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. 

Gleanings…

It is an unfortunate part of growing older that our ability to hear clearly diminishes.  It is not something that just shows up one day, but a gradual lessening that you notice when you start putting your hand to your ear and asking people to repeat what they just said.  At the same time, it is interesting to note that it doesn’t happen across all pitches or for all voices.  Some sounds come through quite clearly much to the surprise of the speaker (and hearer!).  “I heard that!”

Along with this gradual hearing loss, I have noticed a selectivity in deciding what and who to listen to has crept in as well.  When it doesn’t sound like the speaker has anything new to say, we tend to tune them out whether we have heard everything they said or not.  This, of course, leads to those embarrassing moments when they pause and we understand that they are waiting for a response.  “I’m sorry, could you please repeat the question?”

I wonder, do we ever do this with God?  Reading the Bible, listening to the sermon, or finding ourselves in a class setting where we have the same teacher that has been leading the discussion for years can find us tuning out, especially when we have recently experienced an event that we haven’t understood.  Then, after following our personal thoughts for some bit of time, we suddenly realized that there was something in what we just heard that may have been important.  “I’m sorry, but would you repeat that for me?”

All of this is to say that there can be times when we are in attendance but not present.  Much as a dog’s attention is redirected to the squirrel that suddenly darts past, we can find ourselves in the right place at the right time, but our attention is anywhere but where we are.  What do you do when you find yourself in that situation?  For me, I have to say a little prayer: “I’m sorry, Lord, let me try that again.”  I am always amazed that it helps.

I believe that it is a good thing to always be amazed when God helps us.  Not that God always helps in the way that I want God to, but it is so suddenly wonderful when we realize that God has heard us and responded.  Taking the time to ask for God’s help is really an act of recentering our attention on the One who is always present.  Removing what had been our focus and replacing it with an attention to what God is saying and doing at that moment is like taking a big breath of fresh air, and we suddenly find ourselves thankful once again.

I am glad that I don’t have to worry about whether God has heard me.  I’m glad that God’s hearing doesn’t grow muddled with time.  Most of all I am glad that I can trust God to take what I have said, done, or thought, and create something wonderful with it.  Help me, Lord, to be more attentive to all that you are saying.  Help me to maintain my focus on you.

Blessings,

Pastor Braxton ><>

Singing Service & Soup and Salad Lunch

April 30, 2023 at 11:00 am

All are invited to this special service of sharing God’s word through the message in the songs we sing.  We welcome everyone to join us for a buffet of Soups, Salads, and desserts after church. 

Gleanings – April 2023

I am not sure where this is going, so I will jump in and see what comes about.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday and we will gather to wave our palms, sing our songs of praise, hear the message of Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem, and make our final preparations for the week leading up to Easter Sunday.  Through all of this we will give thanks for the gift that Jesus brought from God, our Father.  The awareness that our sins are forgiven, that we have been blessed with the Holy Spirit, and that we have an assurance of God’s love to sustain us through every difficult time will bless us and fill us with great joy.  It is THE celebration of the Church and we know that it is a blessing and that we are to communicate it to those in need of help, healing, and hope.

A woman shot her way into a church-run elementary school this week and killed three adults and three children.  I read a report that one of the news networks said they were tired of reporting school shootings.  Good.  I’m tired of hearing that another shooting has destroyed homes, families, and communities.  I get the sense from other sources that I am not the only one who is weary of hearing explanations and excuses from people who did not lose a family member, friend, or relative in the latest savage attack.  But, at this time, I am not sure what can or should be done.  Stop the killing?  Yes, but how?

Jesus talked with people everywhere he went.  It did not matter whether he knew them or not, helping people to find their way through the struggles of life under the Roman occupation forces and the issues of correct religious observance left many feeling alienated and hurt.  Had there been the availability of handguns and rifles of any style, I expect there would have been more bloodshed recorded in the Bible.  What would Jesus have done in that situation?

I wonder whether there is a solution to the killings.  Whether one on one, one on many, or many upon many, killing seems to offer a solution to having to deal with people we do not like, situations we cannot control, and the pain that accompanies physical and emotional trauma.  Regardless of what lies at the heart of our struggles, we act all too often with violence believing that we will be/feel better if we can just eliminate the source of our hurt and pain.  Note that these acts of violence do not depend upon the presence of firearms.  When seeking to stop the pain, almost anything can be used as a weapon.  Getting rid of weapons is not the answer.

I asked earlier, “What would Jesus have done in that situation?”  I believe the answer is, “Just what he did.”  As the Son of God and the Son of Man, he knew us better than we will ever be able to know ourselves.  In the face of sure and certain persecution and death, he walked straight into it.  Violence promotes violence.  The response to killing is often more killing.  We believe that we will feel better when we have made the other person, group, nation, or people feel worse.  Jesus knew that what was truly needed was forgiveness.

Where does forgiveness come from and what enables it to make a difference?  (Forgiveness is not acting like it never happened.  Neither does it mean to release the person who committed the violence from all consequences.  Instead, it is a conscious decision to refrain from exacting retribution.)  Using Jesus as my model, I believe that forgiveness is possible only after we know the one(s) we need to forgive.  Who they are, how they came to this place in their life, and what led them to take this action are important questions that must be asked.  With some approximation of what lies behind their actions, we can offer help and healing through building relationships.  When we are convinced that someone truly cares for us and about us, that they  will help us bear our pain, we can experience hope for ourselves and our situations.

The events that took place during Jesus’ last week are painful to read, as are the reports of yet another shooting.  Imagining that people could be that cruel seems incomprehensible.  Yet, Jesus suffered their worst actions and showed the world that death is not the end.  With mercy, compassion, and love, Jesus has set us free from our pain, our injuries (self-inflicted or otherwise), and our brokenness.  Who do you know who needs to experience this gift of God in their lives.  May Jesus shine through your life and lead you to those who need him so that they may come to know him.

Peace,

Pastor Braxton ><>

Fairview United Methodist Church

Palm Sunday

April 2 – 11:00 am – Worship Service

Choral presentation of “The Blood Will Never Lose It’s Power”

Lunch and Fellowship to follow

Maundy Thursday

April 6 – 6:00 pm – Worship Service

Remembrance of Jesus’ Last Supper with His Disciples

Good Friday

April 7 – 6:00 pm – Worship Service (at Grace UMC)

Remembrance of Jesus Suffering and Death

Easter Sunday

April 9 – 7:00 am – Sunrise Service (at Grace UMC)

Hot Breakfast to follow

April 9 – 11:00 am – Easter Worship & Celebration of our Risen Lord!

at Fairview UMC

Easter Egg Hunt for children after church

We rejoice that “neither life nor death…nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).  

Fairview UMC  –  3901 Hamill Rd.  –  fairviewumchixson.com
Grace UMC  –  9833 Hixson Pike, Soddy Daisy

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Gleanings….

Saw a sign that stated, “All you need is love, and a sunset.”  

I thought as I read it, “How romantic!”  Truly, one of the joys I have every year (that I can go) is to see the sun set on the ocean.  The colors, the breeze, the sound of the waves washing up on the shore; I love it and I never get tired of it.  But I thought of something else as I read the sign:  All we really need is a sunrise.

Every year about this time, we celebrate Easter, and as holy days go, it is the perfect conclusion to the story of Jesus’ time on earth.  Think about it for a moment.  Where would we be without the gift of God taking on human form, living to enable us to know God better, and then dying on a cross to show us God’s love?  And then, on the third day, a sunrise!

“He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.”  Matthew 28:6

Just as the sunrise assures us every morning that darkness does not hold ultimate sway in this world, Easter morning reminds us that death does not have the final word for our lives.  Because of love, we have a future that knows no end and cannot be taken from us.  Though the time of our mortal existence is determined by many factors…..some we control, others we don’t….we will live eternally because not even death is stronger than God’s love for humankind.

What will be the form of our eternal existence?  I have no idea, but we are assured that we will be like Jesus (see 1 John 3).  This is good news without measure!

This year, do you need to see the sun rise again?  We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday and share the joy of greeting the new day with praise.  We invite you to join with us in a renewed life that begins and ends with Jesus every day.  May it be the beginning of a great relationship for all!

Peace, Braxton ><>