District News

Harmony

Posted on by Bode

I remember March 2020 vividly.  Members of the Michigan Annual Conference gathered for a special session to consider a motion for General Conference which was planned for a few weeks later. I attended the Appointive Cabinet meeting that week and stopped by the store on the way home to pick up a few essentials.

That’s when I first noticed that something was off.  Some shelves were empty.  No fruit or vegetables or even bread.  There was hardly any toilet paper in the store.  Disinfectant wipes were also scarce.  And the next day, our faith communities had to decide whether or not to postpone in-person worship until COVID protocols could be put in place.

In those first few weeks, we had to adjust to masking for church, sitting at least six feet apart, checking our temperatures, repeatedly washing our hands, and all the other recommendations that were shared by state and national health organizations.  Like many others, I had to learn all about Facebook Live and Zoom to continue worshipping and praising the Lord.

I called my brother-in-law one week and we decided to virtually attend a church service on Palm Sunday.  Although he and I were sitting in our living rooms over 300 miles apart, we celebrated God’s awesome presence together.  I have adjusted, for lack of a better word, to attending church through my computer, but it’s not the same.

The thing I missed most was the singing.  Not just the hymns, but the complicated harmonies that the composers created for most songs.  A few weeks ago, for the first time in over two years, I was singing with people in the same room, tenors, altos, sopranos, basses, and baritones, creating chords and complementary melodies, all blending together to praise our Lord.

I also love praying the Lord’s Prayer with others.  It’s not quite in perfect unison. I don’t believe it ever was, but it’s great to listen to other voices as we share our joys, successes, struggles, and failures with our Creator. Some say it faster than others, taking more or less time to pause between each phrase.  The flow of the sibilants is almost a sighing song of its own.

Last week, I was part of a service where there were a lot of young children.  I didn’t realize how much I missed their squeals reflecting their joy, hunger, and peace as only toddlers can.  And the conversations.  People gathering together to catch up with one another about what has happened since we last met.  Each conversation was a different kind of music as voices ebbed and flowed in the sanctuary.

I hope that the next time you are in church, you are able to take a few minutes to listen to the rhythm of voices as we talk, sing and pray together. Our time with one another is the music of the spheres. May we continue to make a joyful noise to our Lord.  And Amen.

Praying Without Ceasing

Posted on by Bode

I come from a family of ministers.  My aunt was the equivalent of the Associate Pastor at the church she served.  She led Wednesday night prayer services.  Her husband, my Uncle Harry would often lift up the prayers each time we gathered.  He was a true prayer warrior.  Often, he would pray for 45 minutes to an hour during each service. 

I can’t remember if my uncle prayed during the Sunday services or programs, or if Wednesday was his special day.  But on that night, he brought the whole world into his prayers with God, celebrating what was joyous and speaking openly about what was a struggle for those who came that night, and those who were unable to make it.

My aunt and I often talked about the importance of prayer.  She taught me how to take moments in my daily routine and pray for the people I saw as I went from place to place.  Whenever I heard a siren or saw an ambulance, fire truck or police car, I would pray for those rushing to a scene, as well as those they were going to help. 

As an audiologist, I worked in several hospitals.  When I saw patients to test their hearing or do neurological assessments, I would pray for them and their families.  I often prayed for the physicians, nurses, orderlies and technicians who cared for the patients. 

By the time I answered God’s call, my prayers had become an integral part of each day.  I am in constant conversation with our Lord about what is happening in our lives and in our world.  My prayers begin when I wake up and continue throughout the day.  I pray for big things and small things.  I pray for family, for friends and for those I haven’t met or haven’t met yet. 

I pray for peace, for joy, and for comfort. I ask for strength, wisdom and patience. Sometimes I am angry when I reach out to God, and at other times I am tired.  I ask for my spirit to be filled and my soul to be refreshed.  I lift up prayers of thanksgiving, grace and mercy.  I sometimes share the words of songs that express what I want to say. The Lord’s Prayer is a frequent prayer. 

When I first heard Day by Day from the musical Godspell, it became a constant reminder of how to pray for a deeper and closer relationship with our Lord.  “To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day.”

I can’t say how often my prayers are answered because I have never kept count.  I know the Lord hears me because my life is still transforming.  I am blessed and my cup overflows with God’s love, and God’s presence. I hope that you spend time in prayer with our Lord each day, sharing all that you are and all that you are experiencing with the one who created us and loves us so much.  And Amen.

Commencement

Posted on by Bode

Spring has sprung! Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve noticed that the grass is greener than it was at the beginning of April.  The buds on the maple trees in my yard are already raining down on the porch and driveway.  The dogwood tree is starting to blossom too.  I don’t have any tulips, but I know that the annual tulip festival in Holland is only a few days away.

The season of new growth has begun.  Over the next few weeks, we may notice how quickly all those plants and flowers, that have been hibernating all winter, begin to show off, bringing their own shades of brightness and color to our world. 

On Sunday, as I was driving through Grand Rapids and saw a group of students, dressed in their graduation robes, taking pictures near the entrance to their school.  I was driving through another town when I noticed that there were banners displaying pictures of the graduating class on city lamp posts.  I had to keep my eyes on the road, so I could only glimpse at the pictures.  These young men and women will be headed off to college, trade school or a gap year in the next few weeks.

These students were sophomores when the pandemic first caused us to shelter in place, bringing a new meaning to homeschooling.  For the first time in two years, parents, grandparents and others will be able to watch their children walk across a stage and receive a diploma signifying they have made it to the next phase of their lives.

I have often wondered why the ceremonies celebrating the end of high school and college are called Commencement.  Speeches on this day encourage the graduating class to look toward the future which has yet to be written. Their entire lives are ahead of them. For each student, this is a time of new beginnings. 

As guidelines for wearing masks, sheltering in place and other COVID restrictions are going away, we are entering a new time for our faith communities and how we will be able to renew our relationships with each other and with our Lord. Our time of hibernation due to the virus is, hopefully, coming to an end. I have considered this time away as a wilderness journey.  I have dedicated part of these past two years in reflection and meditation, waiting for the commencement of how we will engage in mission and ministry going forward.   

It is time to begin planting seeds again.  As we enter a new appointment year, I invite all of us to consider how we may be of service to those in need in our churches and neighborhoods.  How are we able to make a difference? How do we live out the passages of Matthew 25 and John 20? What other passages inspire and invite us to look outside of our church walls to support and connect with our sisters and brothers?

It may not seem to be the case, but who we are and what we do is more important now than ever.  This is our Commencement.  We have the opportunity to create new relationships with people who hunger and thirst to know that God is with us.  This is also a time when we can reconnect with each other, learning from our time apart, what we need to help and support each other as we continue our journeys of faith.  I share this song with you as we explore where these new roads will lead us.  And Amen.

https://youtu.be/TatkfaY7slA

All But Her Life

Posted on by Bode

I rarely dedicate this piece to persons I have known, but today I want to share this in honor and memory of Gerda Weissman Klein.  She was a Holocaust survivor who went home to our Lord on April 3, 2022. 

I first came to know of Mrs. Klein when I was in 7th grade. Our English teacher assigned us an excerpt from her book:  All But My Life, followed by an essay on the reading. I attended a private school, and shortly after reading Mrs. Klein’s narrative, our class decided she would be our commencement speaker if she would agree. She did.  Everyone who was present that day was captivated by her story, her grace, and her faith.

When I responded to God’s call upon my life, I remembered many of the words Mrs. Klein shared with us on graduation day.  Every once in a while, I would learn that Mrs. Klein was still giving lectures, and interviews and ensuring that her legacy was preserved. In 1995, I learned her husband’s story which was recounted in the Oscar-winning documentary called One Survivor Remembers.

I met Mrs. Klein again in 2008 when she visited the Flint area to support the Youth Theater’s production of Anne Frank and give a lecture about the Holocaust, and her continued efforts to ensure the events were never forgotten.  Three years later, she received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Obama.  I was at the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem at the time, looking at the shoes of those who journeyed with her on that forced march.  The monitors showed Mrs. Klein receiving the medal, but I had to wait until I returned home to hear what she said.

I invite you to read her book or watch her documentary or any of the speeches that can be found online. Her story may be a very good topic for an adult study on the injustices that are still present in the world.  And for a woman who gave me hope in some of the darkest times of my life, who inspired me and helped to shape who I am, I thank her for being brave enough to tell her story and share her love with everyone she met.  And Amen.

Patrick Lyoya

Posted on by Mayo-Moyle

There is a sadness that I am feeling this week. It began on the afternoon of April 4th, when I learned that a young African man, Patrick Lyoya, had been shot and killed in a Grand Rapids neighborhood. Over the next several days, the new Police Chief, Eric Winstrom, responded to questions by the family and civic leaders.

Last Wednesday, as part of a news conference, he released several videos which recorded the interaction with a police officer and Patrick, which ended in Patrick’s death. Police Chief Winstrom walked the press, and viewers, through the video evidence. Although I knew the outcome, I was still numb when the shooting happened.

I have questions for what occurred that morning, and how what should’ve been a minor incident became something far worse. I know that there have been protests since Patrick’s death. I also know that family members, their attorney and others are asking that the name of the police officer be released. I am not sure knowing who he is would help with the healing which must occur for Patrick and the people of Grand Rapids.

Another name has now been added to a list, which never should exist. Far too often, I have had to learn the name of an unarmed African American who was shot, sometimes by police officers, other times by persons who believed they were doing the right thing. There is no clear way forward. No matter what is legally decided, a young man lost his life. Discussions and debates will continue. I don’t know if the solution is different training for those who are part of a police force, or if those who are African American can act, or react, differently when stopped.

Like many people here in Grand Rapids, I will wait patiently to see how the investigation of this shooting unfolds. I pray daily for the Lyoya family and the police officer involved. I invite and encourage each of you and your faith communities to do the same. I also ask prayers for those who are protesting, and the police who stand before their station to guard each other and the building which is their headquarters.

On Sunday, we celebrated the empty tomb and its significance for our lives and our souls. For God, nothing is impossible. Our Lord will carry us through this time, preparing us for a day when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24). And Amen.

A Meal Like No Other

Posted on by Bode

We are in the middle of Holy Week, the last week of our Lenten journey.  Tomorrow many of us will be commemorating the Holy Meal that has transformed the world. It was and is truly a meal like no other.

None of the Gospels share whether this was the first or third Passover Jesus and the disciples had together.  This might’ve been the first time they gathered in the Holy City to remember God’s salvific acts for the descendants of Abraham. Jesus did make some arrangements for what was to be His last meal with the disciples.

I have been able to participate in several Seder dinners.  Each begins with the Four Questions that invite the host(s) to tell the Exodus story.  I wonder, on that night, who asked the questions.  Was it the youngest disciple or the one whom Jesus loved or even Peter or Judas Iscariot?

Was Jesus the Seder leader that night, or did each disciple participate in recounting the Exodus story? Did Jesus break each loaf of unleavened bread and lift up the cups to be blessed or did He only break the final loaf and lift up the Cup of Blessing? On that particular night, the Exodus story of salvation took on new meaning for those gathered in the upper room and for us who celebrate this Holy meal each time we take Communion.

The narrative in each of the Gospels shares some of the momentous events of that night.  Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, telling them that this was the only way they would have a place with Him.  He spoke of one who would betray Him, but did not name which disciple it was.  He tried to prepare all of them for what was to occur, but during the meal, His words did not sink in. All too soon, the dinner ended.

The rest of that night was the most difficult for our Savior.  He knew that he would be betrayed. He knew which cup would be offered to Him.  He told Peter that he would deny ever knowing Him.  One by one, they fell away. Jesus had to walk a lonesome valley that night, a valley that led Him to the cross.

We all know that Easter Sunday is coming.  We will gather to celebrate the miracle of the empty tomb.  But first, we must walk the path that Jesus did.  Moses delivered a people enslaved in a foreign land.  Jesus came to deliver us from slavery to sin, offering us God’s grace, love and forgiveness each time we share the bread and the cup. As we look towards Easter morning, may we continue to be blessed as the children of the living God.  And Amen.

Never a Chance Meeting

Posted on by Bode

Give me Jesus, give me Jesus. You can have this whole world, give me Jesus.1 This is a song I often sing when I am feeling troubled, anxious, or worried.  But I know there was a time before our Savior came to journey with us.  What did people who struggled back then sing about?  When they found themselves in the valleys of their lives, did they sing psalms, did they pray, or both?

The majority of John, Chapter 4 is dedicated to a conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at the well. On that particular day, Jesus, tired from his journey, chose to sit by the well.  It was about noon when he sat down.  Imagine sitting next to Jesus and looking around him from the same vantage point.  Did he watch people as they passed the well?  Or did he see the woman approaching and follow her journey as she got closer?

What did he see? Was the woman walking toward the well with her head down? In 1st century Israel, I am not sure if they had words for depression or melancholy.  If so, was the time she selected to go to the well, in the heat of the day, her way of avoiding others?  Or did she go then so she could be alone with her thoughts?

What was her first thought as she saw that there was a man sitting at the well?  Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water. The rest of the conversation was about spiritual refreshment.  As they spoke, the woman was transformed by what Jesus was saying to her.  When he revealed that he was the Messiah, she left her water vessel, returning to the village to share the Good News. 

The Samaritan woman’s conversation with Jesus was one of the first revelations that our Lord walks among us.  In today’s world, we are an Easter people.  Our Lord and Savior is with us in all ways and at all times.  Especially when we are journeying through valleys, possibly with our heads bowed down by the burdens we bear.

Jesus is with us, walking beside us, in the midst of our struggles.  Our Savior offers us the same living water that he offered to the Samaritan woman.  As we continue our Lenten journey, be assured that Jesus knows where we are, and what we are experiencing.  We are never alone.  May we turn to Jesus during our times of trouble, leaning on the Lord to care for our spirits and our souls, today and every day.  And Amen.

¹ https://youtu.be/CyyI_rFUYok

A Time of Paralysis

Posted on by Bode

The Forgiveness and Healing of a Paralyzed Man from Luke’s Gospel (Luke 5: 17-26) are another of those passages that has a happy ending.  In this version of the event, the friends of the paralyzed man carry him to where Jesus was teaching.  There were Pharisees and teachers of the law with Jesus at the time.  The author of Luke doesn’t share where the men came from or how far they carried their friend. They were determined to bring him to Jesus because they heard he was healing people.

The man’s friends were not daunted by the crowd.  When they realized they couldn’t get through the people gathered around Jesus, they lifted their friend up and lowered him down to where Jesus was sitting.  Imagine the trust the man who was paralyzed had for his friends as he was completely in their hands.

As they carried their friend to Jesus, did they silently hope that Jesus could heal him, or did they talk about what they would do as soon as he could walk again? It’s the time of the infirmity that we rush through.  We may not want to consider what it would be like to be confined to a mat, relying on others for food, conversation, and activities of daily living.  We want to get to that moment when Jesus makes the man who was paralyzed, whole, both spiritually and physically.

We want to turn the page in the Scriptures and his life, knowing that when he walked away, he was a different man.  None of the Gospel authors share with us what happened next or what the rest of his life, and the lives of his friends, was like.  What was the first thing he did with his friends?  Was it something he did before he was paralyzed or did he want to try something new and different? 

For a time, he was powerless to move, unable to be involved in what was going on in his world and in his life. Until Jesus told him to “get up, take your mat and go home.”

I feel as if our lives have been like that since the pandemic hit.  We are not physically paralyzed.  Yet we have been unable to participate in many of the activities we took for granted.  We are slowly returning to life before the pandemic, possibly going to a restaurant, seeing the latest movie, or going shopping in our favorite clothing or craft store. 

Our lives are being restored, not to what they once were, but to a new way of living and being in relationship with one another.  We may be eager to pick up what we set aside two years ago.  My hope is that during this time of quarantining and confinement we have discovered gifts and ways of helping that we can now begin to share with one another.

We are entering a time of new beginnings.  There is still much uncertainty in our world. Now, more than ever, we are encouraged to have faith in our Lord who is ever-present, knowing what we need before we are even aware of it.  May that faith sustain us as we learn how to march in the light of God once again.  And Amen.

Waiting on the Lord

Posted on by Bode

During this season of Lent, I want to continue to wrestle with some of the valleys we experience as we retell Jesus’ journey for our salvation.  I will be reflecting on the Lukan version (Chapter 8) of the healing of The Hemorrhaging Woman and the Raising of Jairus’ Daughter.

These two miracles were twelve years in the making.  Jairus’ daughter was born when the hemorrhaging woman’s condition began.  The woman sought treatment after treatment, with no success.  Because she was unclean for all that time, she was isolated from family, friends, and her community.  The authors of each of the Gospels do not share what her life might’ve been like. How did she obtain food or the monies she used to consult physicians, healers, and others she believed could help her? Did her anguish grow each month, or had she become resigned to her condition and the rhythm of her life? Even though she was separated from those around her, somehow, she heard Jesus was coming.

We know nothing about Jairus’ daughter. We don’t know if she was a sickly child or if the illness which caused her death was sudden.  As her illness grew worse, each moment of her ailment might’ve felt like twelve years of suffering for her parents.  The remedies they tried failed to restore their daughter’s health.  They may have relived treasured moments of her life as they watched her breathing slow and her body weaken.

Like the hemorrhaging woman, they knew that Jesus could help her.  Jairus met Jesus upon our Savior’s return, asking that he help his daughter. Jairus was undoubtedly relieved when Jesus walked in the direction of Jairus’ home.  And then the encounter with the hemorrhaging woman happened.  Jairus’ hope for his daughter was quickly fading.  The seconds and her life were ticking away.  And when his servant arrived to tell Jairus’ his daughter was gone, his worst fears came true.

Jesus healed two women, connected by twelve years.  We celebrate that their two lives were restored.  Do we ever consider, for even twelve minutes, how much they suffered before being made whole? Or do we focus on the joyous moment for an unnamed woman and young girl, because we are uncomfortable with what led them to this moment?

Sometimes, in our relationship with God, we feel like Jairus.  We pray to God for healing, comfort, and for strength. We learn that someone else’s prayers have been or are being answered.  And yet, for us, the Lord is silent. We wait, relying on our faith, knowing that the Lord will reveal what is planned for us when we are ready, and the time is right. In our search for what it means to be whole, we will wrestle with letting go and letting God shape our lives and our life journeys. 

The Lord’s promises for our lives and for all of creation are a wonder and a mystery to us.  We never know how God will reveal what He intends for us or when.  Faith helps us to wait when God answers the needs of our family and friends.  God’s love sustains us as we journey through the valleys which we all endure.  And in time, God’s light touches us, and we feel blessed by the love that surpasses all understanding.  May the Lord continue to answer our prayers.  And may we trust in the Lord today, tomorrow, and always.  And Amen.

Gone Too Soon

Posted on by Bode

During this season of Lent, I want to invite us to continue to spend time in those Scriptures which require us to spend time in the valleys of our lives.  For me, one of these passages is the story of Lazarus’ resurrection. Like the story of the Good Samaritan, we want to rush to that moment when Jesus calls Lazarus from death into life. 

In the span of 44 verses, we learn that Lazarus is ill. Jesus does not go to see his friend immediately.  Jesus stayed where he was for two more days, knowing what would happen with Lazarus, as those with him did not.  Jesus and the disciples then went to Judea, before returning to Bethany to be with Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus.

When Jesus arrived, there were already many people there who were comforting Martha and Mary, for Lazarus had already died.  The author of John doesn’t tell us anything about Lazarus.  We don’t know how old he was when he died, or what caused his death.  We never learn if Lazarus was a leader or servant in his community or the work he did to support his family. 

Martha went to meet Jesus when she heard that he had arrived in Bethany.  In her grief, her first words to Jesus were still a declaration of her faith. John 11:21 and 32   “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” A few verses later, Mary tells Jesus the same thing.  When Jesus saw Mary, Martha, and the others weeping, he also wept. A very real and human response to how we grieve when we lose someone we love. Knowing what Jesus was about to do, He still wept for the loss of His friend.  The passage concludes with John 11: 43  Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Sorrow is a part of our lives.  I have never believed it is something we are to get over or get through. I miss my parents and my sisters as much today as the day God called each of them home.  I wish I had one more meal or another conversation with friends who I thought would be here one more year, one more week, or even one more day. 

And sometimes I feel that way about Jesus.  If only our Savior had more than three years to spread the Good News. There is no precise record of how many lives he restored during His mission and ministry, but if our Lord had more time, I wonder how many more lives he could’ve touched as he journeyed through Israel and Galilee.

Like Lazarus, I know that Jesus did not remain in the tomb.  Still, for each of us, there is a time of sadness and grief because he suffered and died so that we would be forgiven.  This is the valley journey we are experiencing now. 

Jesus died so that you and I might have life everlasting. There is both sorrow and joy in this very special and loving gift. Our world was transformed and is still transforming because Jesus came to walk among us.  In those three years, our Savior planted the seeds of our faith which are still growing and changing us to become more like the one who created and loves us.  May we be blessed as we walk in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior. And Amen.

Midwest District