Sunday November 29, 2020

One day, one of the disciples of Buddha, the founder of the Buddhism, came to Buddha and asked a question: “Are you a God?” Buddha replied, “No.” Again, the disciple asked, “Are you an angel?” Buddha said, “No.” And again, the disciple asked, “Are you a Prophet” Buddha said, “No.” Then the disciple asked, “Who are you?” Buddha answered, “I am the one who is staying awake.”

I get it. Being spiritually awake is a deep virtue. And I’ll also name the opposite, that sometimes sleep is absolutely delicious. Good, restorative, deep REM sleep can bring a kind of personal refreshment that nothing else can. But not all sleep is so healing.

Dr. King once said that when Rip Van Winkle went up a mountain to go to sleep, he passed a sign with the picture of King George. But twenty years later, when he came down the mountain, he passed the same sign with a picture of George Washington, the fledgling nation’s first president. And in Dr. King’s matchless way, he said that the great shock was not that Rip slept for twenty years, but that he slept through a revolution.

Sunday, we enter the season of Advent. The Mark apocalypse passage suggests that when we are spiritually asleep, we can miss great movements of God among us. “Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come.” The sermon this Sunday in our online worship is titled “Awakening: Remembering the Other World in This World”, arising from Mark 13:24-37. The passage will be read by Glenn and Allison Santner. Mark Cox and Michael Seyller will read a passage associated with the lighting of the Advent Candle. Special music will be provided by the Sanctuary singers, accompanied by Nara Lee and directed by Gerry Sousa. And in the children’s moment, we’ll begin decorating the Christmas tree with the ornaments you will be sending in during Advent.

We look forward to connecting with you on the first Sunday of Advent. Connect with the Live Stream by visiting www.smumc.church.

Sunday November 22, 2020

In her book, “What Do We Know” (2002, De Capo Press), poet Mary Oliver shares a lovely and thoughtful poem titled Gratitude. Each section begins with a question to help pay closer attention on our journey: What did you notice? When did you admire? What astonished you? What was most tender?

On this Sunday before Thanksgiving, our scripture passage comes from the Hebrew Bible. Psalm 100 is a familiar song of praise and thanksgiving. When we say or sing the words, we become part of large diverse community of faith that stretches across time and place. The generations that came before us, and journey with us now, have known times of great joy and times of hardship. We are not alone.

Individually and together, we are invited to pause and pay attention in the spirit in which Mary Oliver poses her questions. When we do, we may notice ways God’s love is moving though our lives and in the world, that we had overlooked, and for which we give thanks.

We are grateful to be able to share time in worship this Sunday. Our service will include pictures of thankfulness that some of you sent, inspiring music including hymns and a solo by Brianna Murray, accompanied by Nara Lee, a children’s moment including a special time of sharing from Aaron Comforty, prayer and reflection, and reading of the scripture passage from the Mitsdarffer family (in English) and sung by Aaron (in Hebrew). The sermon title is “Watch Out for Glimpses of Grace along the Journey”. If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for decades, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with you on the Livestream at 10:30am on Sunday!

Visit www.smumc.church and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday November 15, 2020

Do you enjoy taking risks? I don’t count myself an especially brave person, so when my son who lives in Los Angeles suggested that we hike Mt. Baldy in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I had, shall we say, questions. I knew it was around 10,000 feet, that it was a rocky and physically demanding hike, and that some hikers experienced some pretty unpleasant physical distress due to the height. But something in me was intrigued. To make a long story short, I had a great time, but did not quite make it to the top due to an unfortunate case of elevation sickness. But next time I am able to go back, I want to give it another go. Some risks just seem worth taking.

But which ones? It would seem foolhardy to take all of one’s retirement account, and try to make a killing at the race track. And at whose risk? As COVID infections rate rise, engaging in culture without regard to wise protocols such as masking and social distancing is not just a risk to ourselves, but to those others we love, and even to the already stretched medical community. And how does faith play a role? When Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer went back to Germany to engage Hitler’s regime, he understood the risks, but he wrote, “There is no way to peace along the way of safety. Peace is the great adventure. It has to be dared.”

Jesus told a story about a person who went on a journey and gave different amounts of wealth to three different individuals. To one he gave five measures, to a second, two, and to a third, he gave a single measures. As the story unfolds, the ones with the larger sums multiplied their investments, and the third put his in a hole in the ground. The “master” upon discovering this, commends the first two, and sharply criticizes the third. Historically, there have been two primary ways of interpreting the story. But in either interpretation, it is the willingness to risk, to brave a different path, that the story celebrates. The parables of Jesus are intended to shake up our settled world, and invite us to some really difficult choices.

We’ll take this up in worship on Sunday. The sermon is titled, “Inviting the Right Kind of Peril”, arising from Matthew 25: 14-30, which will be read in the service by Torry and Lisa Hamilton. We’ll also receive ten new members into the St. Mark’s community, as we watch a zoom call in which they make the promises of church membership. We’ll have a children’s moment, hymns and prayers. And we’ll be led musically by our Sanctuary Singers, accompanied by Nara Lee and directed by Gerry Sousa.

We look forward to connecting with you at 10:30 Sunday morning for an online worship experience. Visit www.smumc.church and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday November 8, 2020

She is one of the most familiar symbols in our legal system, though few of us have a specific name to call her. Most call her “Lady Justice” and since the sixteenth century, she has been blindfolded, representing the idea of impartiality, suggesting that justice should be applied without regard to wealth, power, or other status. But is justice really blind? If justice is to be, as Wendell Berry has said, the intent to “do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you,” then justice must be able to see and take note…to see very deeply. It is only by seeing people and actions as they really are that we can hope to practice justice, especially a justice that is restorative.

In Isaiah 58, we read that God loves “the loosing of the bonds of injustice, and the undoing the thongs of the yoke”. And in Luke 4, Jesus declared that his ministry involved enacting the promises of the Year of Jubilee, where captives were released and debts were forgiven. This was a justice that looked at the world as it was, and said, “This is not the world as God created it to be. Let’s make it right.” This justice is anything but blind, but sees things both in their brokenness and in their promises. This justice looks upon the world with eyes wide open and a heart full of passion.

In worship on Sunday, we’ll have an interview with Dr. Raymond Wise, conductor of the Indiana University African American Choral Ensemble. Among other things, Dr. Wise will tell us about a song he composed Titled, “See Me”. Then we’ll be privileged to have a video of the Choral Ensemble sing that song for us. The sermon for the morning is titled, “See Me: An Eyes Wide Open Justice,” arising from Isaiah 58:6-12 and Luke 4:16-18. We’ll also have prayers, hymns lead by our singers and accompanied by Nara Lee, a moment for children, and scripture readings read by Tony and Trina Mescher. We will also celebrate Holy Communion virtually. You are invited to have elements of bread and cup with you, and we will bless those together.

We look forward to connecting with you on the Live Stream Sunday morning at 10:30. Visit our website at www.smumc.church and click on the Live Stream Banner.

Sunday November 1, 2020

Madeleine L’Engle’s poem “Lines After M.B.’s Funeral” includes these words:

“There’s a hole in the world . . . Let me look through this new empty space To where The wind comes from And the light begins.”

On this All Saints Sunday, we remember the saints who came before us, and those who journey with us now, who guide us in word and example of what it means to be blessed. Together, we spend some time with the Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew (5:1-12), in which Jesus reminds us that there are many ways to be blessed and to be a blessing. We are more than one story, or one snapshot in time. That is important for all of us to remember in this election week, as well.

In worship, we will read the names of those, from the St. Mark’s community, who have died in the past year, toll a bell and light a candle for each. In this unique year, as we gather virtually, it is just as important to have an opportunity to remember and honor other family members, loved ones and friends who have died since last November. Names you have sent us will be shared on the screen while candles are lit celebrating their lives and the gifts they brought to the world. You are also invited to light a candle in your home, in this time of remembrance, if you wish and it is safe to do so.

The lights of each of these saints who came before us do not go out. They teach us still by their examples of when they soared and when they stumbled, and guide us in how we might live in our every days, those that are ordinary and those that are anything but ordinary. Our time of worship will also include inspiring music (from our singers, organist, Nara Lee, and oboist, Rebecca McGuire), a children’s moment, prayer and reflection, and reading of the scripture passage and sharing from Anna and Dillon Cron. The sermon title is More than a Single Story. If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for decades, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with you on the Livestream at 10:30am on Sunday! www.smumc.church.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020

“Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.” This is one of the many things psychoanalyst and philosopher Eric Fromm wrote in his 1956 book, The Art of Loving. Fromm’s larger point was love, rather than being a mysterious gift that cannot be understood, is actually a skill that can be taught and developed. He also noted that in the modern era we live alienated lives, and that our longing for interpersonal connection is deep and profound. So, love is both an urgent necessity, and is a capacity that must be nurtured with great intentionality.

Some of what Fromm wrote sounds a great deal like some of the basic teachings of Jesus. Once, when asked (he was being tested) what was the greatest commandment, Jesus quoted from the Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6, that we are to love the Lord with all our heart and soul and mind. And before anyone could ask a question, he said, “And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” In other words, if you want to know what is at the center of living the faith, see these two commandments. Everything else must correspond to those, or we have departed from the faith.

Jesus’ teachings about love are at the same time lovely and demanding. Jesus did not just teach us to have a sentimental regard for the other. Jesus went so far as to teach love for the enemy…love for those with whom you do not easily connect. How in the world do we do that? How can we do that as a community of faith? How can we come close to that in a world in which so many seem to be at each other’s throats?

We’ll talk about that in the online service on Sunday. Mary Beth and Jimmy will co-preach a sermon titled “Stronger Together: Reflections on Learning to Love”, arising from Matthew 22:34-40. The scripture lesson will be read by Dana Thomas, with great help from Dean, Cam and Maia. And a “Stronger Together” stewardship moment will be shared by Charlie Nelms. We will pray, sing hymns, share a children’s moment, and hear wonderful music by our Sanctuary Singers, led by Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Nara Lee.

We look forward to connecting with you on the Live Stream, which you will find by visiting www.smumc.church.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2020

One of the deep affirmations of our faith is that we are made in the image of God. And for generations, theologians have wrestled with the meaning and implications of those words. Some have suggested that it refers to something in our being, or to our capacity to be in relationship, or to some Godlike function we possess, such as creativeness.

Episcopalian theologian and author Barbara Brown Taylor once wrote, after returning from a long flight, that she loves watching travelers returning from international flights, being greeted by their adoring family and friends. She said that seeing their faces reminded her why she loved being alive. She also said that it reminded her “that the truest thing about being human—the thing deepest down in us—is not sin but the divine image.”

In an attempt to trip him up, Jesus was once asked if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Taking a coin, Jesus pointed out that it was the Emperor’s image on the coin. He responded, “‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” It was a response that evokes even more questions, and in particular, it asks us what it means that we are bearers, not of the image of Caesar, but of the image of God. What does it mean that we are capable of honoring deep truth, of practicing profound goodness and love, or creating and relishing great beauty?

In our worship service on Sunday, we’ll explore this theme. The sermon, titled “Stronger Together: Spotting the Image of God Among Us”, will work with some of those questions that the passage draws out of us. We’ll have a time for children, a stewardship moment with Brandt and Dian Ludlow, and music from our Sanctuary singers, accompanied by Nara Lee and directed by Gerry Sousa. We will also have a brief update of the recent meeting of the Indiana United Methodist Annual Conference.

We look forward to connecting with you on the Live Stream, which you will find by visiting www.smumc.church.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2020

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 10:30 AM

WORSHIP SERVICE

Joseph Scriven was an Irish poet who was best known for writing the beloved hymn, “What A Friend We Have in Jesus.” Joseph’s life was punctuated with heartache. He was engaged to be married at the age of 23, but his fiancé died tragically the night before their wedding. During his days of grieving, he connected with the Christianity of the Plymouth Brethren, and perhaps because of this influence, left Ireland and migrated to Canada when he was 25. Many years later, when he heard that his mother was sick in Ireland, and he was financially unable to travel there, he composed this hymn and sent it to her as a prayer. He never dreamed the hymn would be published in the newspaper, and eventually become so well known to so many. Joseph spent much of his later years walking the Canadian country side seeking to do good for others.

A line in the hymn reads, “Are we weak and heavy laden?” There’s no need to specify the challenges 2020 has brought us all, and how the feelings of weakness and being laden with heavy loads is so deeply common. We all know them. The hymn’s response is “Take it to the Lord in prayer.” So we have to ask, how is it that prayer helps us when we are feeling weakened and wearied, and when the challenges of the pandemic, the protracted quest for racial justice, when the contentious political season drags on? How does prayer strengthen us? What kind of prayers might better equip us to live as the children of light in a season of darkness?

It is clear that Jesus believed prayer to be essential to the spiritual tasks facing disciples. One of the most well known passages in the Gospels is a brief modeling of how those who followed Jesus were to pray. There is much guidance in these few verses in Matthew 6:9-13, but one thing is clear: while we are invited to ask for what we want, prayer is so much more than that. The soulful prayer life to which Jesus points is one of linking up to what the Divine is doing in the world. And what if our very first response to the brokenness is around us is to pray, finding the strength and guidance and forgiveness we need to leave our world more reflective of the Divine will.

We’ll talk about this in worship on Sunday. The sermon is titled, “Are We Weak and Heavy Laden?” The Scripture from Luke will be read by Mike Sonneborn. There will be a Stewardship moment from Jonathan and Brittany Purvis as we move forward with our “Stronger Together” campaign. We will sing hymns, pray and have a children’s moment. And the Sanctuary Singers, under the direction of Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Nara Lee, will sing “This is the Day”, an anthem John Rutter composed for the occasion of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. 

We look forward to connecting with you on the Live Stream, which you will find by visiting www.smumc.church.

Sunday October 4, 2020

Eighteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Rev. Mary Beth Morgan, preaching
Stronger Together: Planting Seeds of Grance and Community by Saying “Yes”
Galatians 6:1-6, 9-10

As I write this, there is creativity and joy under a set of open canopy tents on the church lawn. Six “family units” (a parent, guardian or caregiver with a child/children) are safely socially distanced in defined areas. Wonderful teachers, from our Nursery School & Kindergarten’s Connect Program, are leading them in activities. They are safely engaging in their family units, while still being “connected” with everyone present. There is excitement, discovery, wonder and care for each other.

This month we are focusing on stewardship, with the theme Stronger Together. On this World Communion Sunday, we will spend some time in worship reflecting on the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians. In the Message translation, it begins with the invitation “Live creatively, friends.” (6:1) Stewardship invites us to share our resources, and the gifts and talents we all have to share. This time of pandemic calls us to live creatively, and discover new ways to live God’s call to us. Paul reminds us to reach out to those who are oppressed, share each others burdens, not tire of doing good, and to work for the benefit of all people. Often, opportunities to embrace these are right in front of us. When we say “yes”, we may be planting seeds of grace that become deeply rooted and make us stronger together.

Our time of worship will include inspiring music from our singers and organist, Nara Lee, a children’s moment, prayer and reflection, reading of the scripture passage from Hyun Kwon and Yena Park (in Korean and English), a Stewardship Moment from Kevin Theile, and the celebration of Holy Communion. You are invited to have bread and juice, or other items, on hand. The sermon is titled Stronger Together: Planting Seeds of Grace and Community by Saying “Yes”.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for decades, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with you on the livestream at 10:30 am. www.smumc.church.

Sunday September 27, 2020

“And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands”.(Isaiah 55:12) When the worries of life and the heaviness of the world’s ache are just too much, do you allow yourself the sacred privilege of sitting among trees? When you long to be refreshed, do you just go sit among that the forest to listen to the restoring music of what poet Wendell Berry called the “timbered choir”? Have you ached with creation’s groaning as you watched image after image of the devastating fires out west? Trees are given to us, in part, to serve as sacraments, means of grace, and as links to life to help us live abundantly in the world.

Once Jesus told of a story of someone who had planted a fig tree, hoping to enjoy its fruit. But after three years, the tree had not yielded any figs. He complained to the gardener that the tree was barren, and should be cut down. But the gardener urged patience, “Let it alone for one more year”. The gardener promised to nurture it, and to see if in time, it would yield greater fruit. Sometimes, the gardener seems to be saying, "You could make great mistakes about the value of someone or something because they are not giving you what you want at the moment you want it." Sometimes, in life and in faith, growth takes time. Trees help us learn that…and so much more.

Sunday at St. Mark’s, we celebrate the earth and its fullness as we celebrate a Creation Care Sunday. As United Methodist Bishops wrote in a Pastoral Letter in 2009, we are to practice “environmental holiness”, and to “look forward to the renewal of the whole creation and commit ourselves to this vision.” Particularly, on Sunday, we’ll reflect on the sacred gift that trees are to us. The sermon is titled, “The Blessed Life of Trees” arising from Romans 8:18-25, and Luke 13:6-9. The service has been crafted with input from members of the St. Mark’s Creation Care Team, and readings will be offered by Tom Mooradian, Josie Sparks, Charlie Matson, Eleanor Lahr, and Marlen Rust.” We will also have a Zoom conversation John Lawrence, who is the Executive Director of Sycamore Land Trust. The Land Trust is a non-profit that since 1990 has sought to protect land by owning and caring for nature preserves, and by holding conservation easements that protect privately owned properties. We will also have prayers, a moment for children of all ages, and the Sanctuary Singers, directed by Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Nara Lee will sing “Great Trees”, composed by Malcolm Dalglish, based on a poem by Wendell Berry.

Sunday September 20, 2020

Life is pretty challenging these days and we deeply want to believe that we are all in this together. But sometimes it does not seem that everyone is showing up on time to help. So how do you feel about “late arrivals to the party”? How do you feel about “arriving late” yourself? Say you’re cleaning the kitchen and you are almost done, and at the last minute, someone says, “Hey, can I help?” Or you’re mowing the grass on a hot day, and you have just a little left in the back yard to finish, and a friend comes over and says, “Hey, let’s finish this up, and reward ourselves for this hard job with a nice cold glass of lemonade.” Or maybe you’ve been involved for years in a process to bring change in an issue of justice, and someone who has joined your group recently is interviewed in the local paper about their having contributed to the project. How do you feel? Are you glad they came to help? Or do you carry some irritation that they have done so little, and you have done so much. Or do you recall, in your honest heart, that at certain times, you showed up pretty late in significant ways?

There is a story in the Scripture that has this as its theme. In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells the story of a landowner who hires laborers to work in his vineyard. But throughout the day, even up to very late in the day, the landowner kept hiring others to come in to work. When it came time to hand out the pay for the day, those who came in late in the day received the same amount as those started early in the morning. The “all day” workers who had carried on in the heat were miffed, and began to complain to the landowner about this “injustice”. But the landowner replies, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose? Or are you envious because I am generous?”

Clearly, this is one of those stories of Jesus that is intended to get people asking questions? How is it fair to reward people differently who did different amounts of work? How does mercy dance with justice in the parable? Is this story about salvation, in a strictly ‘spiritual’ sense, or does it include the biblical economic mandates about real landowners and real laborers and what a just wage might entail. At the very least, the story indicates that God has a deep compassion for those arrive late, who for whatever reason are not the first in line.

We’ll see where that story takes us as the sermon on Sunday is titled, “The Stunning Mercy Awaiting Those Who Are Late to the Party,” arising from Matthew 20:1-16. In our live stream worship service on Sunday morning, the biblical lesson will be read by Gene and Leana McClain. we’ll sing hymns, prayer, and have a children’s moment. We'll also have a moment for ministry as Dan Hughes brings a word about our Stephen Ministry. Our singers and organist Nara Lee, under the direction of Gerry Sousa, will bring us some great music.

We look forward to connecting with you on the livestream at 10:30 at www.smumc.church.

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Fifteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Rev. Mary Beth Morgan, preaching
Disciples in Training: Nurturing a Community of Transformation and Abundance
Romans 12:1-8

Have you had opportunities to work or serve in the world (paid or volunteer) that have made an unexpected difference in your life? It could have been a summer job as a teen, a long career, a volunteer opportunity, or other kinds of service with others. Are there gifts you have gained from these that you now are blessed to share with others?

This Sunday, we will spend some time with the Letter of Paul to the Romans (12:1-8). We explore more deeply what it might mean to live as a community of faith, in which the abundance of gifts we share are honored and shared as reflections of God’s love. This is in both good times and hard times.

In these past days, our local community has been aching and grieving the loss of the Mumper family in a terrible tragedy. As individuals, of all ages, have been sharing memories with me about Jakob (age 18) and Emma (age 26), I have been moved by how many lives they touched. Some of these were from brief encounters, and others from long friendships, but all had an impact that is being felt deeply.

Regardless of how old each of us is, the place(s) we have lived, or the opportunities we have had in life, each of us has an abundance of gifts to share. When we freely share those in community, and welcome the gifts of others, our abundance gives us opportunities to help bless and transform a hurting world.

Our time of worship will include inspiring music from our singers and organist, Nara Lee, a children’s moment, prayer and reflection, reading of the scripture passage by Cooper Tucker, and a sermon titled as Disciples in Training: Nurturing a Community of Transformation and Abundance.

We look forward to connecting with you on the livestream at 10:30 at www.smumc.church.

Sunday September 6, 2020

Have you been in conversations in which at least one of the parties in the discussion believed they have been wronged, or harmed by another? If we go by our recent record as humans, chances are those conversations have not gone so well. A common response is for those in the conversation to keep distant from each other. That can be useful if that time is used to reflect and regroup, but if the distancing protracts, it can exchange of one kind of harm to another.   

In his book The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis describes hell as a vast gray and rainy city, a city where people live only at the outer fringes. At its center sit rows and rows of empty houses. The houses are empty because those who once lived in them have quarreled with the neighbors, and moved as far from them as they could. That, Lewis suggests, is why hell is so large, as they chose distance over connection, because they could imagine no other engagement but confrontation. Remarking on this, Barbara Brown Taylor suggests that we are called to confront and make up, forgive and seek forgiveness, to throw block parties in the deserted center of hell.  

Jesus sought to bring this point home to the disciples. If one of you, have a problem with another,go talk about it…just the two of you. If there is no resolution, bring a couple of other loving people along. And then, if there is no resolution, you can take it to the church. And if then, there still is no help, regard the other as a “Gentile or tax-collector.” And that begs the question…just how did Jesus regard “those” kinds of people? There’s much to digest here, and we’ll attempt to do that in worship on Sunday morning in our live stream worship. The sermon is titled, “Binding and Loosing: Building Community, Repairing Harm,” arising from Matthew 18: 15-20, which will be read by Dan and Whitney Sullivan. We’ll have a time for children, hymns, prayers, and we will share in Holy Communion virtually. Music will be provided by our sanctuary singers, directed by Gerry Sousa and accompanied by organist Nara Lee.

We look forward to connecting with you on the livestream at 10:30 am. www.smumc.church.

Sunday August 30, 2020

Thirteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Reflections on a Vulnerable Messiah
Matthew 16:13-28



In these days of pandemic and social challenge, one could be forgiven for having at least a fleeting wish to be invulnerable. When we were children, many of us developed a fondness for superheroes. Of course, the unique gifts they possessed included the ability to fly, to see through walls, and to travel faster than anyone could imagine. But chief among these special strengths was invulnerability. Nothing could hurt the superheroes. They were, for all intents and purposes, invincible. For all children, especially those who have suffered loss or face great obstacles, invulnerability is a quite an attractive fantasy.  

The writer and poet Madeleine L’Engle says that “when we were children, we used to think that when we were grown up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability. To be alive is to be vulnerable.” Or as Brene Brown says it, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”  

In a well-known conversation with his disciples, Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah. As soon as he does this, Jesus changes the conversation. He then begins to tell the disciples some unhappy news. He tells them that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer. And then he says that if anyone wants to be a disciple, that they too must take up their cross and follow him. That is, they, like Jesus, must find a path to vulnerability if they want to find strength in faith and love.  

We’ll talk about this in worship on Sunday morning, as the sermon is titled “Reflections on a Vulnerable Messiah”, arising from Matthew 16:13-28. We’ll have a children’s moment, a time of prayer and some wonderful music. This Sunday, our five singers will join our new organist, Nara Lee, in offering Fauré's "Cantique de Jean Racine" as the morning's anthem.

We look forward to connecting with you on the livestream at 10:30 at www.smumc.church.

sunday, august 2, 2020

Ninth Sunday of Pentecost
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
So Much from So Little: The Sacramental Quality of Abundance
John 6: 1-13

Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which the challenges you were facing seemed larger than your capacity to deal with them? Sometimes we feel so small, and the problems staring us in the face seem like giants. Your resources just did not add up to the need. Perhaps with the swirl of pandemic, unrest, and political tension, many of us feel just like that. Or perhaps the mountain before us is something much more personal…part of our own individual story. What do we do with that sense that there is not enough in us to deal with the circumstances before us?

There is a story in the life of Jesus that is called the “feeding of the multitude” that dramatically enacts the dilemma of not having enough for the task at hand. Some version of the feeding is found in all four gospels. In the version in John’s Gospel, a large crowd has gathered to listen to Jesus. But because they were in a fairly remote location, the disciples realized that there was no way there would be bread available for so many. But Andrew, one of the disciples, finds a little boy with two fish and five loaves of bread. Jesus blessed the food, and in ways that are not explained to us, there is enough food for the crowd. Such abundance stunned the crowd, and understandably, this became a very well-known story in the community of disciples.

At the very least, this story suggests to us that we may be able to make it after all. We may not have much, but somehow, it will be enough. The question is how that plays out in the real life of the people of God. Have you seen that grace become reality in your life and the life of the community? What did that look like in the everyday graces of your life? Poet David Whyte writes,

"This is the time
of loaves
and fishes.
People are hungry
and one good word is bread
for a thousand."

We’ll unpack this in worship on Sunday. The sermon is titled, “So Much from So Little: The Sacramental Quality of Abundance” arising from John 6: 1-13. Also in the service, we will hear a solo from Brianna Murray, have a children’s moment, have hymns, a time of prayer, and celebrate Holy Communion Virtually.

We’ll look forward to connecting with you on the life stream at 10:30 at www.smumc.church.