Happy New Year with Hope

"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." (Isaiah 60:1, NRSV)

Isaiah spoke to the Israelites as they returned from exile to find their beloved Jerusalem in ruins. The message was one of light, hope, and abundance. Isaiah called the people to remain faithful to God and reminded them that, "the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you."

As we move into 2010, we also need to hear a word of hope. The season of Christmas brought us once again to the angels' declaration of, "peace on earth and good will to all humanity." In spite of this, we live in a world torn apart by war while we cry out for peace. While our personal circumstances may be comfortable, we are surrounded by men, women, and children who are hungry, homeless, and without hope. Though many of us celebrated the season of light this Christmas, there are many others sitting in the darkness of grief, sorrow, and great loss.

Many years ago I found myself in a very dark place covered in sadness and hopelessness. I had given up on God's plan and descended into a place where God could not find me. Family and friends could not reach me in this place, but they kept praying and loving me until God's light found its way into my darkness and hope returned to lead me home. I believe this is what Isaiah is doing…he is affirming God's promise to a people lost in darkness. He says to them, and to us, "Don't give up hope. Just because you can't see the light doesn't mean it's not there. Keep praying, trusting, and reaching toward the light of God's love."

In a recent Sunday school class discussion, we talked about how we have only a limited view of what God sees completely. The meaning of events in our lives cannot be completely understood until God's work is completed. What we may view as injustice, disaster, or tragedy should remind us that people of faith trust that the Lord's work is not yet complete. We wait for its fulfillment. In other words, we may bring lemons to the party, but God will eventually make lemonade. No matter what, there is always hope for a future filled with the bright Light of God.

I realize that this view of the world may offer small comfort when we are in the midst of our own grief; in fact, this may offer little immediate relief for our sadness or anesthetic for our pain. But, our Christian view of God who is still present – Emmanuel, God with us – and still in control can bring us to gradual acceptance of the fact that we cannot see the whole picture. It can help us to release our hopelessness into the hands of our God of hope.

Frank Johnson writes, "God does not cause hurt or will the suffering of innocent persons. But, when these events occur they must be understood within the larger framework of our lives. God can turn sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, and death into life. Faith in God involves patience, trust, and confidence that God will prevail."

Today I pray that we will begin the year filled with hope, confident in God's abundance, and looking to His Light. We cannot see what the future holds, nor should we try to speculate; what we can rely on is a God who knows exactly how things will work out for us. One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:11 – "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." This is a certainty – "surely" – God has a plan for the welfare of each one of his children; a future of hope, not harm. Wow! Every time I call on that passage I am overwhelmed with wonder at the awesomeness of the God who loves me that much. With the certainty of that promise, I have no worries about what the future holds. This is the way I choose to greet January 2010 – with the sure and certain hope that God's plans are perfect. It doesn't matter that we don't see everything that God sees; we trust that God's vision is better than ours. "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." Isaiah was right to offer this message of hope. It is a message for a Happy New Year for Christians everywhere!

God bless,
Pastor Don

Expectation

The new TV series, "Flash Forward" posits the idea that the entire world blacks out at the same time and everyone is given a vision (a flash forward) of their future on a particular date. Then we go on to see if this knowledge actually changes anyone's behavior. Personally, I lost interest in the TV show after the first episode, but the premise stuck with me. What if we had a vision of the future? Would it change the way we behave? The truth is, we do have a vision of the future - God's vision of the coming kingdom and our place in it. So, do we behave any differently because of this vision? I sometimes wonder.

As we work our way through this first week of Advent, we are called to prepare ourselves; we are called to expect something great in the next few weeks; we are called to be ready for this great expectation. The problem seems to be that our culture is calling us to be involved in everything but preparation for the arrival of the Christ Child. Shopping for Christmas gifts that are too expensive and often not what they wanted. Decorating our homes and businesses with lights and glitter so that we outshine our neighbors and appear to be the best dressed house in town. Sending out boxed Christmas cards, or "holiday cards", and those endless and inane newsy letters that nobody wants to read. These are the things that occupy the precious four weeks of Advent until, before you know it, Christmas is here and you aren't ready for Jesus to enter in at all. We lament, where did the time go? We can't believe that Christmas got here so fast. We struggle to get everything done that our culture demands of us. All the while, Jesus is waiting for us to invite him into the celebration. Jesus is wondering what we expect when we can't seem to focus on what is truly important about this time of year. What is it we expect?

Do you expect to meet the Living Christ this Christmas? Do you expect to be transformed? Do you expect your life to change because of Jesus Christ? Do expect to behave differently because of the vision God has for your future? Do you expect anything special at all this Christmas? I truly believe that Christmas is in the eyes of our expectations. What do you expect this Christmas?

‘Tis the Season

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else."
(1 Thessalonians 3:12, NIV)

Last night we held our Annual Church Conference and spent a lot of time celebrating the mission and ministry of our church. We also talked about our Strategic Plan and how we want to implement it as we prepare to enter a new year. As I write this article, we are still planning for Thanksgiving and the Advent Season; we are finalizing details for many special services that lead us to Christmas. The thought of all this activity reminds me of how busy we tend to be at this time of year and how we are often torn between our Christianity and our humanity as we face the holiday season and all of its conflicting messages. I am also looking to the future to see ways that Paul's words to the Thessalonians challenge us to be God's people. I came across an article this morning written by Enuma Okoro who works as a spiritual formation director at Duke Divinity School. She writes: "Regardless of where we live, we share this one reality as Christians: the coming of Christ doesn't bring immediate peace. It brings conflict between two ways of life."

When Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica he was writing to a group of Christians who were faced with trying to live the gospel in the midst of a culture that was hostile to their message and their way of life. His words echo across the centuries to us…living in the midst of a culture of consumerism, selfishness, and greed. We once again come to the season of love, the season of giving, with long wish lists from our children and grandchildren, a blitzkrieg of television ads, and messages from your pastor urging materialistic restraint and charitable generosity. What's a Christian to do?

First of all, listen to Paul's words to the Thessalonians. In fact, take a few minutes to read both of Paul's letters to this church; they only fill about eight pages and offer a lot of encouragement to struggling Christians. Paul tries very hard to help these people live their lives to please God, not to please this world. Much of his message centers on their need to keep doing God's work in the face of temptation, persecution, and their longing for Christ's return. Paul's message is the same for us today; no matter what, we have work to do for God's kingdom on earth.

This Christmas season seems like the perfect time to finalize the implantation of our Strategic Plan: "We will give Wednesdays back to God, for the sake of better homes, better families, a better Mangum, and a better world."

Each Wednesday evening we will offer a meal, free of charge, to anyone who comes to the church. Following the meal, there will be a variety of activities from which to choose. These will include: free childcare to enable adults to participate in other activities; children and youth games, music, and teaching; Bible study groups; life-skills training opportunities; choir practice; work on mission projects; and others, as needs and resources develop. In other words, we will allow "the Lord to make our love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else."

Now is the time to step up and be the person God created you to be; to accept God's call and the challenge to do the work that needs to be done. We need people to cook, to clean, to drive, to teach, and to share. We need you to commit your time, your talent, and your prayers to make this vision a reality that shines the Light of Christ all over this community. We simply cannot sit around and wait for Christ to come again; Christ is waiting for us to prepare a way in this wilderness that is our 21^st Century culture. There is nothing more important in our lives than doing this work; everything else will wait.

Sunday evening we gathered for dinner and a movie in Fellowship Hall. The meal was simple and delicious; it was prepared by several people so nobody was over-burdened. People sat at tables with people they didn't normally "hang-out" with; the conversation was interesting and the fellowship was a blessing. This event proves to me that our church is ready to spend more time together and willing to do whatever it takes to connect to one another and to our community. Let's keep this momentum going! Please volunteer to help; sign up at church; call the office; do whatever it takes to let us know how you want to be involved. I promise that we will be there with you as we all give Wednesdays back to God.

God bless,
Pastor Don

Time Together

Last night 46 members of our church gathered together for food, fellowship, and film. It was "Dinner and a Movie Night" at Mangum First United Methodist Church. There were people of all ages in the room and the conversation was lively and pleasant. People who don't normally "hang out" together shared a table for dinner. People who don't normally come out at night for church socials showed up this time. It was really great! The party was hosted by one Sunday school class and the whole church was invited. I think 46 people was awesome for this first effort.

The movie we watched was "Amazing Grace," the story of William Wilburforce and his efforts to abolish the slave trade in Great Britain in the last half of the 18th Century. It is a wonderful film, well-acted and well-produced; it is definitely worth two hours of your time to watch how many people are transformed in the process - clearly by the work of God in the midst of this horrific situation. Tears and applause at the end of the film are a great testimony.

I hope this will encourage other churches to try an event like this and plan to make it a regular feature. This is such a great time to share with church members, to enjoy good fellowship, and present a teachable moment through the many great Christian films that are available in the marketplace. Film is a powerful medium and we can do a lot with it in terms of enhancing our ministry in the local church.

Go forth and serve, my friends, in the name of Jesus Christ!
Pastor Don

Thanking God, No Matter What

Earlier this month we began looking at The Book of Job…

We started by talking about what it means to seek God when we are in pain…

That feeling of "Why me?' that sometimes overwhelms us…

Then we saw how we can encounter God only when we recognize that
we are not the center of Creation – God is…

We heard the story of Job as one of transformation; a story of relationship with God who does not abandon us even when we abandon God…

Today we begin to understand what it means to be truly thankful to God, no matter what is going on in our lives…

Let us pray:

Loving God, I thank you for the blessing of those who have taught me how to worship, trust, and be grateful. Help us, even when we are hurting or have lost everything, help us to hold on to the deep mystery of your love. Prepare our hearts now to hear your words. Amen.

Throughout the story of Job, conventional theology has called for Job to repent of the sins that caused him to be punished by God…

But, as we have discussed previously in this series, the story of Job challenges this Divine Retribution view of God…The idea that God rewards the faithful and punishes the wicked is blown apart in this story….

We know too many instances where the good suffer and the wicked prosper….

By the end of the story, Job does indeed repent…

The thing we need to notice is that Job doesn't repent of supposed sins that caused his misfortune…

He repents of his attitude toward God…

He asks God to forgive his arrogance and acknowledges God's great power and sovereignty.

Listen to our own sin when we speak in anger to God: "If you are in control, if you are so mighty and powerful, how could you let this happen to me?"

Therein lies the real sin…Blaming God for our misfortune…

God does not cause us to be in pain;
God does not take people away from us;
God does not punish us by making bad things happen to us.

However, when these things do happen in our lives, God can find ways to help us get through them and to learn valuable lessons from them…

It's not that God deliberately tests us or teaches us a lesson by these circumstances…

It's that God can take any situation and use it for our good; even when it is painful and we don't understand what's happening….

The lesson of Job is that we must give God sovereignty over our lives and trust that God knows best how things are going to work out…

This is the true nature of being thankful – trusting that God will work everything out according to God's plan and thanking God that we get to be part of what God is doing in the world.

Remember Paul's letter to the Thessalonians…

[1 Thessalonians 5:16-18]

No matter what happens, God wants us to be thankful for Jesus Christ who suffered more than we can ever imagine…

There are a lot of things in life that we do not understand…

But, we can understand these words from Paul:

It's not that God is so insecure that he needs to hear our constant thanks;

The point is – when bad things happen to us, it doesn't do any good to gripe or complain or feel sorry for ourselves, does it?

No. That only makes things worse.

When bad things happen we need to realize that there is an enemy out there who wants to steal our faith, our peace, and our joy…hasatán

Scripture tells us to resist this enemy and remain steadfast in our faith…

Giving thanks, no matter what, is a powerful way to resist the powers of evil
that come against us.

Even when we don't feel particularly thankful for the circumstances of our lives,
we can always be thankful for the love of God and
what God did for us through Jesus Christ.

Job was a person of faith who lost everything and wound up finding God more mysterious, intimate, and deep than ever before.

That was Job's miracle.

In the end, God restored Job's blessings two-fold.

There are times in our life simply to give thanks to God for God's deliverance
and the blessings on loan to us.

I read a story this week about a missionary who has spent a lot of time among impoverished people in Central America.

What's remarkable is their ability to worship and give thanks to God even in the midst of their poverty and hunger.

These people share their sorrows and their praise of God.

This missionary gives thanks because the people have allowed her to be transformed by their hospitality and worship.

What we learn from Job, and from these poor people in Central America, is that we should give less of our energy to the stresses of life, and more energy to celebrating God's goodness.

We all have times of pain and suffering; yet, these times are more tolerable when we are already in the habit of thanking God and praising God for everything we have.

Even Job began this story praising God in the midst of his misfortune; it wasn't until he began to listen to his friends' bad advice that he fell into the pit of total despair by crying out against God.

When we face devastation, we discover that all we have is God; and God is all we need.

What has come before is no more, but God endures.

And God will help us endure.

We know that one day God will heal us and restore us.

Until then, let us embrace the gift of discovering new, deeper meaning under the rubble of what we have lost.

Jennifer Graves, Duke Divinity School student

 

No matter what?
I'm supposed to seek God, no matter what
I'm supposed to find God, no matter what
I'm supposed to thank God, no matter what
It's difficult to see in the midst of what
GODISNOWHERE
seeing the forest of hope through the trees of what
hearing the voice of love through the din of hate
tasting the breath of life in the stew of death
GOD IS NOW HERE
No matter what!

 

No matter what happens, always be thankful to God.

Culture Re-defined

Jesus spent his life re-defining culture in God's image. This has always been a hard lesson for humanity to learn. When we are truly servant leaders, our convenience is not the priority. We do not cash-in on a promise to live a comfortable life when we begin to follow Jesus. Rather, we agree to put ourselves out so that others might be comforted.

Psalm 139 reminds us that God knows everything about us...better than even we do...particularly the desires of our heart. The psalmist also asks God to search our hearts and test our devotion to God. Life isn't about us; it's about what we do as children of God to be faithful to God's image in us.

When we honor God first in all that we do, we are assured of our ability to do what God wants for us. If we seek to honor ourselves, we will always fail.

Amen.

It's Friday...

Let's state the obvious - Today is Friday. What an astute observation. Coming at the end of this particular week, however, it is a welcome revelation of the obvious. The week is coming to a better end than it began. Spirits are higher, work is completed, and plans are being made. There will even be a relatively calm weekend.

Today I will finish my Sunday school lesson and rehearse Sunday's sermon - not terribly taxing. Then, this afternoon, we will attend a memorial service for a local gentleman who passed suddenly this week. Saturday is a planned day in and away from the world. We will cook and clean. We will read and relax. We will be ready for Sunday and will begin the new week refreshed.

I hope everyone enjoys such a day this week and that you are also refreshed and re-energized for whatever you encounter next week. May God bless you mightily.