Dear Partners in Ministry,
A TRANSFORMED WORLD When I awoke this morning, through mysteries of God's creation beyond my understanding, the world had been transformed ... not by millions of disciples of Jesus Christ (our UMC mission statement is to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world") ... but by millions of snow flakes! So far, 16 inches of such flakes, together being the snow God meant them to be, have transformed the shape of our trees, the color of our lawn, the thickness of our sidewalks (actually they've disappeared), the texture of our roof, the nature of the sky, the delivery of the mail, the pickup of the garbage, the amount of traffic on our street, the inclination of our neighborhood dogs to go out (what happened to my "spot!"), and the schedule for my day .... almost nothing can change my schedule ...... but an accumulation of snow flakes has! And, small flakes at that. TRANSFORMATION!
Maybe, in the mysteries of God's New Creation, an accumulation of small, individual, seemingly inconsequential disciples (at times we've been called "fools," "flakes" for Christ) can transform the world together by being the Christians God meant us to be.
"WE MUST DO BETTER" One of the "transformations" desperately needed in our life together as God's children was illustrated by the tragic events last Saturday in Tucson, Arizona, where six were killed and Congresswoman Giffords and others seriously injured by Jared Loughner. Many have pointed to the need for a change in tone and greater respect for one another in our discourse about things where there are disagreements in our civic and, I might add, church life. If we truly believe that God created and loves every one of us, then personal attack and demeaning caricature, let alone the intent to do verbal or physical violence are a sin against God and each other. Jesus calls us to love one another ... even our enemies .... in word and deed. Yale law professor Stephen Carter in his book, Civility, writes that we need a sense of humility about ourselves and a sense of awe concerning the other as a child of God as we enter into disagreements with each other. All of us, "left," "right," and in between must reflect our own rhetoric and behavior. Are we a part of the "problem" or the "solution?"
Could we who follow Jesus be that "accumulation" of folk to help transform the tone and way we treat each other in our times of disagreement. Could it begin in our personal relationships where some of the most hurtful things are said and done? Could it shape our "holy conferencing" (to use Wesley's phrase) in church gatherings? Could it help guide my decisions about whom I listen to/watch/read in the media? (I have decided not to watch a commentator with whom I often agree, but who often personally demeans the "opposition" ... and I am writing to explain to him why.) Could transformation begin with me ... and you ... and you ... and you?
In my mind, the incident in Tucson connects with many other important conversations we must continue to have as Americans (and Christians): how do we relate to and help the mentally deranged; given the 2nd amendment, what reasonable laws should we have governing the use of guns; how do we address a culture of bullying sometimes leading to violence or suicide; how does the "beloved community" connect with and welcome the "loner" or marginalized? These, and other questions, ought to be explored in our churches ... Sunday School classes ... sermons ... council meetings ... Bible studies ... women's groups ... youth groups ... men's groups.
Commander Scott Kelly, the brother-in-law of Gabrielle Giffords and currently orbiting in the International Space Station, looked down from space, knowing the terrible things that had happened in Tucson and yet noting the peaceful beauty of our world from afar. He reflected, "We are better than this. We must do better." Surely, we must. Can we do our part personally and in our churches?
APPLAUSE AS DOXOLOGY Last Sunday at Immanuel UMC in Waltham, MA, there was a great spirit and wonderful worship. When it came time to bring the offering forward and sing the Doxology the congregation broke out in applause ... for nothing ... other than God's many, many blessings .... which really is something! Applause may not be your congregation’s style, but finding creative, fresh ways to express authentic praise to God in your worship is very important. Maybe someone can write a song to be sung, or do liturgical dance, bring some special symbol of blessing forward with the offering, or give their testimony. How do you praise God with a "new song." (Psalm 40:3)
The congregation also gave all visitors (including me) a bag of microwave popcorn with a note that said "Thanks for poppin' in!" along with information about the church's ministries. I noted that the brand of popcorn was "Act II"... like Acts 2 ... when at Pentecost the church explosively popped out of their "container" to take the Good News to all.
OPEN DOORS?????? There are lots of ways to talk about having open doors as a church. But visits to several different churches this fall/winter reminded me of the most basic, practical meaning of that question: Are the wooden/glass/metal doors that you have in your church building literally unlocked and open so people can come in and go out? I may be missing something, but when I park my car and see a door nearby, that's the one I try to go in ... and if that one's locked, I'll try the next one ... and if that one's locked, my next impulse is to figure they aren't "open for business" and go home ... until I remember that I'm the one who is supposed to preach! So I better persevere and try yet another door. No kidding, more than once it has taken me three tries to find the open door, in spite of other doors being closer to where I (and others) had parked. In one parking lot a woman actually told me, "Oh, we all know you can't get in that door!" Well, think of visitors ... pleeeeeeaaaase think of visitors ... some, including the Bishop, might even come someday ... as far as I know, only Jesus was able to come in through locked doors (John 20).
The best is to have your doors open ... at least one half hour before the service ... with greeters (I mean really friendly greeters) there to welcome visitors inside, or even better outside in the parking area. Greeters should also learn the name of the visitor and introduce them to someone else so they can invite the visitor to sit with them and tell the visitor something about the good things happening there. Those folks can give the visitor a little welcome gift (see above) and make a point before or after the service to introduce the visitor to the pastor.
At the very least, if you have doors locked for some reason, there should be a sign on the door welcoming the visitor and directing them to the right door (that everyone else knows about). I also find it strange that the "best" parking places are often reserved for the pastor and/or staff or taken by church leaders who often get there early. Those "best" parking places ... near an open door ... ought to be reserved for the handicapped and visitors. And by the way, once the visitor is inside the building, is there signage to help them find their way around ... and a truly friendly congregation to welcome them? It frankly surprises us how often no one initiates talking to my wife in the congregations we visit, unless they have seen us come in together. Linda often then takes the initiative ... but many visitors won't. Keep the doors of your building and hearts OPEN.
PRAY FOR HAITI Thank you again for all the prayers, health kits, contributions, and study groups supporting the people and United Methodist mission work in Haiti. The earthquake was a year ago and our UMCOR work continues with your faithfulness to Christ and our Haitian sisters and brothers. It is a great honor to be a Partner in Ministry with you in this new year.
Grace and Peace,
Pete
