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