District News

District-Wide Prayer Vigil Offered Tomorrow

Posted on by Bode

Dear Midwest District,

We invite you to enter into prayer in the way of your choosing from Noon until 2 pm Friday, June 5, 2020.  

Issues of racism and violence are out in the open and on the streets around the country.  The Holy Spirit gives breath to the declaration that Black Lives Matter.  Despite the threats of violence, the calls for justice continue.  God is at work.

Erin Hawkins, the General Secretary of the United Methodist General Commission on Religion and Race, encourages the church to “Move Toward the Pain.”  

Now is the time for prayer. We pray for justice, accountability, and a transformation of our society through policies and practice.  We pray for every person of color who feels threatened and unsafe. We pray for an end to the destruction of lives, as well as to the destruction of property. We pray to be open to the ways we need to change.

You may spend time in silence or ringing the church bell.  You might connect with others through Zoom and pray together.  Perhaps it would be a reflective prayer time of reading or writing.  May God turn our prayers into action.

Reflect on the words of Bishop Woodie White in his 1996 General Conference Benediction:

And now,

May the Lord torment you.

May the Lord keep before you the faces of the hungry, the lonely, the rejected and the despised.

May the Lord afflict you with pain for the hurt, the wounded, the oppressed, the abused, the victims of violence.

May God grace you with agony, a burning thirst for justice and righteousness.

May the Lord give you courage, and strength, and compassion to make ours a better world, to make your community a better community, to make your church a better church.

And may you do your best to make it so, and after you have done your best, may the Lord grant you Peace.

Amen.

Pray for peace.  Work for justice.

Rev. Bill Johnson
Rev. Dean N. Prentiss

A Time To Pray

Posted on by Bode

I am currently reading through the Gospel of Matthew and reflecting on many of the events that are chronicled by its author.  I watched the news on Sunday and Monday as many demonstrations surrounding George Floyd turned from peaceful marches to violent protests.  I began reading Matthew 22.  The Scripture I have been praying over are verses 34-40.  I share them with you from the NRSV:

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

These words speak more to these times than anything I can offer.  In the Lukan version of the Great Commandment, an expert in the law has a conversation with Jesus.  Jesus’ answer is the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  I invite you to read and reflect on both of these passages over the coming days. 

We are struggling as a nation to hear one another and be heard. May we find ways to love our neighbors.  I ask you to pray for George Floyd’s family as another African American male has died in this way.  I also ask you to pray for those who have taken an oath to protect and serve.  And Amen.

Whenever Two or Three Are Gathered

Posted on by Bode

Most of my life has been centered around church.  My parents belonged to two different faith communities.  My father’s church was part of the CME denomination.  My mother’s church became a United Methodist Church in 1968.  Over the years, my sisters and I would alternate between services, depending on which pastor was preaching or what celebration was occurring.  Church was my home away from home.  The ladies of the church were my teachers, mentors and surrogate mothers.  Like my father, the men of the church served as stewards, ushers, lay leaders, orators and prayer warriors. 

Each time I moved, one of the first things I did was find a church home.  In Memphis, in Iowa City and even in Detroit, I searched for a place to continue my relationship with the Lord.  I have to admit that I wasn’t always able to attend church.  Growing up, I was sick a lot.  I had bronchitis and tonsillitis almost every winter.  People from church would send care packages to let me know they were praying for me and hoping to see me again soon.

I was seriously ill during my 22nd year and was unable to attend church for most of that time.  Back then, the only services available were from televangelists like Ernest Angley and Jimmy Swaggert.  Their message and invitation did not resonate with me.

In my early 20s, I had a crisis of faith.  After finding a church where I could be Margie and not Helen’s or Robert’s daughter, the pastor was removed because of an extramarital affair.  When I returned to my mother’s church, her married pastor made a pass at me.  I learned a few days later that he had also made a pass at my sister and other women in the church.  That’s when I stopped going to church.

I still discovered ways to hear the Lord’s voice. I listened to the testimony and witness of my friends who were discovering how God was transforming their lives.  At the time, most of them didn’t have a church home either.  The Lord was with us as we explored what it meant and what it means to be a child of God.  I can remember my first religion class and how the professor brought new meaning to the story of the Exodus.  It was in that class that my faith was renewed.  I celebrated that moment when I returned to church, and I continue to celebrate it, each time I relive the Exodus story.

We are recreating what it means to be the church.  House church in the 21st century looks far different than it did in the 1st century.  We are reaching people who have never heard the Lord’s story before, and others who haven’t heard it in a long time.  We are sharing our own witness and testimony of what it means to be a child of God.  We are planting seeds of faith as we journey through a time of sheltering in place.  We are broadcasting or watching stories of faith from our living rooms, home offices or studies.  Virtual Bible Study and prayer meetings are happening daily.  As our buildings are experiencing a kind of Sabbath from worship, we are still connected through our faith.  Our relationship with our Creator is transforming.  It is becoming something new as we truly experience that whenever two or three gather, the Lord is with us.  And Amen. 

Seated at the Table

Posted on by Bode

I have a shelf in one bookcase which is full of cookbooks.  Gourmet dishes, Pampered Chef recipes, a Superbowl Party smorgasbord and of course an ancient Betty Crocker tome.  Favorite dishes and desserts are easy to find.  Classics like chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles are stained and careworn from repeated use.  I’ve only prepared dishes like coq au vin and stuffed peppers a couple of times.  Whether I know the steps by heart, or I constantly have to check the amount of each ingredient to be mixed into a dish, I am rediscovering the joy of cooking.

Grocery shopping is certainly different now.  Some items that used to be reliable staples are often gone.  I’ve given up trying to buy garlic cloves.  Cucumbers and rice are now back on the shelves.  Most versions of pasta are still out of stock.  So, I’ve had to improvise and refer to some of those cookbooks which have been waiting on the shelf all these years.

 In the late 1990s my sister gave me a book called Having Our Say:  The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years.  It is the biographical account of Sarah “Sadie” and Elizabeth “Bessie” Delaney who were civil rights pioneers.  The book was quickly turned into a Broadway play.  I saw the play when it toured across the country.  The setting, their kitchen.  The reason, preparing a family dinner.  The conversation, their life story.  As the play unfolded I felt I was part of their family.  As the two sisters snapped green beans, rolled out pie crust and made dressing for the meal they were about to serve, they also talked about the importance of family, friends and what it meant to live through the 1920s flu epidemic, the Great Depression, two world wars and the Civil Rights Movement.

The Broadway play illustrated the importance of table fellowship.  As the sisters talked about their heritage, they also invited Amy Hill Hearth, the journalist who penned their story, into their home and their lives.  The time the three ladies spent together as they prepared the meal was as precious as what they were cooking.

As we shelter in place, may we take the time to share new and old recipes, as we sit or stand in our kitchens.  May we create ways to pass on our families’ heritage, sharing the momentous events that changed our lives.  I invite us to talk about our faith.  We can speak of the ways our faith has been shaken and strengthened throughout our lives. 

One day soon we will gather again to celebrate Holy Communion.  When we do, I hope that we will create a space to talk about how meaningful and precious the bread and the cup are to us. Maybe we can speak about a special Communion we received, following an illness, during a wedding or after a loved one died.  Could we possibly talk about how moving it was, as clergy, to offer the bread and cup for the first time?  Or as laity, do you remember when you were asked to assist a pastor or bring the elements to be shared?  We will certainly share the story of our Savior’s salvific love in new ways as we relive and remember what happened on the night in which he gave himself up for us.  I look forward to the day when we will break bread and drinking from the cup.  And Amen.

This is My Father’s World

Posted on by Bode

There are some things that were very much a part of my life when I was younger. Raising a child, focusing on a career, answering the Lord’s call and the activities of daily living pushed those things far into the background. It’s not as if the time to do those things that brought me joy and peace in my childhood doesn’t exist.  It’s how I have filled the time, since.

I attended a private high school.  There was a series of hiking trails on the grounds.  Students were encouraged and invited to walk the trails whenever they wished.  Now, because we are sheltering in place, I have rediscovered the serenity of walking through trails and wooded places. I am taking the time to enjoy being a part of our Lord’s world, taking in the beauty of Spring blossoms in their full array of colors. 

I have seen robins, cardinals, orioles, ducks, geese and even a hawk or two, winging through the skies. As my neighbor mowed his lawn last week, I watched a groundhog sunning itself on my back porch.  There have always been rabbits and a few skunks that meander through my yard most nights.  Last week, there were several deer who munched through my front yard, just after night fell.

This is God’s natural world that I have taken for granted for far too long. I have been traveling through it without really seeing it. Like many of you, I am still getting used to the new normal.  There are aspects of sheltering in place and practicing social distancing that are a struggle for me.  Even though I am working jigsaw puzzles more frequently, I miss going to Barnes and Nobles to discover new titles over a cup of tea.  I haven’t been to a movie theater in two months, and don’t know when I’ll do so again.  I haven’t browsed through my favorite craft store in about 10 weeks.  But all of those things happened inside. 

I’m walking outside more.  I am looking up at the sky, for the sake of looking up at the sky.  Whether it’s that heavenly blue, or there are clouds that take on a variety of shapes, I see it differently.  As the nights begin to warm, I am thinking of setting up my telescope to gaze at the stars in their courses.

And I am remembering the words to a hymn I first learned at camp.  “This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.” Once again, I am hearing that special song which comes from God’s creation.  I know these are trying times.  I also know that they can be spirit filled, spirit nurturing and a time for each of us to connect with our Lord in ways that are both new and familiar.  May it be so.  And Amen. 

We Are Marching in the Light of God

Posted on by Bode

Here we are again.  Another week has passed.  Are we adjusting to the new normal yet? Are we as eager to be back in our places of worship as those we serve?  Are we tiring of looking into others’ faces and only seeing eyes, as noses and mouths are covered?

These are only a few of the questions that have become part of my life. I have seen the ads which celebrate the days when parades are a part of our lives again.  I have heard from owners of RV campsites who are eager to have families come and visit, because social distancing can easily be maintained.  I have watched news coverage of people crowded on beaches because it’s far better than being cooped up at home.

I have to admit, I want answers.  I grow restless with the conversations that seem to present new data, more questions and few strategies or solutions.  I want to start the new road.  Even as I view this as a time of Jubilee, a way to reinvest in my Sabbath and spiritual life, I am growing restless.  I am hoping I haven’t taken my routine for granted, but I believe I have been stuck in a rut. 

I think I am busier now, because my home has become my office. Work days are longer, time on the computer is greater. Zoom meetings are a blessing. And yet, I miss the interpersonal contact that I took for granted.

I maintain my spiritual practices of prayer and reading Scripture daily.  However, last week, I realized that I don’t sing nearly as much.  Car trips are much shorter, so I’m not listening to or singing along with my favorite operas, musicals or classics by Gladys Knight, The Temptations, ‘N Sync and Beyonce.

That all changes on Sundays.  As I watch worship services, the music always connects me with our Lord in deep and meaningful ways.  Hymns that I have sung for years, along with new tunes that also touch my soul, shape my Sunday mornings.  They also carry me through the week.  They are becoming my new spirituals as we live through these days. 

When we are able to gather again in our worship spaces, lifting our voices together in song may not be possible for a while.  May we create new ways to share how singing connects us with one another and with our Creator God.  And Amen.

 

Dancing to a New Song

Posted on by Bode

We are all learning to live in a new way. Laity and pastors alike are becoming more internet savvy.  We are being asked to be creative in how we reach out to the people we serve in our faith communities.  We are connecting with each other by phone, FaceTime and snail mail. Persons who can sew or have some level of crafting skills are making face masks to share with family, friends and those on the front line. 

Those of us who are still receiving an income are considering new ways to support those who are unemployed.  I never thought about how many times I ate out before, but now I am intentional about ordering from restaurants that offer takeout and delivery options.  My online shopping has increased as well.  Yarn, dog food and supplies, masks and gloves have been added to my Amazon and Chewy grocery lists. 

Necessary trips to the grocery store are far different.  Arrows on the floor indicate the direction I must travel up and down the aisles.  I can’t see anyone’s face, and I have to speak louder for my voice to be heard through the mask I wear.  And it gets very warm inside a mask. I can’t imagine what it’s like for doctors and nurses who must wear person protection equipment for more than a 20 minute shopping trip. 

I am adapting.  I don’t want to think about how long we will have to wear masks as we go out in public.  I am a hugger, and staying 6 feet apart is something I will have to work very hard to do.  I have lost count of how many times a day I wash my hands and clean surfaces in my house. And my only companion is my dog, Tucker.

I have already grown nostalgic for how life was in February, not knowing that my plans to attend this year’s Annual Conference, a Star Wars Convention and a pilgrimage to a holy shrine in Canada are on pause.  I miss sporting events, especially the Olympic trials.  I love going to the movies.  Watching new releases at home isn’t quite the same.  Yes, my couch is more comfortable.  However the screen is significantly smaller. 

And of course, there’s church.  I now have the opportunity to attend several services on the same day.  I celebrate the different ways church leaders have embraced what it means to participate in cyber-worship.  Still, I miss singing with others.  I miss saying the Lord’s Prayer with all those who are attending worship with me. Like many of you, Fellowship hour is very different.  It’s typing in chat rooms after the service has ended.  It’s sharing with comments on Facebook or YouTube.  It’s virtual hugs, smiles and emojis. 

We are all learning to dance to a new song.  It will take time for these steps to become familiar.  Be assured that the Lord is with us as we travel on the new path which is before us.  And Amen.

There’s a Light at the End of the Tunnel

Posted on by Bode

I am finding that I sing a lot more these days.  The tile of this week’s Puzzler’s Corner comes from an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, called Starlight Express.  It’s a different kind of musical about an old fashion train engine which enters a race to impress one of the other train cars.  No, seriously, that’s what happens. 

The actors fly around the stage on roller skates, singing and dancing as the story is told.  The best song from the show is There’s a light at the end of the Tunnel.  At its core is a story of faith and hope.  When I searched for the lyrics online, I found these lyrics instead.  I share them with you to lift our spirits.

There’s a light at the end of this Tunnel

Well, I won’t pretend to know what you’re thinking
And I can’t begin to know what you’re going through
And I won’t deny the pain that you’re feeling
But I’m gonna try and give a little hope to you

Just remember what I told you
There’s so much your living for

Refrain:  There’s a light at the end of this tunnel
There’s a light at the end of this tunnel for you, for you
And there’s a light at the end of this tunnel
Shining bright at the end of this tunnel for you, for you
So keep holding on

You got your disappointments and sorrows
You ought to share the weight of that load with me
Then you will find that the light of tomorrow
Well it brings new life for your eyes to see

So remember what I told you
There’s so much your living for

Refrain

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Matthew Jonathan Silver / Nicholas Benjamin Powell
Tunnel lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

As we continue to shelter in place, please know that this time will end.  We will have the opportunity to create new ways of being together in the same place.  God is with us during these days and the days to come.  And Amen. 

How Can I Help?

Posted on by Bode

It’s snowing as I write this Corner.  Mid-April and it’s still snowing.  In some ways we have had a very mild winter with few snowfalls over a few inches.  I acknowledge that the 70 degrees of last week was only a promise of what is to come.  And in some ways, this cold spell helps me to feel a little more comfortable with sheltering in place. 

I am developing a new pattern to each day.  Most days include some sort of Zoom meeting.  I am able to see others through my computer screen.  I look forward to conversations on the phone and via email. Terrance and I spend about an hour each week on the phone and texting each other every few days.  I take virtual rides on my Peloton, and have cycled along beaches, forest trails and mountain ranges the world over.  I also walk the dog for a while each day, waving at neighbors while keeping at least 6 feet apart.

We are all creating new paths for our lives.  There are some things I miss.  As I listen to updates about when some restrictions will be lifted, sporting events aren’t even on the list. No NCAA Basketball Championship this year.  And the tennis clay court season has been canceled.  I had planned to attend a fan convention in August.  I’m not sure if it will be postponed or canceled.  So parts of my life are on hold, for now.

I can’t help but think about how many ways we are affected by this virus. As difficult as these days are for me, I know that our high school students are also experiencing disappointment and devastation because there will be no proms and no graduation ceremonies or parties.  When we are able to socially interact again, I am not sure what guidelines we will need to follow.  March and April have traditionally been the time when dress shopping begins, tuxes are rented, and reservations are made for limousines and dinner.  Senior breakfasts and trips to nearby amusement parks are also planned.  I don’t want to get to dark, but none of those things will happen for those graduating in 2020.

In one of my favorite T.V. shows, called New Amsterdam, the main character is the medical director of a hospital.  He has a different way of managing those he works with along with the patients.  He asks one question of others: “How can I help?”  It’s a question I am asking of each of us for our high school seniors.  Can we help make this year’s prom one to remember by creating a virtual dance space?  Can we take advantage of restaurant delivery services and send a special meal to juniors and seniors? Can we go on Pinterest or YouTube and make corsages out of other materials, take a picture of them and send them out to seniors? 

And even if this isn’t a mission you wish to take on, please consider asking yourselves this question: “How can I help?” Our Lord continues to call on each of us during these times to reach out to one another and to support each other.  Please stay in contact with one another and continue to pray for one another.  Know that God is with us.  And Amen.

A Time To Laugh, A Time To Mourn, A Time to Laugh

Posted on by Bode

Sunday was a day of celebration as many churches throughout the District and Conference found innovative ways to commemorate Palm Sunday.  Although we were unable to gather in our places of worship to wave palms and shout loud hosannas, I still felt the excitement that this Holy Day brings. 

I have had the honor of standing at the top of the Mount of Olives.  It is difficult to put into words how it feels to stand at the top of that significant hill, gaze across the Kidron Valley and look at the Golden Gate of the Holy City of Jerusalem.  One can only imagine what the traffic in and out of the gate was like on the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday. What a parade that must’ve been as Jesus rode down that steep hill and into the Holy City.  I can only guess at the number of people who were there, and what noise they must’ve made.  I am sure there was laughter along with the songs our Savior heard that day.

But what was it like for Jesus, who knew what would happen as this same week drew to a close? He had already planned the most holy Passover meal of His lifetime.  He arranged for the disciples to make their way to a room, which was already prepared.  He washed the disciples’ feet and told them how the night would end. Knowing that He would be betrayed, Jesus shared the words of the new covenant with all of them, offering each one the bread and the cup of new life. 

Pain and suffering followed the celebration There was a time of darkness for our Lord and Savior.  Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are for us a time of remembrance, a time of regret, and a time of mourning.  The first time my family watched the film King of Kings, I remember asking my sister why did Jesus have to die?  I still ask that question as I keep vigil on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.  Even though I know Sunday’s coming, part of my Christian journey is to spend time in the valley that has led to our redemption and salvation.

On Palm Sunday, even amidst the celebration of Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, part of me is focused on Thursday and Friday, the last days of the Lenten Season.  And on Thursday and Friday, I begin to consider the brightness and joy of Easter morning. 

This year will be a different kind of Easter celebration.  We will turn our homes into worship places and holy spaces as we retell and relive the story of the Risen Savior.  May we do so with the same joy each Easter morning brings, as we renew promise our Lord made to us as we live out the new covenant of salvation.  Hallelujah and Amen.

Midwest District