A Pastoral Letter to the Whole Church

I loved the firefighter's tribute today to remember 9/11 and thought I'd review our Bishop's response from 8 years ago. Here it is for your reflection:

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Grace and peace be to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The sad and terrible events in the United States of America, on Sept. 11, 2001, and beyond, compel us to speak words of hope and peace to United Methodist people in the 120 annual conferences in more than 50 countries of the world. Stunned and shattered by terrorist attacks in the United States and the threat of bioterrorism, we, your bishops, call upon the church to join us in seeking solidarity with victimized peoples throughout the world.

Our fervent and constant prayers are for those who grieve because they have lost companions and loved ones; for military chaplains and for those persons who are providing the ministry of presence, comfort, healing and hope; for public servants and countless volunteers who have demonstrated selfless generosity; for all who are redemptively reaching out to those persons who have been erroneously connected to terrorism; for the people who have been placed in harm's way and their loved ones; for President Bush and the leaders of all the nations that they may have wisdom and courage to lead people toward justice and peace. We pray for innocent victims who have experienced injuries, loss and death. We also pray for those who wish to do harm. We pray that violence, terrorism and war will cease. We ask you to join us in prayer.
We are extremely concerned for the thousands of people who live in fear and terror and those displaced by war and poverty. We sincerely believe that every conceivable effort must be used to protect those who are innocent and most vulnerable. We are persuaded that we must use the spiritual and human resources of The United Methodist Church to respond in a loving and caring way. We commend churches around the world for their contribution to the appeal, "Love in the Midst of Tragedy," and all other humanitarian offerings.

We, your bishops, believe that violence in all of its forms and expressions is contrary to God's purpose for the world. Violence creates fear, desperation, hopelessness and instability. We call upon the church to be a community of peace with justice and to support individuals and agencies all over the world who are working for the common good for all of God's children. We also call upon the church to study and work toward alleviating the root causes of poverty and the other social conditions that are exploited by terrorists.

As people of the resurrection, we believe that peace has been achieved in Christ; however, this peace is yet to be fully realized in human relationships. The message of the resurrection is that love is stronger than all the forces of evil. Furthermore, it is only sacrificial love, not war, which can reconcile people to God and to each other. We call upon the church, leaders, nations and individuals around the world to make room for love so that the patterns of our common life might reveal God's justice.

We offer this letter with the wondrous promise of Advent ringing in our ears: "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing to you good news of great joy for all the people.'" (Luke 2:10)

Peace
Bishops of The United Methodist Church

Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my Mouth

Will you help teach Sunday School?

James 3:1 “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

Isn’t that a great way to start out the Sunday school year? “Thank you for volunteering your time to be the spiritual leader’s of our youth and by the way … watch out!”

“Don’t you know, pastor, that it is hard to find people willing to teach. You can’t afford to scare them away and be careful how much you ask of them because they can and will just quit. ”

There is some possible truth to that worry. We are all very busy people. The last thing we need is grief and guilt about the things we volunteer for. But I also think that we tend to underestimate people. I do believe that God calls us to service and we both can and will rise to the level of expectation God has for us. Teaching is an important job. We are planting the seeds and defining the image of God for people that they will have for a lifetime.

Companions in Christ study

I am going to be blogging this week (and consequently preaching on Sunday) from a third text from James

James 3:8-9 8 but no one can tame the tongue-- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God.

But I want to use this first post to advetise a a study I am goin to lead called “Companions in Christ” This is not a Bible study in the direct sense. It is a small group experience in Spiritual Formation in which we wil explore classic spiritual practices and develp new daily patters that will open our lives to a deepening relationship with God and with each other.

In an initial round of sign ups I got mostly requests for Monday evenings although I am willing to also lead a segment on Monday mornings if there is adequate interest. Give me a call if you would like to hear more about it.


Peace,
Steve Hermes
Continually creating an inclusive and accepting family of God by modeling our lives after Jesus the Christ.