-Rev Rebecca Yowler- Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 CEB One of my favorite things to say is, “Patience is a virtue, but it isn’t one of mine!” This is probably the truest statement I ever make. I am NOT a patient person. I try so hard! I try to wait—to do what is right and know that things will eventually work out. I try to trust that I will eventually “reap a good harvest.” But, darn it, I want that harvest NOW. This section of Galatians also contains the phrase “you reap what you sow.” This, to me, is the biblical equivalent of Karma—the idea that what you put into the world comes back to you eventually. If you do bad things, eventually the bad will return. If you do good, then eventually good things will come to you. This is all well and good, except it’s the WAITING that gets me every time! I want karma to do its thing and I want it done, now. Actually, I’d prefer yesterday. Nowhere in my life has this been more apparent than my recent job search. I had spent two AMAZING years at a fantastic job and had been heartbroken to leave it. I had done all good things there and had the support of so many people as I moved to another state and started my search. And the job just wouldn’t come. The “perfect job” fell through, a Skype interview went less than perfectly, another “slam dunk” never materialized, and yet another “I would give anything to work here” type position completely vaporized. Everything from God kept saying “be patient,” and “wait.” Every hymn, every poem, every homily, every bible verse—EVERYTHING told me to wait. But I didn’t want to wait. Finally, months later, a pretty darn close to perfect job came along, and I knew what I had been waiting for. Did I learn my lesson this time? Did I learn to trust God and wait for the harvest? I wish I could say, “yes.” I wish I could. But, I know myself better than that. I know that patience isn’t one of my virtues and that I am not good at waiting. So, instead of getting angry at myself or trying to figure out how to be more patient, I just pray more. I simply ask god to help me be as patient as I am capable of being and to continue to remind me that waiting is necessary. Even if patience can’t be my virtue, I can work on it…little by little…and keep on praying for more help. It’s the best I can do. - - - Dear God, please help me be patient. And if I can’t be patient, help me wait with as much grace as I can muster. And if I can’t do that, help me to not make any poor decisions in the meantime. Amen Rev Rebecca Ann Yowler is an ordained Disciples minister and an academic librarian. She is currently adjunct faculty at Valparaiso University. She is passionate about pugs, knitting, and figure skating. You can read her occasional sermons and devotions at www.beccassermons.livejournal.com -Rev Melissa Fain- “But I say to you who are willing to hear: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on the cheek, offer the other one as well. If someone takes your coat, don’t withhold your shirt either. Give to everyone who asks and don’t demand your things back from those who take them. Treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you. Luke 6:27-31 CEB There is something about being curled up into the fetal position of your bathroom floor that must be lived to be understood. From my late elementary school years, I felt called to some capacity to work in the church. It was my passion. Everything I did was towards that purpose. When I found my first full time call as a pastor of a church I was ready to get to it. I was so wide eyed and ready to take on the world, and I was going to start in this small rural church. Then everything went wrong. To be fair, most of it was just life. Broken limbs, pregnancy; sickness. I like to joke that God purposefully made me less than 100% as part of some crazy master plan. Maybe it was that, maybe it was just the fact the church was rushing to fill the pulpit and we were a bad fit. Maybe it was political. No matter what it was, days after giving birth to my daughter the elders asked for my resignation. Flash forward a year later and I found myself bawling on the bathroom floor, smelling like the Cajun food I served each night. I was a mess. I couldn’t even look in the direction of that church because I felt this smug satisfaction when things were going wrong, and a sort of dread when they were going right. It was a horrible place to be, and it is my hope you never have to be there. If you have been there dear brother or sister, we have a sad connection, the two of us. In truth, there was absolutely nothing I could do to change the minds and hearts of the members of that church. I had absolutely no power over them. In the same way, they had and have no power over me. Well, they did have power if I couldn’t find the peace through forgiveness. Yep, just a few days later, sitting in my bedroom something switched. While I mourned, I found the release of forgiveness. Not only did I say I wanted them to find healing, I actually meant it. Some people will live their entire lives in relative peace. Everyone else will be distressed by something or someone in life. It will tear at their natural peaceful state. That key to returning to that peaceful state always starts with forgiveness. Bridges must be rebuilt, not burned to ashes. Connections must be rebuilt, not torn to pieces. You get the idea. Now, years later I’m grateful for that moment. I can move forward. If you are on your proverbial bathroom floor, I hope your key to peace comes too. It’s a nicer place to be. Join me. - - - Holy Christ, Help us find peace in crisis. Help us find forgiveness for those who have hurt us. Amen. Rev Melissa Fain is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.) She currently serves as the Senior Minister at Fig Tree Christian. Her passion is new church planting and revitalization. Fig Tree is the second big church plant she has been part of. Melissa enjoys all forms of the arts, having a degree in vocal music from Kennesaw State University. She also graduated from Candler School of Theology in the Fall of 2010, and has worked in Christian settings since 1999. Melissa is a mother of two wonderful children, and the wife to a very talented illustrator. -Kristy Burmeister- In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives. Luke 15:7 CEB Joy is a slippery word. People often use it in place of happiness, but joy is so much more than feeling happy in the moment. Joy is something you feel with your whole heart. It fills us up. The verse above doesn’t say there will be people in Heaven who say, “Another sinner has changed his heart and life. Well, that’s nice.” There will be joy. Heart-thumping, fist-pumping, shout-out-your-excitement joy. If a changed sinner receives that sort of recognition in Heaven, what sort of recognition should they receive on Earth? Shouldn’t we welcome them with the same joyfulness? It’s easy to pat a new convert on the head, hand them a cheap Bible, and say, “Well, that’s nice. Make sure you read Romans.” But where’s the joy in that? Where’s the influence of the Holy Spirit in that? Instead, we should be willing to open ourselves up to joy. If a person has changed both their heart and their life, they’ve done something amazing. How many people manage to pull off something like that? Let’s recognize these transformations for the miracles that they are and rejoice alongside our new brothers and sisters. - - - God, Please open me up so that I can experience joy. Help me to reflect your divine joy as I interact with others. Amen. Kristy Burmeister writes about stalkers, church-related trauma, feminism, and pie (pretty much in that order) at kristyburmeister.com. She's currently working on a memoir about a church that almost got her murdered when she was a teenager. (Spoiler: She's still alive.) -Rev Myra Torance- God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. John 3:16 CEB For me the word “love” is a verb; an action word. Far too many are the people who believe and take for granted the word “love.” True, real love takes patience, and faithfulness. It is not easy but when you finally believe; it is the easiest of action verbs to live. Example: I wrote to a young man in the army stationed in Vietnam. For over a year I wrote him a letter every day. Well to be honest, for two of those days my mother sent him cards because I was sick with the flu. We did it because this way when they had mail call he always had mail! Every week I sent him a box (5 lbs) filled with chocolate chip cookies. Now, there is a lot more to this story in the background, but that is for another time. Anyway, this man, in a letter, asked me to marry him and I accepted; without ever having seen a picture of him. When he was discharged he flew to a nearby airport for me to pick him up. I had heard his voice over a telephone once. I was twenty years old, never had a date, but our love grew from letters and chocolate chip cookies. I asked him how I would know who he was and he stated, “I’ll be the one in uniform.” Imagine my surprise when five gentlemen in uniform came forth from the plane? We had a hard but beautiful marriage for 44 years and then his fight with cancer won and he went to God. I miss him every day of my life, but the love we shared gave me 4 children and 9 grandchildren. God sent Jesus to teach us what love is and he lived it every day of his short life. What he gave is a gift we should always cherish. From a stable to a cross he lived love. This season of Lent I pray you do also. - - - Jesus, lover of my soul, sing in my heart, so that I may shine your love into the world. Amen. Rev Myra Torrance is the pastor of Chelan Christian Church, where she has led the congregation for four years. She has been a pastor in the Disciples of Christ Christian Church for over 35 years. Prior to being called to the pulpit, she was the Executive Director for Hospice in Vincennes, Indiana. Myra is originally from Vincennes, Indiana, where she raised her four children with her husband, Bud, before his passing in 2011. Myra loves to write and enjoys time with her two Chihuahuas. “If two friends ask you to judge a dispute, don't accept, because you will lose one friend; on the other hand, if two strangers come with the same request, accept because you will gain one friend.” -Augustine- -Rev. Barbara Taylor Minton- Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you? Don’t you know that you have the Holy Spirit from God, and you don’t belong to yourselves? You have been bought and paid for, so honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 CEB
God’s presence already lived in Jesus’ body, but it was only after the resurrection that his disciples began to understand the importance of his words. God was on the move and God’s moves had implications! Now, several decades later, the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church in Corinth, extends the thought Jesus initiated! Paul says to each person in the community of faith, ‘…your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit!’ Earlier, in the same letter Paul referred to the entire congregation, collectively, as God’s temple. It behooves us to notice God’s movement through the Holy Spirit—from residence in the Jerusalem temple, to the person of Jesus, poured out on all believers on Pentecost, promised to all who believe, and now, personalized by the Apostle Paul. Not only does the Spirit reside in the congregation (the body of Christ in the world today), but the Spirit also lives in the heart of each disciple. What are the implications for those of us in whom the Spirit resides? God’s presence in us connects us to God and to one another. We no longer belong to ourselves! Giving the Spirit room to work in us begins to sensitize us to our own selfishness, our own inadequacies and creates in us a desire for God’s purposes. The good news, simply put: the Spirit at work in us produces the character of Christ in our lives. Love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. This godly love is revealed in joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. With God’s help we can control ourselves! Also read: 1 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 5:1-5; Galatians 5. - - - Come, Holy Spirit, fill us with your love. Excite us with your joy. Calm us with your peace. Produce in us your patience. Keep us in your kindness. Goad us with your goodness. Invigorate our faithfulness. Guide us in your gentleness… and, above all, strengthen our self-control. Rev Barbara Minton, ordained April 1, 2001, now semi-retired, gladly serves a small rural congregation in Henry County KY, Berea Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She also volunteers in local interdenominational outreach ministries. Barbara describes herself as wife of one, mother of three, and Mamaw to eight. She enjoys journaling, which she began while living in Switzerland and Germany for 16 years. Now she will occasionally write on her blog, which she fondly entitled Muesli. http://bjm-muesli.blogspot.com/ Her hobbies include bird-watching and word-botching. She claims to get her exercise by jumping to conclusions, running at the mouth, and climbing the walls. Her partner in these adventures is Thomas, her husband of 53 years, and presently pastor of Eminence Christian Church in Eminence, KY. (When she grows up she wants to become a retreat speaker!) |
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