Gleanings…

When I was in high school, I convinced my mother to buy me a paperback book on speedreading.  I thought it might help me to read more quickly and with greater comprehension – at least that is what I remember from the cover.  A short time spent reading from the first chapter though, gave me the false (?) impression that I already knew what the author was teaching and did not need to read further.  There have been times since then that I have regretted not finishing the book.

Our most recent Bible/book study used a short book to open our eyes to the need for slow reading.  Taking six weeks to read through, study, and discuss The Lord’s Prayer revealed the richness that can be found in words and literary structures.  When we completed the study, each one of us was amazed at what we learned by spending time with each phrase of the prayer.  I believe it opened our eyes to what we lose when we hurry, especially with very familiar Bible passages and worship liturgies.

Our conference posts a daily email that has as its goal reading the Bible in a year along with all other participants.  One benefit is that you have a daily reminder to read.  So often we are diverted from our intentions by the “crises” of life.  A reminder helps us to return to our tasks, if they can be described as such.  Another benefit is the fellowship that reading the same passages with fellow participants can create.  Sharing your understanding with another reader of the same passage can be a great conversation starter.  One can, however, just see the reading as one more task to complete.

I would like to offer a suggestion.  Break away from the driven approach to reading Scripture.  Instead, buy a Bible with lots of notes on the passages.  Take time when reading to explore what the notes tell you about the background of the particular book and verse.  What was going on in the community where the author lived?  Why did the author write these words to the recipients of his writings?  What do we learn when we compare these words to other writings on the same topic?  Then, look at other translations, richer commentaries, and dictionaries that focus on the words that are only found in Scripture.

One more suggestion: don’t get in a hurry.  Set your books beside a favorite resting place so that you will be tempted to open them.  Read slowly and explore the writings to the best of your resources.  Write down thoughts and questions so that you can pursue them at a later time.  Finally, remain open to what new things Scripture will say to you, be it a challenge or a flash of understanding.  May you find it useful for your life with, and for, others.

Please pray for peace,

Pastor Braxton ><>

Gleanings…

I don’t know why, but it always comes as a surprise when something happens that appears to be related to one of my sermons. It is almost like someone is questioning whether I really meant what I said. Yes, and sometimes that question comes from me.

Like most people I know, we have way too much stuff. Clothes that no longer fit, kitchenware we no longer use, decorative items we no longer display all stack up in some corner until we make the decision to let it pile up somewhere else. Then, we bag it up and ask some ministry that sells stuff to support their operations to pick it up on their next journey through the neighborhood.

When pickup day comes, we place our bags of stuff out by the mailbox and tag it for the ministry, and this usually works very well. Every now and then our stuff does not get picked up and we carry it back inside until the next pickup day.

I imagine that one could mistake our pile of stuff for items left by the road that are seeking new owners. We all have seen various furniture items, in various states of repair, waiting by the street. I would have expected that the tag would tell people that this pile had a new owner on the way, but maybe the tag did not matter.

So, it was with some surprise that I found some of my donated items missing before the pickup had been completed. A flash of irritation washed over me. Why didn’t the person who picked up my items knock on the door and ask? I was home and would gladly have given them the items. Then I thought of the emotional trauma that might have been inflicted on the one who needed those items. It is always traumatic to have to admit that we need help. And, bit by bit, compassion took over and I gave thanks for the Spirit’s gentle reminder of all that I have received.

What does it take to be a good person? Often, it requires nothing more than our willingness to being used without someone asking first. Stepping back to look at it again, I suppose I would have to say that I knew things, like this event, would happen whenever God wanted to bless someone.

When we sign on as disciples, God takes it seriously and expects that we will do the same. God has little time for half-hearted “okays” and “maybes”, and no use at all for “whatever.” If you buy the ticket, you should know that you are expected to take the ride. God has work to do and needs willing disciples to carry it out.

I believe it all boils down to this: We are the people God needs to be the hands and feet of blessing to others. At the same time, God wants to bless us with understanding of how everything works together. So, the next time something happens that you did not see coming, maybe it is really an invitation to grow as a disciple. What do you think?

Pray for peace,

Pastor Braxton ><>

Gleanings…

Do you ever get tired of hearing someone express appreciation for something that you’ve done?  What about for those times when you didn’t think anyone saw you or noticed what you did?  I stand before you every Sunday and say “Thank you” because if there is one thing that keeps us invested in the mission and ministry of our congregation, it is hearing that our efforts made a difference.  Let me say it again.  “Thank you” for all that you do to share the love of God with others.  You may find this hard to believe, but someone is always watching what we do, especially when we don’t think that anyone will see it or that it will make any difference.

Thinking about the impact of this two-word phrase made me think of other two-word phrases that make a difference in people’s lives.  Here are a few that come to mind: I’m sorry; help me; forgive me; I’m here; it’s okay; try again; good job; let’s eat! (one of my favorites); and I love you (okay, so that is really three words, but they are so powerful).  So much of our ability to get along with others comes through the thoughtful and sincere use of these phrases repeatedly.  Used appropriately, they enable us to learn from our mistakes and smooth the way so that we can continue to move forward.   Have you ever wondered whether using these little phrases makes that much difference?  Try not saying them for a while.  Let me know how that works for you.

The message of the Bible is fairly straightforward.  If we want to have peaceful spirits, live with joy, eliminate strife and discord in our relationships, and help others to have these gifts, too, we must choose to live this way.  Kindness, compassion, consideration, mercy, and love do not just happen without someone taking the first step of making them the mark of how they live.  Jesus summed it up nicely when he said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all of your heart, mind, and spirit, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself.  Though they appear to be two commandments, they are truly one because one is not possible without the other.

By now you may be wondering where this is going, and the answer is very simple.  I have noticed, as have others, the qualities of caring and compassion listed above in your lives.  You are making a difference in our communities in a powerful way.  Thank you.  Keep it up.  The only way this world will be made any better is if we will do the hard work of being the presence of Christ to everyone in and beyond our congregations.  Practicing the presence of God living through us invites others to live that way, too, and in no other way will this world be made any better.

So, be strong, be courageous, be steadfast in your faith, and let all that you do be done in love.  Remember, God’s got you; you cannot fail.

See you Sunday if not before,

Pastor Braxton ><>

Gleanings…

Yes, another Christmas has passed.  Some of us had days of excitement filled with expectations and joy.  Some of us experienced the quiet peace that reminds us of the holy moment of birth.  Some of us wept for loved ones no longer with us, and wondered how we would make it through another Christmas.  It is, and will always be, a day that is filled with emotion.  I doubt we would continue to celebrate it otherwise.

What is it about Christmas that grabs at our hearts?  I don’t know what touches you, but I find in this season a reminder that God loves us and wants to help us through our journeys.  Thus, Christmas is about helping us to remember the greatest love that has ever been.

From the moment of creation to this very day, God has been doing everything he could to show creation just how precious it is to him.  The inhabitants of the seas, the sky, and the land, along with all growing things benefit from God’s perpetual care.  Sunlight, rain, heat, cold, storm, and peaceful day are present to benefit all that lives.  Wherever we look we see the mark of God, and that reminds us of the one who came.

Emmanuel.

Translated God with us, we see Christmas as the greatest reminder that God wants nothing more than for us to know him, receive his love, and pass that love on to all others.  And this is not because we deserve it.  No, the love that God pours out upon all comes because of who God is, not because of who we are.  The love that God pours out is, thus, a reminder and an invitation.

This statement, attributed to St. Athanasius, best expresses the reason behind the incarnation for me: “God became what we are, so that we might become what he is.”  The birth of Jesus is the gift that keeps giving.  Do you need hope?  Jesus’ birth tells us that God knows what we need and gives it so that we might be filled.  At the heart of Christmas, we find the reminder of God’s hope for us, that we might learn to be like God in all that we think, do, and say.

I pray that this season has been filled with God’s presence in your life.  Though we have struggled to celebrate in times of war, of natural and human-created disasters, and with the continuing effects of poverty, disease, and the lack of medical care, God has shown us, once again, that faith, hope, joy, and love are ours in Jesus.  May the gift that is Jesus be a warm light within your soul that shines forth to bless others.

Pray for peace,

Pastor Braxton ><>

Gleanings…                                                                                       

And so, we come to December.  Depending upon your point of view, it is either the last month of the year or the first.  It is blessed to mark the first day of Winter, Christmas Day, the first day of Hanukkah, the first day of Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve (not to forget birthdays and anniversaries both good and painful).  Each of these days herald new beginnings and we hope that each beginning will portend a better time to come.

What is your hope for this month with its many holidays?  Are you looking for a new opportunity or a do-over?  Are you hoping for better fortune to shine in your life or for fairer treatment?

Those who claim the identification of Christian view the birth of Jesus as THE event that meets our hopes and expectations.  The birth of one child into a world filled with abuse, pain, war, misery, and loss of hope would not make much of a difference, normally.  The birth of Jesus, though, announced for all to hear that God was still very much concerned for the world and its peoples.  Living as we have always lived, seeing one another as less valuable than we imagined ourselves, and maintaining a climate of self-care over all other needs, were unacceptable.  There needed to be a reminder of how we were supposed to live.

Born to an unwed mother and her fiancée in a small town away from home, born where the only privacy is in the animal’s stable on the lower level of the house, and laid in a feeding trough for a bed, Jesus was born that reminder from God.  Every factor of that inauspicious beginning spoke volumes to people long oppressed.  They understood poor, they understood awkward family relationships where babies can appear suddenly.  They understood a government that cared little for the people or their life circumstances.  To them, Jesus’ birth fit the model of the way things are.

To those with influence and power, Jesus’ birth was uncomfortable and troubling.  Where was the evidence of authority?  Where was the fulfillment of centuries of great expectations?  So, they questioned, and they doubted, and they sought to make him insignificant.  They could not, however, ignore him.  And the people delighted in his teaching, his standing up to authority, and his care for the poor, the passed-by, and ignored.

We still have those people in our midst.  You see them everywhere and they see us.  What good news do we have to share?  How can we help to make this world a little more just, a little more fair?  What can we do to show we care?  That Jesus cares?

If you answered “Yes” to the questions above and a do-over, a new start, an opportunity to make life a little fairer and more of a blessing to others, this month offers a good place (and time) to start.  What has God laid on your heart?  What do you hope to accomplish this year that will mark it as better than the previous year(s)?  Let’s do this.  Together.

Pray for peace,

Pastor Braxton ><>

Gleanings…

What a complex world we live in.  This is not a new revelation but one that makes itself known when things/times get hectic.  Then, no matter what we do, it seems that we only get more tangled up and more behind.  At moments like that, the best thing that we can do is to step back and look from the balcony.

So, what do we see?  Most of our gazing from the balcony reveals that most folks are doing about the best that they can.  Those with families, friends, and neighbors who care for, with, and about them find the help they receive to be a blessing.  This can only be true when there is true caring, one for another.  Those who do not care just get in the way.

Many (Most?  All?) of us are blessed to have a relationship with someone that does not require us to spell out what they can do to help.  The acquired comfortable familiarity that comes with caring enables each one to do what each is gifted to do.  Cooking, cleaning, caring for the yard. paying the bills, washing the clothes, shopping, and so many other tasks tend to be handled efficiently by this one or that one without anyone needing to direct them.  What is the secret?  Love.

In many ways, every body of believers—a congregation or a church—operates the same way.  There are many things that need someone(s) to take care of them.  Cleaning, preparing for worship services, providing for music and voices to lead those gathered in praise, lament, confession, and thanksgiving, teaching different age groups, organizing various events, and paying the bills all need someone to take them on so that the message of God’s love is proclaimed to all.  Some of these are performed by councils, teams, and committees.  Some wait for someone with a heart for that task to notice.  Again, what makes all of this happen?  Love.

The Church would not exist if it wasn’t for the love of God through Jesus Christ.  Knowing that we need each other, knowing that everyone needs companionship, God showed us through the life of Jesus, how we can be a blessing to others.  Sharing our lives, hopes, and hurts, we can care and make sure that no one is left to fend for themselves alone.  At the same time, we build relationships that reach out to welcome and care with and for those who are alone.  In this way the people are blessed to belong, and God is praised.

The Bible reminds us from its first words to the last that we are to love everyone.  Regardless of their particular personal situations, all are of God and carry within them the spark of God that is life.  In loving others, we love God.  Loving God, we love what God has made.  Where does this lead us?  It leads us to look for ways that we can be helpful, caring, compassionate, and forgiving.  Living the life of Jesus, we call the world to be a better place.  May our love of God show through our lives.

Peace,

Pastor Braxton ><>

Gleanings…

There are many things that say, “summer’s here!”  Hot weather, vacations, water fights (balloons, hose, what-have-you), and long, sunshiny days—to name just a few.  Around our house, fresh flowers cycle from the garden to the kitchen table and on to the compost bin.  Their beauty and variety are always a blessing.  What a reminder of how much God loves his creation!

I am grateful for those reminders.  Every season has their own, unique expressions of God’s great love, and it is a joy to welcome each one.  Nothing, in my opinion, can come close to flowers, though.  Trees, bushes, vines, wild-growing or stay-at-home annuals and perennials, sweet-smelling or otherwise; their variety provides a constant feast to the eyes.  I love it.

Did I forget to mention how much I love the variety of edibles?  Berries, fruits from trees, melons, and so many great vegetables make summer a delicious season to go along with the beauty of flowers.  I have tomatoes on the vine and I am watching them closely because as the famous song lyrics go, “Only two things that money can’t buy, and that’s true love and home-grown tomatoes.”  Looking forward to tasting the first ones to ripen.

Okay, one more thing to love about summer: Going swimming!  Yes, jumping into the water whether at the pool, the lake, or in the ocean, and feeling that cold, refreshing water on a hot, hot day is a little bit of heaven.

I know that I have not covered all the things that one can love about summer, but I hope that you have picked up that there is much beauty and wonder, and it all comes because at a point long ago, God spoke the word and it happened.  Why did God go to so much trouble to create so much beauty and wonder?  Not because we have earned it, or deserved it, or paid for it.  No, I expect that God went to all that trouble just because God loves creation.

You see, it is not just about us.  All living things get to enjoy the beauty, food, and refreshment of the season.  For that reason, I have to say that God wants to give us good things regardless of who we are, what we look like, or what name we use to address him.  Our words, thankfully, are carried to God by the Spirit who takes all our efforts at praise and petition and translates them into God-speak.  I expect this accounts for God’s continuing gift of love to and for all.

So, I invite you to join with me is saying “Thank You!” to God.  Sing, pray, rejoice, and love; it’s all good.  Then, as much as you are able, get out and enjoy God’s blessings in creation.  What we see now will be here for a season, and then we get to love autumn.  Praise God for his incredible goodness!

Peace,

Pastor Braxton ><>

We will be sending 100 buckets full of home items to support those in need in Zimbabwe

We welcome donations to support this outreach.