Gleanings…

What is your favorite story from the Bible? I realize that can be a difficult question to answer as we are all at different points in our life journeys. Where you are and what you are facing make a large difference in what you appreciate at any particular moment. I guess the question should really be, what story do you keep coming back to over time? I have one that has been a source of help and inspiration over the years and that is the parable of the good Samaritan.

Found only in The Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 25 through 37, Jesus uses this parable to illustrate the way to eternal life. The text tells us that an expert in the law raises the question of what one must do to inherit eternal life, and upon hearing one must love God and one’s neighbor as oneself, seeks to justify the limitations he has placed on who and what constitutes a neighbor. We are well familiar with the text, so it remains a curiosity that much of the world still struggles with Jesus’ answer.

What are we to do? A recent sermon used text that asked us to consider how we meet and deal with temptations to sin. Using our Lord’s responses to the persecutions he faced throughout his life, we found that he overcame temptations by seeing each one as an opportunity to love. To me, that sounds a lot like restorative over retributive justice.

What struggles are you facing this year, this month, this day; now? Imagine what could happen if you took each of the difficulties you are facing and recast them as opportunities to show and share love? Now, imagine taking it a step farther. What would happen in your heart if no one knew about your act of love beyond the outcome? The author of Matthew’s gospel makes a point of stating that such activities honor God who sees what we do and knows what we think, and rewards us (see chapters 5-7).

I know that it has been stated many times by many with much status in the world, but it bears repeating that love is the only sure way to counter hatred, injustice, self-centeredness, and ill-will. 1 Corinthians 13 expresses it far better than I can, but true acts of love are the only things worth doing given what little time we have in this life.

So, I invite you tot take a little time when temptations threaten to overwhelm you, when trials are too much to bear, or when you are not sure what your response should be and consider the effect that the love of Jesus has had upon your heart. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone felt that same love?

See you Sunday if not before,

Pastor Braxton ><>

This year we are organizing food buckets for Liberia.
The bucket and food items cost about $37.  

We appreciate your donations to support this outreach project!

April 17
6:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service at Grace UMC in Soddy Daisy

April 18
6:00 p.m. Good Friday Service at Fairview UMC

April 20
7:00 a.m. Sunrise Service and Hot Breakfast at Grace UMC in Soddy Daisy
11:00 a.m. Easter Worship at Fairview UMC  

Gleanings… 

What memories do you have of celebrating Easter? I remember Easter egg hunts with my cousins where we would try to crack the dyed eggs open on each other’s heads. I remember hollow chocolate bunnies that we would gorge ourselves on. As I grew older, I remember services at sunrise on golf courses, ocean beaches, cemeteries, vacant fields, and plenty on church grounds. 

I remember Easter mornings that were so cold we could hardly stand it, and some that were way too warm to stay dressed up. I remember cloudy skies; bright, sunlit skies; and some where the sun peeked out as it came up only to disappear behind clouds shortly thereafter. I remember crosses covered in flowers. I remember quiet prayers, joyful shouts, lively music that made you want to dance, and expectant hymns as we waited for the sun to appear. I remember crowds of people, times when there were just a few, and times of staring at a camera lens because we could not meet together. 

I remember an Easter morning with a newborn, and I remember some filled with the ache of missing a parent. Do you miss a loved one? Thinking about Easter sure brings up a lot of memories, doesn’t it? Some are very pleasant, and some are not so pleasant, yet we greet the day with its age-old promise that this day fills in the gaps in our lives. 

Though they heard Jesus speak of it several times, neither the women nor the disciples were prepared for the reality of the Resurrection. Death is death; dead people remain dead. No one had ever come back from the grave except Lazarus, and he only because Jesus had called him. To find the tomb open and Jesus’ body no longer there could only mean desecration. Someone, or some thing, had taken his body away. 

Of course, their grief was shattered by the appearance of Jesus. As improbable as it sounded, Jesus was actually alive, resurrected from the grave on the third day following the crucifixion. Their memories of that day changed forever, and they were only too glad to share them with others. 

While the memories of Easter that we carry are certainly less dramatic, they are, nonetheless, incredible for they remind us that we live a new life because of the new life that Jesus revealed. 

Speaking of new life, when was the last time that you shared the reason for your new life with someone? The perfect opportunity is now before us. Jesus’ journey from the joyous entry into Jerusalem, through the rejections, betrayals, false judgements, the crucifixion, and then to the Resurrection lies before us. 

Someone you know needs to know the hope that Jesus gives through this story. Why not use this opportunity to invite them to come with you to one or more gatherings during Holy Week? It just might give them the first taste of the new life that they have been missing. 

On that day, the shout will be, “Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed!” 

In the love of Christ, 

Pastor Braxton ><> 

We had an egg hunt for the children in daycare during spring break at Big Ridge School.  

They had fun and so did we!

The Crafty Critters made heart pillows to donate to The Mary Ellen Locher Cancer center. They also make port cushions, adult bibs, walker and wheelchair caddies, crochet footies, and prayer shawls.  

They meet most Mondays at 3:30 p.m. at the church.

Gleanings…

Happy New Year! Yes, it is that time again and here we are wondering what will be different this time. I don’t know about your experiences, but mine tell me that the only things that will change for me are the things that I really want to change. Other than that, things will stay pretty much the same. Is that good for you or are you hoping for a bit more?

What drives us to desire change? For most of us, it is finally accepting that we can no longer tolerate the way things are going. When we are fed up enough with the way things are, we will do what we need to, to make our situation better. Until then, we will not willingly change anything.

So, how was last year for you? Did anything leave you desiring a better life for yourself or those that you love? Did you feel at a loss to make sense of events in your life or in the lives of family and friends? Has anything left you feeling, “Here we go again”?

I wonder if God sent Jesus to live among us because he knew things needed to change. Up to that point, life seemed to be one big roller coaster: up, down, fast, slow, right, left, and then back to where we started. Our understanding of how life should proceed never changed; we continued to repeat the same mistakes. Improvement seemed to be tied to doing a better job of following the rules and making everyone else do so, too. I believe you know where that has taken us.

Jesus, though, offered another solution. Instead of focusing on rule-keeping and monitoring others to make sure that they were keeping the rules, Jesus invited people to refocus. Where we had been focusing on keeping the rules, Jesus taught that we would accomplish what we needed to if we simply loved God with all of our hearts, minds, and strength, and loved our neighbors as ourselves. Do not do unto others what is abhorrent to us. As Micah writes in 6:8, act with justice, be merciful, and walk humbly with God (my translation).

What does that mean for our new year? I believe it is an invitation to look at what we have focused on for the past year and adjust our priorities. We do not know everything, and we cannot understand everything; that is God’s realm. Instead, if we will allow that Jesus is the Son of God and decide to follow his teachings, we may find that this is enough to change the outcome of this new year.

God loves us more than we can ever know, and God loves our neighbors more that they will ever know. Let’s decide to allow that to be enough guidance for how we should live. Who knows, maybe it will make this year the one we have all been hoping for.

See you Sunday if not before,

Pastor Braxton ><>

We collected and donated the following needed items for Union gospel Mission! 

Towels, Washcloths, Pillows, Twin sheets/Pillow cases, Twin blankets, Deodorant, razors, shaving cream, Reading glasses, Plastic storage containers for food, Silverware, & Drinking glasses.