GRACE

Hello my friends.  How did you spend this beautiful day?  I hope you were able to enjoy it, and can count it as another day closer to our healing.  I have spent nearly all day on the computer in meetings or on the phone encouraging folks.  I am realizing how hard people are working in the midst of this "time off."  Parents are working from home, which might seem like a break, until you throw in teaching school, cooking, and cleaning into the mix.  Professors and teachers have had to completely re-arrange everything they had prepared for their classes....for the rest of the year.  Single people are feeling the solitude, and yet I have spoken with many married people who understand the kind of deep loneliness that exists even when people are around.  

Time is a gift, and can also give us pause to really think about things that we don't normally have time to ponder.  Time can lead us into the beauty of seeing ourselves more fully than we have previously, or may challenge us to change some of the destructive patterns that creep into our lives.  I have spoken with people who have been feeling a deep sense of peace, and others who are filled with grief, some who are feeling angry, and others just feeling a bit undone altogether.  

My colleagues are spent.  We are weary.  All of a sudden the rules of ministry all changed on us, and we are scrambling to be the best pastors we can be, and gather people who aren't supposed to gather.  Some of us are blessed with congregations that can withstand the financial challenge we are facing, while other friends are wondering if their churches will survive this in the end.  In the midst of that, we love our people the best we can, and we let them love us back....and God is in the middle of it all holding it together.  

This has all got me thinking about grace.  How have you experienced grace today?  What does grace look like in your life?  To know that nothing we do, or don't do....say, or don't say.....could make our God love us any more or any less.  God loves us at max capacity, because God IS Love.  I wish, as humans, we could really grasp onto the magnitude of that - because it would change everything from the way we see ourselves, to the way we see our enemies and those who challenge us the most.  

So tonight as I finished the hard part of the day, I got to thinking about a song that I love.  It pretty much says it all, but it challenges us to be kind to ourselves.  In these uncertain days, when we don't do things as perfectly as we like, or have things as together as normal, the best gift we can offer ourselves is grace.  

Click here to listen to the song: Be Kind to Yourself, by Andrew Peterson.  It's a good one.


Grace upon grace, my friends.
Pastor Devon

Willingness

Clyde on Zoom with the kiddos this week.

I am just coming off of our second ZOOM Bible study.  In the last two weeks our church has jumped into the 21st century in all sorts of ways.  We even had a really wonderful (but kind of awful) hymn sing on Zoom last Sunday night.  The last few weeks have been a wild ride, and I continue to wonder if I'm doing enough, doing too much, and how to connect, connect, connect....but not physically.  

In the midst I have been so completely overwhelmed by the willing spirit of my faith community.  It is easy to be afraid of new things, especially when there is a lot to learn and it is all of a sudden thrown at you full speed.  The church is notorious for being S-L-O-W to change and it is often hard to really get people to engage new and out-of-the-box ideas for ministry.  But nearly every single day since this started I have had someone call me that is trying to jump online, get engaged, and is just needing a bit of help and reassurance. I too, have asked for help from friends more in the last three weeks than I can count. 

You guys...WE ARE DOING IT and in the process we are learning a bit more about each other.  The gift of seeing one another's faces cannot be measured, even when the technology is a little goofy sometimes.  So tonight I just want to thank all of you for being so grace-filled and encouraging even in the midst of isolation.  

In a passage of his letter to the Romans that talks about generosity Paul wrote, "For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has - not according to what one does not have."  (Romans 8:12) There are so many factors at work in our experiences right now, from fear to joy, from lack to abundance.  It is easy to assume that the gifts we have to offer cannot be put to work right now, but that is not the case.  What you have to offer and who you are, are exactly the "things" our community needs right now.  Thanks for showing up, even when it is difficult.  

God place us in each one another's lives for a reason.   I am thankful that you are in mine!

Have a good night,
Pastor Devon

Lentiest Lent Ever.

Can I get an AMEN?  I mean, Lent is always a time for serious reflection, confession, and sacrifice.  But we are learning about these things a bit excessively, don’t you think? I have spoken with many of you who realized quickly that the “giving-up” of coffee, sweets, and other habits was not happening any more, as our lives entered into such a restricted place.  We’ve been thrown into the deepest of spiritual practices:  loving our neighbor even at the expense of our comfort. 

If our staying home prevents one person from getting sick, then it is worth it.  And yes, IT IS HARD.  As the insanity amped up with regard to food and toilet paper, and people having what they need in the midst of panic.  I was drawn to the story of the widow of Zarephath in 1Kings 17: 7-14.  She has always struck me as an example of someone who really sacrificed.   Here’s the story of Prophet Elijah’s visit:

“Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him:  “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

Pause.  Wait, what?  Elijah is asking this woman for the very last bits of food that she had, the last bits.  Can you imagine as a parent actually gathering the sticks to build the fire that would make the last meal you would ever feed your son?  The famine was serious, and her options were slim, especially as a widow.  She was going to do the last kind thing and then die.  Elijah’s audacious request must have only made her evermore aware of her plight. 

He responds:

“Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.  For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.”

Don’t be afraid? Sure, easy to say...but not as easy to do.  He is asking her to make a clear sacrifice of her already scarce portion of bread, and she does.  God provides what she needs each day to feed her family throughout the drought, and it sounds like she fed Elijah too. 

There is much to say about this story, but for now I wonder if we could just think about the idea that God is an abundant God. Our God is sufficient, enough, complete…and provides for us abundantly.  There are people like this widow right here in our own neighborhood right now.  Persons who are afraid that they will run out of food and not be able to feed their children. Mothers and Fathers who are unable to find the formula their children need, or who are unsure about how to meet the basic needs of their families.   We have probably all faced scarcity at one time or another. It happens when we have to ponder how to get all the bills paid, or what to focus on first.  It happens when the car breaks down unexpectedly or someone gets sick and the hospital bills rack up.  Scarcity and fear really do go hand in hand.  And yet, in the midst of preparing her last meal, this widow made Elijah some bread. 

God’s abundance does not mean that we will never face lack, it means that the very foundation of our view of the world can be do not be afraid…there is enough.  Living into the abundance of God prevents us from buying all the toilet paper because we realize that there are other people who need some too.  Living into God’s abundance means that in the midst of this season of less we may encounter more. More of God’s presence and steadfastness, more of the Holy Spirit’s nudging and call, more of Jesus’ challenge to really love our neighbors. 

So friends, in the midst of this most uncertain time.  I pray we will rest in the knowledge that God’s abundance reigns, and that when we face lack we are surrounded by a community of faith that has our back, and we are not alone…ever.  I’m praying for you everyday, and won’t we celebrate when we can gather again!

You are loved!

Pastor Devon

No I in Team.

One of my favorite parts of my life growing up was playing sports.  I absolutely loved playing basketball, volleyball, and softball.  I learned so much about what teamwork means, and how important it is to work together and allow everyone's gifts to shine.  I've coached lots of kids teams since then and am always aware of the life-lessons we can learn from having to rely on one another to achieve a common purpose. I miss those days. 

One of the things I have realized in this last year is that I have failed to keep that team-spirit mentality.  Sure ministry definitely takes lots of people and I am alway so grateful for all the people who make things happen.  But, in my own life I pretty much decided somewhere along the line that I was just going to handle everything myself.  My words have often been.... "I Got This."  Often that means that I am far too driven by the perceived expectations of others, by accomplishments, and constant achieving...to the point that nothing can ever really be good enough.  This is my deepest and most difficult growing edge, without a doubt.  

In the Book of Exodus, Moses has been trying to handle everything on his own, and that's when his Father-in-law, Jethro shows up on the scene with this message:

“What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you!  (Exodus 18:17-19a)

As you can figure from the fact that I'm writing this, God's been working on me a whole lot this year.  Serving in a denomination that is quarreling over inclusivity has made me realize that God is bigger than this system that sometimes feels like it runs me.  Losing people I love has shaken up the world in such a way that I realized how very much I need people. Being quarantined for multiple weeks has opened my eyes to the profound gratitude and humility that comes in the deep gift of friendship.  

The anxiety of our current situation has me struggling to eat well, not because I don't have food, but because I don't feel like eating.  Multiple times in the last week I've been given the most delicious food, offered with a lot of TLC and concern.  The love of God for me has been disguised in thoughtful people, delicious food, willing hearts, and truly gracious spirits.  All of this chaos might be helping all of us recognize that what matters most has little to do with what we've been spending so much time worrying and fretting about.  

I wonder how you've been experiencing God these days.  I pray that God is showing up and surprising you in ways big and small, and that you too have people that make you realize that all in all.....WE GOT THIS.  

Have a good night,
Pastor Devon

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