Dave's Deep Thoughts - A Reunion to Remember

Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Not always....

I'm not sure why I went.

I hadn't been to any of the the others.

That would be my high school class reunion.

Many times, I just couldn't go.

I was either living out of the area,

or had a schedule conflict.

But truth be told,

I just didn't want to go.

Some people have fond memories of school,

 maintaining many friendships throughout life.

Not so much for me.

I do have small group of friends

with whom I have maintained friendship,

but for the most part,

I left high school in the rear view mirror.

My class didn't foster lots of warm fuzzy memories.

There was actually, a lot of painful moments my senior year.

People classified into jocks, band kids, ag and industrial arts kids and such.....

People treating others badly.

Typical adolescent behavior.

There was even a death via a car accident.

It was like a dark cloud followed us our senior year.

I mean that figuratively AND literally.

Our Homecoming game & dance

occured during a driving rain storm.

Our Snow Dance in the winter

was held in 36 degree weather with a touch of drizzle.

The Spring Prom......

let's just say that umbrellas and ponchos

were as in vogue as tuxes and gowns.

That left Graduation.

Did it rain, you ask?

Oh, not just rain,

there were hurricane warnings.

First graduating class in school history

to be rained off the athletic field.

The power went off during the ceremony

in the steamy, cramped auditorium.

They ran out of the fake diplomas by the letter W.

Someone fell off the back row of risers.

I'm not sure he or she ever made it to Pomp and Circumstance.

Oh, there were a lot of good memories, don't misunderstand me.

It's just that most of my deep friendships were fostered outside of my class.

35 years later,

with the urging of my best friend in high school,

I decided to attend the reunion.

In some ways, it was like any other reunion

that had passed the 15 year odometer.

Checking name tags very carefully.

Wondering how people could have changed so much....

Wondering why a certain few HADN'T changed so much.

Who had less hair,

who had more weight,

who had the most wrinkles.

I began to understand something

somewhere between the appetizers and the dessert.

People had changed.

Not just in physical appearance,

but they had changed internally.

Cheryl was seated at table #6.

Diagnosed with diabetes in high school,

Cheryl had physical diabilities that caused her

to live a less than typical high school experience.

She had had a small group of friends

who always helped her navigate the hallways

and other mazes of the daily school schedule.

But for the most part, she had been shunned and overlooked

by many who were too busy to stop and care.

35 years later,

Cheryl sat at table #6.

Legally blind now at the age of 53,

she allowed others to come to greet her.

And come they did.

Not just her close friends.

The jocks, the band kids, the ag & industrial arts kids,

kids now in their fifties.

50 something year old kids who realized how unkind they had been to Cheryl.

Fifty year olds who realized that THEY had missed out on the opportunity

 to know the goodness and grace of Cheryl.

Some apologized for their behavior in high school.

Others asked how she was doing.

Everyone said how good it was to see her. 

People had changed, for the better.

We had matured.

We had become something far better than we had been.

Life has a way of doing that.

Time has a way of nurturing that,

and God insists on that.

I think that is why God gives us time,

whether it be twenty, fifty, eighty, or even a hundred years.

He gives us time to be converted to His heart.

Time to learn how to live in His likeness,

time to live more for others than for self,

time to prepare us for life with Him.

Imagine what needs to be left behind at heaven's door.....

racism, selfishness, impatience,

whatever your shortcoming is.

Imagine hearing

"Please check your unChristlike attitudes and behaviors at the door

before you sit down to the heavenly banquet."

None who claim Christ in this life achieve His likeness fully on this side.

But when we go to our heavenly reunion,,

we will take on His likeness fully.

In heaven, there are no band kids, no jocks, no ag kids,

there is one fellowship.

Though our flaws won't keep us out of heaven,

won't it be better if we have less of them to surrender at the gates?

And won't it make life on this side,

closer to the Kingdom that God intends for us right now?

The more things change,

the more like Christ we can become.

Great reunion with my classmates.

Oh, it rained that night.

Some things NEVER change.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;

the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come."

                                                                   2 Corinthians 5:17

New Christmas "Eve-Eve" Candlelight Service

Is it too early to be thinking about Christmas? Well, maybe, since it’s not even Thanksgiving yet! On the other hand, it’s not too early because our church will be adding a fourth service to our Christmas Eve schedule and we want to spread the word early.

This additional service is being called our “Christmas Eve-Eve service” and will be held the day before Christmas Eve on Monday, December 23, 7:30 pm in our Sanctuary. This service will be similar to our 5:30 pm, 8:00 pm, &11:00 pm Christmas Eve services including the candle lighting, the singing of “Silent Night” and a hope-filled Christmas message.

Our Worship Team has agreed to offer this additional service to help us reach even more people in our community with the good news of the Christmas message. By offering this new service, we believe that it will help to free up parking and worship seating space for the other services.

There also might be some other benefits. We have already heard some church members share that by providing this “Eve-Eve” service, they will be able to attend since they often travel out of town on Christmas Eve.

Please spread the word about our Christmas Eve-Eve and our Christmas Eve candlelight worship services. I know it’s a little early to be talking about Christmas, but it will be here before we know it.

For now, let’s enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and thank God for our many blessings.

Gratefully Yours,

Pastor Robert

Sunday Scripture Commentary for November 17

November 17 Sermon – “Faith Trek”

Isaiah 65:17-25

Our scripture reading this morning is one of the most beautiful poetic visions in the entire Bible. The prophet Isaiah shares this hope filled vision with God's people, who, having returned from exile, are wondering if there is any future left for them.

V. 17 – New heavens and a new earth – This is the ultimate hope of the Christian faith. One day, God will renew all of creation. This phrase is used in Revelation 21:1.

V. 18 – The people can rejoice now because God is already creating this vision for the future. The future is breaking into the present!

VV. 19-24 – Offers us signs of this future vision breaking into the present. No more weeping, cries of distress, short life spans, building of houses, vineyards, fruit, protection from invaders, satisfaction in work, protection of future generations, God’s prevenient grace - the grace that extends to us even before we are aware of it! (v. 24.) Hints of this hope filled future surround us in our present situations.

V. 25 – Refers to the future time when the new heavens and new earth will be completed. A sign of this is that the animal kingdom will live in peace and harmony. This is similar to the vision offered in Isaiah 11:6-9.

Thoughts on this Text:

1.     The good news of the Christian faith is that one day, God will set everything right. Justice and peace will completely fill this earth (new heavens and new earth.) In scripture passages like this, God reminds us of this future again and again.

2.     Jesus inaugurated this future vision through the cross and the empty tomb. Jesus’ resurrection was the advanced sign of this future vision.

3.     In the present, we still live in a world of pain and brokenness, but there are also signs of this future   vision as we live in the present.

4.     Isaiah invites us to live into this new future that God has prepared for us.

Sunday Worship Preview - December 1 (1st Sunday of Advent)

Sunday, December 1 - (9:00 & 10:30 Services); Wednesday, December 4  (6:30 pm Casual Service @ Crossroads, 2095 Fair Avenue)

Sermon - "Hope…Next Year Things Will Be Different"

Features - 1st Sunday of Advent & Holy Communion

Scripture - Isaiah 2:1-5 & Matthew 24:36-44

Theme - We focus on living into eternal hope, carrying that hope for others, and knowing that no matter what we go through, we are never alone.

Sermon by Pastor Cheryl Foulk (November 10) - "What Do You See?"

Sometimes on fall nights I like to look at the sky and enjoy the beauty of the heavens.

In 1996 astronomers at the Hubble Space Telescope picked a portion of the sky that seemed to be a dark patch. The focused the lens of the Hubble for 10 days on this area. Where they originally had seen nothing, now there were galaxies- more than 3000 of them. They continued to discover an endless array of galaxies as they looked even deeper into space.

The sky which had first looked empty was in fact full of heavenly objects. Their initial perception had been wrong. Our vision may need to be changed when evaluating the stars. Our vision may need to be changed  when looking at our everyday circumstances.

The Biblical character that we will study today is the prophet Haggai (6^th century BCE)

The people of Israel had been taken captive to Babylon and were gone for 50 years. And now as refugees they have returned back home and are rebuilding their lives. They have been back for about 20 years constructing their houses, planting gardens, raising families. The community is coming back to life but there is very visible problem. Haggai asks some crucial questions . He says to them: “What do you see when you look at this place?” The settlement is there but there is no restored Temple.

Let's review the history: Many years before King Solomon had built a magnificent Temple with craftsmen and materials from throughout the middle east. It was the showplace of Jerusalem and it had been destroyed  in war with Babylon.

When the Israelites had come home, they had the intention of rebuilding the Temple. But it hadn't happened as expected. All that was there after 20 years were some foundation stones.

What was going on? What was preventing their progress?

People were focused on their own needs and were trying to make new lives for themselves.

There was also conflict and disagreement over the rebuilding of the Temple. Communities don't always agree on what should be built, or what is needed. We know that. Neighbors can have heated discussions about the building of schools, or half way houses, or low income housing. There was not a consensus in Jerusalem.

Haggai asks them: What do you see? A discouraging pile of building materials? An impossible job to replace such  the beautiful structure  of Solomon's temple? Or do you see a place where there will be praise and reminders of God's presence with us?               

There is a small  congregation outside Dallas, Texas called Church of Our Savior which is located in a struggling neighborhood. Members asked themselves the question, “If we didn't exist anymore, would it matter to our neighbors?” They came to the conclusion: probably not.

Some of them began to look around and saw that what they did have was 4 acres of land. Someone else saw that there were no nearby stores for people to get fresh produce. Why not plant a garden?

They began a community project; in the first year they raised over 1000 pounds of vegetables which were given to the neighborhood food bank. In the 8 years of this endeavor, they  estimate that over 20 tons of food have been grown.

 One of the members stated: “It is awesome to see what God can do with a little bit of nothing! ” Their neighbors have joined them in gardening.

They went from being the church that few know about to being a church that has affected the well being of their neighborhood as they shared  the love of Christ.

Haggai was not an engineer or an architect; he was not the governor or the high priest. He drew them all together. He was a person with good vision who encouraged others to look and imagine with him.

He invited them to stand back and see the whole picture.

Didn't God need to hold first place in their lives?

Didn't their community need a place to gather for prayer and for study and for worship?

They needed a place to get their bearings. How would their children know about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?

It was time to rebuild the Temple and they could do it. God’s Spirit was with them.                    

We think about places that have experienced destruction and then work so hard to put their communities back together. We are grateful for those who go and help with the cleanup and the healing and the rebuilding. We are grateful for those who speak out with voices of courage, who can see beyond insurmountable odds, who believe that the future holds hope.

The congregation of Living Waters UMC, Centerton Arkansas experienced a crisis when their building was severely damaged by arson. For two years, they have met at a nearby school and tried to put the pieces back together. Their pastor Blake Lasater was in the Navy Reserve and had been deployed to Iraq . This war veteran faced a greater challenge when he had to lead his people back from the ashes. Insurance company wanted them to rehab the old building with all the damage.

They looked around at their community, and asked what was needed here. What do we see? Oldest member of the congregation Miss Anna encouraged them to go for a new building. Their old building had stairs and barriers to ministry. A new building held more possibilities  and they listened to her .

In September they celebrated the opening of their new space with a party for the community. Floor plans include a large room for their food pantry and a room for a medical clinic that will be staffed by two retired doctors. They believe that God continues to bring new life even in difficult situations.

Haggai's words to the Israelites may have seemed foolish, and impractical when he told them that God wanted them to build a Temple that would be even more glorious than Solomon's. They were starting with a pile of rocks and few resources, and little expectation. He also told them that God was with them and that they should not be afraid. God had brought them back home and they still were to be a light to the nations.

As they put stone upon stone their faith became visible.

When we hear those words in Scripture “ I am with you , do not be afraid” then be prepared ! There will be hard work and adventure and  difficulties!

These words are God’s code for some big plans ahead...

Spoiler alert: They did rebuild the Temple in about 5 years after Haggai's challenge and encouragement. This temple was dedicated in about 515 BCE.  

A place of worship continued in Jerusalem thru the centuries. King Herod of the early first century did a massive restoration of the temple. Jesus came there as a boy and as an adult with his disciples.             

And now centuries later, there are some remnants of a wall from the Temple which exist in Jerusalem today and people of many faiths and traditions come there to pray for peace. This reminds me of Isaiah’s prophesy: “these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house and it will be a house of prayer for all nations."

              What do we see when we look around us?

How do we show that God presence is here?

Have we gotten distracted by busyness and our own needs?

What needs to be rebuilt in our lives , in our home town?

What spiritual needs can we address? Whose lives are hurting?

Who will do something about it?

Whose voice will offer encouragement?

What do we see?

Are we able to trust that God is with us and will provide what is needed? 

Let us be builders- who help repair what is broken, who strengthen what is weak,  and who believe what ought to be -can be.