From The Pastor's Pen

The Dreaded "E" Word

5/28/2015

     I'm preparing for a June sermon series based on Bill Hybel's books, Becoming a Contagious Christian and Just Walk Across the Room, and I was touched by a couple of paragraphs he wrote in the Introduction to the latter book:
     "...one thing I've learned is that life's greatest moments evolve from simple acts of cooperation with God's mysterious promptings--nudges that always lean toward finding what's been lost and freeing what's been enslaved.
     "The adventure of collaborating with God involves bestowing the greatest gift a person can receive--the gift of amazing grace--on undeserving (and often unsuspecting) people like you and me" (p. 16).
     These words reminded me of some sage advice I received from my first District Superintendent, The Rev. Susan Hagans," "God is almost always found in the interruptions in my schedule. Pay attention to those interruptions." Over the years, I've never forgotten her saying this to me and many times I have been surprised by the divine appointments found in interruptions to my plans.
     Generally, I come to the office with a list of things I want to accomplish during any particular day. I've made plans about what I will get done that day. But rarely do I allow time or plan time in my schedule to encounter God...God is always the one who initiates the encounter (usually found by interrupting my plans)!
     So for the next four weeks, beginning Sunday, June 14, we'll be talking about that much feared and dreaded word "evangelism"...personal evangelism in the 21st century.
     What if you knew that by simply crossing the room and saying hello to someone, you could change that person's forever? Just a few steps could make an eternal difference. It has nothing to do with methods and everything to do with taking a genuine interest in another human being. All you need is a heart that's in tune with the Holy Spirit and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone and into another person's life.
     Your faith journey, your personal faith story, may not be as dramatic as Jesus stepping down from heaven 2000 years ago to bring hope and redemption to broken people or Paul's blinding encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, but it can have a life-changing impact for someone standing a few steps from you--and for you as well, as you learn the power of extending care, compassion, and inclusiveness under the guidance of the Holy Spirit...allowing God to use you in the interruptions to your already busy life.
     I look forward to seeing you and sharing ways God is moving in our lives to bring others to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!

                                                                   Pastor Jean

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"Lord, teach us to pray." ~Luke 11:1

4/7/2015

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    The first followers of Jesus needed prayer guidance...it's the only tutorial they ever requested. And when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a prayer. Jesus didn't give them a lecture or a doctrine, He gave them a quotable, repeatable, portable prayer.
    A new three-week sermon series will begin on Sunday, April 12th on the topic of prayer. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt a deep need for prayer...you're in a tough spot, you've gotten a difficult diagnosis, hit a deer with your car an hour from home? I love technology because I can send a prayer request via email from virtually anywhere in the world and it will arrive on the computers and/or smart phones of my closest friends and prayer warriors, and people begin praying almost immediately.
    So I got to thinking, how does prayer work? Is it like an email...we send signals from a visible world to an invisible one, in hopes that Someone receives them?
    Everyone has some form of prayer...even atheists find ways to pray. We pray because we want to thank someone or something for the beauties and glories of life, and also because we feel small and helpless and sometimes afraid. We pray for forgiveness, for strength, for contact with the One who is, for assurance that we aren't alone.
    Thomas Merton wrote, "Prayer is an expression of who we are...We are a living incompleteness. We are a gap, an emptiness that calls for fulfillment." According to Gallup polls, more Americans will pray this week than will exercise, drive a car, have sex, or go to work. Nine in ten of us pray regularly, and three out of four claim to pray every day.
    In theory prayer is the essential human act, a priceless point of contact with the God of the universe. However, in practice prayer is often confusing and fraught with frustration.
    So for three Sundays in April, we'll talk about prayer and strive to more fully understand the privilege we've been given to take our joys and concerns before the throne of God. We will journey through this discovery together as we all seek to grow in our spiritual connection with our Creator and the One who knows and loves us more than we can possibly comprehend.
                                         "Master, teach us to pray."   ~Luke 11:1, The Message

                                                         A pilgrim along with you on this journey,
                                                                             Pastor Jean

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In the tomb...

4/4/2015

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"Jesus said, 'It is finished!' Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit...Afterward Joseph of Arimathea...asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus' body down. When Pilate gave him permission, he came and took the body away...And so, because it was the day of preparation before the Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there." ~John 19:30, 38, 42, NLT

    That's where we left things on Good Friday...Jesus' body laying dead in the tomb, the stone rolled over the opening, and the disciples in hiding.
    It's Saturday. Jesus has been crucified and we remember His life and His tragic, torturous death. We, like the disciples, hide from the truth and the love of Jesus Christ. And we wait for Easter, for the promise of new life, and the hope of life eternal. On this Saturday after Good Friday and before Easter we feel like we're in a holding pattern...it's not Good Friday, but it's not Easter either.
    It's a new month...April...with all the promises of Spring just peeking their heads out from the cold earth. The robins and red-winged blackbirds have returned to Northern Michigan. We hear the distant cry of the sand hill cranes and we rejoice at the promise of Spring. But in early April in Northern Michigan, the weather is unpredictable...the calendar says it's Spring, and yet it's snowing and there are predictions of 2-4 inches of that horrible white stuff on Easter Sunday.
    And so we wait...we hold onto the promise of Spring and we hold onto the promise of new life in Jesus Christ...because we who know Jesus know the rest of the beautiful, amazing, love-filled story of a Savior who stretched out His arms, laid down His life, to bring us into relationship with a loving, compassionate, and grace-filled Father!
   To borrow and edit Tony Campolo's quote... "It's Saturday...but Sunday's coming!"
                            Looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow morning:
                                        Youth Easter Breakfast at 9 a.m. (freewill donations gladly accepted); and
                                        Worship with Holy Communion at 10:30 a.m.
                                                                He Lives!
                                                                Pastor Jean

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Work like it depends on us...pray like it depends on God!

2/24/2015

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"And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs." ~Mark 16:20, NLT

During this season of Lent I'm reading a wonderful devotional book entitled Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson, lead pastor of the National Community Church in Washington, D.C. I'm finding this book a real blessing.

I've been thinking about this act of prayer and so I began to ponder my own prayer life and that of those of you in the congregation: Do you talk to God at all? When you do, what do you talk about? Do you ask only to satisfy your desires? Do you seek God's approval for what you already plan to do?

In James 4:2-3: "You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James, the brother of Jesus and a leader in the Jerusalem church, mentions the most common problems in prayer: not asking, asking for the wrong things, asking for the wrong reasons.

In my devotional time this morning, I read this passage from the Gospel of Mark: "And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs." Pastor Batterson pointed out something I hadn't noticed before. The disciples acted (went and preached everywhere God called them to go) and then people witnessed "many miraculous signs" as a confirmation of their faithfulness. So often we pray and wait for God to go first. That way we never have to exercise any faith at all. But we've got it backward. If we want to see God move, we need to make the first move.

Faith isn't a noun; it's a verb--an action verb. We can pray until our knees are numb; but if our praying isn't accompanied by acting, then we won't get anywhere. We need to put feet to our faith.

When Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt heading to the Promised Land, God commanded the priests to step into the Jordan River. It's one of the most counter-intuitive commands in Scripture: "When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river." Now, I don't know about you, but I don't really like to get my feet wet; I'd much rather have God part the river, so I can step into the miracle on solid ground. But if we aren't willing to get our feet wet, we'll never walk through parted rivers on dry ground.

In the next few weeks, the Ministry Audit Task Force will be looking at all of the ministries in which we, as a church, are involved. They will be discerning the effectiveness of those ministries in living out our mission and vision statements. We are going to need to make some changes--some things may need to be let go of, others will need some tweaking, and perhaps we'll see some new areas of ministry laid out before us. But in all of it we are striving to be faithful to "Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world" by "Joyfully proclaiming Jesus through love, prayer, and faith."

Did you notice that prayer and faith are two of our church's core values? Prayer is all well and good, but if we don't take that next step...that step of faith...we'll never see God part the Jordan River. But if we step into the river, God will part it. So I invite you to step into the river with me. Watch what God will do next. I know it will be miraculous!

                                                    Lenten blessings,
                                                            Pastor Jean

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Mark Your Calendars

1/27/2015

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Wednesday, February 18, 2015        Community Ash Wednesday Service
                                                                St. John Lutheran Church, 3815 S. Morey Road, Lake City
                                                                Soup Supper: 5:45 p.m.        Service: 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 22, 2015                First Sunday of Lent, Worship at 10:30 a.m.
                                                                Lenten Sermon Series Begins: The God Story
                                                            6:30 p.m. - Lenten Bible Study
                                                                24 Hours that Changed the World - Youth & Adults
                                                                Walk His Ways - Children Grades K-6
                                                                 Nursery Provided
Friday, April 3, 2015                            Community Good Friday Service, 12 Noon
                                                                Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 5842 W. Houghton Lake Rd. Sunday, April 5, 2015                          Easter Sunday Worship/Communion, 10:30 a.m.
                                                                Lake City United Methodist Church, 301 E. John Street

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Lenten Sermon Series

1/27/2015

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    Do you ever feel as though your life is a movie or a great story? Do you pretend? A lot? Do you ever pretend that you're the hero of your story and there are bad guys and good guys, and you fight for the good side, of course? Even at home or at work or wherever, you're pretending...it's part of your adventure, your story, of which you are the star?
    G. K. Chesterton said, "I had always felt life first as a story; and if there's a story there's a storyteller."
I'm part of the God story, and you are too.
    It can be easy to look at the Bible as a haphazard collection of sixty-six books from different eras, different regimes, and different authors, written with different intents.
    It can be equally easy to see our fragmented lives as a haphazard collection of events with little to nothing holding it all together.
    Neither one of these vantage points is accurate.
    I believe our lives change when we see the threads that run through the great story of God's people found in the Bible, and when we see our lives as a continuation of that story.
    If there's something in you that says where you are right now is not how the story is supposed to end, then you need to hear The God Story.
    The God Story sermon series will give us the opportunity to spend seven weeks walking through the story of the Bible. Clearly the whole story can't be told in such a short time, but this series will focus on the connections between figures and events in the Bible that sometimes seem disconnected. People new to Christianity or unfamiliar with the Bible will be enriched by this dynamic exploration of Scripture showing how all of history and our own lives today are part of God's great story.
    My prayer is that you'll plan on being in worship each Sunday in Lent (beginning February 22nd) and that you'll prayerfully consider who you might invite to join you as we make this journey through the amazing story of God.
                                                            Blessings,
                                                                Pastor Jean

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Christmas "Under Wraps"

11/25/2014

"The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood." ~John 1:14, The Message

December, already? And we're already in the midst of the Advent Season--the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day. It's a special time for believers because it challenges us to pause and remember the hope we have during a stressful season that all too often emphasizes greed and money.

Advent allows us the time and space to refocus our hearts and minds on Jesus. It's a gift--a time to reflect, meditate, and pray, asking God to do a great work in our hearts as we remember anew the great gift that has been given to us through God's Son. And God expects something amazing to happen in our lives at Christmas.

During this year's Advent season I'm preaching a sermon series entitled "Under Wraps: The Gift We Never Expected." We will be reflecting together on how the character of God, communicated through the Old Testament, is revealed completely and perfectly in Jesus. The four characteristics of God are that He is expectant, dangerous, jealous, and faithful.

I invite you embrace this season of Advent expectantly, grabbing hold of the hope that is come--because God expects Christmas to change you. That's why He sent a Savior, born to change the world!

Blessings,
Pastor Jean

Store Up Your Treasures in Heaven

9/30/2014

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"Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don't eat them and where thieves don't break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
~Matthew 6:19-21

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Vision and Goal-Setting Workshop

9/1/2014

Vision/Goal-Setting Workshop

Saturday, September 6, 2014

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.*

Led by VCI Coach Rev. Mary Brown

The first prescription from our VCI Consultation Event dealt with Vision and Mission Alignment. And we were encouraged to hold a vision and goal-setting workshop.

Therefore, as we strive to become a more vital United Methodist congregation, everyone is invited to participate in this workshop as we develop a new vision for our church which will allow us to begin setting numeric and spiritual growth goals in various areas, including but not limited to: community outreach, faith development, leadership development, and worship. It is vital that we have as much input as possible…your voice needs to be heard!

Everyone is invited to attend!

*A $4.00 donation will cover cost of lunch (pizza, salad,

and a beverage)

It Must Be Fall...

9/1/2014

It’s nearly September and time to rev things up around here and ramp up our work on the Vital Church Initiative prescriptions!

Saturday, September 6th from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. there will be a Vision and Goal-Setting Workshop held at the church in the Fellowship Hall. See the details included in this newsletter!

One of our Vital Church Initiative prescriptions was to hold a church-wide study on discovering our individual spiritual gifts so that we might be able to encourage folks to serve the church in the areas of their giftedness. So, beginning Sunday, September 7th I will be preaching a three-week sermon series about spiritual gifts and our Bible studies will be working through the study Meeting God in the Scripture: Understanding Spiritual Gifts by Mary Lou Redding. Wednesday’s group meets in the Conference Room at 1 p.m. and Sunday evening’s group meets in the Conference Room at 6:30 p.m. beginning September 10 and 14. Even if you have not been a part of one of these groups in the past, please consider joining us this fall.

Also happening this fall, our annual Church Conference is scheduled for October 11th at 7:30 p.m. at the Cadillac United Methodist Church. The District Superintendent is doing something new this year by establishing HUBS in our district in an effort to help our churches connect with one another for support and perhaps collaborative ministry efforts. We are part of the Central HUB. The Church Conference is not simply a meeting to attend, but it is an event in which to participate. We will gather for dinner at 5 p.m. at Cadillac UMC and a presentation by the Rev. Molly Turner about Imagine No Malaria. At 6 p.m. there will be an opportunity to receive some leadership training (those sessions have not been fleshed out yet, so I will let you know details as soon as I receive them. Worship begins at 7 p.m. led by the Rev. Devon Herrell and the Ferris State University Wesley Foundation. And our Church Conference will take place at 7:30 p.m. Anyone interested in carpooling to Cadillac UMC, please meet at the church at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 11. I pray we can take several carloads of folk to this event.

Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18, there is another event entitled REACH Summit. This event is being held at the Crowne Plaza Lansing West Hotel. I have already registered for this event…it is another opportunity to learn and grow as we work through our Vital Church Initiative prescriptions. On Friday night the worship service is being led by Pastor Trey and the Urban Village Praise Band (from Urban Village Church in downtown Chicago). On Saturday there are five workshops focusing on Reaching Out (how to start a “2nd service” to attract new people); Reaching Up (how to reach unchurched people with new ministries); Reaching In (how to develop the most effective church systems); Reaching Across (how to reach more diverse people with your ministry); and Reaching Forward (exploring the vital church initiative to grow your church). My prayer is that many of you will consider participating in this opportunity. If you’d rather not stay overnight, consider just coming to Lansing on Saturday for the day! Registration and more information is online at REACHsummit.org.

Finally, please mark your calendar for the Grand Traverse District Conference which will take place on Saturday, November 8 at Traverse Bay United Methodist Church from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Dr. Carol Krau from the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville will be our keynote speaker.

Wow! What a busy few months…but all for the great cause of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!

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