Pastor Kim's Musings

Last night we went to the Bruce Springsteen concert! Not really a concert, but a 3-hour interactive experience as he and the E Street Band told a story of friendships, old and new.

As always, when in a music setting that I love, my heartbeat matched the rhythm of the drums. Last night more so than usual, because as I listened, I also watched the passion of the musicians who were using their talent to the very utmost. And I thought, “That’s the way we’re all supposed to be.”

The intensity of the musicians, every one of them, and the joy of doing what they do mixed together to create an atmosphere that was electric, an atmosphere that carried the crowd right along into that same combination of intensity and joy.

One of the first comments Springsteen made was “We are going to take the glorious power of music and shoot it straight into your heart.” And then he and the band did exactly that.

I wonder – are all of us able to explain our purpose that clearly and succinctly? And are we then to follow it up by focusing so entirely on that purpose, mixing that intensity with the joy of knowing we’re doing what we were designed to do?

As Christians, we have two purposes – to live in communion with God through the grace of Jesus Christ, and to show Christ to others in such a way that they, too, will be drawn through Christ to God.

And our lives should be an amazing combination of focusing on those two tasks, mixed with the amazing joy of knowing we’re doing exactly what we ought to be doing!

Purpose…focus…joy…all brought back to my mind in that 3-hour musical experience when the “glorious power of music was shot straight into my heart!”

In looking at the accounts of the days just before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, I note that the stories involve all of our senses, in a very powerful way. Almost a sensory overload, if we take it too fast. In our haste to get to the Easter celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we sometimes skip over the difficult things which happen before it – the anointing of Jesus by a woman; the final time Jesus eats with his disciples, his friends; Judas’ betrayal with a kiss; Peter’s denial of Christ; Jesus’ trial in front of his accusers; the crucifixion and death of Christ.

But if we skip over these more difficult passages, how can we truly celebrate Easter, the resurrection, the joy of the empty tomb? The passages which precede the resurrection teach us how much like the woman who had been forgiven and now anoints the head we can be; they remind us of the power of the meal when remembering how Christ’s death frees us from our sin; they remind us that all of us have the capacity to deny or reject Christ, and all of us have the capacity to make a decision to return or not to return. It is in the midst of these passages that we find ourselves, broken and in need of a Savior. The wonderful news of the passion and death of Christ is that it also results in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the event which reminds us that there is hope for all of us, grace extended to all who will receive it, and abundant life for those who live in God’s grace.

In your readings, I encourage you to read the WHOLE story – so that you can place yourself in every scene, and so that you can place yourself at the resurrection, more fully appreciating the joy of a new day, a day in which Christ lives in you!

I was a very active, somewhat accident prone child and youth. I enjoyed being in the middle of the action, and have the scars to show it. I was noticing a scar on my knee the other day – one from my childhood – and the significance of scars hit me.

We know that the buildup of scar tissue is a bad thing. Post-surgery or post-accident, we want to be sure that the wounds are healing well, and that scar tissue is not building up that will impede normal muscle/bone/organ function. So we are taught how to deal with the scars so as to avoid the consequences.

This is true with emotional scars we carry around – how many of us are or know people who have been hurt in the past, and have built walls all around that hurt – scar tissue – to the point where we/they cannot move. They are truly paralyzed by that past event. The scar tissue has taken over. It is important to be sure that the past event is not ruling us, paralyzing us, or holding us back, but instead that we are learning from it and moving on past it.

And that leads to the second lesson about scars. Scars serve as reminders of lessons learned. From the accident resulting in the scar on my knee, I learned that it is a bad idea to play football on a gravel driveway. And every time I notice that scar, I remember that it is always a good idea to use some common sense when making decisions about how to spend my time, and where!

Scars are reminders of lessons learned. Many say that they, unfortunately, learn and retain lessons better when the lesson results from a negative experience. So a scar that reminds us about the necessity of making good friend choices, or of making good time choices, or of making good career choices, while gotten through hardship, can become a life saving thing.

As we enter the season of Lent, I invite you to do a scar-search. Remember the lessons you learned when you acquired that scar. Allow the grace of Christ to help you break down any unhealthy scar tissue that has built up so that you are not paralyzed by that past event. And then, maybe you can give thanks to God for the scar – not because you like having it or like how you got it, but because it has helped you become who you are – it is part of you – and because you have allowed Jesus Christ to turn something not so pretty into something that reminds you of God’s grace, given to you as you have grown through the scar-making experience.

Lent blessings!

I watched the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, and so thoroughly enjoyed the evening. It was full of music, real music. There were a few “shows” but by and large it was about the music. This year, as I watched, I saw how, for the majority of those who were speaking and singing/playing instruments, music is a part of who they are. It was almost as if they couldn’t help but be musicians; it was as natural as breathing for them. Jennifer Hudson, Adele, the Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Glen Campbell – all of these musicians sang and/or played because music is part of who they are. They cannot help but be musicians. I know that hours and hours of practice, training and rehearsal have gone into each of their songs, but that is part of it. When you are a musician, training, practice, rehearsal are part of it, so that when it comes to sharing it in public, it is as natural as breathing.

As I watched in awe, I thought about how that same principle translates to the life of a Christian. When we have practiced and trained for the Christian walk so much that when we are in public, speaking and acting as Christ would have us speak and act is as natural as breathing. Here’s the church’s job! To connect people with the living God, to help us all practice the Christian faith, and to train for living out that faith throughout our lives, so that when we are living in the world, our faith expressions are like breathing – natural, part of who we are, essential to who we are.

Are you in a place where you can be connected to God? Where you are receiving training and given opportunities to practice living the Christian faith? We invite you here, to St. James UMC, where we will help you connect with God, train in faith, and practice living the Christian life!

On Sunday we began Common Thread, a new nontraditional worship service, which meets in a hall rather than a sanctuary, sings songs that are more modern than hymns, invites people to come dressed as they are comfortable, and invites people to be comfortable while they are worshipping God together. If they’re coffee drinkers, we have something to offer. If water, we have something to offer – just so that we are comfortable worshipping God. It was a wonderful morning of worship!

Something that was reinforced to me as many who are serving in leadership roles did their part of leadership is how true in this setting is the phrase “we are the body of Christ.”

We heard many share their reflections – not just one or two. We heard and saw the contributions of many in worship, technically, musically, in setting up, preparing coffee, and following up with our visitors. The Body of Christ is diverse and beautiful. If you’re not part of the Body of Christ, we invite you to worship. Come as you are; we will drink some coffee, meet you where you are in your faith journey, and worship God together!

Several weeks ago, I had shoulder surgery, and am now in physical therapy to bring back full range of motion and strength. There are several things other than range of motion and strength training that I have learned from this experience which apply to many parts of my life other than muscle function.

First, failure is part of life. If we always succeed and never fail, we never have the ability to learn from our mistakes, our falls. Most people would point to their failures as the experiences which taught them the most or helped them grow the most. While we do not want to fail, failure in and of itself will not do us harm, except maybe to our pride. And let’s face it, sometimes our pride can do with a little lowering!

Second, if we set our goals too low, we will never achieve what we could have achieved if our goals were set high. If my recovery goal was simply to be able to cook a meal, my therapy would have ended without me ever being able to play tennis, lift weights and swing hammers again. If we never have to exert effort to meet a goal, it is not a high goal. If we never have to exert effort to meet a goal, we will not grow. And if we never have to exert effort to meet a goal, there is no room for God to work in and through us, showing us and the world His glory.

Third, confession is good for the soul, and for the physical therapist too. One afternoon, rather than trying to make him believe I’d done my exercises as I was supposed to, I just said “I confess. I did not do what I needed to; there was just no time.” His grace in reassuring me that I had not destroyed all hope of recovery reminded me that when we just tell God how we have fallen short of His and our expectations, the mercy and grace we receive is more than enough to bring reassurance. It brings comfort and strength, because we remember that we are not alone.

I’m guessing that we all need these three very simple little reminders, as we live out our faith in a challenging world, one in which we are often told not to take risks, where we are told failure is not an option, where we are told that to confess our failures is a sign of weakness. So my encouragement is to keep these things in mind this week – commit your ways to the Lord, and see how He blesses you!

Our Appalachia Service Project teams were in Virginia last weekend. For those of you who are unfamiliar with ASP, the ministry has as its goal warm, safe and dry housing for families in the central Appalachia region (WV, VA, TN, KY). The ministry happens because of thousands of volunteers each year who refurbish, repair, renovate, and add to homes, some of which have been standing for many decades. Along the way, those same volunteers build relationships with the families who live in the homes and in the area, and share hope, love and the encouragement of Christ.

We had the opportunity to serve two families last weekend, and amazing work was accomplished. Both families we served were in need of us – God’s timing was such that the right people were in the right place at the right time to do the right work.

And when we think about it, I hope we can say that God’s timing was such that we received that which we needed at the right time, in the right place, with the right people. For me, ASP and all other out-of-town mission work I get to participate in are opportunities for me to refocus, to get my priorities back in order, to be reminded about what is important and what is not so much. But in addition to that, I got to spend time with wonderful people on our teams – who have great stories, deep laughs, joy in their eyes, and words of encouragement on their lips. We are blessed!

How about you – do you have opportunities to be renewed while you serve? To be reminded about how much God loves you? To remember how incredible your friends are? It is my prayer that God will give you those opportunities, and do all the reminding you need…today…tomorrow…forever.

Last Saturday, St. James sent 20 people to join in the gleaning effort at the Yam Jam, put together by the Society of St. Andrew. Gleaning is the second harvest, in effect, with farmers first harvesting their crops, and then allowing outside groups to come in and pick the fruits which were left behind. The fruit/vegetables harvested by the gleaners is then given to local agencies and communities for distribution to those who are in need. So last Saturday, a beautiful day, we went a little south of Garner to harvest sweet potatoes. As we were turning over the furrows, looking for sweet potatoes large enough to put in our bags, we spent time talking.

The harvest was a little slim this year. There didn’t seem to be as many sweet potatoes to pick as there have been in years past. We talked about why that might be and commented on what we were choosing to put in our bags. As we worked along, there was a couple gleaning nearby, and as we talked through the morning, we asked where they were from. They replied, “We drove from Winston-Salem to glean.” Now, for those of you unfamiliar with North Carolina geography, Winston-Salem to a little south of Garner is 2.5 and 3 hours away.

To glean sweet potatoes!

When we looked stunned and said words like, “Wow!” this couple said something which has stuck with me. “There are just so many hungry people. We want to help.” In their hometown, they also work with Meals on Wheels, and have people on the waiting list because while there is money, there are not enough volunteers. In our area, Raleigh, there are people on our waiting list because there is not enough money. And yet there are hungry people.

What a statement of faith and conviction! So my question for us is this: Knowing that there are so many people who are hungry – for God, for food, for drink, for freedom, for comfort – how are you feeding your neighbor? And how far are you willing to go to do it?

So we’re renovating Carson Hall! The church is working together to bring that part of our facility up to date – and it is going to be great! In the last weeks we’ve seen updates coming slowly, as we remembered that in order to improve things, we sometimes have to make a mess first. And last week the color went on the walls – we went from patches that had been primed, and cut in painting along the edges to completely rolled walls – it was a miracle that literally took place in a matter of hours. Something we’d been talking about, planning and budgeting for months had happened right in front of our eyes! This week we’re putting down the floor, and I expect that the same thing will happen – it will be a sudden move into beauty. But it required months of discussion, research, planning and budgeting.

I think it’s that way in our lives as well. Although changes may appear in dramatic fashion, as others see the sudden change in size of our children having not seen them for a little while, or as others notice that we’ve quit smoking, have gotten healthier in our diets, or taken on new ways of expressing ourselves in encouraging language, and comment as if it was instantaneous. We know that those changes come with much work invested! The fruit of our work may appear suddenly but the daily discipline of living faithfully is one that is developed over the course of time.

So as we enjoy the dramatic and quick changes in our facility, let’s remember that the changes came with much work put into them. And let’s give thanks to God for providing the resources, knowledge and skill to make it happen. And as we enjoy the dramatic changes in ourselves as we grow in faith and strength, let’s give thanks to God for planting His word in our hearts, growing our faith, and developing our strength as disciples of Christ!

It’s been an interesting week in the world of weather, hasn’t it? We’ve become so accustomed to not needing to worry about rain in making our plans, that when it does rain, we are stunned. Two major church events in the last two weekends, and it rained at both of them. One would think by the amount of rain and damp weather that the events weren’t all they could have been, but NO.

Our first, a United Methodist Women’s fundraiser actually benefited because of the rain. Having a yard sale indoors kept people shopping through the morning because there was nowhere else to go to stay dry!

Our second, our annual golf tournament, had our organizers worried all the way through Friday. The weather forecast had some of our golfers worried about whether or not we’d be able to have it. And, one golfer who came from the western part of the state got all the way to Chapel Hill before it stopped raining. He said he thought about just turning around and going home because there was no way we’d be able to be out. And at 1:00 when we teed off, the sun was shining, the fairways were drying out, and the greens were beautiful, and a wonderful day was had!

I believe we learn important lessons from times such as these. We are reminded that God has plans for us that are so much greater than any plan we could ever make on our own. We are reminded that it is fruitless to worry about things we cannot control. We are reminded that God’s presence and blessing have nothing to do with the weather, or any other temporal thing for that matter.

What plans do you have for this week? Do those plans include watching for what plans God has for you? Do those plans include living into God’s plans? Remember Jeremiah 29: 11: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”

Blessings! Kim