Jesus Creates Change

Third Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

Lectionary Reading: Matthew 10:24-39 (NRSV)

I spent a lot of time studying Family Systems Theory developed by Murray Bowen and expanded for religious context by Edwin Friedman.  Much of my doctoral thesis was based on this work. 

One of the teachings of systems theory helpful to remember in a time like this is that systems resist change.  I tried to show in my sermon, "The Spirit of Truth" on May 17th how race relations since the Civil War were slow to change in the United States.  There has been active resistance against the changes brought on by the emancipation of the slaves and the Thirteenth Amendment.

But for the most part, the resistance to change isn't conscious.  It often comes by the majority in subtle ways that may appear to be adoption on the outside but inside continues to fight the change because they may not be comfortable with the new reality.

Friedman tells us that when a leader attempts to institute a change, that one should actually expect sabotage from those being led.  Friedman writes in A Failure of Nerve,

"Eventually I came to see that this 'resistance,' as it is usually called, is more than a reaction to novelty; it is part and parcel of the systemic process of leadership.  Sabotage is not merely something to be avoided or wished away; instead, it comes with the territory of leading, whether the 'territory' is a family or an organization."

This doesn't mean that people are out to get the leader or that they even are aware of their work against the changes, but rather it seems to be how people function in systems.  It is something to expect.  In fact Tod Bolsinger, in his book, Canoeing the Mountains, claims that you haven't truly succeeded in making a lasting change until after you've survived the sabotage.  How many things have we "tried" at the church only to go back to the way they were? 

So as we see all of the changes that have taken place in our society recently, it would not at all be surprising if people were experiencing some change fatigue.  This fatigue may come through our subtle resistance to what we've been experiencing. 

For my own experience in dealing with COVID-19, I wear a mask when I go out in public spaces.  Yes, we have started to re-open but it is possible to continue to spread the disease as we have seen in the rise in Oklahoma cases over the past few days.  The last two restaurants I visited were strange experiences for me.  One was in rural Oklahoma after we had spent some time outdoors as a family.  We stopped in to get some take-out and there was no distancing and I was the only one in the place wearing a mask.  The other was an Edmond restaurant where we decided to eat on the patio.  We had to go through the restaurant to get to the patio.  I noticed the same behavior as at the rural location regarding precaution.

The risk is still present.  Why the lackadaisical response to safety?

I think it involves resistance to change.  We don't like to wear masks.  They are uncomfortable.   We don't like to distance ourselves.  Human beings are social beings.  So we may claim that this is all overblown and there is no real danger.  This doesn't come as a rational response but as an emotional one.  Of course, emotional responses are valid and sometimes they move us to action more so than rational responses but we also need to understand that they are sometimes based on what we want to be true rather than what we know to be true.

I must admit that when I was the only one wearing a mask, I could feel the eyes of everyone on me.  I felt a little bit like an Amish person driving my horse and buggy to town.  But I continued to wear the mask.

So as we gather for worship on Sunday, we will wear masks even though much of Oklahoma has forgone this device.  As I mentioned in our expectation video, the mask is really more about concern for the neighbor.  What does Jesus say about his expectation of the treatment of our neighbors?

"So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."                       John 13:14-15

This is the example of service - to be in service to one another.  And so, while social distancing prevents us from washing one another's feet (I know you're disappointed), we can put on the mask which may be uncomfortable in order to keep the most vulnerable among us safe.

Save a Grandma, Wear a Mask!

So I imagine that there will be some resistance to this change.  Both of the medical doctors that I've spoken to in our congregation strongly encourage the wearing of the masks.  We're not telling you that you have to do it outside the church building (although it is a really good idea in public), but if you really don't want to wear it in our public worship, I would encourage you to continue to worship online at home with us. 

Jesus does tell us in Sunday's gospel reading that we are to take up the cross and follow him.  So in retrospect, wearing a mask is not that big of a deal.  That being said, I do expect there will be some resistance to this.  But I expect the movement of the Holy Spirit and the compassion we have learned from being followers of Jesus to overcome it.

I am looking forward to seeing our congregation again.  I am a social person and it has given me a lot of anxiety to be isolated the way we have.  And when the time comes to put away the masks, no one will be happier than I.  We all hope to get back to normal.  Sunday will be a good step to get there.  I just don't want us rushing into anything that will harm some of us.  So if you disagree with me that is fine, just know that my stance comes out my love in Christ for each of you.

In Christ,

Sam


The Photo is from a campaign to sell masks by Glendale UMC in Nashville.

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Bolsinger, Tod.  Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory.  Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 2018.

Friedman, Edwin H.  A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix.  New York: Seabury Books, 2007.

We're All in the Same Boat

Second Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

Lectionary text: Romans 5:1-8 (NRSV)

I’m not privileged.

I have no special status.

No one has helped me.

I don’t owe anything to anyone.

I have pulled myself up from my own bootstraps.

I haven’t had an advantage that others didn’t have – in fact, I can name several ways that I was disadvantaged growing up and have overcome it.

When I was getting ready to attend college, my parents were going to help me with the cost of tuition.  We had a family business dealing with software for the oil and gas industry.  When I was starting college in the fall of 1986, oil had fallen from $27 a barrel to less than $10 a barrel.  Sound familiar?

I remember my parents coming to me and telling me that while they would help as much as they could, paying for college was going to be up to me as our business was barely hanging on.  So I managed to graduate in four years and came out with only a few student loans that I paid off before going on to get my master’s degree (which I also paid for).

I could easily have folded and said it was too hard.  I pressed on.  

I could have easily blamed the economy and quit.  I endured.  

I could have gone into deep debt but I lived frugally in order to have a brighter future.

Let’s all give it up to me!

Well, the details of this story are all factual but they only tell part of the story.  I was privileged to have two parents in the home that supported me throughout my childhood.  It was a stable home and I was never mistreated nor did I worry about my parents splitting up.  I was privileged to have parents that instilled in me a sense of hard work.  I was able to creatively work my way through school to lessen the debt load because I had parents who modeled a can-do attitude.  I was privileged to even want to pursue education because I was born to parents with college degrees (dad also had a master's) who set an expectation for higher learning.

     

Beyond these privileges, I have always been in the racial majority.  This is an advantage that is difficult for those who haven’t experienced otherwise to understand or comprehend.  What does it mean to be the only one of your race in a social setting?  What if there were historic social inequalities that remain hidden just beneath the surface?  What if I had to second-guess my relationships with those of the majority race because of past slights I had experienced?

I don't even want to
get started on this sign!

This week’s epistle reminds us that we are all sinners.   Yet, we all receive the grace of God in Christ Jesus.  We are privileged to stand before God blameless – not because of anything we earned but because what we’ve received in the love of God.  If I can stand on this privilege, I must do so with humility, recognizing that we are all in this together.

This may be a crucial step for Christians to take in order to recognize our brothers and sisters who may be hurting because of injustices built into a system where people have not received the same treatment under the law.   It may be a matter of gratitude.  I am grateful for the blessings – earned and unearned – that I have received.  If we can’t develop a sense of thankfulness, we will end up entitled – maybe like I portrayed myself in the first part of the blog.  I think the apostle Paul would say that a sense of entitlement is deadly spiritually.  

I don’t think it will help us as a society either.

Join us for worship on Sunday as we continue to unpack this text together.  I'll try to bring more humility and less entitlement!

In Christ,

Sam

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

Reactions against the System

Scripture Reading: John 13:1-5 (NRSV)

I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, just months after the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy within the United States.  Although Minnesota had less diversity than it does today, there was still racial tension that touched our family.  This is to say that the current crisis was not born overnight.

I preached on May 17th a sermon detailing some of the history of racial injustice in our country.  As we find ourselves embroiled with protests surrounding the treatment of African-Americans in our nation, there are many people who don't know what to think.  Certainly, the murder of George Floyd on May 25th was horrific.  And it comes after other recent well-documented racist crimes in our country.

As I mentioned in the sermon, I believe that the tension of the coronavirus keeps us from observing our normal boundaries.  When human beings are under anxiety, they are often not on their best behavior.  If a person has racist tendencies, these may not come into play during a normal day.  But if there is undo stress in their lives, a racist act may be perpetrated.  This doesn't excuse or validate any act of racial injustice or violence.  It simply helps us understand why we may have been seeing these more frequently.

It is the same reason you are more likely to see signs of domestic abuse during times of stress.

As we look at family systems theory, we remember that all systems seek balance or homeostasis.  This balance can be healthy or unhealthy.  As we look at racial disparity in our country, we can see that it didn't just crop up overnight.  We have seen a slow arc toward equality for African-Americans in the United States.  The laws we have passed have helped to remind us of the equality needed.  But unfortunately, laws can have little teeth if they are not embraced by the majority in specific locations.

So it should be no surprise that we have a ways to go with regards to racial justice.  Many in the white community acknowledge that our country has a problem with racism but find the rioting, vandalism and looting that may accompany protesting dulls their appetite for justice regarding race.  It may be important to see these more troublesome aspects as a consequence of injustice.  Think of a boiling pot untended.

And just as a person under stress may act upon racist tendencies where they would normally observe boundaries, we can see the same anxiety move a person pushed to the edge to lash out.  If a person feels that there is no hope, they may want to burn it all down.  Then they feel that we are now on the same playing field.

As Christians, how do we respond?  

Within John's Gospel referenced above, we remember Jesus washing the feet of his disciples who would not be seen in his day as his equals.  He then invites us to keep this mentality regarding the rest of the world.  Jesus specifically gives us the new commandment,    

"Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."  (John 13:34b)

This doesn't mean that we allow violence to take place indiscriminately in response to the hopelessness and rage of the situation.  Rather, it means that we take the stance that we prevent the inequalities from happening and continuing in the first place.  We seek understanding and follow it with compassion seeking to bring lasting change for the better.

In this Christians seek God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We haven't always followed through with this if we are to be honest with ourselves.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" wrote in 1963, 

"I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councillor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically feels that he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time; and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

White leadership is often quick to quote Dr. King, acknowledging him as someone they respect and admire.  I read these words and they sting my pride because I have also remained silent perhaps too many times when an injustice didn't interfere with my own comfort.  I hope to never utilize Dr. King's words or movement to keep intact the status quo if the norm that I want to maintain is unjust.

I don't think keeping some people disadvantaged economically or maintaining different access to the rights guaranteed by our Constitution is the way to serve our neighbors.  It is not American and it is certainly not Christian.  

But we are a resurrection people.  This allows us to find and offer forgiveness to one another.  This allows us to move beyond repentance and on to reconciliation.  May it be so for us this day and every day.

Let us pray:

O Holy God, open unto me light for my darkness, courage for my fear, hope for my despair.

O loving God, open unto me wisdom for my confusion, forgiveness for my sins, love for my hate.

O God of peace, open unto me peace for my turmoil, joy for my sorrow, strength for my weakness.

O generous God, open my heart to receive all your gifts.  Amen.

Prayer by Howard Thurman, Civil Rights leader, 20th Century

Photo by David Geitgey Sierralupe via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Enduring Beyond this Present Age

Pentecost Sunday, Year A

Lectionary reading: Psalm 104:24-35 (NRSV)

Pentecost is of course, the celebration of when the church began as recorded in the Book of Acts by Luke.  We have seen almost 2,000 years of history since that day and the church has undergone lots of changes due to cultural shifts.  We may be in the midst of another.  We often speak of the current isolation effecting the world's economy but if we drill down a bit, we can see that it will also effect the church.

There is an economic impact that individual churches are facing.  Most churches already operate without a lot of cushion to their budgets and this will be difficult - especially for the smaller congregations.  While the coronavirus has touched church members around the world, we have also experienced higher than average death rate for other causes as well.  This may be from the heightened stress breaking down immune responses.

Some congregations have a season of faithfulness
and later close.  This is a normal cycle of life.

If you take churches in the United States, they are more likely to be made up of membership that would be considered vulnerable due to the average age of congregants.  This would mean that many individual members may stay home as churches begin to open their sanctuaries again.  I would guess that it would be worse in urban areas than in rural areas where counties may not have any cases.

As we offer online worship, it seems that our participation may, for some churches, be higher than when they were meeting in the building.  Of course, gauging a good number for this is difficult and the standards seem to vary depending on who's doing the counting.  But there is a possibility that Christianity will reach more people through this health crisis.  What may be hard to determine is how many of the larger churches are reaching viewers from smaller churches that aren't able to access their own church.  Even though modern technology makes it possible for all churches to broadcast worship, the training or expertise for such endeavors is not equally distributed.

When churches begin to meet again in their buildings, we will likely see less people present physically which will hopefully be offset by people continuing to worship online.  One possibility would be that some people won't come back after the hiatus.  Lots of things cause people to fall away but with this pause, it may be that more people than usual will decide they won't be returning.  As we see American society move away from regular worship as a whole, will this accelerate the decline?

The Psalm reading for Pentecost doesn't mention anything really about the church (of course any Old Testament nod to the church is Christian extrapolation) or even corporate worship.  It is more individually spiritual as the human spirit witnesses to the Creator among all the outdoor observance.  There is a sense of gratitude that comes when we experience the mystery of God's creation.

Even with the ebb and flow of church participation through the ages, people feel a sense of the sacred through a variety of experiences.  As the psalmist declares, "I will sing praise to God while I have being," we can recognize that we often have a desire to gather with others to share the mystery we find in the whole of the created order.  As Paul writes to us through Romans 1:20, we are reminded,

"Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made."

This reminds us that God touches people all around the world.  God can be experienced simply by walking in the woods.  The church will undergo changes as it always has but it will come through this coronavirus.  Some individual places will close but as a whole, the expression will continue.  Some churches will grow after we begin to meet in person again.  And the church will continue after we're gone.  But how we respond today will make a difference to future generations. 

It's exciting to be on the cusp of something new.  What will God do with us as we celebrate this latest birthday of Christ's church?  Join us online as we continue to explore our future together!

In Christ,

Sam

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

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Witnesses to the Ends of the Earth

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Reading: Acts 1:6-14 (NRSV)

We have kind of a holdover for Acts from the day recognizing the Ascension of the Lord which is May 21st this year.  This is always recognized on the fortieth day of Easter.

It seems strange that it has been forty days since Easter because all of that time (and some prior to it) has been spent in social isolation from one another.

I was scheduled to go to General Conference as a delegate earlier this month but that has been pushed to an as-yet undetermined time in 2021.

While most Americans recognize this Sunday as part of Memorial Day weekend, clergy families in the Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church recognize this as the Sunday before Annual Conference starts.  Last year we got to celebrate Trey's ordination at this event.  Now our Annual Conference has been pushed back to June 20th (which will probably be held online) with some additional days possibly coming in November.  At this point, Trey is glad that his ordination wasn't scheduled for 2020 since we're not sure when that service will occur.

Our Jurisdictional Conference was scheduled for July but was also canceled.  We're not sure when we will gather.  We elect bishops at this conference and we have three that would like to retire this summer.

Oh, and our local church also hasn't been meeting for worship in a physical location although the Holy Spirit joins us together as we share online with one another.  Some are wondering, when are we ever going to meet again in our sanctuary?  Others are thinking, even if they open up again, I'm not going to chance it yet.

Governor Stitt has allowed churches to begin meeting again for Sunday worship since May 3rd.  Some have asked the question, "Why are we waiting?  There are other churches that are already meeting."  Our Annual Conference has asked us to wait until June 7th to meet and only after a long list of guidelines are met.

It may be a while before we get to publicly engage in this manor.
But to be fair, some introverts may think "Passing of the Peace"
looks like this each Sunday!

We are having lots of conversations on how we can meet again safely.  We are fortunate that Oklahoma has not suffered the caseload of other states.  It's likely that our population's low density has been working in our favor.  Still, we have church members that have lost loved ones and we recognize that the danger is real.  Even though it is less likely to become sick in Oklahoma as it would be in New York, we are still cautious because of the possibilities.

As the Senior Pastor, I would hate to re-open our campus for worship too early and end up officiating at the funeral of a member we infected.  And yes, I recognize that people are capable of making their own decisions and taking their own risks but my pastoral care sensibilities tend to look for the maximum care of the congregation.  United Methodists have been taught to observe Wesley's General Rule, "Do No Harm."

At this point for Edmond, we are looking toward Father's Day on Sunday, June 21st to begin to worship in person again.  Conversations have led us to the Christian Activity Center and possibly Wesley Hall rather than the sanctuary for our initial gathering.  In-person gatherings such as Sunday school will probably be longer in coming.  Nursery and children's church will not be available at the beginning.  Hymn singing may also be suspended.  We may be able to offer a sooner timeline for Guthrie since there are less people and will communicate when we know.

Fortunately, we will continue to offer worship online.  This has been a blessing and we have reached people (including members who have moved away) across the United States and beyond.  It is encouraging to see the comments and reactions in our Facebook feed each week.  I've heard others tell me this helps them to feel connected.  The online portion of our reach truly allows us to engage in the command of Jesus to the disciples in this week's reading where he tells them "you will be my witnesses...to the ends of the earth."  So while we wait to meet in person, your connection to your church has allowed you to give courage and lift the spirits of many beyond our normal reach.

This Sunday, we will continue to consider this wonderful passage and the responsibility of being a witness to our faith.  Our ability to witness has changed and like all change, there are usually positives and negatives.  We tend to see the negatives first as with any change but I am reminded that the Easter season is all about resurrection.   And so in the midst of all this response to the pandemic, how is God doing a new thing with you?

In Christ,

Sam

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

The Spirit of Truth

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Reading: John 14:15-21 (NRSV)

These verses appear in the Farewell Discourse of Jesus within John's Gospel.  Much of chapter 14 is featured in readings at funerals and within Sunday's passage, verses 18-19 may sound familiar:

“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.  In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live."

This is likely featured during the Easter season because Jesus projects the resurrection onto not only himself but his followers as well.  We also see a projection into Pentecost as Jesus lifts up the Holy Spirit as an Advocate.  Sharp divides are made between the world and the Christian community.  This doesn't mean that non-Christians can't come to the faith.  Rather, it speaks of a distinction in world-views. 

Those who follow Jesus have a difference in how they see. God's reality varies from the world's reality.  Ultimately, this has to do with what is valued.  Jesus ties this to love.  If we love Jesus, we will keep his commandments.  This allows us to dwell in the Spirit.

So which commandments are we supposed to keep?  Are there some that we should pay more attention to than others?

Within the Gospel of John, we see that Jesus has just lifted up the new commandment in the previous chapter in verse 34:

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

The context of this love is that Jesus has just washed his disciples' feet.  This servant leadership is not the leadership of the world.  The world's leadership in that day climbed high so that they could have others wash their feet.  Let the less appealing duties be done by lower castes!  Not much has changed in that regard.  But we have made strides toward the equality that Jesus implies.

Wearing a mask in public epitomizes
the new commandment because not
everyone is equally resistant.

The truth of the equality of humanity was dimmer in the first century than it is today.  This Christian value has infused itself in the worldview which is a blessing.  But in many ways, there is still a struggle to maintain what we have accomplished.  Genocide still occurs in the world today.  Racial injustice still occurs in our country recently highlighted by Ahmaud Arbery's murder or Dameon Shephard's encounter at his own home with an armed mob.

So how does the Spirit of truth of which Jesus speaks shine forth in the world today?  Is the world capable of hearing it?  I think it is.  But I think it is slow to do so.  And I think that sometimes I can't hear it because the volume of the world is up so high.  But we do recognize that what we are told is truth is not always consistent with the Spirit of truth. 

Worship reminds us to turn down the volume of the world so that we can hear what our Advocate may be trying to say.  I hope you'll continue to join us online as we worship together.  YouTube is featured on many smart televisions today.  Facebook can be accessed through the Edmond and Guthrie sites.  We go live on Sundays at 11 am but you can worship at your own time if you prefer.  And unlike being there in person, you have the ability to mute the pastor!  I've heard from lots of people that they appreciate your comments on Facebook so they feel connected to the congregation.  I would encourage you to share a comment on either medium so that you impact others worshiping as well. 

Blessings to you and know that our staff continues to pray for your safety and recovery during this time.

In Christ,

Sam

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

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God is my Refuge

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Reading: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 (NRSV)

We can see that this Psalm comes to us in the Easter season because Jesus quotes it while dying on the cross.  Only Luke gives us these words from Jesus in 23:46:

Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.

Of course, we know that these were not the last words that Jesus says in Luke's account because Jesus is resurrected and appears again to the disciples. 

Originally, this psalm is seen as a lament where the troubles of the day are given over to God.  Hope comes through this trust that God will see us through.  When Jesus quotes from Psalm 31:5, he may have included more of this Psalm in that sentiment as verse 16 states:

Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.

This is a reversal of the idea that to gaze upon God's face would be deadly.  God says as much to Moses in Exodus 33:20:

“you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.”

While the mystery of God gives us pause, the Psalmist declares to us that we ultimately have no place to go but to God.  What does it mean for God to be our refuge?  What does it mean to put ourselves in God's hands?

Sometimes larger hands hold onto the faith
for us as we grow.

I remember being ill with a migraine headache as a child.  My mother was away on a trip to visit my older sister to help with my new nephew.  I awoke and cried out and my father came into my room.  He was not normally the caregiver - that role went to my mother.  But he was there for me in my time of need.  He lay down in the bed next to me and held my head with his big hands.  He put just enough pressure on my head which relieved the pain somewhat.  He held me like that until I went back to sleep.

That image of comfort and love in a time of distress is what I think about when I read this Psalm today.  We certainly have some anxiety at this point in our lives with all of the isolation due to COVID-19.  I hear lots of stories about sleeping schedules being erratic.  Sometimes we may feel ourselves angry toward things that normally wouldn't be that big of a deal.  Even as we begin to return somewhat to society, there is still the need to remain apart so that the vulnerable are not infected. 

It's a lot of weight to carry.

This Sunday, we'll continue to explore the theme of "God is My Refuge" in worship.  You can join us through YouTube.  We reached 100 subscribers so feel free to jump on and add to the interest!  This milestone gave us an easier way to reach our page - you can find it at https://www.youtube.com/EdmondFirstUMC which should give you the option of subscribing.  Many people have told me that they prefer YouTube because they watch on their smart televisions on the YouTube app in their living rooms with their family on Sunday mornings. 

Of course, we are still available on Facebook and the advantage there is getting to check in with our friends - it feels more like we are at church when we see others we know commenting or liking the post.  This Sunday, being Mother's Day, we will invite people to post a picture of your mother - either a new pic or one from your past in the feed. 

On Sunday, we had some technical difficulties in that our internet went down while Jake was broadcasting the service from our church.  So only about half of it went out on Facebook.  Fortunately, most people switched to YouTube where it was previously uploaded.  We hope to find a solution of streaming "live" on Facebook at 11 am on Sundays from the cloud rather than our servers from the church.  This will hopefully keep these kinds of things from disrupting worship in the future.

My prayers are with you and I look forward to seeing you in person when we are safe to gather again!

In Christ,

Sam

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

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.