After Sunday Thoughts - Rev. Ann Kovan - October 16, 2023

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Several people have asked me to send them the RELATIONAL acronym I used yesterday to sum up our sermon series on Faith Sharing the Wesleyan Way. The acronym is in the book, Transforming Evangelism: The Wesleyan Way of Sharing Faith, by Henry H. Knight III and F. Douglas Powe, Jr. (pages 89-101) 

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 22:34-46 

R – enewal -  in the image of God 

• Conversion isn't the end but the beginning of a journey of transformation into the image of Christ. We should be growing in grace every day by loving God with all we got, and our neighbor as ourselves. 

E-nt 

• We help others enter relationship with Christ and church community. If someone thinks all they need is Jesus and rejects the Body of Christ, they will miss out on the new life offered in Christ. 

L-istening 

• Listen in love to others - learn their need, their story – it means getting involved with our neighbor. Everyone is our neighbor, we are especially to pay attention to those who aren't like us. We can do this by listening and learning about their life.  

A-cceptance (forgiveness) 

• The miracle is we don't have to first change for God to accept us - this is Good News - grace and forgiveness are offered freely to every person. 

T-estimony 

• It's everyone's responsibility to talk (whether in writing or verbally) about what God is doing in their life: how do you see the Spirit at work guiding you, how does your relationship with Jesus affect how you make decisions, how does your church community add to your life, why is the gospel important to your life? 

I-inviting 

• We can be more welcoming. Invite and not be afraid of the response we may get. 

• Are we open to all God's people? Our neighbor is defined as anyone. 

O-n-going 

• Loving God and neighbor is a daily commitment – we can’t love those who are hardest to love, those on the other side of the wall or issue without the daily help of the Holy Sprit. 

N-ew Beings 

• Wesley encouraged a change from love of the world to a heart overflowing with the love of God that leads to a changed life; it is a process and a journey.  

A-ssurance 

• We help others discover the certainty of God's forgiveness and acceptance – when we know we are children of God. Lives that produce fruit that is in line with the image of God is a sign of assurance. 

L-ive it 

• We simply live loving our neighbors as ourselves every single day seeking to be transformed ever more and more into the image of Christ. We use the means of grace that connect us to God (how we can practice loving God with all our heart, mind, body and soul) and connect us to  

What is your story? How is God working in your life today? Your story has power to change lives! 

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Ann Kovan | August 29, 2023

To add to Sunday’s message from the Matthew 8:5-13 passage in which an officer of the Roman Imperial army humbles himself to Jesus, a Palestinian Jewish rabbi, who in return performs the requested miracle…What they saw in each other’s faces was an enemy visage, opposing forces, the “other.” How did they do it? Howard Thurman said that to love the way Jesus commands, people on opposite sides must step out from behind their status and labels and sit where the other sits—even two people as far apart, and with as good an excuse to hate, as the Roman Centurion and Jesus. He said, when we do this, we “become one with all the human beings of the world. If we could see the divine and meaning of life in each other, we would differ less and clasp hands in friendship if I knew you and you knew me.” (“Love Your Enemies,” May 5, 1054) We must name them and see them and believe God’s promise for a plan and purpose is as real for them as it is for us. That’s our common ground. 

When you see the stoop of their posture, the invisible burden on their shoulders, the drag in their step, the hard-life lines frozen in their face. Maybe you can see the home life they survived. You see their vulnerability. You become aware they hurt others because they are hurt, and they hate others because they fear. others. Their hatefulness is a window into where it came from, a glimpse of misery, what hardship is at the beginning of the long difficult thread of their life…Seeing the hurt they cause you, you may see also the hurt they cause themselves. You're still a universe away from loving them, to be sure, but at least you see how you share humanity, both made by God…and that is at least a step in the right direction. It's possible that you may even get to where you can pray for them a little, if only that God forgive them because you yourself can't, but any prayer for them at all is a breakthrough. 

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Thomas Smith | April 3, 2023

We just celebrated Palm Sunday.  A cherished Palm Sunday traditions is children waving palm branches as they process into worship.  This of course reminds us of the palm branches used to cheer Jesus as he entered Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday. 

I was thinking about this idea of palms.  We are blessed to live in the Palmetto State where palm trees grow.  In fact, there are two palm trees in my yard.  Even so, we must order palms branches for Palm Sunday for there to be enough to go around.  But what do you do when palms are unavailable? 

We know that as recently as the 16th century Christians in northern Europe cut branches from whatever trees were handy as part of their Palm Sunday worship.  In places where palm trees did not grow and the importation of palm branches was an unaffordable expense, average Christians came to worship on Palm Sunday waving the branches of oaks, or elms, or willows, or whatever else was available.  When palm branches were not available to praise God, people used what they had. 

There is a lesson in this for us.  What can you use to praise God?  The answer is simple – praise God with what you have. 

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Ann Kovan | March 27, 2023

Yesterday we looked at John 11 - the story of Jesus raising Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha from the dead. Prior to the miracle, everyone in the story was struggling: 1) Jesus had to put off helping someone he loved and was troubled at the sight of people still living with hopelessness; 2) the disciples were afraid of going back towards Jerusalem for fear of death; 3) Mary and Martha had lost their brother; and of course, 4) Lazarus was dead, literally hitting rock bottom, lying on a rock dead. It was as if they were all in the tomb together. Sometimes it feels like we are living in a tomb with no way out. Sometimes it feels like rock bottom. 

In the movie American Treasure, Nicolas Cage’s character seems to have lost everything, his family’s reputation, livelihood as a treasure hunter, and abandoned to die in a rocky tomb 5 stories below a cemetery. Rock bottom. But, in a twist, he and his friends find a door out of the tomb into a treasure room, the treasure he’d been seeking his whole life.  

Jesus is the light, the life, the Resurrection, living water, God’s Son, the one who glorifies God and who is glorified by God. He was also at rock bottom, dead and laid on a rock in a tomb sealed with a stone. But it wasn’t rock bottom for Jesus because he rose from the rock and ascended into heaven and sits now at the right hand of God so that rock bottom would never be the end for us. Jesus took a tomb and turned it into a treasure room. He is the treasure we seek. There is no death with Jesus, but life and life abundant. Not just after we die, but right now, in this life. That is the true treasure. That Christ is the treasure that lives in us. We aren’t rocky tombs, but treasure chests.  

In that treasure room scene in American Treasure, Nicolas Cage and his crew look in awe and amazement at what they can see with their eyes. Then one of them dips a torch into a trough and it lights a series of torches and flaming troughs that spread throughout the room and beyond what they could see on their own, the light going back and back and up and up revealing billions of dollars’ worth of treasure. 

Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is like the revelation of the first bit of treasure Nicolas Cage could see without the help of greater light. The empty tomb of Jesus on Easter is the big reveal, the treasure fully lit, ablaze with light and goodness. Remember today what treasure is available to you. Remember the treasure that was bought for you by Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection.  

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Thomas Smith | February 21, 2023

Sunday we celebrated the Transfiguration.  In the Transfiguration, Jesus took three of His disciples to the top of a mountain where God revealed Jesus as He exists in heaven.  Alongside Jesus appeared the Old Testament prophets Moses and Elijah.  I did not address this aspect of the text on Sunday, but it is one which deserves our attention. 

In numerous places in the Gospels, Jesus speaks of the “the Law and the Prophets” as shorthand for the Old Testament.  The Law refers to the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), traditionally believed to be written by Moses.  The Prophets refer to the books of Old Testament in which God sends God’s word through human beings, the record of which comprises a great deal of the Old Testament.  Elijah was one of these prophets.  In the Transfiguration, the presence of Moses and Elijah personify the Law and Prophets alongside Jesus.  This brings to mind Matthew 5:17 in which Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”  The image of the Transfiguration, with Jesus flanked by Moses and Elijah, reminds us that Jesus stands in continuity with God’s action through history, guiding events to lead to Jesus’ earthly ministry.  Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s work in which Moses and Elijah played key roles.  Let us ponder what roles we might play in God’s ongoing action in the world. 

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Ann Kovan | February 20, 2023

 Yesterday we remembered Christ's Transfiguration, where his identity as God's Son, the Christ, the Alpha and Omega, was revealed in glory and confirmed by God's own voice. Christ was joined in glory by Moses and Elijah, the great heroes of Jewish faith. Peter, James, and John witnessed this unimaginable, mountain top setting. Yesterday, my sermon focused on Peter's response, which was to lock-in the moment and linger on the mountain with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, and how that is too often our own response. We get comfortable in our faith, more resistant to change, eventually leading us to ignore or deny God's call into the future. When we hold on too tight to our comfort and convenience, our schedules and agendas, it turns to lying, doubting, making excuses, demanding justification and insisting answers to every question in advance of following Christ to a new thing. Christ followers aren't people of inertia, status quo, or rigid preservation of the past, but are always crossing thresholds into the next unknown.

Before Peter can even finish his suggestion to pitch tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, God interrupts to declare Jesus as Messiah and to listen to him. When we stand on the brink of the next thing, wherever God may be calling us, we must remember that Jesus is who he says he is, he is who God says he is, he can be trusted. We look to Jesus to determine the direction of our lives. We listen to him, not secular leaders, celebrities, politicians, or even the voice of self-preservation whining from our flesh. What we hear when we listen to him isn't like the voice of those kinds of leaders who too often use and manipulate us, but a voice with tones of love, mercy, grace, hope, healing, and compassion. Let's follow that voice to the next step, and the one after that, into the purpose for which we are created, where we will find meaning for our lives.

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Thomas Smith | February 7, 2023

What a wonderful Sunday we just had!  It was a joy to have our young people leading us in worship.  I’ve heard it said many times that the youth are our church’s future.  This is true, but they are also our church’s present.  Our teenagers repair homes, serve in the community in countless ways, travel for overseas missions, and on Sunday they brought us the word of God.  I am reminded of a passage of Scripture, “Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12). God is as at work in the world and in the church, and we are blessed to have young people who help lead the way.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas Smith

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Ann Kovan - February 6, 2023

Yesterday at Central United Methodist Church, we celebrated one of my favorite Sundays (and it’s not because I don’t have to preach on that day). We have a robust and active youth ministry here at Central. They fill the youth hall on Sunday nights, attend retreats and trips throughout the year, serve on local, state, and international mission trips, and lead in different roles throughout the church. For many of our members, our youth are unseen due to the incongruent times they gather and serve here at the church. Youth Sunday is a great reminder that youth are a vital part of our church. At their age, they are already equipped—and sometimes better equipped—to lead our church. They are more connected to the pulse of our culture and understanding how God is relevant and applying faith to current social issues. God is ripening fruit and gifts for ministry in them; they are intelligent, passionate, and love the Lord as much as anyone. Yet, I wonder if for some of us, they are invisible. We've stopped seeing them.

One of my favorite religious paintings is the Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev. It depicts the Trinity—God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—around three sides of a table. The fourth and front side of the table is left open. God makes room at his table for us. God makes room at his table for all of us. God makes room at his table for children and youth. Youth Sunday reminds us of the value of young people, that God sees them as leaders in his kingdom, while we overlook them. God enabled a teenage Joseph to overcome treachery and imprisonment to become second in command to Pharoah. Teenage Daniel was deemed 10 times better than all the advisors to the king of Babylon. God ordained Samson at birth, called Samuel at 12 to serve as prophet, and raised up a boy David to be king. Teaching in the temple, 12-year-old Jesus amazed people.

Let's remember our youth are among us, primed to serve and lead. They are here, and they are ready. As we go about the tasks of ministry, let's imagine and vision new ways to empower and include them in all we do.

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Ann Kovan | February 2, 2023

This past Sunday, Thomas and I both preached from Micah 6:1-8. I won't rehash our sermons here, you are welcome to watch them on the Central UMC website: https://www.centralmethodist.net/virtual-worship. I do want to expound...People questioning the existence of God is common and out of my control. I can share the evidence of--not just God's existence--God's love as transforming my own life and the live's of people with whom my life has intersected, and the life of Jesus Christ. I can share, teach, preach, model, sing, holler, and dance this evidence , but the rest is up to the person. The person has to make a choice to believe. But what stirs me is when people who DON'T doubt the existence of God, doubt God's love for them--not just for the whole world, but for them as individuals. There is a verb in Micah 6:8 that's a clue for how God loves us, gives us belonging and direction: "walk." This reference of walking with God conjures up the image of God walking with the first humans in a perfect creation (Genesis chapter 3). These were the moments right before people chose to rebel against God, so they are still able to be in the real, physical presence and joined in activity with God. Micah 6:1-8 reminds us that, even though we are still looking to the time when we will be able to be in the real, physical presence of God, God invites fallen people to join him on the road in mission in the world. We can't see God, but we see the evidence of God's Holy Spirit with us all the time. God is at work in the world already tending to the needs of people, through those who walk with him. In this passage, God is telling us he doesn't care about all the religious stuff we do, but how we live. The creator of the universe is inviting you to join him in mission in the world. Have you ever thought about the fact that God doesn't NEED us to help him demonstrate his love in the world. He INVITES us to join him because he loves us and knows that walking with him is where we discover the deepest meaning of our life, our purpose, and our joy. That is God's desire for your life.

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Ann Kovan | December 15, 2022

The preacher's big challenge is not being able to preach on every point in a text. We could do a whole sermon series on a single verse in the Bible, so for brevity we unpack just a fraction of God's truth contained in a passage. In my sermon this past Sunday (12/11/22) I didn't touch on the writer's use of the crocus in verse 1 (Isaiah 35:1). But I love the metaphor of the crocus as a sign of God's blessing bursting forth: light from darkness, life from death, drenching from drought, and peace from violence. Where the crocus grows it is always the first bloom of spring. Its roots and stalks mature entirely underground, so there is no sign of the plant until it breaks the surface and blankets the land with large colorful flowers. Christ's return and the completion of God's work of salvation, both in humanity and all creation, will startle and surprise. It will overwhelm us with glory and majesty and wonder. It will transform a landscape of disease, evil, oppression, fear, and weakness into blossoms of beauty, joy, singing, leaping, liberation, purity, and strength. We don't know when Christ will return, and we can't always see the roots and stalks of God’s plan maturing, but God has promised it. So, it shall be. In the meantime, we strive, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to live now as those also growing and strengthening in the image of Christ and becoming what will one day burst forth in perfect blossom.

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Ann Kovan | December 7, 2022

Reflecting on Sunday's sermon based on Romans 15:1-13, I see a connection between the rift of the Gentile-converted-Christians and the Jewish-converted-Christians and SHIFT, "our congregation-wide effort to help Central live into our mission to follow Jesus by love God and loving our neighbors."

 As the gathered community of Christ through this church, we are entering a season of revitalization and visioning. To bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth--our commitment when we pray the Lord's Prayer--we all have to move in the same direction, grounded in the same thing: unleashing God's Kingdom by joining God in mission through the church which is an instrument for God's work, grounded in Christ's example, teachings, and self-sacrificing love. The Gentile Christians disdained Jewish Christians and claimed superiority because the Jewish converts were carrying ancient Jewish traditions into their Christian practices. God, through Paul, shows a different perspective. Dietary customs and physical symbols of God's covenant, such as circumcision, weren't inferior or causes for condemnation, but ethnic preferences. Paul exhorted both groups to find harmony, not in agreement in all things, but in one thing: love of God and love of neighbor. To do that, both groups had to let go of their past ways of doing things and converge together in a new way forward.

As we begin the SHIFT process in the new year, we will all have to face letting go of some old ways that are no longer useful for Central to build-up disciples and advance God's Kingdom in today’s reality. In the same way the ancient Hebrew people stood on the banks of the Jordan River after the passing of entire generation who lost faith and courage to cross the first time, we stand on the precipice of the way forward. The floodwaters are reshaping the shores of the modern church, washing away what once was. The riverbank shits beneath our feet is, the water rumbles with change, but happy will be the feet that take the plunge and cross with Christ to herald the good news in new ways. Let's find agreement in disagreement, unity in diversity, and harmony in adaptation as we follow Christ through God's unseen and unfolding plan.

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Thomas | November 28, 2022

I talked a great deal this past Sunday about Jesus’ first arrival into the world at Christmas and His Second Coming in the future. It didn't quite fit in with the theme of the message, but a fair question to ask is, “What do we do now?” We live in a time between what Jesus started in the past and what Jesus will do in the future. What are we to do while we wait in this in-between time? In short, we are called to continue Jesus’ ministry. God created the church to be Christ’s continuing presence in and for the world. Jesus returned to Heaven at His ascension. Regardless, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church is Christ’s continued presence on earth. After all, doesn’t the Bible refer to the church as the body of Christ? Christ lives in the heart of each believer. As we continue Christ’s ministry on earth, we in a sense embody Christ to one another. As we wait, let us strive to be Jesus’ presence for a world the desperately needs Him.

Reflections on Sunday’s Worship with Rev. Meg Jiunnies | November 7, 2022

Reflections on Worship by Rev. Meg Bryce Jiunnies

 Oh, what beautiful services we enjoyed yesterday.  The services were made so by the elements as we worship:  the music, the prayers, those we love surrounding us as we lift up our voices to praise God.  All Saints Sunday has always been an important part of Central, as I imagine it is in many other churches.  When you love and work with people, you miss them and it is important to recognize that they are missed.  It feels right to honor their memory by standing up and calling out their names and offering prayers of thanksgiving for so many others who have touched our lives.  I am grateful to have had this time and opportunity to celebrate their love.  The gift of Holy Communion brought this home in a poignant way as people knelt or stood to receive, and looked up with tears in their eyes.  Just a reminder of how blessed we are to have one another. 

Reflections on Sunday’s Worship with Rev. Meg Jiunnies | November 1, 2022

Reflections on Sunday’s Worship and Sermon

Rev. Meg Jiunnies

So much to think about at this past Sunday’s Worship Service!  Looking for Jesus in our world, in other people, in situations and circumstances, even Christian ones, isn’t always easy.  So much intrudes on our mission to intentionally seek God.  Most of all, we get in our own way.  And I’m the worst.  Because I am practical, and sometimes (ok, most of the time), task focused. 

But Worship. Well, Worship gives us that opportunity to bask in the presence of God.  Because we intentionally set the environment to do so.  That is why we call people to Worship, why we remind ourselves to prepare our hearts and minds to focus, why we put beautiful flowers in the chancel, why people greet you at the doors, why our choir and oh, so talented musicians practice and practice.  That is why we put our children in the pulpit to read scripture lessons, and invite the congregation to lift our voices vigorously in hymns (and why I make sure my mic is off when I sing). 

Thomas and Ann are wonderful preachers.  But they know, as I do, that is not the whole of Worship.  Sometimes, just like Thomas said, the words will strike a chord in you that is profound.  Sometimes you will struggle to focus.  That’s all right.  It isn’t about us, your preachers, anyway.  It is about God.  I hope and pray to see you this Sunday!

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Thomas | October 25, 2022

Sunday I preached about unfairly judging other people. One direction I almost went with the sermon had to do with our being essentially the same as everyone else. Although we create barriers to separate ourselves from others, we are not all that different.  We all love, cry, laugh, worry, grieve… The list could go on. Think of all emotions you feel in a day or a week or a month. Think of the circumstances in your life that make you feel certain these emotions. 

When we have a difficult interaction with another person, whether it’s someone we know well or a total stranger, our natural tendency is to mirror the way he or she interacts with us. We answer a smile with a smile and a sharp word with a sharp word.  There is an old saying that people are not bad. Rather, they are broken. The next time you find yourself in a difficult interaction with another person, try a different approach. Consider what might be causing this person to act this way. Whatever is causing this person to act this way is likely similar to something you have experienced. Try empathy instead of mirroring negativity. Try countering negative with positive, and see if that doesn’t make room for God to work. 

Reflections on Sunday’s Worship with Rev. Meg Jiunnies | October 24, 2022

Reflections on Sunday’s Worship by Rev. Meg Jiunnies

Makes me laugh at myself when I realized that instantly I thought:  “Yes, Thomas!  You tell everyone not to judge others!”  I might have been away on Sunday, but even listening to the message, my default reaction was that the message was really for all of you people -- not me!  

Thomas’ message was so timeless.  Did Adam and Eve secretly judge one another?  I think we can assume so.  Seems to be a very human quality. Thomas provided us with the response we want to think we have:  look upon others through the eyes of Jesus, with the knowledge that every person is precious to God. 

That is what I want to do.  But what I’ve found is that I fall short so many times.  I make snap assessments, color my own responses based on what I assume, attribute motivations to others of which I have no real proof.  Fortunately, a little bit of age on one will teach you over and over how wrong you can be.  So here is what I do when I’m wise enough not to lean on my own judgement:  I get to know the person.  I want to know who they love, how they spend their time, what they have learned in life.  Surprisingly (or not), I often find that knowing these things help me respect others, like them, and eventually get a glimpse of what God finds so precious. 

None one can be reduced to just the groups we like, the clothes we wear, the politics we espouse, the hobbies we have or the church we attend.  Every person is a complicated mixture of personality and experience, along with our choices. We are so much more than that:  we are the beloved of God.  Thanks be to God!

Additional Thoughts with Rev. Thomas Smith | October 19, 2022

What a wonderful Commitment Sunday we just had!  It was a joy to see the people of Central filling the sanctuary, enjoying Christian fellowship, and committing themselves to the work of God through the church.  

We pastors are blessed to be in ministry with you.  We celebrate with you in times of joy and we shed tears with you in times of grief.  In short, we have the great privilege to walk with people in their journeys through life.  One of those blessings is to see people make God’s love real in their lives.  We are blessed to serve with people who love God, love their church, and make that love real in action.  That love is what overwhelmed me on Sunday.  In a spirit of Christian love, a great many people did a great deal of work to make Commitment Sunday a success.  In that same spirit of Christian love, people committed to the call to empower the work of Christ through the church.  Thank you for your faithfulness.  I am truly blessed to be with you in ministry.

Reflections on Sunday’s Worship with Rev. Meg Jiunnies | October 18, 2022

Reflections on Sunday’s Worship with Rev. Meg Jiunnies

Oh, what an incredible rollercoaster life has a way of being!  We go from joy to heartbreak so rapidly that it makes my head spin and my heart full.  We have had such losses in our church family, earthshattering shifts, not of Covid or changes, but people – the real church.  But Sunday – well, the presence of the Holy Spirit filled the Sanctuary with hope and expectation and determination.

You see things from the chair on the chancel that I never noticed in the pews.  Even after studying the new program for stewardship, the meetings and phone calls, planning and writing, discussing and anxiety (which I know was not what God intends for us), I was still absolutely overwhelmed as our church family filled the pews, the children’s sweet voices rang out, Vivi’s remarkable reading of scripture, the inspiring message, and the choir and congregation singing in a way to make John Wesley proud!  But what brought me to tears were the faces of loved ones coming up to the altar.  People determined to slowly make their way up with help from canes, couples hand in hand to place a little piece of paper on the chancel rail, young adults and families making their way in line.  I had imagined as we thought the service through, but the reality included the presence of God in and out among us.  And as always, it was beyond my imagination.

As wonderful as those moments were, as hopeful and inspiring, it pales in comparison to the way our church went about being the church on Sunday afternoon.  A special lady, recovering from surgery spent her day at home.  She spoke to many people and was surprised by the flowers from the altar.  Just an ordinary day, but I can imagine she felt loved.

Then life shifted.  Our church family worried and prayed – just as we have for so many.  We waited, a call was made and the door that had been damaged getting to her was repaired.  Just as a matter of fact.  We waited.  Saw the fear in her child’s eyes.  And, then God took her into his arms, reunited, at home.  We get to think about this and consider this as we go about being God’s hands here.  As with so many others, we have big shoes from a tiny woman to fill.  That is what Church is.  That is the gift that we talk about over and over.  The hope, the love, the solace.  Thanks be to God. 

After Sunday Thoughts with Rev. Ann | October 17, 2022

Yesterday was an important day in the life of Central United Methodist Church, gathered as one body, one service, for Commitment Sunday. I know the words "commitment" and/or "pledge" spoken in church invoke a wide, varied, and tangle of emotional responses, some of them negative. I've been thinking about all the things we make pledges to with our money. That's basically what a subscription is, or chasing Starbucks star rewards, or a free trial of an app you will use one time and forget to cancel before the end of the 14 days (guilty, and I hope my husband doesn’t read this). Sometimes I'll accidentally agree to a subscription and never even realize it. Apps or game subscriptions or coffee rewards have no eternal value, cannot give us life or bring contentment. Our membership vows include our pledge to participate in the life of the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. These areas to which we pledge ourselves are important because they are all things that draw us closer to God and closer to one another as the Body of Christ. They are not something we are supposed to do, but who we are supposed to be. We have vows and make pledges because we must remind ourselves over and over again and because, as the sin-blessing cycle of the Old Testament proves, we have short memories and shallow faith if left on our own. Pledging or committing our generosity in advance isn't in exchange for products or goods, but a spiritual practice, a means of grace, that keeps connected to God, which furthers us towards fulfilling our purpose, which takes us deeper into peace, love, hope, and joy.

Additional Thoughts with Rev. Thomas Smith | October 12, 2022

Like many churches, ours uses a three-year cycle of readings for worship called the Lectionary. For each week (or at least most weeks) there is a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a New Testament Epistle reading, and a Gospel reading. There are Sundays when this is not the case, but it is the general pattern. In both The Well and Sanctuary services Sunday, we heard two excellent sermons from the Gospel reading.  As the one who didn’t preach on Sunday, I’ll reflect on one of the passages that was read in the Sanctuary, 2 Timothy 2:8-15.

Pay special attention to verses 11-13. We are told Jesus who died our death, who promises us a place in His kingdom, and who is faithful to us even if we are faithless to Him. It sounds to me like. This is what Jesus offers us and invites it to join Him in offering to others. That sounds a whole lot lot following Jesus by loving God and loving our neighbors!