Learning

Proverbs 3:1-6 says: 

My child, do not forget my teaching,

    but keep my commands in your heart,

² for they will prolong your life many years

    and bring you peace and prosperity.

³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

    bind them around your neck,

    write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name

    in the sight of God and humankind.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways submit to God,

    and God will make your paths straight.

Well, we have made it to the weekend.  It is funny how quickly we can lose track of days now that many of our schedules are so drastically different.  I generally look forward to Fridays because they are less busy, and often I take the whole day off and try not to focus on all things church.  Under this stay-at-home order it seems there is a different spirit going into this weekend. 

I have been pondering this week what it is that God is teaching us through all of this.  Have you taken some time to reflect on that at all?  It is so obvious to me that if there were one way God could get my attention in the midst of a busy life that can be overwhelming - it is to completely take me out of my comfort zone.  These days I am about as out-of-my-comfort-zone as possible.  And yet, in the midst of each day I find that God continues to teach me something new about myself.  These lessons have not all been easy so far, and have genuinely led me to some super-emotional times as I have the time to process all the things that have happened in my life the past six months.  I am recognizing that while I would never have asked for this quarantine time, nor do I take lightly the fear that comes along with Covid-19, I may be in the midst of an opportunity to come out of this a better human being than I was before it began.  

So I wonder, what is God teaching you these days?  What are you learning about yourself and others?  The Scripture passage above is often quoted, but serves as a reminder to trust God and not to rely only on our understanding.  The revelation of God is ongoing, so what are you learning about the God who loves you in the midst of this difficult season? 

May God continue to speak new truth and insight into our hearts.  We certainly have much more to learn.  

Have a great weekend!

Pastor Devon

L-O-V-E

Have you been spending more time these days with the people that you love the most? Are you being loved well?  That's what is on my mind tonight as I reflect on the number of people who continue to check-in with me, wondering if I am ok, fully knowing that this quarantine might kill off people that are single-extroverts! Thank you for loving me well.  Spending time alone is not something I am very good at, and I generally lead such a busy life that I don't have much time to think about it.  So, this new rhythm is challenging me; even my cats are all goofy today because I've been around way too much the past week.  

Loving people is something that comes quite easily for me, which is a great help in ministry most of the time.  It is usually easy for me to see the Image of God in other people, and the best part of pastoral ministry is when people realize their gifts and put them into use.  Of course, there are those few people that are challenging to love, and yet, often these are the ones who usually teach us the most about ourselves, and about God.  It's always a little frustrating to realize that what bugs you the most about another person might be the thing that challenges you most about yourself.  

Jesus challenged folks to love.  He didn't get caught up in the rules at the expense of reaching out and touching the people who needed it most.  He saw those who were hurting through the lens of compassion and always did what he could to restore folks dignity and health.  Jesus loved well.  

Near the end of the Bible we find the epistle of 1 John, and the fourth chapter has much to say about love.  Here are a couple of great verses: 

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:11-12:  

It may seem really simple, but in my heart it is really profound that it is in sharing loving-kindness that we recognize the depth of God's love for each of us.  Humans don't always love each other well, but I have noticed these last few days a growing spirit of kindred love.  As Maya Angelou said in the quote above, when we love people well their lives are changed for the good.

So, who is loving you well?  Where might you need some adjustment in sharing loving kindness these days?  Let's keep reaching out to one another, checking in, encouraging, and loving.  

My prayer for us tonight is also pretty simple:  God, help us to love one another as you love us.  Help us to give love and receive it, knowing that at the source of our very being is your love for us.  Amen.  

You are loved....lots.

Pastor Devon

Singing a New Song

As I write tonight I'm listening to one of my favorite musicians sing her heart out on Instagram.  Though there's probably a million people watching, I feel like she's singing right into my heart.  There's something about music for me that truly grounds and draws me into the presence of the Sacred.  This connection might have begun before I was born, as my mom has been a church organist/pianist my whole life.  Music often speaks to me in a way that nothing else seems to, giving words to things that I may not be able to express well myself.  

One of the best gifts so far of this time has been the willingness of artists to share their art, whether it be music, drawing, children's stories, teaching yoga, or just allowing their talent to shine without reservation.  I hope you have been able to join in on some living room concerts, or drawing lessons for a bit of a break from the solitude.  

On Sunday I read Psalm 40 and I thought I'd share a small portion of that tonight. Psalm 40:1-3 says,

I waited patiently for the Lord;

    he inclined to me and heard my cry.

2 

He drew me up from the desolate pit,

    out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

    making my steps secure.

3 

He put a new song in my mouth,

    a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

    and put their trust in the Lord. 

U2 actually did a cover of this Psalm back in the 80's when they ran out of studio time.  Facing the time crunch, Bono flipped open his Bible and found this Scripture.  They wrote and recorded it right then and there and it became a closer for many of their concerts.  Singing a new song is a beautiful way to think about what we are in the process of doing right now.  Without hesitation I can tell you that all around me, in conversation and reconnection with folks from the past, in new friendships and deep spiritual connections, God is doing a new thing, placing songs into our souls that have never been written before.  

So my question tonight is pretty simple.....what's the new song being written in you?  And, are you brave enough to sing it?

I hope so.  The world needs you right now.

Rest well, friends.

Pastor Devon

Perspective

Waking up with a bit more anxiety than normal is helpful for my desire to exercise. When my insides are wound up the best medicine for me is to get out and work through it.  Since I am not supposed to be at the church I decided that today was the day to hop on my mountain bike and get moving.  I've ridden this same 8 miles many times because I can just go from home. It's about mile 5 that this hill shows up.  This hill kills me every-single-time. From this picture it doesn't look like all that much, but it's a long hill, starts out climbing slowly and then right at the top, when your legs are screaming, is a steeper climb. The trade-off is that once you're over it, the rest of the way is pretty easy.  

Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."  If you've known me very long, you probably know that this comes at the end of one of my favorite passages of Scripture.  It's an easy one to remember, which might be helpful these days.  It came to mind today as I sat at the bottom of this hill trying to convince myself to just dig in and pedal.  What does it mean to be joyful in hope?  Patient in affliction?  Faithful in prayer?  

Living in what sort of feels like the twilight zone has given me a new perspective on what it means to live with hope - and how when we realize that there's always hope we can truly find joy.  I cannot imagine living right now without faith, without the foundation that no matter what comes....joy comes in the morning.  What is giving you joy today?

How about patience, something that matters most when we are thrown into new and unexpected circumstances.  In Scripture, James tells us that affliction is what grows us and matures us, but that always sounds like something at which we might roll our eyes. It is hard to have patience when we are uncomfortable, and yet it is in times like this when God often moves in mighty ways.  How's your patience these days?

Faithful in prayer is the easy one for me, because I have learned that in every moment is the presence of God.  So often we think that being prayerful means sitting silently with some sort of well-planned out thoughts, when in reality it's just sharing yourself with the One who created you and knit you together.  Are you sharing your life with God, the highs and lows and in-betweens?

I have a feeling that we are all climbing some sort of hill, sometimes they're small and other times they feel never-ending.  In the midst of this physical separation from one another it can feel like we are climbing slowly....but once we reach the top the view will be different and we'll realize how far we've come.  Let's run this race with joyful hope, patience and faithfulness.

Sending you all the love,
Pastor Devon

Ain't No Grave

Well, friends in Michigan...we find ourselves again in an even more interesting time as we are being asked to really buckle down and quarantine in our homes for at least the next three weeks.  Yesterday was a day that this all really hit me.  As I walked down the lonely dark hallway to our sanctuary I was filled with such sadness at the emptiness.  It's funny how this can trigger all sorts of things in us.  I was emotional going in, and then when our livestream really failed I just cried after worship. 

That original feeling of sadness led me from that realization that I wouldn't be in worship with all of you any time soon, to a feeling of despair about what else I can do to help us stay connected, to serious frustration at things not going as I'd hoped, and then on into the afternoon I found myself really in the throws of grief.  It's a bit of a familiar feeling to me since my Dad passed and then my amazing Aunt, but it does come up at the weirdest times.  I'm thankful that a long walk in the woods helped me get my head and heart back on the same page.

Feeling this drastic loss of control can trigger all sorts of things in us, and I guess I am writing about it today just to tell you that if you're having trouble, you're not alone.  If you are feeling all sorts of feelings that don't make sense, you're not alone.  And if you're able to stay in the rational facts and figures of the Coronavirus maze, all of us feelers really need you in our lives right now.  

In the 11th chapter of John, Jesus is confronted with the news that his good friend Lazarus is sick.  He waited two days before making the journey to Bethany to connect with Lazarus's sisters Mary and Martha.  When he finally arrived he was four days too late, Lazarus had died.  He was first confronted by Martha, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." He reassures her that Lazarus will rise again.  A few verses later it is through her tears that Mary confronts Jesus with the same reality..."If you had been here, my brother would not have died."  It's at this point that Jesus' spirit is moved and he asks her to take him to the tomb of Lazarus.  And, as he stands there he weeps.  

Today as the news of this three week stay-at-home Executive Order I felt like I was standing outside of the tomb weeping as I realized that this year we would not be diving deep into the power of Holy Week as we would normally do, nor will we gather in the joy of an early Easter morning to celebrate Christ's victory over death.  I'm not sure how we will do this from my living room, but I promise you we will...and when we can gather again we will have the most amazing Easter celebration that you've ever experienced.  

Jesus understood the depth of Mary's grief.  He felt the loss that comes with the death of a loved one and friend.  He knew he would raise Lazarus from the dead, but in that moment he just felt what they were feeling.  Sometimes it is easy for me to just push down feelings of sadness or grief and latch on to joy and thanksgiving as fast and boldly as possible. Perhaps now is the time we are being asked to slow down, and stand outside the tomb with Jesus.  Just allowing and embracing the fear and feelings that come with all of this unknown, yet resting in the knowledge that the power of Christ is real and can raise us from death into new life.  That's the good news that'll never fail.  

So, if you are like me and feeling these things pretty deeply these days make sure you reach out and connect with people that will encourage and love you.  Let's not be afraid to embrace each other right where we are, and stick together until we can physically be together.  

If you need a great song to cheer you up that is all about resurrection, check this song out:
Ain't No Grave (This is Cageless Birds feat. Molly Skaggs, but Johnny Cash sang the original and it is here: https://youtu.be/o0MIFHLIzZY) 

I'm with you!
Pastor Devon