Sermon (February 26/Lent) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     For this season of Lent through Easter Sunday, we are focusing on the theme, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The inspiration for this 7-week sermon series comes from the hymn of the same name.

     This hymn was written by Isaac Watts, one of the most recognizable of all the hymn writers. He was born in England in 1674. When his hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” was published in 1707, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism was only 4 years old! This hymn became Isaac Watts crowning achievement.

     There is a great story about Isaac Watts when he was a boy and before he became a prolific hymn writer. He complained to his father who was a pastor that the hymns they were singing in church were deplorable. He said, “The singing of God’s praise is the part of worship most closely associated with heaven; but its performance among us is the worst on earth.”

     His father responded by rebuking him and saying, “I’d like to see you write something better!” And the rest as they say is history.

     Isaac Watts ended up writing 750 hymns, 15 of which are in our United Methodist hymnal. We sing one of his hymns every Christmas Eve, “Joy to the World.” 

     His hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is based on Galatians 6:14 where the Apostle Paul writes, “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to, and I to the world.”

     So that’s a little background information about this very deep and meaningful hymn of faith that we are using for our season of Lent theme. Just wanted to give Mr. Watts the credit he deserves for inspiring this 7 week sermon series. Each week of this series, we will sing at least a verse or two of this hymn.

     As I was putting this sermon series together and was thinking about this hymn, it occurred to me that the season of Lent is a time for us to not only survey the wondrous cross, but also the different aspects of our lives that God is calling us to survey during this season of reflection and repentance. And these areas of our lives are based on our appointed scripture readings for each of these Sundays.

     So for today, we’re going to focus on surveying our temptations. Next Sunday, we will be surveying our faith. The following Sunday, we will survey our spiritual thirst. The week after that, we will survey our heart and the Sunday after that, we will survey our grief.

     And then on Palm Sunday, April 2^nd, we will survey the wondrous cross, the actual title of the hymn. And then, we’ll conclude our 7-week sermon series on Easter Sunday by surveying the empty tomb. So much for us to survey over these next several weeks!

     What does it mean for us to survey our temptations?

     Well, we first need to be willing to enter into the wilderness if we truly want to survey our temptations. Why the wilderness? Because this is what Jesus did when he began his ministry.    

     After Jesus was baptized, he then was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. The Season of Lent is also a time for us to be lead into the wilderness. Why would we want to go to a placed that is desert-like, is dusty, and is really just a bunch of rocks?

     It’s because its in the wilderness where we can devote some serious time in reflecting on several important things. So for one, when we spend time in the wilderness, we come face to face with who we really are. We are able to see our true selves and not just the image that we want to project for others to see. 

     And secondly, when we go into the wilderness, we become much more aware of what is really important in our lives because we’re not emboldened to a busy and frantic schedule. The season of Lent is meant to offer us a change of pace so that we can slow down, take a deep breath, and find renewal for our souls. 

     The third thing that spending time in the wilderness does for us is that it helps us to hear and clarify who God is calling us to be and what God is calling us to do. 

     And the fourth thing is that spending time in the wilderness helps us to face our temptations and overcome them which is our focus for today. We are told that when Jesus entered the wilderness, he was tempted by the devil.  

     Susan Gray is a United Methodist pastor and she shares about a time in her life when she entered a spiritual wilderness. It was during the winter of 2000 when she, her husband and their three school-aged children moved to Indiana. At the time, she didn’t realize that it would become a wilderness journey for her.

     She says that she ended up learning some very important lessons during that experience. One of the lessons she learned and is a lesson that a lot of pastors learn at some point during their ministry is that who she is to God is far more important that what she does for God. 

     Before, she had thought that it was all up to her as the pastor to help the church grow, but over time she came to discover that the church could run just fine without her. That humbling experience while she was in the wilderness helped her to see that serving God is about community and shared ministry.

     When we spend time in the wilderness, we experience these humbling moments when we are reminded that it’s not about us. It’s about what God can do in and through all of us together!   

     When Jesus went into the wilderness, I’m sure that he was thinking about his Jewish ancestors who had spent 40 years in the wilderness. Centuries earlier, God had freed them from slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. But it was during that long journey in the wilderness where they needed to learn to trust God to provide for their needs. 

     And it wasn’t just about Moses leading them. It was about all of God’s people learning to trust God together. 

     So as we spend these next 40 days in the wilderness and make this journey to Easter Sunday, it’s important for us to remember that we are doing this together. We are learning to be God’s people together. We are helping each other face the temptations of hunger and thirst. We are here to encourage each other especially when we are feeling weak, tired, and discouraged. 

     The reason why our church calendar always has the season of Lent is because I’m not so sure that we would put this wilderness journey on our calendars each year. Why not just fast forward from the celebration of Christmas to the joy of Easter, and just skip this long 40 day journey in a hot and dry wilderness?

     But we don’t grow in our faith by fast-forwarding. We grow in our faith by slowing down and by being willing to spend some time in the wilderness. 

     Maybe we don’t like to enter the wilderness because we know that it’s going to make us feel really vulnerable. We don’t like to be taken out of our comfort zones. We don’t always like to wake up 30 minutes earlier in the morning to spend that extra time in prayer. We’re not always that thrilled to give up something for Lent like fasting from a meal each week because we know it’s probably going to make us hangry. You ever get hangry? 

     We’re not wired to put ourselves in a position where we feel vulnerable. We much prefer to surround ourselves with every comfort we can possibly have because it insulates us from exploring the deeper realities of who we truly are.

     Being vulnerable in the wilderness might reveal our soft spots and those areas of our lives where we allow temptations to get the best of us. Think of the season of Lent as our spring training where we are getting into spiritual shape so that we will be able to fully embrace the good news of Easter and the empty tomb.

     We are told that when Jesus was in the wilderness and was hungry, he was tempted to turn stones into bread. But we are told that Jesus overcame that temptation by relying on God’s word. 

     I have to think that the reason why Jesus was able to feed 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish later in his ministry was because he was able to overcome this first temptation in facing hunger himself. My hunch is that when the disciples told Jesus to send that big crowd of people away because they didn’t have enough food, that it was this experience in the wilderness that led Jesus to trust God to give what little they had. 

     And I also have to think that the reason why Jesus was able to heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and perform all of those miracles was because he was able to overcome the 2^nd temptation where the devil wanted Jesus to use God’s power for his own purposes. When Jesus healed someone or turned water into wine, he was doing those signs and wonders to point people to a loving God.

     And I have to think that that the reason why Jesus was willing to die on a cross for the sins of the world was because he resisted the 3^rd temptation in the wilderness in which he was offered all the kingdoms of the earth earth in exchange for worshiping the devil instead. 

     By resisting that temptation, he was able to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, “not my will but thine be done.”

     This is why Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness and faced those temptations because it prepared him for what God had sent him to do, to be the Savior of the world. 

     When we enter the wilderness, it’s an opportunity for us to survey the temptations that would keep us from living out who God has called us to be. These 40 days in the wilderness is what prepares us for what lies ahead as we seek to be faithful to God’s calling in our lives.

     The wilderness is where we are reminded that if we are to overcome our temptations, we just need to rediscover what it means to lean on God. Lean on God rather than on our own strength. Lean on God who knows us better than we know ourselves. Lean on God during times of struggle, hardship, and temptation. Lean on God when you are feeling weak. 

     As our closing hymn will remind us, “O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, leaning on the everlasting arms; O how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms.”

     As we begin this 40 day wilderness journey, let’s lean on God together. Let’s lean on God together by living by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Let’s lean on God together by not putting God to the test. Let’s lean on God together by worshipping the Lord and serving only him.

     Let’s lean together on the promises of God. 

When I Survey My Temptations

Sermon Discussion Question

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 & Matthew 4:1-11

February 26, 2023

Today we begin a new 7-week Season of Lent sermon series based on the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous” cross written by Isaac Watts in 1707. He based this hymn on Galatians 6:14, “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to, and I to the world.” This is usually sung during Lent and Holy Week because it emphasizes the importance of dying to things that are keeping us from having a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

What are some things that you would like to “die to” in this Season of Lent so that you can grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ? 

During this series, we are invited to “survey” different areas of our lives so that we can be the people who God has called us to be. These areas include 1) temptations we face 2) our faith 3) our spiritual thirst 4) our hearts 5) our grief 6) the wondrous cross 7) the empty tomb. For this first Sunday of Lent, our focus is on surveying our temptations. Jesus began his ministry by spending 40 days in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil. The wilderness was known to be a desolate, dry, and hot place.

Why do you think it’s important for us to also spend 40 days in the wilderness during this Season of Lent? What can we learn about ourselves when we are in a place that can make us feel uncomfortable?

When Jesus was in the wilderness, the devil tempted him to turn stones into bread, jump off the Temple and command the angels to save him, and inherit the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worshiping the devil. Jesus overcame each of these temptations by relying on God’s Word, not putting God to the test, and worshiping the Lord only. 

What are some temptations that you face and would like to overcome during this Season of Lent? What are some things that you can do in an intentional way to help you resist those temptations?

Pastor Robert mentioned that the closing hymn from Sunday’s worship service offers us an important way to overcome the temptations that we face in our lives. The hymn says, “leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” What does it mean for you to lean on God?

Offer this prayer from Sunday’s worship service as we begin this Season of Lent: 

God of wilderness and wandering, many things tempt us; Many forces cause our feet to stray. As we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “save us from the time of trial,” for we easily succumb to temptations. We confess that we often heed voices that would keep us from living out who you have called us to be. Return us to the garden of your abiding love, for we yearn to walk with you. Remind us in this season of Lent that we have been created in your image and with you, we can overcome the temptations that come our way. Amen. 

Online Worship (February 26) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

February 26 (1st Sunday Lent)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Sermon (Feb. 22/Ash Wednesday) by Rev. Robert McDowell

 

     Ash Wednesday is a very weird and strange kind of day. 

     There, I said it. I named the elephant in the room. Ash Wednesday is a weird and strange kind of day.

     You won’t find any Ash Wednesday holiday cards to send to your friends, and I don’t know of too many churches who use Ash Wednesday as their “Bring a Friend to Church” emphasis. 

     We don’t even have our specialty coffees and pastries waiting for us after the service today.

     Ash Wednesday. It is what it is.

     It’s appropriate that Ash Wednesday typically falls during this cold and wintry time of year. It can fall as early as early February or as late as March 10^th.

     Even so, we’re still in the time of year where we have long forgotten what freshly mowed grass smells like. The only hint of spring around these parts is when we hear that catchers and pitchers are called to report to Spring Training…in sunny Florida, not in Cleveland, Ohio.

     This is the perfect time of year to observe Ash Wednesday. It’s a quiet holy day on the church calendar, until you walk into the supermarket and someone asks you why you have a powdery cross-smeared substance on your forehead.

     For all they know, you were trying to fix an oil leak under your car that morning and some of the grease fell on your forehead. Or maybe they assume that when you tried to change out the toner on the copier machine, something went terribly wrong.

     This is our opportunity to share our faith by letting the world know that today marks the beginning of the season of Lent. The ashes remind us of our brokenness, that we are mortal, and that we are totally dependent on God for each breath we take. The sign of the cross reminds us that Christ died on the cross so that we can receive new life.

     Can there be a more beautiful and mysterious symbol of our faith than having some ashes smudged on our foreheads? Together, they remind us the importance of this season as we walk with Jesus to the cross and the empty tomb. 

     Traditionally, on Ash Wednesday, we get these readings from the Book of Joel and the Gospel of Matthew. These scriptures remind us of some key ways to be drawn closer to God during this season of Lent.

     The first way is through confession and repentance. How could we observe Ash Wednesday without talking about repentance? The Prophet, Joel calls for the people to come together and repent of their sins. Repentance can be good for the soul.

     On a Labor Day weekend, my brother and two sisters got together. One night during our time together, we made a camp fire and had s’mores. As we were around the campfire, we were reminiscing about our youth and when we went to school. 

     I asked my brother and sisters if they remembered how students from our High School were known to spray-paint graffiti on the parking lot of our rival high school the night before we played them in football each year. 

     I asked one of my older sisters if anyone from her high school class helped with the spray painting. This would have been back in the late 60s/early 70s. 

     Her muffled comment gave her away. Just barely over the crackling of the fire, we could hear her mumble the words, “I don’t know.”

     Like a skillful prosecuting attorney, I asked her a second time, but even more specifically, “Let me rephrase the question. Did YOU do any of the spray-painting?” Again, she answered, “I don’t know.”

     We all started laughing because her vague answer gave her away! And from there, we all shared some things that we had done during our youth without getting into trouble. None of us knew about these stories of shame from our past. But now, they were out in the open.

     God doesn’t expect us to carry the weight of our guilt on our shoulders. As our passage from Joel says, “The Lord is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive.”

     Ash Wednesday is a time for us to begin the journey of looking deep inside where we fall short in being the people God has called us to be. 

     Sin isn’t something that shakes loose that easily. It likes to cling to us. Before we know it, we are back to our bad habits.

     So maybe we shouldn’t wipe off these ashes when we go home tonight. What if we don’t wash them off this whole season of Lent, all 40 days? 

     OK, probably not a good idea. But, let’s at least imagine/pretend that we still have them on our foreheads as a way to remind ourselves that God calls us to turn from our sins and be made new. We so easily forget who God calls us to be.

     In addition to confession and repentance, Ash Wednesday is also a time to make a commitment to practice the spiritual disciplines on a regular basis like prayer, bible reading, and serving others. Jesus emphasized these disciplines in our Gospel reading.

     During this season of Lent, find time each day to spend time with God. Jesus tells us to go to our room to pray. For me, that means the study at my house. 

     My daily routine is to wake up around 5:30, make a cup of coffee, go to my study, and read scripture and pray. When I don’t include scripture and prayer in my early morning routine, it feels like I’m missing something.

     Just recently, somebody in the church shared with me how a bible verse they had read in the morning, kept reappearing in different ways throughout the day. It was like God used different people and circumstances throughout the day to reinforce that spiritual thought.

     The more that we begin our day with scripture and prayer, the more we can be aware of these connections throughout our day. Make a commitment to practice the spiritual disciplines during these forty days that lead up to Easter Sunday.

     And let me offer one more important aspect of the season of Lent. Don’t forget about the role of the church in your faith journey. Worshipping with God’s people on a weekly basis is an important way for us to be the people God has called us to be.

     During the next seven Sundays in worship, we will be focusing on the theme, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” based on the hymn that was written by Isaac Watts. 

     For each of the next several Sundays in Lent including Easter Sunday, we will be invited to survey different aspects of our faith.

     In addition to weekly worship, we are encouraging as many people in our church as possible to be in a small group during the season of Lent. The purpose of these small group gatherings is to help us share our faith with each other as we reflect on the previous Sunday’s worship theme. 

     Worship and small groups are great ways that the church can help us grow closer to God.

     So Ash Wednesday marks an opportunity for us to repent, to practice the spiritual disciplines of our faith, and connect in a deeper way into the life of the church. This is why we are silly enough to walk out of this place with ashes smudged on our foreheads. 

     These ashes won’t let us forget who we are and to whom we belong. This is why Ash Wednesday is both beautiful and mysterious.

     During this Season of Lent, these next 40 days, may these ashes today always remind us to survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, but then who rose again from that wondrous empty tomb. 

Holy Hump Day (February 22) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Three Observations about Lent

2023 Season of Lent Sermon Series Preview

2023 Season of Lent 

Sermon Series Preview

Sermon (February 19/Transfiguration Sunday) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     In preparing for today’s sermon, I actually was thinking about using this sermon time to just sit in silence. But then I thought that some of you might compliment me at the end of the service by saying, “Pastor Robert, that was one of your best sermons!”

     So, I knew better! 

     Actually, the Quakers are really good at sitting in silence every time they meet for worship. Silence just isn’t something we are particularly good at in our Methodist way of living out our faith.

     A small group of pastor friends and I decided to go on a 3 day spiritual retreat together. We decided to have it at a Catholic retreat center located in northwest, Ohio. We car pooled to the retreat since at the time, we all lived approximately two hours away. During the car trip, we were laughing and telling stories. We were having a great time.

     When we arrived at the retreat center that afternoon, the retreat center director met us to go over housekeeping items that we needed to know during our stay there. And after she was done, the last thing she said to us was, “Since you’re Methodist preachers and not Catholic, I just want to remind you that we encourage the people who stay here to refrain from a lot of talking and especially to not have loud conversations.”

     We looked at each other and laughed because she already knew that we were going to probably find it difficult to move from a lot of talking, to more of a quiet and reflective mode during our stay there. And she was right! Throughout those three days, we had to keep reminding ourselves to cut the chatter.

     We protestants are known for our love to talk. Protestant preachers are known for how much we enjoy preaching. We love to talk about our faith, but we’re not as good at listening. Which makes me think that the disciple, Peter would have been a good Methodist based on our Gospel reading this morning.

     On this Transfiguration Sunday, our Gospel reading is where Jesus invites three of his disciples to follow him up a mountain. While high on that mountain, Jesus was transfigured before them. 

     All of the sudden, everything got really bright around Jesus and even Jesus’ clothes became dazzling white. And if that wasn’t enough, just then, two heroes of faith from the Old Testament miraculously appeared next to Jesus. There they were. Jesus, Moses, and Elijah with God’s glory shining brightly upon them.

     When I think of this scene on the mountain, the only thing that kind of compares to it for me is during our Christmas Eve candlelight service when we are quietly singing, “Silent Night” in the darkened sanctuary. And after that carol, we then blow out our candles, and that’s when in a matter of just a second or two, all the lights come back lighting up the entire sanctuary and we sing together, “Joy to the World.”

     That’s such a powerful moment for me when we make that transition but it only works when we spend that time softly singing, “Silent Night.”

      I’ve never really taken notice of this one little part of this transfiguration reading and I’ve read it and preached on it a number of times. It’s where Peter starts talking like a good Protestant does in moments like these. And we’re told that while Peter was still speaking, (who knows how long he was speaking), suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from that cloud a voice said, 

“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”

     I love how God just drowns Peter out to make that statement that Jesus is his beloved and with him he is well pleased. Peter just didn’t understand that silence was the order of the day, especially in that holy moment.

     And not only did Peter talk through that holy moment, he was also mansplaining to the others what was happening as if they couldn’t see for themselves. Peter feels the need to tell everyone that three dwellings are needed for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah as a way to commemorate that moment.

     I wonder if that voice from heaven was tempted to say, “Just chill, Peter. Just chill.” No words or booths are needed in this moment because everything you’re seeing right now is the whole point of when we encounter the sacred in our everyday lives.

     “Be still and know that I am God,” the psalmist reminds us.

     Yes, there will be times for words, lot of words, but not now, not in this once in a lifetime moment. 

     After the voice speaks from heaven, that’s when even Peter gets it and all the disciples including Peter fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. By fear, this isn’t a scary kind of fear. It’s a reverent and holy kind of fear where you are in awe and wonder at the presence of God in that moment.

     Even after this powerful transfiguration moment ends, Jesus tells the disciples to not tell anyone about what they have seen until a later time when Jesus would be raised from the dead. Knowing when to use words and when not to use words is an art. It’s being aware of what is needed in that sacred moment, not what we think is needed to be said or done.

     Robin Wilson, a United Methodist pastor in Alabama shares a significant event in her life where she forgot that all was needed was to be present in that moment. It was at the end of her wedding ceremony as she and her now husband were recessing down the aisle. 

     Robin said that she immediately went into task mode when they got to the back of the church. Her only thought in that moment was to start getting people in the wedding party together for pictures. And as she was frantically trying to get the wedding party to go to where they would be taking pictures, she glanced at her now new husband and could tell that she was missing out on such a holy moment.

     Just minutes ago, they had shared vows to each other, knelt down in prayer in which the pastor had offered a blessing upon their marriage, and now here she was only focused on making sure that they would have nice end of the ceremony photo shoot for their wedding album.  But at least she caught herself when she glanced at her husband, and realized that she was missing out on the joy and the beauty of that holy moment.

     In reflection of that almost missed opportunity, Robin says that “even when we are busy and over-functioning, without the wisdom to listen and be still, God acts for our good anyway.”

     I appreciate this pastor’s honesty in sharing her own struggles in allowing for these moments of holy silence in her life. It is a struggle for many of us!

     So this leads us to think about how we can become more aware of listening to God’s voice and what God wants to say to us. I don’t think there’s just one way. But here are some thoughts for us as we prepare to come down from this holy mountain and begin a new week.

     Maybe, the best thing we can do is to practice silence and listening more in our everyday lives. Recently, somebody was telling me that they have started power-walking everyday. And I asked if they were doing this for health reasons, and he said that was part of it but the main reason they enjoy this new routine is because it helps to quiet their soul and enjoy living in the present moment. 

     So let’s all start power-walking!

     For others, it might simply be spending some time in quiet before we begin our day or before we call it a night. Maybe that’s why we sometimes have restless nights because we don’t give our minds and souls enough time to decompress before going to bed.

     In preparing for this sermon, I was thinking about Queen Elizabeth’s funeral back in September. I watched different parts of that funeral and at one point in the service, the Anglican Priest called upon everyone to observe two minutes of silence.

     It was such a powerful moment even with me watching all of this on TV. When is the world ever silent for two minutes? During the two minutes of silence in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the video camera included the large crowd of people outside of Westminster Abbey and it was such a powerful moment to see all of these people observing that moment at the same time.

     That historical moment made me realize that it is possible for us to be silent. We just need to include it more into our lives.

     And then, maybe this thought about observing holy silence in our lives. Be prepared to encounter God’s presence in your everyday life. Be prepared to encounter God’s presence in your everyday life.

     If we already know that God likes to show up in unexpected times, in unexpected ways, and in unexpected places, that just might help us to be ready to take in those holy moments. Fortunately, we have examples of people who show us how to do this. 

     I think of Mary the mother of Jesus in particular who when she had her baby at the most unexpected time and in the most unexpected setting, was still able to take a moment to treasure all those words and ponder them in her heart. Mary knew that when Jesus was born, it was a time for holy silence. I also think of another Mary during Jesus’ ministry who sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his teachings.

     These are just a couple of examples of people who knew to stop, listen, and respond humbly to God’s presence in their lives. 

     So, I’m just going to stop right here, because I’ve been talking way too much. 

Holy Silence

Sermon Discussion Question

Exodus 24:12-18 & Matthew 17:1-9

February 19, 2023

The spiritual discipline of silence can be very challenging to practice in our busy culture! The Quakers practice being silent on a regular basis. 

Why do you think silence is an important way for us to connect with God?

Today is Transfiguration Sunday on the church calendar when we hear the story of when Jesus took some of his disciples up a mountain and was transfigured before them. This story reminds us of when Moses experienced God’s glory on a mountain from our Old Testament scripture reading. The stories are also connected because Moses and Elijah who lived centuries before Jesus appear next to Jesus when he was transfigured! Peter responded to this holy moment by talking and trying to explain it.

What would be your reaction if you were one of the disciples watching Jesus being transfigured along with these two Old Testament figures from the past?

Share a time when you were caught off guard by a holy moment where you felt God’s presence in a very real way. How did you react?

The disciple, Peter reacted to the holy moment of Jesus’ transfiguration by talking. He wanted to commemorate it by building booths for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. In Matthew 17:5 it says that “while he (Peter) was speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’” Peter only stopped talking because God’s voice spoke over him to tell him to listen.

Why do you think God stopped Peter from talking? 

Pastor Robert shared some examples of ways that we can practice the spiritual discipline of silence in our everyday lives. These included 1) Take walks and just listen for God’s voice 2) Set aside some quiet time before you begin your day and before you go to sleep at night. Let your soul catch up with what is going through your mind. 3) Be prepared to encounter God’s presence in surprising and beautiful ways.

Which of these ways stands out for you? What are some other ways that we can practice the spiritual discipline of silence?

Close your time by spending 2 minutes in silence and then say this prayer from Sunday’s worship services:

Mighty and glorious God, even as we tremble in your presence, we rejoice in your willingness to live among and within us. Forgive us when we talk over you. Forgive us when we don’t listen to you. Forgive us for wondering where you are when you are standing right there in front of us! Teach us to practice holy silence where we become more aware of your presence in our lives. Still our hearts so that we may encounter your shining glory. Thank you for this opportunity today to be in your radiating and transforming presence. Amen. 

Online Worship (February 19/Transfiguration Sunday) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

February 19 

(Transfiguration Sunday)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (February 15) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!

Sermon (February 12) by Rev. Robert McDowell

    Our Old Testament reading this morning from the Book of Deuteronomy invites us to think about what we are going to do when we finally achieve a goal or arrive at a destination. 

     Here in this story, the Israelites who have been wandering in the wilderness for almost 40 years now, are nearing the end of that long journey. They will soon be entering into the Promised Land. Along the way, they have experienced God’s guiding hand and they have been given the Ten Commandments along with many other laws that they are to follow as God’s people. 

     Moses, their leader is preparing them for when they will finally reach their destination. It’s one thing to prepare for a test, or practice for an upcoming game, or get ready to start a new job, but it’s another thing to actually live into that new reality when you finally arrive. This is why Moses in this scripture reading today, offers these important words of wisdom for when the Israelites actually do enter the Promised Land.

     So Moses tells them that when they finally arrive, that they are to take the next steps in being God’s people in their new homeland.  It’s one thing to prepare to be God’s people while traveling through the wilderness. It’s another thing to continue to be God’s people once they get settled.

     I hear that this is often what happens to people when they retire, so I’m being told! My brother who has served as a Music Minister in our home church for the past 30 years, retired this past October. In the weeks leading up to his official retirement, my brother was intentional in calling it, not a retirement, but a renewal.

Retirement or Renewal? 

     He called it a renewal because for him, the word “retirement” sounded too much like an ending to a large part of his life. Instead of seeing it as an ending, he viewed that transition in his life as more of a beginning of something new. For him, it was the beginning of a renewal in his life by exploring new ways of living, reordering his days, and picking up some new ministry opportunities beyond his long and established role as a Church Music Director. 

     I like that. Renewal sounds so much better than retirement. My brother shared this with me as words of wisdom to consider as I prepare for my own retirement. Even if I continue to serve as a pastor of a church in retirement, there are new holy rhythms and opportunities to be explored. There are new steps of faith to take. 

     Moses was taking a similar approach in offering words of wisdom to the people as they were drawing closer to the Promised Land. I like that Moses didn’t simply give them a true or false final exam on all the commandments that were taught them over that 40 year time in the wilderness. For Moses, the people of God didn’t need more information. They now needed to know what their next steps might look like once they arrived.

     So he says to them, that if they continue to love the Lord and walk in God’s ways, that they would become numerous and they will be blessed in the land that they are about to possess. Moses was in effect telling them, “Don’t think of it as a retirement from being wilderness travelers. Think of it as a renewal where you will be able to experience new blessings in being God’s people. Your walk with the Lord isn’t ending. It’s just beginning!” 

     And the good news is that they get to decide if they will see it as a retirement or as a renewal. Which will it be?

     If they just want to retire and just be content that they don’t have to walk through a wilderness anymore, then they will miss out on the new blessings and the renewal that God has in store for them. Do you want to retire or be renewed, is basically what Moses is presenting to the people. 

     In one of the churches I served, the people had this wonderful vision of expanding their church facility to include a large multi-purpose room as well as renovate other parts of the church building. That dream would require a lot of work for them which included getting a building plan, a cost analysis, a vote of the congregation, a fundraising strategy, and then the actual construction and renovations that would be required.

     In a way, those years of preparation reminded me of when the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness to the Promised Land. No, it didn’t take that church 40 years but it did take them a couple of years before everything was finally completed.

     They were so happy to finally make it to the Promised Land! The newly constructed church building looked incredible. A new multi-purpose room, a newly expanded front entrance in the older part of the church, a newly remodeled education wing, a very spacious meeting room, and new staff offices. 

     Less than a year after the construction was completed, a tornado hit that church building, destroying half of that new multi-purpose room, leveling the entire new education wing, and damaging several of the older parts of the building including the sanctuary. The tornado hit the church during a choir rehearsal but thankfully, nobody was seriously injured. 

     In less than one year in the Promised Land, this congregation was faced with going back into the wilderness by having to worship at the high school on Sunday mornings and having Sunday School classes at the community senior citizen center. The Trustees needed to go back to the drawing board and go through this whole building process all over again.

     As you would expect, this caused a lot of stress for the people of that church. The once positive spirit in that congregation slowly became more and more negative. People began arguing over every little detail about the new building program from what the color of carpet in the various rooms should be to possible staff changes including the current pastor who was serving at the time.

     It was in this situation, that I was sent by the Bishop to serve as pastor of this church! Even though I went there with a lot of hope and energy to help that congregation make it back to the Promised Land, I quickly realized that it would take a lot longer than I had imagined.

     As this 2^nd construction phase was getting closer to completion, I felt a little bit like Moses who was trying to help God’s people begin to picture themselves living in the Promised Land. I tried my best to have us think more about the new ministries and programs we could start rather than just upon the sense of the tremendous loss that they had experienced from this major setback. 

     It took some time, more time than I had imagined, but we were eventually able to start a new ministry called “Common Cup” which was the name for a mid-week dinner at the church that included bible studies and classes for all ages. It was called “Common Cup” because we started partnering with 16 small United Methodist churches within a 15 mile radius of our church. 

     Pastors and lay people from each of these churches helped lead the classes and it was beneficial for the smaller churches since they often lack the resources and space needed for weekly church programs. And one of the reasons this new mid-week ministry worked so well was because our church had a massive parking lot!

     Those Wednesday gatherings for Common Cup felt like we had finally arrived to the Promised Land because we were now entering the next steps of being the church following a long time of wandering and traveling through the wilderness of construction and stress.  Sometimes, we need to start thinking about what are next steps will be once we arrive rather than just how to survive in the wilderness. 

     Since announcing my retirement a couple of months ago, I mean my renewal, I’ve been praying about the next steps that God is leading us here at Athens First in the months ahead. 

     The good news of our faith is that God is always leading and guiding us into a new future. God is always inviting us to think about the next steps for us once we arrive in the Promised Land. The church is never done dreaming, never done hoping, and never done visioning. 

     Actually, we are never fully in the Promised Land and we never fully leave the wilderness. Both are part of our journey of faith. The 40 years in the wilderness was how the people were formed and shaped to become God’s people. Those 40 years were how the people learned to trust God along the way.

     We are always being shaped and formed into God’s image. In less than two weeks, we will observe Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 day season of Lent. Those 40 days are to remind us of the 40 years in the wilderness.

      But we also know that at the end of those 40 days, we will celebrate the joy of Easter and the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. Easter is a Promised Land moment where we celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin and death. 

     And every Easter, we are always faced with the question,  “How will the good news of Easter and Jesus’ victory over the grave change and transform my life? What will be my next steps moving forward?”

     A Lutheran pastor friend of mine told me one day how a Lutheran pastor knows if he or she preached a good sermon. He said that it it’s not about how creative the opening of the sermon was or how good the illustrations in the sermon are. He said that Lutheran pastors are taught that you know it was a good sermon if the sermon helps people to answer the question, “so what?”

     I love that! I think Moses might have been Lutheran because he was asking the Israelites the same question. “So what are you going to do now? What are the next steps you’re going to take once you make it into the Promised Land? Are you going to chose life and love and obey God?”

    As we stand ready to enter into the new renewal that God has in mind for us, we are left with this very important question, “What will our next steps be?”

Next Steps

Sermon Discussion Question

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 & Matthew 5:21-37

February 12, 2023

Here in our Old Testament reading, the Israelites who have been wandering in the wilderness for almost 40 years now, are nearing the end of that long journey. They will soon be entering into the Promised Land. Along the way, they have experienced God’s guiding hand and they have been given the Ten Commandments along with many other laws that they are to follow as God’s people. It is now time for them to be thinking about their next steps once they arrive into the Promised Land.

Do you think it was easy or hard for the Israelites to begin thinking about living in the Promised Land after spending the last 40 years in the wilderness? 

Moses encourages the Israelites to think about this question as they prepare to enter into the Promised Land: Will you “love the Lord your God, walk in his ways, and observe his commandments, decrees, and ordinances? If so, the Lord your God will bless you in the land.”

Why do you think it can be challenging to enter into a new transition in our lives like retirement, a change of jobs, moving into a new home even if those changes are positive ones? Share a time when you made a transition in your life. What prepared you for that new transition and that new reality in your life?

Pastor Robert shared about a church that had built a beautiful new addition to their church building but after just one year of enjoying it, a tornado destroyed a large portion of it. The church had to start over in the construction process. That caused a lot of stress among the members because they had finally arrived into the Promised Land (the newly remodeled building) but now were forced to go back into the wilderness (the displacement of ministries and the rebuilding process.) Even though that whole process was very challenging, that church was eventually able to complete their new building campaign and begin new ministries that they probably would not have started in the past. 

What helps you to keep dreaming and planning even after you have experienced a significant setback in your life? 

Pastor Robert made the observation that we are never fully in the wilderness and we are never fully in the promised land as people of faith. We have seasons where we are living through a wilderness challenge and there are other times when we celebrate that we have made the transition into the Promised Land. 

Where are you right now in your faith journey? Do you feel that you are more in the wilderness or more in the Promised Land? What helps you to keep moving toward the Promised Land? What are the next steps of faith that God is inviting you to take once you arrive in the Promised Land?

Close your time by praying this prayer from Sunday’s worship service:

God of grace and glory, thank you for the new life and the blessings you offer us. We humbly confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. In trust and obedience, we take the next step in having a Loving Faith, a Learning Faith, and a Living Faith. Amen. 

Online Worship (February 12) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

February 12

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (February 8) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus: Previewing 

Our  Lent Sermon Series

Sermon (February 5) by Rev. Robert McDowell

     Whenever I read something from I or II Corinthians, I’m always glad that God never sent me to a church like that. Let’s just say, that the Church of Corinth had a lot of issues!

     I’ve been blessed to serve many wonderful churches over my 35 years as a pastor, but not all pastors have been as blessed. Some have been called to serve in some very cantankerous congregations.  

     When I first became a pastor several years ago, an older and very experienced pastor in our conference told me this fun little story that happened during Annual Conference which is where clergy and laity gather for several days in early June. 

     In the old days, it was at one of these annual meetings when the bishop would announce the names of the pastors who would be moving to new churches later that month. Now, they let you know ahead of time if you will be moving but that wasn’t the case then. 

     As this old story goes, a pastor who had been sent to some of the worst churches in the conference and who was currently serving at another very difficult church felt like he had nothing to lose. And so he decided to go to one of the microphones and really let the Bishop have it in front of everyone at that conference. He criticized the Bishop up and down during his long rant.

     After his speech, he sat down feeling really proud of himself for getting his frustrations off his chest, but that’s when he suddenly realized that he had forgotten that there was still an opening at a church that was known as the worst of the worst church in the conference.

     And that’s when the people around him could hear him say, “O crap. I forgot. The Little Hope Church is still open!”

     Little Hope Church and the Church of Corinth were both very difficult churches to serve. Only the bravest pastors would want to serve at either of them. 

     It’s ironic that one of the most beautiful chapters in the entire bible comes from I Corinthians. Chapter 13 in that letter has become known as the love chapter. The Apostle Paul beautifully describes what love is and what love isn’t in those verses which is why it often gets read at many weddings. 

     But actually, the love chapter has nothing to do with marriage or weddings, at least not directly. Paul wrote that chapter because he was calling out the members of that church in Corinth for their very selfish and egotistical attitudes toward one another. They had been bragging about who had the most impressive spiritual gifts in the church and they looked down on those who they determined had less important gifts to offer.

     See what I mean about this church? Tough, tough church to serve. And so Paul writes this love chapter to tell them that they can have all the spiritual gifts in the world, but if they don’t have love they are just a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. And Paul ends that chapter by telling them, “But faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.”

     The Church of Corinth was missing the whole point of the Christian faith. We don’t find our strength in power. We find our strength in how we love and serve one another.

     And this is what Paul is conveying to them in our I Corinthians, chapter 2 scripture reading for today. Listen again to Paul’s words to them:

     “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.”

     Here in the early part of his letter, Paul is setting the tone, that our strength is found in our weakness and not in whether or not we have what some might consider to be “the more glamorous spiritual gifts.” There are no glamorous gifts, just spiritual gifts, that when all put together can make for a vibrant and growing church, faithfully living out its vision and mission.

     A couple of months ago, I watched a documentary about Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. He started AA in Akron, Ohio and it quickly spread throughout the country. 

     The reason that AA has been so effective over these many decades is because people who are struggling with alcohol abuse can help each other by attending meetings on a regular basis. Our church provides space for 6 AA groups to meet each week in our building. 

     During that documentary, it talked all about the challenges that Bill Wilson faced in helping AA and the 12 steps program reach as many people as possible. During the era of racial segregation, one of the AA groups refused to allow people of color to join their group. Some other AA leaders who heard about this, asked Bill Wilson how to handle this situation.

     Bill Wilson responded by saying that what they needed to do was to emphasize that what makes AA effective and special isn’t because they are better people,  but because they are only made better by sharing their weaknesses with each other. We are made strong through our weakness. In other words, there is no room for egos or discriminating against anyone who wants to find healing and wholeness. 

     This reminds me of what the Apostle Paul is saying in our I Corinthians reading, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.”    

      We live during a time, like during the time that Paul wrote this letter to the Church of Corinth where we think that it’s through our strengths that we can find our greatest fulfillment in life, but really it’s the opposite. As Paul writes, it’s through our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities, our frailties, and our brokenness that we are our most real and authentic selves.

      But we also know that when we try to hide who we really are or deny that we are broken and hurt people, that sets us up for all kinds of unhealthy and unrealistic expectations. Focusing on our strength only can lead us to cover up what is really going on inside us and that can often lead to depression, loneliness, feelings of self-hate, and sometimes even lead someone to hurt themselves. 

     At the heart of the Christian faith is the recognition that it’s through our weaknesses that we not only find healing in our lives, but  we can also be a source of healing and hope for others. 

     Recently, I was introduced to this incredible painting that was drawn in 1903 by the Finnish painter, Hugo Simberg. Here’s the painting:

     The title of the paining is “The Wounded Angel.”  As we give ourselves a little time to look at this painting, we can see that it is a very melancholic depiction of this wounded angel being carried on a stretcher by these two young, healthy, but very somber boys. 

     The angel has a bandaged forehead and a bloodied wing. The context of when this painting was done is very important because the boys are carrying this wounded angel to what was then, the Blind Girls’ School and the Home for Cripples. 

      This painting is so powerful to me because we’re not used to seeing wounded angels. Angels are meant to be the ones who are strong and who save and help us, but this angel is in need of someone to help her. 

     It’s interesting to me that a version of this painting hangs in a prominent church there in Finland suggesting that there are spiritual connections for us to make as people of faith.

     There are so many things that can be said about this painting, but I want you to especially notice that the angel is clutching what is called snowdrops in one of her hands. Snowdrop flowers are a symbol of healing and rebirth. Even though this angel is wounded, these snowdrop flowers are a symbol of hope.

     And then notice in this artist’s subtle way the flowers that are blooming along that pathway. Those flowers are also a symbol of hope that healing is on the way.

     I wonder if this artist is painting a picture to help us to see that it’s really in our brokenness and wounds, that we can be agents of healing, not only for ourselves but for others. We all have injured wings and our share of bandages, but it’s through our pain that we can be a source of healing for others.

     Henri Nouwen, a Catholic Priest and author of several books on spirituality wrote a book called, The Wounded Healer. It’s a book that reminds us that we can’t really help to bring healing to others unless we are willing to also see our own brokenness and need for healing. 

      Or as someone has said, it’s through the cracks of our lives, that the light can enter, and it’s through those same cracks that the light can then shine out upon others.

     The Apostle Paul who was writing these letters to the Church in Corinth wanted them to know that it’s not through our impressive spiritual resumes that the light shines through, but it’s through our vulnerabilities and our weaknesses that God’s love and light can be a blessing to others.

     I think this is what Jesus means in our Gospel reading for today when he says that we are the light of the world. We shine the brightest when we allow God’s light to shine through the brokenness in our lives. 

     And this is one of the reasons why we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion because it reminds us that it was through Jesus’ self-emptying and willingness to die on a cross, that led to an empty tomb where resurrection and new life were made possible and can bring healing to our wounds. Broken, weak, and wounded as we are, this holy meal reminds us to keep holding onto those snowdrop flowers because it is through our weaknesses, that the light of God’s healing love can shine through us. 

The Wounded Angel

Sermon Discussion Question

I Corinthians 2:1-12 & Matthew 5:13-20

February 5, 2023

The Apostle Paul wrote two letters to the Corinthian Church. This is a church that was very challenging for Paul because they were basing their faith on their own strengths rather than on what God can do in and through their brokenness and weakness. In I Corinthians 2:1-3, Paul writes, “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.”

Why do you think it was difficult for the Corinthian Church to find their strength in their weakness and in Christ’s sufferings rather than through their own wisdom and abilities? Why do you think this is still difficult for us to grasp today?

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has been successful over the past several decades because they believe that it is through the sharing of our weaknesses that we can find healing and wholeness. The strength of each AA group is found through the honest sharing of their brokenness and by encouraging each other to find healing and wholeness. 

What are some other examples of people who need healing through others who need healing as well?

Henri Nouwen, a Christian author wrote a book entitled, “The Wounded Healer” which is based on this important concept that it’s through our brokenness and our weakness that we can help each other find healing. Someone else once said, “it is through the cracks of our lives, that the light can enter and it is through those same cracks that the light can then shine out upon others.” In our Gospel reading, Jesus says that we are the light of the world.

Do you think that allowing the light to shine through the cracks of our lives is what Jesus means when he says that we are the light of the world? Why or why not?

Pastor Robert shared the 1903 painting, “The Wounded Angel” by the Finnish painter, Hugo Simberg. When you look at this painting, you will notice that two very determined by somber boys and carrying a wounded angel on a stretcher. The angel has a bandaged forehead and a bloodied wing. The context of when this painting was done is very important because the boys are carrying this wounded angel to what was then, the Blind Girls’ School and the Home for Cripples. Notice that the wounded angel is carrying snowdrop flowers which are symbolic of healing and rebirth. Also notice that there are snowdrop flowers blooming along the path.

What does this painting convey for you? How does this painting relate to Paul’s words in our I Corinthians passage? “And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.”

Close with this prayer from Sunday’s worship service:

Gracious God, how quickly we forget that our strength is found in your sacrificial love for the world. Forgive our preoccupation in relying on wealth, status, and prestige as the measures of success. Remind us to always keep our focus on Jesus, the one who came not to be served but to serve. Help us to keep our eyes focused, not upon the status symbols of the world, but upon the cross in which Jesus offered himself for the sake of the world. It is in your cross and your sacrificial love, that we find our greatest strength! Amen.