Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Easter Sunday

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen."

                                                               Luke 24:5b (NRSV Updated Edition)

Today, I'm thankful that The United Methodist Church has given me an identity centered in the resurrection!

Technically, Lent ended yesterday but I always write one more to conclude these devotions - I think this is part of who I am.  I can't end on the Saturday where Jesus is buried.  This would go against my nature and the nature of the Gospel - I must finish with the resurrection because this is the defining piece of not only United Methodism but of all Christianity!

I've enjoyed writing these this year as a return to United Methodism's roots.  As I've gone through this strange season of disaffiliation, I've encountered United Methodists who have decided that they would rather be something else.

This is nothing new or unusual - often we have church members and even pastors transfer to other denominations.  The strange thing is that the legislation that is set to end this year allows for congregations to transfer en masse.  Of course, even when a congregation decides to do this, there have been members that felt betrayed by this decision.  

And while the only reason allowed for exit is one's viewpoint on LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church, this has not been the presenting issue in many churches.  In many churches it is more about finances and property.  Others have lifted up core doctrines as being on the chopping block as if United Methodism was moving away from the resurrection.  

My thinking was to write each day to remind us who we are.  

This reminder would be nothing without the resurrection.

As I participate in an Easter sunrise this morning, I will once again be reminded that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is something that we can encounter on a daily basis.  It is as basic as the rising of the sun.

Resurrection colors our view.  It allows us and even encourages us to forgive one another.

Resurrection allows for reconciliation - even with those who would seek to part ways.

Resurrection calls for hope in the body of Christ - even when it appears that we are infighting (which is not an attractive look for outsiders considering Christian faith).

I believe that The United Methodist Church will come out of this smaller but more united.  We will adjust and right-size our budgets so as not to cause churches to have "bloated apportionment costs."  We will continue to furnish churches with pastors who are connected to one another through shared beliefs.  We will continue to set aside people from our churches to begin the journey toward licensing and ordination.  We will continue to baptize people in the faith.  We will continue to introduce people to Jesus Christ who lives and reigns today.

We will continue to share in the resurrection!

Thanks to all who journeyed this season of Lent with me - whether daily or occasionally.  I hope that this was helpful to you as we move forward.

The resurrection of Jesus reminds us that change is nothing to be afraid of - it is quite natural in the world we live in today.  A belief in resurrection means that we can handle whatever we face and being a part of the church reminds us that we handle it together.

May God bless you today through the resurrection of Jesus Christ we find on Easter and may God continue to bless and transform the world through The United Methodist Church!

Here's a picture of an Easter sunrise service
from over 2 decades ago.  My calling and
my love for the church has only deepened
through the years.  And I still preach
resurrection!

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 40 (Holy Saturday)

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

                                Galatians 5:1

Today, I'm thankful for The United Methodist Church's teaching on free will.

As Christians sought to understand the sovereignty of God or how God is in charge of the universe, there is the difficult question of how do we account for all of the awful things happening in the world today?

While our standard answer might be the free will given to people by God is the cause of much of it, we may need to understand what John Wesley meant by free will.

It was his understanding that humanity's free will was lost in the original sin of Adam and Eve rebelling in the Garden of Eden.  This puts humanity in the state of original sin.  One way I try to explain this is that we all are oriented naturally toward the self rather than toward God.  This is true from infancy to old age.

Christian theologians from Wesley's time would say that people are unable to do anything toward their own salvation.  Calvin stated that Christians were predestined by God to choose faith in Christ.  This kept people from claiming to take part in their own salvation by saying something like, "Well, I did accept the grace Christ offered me."  A Calvinist might respond, "Well, since God knows everything and is really in charge of everything, God decided before you were born that you would make that choice."  This is an emphasis on God's sovereignty.

Wesley believed that God restores our free will through preceding or prevenient grace.  This allows us through divine intervention to make a choice to respond to the grace we have received.  But God is always the initiator of this salvation.

I've often explained it as a parent teaching a child to drive a car.  There comes a time when the child drives the car alone and out of sight.  We must trust that we have done the necessary work in training them.  This is similar to God restoring free will to us through preceding grace.  God is trusting us to make good choices!

As we think about the driving example, what happens to a child when the parent never lets them achieve this independence?  They never become fully functioning adults.

The downside of free will and independence is that we must take responsibility for our own actions.  No one forced us to choose poorly and we can't state that God pre-determined us to sin!

As we look toward Easter, we remember today that Jesus was in the tomb.  Human beings placed him there out of their own free will.  

How can we make sure that we utilize this gift with more responsibility?  One way is to voluntarily place ourselves into accountability with one another.  This is what it means to be the church.  When we are in Christ together, we help each other to re-orient to God.  May it be so!

The orientation toward the self
(and the free will to choose)
starts at an early age!

Photo by clurross via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 39 (Good Friday)

So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross by himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

                                                      John 19:16b-17

Today, I'm grateful that The United Methodist Church has taught me to see my own suffering from a different light.

Good Friday makes us contemplate suffering and mortality.  We name on this day that God is in solidarity with the suffering of the world and that God knows what it is to be alone and afraid and in pain with no hope in sight.

 

One could say that Jesus could have been buoyed by his own prediction of the resurrection but when one is dying while hanging from a tree, it may give little solace.

As Christians, we acknowledge that our faith is not insurance against suffering.  We recognize that bad things in life do in fact happen to good people.  

There have been times in my ministry where I felt that things did not go my way.  I've been in conflict with laity and clergy.  And even lately, I've been involved in what I would call highly anxious situations. 

Our faith moves us to continue to follow Jesus even when it is difficult.  I think Jesus said something more than once about taking up one's cross...

What has helped me during difficult times is the old Wesleyan prayer.  I try to pray this daily as I arise.

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things. Let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

I think it is good for me to recognize that nothing is permanent or eternal except for God.  That includes our kingdom building.  It also includes our suffering.  All suffering will come to an end - even suffering on a cross.  

I think if Lent teaches us anything, it is that we can make a difference in easing the suffering of the world.  Lent should give us eyes to see when normally we would rather look away.  

On this Good Friday, how will you help ease the suffering of someone?

Photo by adonis paul hunter via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 38

Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

                                                               1 Corinthians 10:17 (NIV)

Today, I'm thankful for The United Methodist Church's stance of the Open Table for Holy Communion.

As we prepare for Maundy Thursday worship services today, many of us will partake of the sacrament (or have the opportunity to do so).  Tonight is a remembrance of the Last Supper, unless your church is going strictly with a foot washing service (Usually not the more popular choice with the masses!). 

I've always tried to impress that Jesus was willing to share this meal with those he knew would betray, deny and desert him.  This makes it difficult for me to seek to keep anyone from the Table.

Furthermore, John Wesley spoke of Communion as a "converting ordinance" where some might find the justifying grace of Jesus Christ while receiving this sacrament.  This moves us to an open table stance that allows anyone to come and partake.

I remember a particular congregant who joined our church largely due to our open table.  This person grew up in a different tradition and then moved away from town.  They continued to attend what they thought was the same denomination and joined that church where they lived.  When they went home, they were denied Communion because the church they joined was similar in name and historical roots but was deemed different enough to keep them from being able to receive.

This was hurtful enough to seek something different and a church with a doctrine that allowed anyone to come and receive seemed more Christlike.

Whenever I've served people on Christmas Eve, they have always been appreciative that their guests could join them whether they be friends or family from out of town.  

Some would say that our liturgical "Invitation" is conditional in that it reads:

"Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him,  who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another."

It may be that a person is in the midst of divorce.  If they are not living in peace with their ex, does this keep them from communing with the rest of the congregation?  

What if the person is struggling with a particular sin and is not sure about how earnest they are in their repentance?

What if the person isn't a Christian and are not really sure about Jesus?

For me, the spiritual strength that can be gained may be just what the first two examples would need.  For the latter, the inclusion at the table may be just what this person needs to receive faith.

So while I do use this language, I've never had any Communion bouncers ready to question a person coming forward!

I do prefer the language of the "Invitation" found in the service for the sick or homebound in the Book of Worship which states:

"Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him and seek to grow into his likeness." 

 As we continue in Holy Week, what speaks to you about the Open Table?  How does this approximate what heaven should look like for you?  How can the church utilize this "converting ordinance" for a world that increasingly distances itself from who we are?

I like this photo because it is the only
one I have of Rev. Rick Cato and I serving 
together.  He passed away in April of 2020 when
we didn't get a chance to celebrate his life.
Rick always appreciated an open table.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 37

"My heritage is beautiful to me."

                        Psalm 16:6b

Today, I'm thankful that The United Methodist Church chooses to honor our Jewish heritage.

Since the celebration of Passover begins at sundown today, I thought it might be helpful to write about our relationship during Holy Week.

Some expressions of Christianity have often ranged into anti-Semitism in their theology.  One of the most dramatic was in 1980 when Rev. Bailey Smith, pastor at First Baptist in Del City and newly elected chair of the Southern Baptist Convention remarked that God doesn't hear the prayer of Jews.

His claim was based on the fact that God wouldn't be able to hear the prayer of one who disavowed Jesus as the Messiah.  He later backed up his claim using John 14:6 where Jesus claims, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Smith was unapologetically a literalist in his biblical interpretation.

When you don't interpret utilizing the overall mission of Jesus or how Jesus treated those on the outside, the Christian faith can often seem hypocritical or judgmental.

Fortunately, United Methodist doctrine is more nuanced as shared by our statement in the United Methodist Book of Resolutions entitled, "United Methodist Guiding Principles for Christian-Jewish Relations."

This statement acknowledges the difficulties of evangelizing while respecting people of differing traditions.  It is especially difficult since our religion emerged out of Judaism and started as a subset of it.

Our resolution calls us "to learn about the faith of one another and to build bridges of understanding."

I began to learn more about the Jewish community in college as the Jewish Student Association met at the OSU Wesley Foundation where I was the resident custodian my final two years of school.  They made arrangements to hold a Seder meal in our building which was my first encounter with this Passover tradition.  

In order for them to prepare it in our kitchen, they gave it a thorough scrubbing to ensure a kosher meal.  As the custodian, this was perfectly fine by me!

They were gracious in inviting any of the United Methodist students to attend.  I recognize this hospitality today as I imagine that it would be nice just to celebrate with your own people without having to explain everything to outsiders.  As a person in the dominant culture, at the time, it didn't occur to me that we wouldn't necessarily be a welcome addition for all those there!

It was a fascinating retelling using the different foods as mnemonic devices of how the Jewish people were led by God through Moses out of bondage and into freedom.  For instance, bitter herbs were used to remind the participants of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.

I feel that it is important for Christians to be guests at a Jewish Passover rather than re-creating one primarily for the Christian community where they reside.  When Christians are in charge, it feels more like playing at the Passover.  Of course, we also don't want to be spiritual tourists who try out experiences for our own self-interest.  The key for me would be the relationships established.  We are honored to participate with our friends so that we might grow closer in loving our neighbors.  We have a greater understanding of them and thus, of ourselves.  This is more likely to keep us from proclaiming that Jesus doesn't hear the prayers of our Jewish neighbors.

As we move through Holy Week, what differences of religious tradition have you encountered?  Some might be within the Christian faith and some might be outside it.  There is a significance in how Jesus conducted the Passover meal.  John's Gospel tells us that Jesus preceded the meal by washing the feet of those who followed him.  How might we bring this humility to our religious conversations with the people we meet?

I remember a lot of wine being drunk at the Seder.
While drinking four glasses is also representative,
they told us that we didn't have to drain each glass.
I think this was the only time alcohol was served
in the Wesley Foundation!

Photo by Suzie Tremmel via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 36

A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.

                                                   Proverbs 17:17

Today, I'm grateful for my cabinet colleagues within the Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church.

2022-23 Oklahoma Conference Appointed Cabinet 

When Bishop Nunn called me in the spring of 2021 to go on the cabinet, I was taken aback.  Our son, David, was finishing his junior year in high school and I didn't feel that we would want to move at this point (I have PK friends that could point to their own move before their senior years).  

When he stated that it would be to the Crossroads District and that I wouldn't have to change homes, this took away that exit ramp.  I did have an idea of what would be coming regarding disaffiliation and the issues surrounding The United Methodist Church.

Strangely, I felt God's call on my life to get the church that has nurtured and cared for me through this rough season and so I accepted this appointment.

The issues surrounding disaffiliation have taken off at a greater pace than I anticipated.  As I spoke to my spouse Sheryl (who teaches marketing at the college level), she indicated that because there is an end date to disaffiliation, it induces a type of fire-sale mentality.

"You've got to get this deal while you can!  Act now because our churches are going fast!  Make sure you get yours before time runs out!"

She indicated to me that many people make purchases under this type of advertising that normally wouldn't if there were not a limited time frame involved.  When this happens, people often later will have buyer's remorse!  

This type of thinking usually captures the short-term gain without looking at the long-term consequences.  You may have heard about the small town church that disaffiliated that later asked the superintendent, "When are you going to send us our next pastor?"

As the cabinet has sought to stem the tide, there have been conversations that have tried our patience.  There have been things said to us verbally and in writing that are hard to set aside.

Fortunately, God has not left us to our own devices.  Because we are in a connectional system, we have each other with which we can process these things.  We start every cabinet meeting with a devotion led by one of our colleagues.  Usually, they hit right where they need to.

There have been tears but there has also been laughter.  It may be that the laughter helps us to stem the tide.  There's something about shared conflict that draws people close to one another.  When we add the element of faith, this becomes the church.

Our faith allows us to not only handle it but to see a day when we will be thriving.  

During Holy Week, we remember that the disciples blew it when Jesus was in his greatest need.  But we also will soon tell of how they came back together.  And the world was changed.

As you think about difficulties in your own life that you have overcome, where has God placed people along the way that have helped you see past it?  When have you shared something deep and meaningful with others that has drawn you closer to one another?  How does this speak to the resurrection to come?

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 35

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

                    James 2:13b

Today, I'm thankful that The United Methodist Church emphasizes grace over judgment.  

At some point fairly early in my career, I remember Oklahoma's resident bishop at the time, Bruce Blake, leading us in a series he wrote entitled, "What's Different about The United Methodist Church."

In particular, I remember his point that we lead with grace over judgment.  

I have experienced Christian judgment many times in my life.  Sometimes they have come from within the denomination and sometimes from without.  So it would be hypocritical to say that we never judge.  Rather, it is like the bar we raise to an impressive height.  We are working on clearing the bar but we recognize that we'll need some help.

If we don't continue to seek to employ grace, it is much too easy to fall into being judgmental.  I'm not sure why this is a fall-back position but it seems to be.  This may be due to the fact that secular life employs a lot of judgment.

As a district superintendent, this season of disaffiliation has been difficult to say the least.  My job is to hold pastors and churches accountable.  What does that look like in a season that allows churches the possibility of leaving?  Can clergy or lay leadership of a local church lift up options of other denominations as possible destinations or is this going against the vows we take?

Based on the inclusion of paragraph 2553 in 2019, this seems to be a gray area.

I've tried to lift the idea that true discernment should include self-critique.  But if it is only critique without lifting up the positive, it has become a sell-job.  This is where I try to hold the line.

Unfortunately, when I do try to hold this process to more of a discernment, I get accused of being too harmful to those simply seeking to leave.  If the church in question was going out at over 90%, I am more lenient.  But where there are a larger number of United Methodists, in a sense, I become their pastor if the appointed pastor is moving them to an exit.

This gets back to the accountability piece.  I do try to be gracious but at the same time, I also expect local leadership not to use manipulative tactics such as "United Methodists no longer believe in the resurrection" or "the conference is not being transparent with its finances."  These are both untrue statements.

The grace I try to employ at this point is that I've not filed charges against anyone.  You may not feel that this is a very high bar but there are times I would disagree.  I'm writing about this to try to show our very real struggle with the concept Bishop Blake has outlined.

As we enter Holy Week, where do your own points of grace and judgment intersect?

Maybe it will be helpful for us to remind ourselves how Jesus treated those around him this week!

My faith tells me that grace takes precedence

Photo by Tori Rector via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 34

"I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

                                                    Joshua 1:9

Today, I'm grateful that The United Methodist Church gave me the leadership tools to deal with change and the anxiety that comes with it.

These days, I often hear our United Methodist pastors say, "Seminary never had any courses on disaffiliation."  I may have even said it a time or two.

And while this is technically true, I was instructed in our church's polity.  I was also given tools as a leader to deal with change which is usually accompanied by anxiety from those impacted by it.

I remember vividly in my church administration class of a particular anecdote that was lifted up as a true story:

A pastor (this was in Georgia) was appointed to a new congregation.  He discovered that there was a tree that had grown so large that it effectively blocked one of the entrances to the church.  This pastor took it upon himself to get his chainsaw and remove the tree, thus allowing greater access to the building.  What could go wrong?  He found out after the fact that this particular tree was planted by John Wesley.

As students, we were to answer the question, "How would you handle this?"

I think my answer of "Ask for a new appointment" was probably the most logical!

But seriously, these kinds of exercises show us that we may run into all kinds of issues.  Most of them have to do with the local culture and history of a particular church.  How many times would it be better to listen and learn before rushing to action?

As the church deals with disaffiliation, this has a lot to do with identity.  As a connectional church, we have a lot of shared identity that is then shaped by local culture.  This is why United Methodist churches all have similarities but each have their own flavor as well.  Currently, many churches are feeling that their own flavor is sufficient for their identity and they are discounting or ignoring how the connectional identity influences them.  

These situations remind me of those who declare that they are self-made when in fact, they have received so much help along the way - even from the standpoint of having parents who taught them a work ethic.  If we see the gratitude from this person (or church) missing, it does cause us to wonder if they need more humility in their lives.

Having a strong sense of one's identity is good armor for the anxiety that emerges from our society today.  It allows us to see outliers as just that rather than normative.  It allows us not to panic when someone else makes a decision contrary to ours.  It allows us to be in relationship with those who disagree and still respect them as children of God.

One of the greatest advantages in being in a connectional system is that we don't face the changes (and the anxiety that comes with them) alone.  We have greater resources on which to draw.  This network includes leadership that has also been trained to look at larger systems.  Unfortunately, this is one part of our identity that is being overlooked by some.  I hope these don't end up like the pastor who unknowingly cut down the Wesley tree!

As we move through Lent, what are some of the basics of your identity in  Christ?  How do naming these help with stress or anxiety?

Humor is also a tool to lessen anxiety!

Photo by Oatsy40 via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.