Easter season ends with Pentecost. Often it is lost in the shuffle in church worship and program planning. This year I will leave church to rush off to the beginning of Annual Conference. Hopefully, our worship that night will link the birthday of the Church with the business of the Church. But I want to see how these matters relate to discipleship. Pentecost and Shavuot A rabbi described the High Holy Day of Shavuot to my confirmation class. I said, “We call... Read more
Am I required to pray for my enemies? Can I pray they get judged, condemned, or zapped? Or must I pray for their welfare? Accepting the doctrines contained and implied in the creeds is easier than praying for enemies. To quote some early skeptics, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Prayers for those who wrong us (or we believe wronged us) are difficult. And what about Psalm 137? I suppose the first action to take is look... Read more
Another mass school shooting has happened. The reported numbers are 19 children and 2 adults dead at this writing. The fact that this week we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension makes the feeling of divine absence more poignant. “How long, O Lord!” Well, I am fed up with it! I am no longer asking God to keep our children safe at school or to keep innocent people safe. I am done asking for that. Today, I turn my eyes... Read more
Few things are more gratifying to a pastor or teacher as a person saying, “I never knew that before today?” It happens from time to time. Sometimes I am amazed that something I think of as basic knowledge is now heard by someone for the first time. Listeners usually draw satisfaction from these times as well. But there are times the response is one of consternation on the listener’s part. I always wonder if I was unclear; or if I... Read more
The root of all true heresies is to assume “we” are right, true, and good while everyone else has none of these virtues. It is the assumption of all of Jesus’ enemies in the gospels. When the apostles assume it for themselves, Jesus rebukes them for the spirit they exhibit. The last two decades demonstrates the destructiveness of this belief. Today, it is summed up in the Good Guys with Guns myth. Believing in one’s own virtue to the extent... Read more
I am staying with The United Methodist Church. There are good reasons to remain. The church welcomed me from my fundamentalist background. It has provided places for me to minister from to communities of which I never would have gone. The United Methodist Church gets some things wrong. What we get right. We get right. Yes, I too wish we did some things differently. But we are taking positions and actions others within the denomination believe should be taken. I... Read more
Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. Everyone acknowledges this part of the story. He ate with Pharisees too. It is popular with too many Christians to say Jesus shared meals with sinners in order to call them to repentance and to lead lives of holiness. Recently, some claim that Jesus was not being inclusive or accepting. I do not understand that reasoning. Unless it is to avoid the implications of the action. The Tax Collectors “Then Levi gave a... Read more
Forward United is a gathering of traditionalist, centrist, and progressive United Methodists in my Annual Conference. This gathering is an alternative to the conference Wesley Covenant Association (WCA). Together we celebrated the common ministries and community provided by our United Methodist connection. The spirit of mutuality was evident. The new Global Methodist Church (GMC) was discussed but not derided. But comparisons in thought, theology, and approach to issues were taken into account by the leaders. 250 clergy and lay members... Read more
A friend told me she is avoiding church this week. She is making a choice for her own sanity. I do not blame her. Many women avoid church on Mother’s Day. What will make it worse is the news from the Supreme Court this week. My friend does not expect to hear something about overturning Roe v. Wade from the pulpit. She expects there will be a general overtone of discussion she wants to avoid. Bad Choice Christians who take a pro-choice... Read more
Experience teaches me that nothing stops a person who wants a divorce. Begging a person to preserve what no longer exists is a waste of energy. The only people who never understand this are church people. Leaving a church is breaking a relationship. As a pastor, I no longer exhaust myself by begging such people to stay. And so, it is with relief I see that the Global Methodist Church is born. But I see actions and attitudes that are... Read more
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