Psalm 94:19 Common English Bible (CEB)
¹⁹ When my anxieties multiply,
    your comforting calms me down.

Living in a time where social distancing, lockdowns, reopening, looming lockdowns and constantly changing requirements can be a little crazy.  I am normally not an anxious person, but even I feel anxious lately about what is happening.  One of the problems is that we have no clue when anything will get back to what we called normal.  I hope that during these times that you have a place that you can just sit and be, a place that has become sacred to you. A place where you can cry, vent, and let it all go, so that you can be filled up again by God’s love and comfort.  We need to be able to let our anxieties go in order to create space for the love of God for each of us to take hold and calm our fears.

How we do this is as varied as humankind.  Some like to run, some like to sit by themselves, some sing the blues.  Me, I like to sit in my sacred place, which is outside on my back patio and look at my garden and see the hummingbirds, butterflies and other birds fly around.  It truly has become my sacred place and I feel it when I have missed sitting there, even for one day. Being outside in nature restores my soul.

Another activity that restores my soul is yoga.  The problem has been that the studio has only been doing online classes since the lockdown. While you think that I would make time for it at home, I do not. I need the structure of an in-person class.  A couple of weeks ago the studio opened, which restrictions and safety precautions, and now I am able to attend class again a couple of times a week.  I know that there is still a risk involved; however, for me that risk is worth it.  Being able to practice yoga again has helped calmed my soul and revives my spirit and body.

We all need to find the things that restore our soul, spirit, and body.  What are those things for you?  Have you tried new restorative practices since our lockdown or started to do something that you used to love but had no time to do anymore?  What feeds your soul?  If it is going to museums, there are many virtual tours available.  Many travel sites are now putting on virtual tours to distant places to keep people interested in travel once we can; however, those tours can also help restore our souls by taking us to another place.  Perhaps a porch or a backyard visit with a dear friend, following social distancing, refreshes your spirit.

There are spiritual practices that help revive and renew our souls and spirit.  Prayer and service to others are two that touch my spirit deeply.  One of my favorite ways to pray is to walk around my neighborhood and pray for the people that live in the houses that I walk by.  Even if I do not know them.  This helps get me outside of what is happening in my life and concentrate on others and getting outside of myself and my own little problems refreshes my spirit and helps me gain perspective.

Gracious and Loving God, Help me to lean on you during times of stress and anxiety.  Create a heart in me that feels your embrace around me.  Help me to remember that these times are temporary, and your love is eternal.  Help me to live out my faith in meaningful ways and to show through my actions your love for all of your creation.  Amen

Grace & Peace, Suzanne

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads,      and I will give you rest.  ²⁹ Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. ³⁰ My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Wow! I cannot believe we have now entered into the month of July!  Almost 4 months since we began our time of social distancing during this crazy season. During these almost 4 months, I was thinking and wondering about how everyone has been staying sane because, if you are like me, you will have experienced a wide range of emotions, sometimes all in the same day!

One of the scriptures I love is Mt.11:28-30. When I read it, I hear it as Jesus speaking in a very soothing and gentle voice, asking me to trust him with all that weighs me down and offers me a time of rest, a time of comfort and peace from all of the craziness that I might have to deal.

I know that we are all carrying many heavy things these days…things that weigh upon our mind and heart. Things like fear, worry, loneliness, frustration, anger, loss, grief, despair, things we can’t control, and exhaustion from all of it.

What else might you be carrying…? 

When I am overwhelmed or burdened the only thing to do that brings me comfort is to have a chat with Jesus. Even as a young girl I would find myself in my room on my bed having a chat with the one I knew would get me through whatever the situation was. I invite Jesus to sit with me and I begin to talk to him as I would my best friend. I imagine him just sitting with me, right there next to me wherever that might be at the time. Not necessarily with my eyes closed as in prayer, but prayer just the same. I simply start talking to him and share all my worries and concerns, the things that are too great a burden for me to hold on to anymore. I visualize the words and feel their weight on me. As I’m doing this, I see Jesus holding his hands out, offering to take them, and I give them all to him. Then it seems as if he says “rest my child, they are no longer yours they belong to me now.”

I go about my day and at some point I realize that I’m not dwelling on the things that had burdened me earlier. I have received a sense of relief and comfort at the moment I give them over to him. Trusting his words that I do not have to carry it all, that he will take hold of what weighs me down, and I do my best not to take any of it back.

My hope for you in these crazy and restless times is that you too will sit and chat with Jesus, that you will allow him to take your concerns and burdens so that you may rest in his arms and find peace.

Thank you Jesus for holding all these heavy things for us today! Thank you, that you understand their weight and our worry. Thank you, that you will take them and allow us to be free from their weight and burden. Remind us that they no longer belong to us. Fill us with your peace and hope today and help us to remember you hold us in the palm of your hand. Amen.

Blessings, Brenda

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:8 

As I woke up this morning to begin another day of work, it felt a little different. Today, it felt like a blessing.  Yeah, sure, I would love to be able to sit and work on my jigsaw puzzle or do some cooking or just hang out with my family at home; but I was grateful, in these times, that I have a job.

It wasn’t just having a job that felt like a blessing, but it was having the job that I have. The work environment here at CUMC is loving and supportive. The staff really cares about each other.  I have a boss who guides, trusts, and supports me along the way and has allowed me the flexibility in my schedule that I have needed during this time.  Suzanne, who is incredibly busy, is always able to somehow find the time to check in with me to see if there is any way that she can be of help to me.

The support doesn’t just come from my colleagues. It comes from you, the congregation too.  I have a team of wonderful volunteers who come together every month to help make our Messy Church worship come to fruition.  This team has accepted the challenge that COVID-19 has thrown our way and has done a wonderful job.   Vacation Bible School has had to be redesigned, as well and, again, members of this congregation have given me the support that I have needed. I have just finished a Zoom meeting with another group of volunteers where we were able to collaborate to make sure that VBS will happen in this time of social distancing so that it is safe for our volunteers and campers. I have 3 great adults who volunteer to help lead and mentor our youth on Sunday nights. The support that I get from our multimedia team is amazing.  They are always willing to figure out how to make my idea work in the technological world.  They never tell me that something can’t be done.  And then there are the words of affirmation and love that I continually receive from all of you that carry me through this all.

God has blessed me abundantly with one gracious blessing after another. I am grateful for you.  You all are my blessings.

God from you flows blessings after blessings. While we are in the midst of all life has to offer, it is sometimes hard for us to recognize them.  Thank you for your patience with us as we are slow to recognize them or miss them completely. Thank you for all that you give us and thank you for everyone at CUMC.  They truly are a blessing.  Amen

With much gratitude,
Marty

Some years ago, I read The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. It is a fun read, written by a man who decides to follow all the rules of the Bible, as best as he can, through the course of a year. I thought the book was mostly going to be about the funny things that happen, and how strange some of the laws seem in today’s world. There is that, but there is much, much more. Jacobs discovers the value of prayer; and while he never becomes a believer, he shares wonderful insights into the nature of God. Upon exploring the meaning of Jesus’ parable about the man with two sons, he writes,

“When Ifirst read the parable of the prodigal son, I was perplexed. I felt terriblefor the older brother. The poor man put in all these years of loyal service,and his brother skips town, has a wild good time, then returns and gets a hugefeast? It seems outrageously unfair.

“But that’s if you are thinking quantitatively. If you are looking at life as a balance sheet. There’s a beauty to forgiveness, especially forgiveness that goes beyond rationality. Unconditional love is an illogical notion, but such a great and powerful one.” (Page 275)

We are constantly surprised by the seeming irrationality of God: the unconditional love, the overabundance of Grace. This is a mark of the divine. God is extra-ordinary and super-natural. God is interested in the quality of existence, not simply the quantity of stuff we collect. This strange season of sacrifice and “safer at home” provide us an opportunity to live this truth of God. We are forced to focus on that which is most important to us. We are able to explore quality of our relationships. We make do with the essentials of home and work. We rely on our own disciplines of prayer, meditation, study and service.  

Eternal God, there is so much we do not understand right now. Help us to trust in your grace and mercy. Paying attention to the essentials, may we come to feel your gentle hands upon us. Guide us, comfort us, heal us, send us. Help us to be apart that which leads to abundant life. We pray this in Jesus holy name. Amen.

I’ve been gardening again. As relaxing as I find it, there are days when it can be quite frustrating. Some plants require a great deal of attention, while others seem to thrive on neglect. Weeds in particular take to neglect. The crabgrass seems to do quite well, while other patches of the lawn, no matter what I do, wither and die in the summer sun. The bulbs burst forth new growth, flower, and then just as quickly die back, only to resurrect themselves when the winter storms pass.

Looking at the garden the other day I was reminded of a passage of scripture. As a child I was never required to memorize scripture passages, but there was one passage that was drilled into my mind.  Frequently at Long Beach First, the Rev. Merle Bailey would read the scripture lessons.  We looked forward to hearing him read for a couple of reasons: first he has a beautiful rich voice which he uses well to convey with depth and intimacy the meaning of the lesson; and second because he is a nice guy, who genuinely likes young people. And he drove a Corvette.  We thought he was very cool. (He still is.) Merle always introduces the Gospel lesson by quoting Isaiah 40:8. 

Merle would stand up, and we would smile because we knew what was coming.  The rest of the service might seem confusing, but even we kids could be confident that we would hear the Word spoken with authority. The constancy of God’s love would be proclaimed.  After a while we began to silently mouth the words as he spoke: “‘The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God will stand forever.‘ Hear the reading of the Word.”

Those were the words which came to me standing over the withering foliage. Sometimes, no matter what I do, things change.  In a world of constant upheaval and confusion, when what we know and are comfortable can be gone in a moment, we can be confident that there is one thing which lasts: The Word of God.

I’ve never asked Merle when or why he began to use that introduction. I imagine he still uses it today.  I know that I was blessed as a child and as a youth by his words and constant reminder of the constancy of God’s love.  I pray that in times of change you will remember the promise of God in the words of Isaiah. As you watch the tender spring shoots grow quickly and then wither in the summer heat, as the flowers droop and fade, as the hairs turn grey and the children have children of their own, remember that “the Word of our God will stand forever!”  That word is Christ Jesus. That word is Love.

Author of Life, remind us that we are part of your creation. You have formed us and breathed into us your Spirit. In the changing of the seasons, and in the changing seasons of our lives, fill us with steadfast love. In the times of distress and anguish, help us to know that this, too, shall pass. Allow us to be the signs of your constant encouragement and hope. We lift this in the name of Jesus, our Savior and friend. Amen.

Pastor George