This Sunday’s worship service, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, will be led by our children and youth as the message of Christmas comes to us all once again. Delann Harris Dunbar has written a creative program and will include choir and congregation as well.

Christmas is hardly Christmas if we are not involved in some life of faith. We ARE participants in this story of God with us. We are all at the manger along with the shepherds, sheep, angels, and Magi from the East.

Prayerfully anticipate this Sunday and the week to come!

Pastor Barry

Isaiah 8:10-16, Matthew 11:2-11 and Luke 1:46b-55

At the very least, family members will send Christmas cards to each other. At the most, families will gather in groups from 2 to 200 or more! And if there be few family members, friends like family come together to enjoy each other’s company.

Our two New Testament scriptures for our Third Sunday in Advent have two cousins speaking and asking questions about the overlapping work of God in their lives. Mary and second cousin John the Baptist both declare that Jesus is special. Jesus does not hesitate to say they are correct. Even so, Mary and John the Baptist ask questions of Jesus and have their moments of uncertainty and deep suffering with their beloved family member. Sounds like family doesn’t it?!

For all the joy that Mary has in her bearing the Messiah, she faces what we all face as followers of the Lord: the cost of discipleship. A wonderful and abundant life, but still challenging spiritually, emotionally, and for some, physically painful. John will be executed. Mary will suffer as a mother when her Son is also executed.

The family story is deep and wide, full of life, full of sorrow, and costs everyone something as they stay family for “the long haul.” God’s story is “family” writ large from beginning to end.

This Sunday we will celebrate the joyful journey that we, today, continue that Mary and cousin John participated in generations long before us! A good group of relatives to be a part of!

Happy Advent….Merry Christmas almost!

Pastor Barry

Isaiah 11:1-10, Romans 15:4-13 and Matthew 3:1-12

I’ve never been much for being hollered at! We had very few ministers in our small town UMC who were given to shouting or calling the congregation a “brood of vipers!” Being yelled at by a coach or even parents was one thing, but the preachers I knew were not that way…for the most part. Even one of the Baptist preachers just across from our Methodist church was not much of a shouter. His name was literally “Bro Love.” A very warm and caring pastor for my Baptist friends. Not much of a shouter. But, here and yon in our community churches…there were shouters!

So, we do have in Matthew 3 John the Baptist, a fairly stern prophet who minces no words about the locals! But our other prophet, Isaiah, in chapter 11 seems to quietly point to a coming peaceable kingdom led by a child. Even animals, predators and prey, will get along! And Paul in Romans goes on about being in “harmony” with one another and then about “peace and joy.”

We might ask, “Does John the Baptist shouting in the wilderness have any peace within himself or does he even expect peace in God’s coming reign as King?” Lots of upheaval to say the least?! Looks like a lot of finger pointing for those within range!

One way to address this tension between high drama against sinners and a peaceable kingdom about to appear is to realize the Bible reflects virtually every human emotion and feeling, every depth and height of human experience. What do WE feel and experience when the whole range of the Word of God comes to us on any given day and hour?

This Sunday we will explore John’s prophetic voice as well as strive to see how John might have also had a peace about him even as he draws close to execution. We’ll see what comes of this prayerful effort during this Sunday’s worship on the Second Sunday of Advent. Peace and joy to all you (us) sinners…..and dearly beloveds of Jesus Christ!

Pastor Barry

Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:8-14 and Matthew 24:36-44

Isaiah speaks of the “light of the Lord” while Romans mentions the “armor of light.” Matthew insists on keeping our eyes open, keeping watch lest we miss being ready for the coming of the Lord at any time!

Most of us can only stand so much light at once! In fact, some behaviors and thoughts we prefer to keep in the dark! Advent is a reminder that light is important to get us to the final, ultimate Light. And sometimes (most of the time?) light dawns on us gradually, like the gradual light of morning dawn. We symbolize the slow unveiling of light by lighting five candles during the Sundays of December adding as we go until the fifth and last candle, the Christ candle is lit near or on December 24th.

For some, however, a sudden blinding moment in life is the time when all changes spiritually for the better. Paul’s dramatic Damascus road experience for instance. But for most of us the unfolding of our life before God is gradual as we receive more light from our walk in faith, hope, and love over a lifetime.

Either way, we are told to “stay awake,” “be alert” for the coming of the Lord. A good night’s sleep and a daily nap are not bad things but staying awake and alert to things of the Spirit are crucial to an “abundant life.” Worship together is one of those disciplines to keep us “alert.” I hope you look forward to our Advent Sundays of worship as you receive “more light” for your ongoing journey of life with God!

Pastor Barry

Jeremiah 23:1-6, Revelation 1:4-8and Luke 23:33-43.

There are a lot of historical Kings (and Queens) that would make me uncomfortable if they appeared at my house for Thanksgiving! I don’t think any of the King Herods would be less than frightening. Henry VIII of England might eventually find reasons to falsely execute me! King George III might well tax me more without due representation! I did see Queen Elizabeth II along with President Eisenhower in 1958 and we were about a hundred yards apart but I was not invited to have a meal together!

But…..Jesus, King of the Jews and ultimately King of a New Heaven and New Earth will be at our table for Thanksgiving. And there will be no fear! As it turns out I, along with millions are part of a royal family to begin with! This is a wholly different notion of Kingship than that of all other earthly kings. Something has changed about Kings even from the glory days of David and Solomon. This eternal King asks me (and us) to sit beside Him and enjoy all the benefits of a righteous, just reign of a good and gracious God.

We should all share this vision of a good King at table with us this Thanksgiving. After all, we are part of the royal family now!

Blessings for the coming season of thanks, family, friends, and food!

Pastor Barry

Malachi 4:1-3, 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 and Luke 21:5-19

By the end of November we will have moved through all the Seasons of The Christian Year from Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and Kingdom Tide. The scriptures this Sunday highlight the expected Last Days and God’s final “winding up/down” of human history as we know it. Very dramatic, very cosmic!

The all too human tendency has been to predict when the End is near. There are New Testament warnings to NOT do this but still books and sermons persist in saying “look, it’s all over by next year!” I will share two of those books/booklets on Sunday. One from the late Sixties (!) and the other from 1988 (!).

Sunday we will look at three texts that speak to those Last Days. But no predicting day or hour! Better still we will be encouraged to stay alert and still “do the work!” Of walking by faith! Tending to the “least of these” even as the world collapses around us and then God makes “all things new.”

Do we have an interesting, exciting faith, or not!!??

See you Sunday!

Pastor Barry

2 Samuel 22:2-4, Psalm 56:3-4 and Matthew 5:3-12

Sunday’s worship service will include the honoring and recognition of our veterans, all those who have served in some capacity in our armed forces.

I have a book entitled A Country Made By War. It is a somber read. Our nation requires its existence upon a war with its nation of origin. Conflict then seems to be our unwelcome associate for the next 200 plus years.

For people of faith in the Prince of Peace, the Savior of all peoples and nations, we stand in tension with aspiring to a peaceful Kingdom and the painful reality of struggling for liberty and justice for all.

We are caught in the in between times of Jesus present by faith and then Jesus’ full presence on a new Heaven and a New Earth. With that awareness we recognize and honor those who put themselves in that in between land of peace versus possible warfare.

We will honor men and women, young and old, living and dead, who served their country and communities. We will look to Jesus who goes with us wherever and whenever we struggle to protect and serve, bring peace and heal wounds.

Blessings~~~†

Pastor Barry

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:12

November 3rd is the Sunday in which we celebrate All Saints Day (November 1st) in worship. We remember and spiritually commune with the Church Triumphant, those “dear departed” of our faith community.

Our own Delann Dunbar has creatively written a message as delivered by our children and youth. In their presentation we will learn about the history of All Saints Day while hearing about grandparents and then being amused by a youthful clown skit about….the Saints!

Surrounding this message in Word and Visuals, we will be led by our choir in singing from the old Cokesbury hymnal which predates our United Methodist Hymnal by many decades. String music will remind us of that coming Unclouded Day. And Holy Communion will instill within us the hope of sitting at the Heavenly Banquet Table on the “other side.”

The Gospel text for our worship is a call to be “blessed” and what the blessed saints (you and I and the dear departed) both do and also receive.

Come to worship on All Saints Sunday!

Pastor Barry

Joel 2:23-32, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 and Luke 18:9-14

Well, if the weather forecast holds up, October 31 will be a rainy day. You might expect the Halloween costumes on all the Trick-or-Treaters to be more visible as the fun activities move indoors! Zombies? Dracula? Disney characters? Video game characters?

Regardless, it is THE one day of the year that costumes of all kinds of characters overwhelm shirts, jeans, skirts for the evening. And many congregations will join in on the fun in some way. Trunk or Treat out of the cars in church parking lots or host a “Fall Festival” themed party with less emphasis on the “scary!” Most churches accept the popular culture moment of Halloween but hesitate to engage some of the ideas that lie behind Halloween’s origins.

This Sunday’s texts will help us think a bit about that fine line between popular culture e.g. movies, TV, social media, entertainment and the like. We will hear about and see imaginatively the prophet Joel, the Tax Collector, the Pharisee, St Paul, and images of both doom and salvation. Our cast of Halloween characters in costume probably won’t look much like Bible characters, but we will see how some of the same Biblical themes of Evil, Fear, Death, Salvation are “played out” in scary characters in festive and light hearted ways e.g. Trick or Treat.

Dressing up as a prophet, Pharisee, Tax Collector, or St Paul for Halloween just doesn’t seem to work for most! Is it because the matters are too serious to be set into a fun, lighthearted occasion? If so, can the fun costumes and characters of the Fall season still give us “hints” about things of the Spirit?! Let’s see how that plays out as we hear the Word this Sunday in the season of Halloween!

Blessings even in this “scary” time!

Pastor Barry

Jeremiah 31:27-34, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 and Luke 18:1-8

When did you come to believe? Remember? Or have there been many times when you said, “I believe Lord (but) help Me in my unbelief!”

Our Timothy passage speaks of the influence from childhood of Timothy’s mother and grandmother. He was taught the Holy Scriptures (the OT in this context) early on. How about you? Who was there for you while growing up in the Faith?

With trust in God as your basic attitude have there been times when you found that you had to be persistent in prayer to get through or beyond the unknown stretches when the going got rough?! Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a persistent widow appealing to a bad judge to get justice on a matter. Jesus says to his disciples: “will you be that persistent in faith until the dramatic End of Time?!”

Can we imagine ourselves 10-20 years out? Through thick and thin, holding on with trust and prayer to those points down the line?! This is the question Jesus proposes and is confident (cf – 2 Timothy) that we will be faithful. And being faithful is something that is not ours alone to do; we have mothers and grandmothers, Dads and Granddads, friends and neighbors who help us be “persistent!”

All this is meant to be encouraging for the “long haul” until the “Son of Man comes” – Luke 18:8.

Some days we throw up our hands in frustration over a thousand afflictions. Just keep in mind the One toward whom you throw up your hands! God is far, far more caring than the Unjust Judge who reluctantly grants the persistent widow her request.

Keep the faith everybody!

Pastor Barry