“Not many of you should become teachers, my siblings in Christ, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” – James 3:1

“Don’t be a pastor unless you can’t do anything else!”

When I heard these words from a member of the Long Beach District Committee on Ordained Ministry I was taken aback. I was in high school and had been feeling the call to ministry. I went through the required steps to meet with the committee, and they helped me to understand all the next steps I would need to take. (It was this same committee whose members told me that I should leave the state to go to Seminary). There were plenty of things they felt I could do instead of ministry! I felt that this person must have had an awfully low view of ministry and ministers if the job was reserved for people who were incompetent or who had failed at everything else!

Over the years I have come to understand what this person meant. If you are looking to make a impact in the world, if you are seeking to change hearts and minds, if you are wanting to put your Christian faith into practice in meaningful ways, ordained ministry can be the least effective way of doing this.   Real change is made by real people doing real jobs in the real world. Yes, I feel effective as a pastor, but my effectiveness is in preparing, supporting, guiding, coaching, and organizing the people to be engaged in ministry.

I was thinking about this as I heard the stories of the life of Rep. John Lewis. With you, I smiled at the image of the young man so on fire with the love of God that he preached to chickens. And with you I am thrilled that he answered the call to be in ministry by taking his passion for justice it to the streets, to the busses, to the trains, to the lunch counters, to that bridge, and to congress. Yes, John Lewis was an ordained minister in the American Baptist Church. But he is remembered as Rep. Lewis, not Rev. Lewis.  I was overwhelmed with joy and pride that the Rev. Jim Lawson (of the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church) got to tell some of the story of Rep. Lewis’ life; and that President Obama noted that both Dr. King and John Lewis were taught Gandhian non-violent civil disobedience by the same Jim Lawson. Did you know that?

I was recently texting with a person who told me that their child had once announced a desire to be a pastor, but had later decided not to. I shared that the child had probably made a wise choice because they could be more outspoken and directly impact lives by doing the work they now performed – both on the job and avocationally as an outspoken layperson.

We have made a point that the church is not closed. The church community continues even in this time of quarantine. Your staff continue to reach out to comfort, guide, and support. In the same way, the ministry continues – perhaps even more strongly – in you. You are able to have the face to face meetings with your families. You are able to check in on your neighbors and offer help, even at an appropriate distance.  You are the church. You are the ministers. You are demonstrating that now.

Lead us, Oh God, into the ministry of Jesus. For such a time as this we need your guidance and we need each other. Form us into the body of Christ in the world today. Through Him we pray. Amen.

^“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

This is one of my favorite verses, my High School choir always sang it at the end of every concert blessing those who were there. I have always loved that United Methodist youth from all over have used it as their benediction to bless each other.

Here is the background story of this benediction from the Book of Numbers and as it was gifted with music from “Then Sings My Soul” by Robert J. Morgan.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were, until recently, our oldest copies of biblical text. But in 1979, Villanova professor, Judith Hadley, was assisting archaeologist, Gabriel Barkay, in excavating a site in Jerusalem’s Hinnom Valley. In a burial cave, she saw something resembling the metal cap of a pencil. It was a sensational find, a tiny silver scroll of great antiquity. Another was found nearby. These tiny amulets, dating to the Hebrew monarchy seven centuries before Christ, were so small and fragile they took several years to painstakingly clean and open.

When scientists finally unrolled them, they found the world’s oldest extant copy of a biblical text, the words of Numbers 6:24-26: ^“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

While the amulets date from the seventh century B.C., the original words are far older, coming 1,400 years before Christ. As the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, God commanded the priests to bless the people with this three-fold blessing.

These Ancient lyrics have been set to music many times, but never more beautifully than by Peter Christian Lutkin in his classic tune Benediction. During the Fanny Crosby/Ira Sankey era of gospel music, when so much was written for easy congregational singing, Lutkin wrote more elaborate melodies with a classical flare.

Lutkin was born in Wisconsin in 1888, and devoted his life to church music, studying the masters in Europe, excelling on the organ, and founding the School of Music at Northwestern Illinois. He helped start the American Guild of Organists. He died in 1931 and was buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.

In his Notes from My Bible, D. L. Moody said about the priestly blessing of Numbers 6: “Here is a benediction that can give all the time without being impoverished. Every heart may utter it, every letter may conclude with it, every day may begin with it, every night may be sanctified by it. Here is blessing – keeping – shinning – uplifting upon our poor life of all heaven’s glad morning. It is the Lord Himself who gives us this bar of music from heaven’s infinite anthem.”

In closing, blessing another in the name of God is a powerful act. Bidding God’s face to “shine upon” someone is asking God to turn toward them and work for their good. When we “put God’s name on” someone, we are envisioning God’s power surrounding them. I’m holding all of you, my friends and church family in the light that shines from God’s face to hold you and bless you and to give you peace.

So, I pray that the Lord will bless and protect you, and that he will show you mercy and kindness. May the Lord be good to you and give you peace. Amen.

Blessing, Brenda

The Widow’s Offering
21 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ³ “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. ⁴ All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Tuesday morning, I was privileged and blessed to experience this Scripture verse in real life.  We received a thank you letter from one of the women who regularly showers here

This note blessed me in so many ways that I do not even know where to start.  While I have been on work teams and showered in some crazy ways, I have never thought of taking a shower as a privilege.  Talk about mind and heart opening. I have tears in my eyes while writing this, just thinking of the lessons this woman just gave us.

Sometimes unexpected things happen that put life into perspective.

Gracious and Loving God, we thank you for lessons from unexpected people.  We thank you for the privilege to shower and for so many other privileges that we take for granted every day. Create in us a heart that is open to seeing those blessings.  Create in us a heart that is generous in giving to help others. Open our eyes and hearts to people who struggle, help us to treat them with respect and kindness and remember that there but for the grace of God go I. Help us continue to be the people and the church that you call us to be.  Help us to trust and have faith in you in all our circumstances.
Amen

Stay safe, stay well, and stay connected.
Grace & Peace, Suzanne

Jesus looked at them carefully and said, “It’s impossible with human beings, but not with God. All things are possible for God.” Mark 10:27

This past week while checking in with a friend, she casually commented that living in a pandemic was harder than living as a 10-year-old girl in England during WWII. I wondered how that could be, so I began to ask her some questions, and our conversation began.

As a 10-year-old, she was able to still go to school and to go outside and to do her normal daily living with minimal disruption. All she had to do, was to remember her gas mask and take it with her wherever she went. As a member in a high-risk category during this pandemic, she has more restrictions. She isn’t able to leave her home except for necessary trips and when she does, she may forget to bring her mask with her.  I asked her why she thought she had trouble remembering her mask and she chuckled, “old age”.

During the day she and her family hunkered down in their homes mostly and played games together, not unlike what we have been doing. It gave her family a time to reconnect and find joy in other ways.  When night came, her family would move into their bomb shelter equipped with a stove to keep them warm. The bomb warden would patrol the area and check in with each family within the community and make sure that everyone was ok.

Our conversation then moved to how her faith has played a role during these two times.  I asked her where she saw God during this pandemic. She responded emphatically, “Right here in my front room.” She says she talks out loud to God daily. As a child she remembers her family praying to keep them safe from the air raids, but she feels as she has grown up her life experiences have deepened her trust in God and she believes that God is with her at all times and that gives her companionship in these times of isolation and strength to endure what is difficult during this pandemic.

So, what is the takeaway from my conversation?

1. We need to be like the English bomb warden and check in on each other regularly and see how they are doing.
2. We as a people have faced tough times in the past and have endured.
3. Although at times it feels like we will not get through this, I know we will because all things are possible with God.  

Dear God,
These times can be difficult and can feel like it is impossible to keep positive and endure. When times are hard it can be easy to slip into complaining mode and forget that with You, we will be able to continue because You make things possible. Thank you for the gift of story to remind us that with You we can endure when the going gets rough. 
Amen

Many blessings to you all,
Marty

But now thus says the Lord,
   he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
   and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
— Isaiah 43:1-3a

First of all, thank you to the magnificent firefighters of our city who responded so quickly to yesterday’s fires. Thanks as well to the citizen journalists of Facebook who helped us to know the source of that smoke and ash, so we could avoid panic! I had planned on talking about fires today, but didn’t realize how timely the subject would become.

Last Wednesday our family visited the Giant Sequoias along the “Trail of 100 Giants.” With so many other trees devastated by the Bark Beetle, drought, and forest fires, we marveled that these trees could grow so tall over so many hundreds of years. Looking at the tall reddish trunks of the trees, we observed splotches of shiny blackness. We assumed that they were perhaps scorch marks from fires or some type of fungus growing on the tree.

That night we started a campfire. The kids had gathered some twigs as fire-starters, but had also brought some large pieces of bark. “Can we burn this?” They asked.

“Well let’s see what happens,” I said, “I am a little worried that it will burn big and fast; let’s watch for embers so we don’t start a forest fire!”
We tossed the bark on the fire, but it did nothing. It just sat there. The flames licked around the edges, but it never caught. Eventually it started changing form. The bark oozed into a thick black foam, It never burned, or let off embers, and never settled into glowing coals. It just transformed into this black foam, which eventually, with enough heat, dissolved into ash. “So that was what was in the trees!”

Amazing, isn’t it, how God works. These trees stand tall over the years because they are adapted to fires. The flames may approach, but the bark transforms to protect the wood beneath. God has created a process whereby these trees are able to respond and protect themselves from the crisis. And the tree does this automatically, without thought.

How even more amazing that God has given us the ability to deal with the crises in our own lives. Some of these reactions are automatic. But God has also given us wisdom, intellect, and imagination. We are able to not only react, but to be proactive. We can plan, and learn, adapt, and grow. Yes, we can insist on standing our ground – on doing things the way we have always done them – and get burned. Worse, we can spread the crisis.  Or we can change, act in new ways, care for one another, and persevere.

Pastor George

God of majesty and power, fill us with your wisdom and hope. Take away our pride of self. Move in our imagination to find new ways to tend to creation and to each other. Bless those on the front lines of these crises with courage, compassion, and creativity. Bring peace to those who mourn, and hope to carry on. In Christ we pray. Amen.