prayer that this model, once practiced by every Christian in the world, would draw you closer to His Presence. Grace and Peace, Scott

A Difficult But Golden Rule

  In Matthew 7:12, Jesus says, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” We commonly refer to it as its new name, the Golden Rule.  While that title might have only been attached to it for around 400 years, the concept itself dates back probably 3000. 

   A maxim similar to the Golden Rule is found in the teachings of various sages; Socrates among the Greeks, Buddha and Confucius among the Orientals and Hillel among the Jews 
in the period of wide-spread rabbinic tradition before the time of Jesus. What is interesting, though, is that many of the other teachers do not shape this ethic of reciprocity in the same 
direction as Jesus. Their maxims are often written in a negative and passive voice. They say: “Do not do to others what you would not have done to you.” It is a rule of not doing, rather than of doing (Peoples New Testament, 1891).
   Can you see the difference? While both lift up the need to consider others in your interactions, the negative commandment is asking you to do no harm. The positive commandment, however, asks you to do good, as well. While they sound similar, and in many ways are, they can also be very different.
   This was the scripture that we talked about on Monday at our Youth Bible Study. The High 
Schoolers seemed to get it immediately. It is one thing to pass by the person in the hallway, clearly having a bad day, and not contribute any more to their grief. It is an entirely different thing to stop and seek to come to their aid. Jesus’ version of this universal commandment places the burden on us to take the initiative, not passively watch and keep separate. This makes the rule more difficult to follow. The pace of our modern world, with demands and agendas and expectations that never seem to abate, instead only seemingly increasing, adds the the challenge of taking the initiative in the lives of others to do good.
   With all of the attention paid on the first phrase, it is easy enough to pass right over Jesus’ last words in this sentence. What is that part about law and prophets? If you consider that for a Jew at the time of Jesus, and still today, the law and the prophets were the center of the authority for living and ethics,  Jesus is making a bold statement. Jesus is suggesting that this Golden Rule somehow captures the essence of God’s Word to humanity. That is a big deal. We should  pay attention. 
   I think Jesus elevates this singular verse above many others because it is a brilliant, yet subtle, reminder that the whole world does not center around us. There are others here, too. We must live together. We must take second sometime and we must sacrifice often. We must think of others because we want to be thought of. This is opposite idolatry, so talked about and put down in the Old Testament, at a time when too many of us idolize self. It is not about ‘me’. Very often, this is a very difficult rule to follow.
   Grace and Peace to you, Scott

the Bible challenge

   This past Sunday I preached on the ways that the Bible does not gain authority. Its it not perfect for science, it forgets some of the details of ancient history, it contains any number of errors on the geography of the ancient world, and the manuscript copies of the Bible contain literally tens of thousands of errors that only further push it from the ranks of somehow perfectly composed and translated into our modern world. As for theology, there are even a few sections in which is seems to compete with itself: Paul's writings on the value of marriage and later on women participating in worship both immediately come to mind.

   I continue to read good books about the Good Book as I am preparing for the teaching series this month on the authority and place of the Bible. This week I learned about its great value as the only existing document of colloquial Greek from 2000 years ago. Yet, that in itself is not enough to gain its place as a document worth granting highest status of authority in our lives and in the church. Surely, the Bible gains its power to speak words of truth to us more than just being a great resource for how the world of Alexander the Great would greet each other on the street. Right?

   Of course, it does. The Holy Scriptures holds a place of authority in my life, a sinner in need of redemption, and in the life of every saint and sinner for 3000 years precisely because they tell the story and point the way to God and the work of God through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The Bible is not perfect in any number of ways, but it tells the story of one who is perfect in love and mission to redeem the world. The Westminster Confession of Faith says it this way, the authority of Scripture "depends wholly on God." The Bible has authority from the ultimate authority. The God who made heaven and earth.

   William Barclay, the popular Scottish author, minister and theologian of the 20th century, literally finished his 142 page primer on the Scriptures with just such a thought:

1. The Bible is the word of God, because it is the place where the broken relationship between man and God is repaired. 
2. The Bible is the word of God, because it was written by men who new God, because they loved him and obeyed him. 
3. The Bible is the word of God, because it tells the self-revealing, saving acts of God, culminating in the event of Jesus Christ. 
4. The Bible is the word of God because in it and in it alone we are confronted with the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.

I am excited to go even deeper in the coming weeks around how the power of God's Word is available to shape and increase our very lives. 

   Grace and Peace, Scott

Epworth People

   Sam was smiling, and nodding his head like a person who wants someone to see notice them. When my eyes landed on him, he flashed his smile and then proudly held up the note he had scribbled to me. I had to squint to make out the words: "We didn't go ice skating with Talon and Gavin." We had kicked around plans to go down to the rink at the Civic Center for one of their public sessions last week with some boys we have met through Little League baseball, but both families got busy and it never happened. What was most note-worthy about Sam's remembrance of this omission on his social calendar was its timing. This is what he was thinking about at 11:25 AM during worship this past Sunday morning.
   Sam is funny, loves to laugh, and is smart. He never forgets anything. He has an uncanny ability to remember song lyrics and, of course, conversations with his parents! He is respectful of his elders, but he also wants to contribute. Epworth has encouraged participation by young people of all ages in worship and small groups like Sunday School and Children's Church. They know they will be heard and that their opinions are valued. This is so important and Christ-like. 
   So, if Sam is thinking about what he did not get to do on Thursday, what is everyone else thinking about on Sundays? 

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   A truth that can get lost when we gather for worship at our appointed time is that the one hour of worship at Epworth is only one hour - our members and our guests approach our sanctuary filled with thoughts and emotions. Some carry hurt. Some carry the excitement of what will be. Some are holding on to grief or loss. Some have had great weeks and others not so good. I promise you that these truths are not lost on me. I want the part I play to be one that of encouragement and building people up. I want Epworth to be a place where the truth of God's Word are shared with a kind spirit. But I only play a small part in the overall experience that people have when they arrive here. 
   Epworth people are the first to greet guests and long-time members in the parking lot and at every entrance. Epworth people are the ones who extend a warm handshake and a kind word to those sitting in the pews. Epworth people stand as ushers and sing in the choir. Epworth people are the ones who lead Sunday School classes and invite others to join them. [And if you are not inviting others to join you, what does it say about your excitement about what you are doing for that hour?] Epworth people are those who after departing worship go out and come into contact with literally thousands of people and can influence them for good with their witness. Epworth people make up Epworth. 
  What a blessing to those who arrive at our church with a host of thoughts and emotions and burdens that they are met by Epworth people. Grace and Peace, Scott