Sandpiper's Thoughts
Friday, April 26, 2024
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Review of Lent Photo-a-Day
During Lent, I participated in the Lent Photo-a-Day challenge that is sponsored (and maybe designed?) by Rethink Church of the United Methodist Church. Each day of Lent there was a focus word, and the point was to pause, reflect, and post an image on social media with no explanation. That was 46 words (not all of them different - Sunday was always Celebrate) and 46 images.
- It is good to have a focus for the day. The Lent Photo-a-day challenge can be a good Lent practice.
- I often have used my camera as a way to watch for God and to take pictures when I see God. I have gotten out of that practice, and this put me back into it. It felt good to do it. I took images beyond the word list. This was the best part of the challenge for me.
- It was a challenge, and it always good to stretch.
- Some of the words didn't do much for me. One week we had Given and Gave in the same week. Truthfully, my focus on the words weren't always related to Lent (and maybe that is OK). I gave up trying to find a LENT picture for each word, and just looked for an image each day. I mean, I just couldn't find a Lent image for House and words like it.
- I got tired of the posting. I was glad when it was finished. BUT without the posting, I'm sure I wouldn't have done it with any discipline.
Labels: Lent Photo
Monday, April 22, 2024
General Conference
Starting today, I'll be at General Conference. I am a Reserve Delegate with no vote or voice, but I am interested to experience the event. I am positive there will be highs and lows.
Labels: General Conference
Friday, April 19, 2024
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Waiting Upon the Lord
Labels: Brueggemann Way, Old Testament, OT Prophesy
Monday, April 15, 2024
Book Review: A Way Other than Our Own
Information about the book
Labels: Book Review, Brueggemann Way, Lent
Friday, April 12, 2024
Changed?
I preached last Sunday. The lectionary readings for John 20:19-31 and Acts 4:32-35.
The John passage tells of Jesus coming to the room where the disciples are, then doing the same thing when Thomas is in the room. The Acts passage tells of the early church, sharing all they had so that no one was in need.
It struck me that for the people of the early church to have such a fearless and generous spirit, there must have been something transforming about the resurrection of Jesus.
It reminds me of something someone's father once said - you can't help but be changed when you see Jesus.
Where have you seen Jesus lately? Were you changed?
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Not Easy News
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”The Ascension of Jesus Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
- The Messiah is to suffer and die - this is their friend, their rabbi, their leader. He is going to suffer and die? It seems as if in this passage, they are remembering that he has told him this before, but still - it must bring with it grief and sadness.
- Repentance and forgiveness will be proclaimed to all nations? Did they want that? Did they hope for the grace of forgiveness to be offered to everyone? And before you say, "Of course they did," ask yourself if you always want everyone, everywhere to be forgiven? And repentance? Everyone? Even you and me?
- You are witnesses to these things - Me? I have to go and tell people this? Ask everyone to repent? Offer forgiveness to all? Is anyone going to believe that the son of God came to earth, lived as a human, was killed, and then rose from the dead? The Messiah? Good news, yes, but unbelievable, right?
- And then he ascended. He left again.
Labels: Gospel
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Friday, April 05, 2024
Born Again
Labels: Brueggemann Way, salvation
Wednesday, April 03, 2024
Generally ...
- My status is uncertain. Without going into a lot of detail that I don't really understand, I was elected, but I'm not sure if I am actually a reserve delegate or not. I'm going to attend General Conference, and do the role that a reserve from my AC would normally do, but I'm not sure about the rest. Uncertain status is unsettling.
- I have been assigned a legislative committee to observe and report about to my delegation, so I've read the legislation assigned to the committee. If you read my blog regularly, you may remember that I just completed a course on UM History and one on UM Beliefs. These are coming in very handy as I read Faith and Order legislation.
- Reading legislation from across the denomination has been eye opening in some ways. I travel around West Virginia, and i know that WV UMs all have different theologies, and I suspected the same was true around our country. Now I know it is.
- Much is asked of a delegation. We are traveling to five sites in Maryland and West Virginia in the next few weeks to meet with United Methodists in our Annual Conference for worship and conversation. There is much legislation to read. There are many pressures (not for me, really - I don't even have a vote or a certain status (see above)).
- I want to read more than I will probably have time for. You should see the stack of books I have on the desk next to me.
Labels: General Conference
Monday, April 01, 2024
Friday, March 29, 2024
A Witness, Part 2
Continued from Wednesday...
As we were meeting with Sue Nelson Kibbey, she asked us, “What is it that you are looking forward to about General Conference?” There were lots of answers, but one of them from a delegate (who was not me) was something like, “I have so much hope for the church and for a fresh start.” Those words have brought hope to me about a General Conference around which there is usually such worry, fear, and frankly, hopelessness.
Each year, I ask my studnts to talk about a liminal time in the church.
In a book I’m reading, Walter Brueggeman says liminality is an unsettling feeling at the threshold of something new, when life is gathered into a wholly new configuration. It most often is experienced when the church doesn’t offer unambiguous answers and certitudes, when we are in a nighttime of the church – when there is bewilderment and confusion – he says these are holy time. Liminal times.
Does this feel like a liminal time to you:
The author of the book of Esther would say we are here “for such a time as this.” In this holy time, when God is waiting for us to let go of fear and bring light in the darkness, I hope you will join me in examining whether we are building a church of fear or a beacon of hope. I pray God takes us by the shoulders, turns us away from fear, and uses us to build a church of hope. This is a holy time – a time for hope-bringers.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
A Witness, Part 1
I'm a member of our Annual Conference's delegation to General Conference - I'm a reserve delegate. Our delegation traveled around the state (and Garrett County, Maryland) to worship with the people of the district and to offer a time to ask quesitons and share concerns. At each of these meetings, during worshiip, two members of the delegation shared a witness about how we have experienced God in our breathprayer: Return, Renew, Restore.
Below (and tomorrow) is what I shared yesterday as my witness.
______
Jeff read a passage earlier today that the delegation found helpful when we spoke to Sue Nelson Kibbey about prayer. Listen to versus 16 and 17 again (from Acts 15):
After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
from its ruins I will rebuild it,
and I will restore it,
so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—
even all the gentiles over whom my name has been
called.
Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things known from long ago.’
I have to admit that I was not enamored with the passage at first. To me, the idea of God returning implies that God has left. I’m much more willing to believe that we have left God, and that we need to return. Or turn around.
Have you ever had God nag you so much that you eventually had to turn and go a different direction – the direction in which God was leading you?
I volunteer as the AC Director of Lay Servant Ministries. In late 2020, there was a need for a Conference wide Certified Lay Ministry class. The courses to become a CLM are intensive, and they take some time. Some districts had been able to hold the classes, but not most of them, so the need for a Conference class was real. So I said I would see what I could do about it.
Truthfully, I didn’t want to do anything about it. I knew it would be hard work, and that it would take a large amount of time to develop the course and to figure out how to make it accessible in a pandemic and to students all across the Annual Conference. For a couple of months, I kept trying to think up ways to get out of my commitment. To find someone else to do it. But God kept taking me by the shoulders and turning me back to the idea that I needed to do it.
Well, you can procrastinate enough that the only solution to a problem is to do what you don’t really want to do. I turned to the path I thought God wanted me take, designed the course using a model from the Greenbrier district, read the books I needed to read to teach the course, and opened up registration.
Lots of students
signed up. As of today, three cohorts of
students have completed the 10 month course, and another cohort has just
started. I can’t tell you how much of a
blessing the students have been to me. They come to this class with an
awareness of their call, even if they don’t know everything about it yet. They
know their gifts, and they are willing to do hard work. I’m so grateful God led me to this, turned me
to this, because the students have been such hope-bringers for me, and I’m
certain for those with whom they minister.
I thank God I turned, and I thank God for what God has built. I thank God for the hope.
Labels: Acts, General Conference