Dear Messiah Congregation,
Change is in the air. Last week, we turned off the air conditioning and almost turned on the furnace. Some people look forward to this change. Others dread the change. Some find the warm humid weather of summer to be the best part of the year. Others look forward to lots of snow. Live in Minnesota long enough and you experience it all – even if that means living through seasons you do not prefer. We could relate this to nearly every aspect of life. Even if you do not have children in your home, the school year cycle makes September the beginning of a new year. And what a flurry of activity this week has been to get ready for the weekend!
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Dear Messiah congregation,
This month, we are studying the New Testament letter of James. Although he mentions Jesus only twice, his letter is filled with the practical application of faith in Jesus to our daily lives. It’s not that faith changes the circumstances of life, but faith provides a way through all that we face. This week, we will consider the care of orphans. I have been doing some research and learning about orphans. I’d like your help as I prepare for Sunday.
• If you were adopted as a child and would be willing to share with me what that has meant to you, would you reply to this email.
• If you have adopted a child, would you be willing to share what prompted that decision and what you have experienced?
• If you are providing financial support for a child through Compassion International or Light of Hope or another mission program, would you share with me where that child lives and what you have experienced through this relationship?
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
Amanda and I returned from a week of vacation in North Carolina. Amanda was born and raised in Charlotte and, although she no longer has family living in Charlotte, through the years we have returned to North Carolina and have a favorite vacation spot on the Outer Banks. While there, we have no cell phone or Internet service. The community is assessable only by a 2 ½ hour ferry ride. It is a small community of a few hundred people. No traffic lights. No retail chains. It was a week of being together, walking the beach, reading books, riding bicycles, and having long conversations. All are things we could do here at home but rarely do. It was renewing.
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Dear Messiah Congregation:
Do you like smiles? This has been a week of smiles and laughter and a whole lot of energy as our annual week of Vacation Bible Camp has been in full swing. I think every year I say this one is the best VBC ever, and I mean it! Each year is a phenomenal experience. I am proud that you make it possible for nearly 100 children to experience such joy in knowing the love of Jesus Christ. Just watching the children, I hear the words of Jesus: “…for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” If you would like to see some of the smiles for yourself, click here.
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Dear Messiah Congregation:
Later today, we are hosting a funeral service for a family in our Plymouth community that does not have a church. The tragedy of a loved one’s death is only heightened when a family is lacking a community of faith to be the presence of Christ with love, comfort and hope. In preparation for this service, I was reading from Lamentations 3. The words of lament could be our own. The writer knew well the feeling of anguish. Whatever had happened was a devastating event. So devastating that happiness was forgotten. The Bible gives us honest human emotion, but it doesn’t leave us there. Verse 32: “The Lord will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.” How does the Lord do this? Through you. I am proud that our congregation is ready to step forward in such a moment as this.
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Dear Messiah congregation,
In my devotion time this morning, I focused on this verse:
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
Each day is precious. Each day is a gift, reminding me that God still has confidence in the world. Each day is an occasion to live into a greater understanding that I am part of God’s plan. When too often I’m wishing God is part of my plan. Psalm 90 is a prayer of deliverance from national adversity.
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
Let me share a little of what I heard in my devotion time this morning. From a book on leadership: God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible – what a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves. And from a book on discipleship: While we might think we know everything that might be the answer to our prayers, perhaps we have to ask to see the answer rather than assuming we know it. And here’s what I heard as I prayed: Steve, you often think you know what is best for you and how God could answer your prayers, but maybe you have missed what God could do by not making yourself available to what God wants to do through you. What God has in store exceeds your ability to comprehend.
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
If you have been following the news, last weekend a tragic accident took the lives of several young people north of the Twin Cities. On Monday morning, the newspaper carried the headline “Why God, Why?” Although this was a quote that came from someone who knew one of the deceased, as I read the article, I hoped that somewhere the question would be answered. It was not. The next morning, the accident was still front page news, and this day the headline included the words, “no answers.” To my disappointment, the article that day also did not attempt to provide an answer. In the community where these young people lived, there may be persons who are providing hope. But for those who turn to the newspaper each morning, there was no hope. How would you respond? What answer would you offer to the question, “Why God, why?” What would you say to those who say there are no answers and there is no hope? News reporting has moved on to other stories. We cannot look to the newspaper or other media outlets for answers. But we are the church. We are the people of hope. We live on Easter time! How would you respond? (read below for my answer)
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
My favorite flower is the daffodil. I planted a lot of them in our backyard, and every year I eagerly await their arrival. Yesterday, a half dozen were already in full bloom. I have not experienced that in the month of March since we lived in Tennessee! I was so excited that this morning I watched the sun rise while sitting beside the daffodils. Then I read the devotion for today from the devotional 24 Hours that Changed the World. It is Day 39. The gospel of Mark tells us that when Jesus took his final breath, the curtain in the Temple was torn in two. There would be nothing that would separate us from God, not even death itself. Could it be just coincidental that I was seeing daffodils today? The words of the hymn came to mind: “It is as though the whole creation cried Alleluia.” The older I get, the more I realize there may be no such thing as coincidences.
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
If you are following the “40 Days of Reflection” during this season, today is day 26. I found the prayer at the ending of this morning’s reading to be particularly meaning and share it with you in case you have not seen it.
Lord, I wish to live as a subject in your kingdom. Reign in my life. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. May your words and your life be the defining truth of my life. Amen.
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Dear Messiah congregation,
Last Sunday, I was invited to return and preach at a church where I served for eight years in the 1990s. It is that church’s fiftieth anniversary year and all former pastors have been asked to return and preach. I had a great time though last Sunday was a little strange for me. My ministry in that church had not been defined by preaching but by ministry with children and youth. I met a few of the kids who now have children of their own! It reminded me how quickly time passes. A generation is really very brief. We have opportunities every day to be persons of influence for Jesus Christ, and we can take that for granted, thinking if we don’t take advantage of today’s opportunity, there is always tomorrow. But last Sunday, I saw people I had not seen in twelve years and in every encounter, I remembered something or they remembered something about how I or they have influenced each other’s life for the better.
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
Last Wednesday evening, we began the season of Lent in worship with more than 200 persons attending. Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays (the Sundays are seen as little Easters that point us toward Easter Sunday). Lent is a word that means spring. It is a preparation for the new life available as a result of the resurrection. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time of repentance for all Christians. It was also a time when those who had separated themselves from the church returned.
Some Christian traditions use this season as a time to give up something in order to honor the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross. Others encourage believers to add a discipline or practice in order to draw closer to Christ. The point is that this season is an opportunity to take our faith more seriously through prayer, self-examination, and scripture. Let’s not miss out on what God can do in and through us when we make ourselves available.
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
A week ago today, our mission team returned from Kenya. It had been nine years since I had participated in a mission trip. I will not wait another nine years. There are many things one cannot truly understand about a third world country until one spends time there and listens to the hearts of people who live there. One afternoon, I had a conversation with a local pastor and his wife. They invited me to their home. We tried to describe daily life in each of our countries. But how would you describe our homes to someone who does not understand a furnace, has not seen an ice cube, and sees no reason in a refrigerator which they will never be able to afford? I learned a lot about daily life in Kenya, but there is much I do not understand and much I cannot even begin to describe in a way that you will be able to understand my experience. All I can say is you must have the experience.
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
We head to the airport later this morning, but I want to share a few things with you before I go. Leaving on any trip has frantic moments of getting everything done and getting everything together. This trip is no different, except that I am feeling excitement, nervousness, and deep gratitude. Never in our lives did Amanda and I think we would make a trip of this kind. This is an opportunity, and how God will use us and this experience may be the most exciting part of what’s to come.
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Merry Christmas! I've just come indoors from clearing my driveway. I'll admit there was more snow than I thought there would be. In all the hype about the storm, it is sometimes hard to know. If forecasters are right, there is more to come.
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
Each Sunday morning in worship, we are hearing beautiful music that touches my heart. The Christmas Choir Concert last Sunday afternoon was a wonderful musical expression of Christ’s birth. I enjoy Christmas music. I enjoy hearing it everywhere I go. Even the mall is playing this music. I suppose I could listen to it all year long, but there is something about listening now that opens my heart to the gospel message. And that’s what I appreciate most – an open heart to experience anew what God wants to do in me. If, like me, you are tuned to the music, join me in this prayer:
Dear God, there is so much wonderful Christmas music. Plant your song in my heart this season, and then help me keep it alive. Help me to sing your praise as honestly and joyfully in February and June and August as I do during the Christmas season. Amen
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
I like to follow the daily GPS that we include in each week’s bulletin. It is also available on our website at the end of the text version of each week’s sermon. This week’s GPS was written by Pastor Carrie. The entire week has been a study of Isaiah 12, one of the songs that prepares us for Christmas. Isaiah offers these words: “I will praise you, LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me.” The harmful results of anger make the news on a daily basis. All of us have been on the giving and receiving end of anger. In case we have not recognized the harmful effects of anger, Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:22 that hanging on to anger is tantamount to murder. It has that kind of harmful impact. Jesus’ words always get my attention. Isaiah announces that God has let go of anger. We call that forgiveness. What a wonderful gift to give and receive this Christmas. I’m sometimes asked, “Who should take the first step to mend a relationship?” Whoever wants to live in peace with God. Whenever we lack peace with each other, our relationship with God also suffers.
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
Last evening, we celebrated the life of Dave Jenkins. Dave and Mary have been members of our congregation since their marriage in June 2000. Dave was an extraordinary man. He was a professional musician and later held executive positions, but as a result of a critical onset of MS he was paralyzed. He spent the past twenty years in a wheelchair. It was important to him that a new sanctuary include a means for someone in a wheelchair to reach the Chancel area. I am particularly thankful that this happened for him in September when he read scripture in worship. Dave had a deep faith that sustained him through life circumstances beyond his control. He shared that faith with those who got to know him and as a result I am a better person, and this is a better congregation for his presence and witness. Many of you may have only known him as the man in the wheelchair, but he was one of the angels who move among us.
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Dear Messiah Congregation,
This morning, I listened to the news report of the shootings at Fort Hood. My morning prayer focused on the killed and wounded and their families. This was a tragedy beyond imagination. Yet, every day men and women who have stepped forward to serve this country are in harm’s way, and every day, if we are listening, men and women have given their lives or have been wounded in a way that will change their lives forever. Those of you who are veterans understand the toll on persons in the armed forces and their families. Next Wednesday is Veteran’s Day. Some of you remember it as Armistice Day – the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month when World War I ended. How God must long for the day when peace will come to all people.
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Dear Messiah congregation,
“If worship could lighten your load, would you come?” A friend of mine posed this question yesterday. I like the question, because it is what I long for every time I worship. Is there anyone today who doesn’t need their load in life to be lightened? In our congregation as in the world around us, I see and hear people who carry stress and responsibilities and too often it reaches a breaking point. I hear anger and discord in our world that feels unsettling to me and cannot be what brings God pleasure. There is brokenness all around us. Life is not working as we hoped. Hope…
On Sunday, October 4 at 6:30, we are offering a Concert of Hope. God works in and through music to move us. A few months ago, as we looked forward to a new sanctuary, we envisioned a time when we would open our doors to the community and offer a message of hope. If this Concert of Hope could lighten your load, would you come? Do you know someone whose load in life needs to be lightened? What could God do if you invited that person to come with you? Sunday, October 4 at 6:30 p.m. Don’t miss what God will do when we make ourselves available.
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Messiah
United Methodist Church
17805 County Road 6
Plymouth, Minnesota 55447
(763) 473-6968 Sunday Worship:
Traditional Worship
8:45 a.m.
Contemporary Worship
10:30 a.m.
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