Category: Uncategorized
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Thrown into the 21st Century
Life today looks much different than it did 40 years ago. In 1981, who would have imagined the services and options that a mobile phone offers to people in 2021? I can remember the push-button phone, and when traveling, looking for a pay phone to make a call. I remember the first ATM’s; today I can take a picture of a check and make a deposit using my phone without leaving the house. (I can also remember standing in line at the bank on Friday nights to deposit my paycheck.) The first time I received a faxed document I thought…
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From the Heart
In a couple weeks members and friends of the United Methodist Church will celebrate Aldersgate Sunday. Aldersgate is a street in London; just an average ordinary street. Yet this street is remembered because it was there, 283 years ago, that John Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed. He knew in his soul that he was loved and forgiven. I suppose he always knew in his head that God loved him. But that 18 inch trip from head to the heart is the longest spiritual journey we ever take. Spiritual knowing, true knowing takes place in the heart. This knowing is…
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Skin in the Game
The phrase “skin in the game” originated from horse racing. Owners of the racehorses had the most to gain or lose because they had “skin in the game.” Today this phrase is most often used in financial and investment circles. Bankers like to see a large down payment when lending money because the borrower has more “skin in the game,” making it less likely that they would ever have to foreclose. In the world of fundraising, donors who make major gifts expect to be informed of progress on stated goals and projects; outcomes and impact are very important for those…
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Being the Body
St. Paul told us in his letter to the Corinthians that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Our physical body cannot be separated from the breath of our creator, God. We embody God – the Holy Spirit. In fact, our bodily senses can help us encounter the risen Christ. Perhaps the best example of this is when the disciples were conversing with the risen Jesus while on the road to Emmaus. They could not recognize him until Jesus broke the Bread – his body. The embodied Holy Spirit within us recognizes the Jesus in the bread and…
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Ode to Tracy
Her name is Tracy. After 56 trips around the sun, cancer released her soul from her body. At her funeral on Saturday, her husband Jimmy quoted Tracy’s favorite saint, St. Therese of Lisieux, “I’m not dying, I’m entering life.” Tracy not only believed this as a matter of faith, but she also lived her life with hope and light. As grief filled family and friends gathered, her presence was palpable. You see, Tracy had the courage, along with Jimmy, to plan her funeral. All her personal traits: compassion, understanding, prayerfulness, meekness, and even elegance, permeated her funeral. A beautiful witness…
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Foot Washing after Easter
At our staff meeting last week, Rev. Dr. David Abbott gave a short and deep reflection on St. John’s account of Jesus washing feet and asked us to reflect on how we experience foot washing in our lives. For me, in the new light of the resurrection, the act of washing feet takes on even more profound meaning. On Thursday night, the washing of Peter’s feet was shocking because this act of hospitality was usually performed by a servant or the wife of the host. It was common and expected for someone of a lower social status to wash the…
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Turning the Tables
I was reading a Holy Week Gospel passage where we see an angry Jesus turning over the money changers’ tables and driving out those who sold doves for a temple sacrifice. “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” John 2:16. Jesus is always turning the tables on us, usually through a parable, or a healing of the unclean. My Lenten reflection this week is: What are the tables that Jesus is turning over in this place and time? To set the table let’s remember that it is easy to be smug about the money…
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What is Jesus Doing During Lent?
Fill-in the blank: For Lent this year I’m going to _________. Usually, we give up or add something i.e: give up chocolate and instead bring sandwiches to the homeless. In the past I’ve participated in the decreasing and increasing activities of Lent. Sometimes it was a checklist activity. I remember putting a quarter in a slot each day to fulfill my alms giving. In reflection, I was observing the season of Lent like a spectator. I don’t recall the date or time that I finally came to understand that Lent is a gift of grace that is entered into as…
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Feeding the Birds
For the last several years I have enjoyed feeding the birds. We see many yellow finches in the summer and all sorts of feathered friends in the winter. The red cardinals against the white snow is a daily picture. The chickadees and swallows are our most frequent guests. The pesky blue jays are party crashers, but there is enough for all. This year we had a flock of robins feasting on the holly berries. I know the birds don’t worry about their next meal, but I do. In the Gospels it says not to be afraid and not to worry,…
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What Gift Will You Offer?
Her name is Erika and she and her mom are active in the Gray Memorial Church in Caribou, Maine. Erika loves to color. She is an artist. I first became aware of her when talking with pastor Rev. Tim Wilcox regarding the ministry area of stewardship. We were discussing people sharing their gifts, whatever it was, for the glory of God. He told me that when Covid hit back in March and they closed the church, Erika decided to send some of her artwork to the people she was no longer seeing each Sunday. She wanted them to know she…