Online Worship (May 1) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

May 1

(3rd Sunday of Easter)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Bumping into St. Paul in Heaven (A Theological Conversation about the Future of the United Methodist Church)

You probably know some jokes about the person who meets St. Peter at the pearly gates, like this one for example:

A man walks up to the pearly gates. St. Peter asks, “How did you get here?” The man answers, “Flu.”

Now that you’ve had your religious humor for the day, these Pearly Gate jokes got me to thinking of what it would it be like to bump into St. Paul in heaven. By the way, would bumping into one of the apostles in heaven be kind of like bumping into a celebrity here on earth? Would we be star-struck and blurt out something really bizarre or will it feel more like an even playing field? 

As we ponder this deep mystery, here is how a chance meeting with St. Paul in heaven might go.

“Oh my. You’re…you’re…you’re…”

“St. Paul, but just call me Paul. Welcome to heaven. New here?”

“Yep. Just arrived a while back, getting adjusted. Hey, since I ran into you and I’m sure you get asked this all the time but can you explain some things to me that were a little confusing down on earth? You said a lot of things in your letters regarding topics like slavery, women in ministry, homosexuality. I’m assuming you know that these topics have led to some heated conversations in a lot of different denominations. The topic of LGBTQ has been the pressing issue the past several decades for us. So which one of us is right? Conservatives or Progressives?”

“Want the short answer? Neither.” “Uh, OK. Let me rephrase. Which side is more correct?”

“Same answer. Neither. What denomination did you say you were down there?”

“United Methodist.”

“Oh, yeah. That explains it.” “Explains what?” “Well, you all make theological decisions as a group like the early church theologians did in forming the creeds so you’re bound to have heated conversations even after something has been decided. I give you Wesley types credit for group discernment because some denominations and non-denominations don’t even allow differing opinions.”

“Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but based on your letters… by the way Philippians is my favorite…anyway, sometimes, you come across as an arrogant *#%!” Like for example, you wrote that homosexuality is a sin even using the word, ‘abomination’ and women should be silent in worship. Really, those big issues and you didn’t elaborate even just a little? And then on the other hand, why didn’t you just come out and say that slavery should be abolished for good? I know that you said that in Christ there are no longer slaves or free, which is a great theological statement but you didn’t go far enough in terms of slavery as an institution in my humble opinion. That would have at least made it a little harder for southern slave holders to justify owning slaves.”

“OK, Ok, I hear you. My bad. I get that these issues are way more nuanced depending on when you are living, but I was living out this new Jesus faith during the 1st century, like over 2,000 years before your time! Ok? Times were different then, like REALLY different. Slavery was part of society, period. Women’s roles were defined by the Greco-Roman culture, period. It would have been way too much of a stretch to introduce all of these changes at once not to mention anticipating what you would all be dealing with several centuries later. That’s why I wrote what I did about those issues.”

“And by the way, before you get too sanctimonious, that’s what your denomination and hundreds of others have been doing over the years. Like, wasn’t it your denomination in the 1800s that split over bishops owning slaves? Tell me how that wasn’t clear cut for y’all. And while I’m at it, your Book of Discipline as late as the 1940s didn’t even allow your clergy to officiate at the wedding of someone who was divorced unless it was clearly due to adultery. Like really?? We’re talking middle of the 20th century and you STILL were dealing with that issue and it took several decades before you finally loosened up on that one. And women in pastoral ministry, not until the 1950s? Are you kidding me? I know that wasn’t the most enlightened era of human history, but again, it’s not like you were living during the 1st century!”

“And don’t get me started about gay marriage and ordination. I know the Bible touches on those issues like 6 out of the 32,000 verses. God expects us to wrestle with these issues in the time we’re living by interpreting scripture through the lenses of tradition, reason, and experience, which if I’m not mistaken is what you call the quadrilateral approach. You don’t get a free pass, my friend. You have to do the hard work in your lifetime, too. And admittedly, that’s often a very messy, contentious, and gut-wrenching process which you know all too well. Believe me, been there, done that! You’re the ones that have to live with yourselves in trying to explain how suppressing someone’s sexual orientation and desire for intimacy is a good thing. And simply saying that God gives every gay person the gift of celibacy sounds theologically weak to me, but again, not my battle.”

“If I was living out my faith in the 21st century, who knows what letters I might have written or I guess you call it blogging, now. But my point is that in my writings I was setting a trajectory of what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus and part of the Jesus community in the time that I was living. And yes, I get asked this all the time. Absolutely, I did my best to write in such a way that anticipated how people might read this in the future, but cut me some slack because I really thought Jesus was going to return way before your century, like even in my lifetime. Sorry if I sound so defensive.”

“Did any of this answer your question? What was your question again?”

“Not really, but if you don’t mind telling me, where does St. Peter like to hang out up here?”

Holy Hump Day (April 27) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Music & Faith Reflections

Online Worship (April 24) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

April 24

(2nd Sunday of Easter)

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]

Holy Hump Day (April 20) with Pastor Robert

Today’s Focus:

Reflections on Our Season of Lent

Series on “The Making of a Disciple”

Sermon (April 17/Easter) by Rev. Robert McDowell

 

    During these past several weeks, we have been focusing on the theme, “The Making of a Disciple.” We have been seeking to grow in what it means to be disciples of Jesus.     

     The inspiration for this series of being made into disciples is based on a book that my family had in our house when I was a child. The title of that book was, “Disciples are Made, Not Born.” 

     I have always found that title intriguing because it implies that being a disciple of Jesus requires effort on our part. While it’s true that we are saved by grace alone, it’s also true that becoming more like Jesus is a life long process that requires discipline and practice on our part.

     This is why over these past several weeks of Lent, we have been focusing on being made into the hope-filled, generous, worshipful, grace-filled, Jesus-centered, faithful, and servant-like disciples that God is calling each one of us to be.

     When we think of Jesus’ disciples, we tend to think of his male disciples like Peter, Andrew, James, and John. All twelve of Jesus’ disciples were men. Often overlooked are the women who followed Jesus throughout his ministry.

     From the time Jesus was born to when he died on a cross and placed in a tomb, women played a prominent role in Jesus’ ministry. From womb to tomb, as they say.

     In the Christmas story, Mary, the mother of Jesus cradled him in her arms and offered him protection and nourishment. Another Mary would end up anointing Jesus with expensive perfume, wiping them away with her tears of devotion. There were also the women who remained at the cross when most of the male followers of Jesus had fled out of fear and disappointment. 

     And today on Easter Sunday, the spotlight is again on the women disciples of Jesus because they are the ones who came to the tomb early on that first Easter morning to pay their respects. This beautiful stained glass window reveals the faithfulness of the women disciples of Jesus especially on that first Easter morning. 

     In John’s account of the Easter story, Mary Magdalene takes center stage. She is the first person to find the tomb empty. Mary then quickly runs to tell two of the men about this news. They both run as fast as they could to see for themselves.

     When the two men arrive, they confirm what Mary had told them, that the tomb was empty. But then we are told that they went back to their homes because as John tells us, they did not understand the scriptures that he must rise from the dead.

     Thank God for Mary, who unlike those two disciples was willing to linger at the empty tomb on that first Easter morning even though there were so many unanswered questions. Did somebody remove Jesus’ body from the tomb? Who could have removed such a large stone? Or was there some other explanation? All of these thoughts must have been swirling through Mary’s mind.

     The fact that Mary decided to remain at the tomb after the two disciples simply left tells me a lot about Mary. She seemed to understand more about being a disciple than anyone else we find in the gospel accounts. If being a disciple is about being someone who is hope-filled, generous, worshipful, grace-filled, Jesus-centered, faithful, and servant-like, Mary fits the description!

     British novelist, Sarah Maitland offers this thought provoking commentary about Mary Magdalene and the other women disciples of Jesus who played such an important part of Jesus’ ministry that sadly gets overlooked:

     She writes that they have become known as vital witnesses “not because of some casual chance but because they got out of bed early and got on with the job.” 

     She goes on to write, “Even the gospel writer, John who does not seem to have Luke’s predisposition to pay attention to women’s roles, records that after seeing the empty tomb, Peter and John went home; Mary Magdalene encountered the Risen Christ precisely because she stayed awake, stayed put, kept weeping; a model for all Christians, lay or ordained.”

    And because Mary got out of bed early and got on with the job of being a disciple of Jesus, she encountered the Risen Christ. And when Jesus told her to go and tell the other disciples, that is exactly what she did. 

     Unlike some of the other disciples, (looking at you Peter, James, John, Andrew, and the rest of you twelve male disciples,) … Mary knew when to linger at the empty tomb, and when to leave the empty tomb and become the first person to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection with others.  This is why Mary is known as the Apostle to the Apostles, the first disciple to share the Easter faith with others. We have Mary to thank for this.

     Christian author and speaker Rachel Held Evans who died just a couple of years ago wrote these words about her gratitude to Mary. She writes, “I am a Christian because of women. We are here because Mary said, ‘yes.’”

     Often, it is the women who lead the way in teaching us to share our faith with others.

      Rev. Kabamba Kiboko is a gifted United Methodist pastor in our West Ohio Conference. For the past several years, she has served as lead pastor at Forest Chapel United Methodist Church in Cincinnati. 

     Rev. Kabamba was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and she became the first clergy woman ordained in the Southern Congo Conference back in 1983.

     Before she became pastor of Forest Chapel United Methodist Church, the congregation was predominately white even though the neighborhood around them had become much more racially diversified. The congregation began a several year journey in seeking ways to share the good news of Jesus with their changing neighborhood. 

     They began to engage more with a Bhutanese group that had been holding native language classes in their church building. As the people of the church began to get to know them, they began to share their faith with them. 

     This past May on Pentecost Sunday, 77 people from the Bhutanese community became members of Forest Chapel United Methodist Church. And then a few months later, 10 more Bhutanese teenagers were also baptized. 

     When I read about this remarkable story, I remember thinking to myself how sharing our faith with others can be even more contagious than a global virus. When we share our Easter faith with others, we are sharing a life-transforming story that offers hope, forgiveness, peace, and God’s saving grace.

     The early Christians had a shorthand way of sharing the good news of their Easter faith with others when they said, “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” We say those same words whenever we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion. What wonderful words of faith! “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.”

     We also share our faith by letting people know our “Thin Place Moments,” those holy moments when we experience God’s presence in our day to day living. We refer to them as “Thin Place Moments” because this was a phrase used by Celtic Christianity in describing how heaven and earth often overlap creating this thin place where we experience God’s presence in our lives. 

      These thin place moments are not always dramatic like when the Risen Christ greeted Mary by the empty tomb. Thin Place Moments are often small and subtle reminders of God’s presence in our lives. When we share these holy moments with others, we grow in what it means to be the faith sharers that God is calling us to be.

     A pastor friend of mine who is now retired and living out of state will call me once in a while just to see how I’m doing. Fifteen to twenty years ago, she and I served churches that were near each other and during that time, she taught me a lot about being a disciple of Jesus.

     In particular, she taught me to become more aware of social justice issues both locally and globally. She also challenged me to not just preach pastoral sermons but to also be more prophetic and challenging in the pulpit even if that means rubbing people the wrong way. I think of her when God is nudging me to preach on more controversial topics.

     She also encouraged me to be more intentional in having conversations with people in the community like the cashier at the grocery story, the waiter in the restaurant, and the neighbor down the street. And not only engage in conversations but to also offer to pray for them.

     One day, we drove together with some other pastors to a clergy meeting that was held in Columbus. I volunteered to drive. 

     When we began our hour long drive home after the meeting, we were all thirsty so we pulled into a fast food drive-thru. After we placed our order, Terry who was sitting in the passenger seat said to me, “Now, when we drive up to the window, ask the person if they have any prayer needs and then offer a short prayer for them.”

     And I said, “I’m not going to do that!” And she said, “yes you will. I do it all the time!”

     I pull up to the drive thru window. I hand the person the money, I look over at Terry and she’s giving me that look. You will do this!

     I muster up all the courage I can find in that moment, and I asked the guy at the window, “Hey, how are you? Uh, um, I’d be glad to offer a quick prayer for you. Do you have any prayer needs today?” 

     My face is red. I’m hyperventilating. Totally out of my comfort zone. I’m much better at this behind a pulpit or inside a church, but not so much in a fast food drive-thru with cars behind me.

     And to my great surprise, the guy at the window says, “Thanks for asking. I would appreciate some prayer. I just found out that I won’t be able to see my son for a while because he’s with his mom and their out of state. I miss him so much.”

     I saw his name on his employee badge, and there in that drive-thru, I somehow mustered the courage of Mary in that moment, and I offered a prayer for Brian and for his son to know of God’s peace since they were separated from each other.

     After that brief prayer, he said, “thanks!”, had a great big smile, handed me our drinks, and thanked me for that prayer.  

     And as we started to drive away, my friend looked over at me, tapped me on my shoulder and she said, “I’m so proud of you! ! I’ll make a Christian out of you yet!”

The Making of a Disciple: Faith Sharers

Sermon Discussion Questions

John 20:1-18

April 17, 2022

During the Season of Lent, we have been focusing on the theme, “The Making of a Disciple” and 8 vital aspects of what it means to be Jesus’ disciples. These include being hope-filled (March 6), being generous (March 13), being worshipful (March 20), being grace-filled (March 27), being Jesus-Centered (April 3), being faithful (April 10), being servant-like (April 14), and this week for Easter Sunday our focus is on being faith-sharers.

Share how you have been seeking to grow in being a disciple of Jesus who is hope-filled, generous, worship, grace-filled, Jesus-Centered, faithful, and servant-like. Which of these areas are you finding the most challenging?

For this week, Easter Sunday, we conclude our series by reflecting on what it means to be faith sharing disciples of Jesus. The Easter story is good news! Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we share in his victory over sin and death and we look forward to that time when the Risen Christ returns again to set up God’s reign on earth. One of the ways the early Christians shared this good news with others was by simply saying this line which we say together every time we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion. “Christ is dead. Christ is risen. Christ will come again!”

What does this ancient statement of faith mean to you and why is this “good news?”

Another way that we share the good news of our faith with others is by telling them our “thin place moments.” These are holy moments in which God’s presence was made known to us in our day to day living. If we believe that the good news of Easter means that the Risen Christ is alive, then it’s important for us to be aware of how he is present in our lives.

Share a recent “thin place moment” in which you experience the presence of the Risen Christ in your life.

For our focus on what it means to be faith sharing disciples of Jesus, we turn to Mary Magdalene in our reading from John, chapter 20. Mary teaches us what it means to be a disciple by the way she was willing to visit the tomb on that first Easter morning. When she found the tomb empty, she immediately went to tell two of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Those two disciples left the tomb but Mary stayed there and the Risen Christ appeared to her. Jesus told her to go and tell the others that he is risen. Mary went immediately to share her faith with others. This is why she is known as the Apostle to the Apostles.

What are some specific ways that we can share our faith with others?

The women disciples of Jesus played a very key role in Jesus’ life and ministry. Pastor Robert shared his thoughts on this in the sermon: 

“In the Christmas story, Mary, the mother of Jesus cradled him in her arms and offered him protection and nourishment. Another Mary would end up anointing Jesus with expensive perfume, wiping them away with her tears of devotion. There were also the women who remained at the cross when most of the male followers of Jesus had fled out of fear and disappointment.”

Name the women in your life who have helped you to have a stronger faith. 

Close your time with this prayer from our Easter Sunday worship service:

Risen Christ, we joyfully sing “alleluia” on this Easter morning because your tomb is empty! You are risen! We are your Easter people! Alleluia! On this glorious day in which you have defeated sin and death, we join Mary in proclaiming this good news for all to hear. Remove our shyness and loosen our tongues. May the joy of this day lead us to being the faith sharing disciples you call us to be. Amen.

Online Worship (April 17) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our 

April 17/Easter Sunday 

online worship service!

Athens First UMC

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

[Live-Stream Begins @ 10:25 AM]