Waiting

Thank you so much for reading these missives. I have been blessed this week and have found this experience to be both profound and hard work. As the week draws to a close, I am drawn once more to Psalm 130.

Psalm 130

Waiting for Divine Redemption

A Song of Ascents.

¹Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
² Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!

³If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
⁴But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.

⁵I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
⁶my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.

⁷O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
⁸It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.

I have learned what it means to wait for morning. More than any watchmen. Our son Laine was born in September. I went into labor at 4:50 am on Tuesday morning and gave birth on Wednesday night at 11:02 pm. You can count the hours if you want but my count was 42. If you are expecting a child, rest assured, I would do it all over again because what I got was so much better than the anguish I suffered. I labored for 38 hours and pushed for 4. My husband never left my side and I could not have persevered without him. As you can imagine, the whole ordeal made a profound impact on me. My body suffered to bring life into the world.

There is no way that I can compare what I went through to the suffering of Christ, but when I think of forgiveness, I cannot help but think of Christ's labor. He labored to bring forgiveness into the world. As the Psalmist says, "there is forgiveness with you." I think that because forgiveness cost Christ so dearly, we are uncomfortable with the enormity of it. I often find myself trying to deserve forgiveness. No person can deserve the love that it takes to nurture and deliver a baby, and no one can deserve forgiveness. But I want to respond to Christ's sacrifice: how?

What we should do is learn to wait on the Lord actively. I want to show you an example of active waiting. My husband, Luke, helped me deliver our child by actively waiting. I was never alone. He was by my side the whole time and even missed the moment of Laine's birth because his eyes were locked onto my face giving me the strength to push one last time. He never tired of trying to help me labor well and safely. He followed me around our house while we were there and helped me change positions and counted minutes and contractions. In the hospital, he was the voice to which I clung. I have very few memories of labor, but what I do remember is his voice guiding me through the minutes. My vocabulary is unequal to the task of describing the profound way that Luke was with me. Maybe I was the waiter and Luke was the waitee. Either way, I have learned something about how God wants us to wait. One the one hand, if I could manage to focus on God the way that I was focused on Luke, my periods of waiting could truly be fruitful. Or, conversly, if I could consider my waiting time as active and pursue my disciplines the way that Luke pursued being a labor coach, I could experience the growth God has intended for this time.

As we return to worship this week, I urge you to look at the green vestments of "ordinary" time and rejoice. Now is the time of great growth. We can choose to reject simply attending worship and embrace actively waiting on God. More than the watchmen wait for morning.

Consider Fanny Price

I love Jane Austen's novels. She was a woman who wrote about the world in which she lived. Although she never traveled much beyond her home and did not marry, she wrote vivid portraits of many delightfully hyperbolic personalities. In Austen's novel, Mansfield Park, Mrs. Norris (shrewish, tight-wad aunt) convinces her brother-in-law (go-zillion-heir), Sir Thomas Bertram, to take in the eldest daughter of Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Bertram's poor, yet fertile, sister, Mrs. Price. In this way Fanny Price comes to live at Mansfield Park. During her first few days at the Park, Sir Thomas and Mrs. Norris contrive to establish that while Fanny is to live a comfortable life, "Miss Fanny Price is not a Miss Bertram."

I have been rereading the 2 Corinthians passage for this week, and a phrase jumped out at me. "It is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something--now finish doing it." (2 Corinthians 8:10, NRSV) Leave it to Paul to tangle phrases...but the words that are echoing in my mind are: not only to do something but even to desire to do something! What perfect words to speak into my life at this moment. I cannot think of a better description of radical hospitality. To extend yourself, not out of obligation or duty, but out of desire! How better to enrich our "ordinary" time than through cultivating the desire to do the will of God. Interestingly, the "something" to which Paul is referring is supporting a congregation of poor Christians. Apparently the Corinthians had more than they needed and Paul was helping them to notice those that had not enough. He assures them that "[he does] not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need..." (boy, the rest of that sentence is a little dense!) (2 Corinthians 8:13, 14, NRSV) God is calling us to desire to love each other so that all are cared for. I cannot think of a better way to summarize that call than to love God and our neighbor. I notice right away that Paul did not ask them to fix the world; just to give of their excess. Maybe God gives each of us an excess of something that is needed by others to help us function as a body. What is your excess? (Bum bums and tum tums don't count) What is my excess?

Again I recall you to dear Miss Fanny. Plucked from her mother's overly crowded bosom and set down in a family intent on conditional hospitality. How like the Corinthians and Bertrams we can be. When God calls us to a mission we may say yes, but we make it clear that we are doing so under obligation because Christ died (or as Paul said, "became poor"). Or we hold ourselves apart from those God as chosen us to serve because they are not "a Miss Bertram." I am afraid that my analogy has gone the way of Paul (may need clearing up). My intention with this blog is to reflect on the call that God has placed on our hearts to not only love God and serve God, but to desire to do so. Even when, or maybe especially when, it has come time for the ordinary acts of kindness and servanthood.

Please enjoy this clip from Mansfield Park. I hope you will pick up a copy and enjoy how utterly silly people are!

Miraculous Hospitality

Mark 5:21-43

In the movie, A Beautiful Mind, John Nash makes the following quip which I love: "I'm terrified, petrified, mortified, stupefied by you." Today we might have the same reaction to Jesus in the Gospel lesson. He moves from one scenario to another doling out healing and loosing life-long bondage.

Because this lesson is from the Gospel, we have heard hundreds of sermons and read countless devotionals that press every scrap of wisdom out of these pithy words. I do not feel equal to any of those fonts, so I will just offer a glimpse into my reaction to my meditation on these passages (while chasing a 9 month old).

A couple of years ago our church began using the phrase, "radical hospitality." I know you might be thinking about a lazy river in the church's backyard ending in the baptismal pool of salvation (that was my idea!), or neon doughnuts, or singing telegrams to thank you for visiting our church, but what Rich, Luke and the other serious persons meant was an attitude of unrelenting selflessness. This is not my forte. I like to start projects, read books, cook, play with my baby but selflessness is not really my best personality trait. Jesus was always willing to give of himself. I know that it might not seem like a big deal to heal people when you are the Son of God, but when the hemorrhagic woman touched Jesus, he felt it! The Epistle lesson for this week also reveals the radical nature of who Christ was and what he did. 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Now I am confronted with the Son of God who was willing to stop what he was doing to heal a little girl, acknowledge the faith of a woman, and give a young woman new life. Not only was this a kind and selfless thing to do, it was radical. I understand, from what little I know about Jesus's culture, that women did not run things. For Jesus to notice these individuals was a radical step of hospitality. His gesture acknowledged the unique personhood of those who are typically overlooked. I must seek ways that I can acknowledge those around me in a way that affirms their humanity.

Where does radical hospitality fit into this week's meditations? For my part, I have been impressed by the call to live full, abundant lives. To refuse to live shallowly. To cast our nets into the deep water. I feel that God is calling us to love fully even if we experience grief, to use "ordinary" time in extraordinary ways, and to seek to be unrelentingly selfless. How will we choose to respond?

I am including the links for the Gospel and Epistle lessons here again because I feel they are worth another reading. I certainly will be ruminating on these passages for a little while longer!

Mark 5:21-43

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

A Friend Worth Losing

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

My mother (who is reading this, hi mom), like yours, once (or twice) told me that, "any job worth doing is worth doing well." Today I hear the heart of David breaking as he grieves his friend Jonathan. I too am grieving a friend. Jennifer did not die, but she is moving with her family 12 hours away to a town without a grocery store much less an airport. We have been fast friends for five years. We laughed, cried, fought and cheered (Let's Go Duke!) through five years of incredible change in our lives. We moved to adjacent apartment complexes as brand-newly-weds. We helped our husbands through divinity school, pinched pennies, threw parties, worked, went to school, made apple butter, camped out, were placed at churches, over-committed, got pregnant, and had babies. I look back on my friendship with her and know that while it will never be the same, we will continue to love each other with sincere joy and affection. And, I know it is worth the pain of losing her. All of the tears I have shed over the last five years have been worth the infinite joy of true friendship. To love opens you up to loss, but the richness that friendship brings is worth it.

David lost Jonathan. But he was a friend worth losing. His love was worth the pain of loss, and he dared not cheapen his bond with Jonathan by lessening his lament. Grief is painful, but it is a sign of feeling. We do not feel acute grief for those we do not love. We could not bear the pain of the world if we did. I am a nurse and I often get asked if the pain of other people's loss is hard to handle. It is uncomfortable, but it is not my grief. There is a difference. When it is our grief we must own it, and press into it, and walk through it to the peace that God offers.

Yesterday I talked about ordinary time. Today I am talking about friendship. I think that the two ideas are similar. It is during the ordinary time that we form friendships worth grieving. At our churches it is during the Wednesday night suppers, Sunday coffee time (ok, that isn't ordinary for some of you), and countless meetings that we form a community worth grieving. My husband is away on a mission trip with a group from our church. No doubt they will form tight bonds, but when they return, it will be the moments of "ordinary" time that will make those bonds worth grieving. Our community at church is one that I will grieve when we are sent to another church. I rejoice that I have found a home worth grieving. Do you feel that you are making a bond worth grieving at your church home? Are you looking to the big moments to cement bonds that need "ordinary" time? When David loses Jonathan or Jennifer moves, we remember that loving well sometimes hurts, but we forsake the abundance of life that Christ promised if we do not seek to love well.

New Face

Psalm 130 (excerpt)

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
⁶my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.

Summer Solstice was yesterday. That means a few things. First, it is the longest day of the year, second, it is summer, and third, my birthday is almost here. This is a big deal for me because my birthday is the day I was born (most people share this phenomenon). Let me introduce myself; my name is Andrea and I am Some Guy's wife. I like to call him Luke and he likes to call me Annie. We have a son we like to call Laine. Luke is away with a mission group this week and I promised I would write this reflection for him. Please don't stop reading. He will be back next week.

Yesterday was the third Sunday after Pentecost and Father's Day. It is also the third Sunday of "ordinary time." Ordinary time has always been a source of thought for me. As a ministerial spouse, I am acutely aware of the bustle of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday (ok, so that is not typically a big one...). Then we hit ordinary time. Just time to absorb and grow.

Summer Solstice reminded me of ordinary time. A long day. Time to put down roots. I am a hobby gardener and each year I plan to balance the budget and nourish my family by growing bushels of nutritious, flavorful, natural fruits and vegetables. Every year I start my seeds with my mouth watering. Not only am I going to get something to grow this year, I am going to have extra! I am going to give vegetables away until people start running when they see me. I look at cookbooks, check my seedlings, save jars for canning, and plan for the bounty. Then the ordinary time starts. The seeds sprout, need nutrients and water, and send out their first leaves. I water them, and hope for the best. Second leaves show up. Time for bigger pots! More growing. As I transplant my fragile seedlings I notice there is way more going on below the surface than above. The roots are strong and healthy and all tangled up together. The ordinary time is doing its job. While I want to jump straight from seeds to harvest, I must live through ordinary time. We all need ordinary time. Advent is joyful. Lent is draining. Pentecost is mysterious and powerful. Ordinary time is for growth.

This is the "Acts" part of our year. The Gospel Luke the prequel to Acts. It gives the account of a miraculous birth, the radical life and terrifying death of Jesus, and finally Jesus's resurrection. Then comes Acts. It is the reaction to the life of Jesus. The Book of Acts could still be chronicling the reaction to the life of Jesus. We have an annual Acts opportunity. Our ordinary time of response.

Psalm 130 helps us understand what God expects from us during ordinary time. Active waiting on the Lord is how I like to frame ordinary time. We don't know the next chapter of the story, but we can actively wait for it. On firefly bespeckled nights we can put down roots for the bustle of Advent. Isaiah 30:15 gives us another assurance of the worthiness of ordinary time.

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
But you refused

Will we refuse the offer of ordinary time? Will we trade the active waiting for business? Will we long for the excitement of Pentecost while disregarding our "ordinary" disciplines?

Well the baby is up, so I must go. More tomorrow! Peace

PS I picked three whole peas for lunch today! Get out the canner!

Psalm 9...A Reflection...

Psalm 9:9-20

This Psalm reminds me that our God loves and is the stronghold for those folks who have no other advocates in this world.

Union Grove UMC sends off its summer Mission Team this Saturday to a part of the world that is truly needy but for the most part has been forgotten. It is hard to remember folks who experience tragedy after the initial encounter occurs. We tend to go back to our every day lives, we have things that we must do and responsibilities that do not pause because another human being is hurting. God does not forget those folks and God does not have other responsibilities that God must attend to; God is always present.

Do not get me wrong, I am not pointing the finger, I am speaking to my own inconsistencies. I know that I have missed opportunities to care for or even pray for my sisters and brothers who are in need. Praise the Lord that we serve a God who gives hope to the oppressed and to the needy. Praise the Lord who loves those folks who are forgotten by society. May God shape us and mold us so that we may love and pray for those folks who, though we may not know them, truly need our support.

God Can See Your Heart...A Sermon

1 Samuel 16: 7

Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

You Are CALLED

You Are CALLED

You Are CALLED

Today we start our summer focus on King David and today we Commission our Mission Team for Service to the people of Louisiana.

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this summer, next week, VBS…All the things that we have going on here, all that God has CALLED us to.

In our scripture passage today I want us to focus on one verse in particular. There is a wealth of knowledge in this passage but today I believe we need to hear this verse.

In verse seven, Eliab is standing before Samuel and Samuel thinks to himself surely this is going to the one whom I anoint.

But God, aware of Samuel’s thoughts, advises Samuel:

Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

For me God is not making a statement against height or stature, rather God is making a statement about who does the calling and why. God calls people based on what God sees in the human heart.

In our society people call people based on what folks look like and the façade that a person can project. And although, we try to try to pick folks for the right reasons it is pretty obvious that folks of power tend to be those folks who have worldly stature.

Our God looks at the human heart. Not only does our God look at the human heart but our God sees the human heart. It seems to me that there is a difference between looking and seeing. In our daily conversations we use the words, or the ideas behind the words somewhat interchangeably but our passage points to a different idea, it is an idea that points to God’s ability to truly see our heart.

This is the fourth year that Union Grove sent a mission team to the Gulf Coast. And this is our largest group, the most we’ve taken before this year was 24 and today you are commissioning 31 mission team members. I don’t know about you but I believe that it is no accident that the 31 folks who will stand before you in a moment were chosen to go on the trip. Furthermore, I don’t think that it is an accident that many of us were chosen to remain and to pray for this mission team.

God sees the heart of God’s people and God knew who needed to be praying and who needed to be sweating. It is no wonder looking at our team that there are probably at least 10 to 20 times more people praying then there are going. God knows who will fervently pray for the team and maybe that is why some folks aren’t going this summer.

I am not suggesting that folks going on the trip are not folks who pray or that folks not going are not folks who can work, rather I am suggesting that God knows us so well and sees our hearts so clearly that God knows who needs to pray this year and who needs to go.

This may be overly simplistic but I look at our congregation (and let me be clear if you are hearing this word today you are part of our congregation and I expect that God has you here for a reason, God does see your heart after all) as broken into two groups for the next couple of weeks.

One group is the 31 folks going on the trip, called to mission in a location of natural disaster, called to rebuild, called to serve God with works of their hands.

The other group is everyone else who is staying in North Carolina, those folks who support us from all over the country, basically the folks not going with us on the trip, and that know the trip exists. These folks are called to pray. We ask that you pray for the individual members of the Mission Team. We ask that you pray for the folks who we will be working with in Louisiana. We ask that you pray for travel safety. We ask that you pray for the work that the mission team will be doing each day. We ask that you pray for safety on the jobsite. We ask that you pray that we may embody the Fruit of the Spirit. We ask that you pray for justice, mercy and humility. We ask that you pray for us continuously.

For our trip to be the trip that God has called us to it is imperative that we are under girded with prayer. Those folks going on the trip are being commissioned today, and everyone is being CALLED, and one might argue that the calling of those folks praying is just as critical as those of us going.

When I went in to talk with the t-shirt guy about our design for the summer t-shirt, he said, “I like the design and all, but I don’t really get it.”

I said well it’s a combination of a couple ideas but here is the basic premise. On our mission trip we will be using a lot of power tools, we work long days and we pride ourselves in being able to tackle hard jobs as far as the work goes.

But we realize that the most powerful tool that we have is the power that comes through Jesus’ forgiveness on the cross. We realize that the cross points to the resurrection and Jesus’ victory over sin and death and it is Jesus’ victory that gives us the ability to work so diligently and accomplish so much on our trips.

He said, “And what about the bottom line.” "You know how it is"

I said, well there is a gentlemen in our congregation who says this phrase often. Charles is always at church to open doors for those who want to come in, he rings the bell to tell when church is going to start in 10 minutes (for those of you who don’t know Charles rings the bell at 5 till ten). Charles keeps an eye on the grounds of Union Grove making sure things are in working order and safe for those coming into this community.

But I think that when we see or hear this phrase some 1062 miles from home, that’s how far Deridder, LA is from Hillsborough, we will remember that there is a group of people praying for us and we will be uplifted.

Part of God’s power is the community of God’s faithful servants.

On Thursday, I called down to Louisiana and talked with Candyce, who is the volunteer coordinator for UMCOR in Lake Charles. Immediately Candyce put me on the phone with one of the case workers, Sharon. She says, 'Luke we have the perfect house for your group in Deridder' and before she could continue I say 'pardon me but how far is Deridder from Gueydan' the city I thought we would be staying in. Sharon says, 'Candyce didn’t tell you that we moved your group to Deridder.'

'You see we don’t have many groups that will agree to do whatever we ask, but since your group will we need you to work on Mary and Venny Miller’s house. After Rita and Ike the Miller’s took in a woman and her two children and since then the woman has passed away. The Miller’s are still taking care of the children, one of whom is handicapped, the Miller’s really do need your help, boy would I love to close this case.'

Because God can see our hearts God is able to call us to specific tasks and God knew to call us to help the Millers. It is not that we could not have helped the folks of Gueydan rather God knows us and knows who God will call later to go to Gueydan. Because God sees our hearts God can call us to tasks that God has made us to perform.

These next couple of weeks are not going to be easy; I believe that we are all called to this mission. Those of you who are praying, believe me, those of us going rely on your support and prayers. And folks going on the trip, you know how it is, you have to pray too. You have to pray that God sees your heart so that you may do God’s work.

And pray for the Millers, pray that God’s love may be made known to them even through this difficult time in life.

You are CALLED

You are CALLED

You are CALLED

Samuel's Future

1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

So I am at annual conference this week so the posts this week will be a little shorter this week.

We are looking at the anointing of David this week but today I want to focus on Samuel. Saul, the first human king of Israel, is going to die and Samuel is charged to be the vessel through which God anoints the new king. Samuel was Saul’s friend, they knew each other well, but he must move forward, God is calling him to the future and from the past.

Have their been times in your life where you have been called forward but moving forward was difficult for you? What are things that we can do to grow into God’s will, even when that is difficult? How can we move forward, not forgetting the past, but living into the future?

Seek God’s will for your future this day, in Jesus name, Amen?

CALLED

1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

This week begins our summer trek through the books of 1^st and 2^nd Samuel. Our Old Testament will come from Samuel every week until August 9^th. Because of the focus on Samuel my posts will also focus on Samuel and the stories of Samuel. Sometimes the Lectionary gives us big chunks of scripture and it is important to live with those words. This summer I hope we can live with Samuel.

Our story this week focuses on the calling and anointing of David. Samuel goes to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons and it is not till the ruddy son from the shepherding field arrives that God anoints anyone. When Samuel begins the process of accessing at Jesse’s sons God reminds him:

Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

God chooses a king differently than our conventional wisdom might tell us to pick a king. God knows humanity more intimately than humanity knows itself and for that reason God looks upon the hearts of the people God calls. God does not meddle with the façade that we put before others in the world; rather, God looks beyond who we pretend to be to who we are. I am not attempting to infer that all people pretend to be one thing and are another; I am simply pointing out that God knows us more intimately than anyone else. 

One of the interns at Union Grove, Will, pointed out several weeks ago that just because the other brothers were not called to be king doesn’t mean they were not called to something else. Because God is able to see the into the inmost being of a person’s heart and soul, God knows us in such a way that affords God the ability to call us to that which we are most suited. God can call us to do that which we are made to do. As we go through this summer, as we search through the books of Samuel, be open to God’s calling. Allow God to call you and become the person you were made to be.

Music...

John 3:1-17

Last night was the first time that Annie and I have gone on a date since our son, Laine, was born 8 ½ months ago. We were very excited but also a little hesitant to leave little man. He stayed with his God-parents who he knows really well so we knew he would be fine but it is still hard to leave him.

For our date, we went to The Decemberists concert at Raleigh Memorial Hall in downtown Raleigh. First, I must say that the venue was pretty amazing, the sound was great, and Memorial Hall was the perfect venue for The Decemberists’ music. Annie and I really enjoyed ourselves and, all in all, had a great evening.

For the final song of the concert the lead singer had everyone in the audience sing a refrain. He called for the folks in the front and even those folks who were sitting in the very back of the auditorium to join their voices in a cacophony of sound. It was pretty awesome. I am sure that most folks have been in a place where everyone was singing with individual voices that became one loud voice. Last night while I was standing, singing in Memorial Hall I realized that maybe music is the best way to describe the Trinity.

Stay with me, this week I was working on our children’s Sunday School lesson and I suggested to our teachers that they use an object lesson to help the children understand the Trinity. As an example they might use H2O: an ice cube, boiling water, and steam—all three are individual in nature but of the same substance. Or, they might use an apple, cut it down the middle, you have the apple core, the flesh and the peel, all are apple but all are unique. Obviously any object lesson or analogy breaks down and I would not suggest that these completely explain the Trinity (can anyone or thing completely explain the Trinity?), but these devices help us to understand the theology of the Trinity a little better.

Last night, I realized that maybe music helps explain the work of the Trinity. All the instruments and voices make unique sounds but when played together they make a complete sound. Furthermore, sometimes one voice or instrument is heard more prominently, but the other instruments or voices are just as important. Sometimes we emphasize one member of the Trinity, but all members of the Trinity are equally important. Sometimes when we worship God we sing loudly to one member of the Godhead and only hum to the others. That hum must be just as important as the shout. Moreover, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit must become for us just as important as Jesus rising from the tomb.

It has been raining for a couple of days now. As I write this post I am sitting on a porch enjoying the beautiful rain. May grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of God the Holy Spirit rain down upon us this day. May we feel the cool breezes of God’s mercy and may we get caught up in the wonderful song that is the work of God in this world.

'Abba! Father!'

We are heirs, led by the Spirit, who cry out to God our Father, ‘Abba! Father!’ This passage is very Trinitarian: we are to identify with Jesus, be led by God the Spirit, and cry out to God our Father. How appropriate that on the week of Trinity Sunday the apostle Paul describes for us how we can live as Trinitarian people. We believe that God is three persons but do we approach faith as though we are forming a relationship with a God who interacts with humanity through three natures.

I know that for me it is hard to remember that God is one and three. My mind knows that God the Spirit is here with us but it is difficult to remember that God the Father and Son are also with us. Furthermore, it is almost mind boggling to recognize that when we pray to or listen for God the Father, God the Spirit and God’s the Son are present also. Moreover, when God the Spirit comforts us in a time of need God the Son and God the Father are also present. We may interact with God through one of God’s three natures, but, when we do, we interact with the one God of Israel.

 

Below are explanations for the Trinity that can be found on the United Methodist website:

We describe God in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are commonly used to refer to the threefold nature of God.

God

We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it.

We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe.

We believe that God is loving. We can experience God’s love and grace.

Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology (Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 13.

Jesus

We believe that Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified.

We believe that Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God.

We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives today. (Christ and messiah mean the same thing—God’s anointed.)

We believe that Jesus is our Savior. In Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sins.

We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after his.

Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology (Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 13-14.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us.

We believe that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God.

We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and empowers us to live obediently.

Holy Is The Lord...

Isaiah 6:1-8

This coming Sunday is Trinity Sunday for many churches across the world. We affirm our belief that God is three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three are equal in power and rank and all three are God. All are one and all are unique.

The Old Testament passage this week reminds us that God is worthy of praise, and that God can give us the ability needed to complete the tasks that God calls us to. A God calls us who can, and will, equip us to do the work to which we are called.

This week in the church that I serve we met to discuss and work through the future story of the congregation. We talked through questions like: How do we serve God as we grow? How do we grow and fulfill our call to love God and neighbor? How do we continue our commitment to community while continuing our commitment to the wider community?

What I realized just a moment ago is that God will touch our lips with the coal that is necessary to make us ready for our calling. During this Trinity week I realize that Jesus died for us and commissioned us to spread the gospel and that God the Father will equip us for that task. And, last but certainly not least, God the Holy Spirit is here to guide us and to be the power through which we fulfill God’s call upon our lives.

I do not presume that God’s work is easy or that all of the questions that we have about where to serve will be answered without difficult deliberation, rather, I am confident that God will equip us to hear the answers that God has for us and that the Holy Spirit will indeed lead through the most difficult of work. Holy is our Lord and worthy is God of praise.

I want to leave you with an image. God in all of God’s splendor is upon the throne with a beautiful robe and the company of hosts singing Hosanna. Imagine the God of the entire Universe sending the angels to touch your lips with coals so that you may speak God’s truth to all the world. Hear God’s word, Speak the truth, you are equipped to fulfill God’s call upon your life.