Reformation Hymn Treats

October 29, 2023/Reformation Sunday (Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC)

The UMC Hymnal & Reformation Hymns

Rev. Robert McDowell

Today is known as Reformation Sunday, which commemorates when the 16^th century, church reformer, Martin Luther publicly protested needed reforms in the church of his day by nailing 95 theses to the Wittenberg Cathedral church door. He did this on October 31^st, 1517, All-Hallow’s Eve, the day before All Saints’ Day which is always observed on November 1^st. He chose this day to take his stand because of the great crowd of people who would be walking by the church on the eve of this holy day on the church calendar. 

His main protest against the church of his day was related to the sale of indulgences in which people were told that they would be able to help a relative get out of purgatory and make it into heaven if they donated money to the church. They were also told that they can help to prevent themselves bypass purgatory by making a donation. The nailing of these theses to the door of the Wittenberg church sparked what we know today as the Protestant Reformation, which is why today, we have 45,000 denominations from which to choose including the United Methodist Church. 

To help us celebrate this important day on the church calendar, here are some Reformation hymn treats for your trick or treat bag. 

“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” 

Our United Methodist hymnal has several hymns related to the early Reformers. We already sang the first of those hymns earlier in our worship service, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” It’s a hymn that Martin Luther wrote based on Psalm 46 in which the psalmist expresses confidence and comfort in God’s protection. God is a mighty bulwark never failing! And one other little piece of trivia about that hymn. The melody was written by Johann Sebastian Bach, a famous composer who lived about 150 years after Martin Luther and whose music became popular because of Martin Luther’s call for reform in the church.

So, since we already sang that wonderful hymn earlier, let’s move onto a 2^nd Reformation hymn which we sing especially near the Thanksgiving holiday, “Now Thank We All our God.” We will be singing this hymn the Sunday before Thanksgiving. This hymn was written by Martin Rinkart in 1663. It’s hymn no. 102. Let me share a little context of why this hymn was written:

The Thirty Years' War was fought in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648 as part of the Counter-Reformation strife between new Protestants and Roman Catholics. Lutheran pastor Martin Rinkart wrote this hymn in the midst of the war. Rinkart conducted as many as fifty funerals in any given day during the conflict, including that of his own wife. The tune was composed by one of the most influential second generation Lutheran chorale composers, Johann Crüger, in 1647, and harmonized in 1840 by Felix Mendelssohn.

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” 

The 3rd Reformation hymn I want to mention is the hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.” It’s hymn No. 139. It’s a hymn that I often use as an opening hymn of praise. It’s upbeat and so positive.

One of the most well-known Lutheran chorales, this hymn was written in 1680 by Lutheran pastor Joahim Neander, and the tune comes from a collection on Lutheran chorales from 1665. Interesting trivia: Neander often held religious services in a particular valley that was later called "Neander's Valley." This valley became famous when in 1856 the remains of an ancient man were found in that valley, aptly named the "Neanderthal Man."

“Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above”  

Another Reformation hymn in our hymnal is the hymn, “Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above,” No. 126. This is also another great opening hymn for worship. It’s a hymn of praise and is so positive and uplifting! In fact, we sang this hymn last month during worship. 

So, here’s the Reformation context of this hymn: Another second generation Lutheran hymn writer and theologian, Johann Schütz, wrote this hymn of praise in 1675. The hymn has an even deeper connection to the Reformation with its tune, which was included in the Bohemian Brethren's ("Church songs") in 1566. The Bohemian Brethren trace their theological lineage a hundred years prior to Martin Luther with John Huss's reforms in Bohemia. These Christians would later become the Moravians, significant hymn writers themselves and who would also end up having a huge spiritual impact and influence on someone you probably recognize, John Wesley who would later begin what we know today as the United Methodist Church. 

Happy Reformation Day!

Sunday (October 29/Reformation Sunday) Pastoral Prayer (Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC)

October 29, 2023

Gracious and loving God, we are thankful for your wonderful words of life that we not only read from the Bible but also sing about from our hymnal. 

 

These are wonderful words because they invite us to have a growing and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. These are wonderful words because they invite us to be set free from our sins and our brokenness. These are wonderful words because they offer us hope when we are in despair. These are wonderful words because they comfort us when we are in need of healing. And these are wonderful words because they lift our voices in praise and thanksgiving for your many blessings in our lives.

 

We pray for those who are on our hearts and minds this morning and in need of these wonderful words of life; for those on our church’s prayer list, for the joys and concerns that have been shared this morning, for those who are facing transitions in their lives and in need of guidance and direction, for those who are alone, for those who live in places around the world where there is so much fear, violence, and war especially in Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East region. May your wonderful words of life be a source of strength, support and hope for all who are we lift to you in prayer. 

 

On this day that we have been singing our faith, thank you for hymns that help us to worship you. Thank you for Jared whose gift of music enables us to be a singing church. And thank you on this Reformation Sunday for people like Martin Luther and John Wesley who spent their lives seeking to reform your church. May we also live in this spirit of always seeking to be a reforming church to your praise and glory.

 

We pray this in the name of of Christ, the blessed one who has given us these wonderful words of life to pray together…

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (October 22) “Your Sherpa” by Rev. Robert McDowell

October 22, 2023

     This past summer, our daughter and son-in-law were visiting with us, and they started watching the reality TV series on the Discovery Channel, “Everest: Beyond the Limit.” It’s a series about mountain climbers from all around the world who pay a lot of money to try to climb to the top of Mount Everest. 

      This show has three seasons which aired from 2006 to 2009 and even though our daughter and son-in-law had already watched every single episode, they wanted to watch it again since we hadn’t seen it. At first, I thought it was going to be really boring. Wow, was I wrong!

     Even after their visit with us, Penny and I kept watching it for the next several days. It was TV binge watching at its finest!

[Mount Everest]

     Because of this series, I ended up learning a lot about Mount Everest and the incredible preparation that it takes to attempt to climb to the top of it. For example, Mt. Everest which is located on the border of China and Nepal is over 29,000 feet tall. To put that into perspective, that height is just below the cruising altitude of a jumbo jet. I know! 🤯

     You need to carry an oxygen tank during the climb at that altitude, and you need to use it sparingly, so you don’t run out and you have to be careful about storms and getting frostbite. About 800 people attempt to climb Mount Everest each year and about 2/3 of that total make it to the top. There are about 4-5 people who die during the climb each year.

      It takes a total of three months to hike to the top and then back. It takes 19 days just to climb to the base camp of Mount Everest and then another 40 days to climb to the peak. And for all of the provisions you will need to make the climb, it will cost you anywhere between $35,000 and $65,000 just for that one attempt to climb it!

     The climbers in the TV series utilize an experienced coach to help them prepare for the climb and he gives them instructions through a transmitter of what to do and what not to do during the climb. As you get closer to the peak, the footing gets really tricky as you climb up a very steep path. You even have to use a ladder to climb up the last portion of the hike. During the last season of the series, there were several times that I would grip the couch as we watched the climbers hold on for dear life. 

     But what stood out for us the most about this series were the Sherpas who served as mountain guides for the climbers. Sherpas are native to Tibet and are known for their expertise in climbing Mount Everest and helping climbers to make it to the peak. They are willing to risk their lives to save climbers from danger and to provide invaluable guidance to them along the way. They are also very resourceful and extremely knowledgeable of the terrain and extreme weather conditions. 

     I’ve been thinking a lot about this Mount Everest series because in our Exodus scripture reading for today, we find Moses at a crossroads in his willingness to continue leading the people through the wilderness. He is hesitating at this point in the long journey, because he knows that he can’t continue on this hike through the wilderness alone. He needs a guide; a Sherpa. He knows that without the Lord, he is probably not going to make it much longer. 

     And after he pleads with the Lord for help, the Lord responded by saying, “I’ll go myself and help you.” The Lord even offered additional reassurance to Moses by giving him a glimpse of the presence of his glory. 

     Maybe you can relate to Moses who was in critical need of a guide to help him continue the journey. Depending on our own strength, abilities, experiences, and resources along our faith journey can only take us so far. But there are always going to be those times when we especially need to lean on someone who can help guide us and show us the way. 

      Several years ago, I was standing with my associate pastor in a hallway of one of the top floors of Dayton Children’s Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. We were there to visit a family in our church whose young child was there as a patient.

     As we were waiting to go into the hospital room to make our pastoral visit, my associate pastor was standing over by the large window that was overlooking the city of Dayton, Ohio. And he was staring out that window. I said, “Mark, everything OK?”

     He said, “This was the same window I was looking out about 18 years ago when our daughter was a month old.”

     He went on to tell me that when she was a month old, she developed a really high fever and couldn’t keep any formula down, so they took her to Children’s Hospital. They took tests and discovered that when she was born, her organs were not in the right places. She was now experiencing a bad infection from all of this. They needed to do a risky surgery because she was just a month old. 

     And my friend said that when they took his baby into surgery, he went by that window where he was now standing to call his parents to give them an update. And as he was on the phone with his parents, that’s when he experienced a God moment.

     As he was looking out that window on that cold February day, he noticed the beautiful Ukrainian Church there in the city of Dayton. And just then in that moment, the sun came out and hit the gold cross of that steeple in such a way that it was breathtaking. He felt God’s glorious presence in such a powerful way. He said, it was in that moment that he knew that Allie would be OK.

     And then he said that during the surgery, his wife stayed in the room while he went down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. And while his wife was in the room, a little girl who was a patient came into the room with a balloon on a stick. She handed it to her and said, “Your baby will be OK.”

      Their baby made it through the surgery and recovered completely. When my friend and his wife went to look for that little girl who had brought them the balloon, they couldn’t find her. His wife to this day believes that that little girl was sent from God just for her and it was God’s way of providing reassurance for her. 

     It was this incredible challenge and renewed sense of God’s presence in their lives that led my friend and his wife to begin attending church again. They joined the United Methodist Church in their neighborhood, and it was through that church that my friend ended up responding to a calling to go into the pastoral ministry. 

     To add one more detail to the story, I had the honor of officiating at his daughter’s wedding several years later and our families stay in touch.

     If it had not been for the Lord who opened up the skies to shine upon that Ukrainian church steeple and who sent that little girl with a balloon into the room, and who used the skills of that surgeon…they would probably not have been led to a deeper faith and trust in God.

     No wonder that my friend was looking out that same window and reminiscing about that time 18 years ago when he had experienced the presence of God’s glory. Like Moses, he knew that he needed the Lord to be his guide during that very challenging time in his life. 

     We all need a Sherpa from time to time, someone who has the experience and spiritual wisdom to help us take that next step of faith. And sometimes all that Sherpas need to do is just be present there with you especially during difficult times. 

     Last spring, I needed to announce to the congregation during the worship service about the sudden death of a beloved church member. Erin was very active in our church and was in our bell choir. She was only 63. 

     It was the tradition in that church to place a white carnation on the altar in loving memory at the occasion of a member’s passing and as I was making the announcement about her death, I happened to look over at the altar and there next to the white carnation was a handbell. The bell choir director had very appropriately placed it there as a beautiful tribute to Erin.

     When I saw that handbell next to the carnation, I had to take a moment because I felt some tears coming on. Holding back on those tears, I regained my concentration and continued with the rest of the announcements.

     All was good until the closing hymn of that worship service because it was the hymn, “Here, I Am Lord” which Erin and the bell choir had practiced earlier that week, just two days before her sudden passing. 

     So, I’m up front by the pulpit singing this closing hymn and those darn tears show up again! And so, I tried to keep my composure because I still needed to offer the benediction. But, then there were more tears. I don’t know how I managed to do it, but I did regain enough composure to offer the benediction, and that’s when the tears just came flooding down. 

     As I have my back to the congregation to hide my tears, all of the sudden, I feel this hand on my shoulder and it’s a member now crying with me, and then one of our youth, and her mother were there crying, and then another church member had joined us. We had ourselves a really good cry party up there by the pulpit at the conclusion of that service. As we were sobbing, someone then offered a prayer for God’s presence to be with us in the midst of our grief and pain, and after we all said, “Amen,” I said to them, “Thanks everyone, I needed that.”

     Thank God for the Sherpas in our lives who remind us that we’re not alone and that God’s presence is with us as we navigate through difficult and uncertain times. 

     And so, if you are facing a challenging time in your life, and like Moses, maybe wondering if you have it in you to not give up, or like my friend who was standing in that Children’s hospital in need of an answer to prayer, or just in need of a good cry, remember that God provides Sherpas along the way. They will help you find your footing and they will help lead you into the glorious presence of God. 

Sunday (October 22) Pastoral Prayer (Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC)

October 22, 2023

O God, sometimes the challenges we face in life feel like we’re trying to scale Mt. Everest. We think we’re ready for the journey up but there are many obstacles along the way, obstacles like fear, uncertainty, lack of resources, unexpected situations, doubt over which is the best path to take. 

 

Thank you that you are our Sherpa. You are our loving shepherd, our Good Shepherd who knows us better than we know ourselves. Just as Moses needed you to guide him the rest of the way to the Promised Land, be our guide as well. Keep us alert to those times when you send us signs of your glory and presence. When we are on the phone, help us to look up to see your light shining on the gold cross of a church steeple, or the little girl holding a balloon, or a hand on our shoulder and hearing the words, “I’ll pray with you.”

 

O God, thank you for all of the ways that you lead us up the mountain of life and the wilderness of uncertainty. Be thou our vision and lead us to your preferred future. 

 

For those who are facing a Crossroads in their life, be thou, their vision. For those who are facing hardships in life, be thou, their vision. For those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, be thou, their vision. For those in Israel and Gaza where there is so much pain, suffering, and death, be thou their vision in this time of darkness, fear, and uncertainty.

 

O God, our Sherpa, our guide, you are our best thought by day or by night, waking or sleeping, thy presence, our light. It is in the name of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who promises to be present with us and lead us every step of the way, that we pray these words that he taught us to say as your church family…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (October 8) “The God Behind the Rules” by Rev. Robert McDowell

October 8, 2023

     Raise your hand if you have ever seen the classic 1956 movie, “The Ten Commandments” starring Charleston Heston. 

     There were many other big-time actors in this movie like Yul Brynner who was Pharaoh. It also starred Anne Baxter and Edward G. Robinson. It was the highest grossing film in theaters that year. They often show this movie during spring in the build up toward Easter Sunday. 

     The movie is almost four hours long and includes an intermission.

     The name of that movie just goes to show how The Ten Commandments that we find in our Exodus, chapter 20 reading for today is familiar to many. But do we really know them?

     A pastor friend of mine who leads church seminars likes to offer a 20-dollar bill to anyone who can recite the Ten Commandments in order. He said that he has never given away his 20 dollars!

     And to be truthful, I wouldn’t be able to recite them in order on the spot either. 

     So, with my cheat sheet handy, here are the Ten Commandments in order:

 1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

 3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.

 4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

 5. Honor thy father and mother.

 6. Thou shalt not kill.

 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

 8. Thou shalt not steal.

 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

 10. Thou shalt not covet.

     Someone once shared with me this creative way of remembering the Ten Commandments by using your fingers. I invite you to do this with me:

1. “I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me.” Hold up one index finger for the number one. We worship one God.

 2. “You shall not worship idols.” (Idols, false gods, are not only things like statues, but anything we place our ultimate trust and allegiance in, for example money or possessions.) Hold up two fingers. Should we worship more than one God? No, two is too many! One of them must be an idol, and we should not worship it!

 3. “You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain.” Use three fingers to form the letter “W” which stands for “words.” Watch your words! God wants us to use his name in loving, caring ways, as we pray and as we talk about him, not in swearing or in anger. 

 4. “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.” Hold up four fingers, fold your thumb under to let it rest. The thumb has the right idea. It’s the Sabbath, and the thumb is following the commandment to take a day of rest. 

 5. “Honor your father and your mother.” Hold up all five fingers on one hand as if you are taking a pledge, to honor your parents. 

 6. “You shall not kill.” Pretend the index finger on your second hand is a gun, shooting at the first five fingers. God’s sixth commandment teaches us not to do what has become too commonplace in our society. 

 7. “You shall not commit adultery.” Hold one hand out flat. The five fingers and hand become the floor of the church. Two fingers on the other hand are the people to be married, standing in the church, making promises to each other. This commandment calls for couples to keep the marriage promises they make. 

 8. “You shall not steal.” Hold up four fingers on each hand, for the eighth commandment. If you stretch out your fingers slightly, these become the prison bars, which hold someone who was been arrested for stealing. 

 9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Hold up all five fingers on one hand and four on the other. Fold your second thumb under and turn your hand around, so the thumb is hiding. It is secretly going around telling the other four fingers on that hand, lies and rumors about the five fingers on the other hand. It is “bearing false witness,” as it talks behind people’s backs, spreading gossip, criticizing others without talking directly to the people involved. 

 10. “Do not covet what belongs to your neighbor.” Hold out your hands, palms up, and wiggle all ten fingers to show that they’ve got the “gimmies.” Your fingers are saying, “Gimmie what belongs to my neighbor. I want all those things my neighbor has.” This is not the way God wants us to live.

     And now put your hands together and go ahead and applaud because you now can use your hands to memorize the Ten Commandments in order! 

     Who knows? You might win $20 someday thanks to this fun exercise.

     In a church I was serving, a member of my congregation showed up at an event wearing a sweatshirt that said, “The Country Ten Commandments.” I thought it was pretty clever. Here is this country version list. They’re short and sweet.

#1 – One God

#2 - No Idols

#3 - No Cussin’

#4 - Sunday Go To Meetin’ 

#5 – Honor Ma & Pa

#6 – No Killin’

#7 – No Hanky Panky

#8 – No Stealin’

#9 – No Gossipin’ 

#10 – No Wantin’ Yer Neighbors’ Thangs

     How’s that for giving you all of these options to help us remember “The Ten Commandments.” I like how Jesus summarized all of the commandments that we find in the Old Testament. There are a lot more commandments than just the ten commandments. There are exactly 613 commandments that we find in the Old Testament. 

     Someone once asked Jesus which of all of the commandments he believed to be the greatest. And he answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” And then he added this second one, “And love your neighbor as yourself.”

     I love Jesus’ response because as important as it is to know what the Ten Commandments are, I think that it is significantly more important to know the spirit behind all of the commandments. The whole point of the commandments is that they are to remind us to love God and to love others as well. If we keep our focus on that, then we will end up fulfilling all of the commandments because they all relate back to these two; love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

     Several years ago, I visited Israel and went to many of the holy sites that we read about in the Bible. It was a life-changing trip, but one of the most educational parts of my trip happened in the international hotel where I was staying. 

     On the Sabbath, which is Friday evening through Saturday evening, the hotel elevator that went up several floors would stop at each floor even if you were the only person in the elevator. This only occurred on the Sabbath. It seemed like it took forever to get up to my floor because it kept stopping at each floor.    

     And then I figured out what was happening. It was because on the Sabbath, they considered pushing a button in an elevator as work related which would be a violation of the 4th commandment which is to honor the Sabbath by doing no work.

     That little experience reminded me of just how important it is for a Jewish person to obey the commandments. If you remember, Jesus often got into trouble with the religious leaders of his day when he healed on the Sabbath. Even healing someone on the Sabbath was considered doing work. 

     I remember discussing the Sabbath commandment with someone in a previous church and they made this important observation about obeying the Ten Commandments: She said how the Ten Commandments might appear to be straight forward but what about the single mother with three children who has to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet and one of those jobs means that she has to work on the Sabbath. Does that mean that she is breaking the commandment?

     When this church member pointed this out to me, it helped me to see The Ten Commandments in a whole new light. Instead of just seeing these commandments as hard and fast rules for us to memorize and follow, I realized that there are more complexities and nuances to them than we might imagine. This is what Jesus was pointing out to the religious leaders of his day as well. 

     I also think of a teenager who came to me one day because he was thinking about enlisting in the military but as a faithful Christian, he also wanted to honor the 6^th commandment to not kill. And so, I shared with him that it’s a little complicated because there are other scriptures like the one in the Book of Acts that tells us how the Apostle Paul led a Roman soldier become a Christian. That soldier didn’t stop being a soldier. 

     But I also shared with him another scripture of when Jesus taught that people who follow him are to turn the other cheek and to be peacemakers. 

     I basically said to him, “You know, there’s not really one answer here. It’s matter of doing what you believe that God is calling you to do.” I also encouraged him to keep praying about it, to consult other trusted friends and family members, and to not rush into his decision.

     So, here’s what he ended up doing. After spending a lot of time praying and going back and forth on it, he decided that God was calling him to go to college instead and today, he is now serving in ministry. I noticed on Facebook that he and his wife recently celebrated their 13^th wedding anniversary. 

     What impressed me most about Matt when he came to see me that day, was that he was showing an incredible spiritual maturity for his age because obeying God mattered to him. And even though he was very much aware of the importance of following the commandments, he also knew that discerning God’s will is not always as simple as it sounds. 

     As I’ve been reflecting on our Ten Commandments reading from Exodus, chapter 20, I keep coming back to verses 1 and 2, which I think often gets brushed aside in our rush to get to the list of commandments. This chapter begins by saying, “Then God spoke all of these words: ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’” 

     Before we get the list of rules, the biblical author wants us to know who the God behind the rules is. This is a God who has rescued the people from their enslavement, who has been guiding them through the wilderness and providing for them, and who wants to always be their God.  

     In other words, this isn’t just a God who throws a bunch of rules at us to follow. This is a God who is seeking out the best for us, will always walk with us, and will help us in making important decisions in life. 

     Why do we want to do our best to obey the Ten Commandments? Why would we ever take the time to memorize these commandments? It’s because the God behind the rules has first reached out to us. 

     And because of this, God recognizes our struggles in keeping these commandments. I would have to think that God has compassion on the single mother of three who has to make ends meet by working on the Sabbath. I would also have to think that God was pleased to know that a high school senior came to his pastor seeking spiritual guidance and support before making an important career decision. 

     If we really want to follow the Ten Commandments, by all means, let’s memorize them and keep them close to our hearts. And let’s also remember that the God who is behind these rules is a God who loves us, who knows us, and who will always be by our side in helping us to be the people that God has called us to be. 

     

Sunday (October 8) Pastoral Prayer (Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC)

October 8, 2023

O Lord, we do want to be more holy in our hearts. We want to obey the commandments you have given us so that we can be the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be. As we seek to keep your commandments, help us to become more loving in our hearts, just as you are loving and gracious. And as we wrestle with what it means to live out these commandments in our daily lives, remind us of the most important of all of the commandments that Jesus taught us because it really does come down to these two; to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. 

 

May your love be at the very heart and center of our motivations, our attitudes, our actions, and the opinions that we share with others. Lord, we want to be more loving in our hearts, in our hearts.

 

As the God who is behind the rules and who we know to be gracious, loving, forgiving, generous, and compassionate, we lift up to you those who are on our hearts and minds this day. For those who are in physical pain, restore them to wholeness. For those who are who seeking your will, bless them with wisdom and guidance. For those who are feeling alone and separated from you, send them reassurance of your presence. For those who carry the weight of past regrets, offer them your mercy and grace. And for those in places where there is war and conflict like in Israel where there was a surprise rocket attack earlier this weekend. We pray for peace and justice.  

 

We are grateful for this beautiful Sunday morning where we can obey the 1^st of the Ten Commandments which is to have no other gods before us and to worship only you. You are worthy of all of our worship and praise. We pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together…

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (October 1) “Life’s Curveballs” by Rev. Robert McDowell

October 1, 2023

     A church member from my previous church in Ohio sent me a text message a couple of months ago asking me how retirement is going. I responded by saying, that it’s going great but that I’m still adjusting to a new weekly rhythm. And then he responded with these wise words, “It will take time.”

     I was thinking of that little exchange of text messages as I was reading and reflecting on our Old Testament reading for today. It’s a story of how the Israelites were adjusting to a new rhythm in their journey of faith. No longer were they enslaved people doing hard labor in Egypt. God called upon Moses to help them escape from Egypt and they were now wandering in an arid and dry wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.

     On the surface, you would think that they would still be celebrating their recent freedom from slavery, but as we just heard in today’s Exodus reading, they are feeling very unsettled, worried, and even angry that they are now in this very challenging and difficult journey. Here in Exodus, chapter 17, they are arguing with Moses and complaining of thirst.

      We as readers of this story want to send them a text message to remind them that their newfound freedom will take time. They are experiencing a totally new rhythm of life which has taken them out of their comfort zones. 

     This new rhythm of life was taking its toll. It was forcing them to adjust to what it means to be God’s people now that they had been freed from slavery. Yes, God parted the Red Sea to help them escape from the Egyptians but what good was that if they were now going to die of thirst in the wilderness. 

     You can hear the sharp sarcasm in their voices here in verse 3 where they lodge this rhetorical question of Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

     And poor Moses. What is he to do in this situation? It was probably all that he could do to not respond with sarcasm by saying, “Well if you want to head back to Egypt where you were enslaved, be my guest.” 

     If we’re honest, we probably can identify with the Israelites and their struggle here in this story. We human beings aren’t the best at adjusting to the changes that come our way in life, especially when those changes challenge our faith and our way of living. 

     And so, we can either throw up our hands and give up or we can as my friend was reminding me, be patient because it takes time to adjust to new rhythms and challenges in our lives. 

     Pete Enns is a New Testament scholar who has recently written the book, Curveball: When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming. I read the book and really appreciate his baseball reference because I love baseball. 

     He uses the image of trying to hit a curveball, because when a batter is expecting that the pitcher is going to throw a fastball, it can be really difficult to hit the curveball, because it’s a slower speed and it will mess with the rhythm of your swing. A good curve ball that you’re not expecting can lead you to miss the pitch altogether or you end up hitting a weak grounder and be easily thrown out at first. 

     Pete Enns wrote this book because he grew up in a church that discouraged people from ever questioning or doubting their faith. His church had a very black and white understanding of the Bible that didn’t allow for honest questions, doubts, or differing perspectives. They had a “The bible says it. I believe it. And that settles it” approach to faith. 

     While that might work out fine when things are going well in your life, it doesn’t address those times when life knocks you to your knees. The problem with this either/or approach to faith is that it will only take you so far before unexpected curveballs lead us to rethink our faith.

     In his book, Pete Enns shares that the church of his youth did not prepare him for an unexpected curveball that came his way one day as he was in San Francisco and traveling in a taxicab to a church that had invited him to be their keynote speaker. And as he was in that taxicab, he couldn’t help but notice the crowded city streets that included people of so many different nationalities, cultures and backgrounds. 

     This people watching observation humbled him because in that moment, he realized how limited his perspective on faith really is. Yes, he was a known bible scholar who was in high demand as a keynote speaker, but in that moment in the tax-cab, it dawned on him that he was only one small part of the larger approach to the Christian faith. 

      That experience led him to become more aware of his own biases and assumptions in his understanding of the Bible and faith. That experience was a turning point for him because it forced him to ask some hard questions about his faith and it led him to a deeper humility to be more open to how other people view the world and faith. 

     In his own words, here is what Pete shares in his book about that curveball experience: 

     “I believe without question that God’s Presence was with me in that taxi, pulling the cozy covers off me, pushing me out of my slumber, and throwing me out into a cold, dark 5 a.m. wake-up shower. I knew deep down this jolt was just what I needed, but I was also very uneasy about where all this would go. How much would my understanding of God change? Is this the slippery slope I was always warned about? And what would people think of me if they ever found out? I was staring down into a dark hole. I knew I had to jump down, but with no guarantees of how deep the drop or what I would find once I hit bottom.

     I was living another curveball moment. I found myself wrestling with God, or at least with my understanding of God, which would lead me to adjust my view of God from a deity who draws thick lines to one who, in whatever mysterious ways, cares for all of us more deeply than I can fathom and who has all of creation in a relentless, loving embrace. That taxi ride, where my view of God was threatened, was actually a God moment. God upsetting my view of God – isn’t that something? And yet, that’s the way it works. It always has.”

     Pete then goes on to share in his book about how that curveball moment led him into a much more deeper and richer faith far beyond what he could have ever imagined. And it was simply because he was now willing to enter into uncharted territory that would lead him to begin a new ministry called, “The Bible for Normal People.” 

     It’s a podcast that includes interviews with a variety of theologians that address questions about the Bible and the Christian faith in general. This new ministry has helped many people of faith to have a safe space where they can ask questions about their faith that they may have been too afraid to ask and to learn more about differing ways of interpreting it. 

     Some of you might be familiar with the United Methodist resource, “Disciple Bible Study” which also helps people who may not have a seminary or theological background to look at their faith from a much wider perspective. 

     I have always found it interesting that the name, “Israel” literally means “to strive with God.” We get this from the story of when Jacob wrestled with the angel all night and in the morning, God changed his name from “Jacob” to “Israel.”

     To be God’s people literally means that we are a people who wrestle with God because we are never done growing in our faith and of our understanding of who God is. This is actually a very Methodist thing to do because John Wesley believed that God’s sanctifying grace is always seeking to shape and mold us into the people God has called us to be. 

     And that often means pushing us out of our comfort zones so that spiritual growth can happen. Wesley referred to this as “moving onto perfection.” To move onto perfection means to wrestle with God, to ask questions about our faith, and to be open to new understandings and perspectives.

     And maybe that’s what is going on when we experience life’s curveballs along our faith journey. They force us to adjust and rethink our faith so that it will lead us to have a more well-rounded faith.

     The Israelites were facing a curveball during their journey through the wilderness. Even though God had freed them from slavery in Egypt, they now had to adjust to a new reality of what it means to trust and depend on God in a desolate and dry wilderness. And here in chapter 17, they are thirsty. And they are in need of another sign that God was still with them. 

     This leads Moses to turn to the Lord for help and he is instructed to take the shepherd’s rod that he had used to strike the Red Sea and strike a rock in which water will come out of it for the people to drink. 

     Our scripture reading today invites us to think about the curveballs that we face in our lives, especially when we are thirsty in the wilderness and wondering if God is present. Even though our faith is being challenged and our view of God is being expanded and taking us out of our comfort zones, the good news is that God is still with us. 

     God is with you as your face the curveballs of life. God is with you in the taxicab when you are overwhelmed at how much more there is to learn. God is with you when you are feeling unsettled in your faith.

     Today is world communion Sunday where we are invited to receive the bread and the cup and where we are reminded that Christians all around the world are receiving this holy meal. 

     I’ve always appreciated this day on the church calendar which is always on the 1^st Sunday of October because it reminds me that there is so much diversity in churches throughout the world. It’s always staggering to me when I am reminded on this day that the United Methodist Church is only one of 45,000 denominations in the world. 

     And we all don’t think alike, view the Bible in the same way, have the same style of worship, or speak the same language. This always humbles me, because like Pete Enns’ experience in the taxicab looking out at the diversity of people on his way to speak at a church, I kind of see this day as a curveball as well. But in a good way because the church and our faith is so much more diverse than my very limited perspective. Thank God for that!

     And yet out of the 2.4 billion Christians around the world, there is still a seat for little old me at this holy table, and there is also seat for you. As diverse as we are, we gather in humility as one church recognizing our many differences but also celebrating that we are one in Christ.  

Sunday (October 1/World Communion Sunday) Pastoral Prayer (Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC)

October 1, 2023

O God, on this World Communion Sunday, we are humbled to remember that our our church is only one of 380,000 churches in this country alone and our denomination is one of 45,000 denominations throughout the world. 

 

We represent many different languages, styles of worship, theological leanings, and approaches to ministry. We even have many different names to refer to the Sacrament that we are about to receive today - Holy Communion, the Mass, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper. Your church is so diverse!

 

And yet on this first Sunday in October each year, we are reminded of what unites us even with all of our diversity; your love that has been made known to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and is present with us through the power and presence of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for this good news of our faith that we share together!

 

This is the good news of our faith that is shared every time we receive the bread and the cup. It is what truly makes us one throughout the world. 

 

We are also grateful for how prayer makes us one as well. And so, we lift up to you your Body of Christ throughout the world that we would be faithful in loving and serving you. 

 

Unite our congregation, as different as we each may be, and help us grow in being the visible expression of Christ’s love for our community and world. Bless those of our congregation who are unable to be with us today, including those who are traveling, those who are shut-in, and those who are facing health issues.  For all who are on our church’s prayer list as well as others who are on our hearts this morning, may your gracious and comforting presence bless and surround each of them. 

 

And now, we join Christians from all around the world in praying these words that Jesus taught us to say together…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.