Let The Redeemed Say So

   Over a thousand persons will gather in Macon next week. Most are representatives of local churches, though some mission agencies and UM-related colleges and universities will be there, too. It is a very Methodist thing to gather and meet as a committee. Annual Conference could be thought of as a large committee that meets every year for business, worship, and visioning. This year's Conference will be very similar to previous ones. We will have great speakers inspire and teach us. We will hear committees report back on findings and offer recommendations (one report addresses a proposal to reduce the nine districts in South Georgia). We will vote on new leaders, agree upon budgets, and makes plans for the our future.
   Some things will be new, though, including the theme. Bishop James King wrote a message earlier in May to the laypeople and the clergy from across the 600+ churches of South Georgia expected to attend. In it he said, "Our theme, "Let the Redeemed Say So," places the emphasis on Evangelism/ Witnessing. Out of our relationship with God and following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, we have a story to tell...a Good News story! All across the conference, there is a growing crescendo of vitality and enthusiasm for the gospel. Revival is breaking forth; clergy and laity are claiming the power of God's word, the movement of the Holy Spirit, and the grace of God. Unfortunately, the church has lost its way in some places, forgotten the mission, refused to move when the Spirit said move, dropped the main thing, declined rather than increased. Nonetheless, prayers are being answered and renewal is upon us." He went on to say, "My hope is that the time we have set apart for conferencing will be enriched by the power of the Holy Spirit. In every place and in every way may we be centered in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world - a world that looks Christlike." 
   One other new aspect of Conference is the rise in the role of social media. More people are following actions from home, reading summaries of meetings, and interacting directly through messages, emails, and even tweets (isn't that a funny word?)! You'll find ways to do each of these inside this week's bulletin.
   I will attend as a clergy delegate, and will be joined by three others from Epworth. Jeanne Guilbeault is our church's lay delegate, Becky Briton goes as an district officer in the UMW, and Lillian Woolridge attends as a delegate representing the larger Columbus District. Would you please pray for each of us, and for the others attending? Pray for safety in travel, clarity of mind in meetings, wisdom in decisions, and peace in all things. At the close, Bishop King will appoint me to return for our third year in ministry at Epworth. Begin praying now that the coming year is marked by our shared commitment to be great neighbors to this community as we make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Prayer for the Columbus City Council - May 29, 2012

"Gracious God

At a time when answers are few and questions abound,
help us to listen and seek the truth.

At a time when when all the world believes in scarcity,
help us see the abundance you offer.

At a time when parties are divided, 

help us see clearly that you are One.

At a time when the news often leads with bad, 

help us to see and celebrate the Good.

At a time when populations are mobile and Columbus continues to welcome new citizens,
help us to be great neighbors to new and old.

At a time when school is out for break,
help each of us to be teachers to the generations that follow.

At a time when leadership is at a premium in every arena, 

may this place and these persons be seen as leaders who put others first and seek the best for this great community.

And on the day after our nation marks a memorial for those who have served and sacrificed,
help us to always remember that our freedom to live, to govern, and to lead has been given us by you and kept for us by soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and guardsmen.

Help us Lord, we pray. Amen."

Rev. Scott Hagan

Happy Birthday Church

   Birthdays are special times. 
   They’re times to remember, to celebrate milestones, and to have fun. I have a friend who celebrates her birthday all month long. She jokingly says, "it was a long labor." I think she is funny. I also think she has it right - birthdays should be bigger than one day. Birthdays allow for other days to follow.
   We celebrate the birthday of the church in worship this Sunday. It was around this week almost two-thousand years ago - possibly in the year 26 AD - that Luke tells us in the book of Acts that the Holy Spirit came down upon the people and the church was born. We call it Pentecost, because it was 50 days after the Resurrection. 
   A lot happened in those first days and weeks. The scriptures tell of thousands coming to believe in the story of Jesus. In a matter of days new believers were sharing the story in parts of the world that those first disciples would have never heard. A lot has happened since those first days. The church has spread around the world. It has changed the methods and means of telling the story over time in order to win more people to the love of Christ. 
   There have been rough patches, and not everyone got along, but we still believe that churches and denominations all over the world are working alongside of us to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Within the Methodist movement alone, there are approximately 75 million members around the world, who are a part of over 1.5 billion Christians worldwide. While we often feel isolated or fear that the great things we believe the church stands for are becoming things of the past, the truth could not be any different. The church in the United States is indeed undergoing massive shifts, but many of these shifts are more related to how much the American form of church has become tied to our American culture. Beyond the US, the church is growing and changing lives at a rapid pace. Our church has the chance to shine the light of Jesus into the lives of families and persons and share with them the very same power that first captured the hearts and dreams of those first disciples on Pentecost. 
   So Happy Birthday to the Church. There are a whole bunch of people celebrating today.
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Graduates: The Remaining, Perpetual Test

   It is with great joy and pride that we present the names of those from within our congregation who are graduating this school year:

Michael Friend - Columbus Technical College

Tessa Fronzaglio - University of Georgia, in December 2011

Derek Hay - Columbus State University

Elizabeth Ledbetter - Central High School

Sara Renner - Columbus State University

Trevor Whittington - Hardaway High School

Completion of anything requires hard work and persistence. Graduation from high school and college is all of that and more. All of us can think back to assignments, exams, projects and tests. These graduates are surely relishing life without tests for a while. 

   Unfortunately, I would propose that some tests remain and are ongoing. They are tests from which none of us ever graduate. They define the quality of our lives. Evelyn Underhill wrote about them, 

If, then, we desire a simple test of the quality of our spiritual life, a consideration of the tranquility, gentleness and strength with which we deal with the circumstances of our outward life will serve us better than anything that is based on the loftiness of our religious notions, or fervor of our religious feelings. It is a test that can be applied anywhere and at any time. Tranquility, gentleness and strength, carrying us through the changes of weather, the ups and downs of the route, the varied surface of the road; the inequalities of family life, emotional and professional disappointments, the sudden intervention of bad fortune or bad health, the rising and falling of our religious temperature. This is the threefold imprint of the Spirit on the souls surrendered to his great action. The Spiritual Life (1936)

   Underhill proposes that tranquility, gentleness and strength are the grades for which we should strive. We could add peace and kindness, as well as faith, hope and love, but the point remains the same; this life will act in ways that hurt us, scare us, anger us, and confound us. How will we respond?

   I am discovering some truths that seem to apply over and again in the circumstances of life. They apply to my own journey, and lately, have been helpful to others in their journeys, too. We are all pilgrims traveling. One such truth goes like this: We cannot control how the world, or others in it, will act. Instead, only our reactions are under our control. I am more and more aware of how true this is and how it captures so much about our lives together, our relationships, and how we are seen by others. No matter what life throws at us, we are to constantly be on guard for how we respond. In many ways, these are the tests that perpetually remain with us.

   So, to our graduates and all who find themselves moving through life, may grace and peace be the scores you achieve on every test you take in life! Scott

Unwritten Rules Leave A Lot to Be Desired

   Do you remember imaging you'd hit the home run that won the World Series? Full count, two outs, bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, game seven. You get the picture. 
   Well, Imagine being the pitcher who struck that guy out? Imagine winning the game for your team and being named MVP? It is not imaging for Cole Hamels. He did it in 2008. Hamels was a first round pick in 2002 out of high school before starting his first game as a left-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006 at the age of 25. He was won 77 games since then with a very good ERA of 3.38. He throws with velocity and with accuracy. They both were on display on Sunday night. Unfortunately, nobody is talking about his skill with a baseball. They are talking about what he did with it and then said afterwards.

   Cole Hamels threw a fastball that plunked rookie Bryce Harper in the small of the back in the first inning. Harper was playing in his eighth game for the Washington Nationals. Hamels said the pitch was his old-school way of welcoming the 19-year-old phenom to the big leagues. “I was trying to hit him,” the two-time All-Star lefty said Sunday night. “I’m not going to deny it." He went on to say he was just playing "old baseball" and referred to the unwritten rules of how the game was played in the good old days. Needless to say, everybody with any sense thinks Hamels is an idiot. 
   My mind is racing with thoughts and questions? What level of selfishness would cause him to think he represents everyone as the ambassador for who takes shots other players because they are a rookies and show lots of promise? What kind of 'junk' does he have going on inside that he would feel the need to literally take a shot at someone else? Having lived what some people consider a dream life, why the need to resent someone else living their dreams? What was he thinking when he bragged about doing it afterwards? Are these really the unwritten rules of baseball any more? Would the world be better off if we operated less from unwritten rules and more from rules we all agree on? The Apostle Paul puts some words that would be a good place to start on drafting rules for living:

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21

   It was announced that Cole Hamels received a five-game suspension from Major League Baseball for his actions and words, which will amount to just over $400,000 in lost salary. That hurts more than the bruise on the rookies back. But maybe the good that comes from it will help him and everyone. Grace and Peace, Scott

Not Always An Emergency, But Always Important

Columbus' Finest Visit the Epworth Parsonage
Around Midnight

   The first thing I said to the 911 dispatcher on the phone was, "this is a non-emergency call." One night earlier this week we smelled something like natural gas in the hallway of the parsonage and our Carbon Monoxide monitor had gone off for a few seconds. We got the boys up, moved them outside and wanted the experts from Columbus' Fire and Rescue to come check it out. It wasn't an emergency, everyone was OK, but to four Hagans and one puppy, it was important. Those two firetrucks that pulled up in a matter of minutes were exactly what was needed. They were professional, kind, and in the end gave us the all clear. Their beautiful service, acted out throughout the day and night, is offered for those in the midst of emergencies and the rest of us, as well.

   -------

   It is so very similar in our church. People visit. They return. They attend worship and, hopefully, find their way to Sunday School classes and small groups. All of this happens with a destination in mind: we want people going out into the world to serve. We want  every person who gathers with us, either once or often, to engage in our process of growing persons to go out and be great neighbors. The Lord knows the world needs more great neighbors.
   We do not know why a person attends for the first time. Often, we don't know why they return. Further, we don't know if the status of their lives away from Epworth should be termed an emergency or not. It could be. It could be related to work, to school, to children, to parents, to doubt, or success, or any of a thousand things. Or it could be none of them. Some people are just led one day to find a place to connect. To grow. To find their place in a larger story than the one they are living at the time. Whatever brings them, every reason is important.
   This is why our response is so critical. We must open doors for them. Literally. We must open our hearts for them. We must smile. We must learn names, connect stories, and invite them to return. We must know why we are here, and share our stories when the time is right. Paul lists hospitality as one of the required actions of people of faith (Romans 12). We must serve as greeters, ushers, Sunday School teachers, and volunteers with children. Everyone of us must take seriously the challenge to fill up their own buses with passengers headed to the greatest destination imaginable. 
   Grace and Peace to you, Scott