Hope...in Jesus name

 This past week Heather and I attended District Days, which is where our Holston Conference Bishop, Debra Wallace Padgett, travels to every district in our conference and shares in meetings, fellowship, and worship with any clergy and laity who come. 

Last year the Bishop was here at Gate City UMC for 2 services, a morning and an evening, and this year she was in Kingsport in the morning, and then Big Stone Gap in the evening. 
I suppose that going to hear the Bishop for some people isn't a real exciting thing, after all, this is pretty new for a Bishop to do. Most Bishops that I have had have not been able to be this intentional about meeting people in the conference, or just unable to do due to other demands. 
Heather and I were blessed by this  time in conversational fellowship, sharing in worship and Holy Communion at Mayfair UMC, and hearing Bishop Wallace-Padgett share her heart and vision for the United Methodist Church and a reminder of who we are as the Church in Jesus, who is the source of our hope. 

So, today, that's what I wanted to remind you of. Jesus is your hope. If you're reading a church newsletter you probably already know that. But sometimes reminders are a good thing. Yesterday our Lay Leader, KC Linkous, preached a great sermon for Laity Sunday on the strength we find in Christ during our suffering. And Heather's Children's Message focused in on how, with Jesus, we can carry hard things in our life, but without Jesus it's too much for us. 
Jesus is your hope. 
Wherever you find yourself today, and whatever you find yourself doing today, remember this. If things seem too hard to carry today, you don't have to. Jesus is your hope and strength. If you feel like you're facing too much today, remember that Jesus is your hope and shield. If you feel tired (weary and heavy laden) today, remember that Jesus is your hope and rest. 

And in this hope, may you be blessed today, in Jesus name.

Holy Land Adventure Day 1

 The day had finally arrived to leave on our Holy Land trip! This trip has been something that we have been working toward, blessed with, and anticipating for months. We received so much love, prayers, and support that has just honestly been humbling.

At the Tri Cities airport we met new friends who would be on this trip with us, we shared in each other’s excitement and anticipation. And then we were delayed. It’s ok. My Sunday sermon and prayer anticipated this. We would take delays and unexpected situations with grace.

As we were on our first trip, to Charlotte, we got the text. Our flight from Charlotte to New York had been cancelled. We arrived in Charlotte somewhat confused on what to do as we stood in the American Airlines  customer service line. Three hours later we made it to to talk to a customer service rep.

 There was no chance to get to NY tonight. We were going to miss the first day of our Holy Land trip. We were disappointed, but thankful that the AA reps were working on solutions. Our group of 11 got split into different flights, and Heather and I, along with Chris Brown, Pastor at Colonial Heights UMC, received a comp taxi ride to our compd hotel where we had a great late night dinner from MODs Pizzeria.

Day 1 did not go as we had expected, but we were given several opportunities to interact with other stranded and frustrated travelers, as well as many over worked and exhausted air line and hotel employees. And while our itinerary was interrupted Heather and I were together and there was a new plan for our travel.

Our Holy Land day 1 trip had turned into Holy Land adventure.

“Listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that town…Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” 

And so I find solace in that for our plans. God knows and in Gods hands. 

Nevermind

 My daughter made me this for Christmas. 

It's a new hobby she has, which I think that she is incredibly talented at by the way, and completely self taught. It was the promo pic of a Nirvana album by the lead singer, Kurt Cobain, called "Nevermind", and of the songs off that album, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was one of the first songs I learned to platy on the bass. 
So, for may reasons, I love this little guy. 

Tonight I looked at the back of it though. 

And that really got me thinking. 

The front looks the way it should. It's the logo that helped propel this band mainstream. I can tell what it is and I know what it means. 

But the back...well, it's kind of a mess. But it takes that mess to make the front look the way it's supposed to. Maybe like you? Maybe like me?

There's a lot that has gone on behind us to make us who we are now. Lots of learnings, lots of mistakes, lots of pain and regrets. 

And all that in the background is shaping who we are now. So, maybe the more jumbled up the backstory the more beautiful the picture. 

So, thank you Emily for this beautiful reminder of what I might portray on the outside has been knitted and carafted and woven together by what is behind. 

Celebrate what is in your background that makes your foreground uniquely you!

Come Down

 Since Heather and I are about a month away from our Holy Land trip, I have been spending a lot more time lately on "places" in the Bible. The idea of seeing these places that we read about Scripture is so excting, and as the time for our trip draws nearer, I want to thank all of you for helping make this possible. Please continue to keep Heather and I in your prayers to prepare us spiritually for what God has in store for us on this trip of a lifetime!

This morning I was studying about Jericho. This city is perhaps best known for its city walls falling down as Joshua and the Hebrew people made thier way into the promsied land. But Jericho, often referred to "the oldest city in the world", was frequented by Jesus as well in His travels. 
Luke 19 has one such occassion:

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”  (Luke 19:1-7)

There are times in our lives, many times, where we need Jesus to "pick us up" from where we are. I picture all those healing stories of the lame who couldn't get up, and they looked up to Jesus for healing and help. And Jesus lifted them up, up from where they were to be with Him. I think this is a great analogy for our spiritual lives as well, Jesus lifting us up from the sin and mire (the "pit" as the psalmist often calls it) to be cleaned and made new. 

And yet today I have been thinking of Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector, so this meant that he extorted mojney from the citizens. He was Jewish, yet he worked for the Roman government. He was not well liked to say the least, in fact the religious leaders, and even the writers of the gospels, ocntniually refer to people in this position as "sinners". 
And what is interesting about Zacchaeus is that he is short. So, when Jesus comes through Jericho, people line the street to see Him. That seemed to always happen. People needed something from Jesus, so they always called out to Him, tried to get to Him, tried to touch Him. 
But Zacchaeus doesn't call out to Jesus, it is Jesus who calls out to him. And Zacchaeus doesn't get told to "get up", he gets told to "come down". 
Of course Zacchaeus just wanted to see Jesus, he was vertically challenged, so he climbed a tree. And yet even there from that angle, he was "above" the other people who were on the road with Jesus that day. In a way, he was even "above" Jesus as well. 
So, Jesus said come down. Come down here with everybody else. Because that is where Jesus always was, and is. Down here with everybody else. If anybody could be above looking down on us it is Jesus! And He was the One who stepped out of heaven and came down to be with us. Down here. 

I wonder at times if I don't need to "come down". Come down from my ideas and thoughts, come down from my preconceived notions. Just come down to be with people. Because I bet that's where Jesus still is. 
So, as the Church, let's "come down".

Pray More..Worry Less (WRONG)

 We have a piece of wall art hanging in our living room that says:

PRAY MORE...WORRY LESS
It does seem link good sound biblical advice doesn't it? That is until you really listen to what Jesus had to say about worrying. 
Here is part of yesterday's Read Together Plan from Matthew 6:

5 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This section is from the larger part that we refer to as the sermon on the mount (because Matthew says Jesus went up on a mount (hill) to teach), and comprises 3 continues chapters, Matthew 5-7.
Notice that Jesus didn't say we should "worry less". He simply (and I know it's not simple at times!) said "do not worry". 

It's a command. It's an impertive. Jesus isn't saying that it's OK to worry a little, or to worry about really important things. He said don't do it at all.
And why are we commanded not to worry?
Well, first because it doesn't do any good. Worrying doesn't change anything any more than you can will your hair to change color--although worrying probably does create more grey hairs before their time!
And, Jesus reminds us, "each day has enough trouble of its own". So, we don't need to add our worries about tomorrow into tomorrow, tomorrow will have enough to deal with!
But the most important reason not to worry? God will take care of you. 
He will provide what you need when you need it. And He knows, better than we know ourselves, what we really need. 
So, do not worry.
And what's the alternative?
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness"

If you are prone to worry, or if there is something going on in your life right now that might lead you worry, then seek the Lord in this matter.
And pray. 

PRAY MORE...Worry Less  AND DO NOT WORRY.

Grace & Peace, 
Pastor Michael

Today I stood outside in the snow

I used to use my journals for....well, for journaling. As a space to write and refect on my thoughts, my prayers, what I was feeling and what I was hearing God say to me. 

At some point I bgan using my journal as a space to record what I had done throughout the day. After all, Wesley's first rule for the Methodist preachers was, "Be diligent. Never be unemployed a moment. Never be triflingly employed. Never while away time; neither spend any more time at any place than is strictly necessary."

I had had days where at the end of them I would look back and think, what did I accomplish today? So, having a journal space to record my doings seemed like a good thing. And as I looked back on my last month of entrys, I can justifiably say that I was very busy, and at least somewhat productive. I attended meetings, both in my church and in the Conference. I led devotions, met with community leaders, prepared worships services, made 29 contacts in the last 6 weeks, in person and over the phone. And, I think I wrote and preached some pretty good sermons, too. 

And so in the midst of my productive busyness Jesus spoke to me in my morning Scripture reading and said, "but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33)

And so when I write down my activities for today in my journal, it will simply read:

Jan 16, 2022- I stood outside in the snow. 

That's what I did today, I tilted my head back. I closed my eyes. I felt the snow falling onto my face, cold and wet. I opened my eyes and saw the flakes flurrying down, tiny clean drops from the clouds, a gift from heaven. Usually snow is an incovenience to me, it prevents getting things done. Today it even prevented in person worship at Gate City UMC. But it didn't stop my worship today. That worship happpened outside while was standing in the snow. And I heard God today. 
"Seek me first, Michael. Fill yourself with My Presence, so that you can do the things I need you to do. Your worth is in your being, not in your doing. So, seek Me first."

I am sure that I will still keep a record of what I am doing, what I am working on, who I meet with. But the reason for this will not be to see a sense of accomplishment, or validation. But rather to be reflect on how, and if, through these activities/meetings/visits, I was seeking God first, and what did I hear Him say to me today. 

There are other ways that I know I can seek God first other than standing in my front yard while it's snowing with my eyes closed and head tilted back. But at least for today, that's what I needed.