District News

How Can I Keep From Singing?

Posted on by Bode

The pandemic has changed the ways we live our lives.  COVID updates are part of the daily newsfeed with positivity rates, hospitalizations and sadly death rates presented.  Trips to stores and hospitals have encouraged or required us to wear a mask, maintain social distancing and check our temperatures on a regular basis.

Delivery companies like Uber Eats and Grub Hub have blossomed as many of us have selected the eat-in over the dine-out option.  Some persons have decided that this is the time to seek new work, realizing their current jobs were not helping them achieve their goals.

And worship now includes an online option, creating a new space for those who are unable or unwilling to come to our buildings.  We are still discovering how the internet is transforming our relationship with our Lord. 

What I have missed most over these past two years is singing.  Unless one utilizes the Original Sound feature on Zoom, singing together provides a slight auditory delay.  A solution is to mute yourself and sing along with another person, but it’s not quite the same.  So many songs capture the spirit of the living God. 

Songs help us to grieve and to express our joy.  They are a form of prayer and a declaration that God still moves in us and through us.  There are a variety of hymnals that offer us traditional songs by composers like Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, and Fanny Crosby.  There are also artists today like Kirk Franklin, Chris Tomlin and the Wayans family who continue to create new music which connects us to our Creator.

There are songs that come from other places which inspire us and affirm that God continues to fulfill the promises He has made for our lives.  Choral requiems, songs from musicals and even top 40 hits can inspire us to see our Lord in new ways.  Whether you enjoy Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus or Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah made popular in the first Shrek film, our Lord is present in the music and words of both.

Whatever music speaks to you, and however it does, as we return to being side by side with one another, may we enjoy singing to the Lord with praise, thanksgiving, and joy. 

I also ask for prayers as the war in Ukraine continues.  I offer this song to help us know that the Lord is with us through the valleys which are a part of our lives.  Ma you always be blessed.  And Amen.

https://youtu.be/PXBKaOkmQhw

Lean on Me by Kirk Franklin and a variety of artists

The Jericho Journey

Posted on by Bode

Today begins our 2022 Lenten journey.  Over the next several weeks we will reflect upon what Jesus did for our salvation and redemption. There are Gospel passages that resonate with us.  Some are well known by their titles, like The Woman at the Well (John 4), Jairus’ Daughter (Mark 8), The Paralyzed Man (Luke 5) and The Blind Beggar (Luke 18). Two of the most frequent sources for sermons are The Raising of Lazarus (John 11) and The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10).

The parable is offered to a lawyer who asked Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” A man, who was going down to Jericho, was waylaid by thieves.  A priest and Levite who traveled on the same road passed by the injured man.  This may be the part of the passage that some pastors wrestle with.  Why did the priest, and then the Levite pass by a man lying on the side of the road?  Was where they were headed more important than caring for an injured man? Or did they believe he was already dead and beyond all help?

The author of Luke’s Gospel allows us to take in what just happened, just like the lawyer, without describing how Jesus’ listeners reacted.  And then, a Samaritan, a foreigner, and enemy of the Hebrew people, does what the priest and Levite did not.  He took the time to discover if the man was still alive.  Then the Samaritan tended his wounds, placed him on his own animal, and took him to an inn, caring for him for the rest of that day.  The next day he gave the innkeeper two denarii to care for the injured man until his return.  Jesus brings the parable to a conclusion with the following question: Luke 10: 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Whenever I read this passage or begin to develop a sermon from it, I consider how to quickly get to these last two verses.  I am not comfortable with how the priest and Levite walked by the man in a rush to reach their destination.  I have spent more time characterizing the good Samaritan than questioning the decisions of the priest and Levite.  I want to get to the happy ending and the inspiration that this parable gives us.

There are 46 days of Lent (Sundays included). Time for each of us to consider not only the good things that Jesus did for our sakes but also the pain he endured so that our lives would be better.  Easter is coming.  But for the next 7 weeks, our Christian journey takes us down that Jericho road, asking us to stop at uncomfortable places where our Savior was questioned, tested, and rejected by those who had waited so long for His presence among us.  May we walk through the valleys that our Savior experienced during these days. And Amen.

An Offering and Investment

Posted on by Bode

There are some conversations that as pastors we don’t always want to have.  Sometimes, what we do as Christians, how we respond to God’s call upon our lives, and how we are transformed and transforming others is just part of who we are as God’s messengers and servants. We may not want to talk about it, because it’s something we just do.  We don’t necessarily want to share how someone has been blessed through us. And not because we don’t feel God’s light shining through us, but possibly because we are uncomfortable with that light shining on us.

As part of our Christian journey and dedication to who we are and how we live out the Great Commission, as we become God’s servants, we are invited to share a portion of our gifts for the mission and ministry which is ever before us.  Annual Stewardship Campaigns are one way that each worshipping community can celebrate what has happened through giving.  The time we give to the financial support of our churches can also help us recognize where else what we offer is needed to help those who are a part of our Christian families and those we are dedicated to helping.  Each faith community is asked to do the same for the District and Conference through the giving of Ministry Shares.   

I am grateful for each church that has been able to invest a portion of what they have received with the District and Conference.  It is through your giving that the current missions can continue and seeds for new missions can be planted.  The Conference is currently creating the next Engage Mi booklet which describes local church, District, and Conference missions that are supported by Ministry Shares and next-level giving. Click HERE to learn more.

One of the ways in which our District receives Ministry Shares and invests them in our neighborhoods is through Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON).  The goal of this special ministry is to provide legal assistance for immigrants as they journey through the naturalization process. There are currently 3 offices in the state of Michigan, one right here in Grand Rapids. Click HERE to visit the JFON Michigan website.  Please click HERE to visit the national JFON website to learn about how this vital ministry is changing the lives of people in the US who are seeking a new home.

Your District Ministry Shares support the work of attorneys, interns, and volunteers who walk beside people who are seeking to become citizens of our nation.  Through our giving, we are planting seeds of hope and love for people who may have felt as if they were unseen and unheard.  Even if we never learn the exact person or family our Ministry Shares support, may we celebrate that the gifts we offer are an investment in the kingdom that is and the kingdom that is to come. May we continue to share what we have so that we all may be blessed.  And Amen.   

Instruction Manual Included

Posted on by Bode

When I was a very young child, Lego building blocks were a novelty.  They came in a box with bunches of pieces that could be used to build whatever a child (or their parents) imagined.  There were a few pictures on the box, suggesting some possibilities, but that was about it.  The Legos were sorted by color, placed in different bins inside a plastic container.  That helped to decide how the pieces could fit together, but my sister and I still had to figure out how to build the house on the cover by trial and error.

By the time I was a teenager, Lego sets began to appear.  I believe the first ones I saw were Construction themes, followed by Space and then Star Wars.  Each set was more complex, and though I never purchased one, I know they came with a set of instructions.  It is probably not easy to put together over 3000 Legos without some kind of guide.

After I accompanied Terrance to New York to drop him off at college, I went to the Lego Store at Rockefeller Center.  It is an amazing place.  There were life sized displays of Batman, the Seven Dwarfs, and even a six-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty.  And there were also tubs of Lego pieces in all shapes and sizes.  Customers were invited to create something they could purchase, build their own sets or follow an instruction manual to take home a featured model of the day or week.

Although Legos are not jigsaw puzzles, it was still fun to spend time in the store, creating a couple different models, and looking at all the sets which were available.  Still, I am not as creative as Lego Masters, who can create any structure without following a picture on a box or what may be outlined in the Instruction Manual. 

Sometimes, I feel like church is like that, especially as we begin a new appointment.  The Great Commission (Matthew 28) invites us to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  But there is no Instruction Manual, no template to follow as we continue our journeys with the people we serve.

There are so many pieces that fit together in numerous ways.  Some of our congregants have identified their gifts and are already fitting in a variety of places.  Others are still in the sorting bins, hoping to be invited to be part of a new or existing mission.  What we can create is only limited by what we can imagine or the issues and struggles we are willing to address.

Even though we are all United Methodists, each faith community responds to God’s call upon our lives in different ways.  The Bible provides the foundation for what we do.  The people we meet inspire us to offer food, shelter, clothing, prayer, comfort and space for others to learn what it means to be the children of a God who loves us so much and so deeply. 

I am glad there is no single response to the Great Commission.  God shines in and through each of us in ways too numerous to count.  We are threads in our Lord’s tapestry, pieces of his puzzle and the building blocks of the church and its mission.  May we be blessed by all we do in our Lord’s holy name.  And Amen.

Who Tells God’s Story?

Posted on by Bode

Just a little over six years ago, Hamilton debuted on Broadway.  Whether you have seen it or not, this biopic production raised the bar on music composition and production design.  Through rap, sonatas, and ballads, much of Alexander Hamilton’s life is chronicled.  The final song, entitled: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story? presents us with a conundrum about who is included in history and who is not. The musical Hamilton is based on the novel Alexander Hamilton by Alex Chernow.  A mere 818 pages are dedicated to this often overlooked, rarely mentioned instrumental founding father of our nation. Hamilton’s legacy is far-reaching as he developed the financial base for the country. He is also one of the co-authors of the Federalist Papers which defended the Constitution.

He isn’t the only person who receives very little space in our history books or in the discussions we have around who has made a significant impact on who we were, who we are, and who we have the potential to become.

During Black History Month, we are encouraged to explore the inventors, innovators, and initiators of change in all aspects of our culture and society who are African American.  Other months are designated for Asian Americans (May), Hispanic Latino Americans (mid-September to mid-October), and Native Americans (November).  I am hoping that we take the time to share our multicultural heritage each month, in addition to the one month which has been designated for them.

 Our Holy Bible is full of people who have been touched and transformed by God.  We have four Gospels that offer us different ways to see Jesus.  The Epistles of Paul shares what it was like to plant churches and begin a new way of life for the first Christians.  Each Old Testament Book invites us to walk with women and men who dedicated themselves to our Lord’s covenant and yet struggled to keep the Commandments.

We have a rich heritage, filled with people we can name and others who we only know by where they lived, when they met a prophet or the Messiah or how they sinned.  Whenever I read the beginning of First Chronicles, I often wish I knew more about those listed there than their names.  I also wish I knew the names of the Woman at the Well, the Canaanite Woman, or the homeowner, whose roof was destroyed by the friends of the paralyzed man.  Still, I share these and other narratives from the Bible because I see each of us in their spiritual journeys. 

Whether you are a Lectionary preacher or develop your own Sermon Series, I invite you to look for a person who is part of the narrative.  Maybe preach about Samson’s parents or King David’s brothers.  Consider what it might’ve been like for those who looked forward to sharing the growing pains of their faith community with Paul, Silas, and Timothy.  What happened to Jairus’ daughter and the daughter of the Canaanite woman after Jesus healed them? What was it like to serve on the Sanhedrin and be the minority voice like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus?  What happened with Laban after Jacob and his family left? The possibilities are endless. How will you continue to tell our Lord’s story?  May you be blessed.  And Amen.

We Need Help

Posted on by Bode

Over the years, I have taken a lot of adventure vacations.  My favorites are still the time I spent at Space Camp in Huntsville, AL.  I also went on a few cruises.  A few months prior to the sail date, the cruise line sent a packet of information that listed the excursions being offered. My mom always went shopping in each port of call.  I usually chose more adventurous options.  In Belize, I hiked to some Mayan ruins.  In Panama, I rode in a canoe to visit a rain forest village.  While in Alaska, I made the same trek up the Klondike Pass as gold prospectors a hundred years before me.

I have also been kayaking twice.  The first time was on Lake Mendenhall in Alaska, and the second was in Key West.  I teamed up with someone I didn’t know in Alaska.  At first, our journey was disastrous.  We couldn’t seem to find a good rhythm.  We worked against each other for most of the way toward the cove which was our destination.  We were the last to arrive and missed a good portion of what our tour guide was sharing.  But on the return journey, we found the key to working together and picked up enough speed to be the first to shore.

In Key West, my son and I shared a kayak. There was one other couple on the trip.  Terrance was excited to be in the little boat and when he saw the oars, he wanted to try it for himself.  Because he was only eight at the time, I told him to just sit back and enjoy the ride.  The tour guide took us all over the Key, showing us the plants and birds that called that part of Florida home. 

After about ninety minutes, my arms began to burn.  That was when I wished that I had let Terrance try to paddle, even if we didn’t do it synchronously.  I was convinced, after my experience in Alaska, that I could guide us through the water all by myself.  I did alright for most of the trip; but near the end, I struggled to steer the kayak around some seagrass.

I admitted to the tour guide that I needed help.  He gave the kayak a big push and we were both able to get out of the thick grass.  That’s when the other couple got stuck.  We had to rely on each other to maneuver our way through that patch of foliage and return to shore safely.  In those few minutes, the five of us bonded because we realized that we were stronger as we worked together to ensure that none of us were stuck in the seagrass. 

And I wish those experiences had left a bigger impression on me.  Far too often in my life, I don’t ask for help when I find myself out of rhythm or stuck in the proverbial grass.  That doesn’t work with what God has asked us to do.  The missions and ministries we start are one of the ways we share how the Lord is working within us and through us. Our collective work helps us to build relationships with each other and accomplish the transformation of the world.

We need help to continue God’s work in and for the world.  There is much for us to do as we fulfill God’s promises for all of creation. As we consider how we may serve our Lord, may we ask ourselves how we can respond to the needs of God’s children in the world, our neighborhoods, and our faith communities.  Do your church’s ministries seek to help those who are lost, hungry, hurting, captive or invisible? What missions have been able to continue, even during the pandemic? What new missions can begin in 2022 as we reaffirm God’s call upon us?  And above all, when do we ask others to help us, inviting them to share the work that our Lord has asked of us? May we seek the help we need for the people we serve.  And Amen.

Keeping the Faith

Posted on by Bode

For those of you who don’t watch sports, I ask for your grace in the first part of today’s Corner. 

Over the weekend, the NFL Divisional playoffs were contested.  The winners will meet for the Conference Championships and the opportunity to compete in this year’s Superbowl.  Prior to each game the pundits and announcers chose their favorites.  Some fans may have changed the channel early, sure their team or the opponent won.  That’s when the momentum changed.  Three games were won during the last few seconds, and one went into overtime.

I was able to sit back and relax…sort of, as each game looked like a shoo-in for the home team.  With one exception that’s not the way, it turned out.  Despite what the experts described, what the oddsmakers were predicting, and even what players on both sides were spouting, the underdog won.  In the fourth game, the home team were the comeback kids, truly stealing victory from the jaws of defeat.

Leading those “in the know” to speak of the winners in new ways.  Each team had garnered their respect by the way they persevered, in spite of the odds and the uphill battle before them. 

I can’t help but feel like we are the new underdog.  Being Christians who are active in our faith journeys, dedicated to missions and ministries making a difference, has caused us to be undervalued and underestimated.  Sunday is no longer our day.  Businesses are open, welcoming customers to walk through their aisles during what used to be our sacred time.

Wednesday night prayer meetings have been swapped for Parent-Teacher Conferences and intramural and Little League sporting events.  eBay, Etsy, Amazon, and Carvana are among the ways we can sell our things, replacing rummage sales.  Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash invite us to create our own potlucks delivered to our homes, rather than gathering in a Fellowship Hall to share our relationship with one another and our Lord over a common meal.

You get the picture.  The world is changing around us.  A relationship with our Lord has become a difficult journey.  There are some who deride people for believing in God and practicing our faith.  We have been constrained from praying in schools or the workplace, as a way to begin or end our days. COVID has been used as the reason for some people to leave the church with no plans to ever return. We are constantly being told that there is no need for church or religion anymore.  Most people have moved away or moved on. 

I recently heard a sermon from 2 Samuel 21: 15-20.  The pastor spoke about the continuing war between the Israelites and the Philistines. Goliath wasn’t the only giant sent to defeat their foes.  And yet, the Israelites prevailed.  The pastor went on to say that in today’s world, we have our own giants to fight.  One of them is keeping our faith in the midst of all that we are experiencing. 

Hear the Good News! God is with us!

The Lord’s light shines in us and through us as we continue to answer what God has asked of each of us.  We have learned, or been reminded, that church is not defined by our buildings, but by the people who come to us troubled, weary, and overburdened.  It is with us that they find healing, rest, and renewal.

We are still here, preparing the way of the Lord, one person, one prayer, one mission, and one ministry at a time. Our tasks are still before us.  God’s plan of salvation has yet to be accomplished. Our road is not easy. Many have predicted that we’re going, others that we are already gone.  Instead, I invite and encourage us to keep the faith. God is making all things new, shaping us and the way we serve for what is and what is yet to come.  And Amen.

Preparing our Sermons

Posted on by Bode

When I was a child, my mom would watch Graham Kerr, a British chef who created fancy dishes on his show. I remember my mom would sit down with pen and paper in hand to write down all the steps of each recipe so she could recreate it at home.

She was often unable to do so.  The list of ingredients or the directions to follow were presented too quickly for her to write down.  I believe this was intentional.  That way, viewers would have to purchase one of Graham’s cookbooks.  My mom had her own set of favorite recipes, that she made regularly.  She made dinner rolls from scratch nearly every Sunday and most major holidays. Her sweet potato pie and dressing were seasonal highlights.

She didn’t follow a recipe to prepare her signature dishes.  She had made each dish so many times that she knew the steps by heart.  Which made it difficult for her daughters to recreate any of them.  I remember some ingredients for her dinner rolls.  The first ingredient was two cups of warm milk.  Because my mom made anywhere from 4 to 6 dozen rolls at a time, she would use yeast cakes, rather than the powdered variety.  A couple eggs, some sugar and a lot of flour later, the dough would be done and set aside to rise. Then she would break off pieces of dough, shaping them into rolls as she did so, and placing them in the baking pan. It’s that roll making technique I have never come close to accomplishing.

On the other hand, I have been able to reproduce my mom’s sweet potato pie recipe.  Because the right combination for those pies was the taste of sweet potatoes, vanilla, nutmeg, and sugar, it was easier to recreate.  I don’t think about whether I need a ¼ cup or a ½ cup of something.  I trust my tastebuds to let me know if more sugar or nutmeg, or even a pinch of cinnamon is needed. And I have added my own style to my pies.

Whenever I prepare a sermon, I think it’s a lot like those recipes.  As I hear others preach, I can recognize the elements they incorporate to craft their message.  I hear metaphors and illustrations that I often wish I had thought of. Someone will share an interpretation of Scripture that increases my understanding of our Lord, and at the same time, transforms the study and reflection I will do for my next sermon based on that passage. 

Each of us adds our own flavor and seasoning to the messages we create, and the ways we share them.  We draw on our life experiences as children of the Living God to inspire others on the journey.  We reflect on what’s happening in our world to deepen our faith and the faith of those we serve.  We incorporate what we have learned and are learning into the sermon for this week or this season.  We continue to tweak and modify what we have prepared, sometimes even as we share it with those in worship. Our messages are living recipes of how our Lord speaks to us and through us. We all have a story to tell, as laity and clergy. May God’s light continue to shine in us and through us whenever and wherever we preach. And Amen.

Connecting to the Internet

Posted on by Bode

Last Wednesday as inclement weather hit the Grand Rapids area, I heard the distinctive crackling sound of a power line breaking.  I called Consumer’s Energy as I watched sparks dance between the trees across the street.  The power in my house blinked off and on a few times before it was restored. Somehow, even though the power lines were down, I still had electricity.

Except for the modem for the internet.  When I contacted my internet provider, I learned that the system was out for the entire neighborhood and that I would receive a text when it was restored.  When the technicians came to replace the downed power lines, I was without power again.  Four people worked hard through the blizzard to repair the power lines. They were successful after a couple of hours.

But by the next morning, I still had no internet.  All those energy surges had fried my modem and it needed to be replaced.  So, I had to use my phone as a hotspot to send and receive emails.  It took longer than expected to open tabs on the internet and wait for them to load.  And by longer than expected, I mean twenty or twenty-five seconds.

I am old enough to remember what the internet was like when one had to dial in to gain access to the worldwide web.  Back then, it took several minutes to get online, and the connections were rarely stable.  Navigating through websites took time as well.  And just when you found the site you wanted, the connection slowed significantly or was lost. 

Last week, I found myself feeling a little frustrated that I had to wait for the screen to change, or Outlook to notify me that an email had been sent. I had gotten so used to whatever speed my internet is, that even a delay of a few seconds was a new experience.  My rhythm was off, and only for a day or so. 

I realized that I have been moving quickly from one topic to the next.  The power outage and the loss of the internet helped me to take a couple of unplanned breaks.  None of the deadlines I had were missed, and the amount of time I lost was minimal.  A few seconds here and there as I waited for documents to download and emails to be sent was all that passed.  As I try to commit to spending fewer hours in front of the computer screen this year, those longer connection times were a reminder to just wait and breathe.

It’s alright to slow down and allow the process of how and what we communicate to take a few seconds or even a few minutes longer. We don’t need to work constantly.  Instead of looking forward to the next thing, I believe it’s alright to sometimes pause between tasks.  Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God” is a reminder to create a space and a place for our Lord’s presence to touch us during each day.  May it be so.  And Amen.

Avenue of the Saints

Posted on by Bode

When I lived in Iowa, in the last part of the 20th century, the Avenue of the Saints was under construction.  It was the concept of an engineer who wanted drivers to have a direct route between St. Paul, Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri.  The road is over 500 miles long.

I wasn’t really aware of the highway until I began the process to adopt my son.  At the time, most states had reciprocity.  I looked at profile books for Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin.  After about three months of searching, I found Terrance’s information and spoke with Missouri Social Services to set up our introduction.  The fastest route from Iowa City to St. Louis was the Avenue of the Saints.

I remember that first trip clearly.  This was before GPS was an option, so I had to rely on the route I created on a map.  The first part of the journey was pretty easy.  Part of the new route was incorporated into existing highways.  Then, I arrived at the exit to continue to follow the route for the Avenue of the Saints.  Parts of the road were under construction, expanding a two-lane road to accommodate an additional lane in each direction.  Sometimes, drivers had to wait as traffic was shifted to the only open lane, and we had to watch the flagman for the signal to start or stop.

A little over four hours after I started, I arrived in St. Louis. A restless night and an early morning before I met my son for the first time.  A few weeks later, I returned to bring Terrance to his forever home.  Even though I had made the journey once before, the second trip was very different. 

I started on the journey later than I wanted, and the sun had set before I was halfway there.  And then it began to rain.  Not a light shower, but a thunderstorm so intense that I couldn’t see beyond the headlights.  Like many other drivers, I pulled off to the side of the road, hoping the downpour wouldn’t last long.  All I kept thinking about was that the next morning, I would be a mom.

That helped me get through the last of the rainstorms.  The return trip to Iowa City was stormy in a different way. Those were my only experiences on this particular route. Construction was completed after we moved away, but our new life together as a family began on the Avenue of the Saints.

Tomorrow is the Epiphany of our Lord or El Día de Los Reyes.  Often as we share the story of the Three Wise Men, and their journey to find a different baby, we don’t usually talk about the roads they traveled.  I am confident that sometimes they had to find shelter from rain or possibly even sandstorms.  They had the star to guide them by night, but what happened if the sky was overcast?  They knew they were headed west, but when did their separate journeys converge and how did they discover that they were on the same road?

I believe that is what our own journeys of faith are like.  We are headed toward salvation and redemption.  We know the destination.  We will travel along the same road, some of us walking side by side for days or months, others for years.  There will be storms, chaos, joys, and celebrations.  All of us are part of the Lord’s avenue of the saints.  May we rejoice in the start of a new year and the gift of our Lord and Savior.  And Amen.

Midwest District