“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” – Matthew 16:24

Rick Warren published The Purpose Driven Life almost 20 years ago. It became a bestseller despite an opening line very different from the vast number of self-help bestsellers. He starts off with a very blunt statement: “It’s not about you.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was even more blunt when, in The Cost of Discipleship when he tells us that “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Indeed, for standing up in resistance to Adolph Hitler and the genocide of the Jewish people, he was hanged on April 9, 1945.

When we read the words of Jesus in Matthew 16, we might want to believe that “taking up the cross” means wearing a cross charm around our neck, or perhaps enduring raised eyebrows because of our faith. But Jesus has just been telling the disciples that his journey will inevitably lead to his death. Simon Peter thinks that this is bad marketing and urges him not to talk about such unpleasant things. But Jesus insists on telling the truth. In order for God’s work in Christ to be freed from the bonds of space and time – in order for Jesus’s death to mean something – it must more than just him. In the same way, wants us to put to death all of the things which prevent us from understanding and living as children of God. As Warren puts it so eloquently, “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness.”

This is a time of great self-denial. So many of the things we do to bring fulfillment and joy to our lives are simply too unsafe to do – too dangerous for ourselves and others. We are learning to take up our masks and stay six feet apart. It isn’t pleasant. And it requires a humbling of ourselves. We realize that it isn’t just about us: we have a part to play for the well-being of others!

Yet there is some strange freedom in this. In giving up some of the things to which we have become accustomed, we are discovering what is truly important, and finding new ways connecting, sharing, and living!  Yes, we look forward to the day we will be able to touch again, but even that will be imbued with new meaning. If this isn’t a death and resurrection time, then it is at least a time when we are like the caterpillars in a chrysalis.

I will be exploring these thoughts more on Sunday morning when we discuss the question, “How can I respond to cruelty?”

Here are the follow-up questions for discussion at home or online with friends:
1. What in your life or personality needs a funeral?
2. How can you be fully present with someone, even when you are physically separated?
3. Where can you make space for God?

Almighty and Ever-Living God, fill us with your peace. Help us to remember that you have made us for a reason: to be in right relationship with you and with all of creation. Allow us to glimpse the other, and the world, through your eyes of grace, mercy, and love. Then move in us that we might work for justice and righteousness. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6

While looking up scriptures for this week’s Daily Blessing, I had a person who passed on several years ago come to my heart and mind, Phyl Page. While many will remember her very fondly, for she was an amazing little lady with a great faith who had gone through many hardships, including the untimely death of a son, many will not know her. So, here is why I thought of her and a little bit about Phyl. I hope it blesses your day whether you were blessed to know her or not.

The reason she came to my mind while looking for scriptures for the Daily Blessing is because many years ago she asked Pastor Jan and I to have some Wednesday night classes to help memorize scripture for use in time of need.  She had found that even though she had been reading and studying the Bible for decades, she always had a difficult time memorizing scripture to recall during difficult times. So, Jan and I taught a short-term class called “Grab & Go Scriptures”; this verse from Philippians is the verse that touched her heart deeply and the one Phyl chose to memorize.

To me, this verse encompasses how she lived her life.  This caused a few thoughts to come to mind. One is what scripture verse encompasses how I live out my faith?  I would like to think this one; however, I know that I don’t present my requests to God enough in prayer and then stop being anxious about it.  I try but fall short, and I know that Phyl fell short, as we all do.  However, throughout her life from moving across country with her husband when he didn’t have a job to move out to California for to the untimely death of her son; she still had the peace of God.  Through the passing of her beloved husband, to moving back east to be with family because she could no longer live here alone, she had God’s peace.  I am not saying she was Pollyanna about life or wasn’t sad at times, I am saying that she knew that God was with her during the difficult times and felt his peace because if it. Something we all need right now.

Just thinking about Phyl brings a smile to my face and makes my heart feel lighter.  How wonderful it is to say that about a person and how even more so should we feel that about God.  Phyl was a great example of a life well lived in faith and service.

It also caused me to think about what scripture verses I use to get me through difficult times.  This verse is one of them, and we have been writing about many others.  In some sense, I think the verses that we choose say a lot about our faith or, at least, how we would like to live our faith.

So, I ask this question. What verses help you get through this time and what do you think those verses say about you and your faith? And, how can we live more completely into those verses we hold so close in our hearts?

Gracious & Loving God, we thank you for the gift of spiritual mentors in our life, people who have shown us how to live out our faith in our daily lives.  We thank you for the gift of scripture that challenges us and shows your love for us.  We thank you for the grace that you have shown us and for the ability to come to you in prayer.  Help us to have that peace which passes all understanding, even during these difficult times.  Help us to live more fully into your love and grace, so that we can show others the love and grace you have for them. Amen

Stay safe and well and be the hope you wish to see in the world.

Hugs, Suzanne

“…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10b

The other day I had a memory of one of my grandmothers, my father’s mother. My grandma was a God fearing woman but she was frail from having rheumatic fever as a little girl which weakened her heart. She left this world at the age of 66 in 1965 when I was 7 years old. Because of that I don’t have many memories of her, but I do remember how much she loved the Lord. She played the piano, but only church songs; she was very active but only with the church. My grandma was United Brethren, but her belief was more of the Puritan nature; if you didn’t walk the straight and narrow you would fall out of God’s good graces.  

I remember a Christmas my parents gave my grandma a wonderful warm coat to help with her frail health. She wouldn’t accept it and made them take it back because she believed it was better to give than to receive, and she was undeserving of this gesture. As a 5 or 6-year-old this was very confusing to me. Was it wrong to receive gifts, to receive kindness? At times it saddens me to think that she might she might have not understood the love of God as not just giving but also in the receiving of God’s abundant love.

God created all things out of love and said “it was good.” God came to us in Jesus out of love, to show us love beyond measure and to bring freedom from what binds us. St. Paul prayed that we would be deeply rooted and grounded in love so that we would experience the boundless love of Jesus Christ. Receiving love abundantly does not mean a life without struggle or pain but rather a life deeply connected to what God is doing in the moment, in us, in our relationships with others, and the world around us. When living in abundant love, hope and joy are accessible, even in the midst of a pandemic.

In closing I offer St. Paul’s prayer and know that I pray this prayer with you and for all of you.

^“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit,and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth,and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.” Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

Blessings,

Brenda

For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:3-8

When COVID-19 embedded itself into our society, it leveled the playing field. We were all immediately faced with the question, “How do I do this now?” Whatever “this” is. We all were starting from the same point… brand new uncharted territory. For some people it was how do I teach? For others it was how do I keep my restaurant open, and those in the medical profession wondered how they could see their patients.  Churches weren’t any different. They too asked the question How do we do church when we can’t come together?

The blessing is we have started collaborating and supporting each other.  Immediately people started to come together and brought their gifts of creativity, communication, big picture visioning and innovation. Bishop Hagiya sees the value in the sharing of ideas and innovation so much that he has set up a place for this to happen virtually. Messy Church USA has brought leaders of Messy Churches to share with others how they have continued to worship with their Messy Church congregations. Our Vacation Church Camp was the result of a few people collaborating together. At our staff meetings we regularly share ideas that we have come across while talking with others. 

There are a couple of ironies in all of this collaboration.  The first one is that while we are in a time where we have to socially distance ourselves, we are connecting with those who are not geographically close. They are people we would have never thought to collaborate with.  In Romans, Paul tells us that we all have been blessed with different gifts and that together we make up the body of Christ.  In this time, we all are using our God given gifts and coming together as one to be the church in the world. We have never been the church more than we are now. And that is the second irony.

I wonder how you are using your gifts to collaborate with others to be the body of Christ we’ve been called to be?

Dear God,

You surprise us all, just when we think we are in the dark you bring light to show us a new way. We give thanks for the opportunities to come together in different ways, near and far. We give thanks for the many gifts you give us to bring to these collaboration efforts so that we can be the church without coming together in one time and place.

 Amen

Marty

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 18:2-4

Recently, our caregiver’s son put together a service project for their church, and he excitedly included my four-year-old daughter. They made notes inviting people to donate for a contactless food drive, dropped them off in their neighborhood, and then went back to collect the food off neighbors’ porches. This went on for about a week.

My daughter came home every afternoon wanting to write more notes to give to people to get them excited about the drive too.

As a mom, I was anxious. Not about walking the neighborhood. They went with our amazing caregiver. I was worried that people would ignore their carefully crafted notes, people wouldn’t donate, and the kids would go for their pick-up day only to be disappointed.  Yes, I recognize this is pessimistic. But my concern went beyond this particular drive.

These kids found their fire through service. They were exuberant, confident, and proud of their work. I did not want anything to disappoint them, dampen their zeal for helping others, or cause them to question the power of our Almighty God.

Thinking about it now, I was the one questioning. I was dwelling in a human-centric mentality, wallowing really, expecting to be disappointed. How often do we find ourselves here? Especially in these times. I don’t know about you, but I, unfortunately, am disappointed in people a lot lately. I wonder how difficult it is to stop debating the efficacy of masks and face shields and just to put one on for the betterment of our common man hoping that we’re doing some sort of good. I lament that we’ve stooped to talking about rights rather than caring about our neighbor.

This service project reminded me, though, to look to our children. Follow their lead. Match their zeal. These kids did not once question that people would donate. They expected it. And people came through. They collected a trunk full of food with grins on their faces, and they’re eager for their next project.

As kids head back to school (virtual, in-person, hybrid or otherwise), may we remember to look to them. They will again demonstrate their resilience, persistence, and positivity going through these current challenges. May we adopt that child-like spirit always, not allowing the world to make us cynical.

Emalee Sugano

Lord, thank you for our children. Their spirits continue to bring joy and positivity through all of our challenges. May we follow their lead, experiencing you in the simplest of ways. Show us your path to protect, honor, and bless your smallest creations.