From the Pastor

We have a date of October 25^th for our 2016 Charge Conference.  This is the yearly meeting of the church where church officers are elected and the pastor’s salary is set for the next year.  Our new District Superintendent, the Rev. Kimberly M. Goddard, will be continuing the tradition of having Cluster Charge Conferences where several different churches come together.  This is a good way to hear what other churches are doing as well as having a time of fellowship with other United Methodist believers.

However getting ready for Charge Conferences takes a lot of work; all Committee Chairs need to schedule a Committee meeting in September.  To plan your ministry for next year as well as submit your budget request for the Finance Committee.  If we do not hear from any committee their budget will remain the same as this year.

Also the instrument for you to volunteer to serve, or to nominate someone to serve, will be available soon.  Please prayerfully consider where God wants you to be in ministry next year.  If you are currently serving and do not wish to do so next year, fill out the form, and return it to the pastor.  If I do not hear from you, you will be elected again for the next year.

As we have fewer and fewer active members, please do consider how you can serve.

Richard

“Now the Lord said to Abram. ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing.” [Genesis 12:1-2 N.R.S.V.]

The Holston Annual Conference met this year under the one word theme of Bless. Usually when we think of this word we think of the adjective form which is blessed. As when someone asks how we are and we reply: “I’m blessed.” Or we say we are having a blessed day. This year’s theme however is the verb form; to give a blessing to others.

Abram in the scripture quoted above has often been referred to as being blessed to be a blessing. Sadly, it seems that scripture tells us that his descendants forgot the second part of that statement and simply claimed God’s blessing for themselves and failed to bless others.

The emphasis this conference year is for all followers of Jesus Christ not to make that same mistake. I challenge each and every one to prayerfully consider how you can be used by God to bless someone else. Maybe it is by volunteering your time to help some service ministry. Kids Junction can certainly use help. Maybe it is by visiting our shut-ins and Nursing Home residents. Maybe it is by cooking a meal for those who need it. Maybe it is baking a loaf of bread to welcome new people when they move into your neighborhood. Maybe it is by serving your church in more or different ways.

And if you absolutely, positively cannot do anything else, you can pray. Develop a prayer list and pray each day for those on your list. Let them know you are praying for them. Not only will you bless them, you just might be blessed as well.

Richard

“GENERAL CONFERENCE” 

Every four years the United Methodist Church meets for General Conference.  This year the Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon May 10^th-20^th.  General Conference is composed of an equal number of Lay and Clergy Delegates with the number based on the membership of the Annual Conferences and the Central Conferences for those churches outside the United States.  For this General Conference Holston has 12 delegates; six lay and six clergy.

General Conference is the only group that speaks for the United Methodist Church and the only group that has the power to change the Book of Discipline.  The Discipline sets the rules that govern the UMC.  Some of the issues facing the General Conference this year are listed below.

• One is a proposed new Hymnal. With the advances in printing technology it is suggested that each congregation that wishes to buy a new hymnal design their own. There will be a core group of hymns, perhaps 250-350, that will be common to all.  Additional hymns can be added based on the congregation’s preference.  For instance one may choose Praise and Worship Songs, Afro-American Spirituals, Camp Meeting Hymns, or Blue Grass Gospel to be added to the core group.  No congregation will be forced to buy a new hymnal and those who project hymns on screens, the words on any new additions to the Hymnal will be available for purchase.
• Another suggested change is, that since the growth of the UMC outside the USA has been dynamic and here we continue to lose members at an alarming rate, make the United States Annual Conferences be Central Conferences. This would put us on equal footing with our brothers and sisters around the world. This action necessitates changing parts of the Discipline, for instance how Trustees are registered with the Circuit Court in America and not in the rest of the world, to make it universally applicant.
• Also, there will be a change suggested in how long it takes a person to be ordained a Full Elder. Now the candidate has to serve under appointment for three years after his or her graduation from Seminary. The proposed change would make ordination possible upon graduation.
• However, the big issue facing this General Conference is homosexuality. There are more than 90 petitions regarding this issue to be considered. Currently the Discipline states:  “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.  Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in the United Methodist Church.” [2012 Book of Discipline, paragraph 304.3]  Also:  “Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.” [paragraph 347.6]  These petitions range from making the language against homosexuality even stronger, all the way to doing away with all restrictions entirely, and every position in-between.  There is much passion, anger and fear on both sides of this issue.  Both sides are made up of good, loving Christians who interpret this issue differently.  My fear is that regardless of what General Conference decides, the United Methodist Church may split.

At this time let us all be in prayer that the voice of reason may be heard and cooler heads may prevail; and that all the delegates will seek to know and do God’s will in this matter.  My personal prayer is that no one’s feeling will be hurt beyond repair and if there is a division in the church it will be done with loving kindness, grace and love for one another.  PRAY MUCH!

– Richard

     “Tis Midnight and on Olives’ Brow” 

 [Read Luke 22:39-44]

Of all the texts that give us the details of Jesus’ last week, the one that touches me the most is Luke’s account of Jesus praying alone in the Garden of Gethsemane. While all three of the synoptic gospels-Matthew, Mark and Luke-tell the story, Luke gives us a closer look at the struggles and suffering the human nature of Jesus endured there. While I love John’s Gospel, it deals more with the divine nature of the Christ than the human nature of Jesus, so Gethsemane gets glossed over.

Now I know that many scholars will argue that verses 43 and 44—the angel and the sweat drops of blood—are lacking in some of the ancient authorities and therefore were not a part of the original text. This would mean that they were probably added by the early church and not written by Luke. However, for me, they fit nicely with Luke’s understanding of just how human Jesus really was. After all, Luke is known as the Beloved Physician and shows us that Jesus was really wrestling with whether or not he would face the cross.

For you see for me, Jesus had to struggle his whole life with what did it mean to be who he was. What kind of Messiah would he be: the triumphant warrior king, which was exactly what the people expected; or the suffering servant pointed to by so many of the ancient writings. I believe that early on Jesus choose to be the Suffering Servant knowing full well that choice would lead to the cross. However making that choice was not the end of Jesus’ struggles. The temptation to find an easier way and to avoid crucifixion was always with Jesus. From the time the Tempter offered him all the kingdoms of earth if Jesus would bow down and worship him, to Caesura Philippi when after Peter had affirmed that Jesus was the Christ and Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die and Peter rebuked him and said: “That shall never happen to you.” [Mark 16:21-22], to now in Gethsemane the temptation to avoid the cross was very strong.
If you really want to understand just how much Jesus loves you, see him praying alone on Olives’ Brow until his sweat becomes like great drops of blood! I believe it was at that point the power of sin was broken. Jesus had resisted the final temptation to find an easier way and when he prayed the final time “Yet not my will but yours be done!” and got up off his knees all the forces of Hell could not have kept him off the cross! Jesus loves us that much!
William B. Tappan captures the meaning of Luke’s account so well in the words of “Tis Midnight and on Olives’ Brow” – Here they are for you:

‘Tis midnight and on Olives’ Brow – The star is dimmed that lately shown’
Tis midnight in the garden now – The Suffering Savior prays alone.
Tis midnight; and from all removed – The Savior wrestles lone with fears
E’en the disciple whom he loved – Heeds not his Master’s grief and tears.
Tis midnight, and for other’s guilt – The Man of Sorrows weeps in blood;
Yet he who in anguish knelt – Is not forsaken by his God.
Tis midnight; and from either plains – Is borne the song the angels know;
Unheard by mortals are the strains – That sweetly soothe the Savior’s woes.

Richard

Matthew 1:19 reads:  “Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement privately.” [T.E.V.]   

Joseph is often the forgotten character in the Christmas story.  He was a man of principles.  Undoubtedly Joseph was a law-abiding, scripture-reading, synagogue-going man.  He may even have been a leader of the mainstream Judaism of his day.  Being engaged gave the man all the same rights that a husband had.  Even the right to charge his intended with adultery which, by the way, was punishable by stoning.  Therefore, when Mary told him she was pregnant Joseph had every right to bring charges against her.  Indeed, that was the morally correct and principled thing to do.

We catch a glimpse of Joseph’s character in the verse quoted above.  Not wanting Mary to be disgraced publicly implies that Joseph at least cared for Mary.  However you would think that if he really loved her Joseph would have gone ahead and married Mary even knowing that the child she carried was not his.  Many engaged couples of that day lived together as husband and wife so the birth of before the marriage ceremony was not unusual and therefore would not have caused scandal.  But Joseph was a man of principles!  And we all know that principles must be stronger than anything else!  If a man does not have his principles, he is no man at all!

Yet when we try to follow abstract principles we are most likely to dismiss God’s miracles.  We become unable to recognize God’s surprises and often close ourselves off from God’s grace.  But isn’t it amazing how sometimes God breaks in and touches our lives?  For Joseph it was the angel of the Lord speaking to him in a dream.  For you and me it was the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that changes us and allows us to live by faith.

When Joseph awoke he was able to go beyond doing what was “right” according to his principles and be faithful to God’s loving command.  Joseph let go of his cold absolute morals and went with the loving God who needed him to carry out God’s purpose in the world.  This Christmas season let us move from uncaring principles and begin to live by faith.  Maybe God also has a work for you and me to do.  Are we faithful enough to do it?

— Richard