Getting Ready for Christmas

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

Mark 1:1-3, NRSV

Are you ready for Christmas? This early in December, most people would say, “No!” Have you spent some time getting ready for Christmas? Well now, that’s a different story.  We have decorated our church at Main Street UMC and have already had our Holiday Market on Main.  After December 3, we will have decorated our sanctuary with our beautiful and moving Hanging of the Greens service.  Many of us have decorated our homes (or at least begun the process) with Christmas trees, stockings, and lights galore. Maybe we have started to turn on Christmas music in our cars and homes or purchased Christmas presents in anticipation of the numerous gatherings. And yet, if we have done all of these things, it is possible that we have still not done anything to get ready for Christmas.  
Fortunately, the church year offers us an opportunity to get ready – a season called Advent. The church calendar begins with a four week time of preparation as we get ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas.  Advent derives from the Latin “ad-venire" which means "to come to."  This season gives us opportunity to hear the voice of John the Baptist as he cries to “prepare the way of the Lord.”
John does not ask for people to begin baking fruit cake or to make a wish list for Santa. He “[proclaims] a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4, NRSV) In order to prepare the way for Jesus, we do not need to focus on anything that has to do with decorations or appearances.  Instead, we are reminded that to get ready for the coming of our Savior is to turn away from those parts of our lives that are not Christ-centered and to receive the forgiveness that only the grace of God in Jesus Christ provides.
During this Advent season, may we not only prepare our homes, but may we also prepare our hearts for the coming of our Prince of Peace. Only then will we be truly ready for Christmas.
Grace and Peace,

The Opposite of Love

        This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.  So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

        If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.  Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

        We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

        Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.  Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

        Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.  And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

        And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.  Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. --1 John 3:11-24

            In the wake the dead and wounded at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, I cannot understand how we have arrived  where we are in the United States. My heart aches and reels as I think of the senseless act of violence that occurred during this time of worship where most of the congregation present was shot and many have now joined the church triumphant.  I know that this is not my most eloquent blog.  I am trying to find expression to a deep pain I feel for so many today.

            In a way, the many recent attacks should not surprise us.  In the 1 John, the Bible teaches that there is evil present in the world.  We have seen its manifestation since the time of Cain and Abel. Evil and hatred cannot stand those who seek to be faithful.  Even Jesus told his disciples that they would be hated and persecuted for his name’s sake.

            As hard as all of this is to comprehend, I am taken aback by something that is far more dangerous, much more malignant, that I am beginning to see and hear. It is the opposite of love being shared throughout our nation in response to this violence.

            No, I am not talking about hatred. I am not talking about anger or malice. It is apathy – just not caring.  In 1 John 3, the Bible asks, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?” How can we have love and show no compassion?  How can we see the evil and violence and not respond with outrage?

            We have become a culture so inundated with mass attacks and murders that we seem to be losing our ability to deal with them.  We turn off our emotions.  We do not allow the news to “get to us.”  We get myopic in our vision and can only see the narrowest tunnel directly in front of us.  It’s not that we approve of what has happened; we just do not react much, if any, at all.  

            We go on with our lives pretending that everything is just as it was before. But, things are not the same. The world continues to change.  Evil continues to find its expression through countless actions big and small throughout our nation.  The Church needs to decide how we will respond in the face of such active and present evil.

            One of the greatest moments of condemnation for the early church comes in the Book of Revelation.  In a series of letters to 7 churches, Jesus gives words of encouragement and warning to those being persecuted – except to the church in Laodicea. Instead of encouragement, they receive only anger as Jesus says, ““I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (NLT, Revelation 3:15-16) 

            The word for ‘spit’ as it appears in the Greek is really closer to ‘vomit.’  They are not hot, but neither are they cold.  It is a 'lukewarmness' that is more than unpleasant. Jesus tells the church in Laodicea that their apathy makes him sick at his stomach, makes him want to throw up. Of all the faults and flaws that the early church could have, apathy is the one that gets the strongest reaction.

            We are called to love.  Love moves us to compassion.  Love moves us to mercy.  Love drives us to cry out for justice. Love leads us to sacrifice for the sake of another.  In the midst of the barrage of violence in and through our culture, love demands a response.

            I do not have an answer to the problem of evil in our society. However, I do know that apathy will only create the environment needed for it to grow.  It is time for the Church to once more be known – not by our buildings, our programs, or our scandals.  It is time for the Church of Jesus Christ to be known by our love.  We must cry out as individuals, as congregations, and as denominations calling evil by name, wrapping victims in arms of love, and helping potential perpetrators find the redemptive love of Christ.

            Our world needs the Church to be known for our radical love. May God have mercy on us and give us strength as we seek to love today.

Grace and Peace,

Not a Spectator Sport

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 

--1 Corinthians 12:12-17

As fall approaches, the days begin to shorten, the mornings begin to cool, and people everywhere seem to be infected with a most curious disease called football.  Football, especially college football,  is like a religion in many places around the US. 

Rising before the sun, scores of faithful fans begin the trek across the state to spend all day tailgating in preparation for the big game. The crowds roar and are filled with a passionate frenzy that hits a crescendo if their team wins following a close contest. Many pastors have longed for people to “get ready for worship the same way they get ready for games.”

I don’t.

Football, by nature, is a spectator sport.  We show up to watch the players on the field.  We listen to the commentary.  We might even get a bite to eat.  When we return to our cars, we leave the game behind.  Win or lose, the contest is over, and it is time to get on with our lives.

I don’t want Christians to approach worship as they do football because following Jesus is not a spectator sport.

God has called us by name, claimed us in the waters of baptism, and empowered us through the Holy Spirit.  Each one of us has a role to fill; each one of us has a ministry for which God has prepared us.  Only as the whole church, the entire Body of Christ, answers the call of God can we fulfill God’s mission as intended.  No person is insignificant. Not a single person is unimportant.  We all have a place in this journey of faith. For in the life of a disciple, we can never be content to simply sit and watch. We are all part of the team, part of the Body of Christ, sent out for mission and ministry every day of our lives.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor James 

Power of Stories

            Everyone enjoys a good story. We have whole industries that revolve around the ability of an author to create a compelling series of events that can enrapt an audience and captivate the imagination.

            If you want to see another person’s eyes light up, ask them to tell one of their stories.  You may have heard it before (perhaps a dozen times), but the twinkle and delight is real.  When I was younger, I used to spend countless hours in the car riding through the countryside with my Granny.  Inevitably, she would persuade one of her friends, or just a person who needed to get out of the house, a ride with us.  We would “go to gallivant.” That meant that it  was a roaming trip down one road and back another to a destination that had not yet been determined.  One day we took my piano teacher, Miss Mary Lou Couch, to gallivant.  On the way, Granny asked if Mary Lou would like something to drink. The affirmative response led to Granny wheeling into the first Seven Eleven.  With Mary Lou waiting in the car, Granny bought the largest Big Gulp that she could find. Mary Lou was delighted! She laughed and rolled and recounted the story over and over until the day that she died.

            We all have our stories, and I have enjoyed learning a few of those here at Main Street.  I still delight in seeing the twinkle appear in people’s eyes when they begin a personal or family favorite.

            Let us also remember that each of us is called to tell another story – an old, old story. The story of a love that would not be kept away by sin. The story of a love that conquered death on our behalf. Let us grow comfortable with the old, old story of Jesus and his love.  In this way, when people ask where we find our hope, when they ask for the source of our joy, we can say, with a twinkle in our eyes, “Sit down for a minute, and let me tell you a story.”

Grace and Peace,

Pastor James

Faithful to Complete It - Pickens Ministerial Association message April 4, 2017

³ I thank my God every time I remember you, ⁴ constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, ⁵ because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷ It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart,^[d] for all of you share in God’s grace^[e] with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight ¹⁰ to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, ¹¹ having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

 Philippians 1:3-11, NRSV

          I was asked if I would share my closing message preached today at the Pickens Ministerial Association Lenten Luncheon. I have added a few pictures to help illustrate this brief message.  May it be a blessing to you.

          You may have heard through the last few weeks that Ashley and I will be moving at the end of June.  In the United Methodist system, a bishop appoints pastors to churches, and our bishop is sending the two of us to the Greenwood area.  Ashley will be the pastor of two churches, much as Pastor Kevin has been the pastor at two Seventh-day Adventist churches (Pickens and Anderson.)  I will be pastoring a different congregation a short distance away from her.

          With this reality in mind, I recognize that today will be the last opportunity to speak with many of you. We have made our home in Pickens County for the last 13 years, and we will miss you.  I especially appreciate the other pastors and churches of our ministerial association. You have always accepted me just as I am and made me feel a valued part of the Pickens Community.  I ask that you offer the same hospitality to my successor, Rev. David Taylor, who will be with you starting in July.

          Because of the time…the season we are in…I wanted to share from Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  Traditionally, scholars believe that he wrote this letter while in prison in Rome – knowing that he would never be free again – knowing that he would never see this church that meant so much to him any longer.  I understand his sorrow mixed with hope…

          I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.  (Philippians 1:3-5, NRSV)When you share days in mission and ministry together – it’s easy to share in the fond memories of the days we have had…joy and thanksgiving flow easily.

          I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart for all of you share in God’s grace with me.(Philippians 1:6-7, NRSV)

          Was the work of the Philippians finished?  Had Paul accomplished everything he had hoped in the community of Philippi?  No – God had begun the work…but it was not complete.

          I don’t know about you, but when I work, I often make a mess.  I start with a clean table, all of my tools carefully put where they belong, my thoughts organized, and a picture of where I am headed.  But, how does that expression go…”If you’re going to make an omelet….you have to break a few eggs.

          For example, I have a project here. I started with bunches of strings of what some would call Mardi Gras beads.  They were perfectly fine…that is, until I cut them.  

 I utterly destroyed this whole batch of necklaces. To anyone who looked at things at this point, it looks like a mess. It appears that all of my time has been wasted in an effort that led nowhere.

          “God who began a good work in you,” says Paul, “will be faithful to complete it.” God isn’t finished with us yet.  We are a work in progress.  How do I know this? because we all share in God’s grace together.  God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, uses seasons like Lent to take us and shape us. God uses seasons of change and even the grief that we share to form us and mold us.

  As you can see, the apparent mess is beginning to change. God who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. 

          I am not naïve enough to think that God’s work in Pickens began when I moved here.  How absurd would that be?  God has been at work in Pickens for 150 years – as long as Pickens has been here. Nor do I believe that a single season of Lent will have every one of us suddenly living every day exactly like Jesus.  This season changes us, but we recognize that God’s work is not finished. If we trust that God, the ultimate artist in the world, has begun a work, we believe that God will be faithful to complete it.

          Even when we do not at first recognize the creativity in the process, God works all things for good who believe in him. 

          I believe that God who began a good work in Pickens will be faithful to complete it.  We will miss each other.  We will think of each other with love and fondness. We will lift one another up in prayer.

          We will not lose our hope.  God’s hand continues to work and build and grow.  I know that as we are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that God will produce something beautiful in our midst – even if at times it seems like things are a mess.

          I leave you with these words from Paul, as they become my prayer for you:

         

 “this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11, NRSV)

Grace and Peace,

Just for Fun - The Answer

This post has the solution for the puzzle I shared during my last post Just for Fun!  If you have not taken the opportunity to try to solve it on your own, I would encourage you to at least glimpse at it here  (http://jmccoybruce.blogspot.com/2017/03/just-for-fun.html) before you check the solution.


I hope that you have enjoyed the puzzle.  If so, let me know.  I can try to find some more.



Grace and Peace,

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends...One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo, Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

Note: Osee appears in the King James Version translation of Romans 9:25 as a variant spelling of Hosea. 

Article by Howard Culbertson. For more original content like this, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert

Just for Fun!

 Every now and then, I enjoy a good puzzle. Here is one that I found while doing research in another area.  Please note that this is not my work, but it is used by permission as indicated below.

I will post the solution in a few days below the original article.

Enjoy!

Can you find thirty (30) books of the Bible in this paragraph? Actually, there are 31 if you can find the variant of one Old Testament prophet's name, a variant that's used in the text of the King James Version (not as the title of a book, but in the text itself).

     There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

Article by Howard Culbertson. For more original content like this, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert

Once you have searched and given up, here is the answer. (http://jmccoybruce.blogspot.com/2017/03/just-for-fun-answer.html)

Grace and Peace,