Blessed are the Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 
Matthew 5:9 

You could fill volumes with all that I don’t know or understand about geopolitics.  I am uninformed about the intricacies of international diplomacy and my feelings toward Russia are shaded by having grown up during the Cold War.  Regardless, none of us need to know much to be horrified by the news from Ukraine.  Our hearts hurt for lives lost and for people whose homes are being ravaged by invasion.  The world feels a great deal less safe than it did only days ago.  The above words of Jesus remind us to be makers of peace, even in the presence of war.  How do we do that when we are removed by thousands of miles?  The short answer is to pray.  The below prayer was published by the Church of England and used in a prayer vigil on February 26th.  Whether you use these exact words, I encourage you to add to your daily prayers the people of Ukraine, the people of Russia, and the leaders of both countries.  While it may be difficult to pray for the oppressor, Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies and to counter hate with love.  Let us therefore pray for those pursuing war, that they might repent and seek peace.  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.  

God of peace and justice, 
we pray for the people of Ukraine today. 
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons. 
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, 
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them. 
We pray for those with power over war or peace, 
for wisdom, discernment and compassion 
to guide their decisions. 
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear, 
that you would hold and protect them. 
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. 
Amen. 

 Yours in Christ, 

Thomas 

God's Church During a Worldwide Pandemic

Dear Friends, 

It seems we find ourselves in the midst of yet another spike in Covid-19 cases.  We at Central are working to identify the best way to move forward in mission and ministry until the tide turns.  Nevertheless, our mission remains the same and there is much work to be done.  It is incumbent upon us to continue following Jesus by loving God and loving our neighbors.  For now, all our ministries will continue as planned.  Most of our gatherings will remain mask optional, but I encourage you to consider wearing a facemask indoors.  I also encourage you to be vaccinated against Covid-19 if it is medically safe for you to do so.  Most importantly, please follow the advice of your healthcare provider regarding which precautions to take. 

While the news may seem discouraging, let us remember God has placed us in this place at this time.  Our job as individual Christians and as a church is to faithfully follow Jesus in here and now.  In thinking about this idea, I am reminded of something I heard a World War II veteran say.  Toward the end of his life, I was blessed to sit with this man as he reflected on some of his experiences as a pilot in the Pacific.  I thanked him for his service and for sharing his stories with me.  He responded by saying, “I didn’t do anything a million other men wouldn’t have done.”  When I encouraged him not to downplay his service, he said, “I was the one who was there when something needed doing, so I did it.”  That idea has stuck with me.  God has made us God’s church during a worldwide pandemic.  We are the ones who are here and the mission remains.  Let us continue to faithfully follow Jesus by loving God and loving our neighbors. 

Yours in Christ,  

Thomas

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! We celebrate anew the good news that Jesus Christ is born for us. Amidst all the hubbub of the day, take a moment to sit and reflect on the mystery of Christmas. A virgin named Mary give birth to God's only son. In this son existed the fulness of God. God's own self became a human being and lived a life like ours in every way but sin. In Jesus, God is with us. 

Jesus is with us, but His presence is cheapened when we ignore it. Consider Christmas music. Since the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas music has been everywhere. It is the background soundtrack for the last part of the year. It is in almost every store and public space. We hear it, but after a point do we not stop listening?  At some point does it not become vaguely familiar noise that tune out? 

Jesus is with you now. Wherever you read these words, the Child of Bethlehem is with you in that place right now. Do not let His presence be in the background of your day. Open your eyes to see him. Open your ears to hear Him.  Let the angel’s proclamation to the shepherds be God's word to you: 

“Onto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”  — Luke 2:12 

Yours in Christ, 

Those Affected by Recent Tornadoes

Dear Friends, 

We have all seen the horrific images in the aftermath of the recent tornadoes that have affected parts of our country.  It is natural at a time like this to want to help and we as a church have the opportunity to do exactly that. 

 The United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR, is the United Methodist Church’s disaster recovery agency.  Because of the way UMCOR is funded, 100% of your donations go to the area of need.  UCMOR’s overhead and administrative costs are paid through the apportionments paid by each local church.  This means that if you give to a particular area of need, none of your donation is syphoned off for administrative purpose.  There are many good groups doing good work in the wake of this natural disaster, but I commend to you the work of UMCOR.  If you feel led to give to relieve work through UMCOR, you can do so by clicking the Donate Now button at https://umcmission.org/advance-project/901670/.   

 When we respond to our neighbors in need, we are the hands of feet of Christ.  Let us continue to pray for those affected and the people who are working to bring then aid. 

Yours in Christ, 
Thomas

It's Advent!

It’s Advent!  This season of Advent is one of my favorite times of year in our worshiping life.  The world seems to take on a more festive air during this season of preparation for Christmas.  Some of my favorite church traditions are part of Advent, such as Advent wreaths and Christmon trees. 

One of the changes we’ve had this Advent at Central is the use of blue as the liturgical color for Advent.  The colors we use in worship are filled with theological meaning.  For example, white represents purity and light.  As such, it is used to represent Jesus and is used for holy days associated with particularly important times in Jesus’ ministry such as Christmas and Easter.  Red represents the Holy Spirit and is used on Pentecost and other occasions associated with the Holy Spirit.  Green represents growth and is used for the time between seasons.  In the past, purple has been used to represent both Advent and Lent.  So why the change to blue?

Advent and Lent are both seasons of preparation for the two most important days on the Church’s calendar.  They mirror each other in that Lent is a season of preparation for Easter and Advent is a season of preparation or Christmas.  Even though they are both seasons of preparation, they have different theological emphases.  Advent is a season of preparation that anticipates both Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and the consummation of history in the second coming of Jesus Christ.  In contrast, Lent is characterized by critical introspection, self-denial, fasting, and penitence.  Purple has been used to represent this penitential tone of solemnity and somberness.  Blue, in contrast,  represents hopefulness.  The United Methodist Book of Worship encourages the use of either purple or blue for Advent.  Additionally, the use of blue for Advent is not new.  We know that English churches used blue for Advent as long ago as the 11th century.  Many Protestant and Roman Catholic churches have recovered this ancient practice as a way to emphasize Advent’s unique themes. 

Considering all of this, the worship committee with my encouragement opted to use blue for Advent. We pray this new part of our worshiping life can help us enter into the joy and hope that are hallmarks of Advent.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas