June 2014 - Pastor's Reflection

Dear Congregation,
          I write this month’s newsletter message with all the mixed emotions that inevitably are a part of saying good-bye to people who have been a part of my life. Soon I will no longer be your pastor as I take up that task in another place. You have taught me many things during these two years. Some of these things I will treasure in my heart, some I will ponder in spirit and some I will work hard to leave behind. But I leave confident that God will continue to be present in the faithful remnant of the church. Please pray for your new pastor as he comes to lead you into a new chapter of your life together.
          Leaving a community of people that has become dear, and some of which have become friends, is not easy. I know that in the days to come, I will continue to feel like your pastor. There is something of grieving in this. It may be tempting to try to keep up with the life of Mt. Nebo United Methodist Church — the community of faith of which my own life was so much a part. I suspect that some of that same thing might be true on the part of some of you as well — that it will take some time before someone else becomes “pastor”.
          We can serve each other in this process. Our connectional system has had a good deal of
experience in this business of “saying good-bye” to a pastor. We have developed good guidelines, good boundaries, that can help us both to do this in a way that brings honor to the ministry I have tried to do among you and to bring closure and health to the church. Most basic in the guidelines is the simple reminder that when a pastor leaves a congregation, it marks the end of that relationship. Not the end of love for each other, but of necessity, the end of our former relationship. I cannot, will not, involve or insert myself in any
part of the life of Mt. Nebo United Methodist church. Not as a theological guide. Not as an advisor in any matter. Not for weddings or funerals. Not even to visit someone in the hospital.
          If that seems harsh, it actually is not so. It is necessary though. Experience has taught that when a pastorate is ended, the responsibility of leadership and care must end as well. For the sake of the pastor leaving a church, but even more, for the sake of the church that is called to be about the task of building bonds with a new pastor. Not easy, but so very important.
          I hope you welcome your new pastor with warmth and love. I will continue to honor the ministry God has placed on my life by serving God in the new place He has prepared for me with all the warmth, love and wisdom I offered you.

Sincerely, 
Rev. Pat

May 2014 - Pastor's Reflection

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that 

you may become blameless and pure, “children of God 

without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” 

Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” – 

Philippians 2:14-15 

          Complainers and critical people … it’s amazing how quickly they can just suck the life out of you, isn’t it? Yet we all have that friend or someone we know that is constantly complaining about something and we make a real effort to avoid! If we don’t know someone like this, maybe we are THAT someone!
          It is so easy to jump on the “complain train”. Especially when those around you are making noise about how hard it is to meet financial obligations or how mean someone is or lazy or … even how wet/dry/cold/hot it is today! Although, people who complain and criticize everything but are not willing to devote themselves to improving the situation … really lose the right to complain. Ask yourself this, how does a complaining spirit reflect your personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Or, how does my critical spirit show others Christ living in me? Criticizing and complaining to others and/or about others shows those around you very little Christ-like love. In fact, a critical spirit shows very little teamwork in making the world, the community, your family, spouse, church, pastor (whatever you are criticizing and complaining about) a better place to live or a more effective witness for Christ.
          God has given each us the necessary tools to make life better until Christ returns. God has given us a brain, energy, creativity, and most importantly, the Holy Spirit to equip us to do good works. Our challenge is to stop complaining and quiet those critical spirits in us and around us and to get busy working together to make a change that shows God’s love for every one of us.

In Christ’s love, 
Rev. Pat 

April 2014 - Pastor's Reflection

          Did you hear the story of the little boy that wanted to share in Christ’s suffering? One Sunday he heard the preacher talking about Jesus’ walk to Golgotha. And he heard how Jesus’ walked the streets of stone. And he heard about the man who helped Jesus. Then the little boy went home and began to think. The next morning he picked up a small pebble (he WAS a small boy) and he put it in his shoe so that he too could walk with Jesus.

          Well, that story ends something like this: “And little Johnny walked for miles that day with that pebble in his shoe and he did it for God.”

          I think this story is meant to illustrate the discipline we are called to for this season of Lent. However, I can’t help but wonder what kind of message such a story of intentional discomfort and pain communicates to all who desire to practice a life of disciplined devotion to God! To be a disciple must we live with a “No pain, no gain” mentality? Do we subscribe to a belief that to really love is to suffer? Or to suffer is to love more deeply? How frightening these kind of messages must be to new believers and non-believers who we are called to share the good news of God with – the gospel message that God is LOVE!
           As a child I don’t remember actually “giving up” anything for Lent. Maybe I “gave up” chocolate or ice cream (or broccoli!). What I do remember as I got older are the random feelings of guilt for not really doing much of anything. What I’ve grown to understand is that this story tries to teach us about growing in our spiritual devotion and disciplines. But …if God is love, why should we suffer? Yes, Jesus himself sacrificed his life and suffered on the cross, but it wasn’t for the sake of suffering.
         The truth behind some of those old church practices that we may have been taught is that in order to love completely, some suffering becomes inevitable. We should not seek suffering for the sake of suffering because we will likely encounter our own periods of sacrifice and suffering as we try, by the grace of God, to live out Christ-like love. How we can live though is to offer up to God the worries and trials that we will face in our pursuit to live out our Christian beliefs.
          Lent is about that journey through the difficulties, beyond the suffering, to the satisfaction and hope of our solemn attempts to live our belief in the Easter promise. Is there something you can do for the remainder of this Lenten season to prepare for such promise? Whether you are “giving something up” (bitterness, a judgmental attitude, unhealthy diet, guilt, clutter, etc.) or “taking on something new” (new spiritual discipline, praying for your pastor, forgiveness, regular physical exercise, etc.) remind yourself that you are doing something for Easter, not for Lent. Whatever you do, do something that is a testimony to those you meet of your personal hope in God’s redeeming, precious love. What am I going to do? I’m going to work at getting these pebbles out of my shoes.

May you falter on the side of grace in this holy season.

Rev. Pat

March 2014 ~ Pastor's Reflection

Ash Wednesday is just a few days away, and with it the season of Lent begins. As we begin this year's Lenten journey, let us reflect on a few simple questions and answers that might help us with our journey:

        1. Reconciliation may be a great idea, but how do you reconcile with someone who has bitterly hurt you and refuses to even acknowledge that he or she has done wrong? Isn't forgiveness a two-way street? Forgiving those who hurt us is our business.

        If we make forgiveness contingent upon someone else's admission of guilt then we are simply demanding justice and insisting on our "rights." Remember, Jesus forgave his murderers even as they ridiculed him while he hung on the cross. His forgiveness was a free gift given without strings attached. We can't follow him unless we do the same.
        Although, there are times when a breach exists between two people that can't be healed unless both truly want it healed. Even then, someone or something has to offer the means of bringing them back together. That's what God's does. Reconciliation is the work of God. Seeking reconciliation is our work. (Matthew 18:21-22) We need to do whatever we can to make peace with others, and then leave the results up to God.

        2. If justice is one of the things that God calls us to (Micah 6:8), why shouldn't I expect it when it comes to my own needs? You should! It's perfectly reasonable to expect to be treated fairly and honestly in our dealings and relationships with others, and we are expected to treat others the same way. But in reality, you and I and every other human being are also sinners. 

        This means that at some point in our lives we are going to treat others unjustly and we are going to be treated unjustly. These sins can lead to relationships that are made up of a web of angry claims and counter-claims against each other, some of them just, and many irresolvable. The only way to break out of this entanglement is to forgive. Forgiveness is an intentional act that leads to freedom and creates new possibilities. Not only does it free us from the burden of our own pettiness and selfishness, it also allows others to forgive and to find freedom. Handing our claims over to God unburdens us of a huge weight which will cripple us if we carry it for too long, no matter how legitimate our complaints are. Interestingly, we work most effectively for justice on behalf of others and when it comes to our personal situations, the "self" gets in the way and our judgment gets cloudy. 

        The very real paradox of God's plan for each of us is that we can only achieve justice when we practice mercy. This is because mercy changes both - the giver and the receiver, and softens even the most hardened heart. Mercy encourages a change of the heart which leads to love (1 Cor. 13) and love leads to acts of justice which leads to peace. So if you want justice for yourself or for others - forgive. Put mercy first. Justice will follow.

        3. Why do I need to hold myself accountable to prepare for Easter? If Easter is the season of new life then where is the joy spending Lent as my own accuser? We owe ourselves the same mercy that we owe others. Berating and crucifying ourselves is not the point of Lent. Purifying our hearts is the point. Lent is the time when we can put aside the world’s teachings and learn the language of repentance and forgiveness. We do this by disciplining our mind, our spirit, our appetites and our desires, so that nothing gets in our way to prevent us from hearing God's voice and seeking him out. 

        The joy in Lent comes from the confidence we each have in the resurrection of a Savior who delivers us from our sin and restores us to new life. Of course we must understand our own sinfulness and the urgency of repentance and reconciliation or the Cross makes no sense; the Resurrection makes no sense. The joy of Easter is the joy of deliverance from sin and the promise of rebirth. If we don't believe in our very being that we really do desperately need these things, Easter is just another excuse for a holiday sale and another opportunity for over-indulgences! If we are honest in the silence of our own hearts, we know that we were created for more than our own selfishness and mistakes. We were made for glory! But we are empty of that glory until God's presence fills us. Lent is an opportunity, a means of grace, not a burden. My prayer for each of us is that we may use the weeks of Lent this year to cleanse and prepare our hearts to receive Jesus Christ this Easter, and that in so doing we may share in his life together throughout this year. 

In Christ, 

Rev. Pat

*Based on an article written by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia

February 2014 - Pastor's Reflection

        The end of January saw us completing our End-of-Year reports and reviewing the direction of the church through finances, ministries, and other measurable components. Although these reports are a difficulty at times, they are helpful in keeping the church focused on our mission. Some of these statistics and the information that the North Georgia Conference tracks on individual churches is generated from the weekly reporting of our "vital statistics"*.
       In 2011, the UM Conference of Bishop’s introduced a “Call to Action” titled “Vital Congregations”. It was developed to help promote a cultural change in the UM church from a mindset of “Maintenance” to one of “Mission”. They clarified the mission of the UM church with this statement: “The mission of The United Methodist Church is to “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” This expressed thought comes directly through the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) Jesus gave his disciples and the Great Commandment (Matt 22:36- 40) that he shared later. The Conference of Bishop’s also said that this unified mission will be achieved through vital congregations that equip and empower people to be Disciples of Jesus Christ in their homes and communities around the world.
       Through their efforts and with the input of many UM leaders, they identified vital congregations as those that are:
       * Spirit-filled, forward-leaning communities of believers that welcome all people (Gal.3:28)
       * Places where Disciples of Jesus Christ are made through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:18-20)
       * Communities that serve like Christ through justice and mercy ministries. (Micah 6:8, Luke 4:17-21)

       They further defined a disciple of Jesus as persons who: worship regularly, help make new disciples, are engaged in growing in their faith, are engaged in mission and share by giving in mission. The Conference of Bishops also provided 4 areas of focus and importance in developing a vital church. At the top of the list was establishing small groups (including ministries with children and youth), followed by leadership training for our laity, leadership training for clergy, and worship. And lastly, in order to monitor how our churches are responding to their “Call to Action”, they set up a means to establish goals and for pastors’ to provide weekly updates for their churches (* our "vital statistics"). These areas include:
        * Weekly Worship Attendance
        * number of Professions of Faith
        * The number of Small Groups
        * The number of persons participating in Small Groups
        * Members in Mission and
        * Dollars given to Mission

        Our church is responding in bold and wide-ranging efforts to move the church toward its mission for Jesus Christ in the world. There are opportunities for every one of us to support the work of the church and to be a vital congregation in the transformation of the world. Christ is counting on you, what will you do to make disciples of Jesus Christ?

In Christ, I am
Rev. Pat

January 2014

Happy New Year and Many Blessings!

December 2013 - Pastor's Reflection

There is a song that played on the radio about a man with a message on his home phone that had been there for many years. The message was for his rebellious daughter in case she called home when he wasn’t there.

The words said something to the effect “whatever you have done, wherever you have been, I love you and want you to come home.” He hadn’t talked to her in many years but the song said when she called she heard the message that she needed to hear.

Remembering the message of the song lyrics mentioned above, I can’t help but think that God has that message on his answering machine for all of us all of the time. I think that’s what Jesus came to tell us with his birth and through his life and message. The prodigal son story says that clearly. When I reflect on what it means to be made in the image of God, I think it means that we can love people the way God does, we don’t do that all the time, but we have the capacity to do so when we are at our best; when we are most in touch with God. The lyrics of that song display the capacity we have to love as God does.

During the holiday season we all think about gathering with friends, coming home to loved ones, or remembering those times when we did. But let us be attentive to not miss the call of the gospel, the message from God, the reason for the season. We are welcome to return home all the time, no matter what we have done and no matter where we have been. God loves you, and even me.

May your Christmas be blessed,
Rev. Pat