Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 (NRSV) I look at the mustard seed-sized grain in the cup of my hand. So small and so easily lost. Most people think that a pastor should have faith so great that he or she needs a wheel barrow to carry it around, and like all of us, I do when times are easy and the road is newly paved, level and clear. But when the times are hard and the path steep and rocky, when worry stirs the quiet waters of our minds and our hearts are broken hearted, faith is tested and eroded by overwhelming mountains of trouble and sorrow. In Matthew 10:1, Jesus gives authority to his disciples over, “ unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.” So, while Jesus, Peter, James and John are up on the mountain exp...

Genesis 12:1-3 Matthew 25:31-46 I've been thinking the meanings and implications of the words "blessed" and fortunate. I feel fortunate that, through the randomness of the universe, I was born white, fairly intelligent and fully able, into a middle class family, and grew up not only in a time where new and varied opportunities and options were opening up for women but also when grants and scholarships were far more abundant than they are now.  Comparing the circumstances of my life with the majority of people on this planet, I am very fortunate, indeed.  Using the analogy of a race, I started far, far closer to the finish line than they did. And here's the thing, I had no more control over when, where, and to whom I was born than anyone else in the world.   Nearly   1/2   of the world's population — more than   3 billion people   — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty — less than $1.25 a day. 1 billio...

Psalm 22:22-31 The United Methodist Service of Death and Resurrection closes with a prayer of thanksgiving that begins with: “God of love, we thank you for all with which you have blessed us even to this day: ...” ( United Methodist Hymnal, p. 875) Giving thanks is easy on the days when life is going well, when all the bills are paid and everyone we know and love, including ourselves, are happy and healthy. But what about the times of loss and grief, of unemployment and chronic, life-threatening illnesses? What reason do we have to give thanks then? Maybe our source of praise has nothing to do with our circumstances but everything to do with the love of God at work in our lives at all times. One of the ways I’m dealing with the grief of my husband’s death is to journal. The entries are letters to God in which I pour all my heart out to him – all the pain, all the sorrow, all the worries and fears, much the way David did in his psalms of lament. ...

Matthew  18 : 15-22 In Ephesians 4, Paul is focused on the problems that divide and weaken the church. He wrote: “ We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.    But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 14-15, 31-32) If anything can sicken, weaken and tear apart a church, it’s the toxin of unresolved conflicts and unforgiveness. Paul urges us to “speak the truth in love,” i...

Ephesians 4:7-13 When you think about body building, what comes to mind?  Today, however, we're going to talk about a different kind of body building, as we dig deeper into Ephesians 4. My friend, Paul, lifts weights. He doesn’t do it so he can win a gold medal, nor does he compete in body building contests. He enjoys doing it because he likes the sense of accomplishment when he sets a new personal best. So all the exercises and training routines he does have the purpose of helping him reach his personal goals. Like my friend, I too have to train and strengthen my body. My goal is to be physically fit enough to be able to follow God’s call as your pastor. In Ephesians 4:7-13, Paul the apostle emphasizes a different kind of body building -- building up the body of Christ, the church, in love for a very important reason. As the body of Christ, we are called to continue Jesus’ ministry of making disciples. Our one and only mission, the great com...

Ephesians 4:1-6 Commune Communion Community What do these words have in common?  They all are about relationships. Commune:  to feel a close spiritual relationship with someone or something. Communion:  a communal, shared spiritual experience. Community:  a group of individuals connected through shared interests, core beliefs, purpose and in the case of the Church, the unifying spirit of Christ's love.  Aesop told this fable: A certain father had a family of sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune. One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But althoug...