WALKING INTO 2023

2022 has not been an easy year. Divisions seem to have deepened and multiplied. Civility is in short supply. It feels like anger, mistrust, and disinformation guide personal and communal actions. We’ve grown accustomed to war and rumors of war. We have stopped seeing the image of God in some faces. Heartbreak crowds the corners of our heart, nudging out joy.

Looking at the blank slate of the New Year, I wonder what it will hold for you and me. When will a sunset create a deep pang so poignant that catches in our throat? What call will we receive in the middle of the night? How will joy well up so fast it will surprise us, and beauty suddenly appear and take our breath away? What strangers will become friends? What will we learn that will inform how we live for the rest of our lives? When and where will love blossom unbidden?

As I look for a word to guide my steps into the uncharted map of 2023, I found this section of I Peter from the First Nations Version of the New Testament:

Walk side by side in harmony with each other. Try to feel what others feel. Love each other as
family. Be tenderhearted and walk with a humble spirit.

Never return evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, speak words of blessing over each other, for you were chosen to share together in the Creator’s blessings. (I Peter 3: 8-9)

I receive the gift of these words from the Holy Spirit and will hold fast to them each day. I don’t think they will keep hardships at bay, but I do believe that they will make the way through hardships clearer. Grounded in Jesus’ way of love, I pray that my walk in 2023 will be one of gentleness and tenderness, caring for the earth and others as best I can.

What words will guide your steps into 2023?

MY JOB IS TO LOVE

 Last week, I worshipped with FUMC Prairie Campus in Colorado Springs (CO). It was a somber day as the impact of the shootings at ClubQ continued to reverberate across the community. Following the service, Robin and I stopped to look at the memorial that had been created at ClubQ. Rainbow flags, bouquets of flowers, prayer cards and signs had been left in front of large pictures of the five people who had lost their lives in the shooting. The cries of people weeping were the only sound that pierced the silence as folks came to pay their last respects.

One sign left a deep impression on me was a black poster board with white letters: MY JOB IS TO LOVE. In the face of hate and death, the power of those words hit me hard and I have been pondering them all week.

We are in the season of Advent. Each Sunday is a chance for us to focus our waiting on the coming of Christ. The second Sunday of Advent’s focus is Love. We are reminded of a God who loved us enough to become one of us.

Through his teaching, Jesus makes love the center over and over again. He reminds his followers that all of the law can be summed up in two things: Love God and love others. He shows us what love looks like by standing with those on the margins, by being a healing presence, by pushing back on oppressive forces. Love, for Jesus, is an action verb that compels us to act when there is suffering, wrong-doing, and prejudice. In this way, our love of God is made visible in the world.

As we face a world where hate is paraded in the public square, where violence seems to have the upper hand, where we wonder if God has abandoned us, take time this week to ponder the Christmas miracle: Emmanuel, God-With-Us! Make God’s presence known to those around you through the love you share. Live the truth that is found in the familiar song: They will know we are Christians by our love.

Your job is to love.

Make this your aim. In everything you do, ask yourself, “Does this action, is what I am saying, increasing love in the world? Is it a visible sign of my love of God and neighbor?”

As you move through Advent, with your eye on the Christmas gift of love, keep practicing grounding all you do in love. And watch your world change.

Potlucks and Prayers

Every time I refresh my newsfeed, I learn of more churches across our United Methodist connection who have left the denomination. I confess that this breaks my heart that we in The United Methodist Church cannot find a way to witness to the world how to find unity in the midst of diversity.

I believe that theological diversity has been a strength of Methodism. Wesley built into the Methodist movement communal accountability along with personal holiness. This did not mean that everyone thought the same but instead found deepening spirituality through holy conferencing, utilizing scripture, tradition, experience and reason. We, too, find our faith growing when we are in holy conversation with those who think differently from us but whom we nonetheless understand are being faithful.

However, when we make pronouncements against others, simply because of who God created them to be, without engaging in relationship to see how God may be moving in another’s life, we harm them and we harm the body of Christ. Certainly, this is what has happened in our denomination. The truth of God’s claim and call on lgbtq+ people’s lives has been rejected, not because of the fruits of the Spirit that may or may not be evident, but simply because of who they/we are.

Relationships matter. It is why there is incredible diversity in our pews. I have never been in a church where everyone agreed on everything. Each person, being a unique child of God, brings their own experiences of God, their own expression of faith, and their own orientation as to how that is expressed to the church community. We don’t vote the same way. We don’t watch the same news. We don’t feel the same way on a myriad of issues. But in relationship as a church community, we have committed ourselves to loving one another.

I have come to see that our pulpits and pews are places where differences of opinion are overcome by prayer and potlucks. These open us up to the reality of lives that are not like our own. We learn of heartache and triumphs of others and take them into our hearts as we lift them up to God. We delight in passing plates piled with favorite family food. We recognize that we have more in common than we thought.

To those who feel God is calling them to leave the denomination, I am holding you in prayer. May your ministry be blessed as you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

To those who remain, I am so glad you are here. We need you. We need your unique, God-given self. We need the perspective on life and faith that only you can bring to enrich our shared life and ministry. We need to learn of the ways God has touched your life, forever changing you as you deepen your discipleship. In this way, we all are touched, changed, and blessed.

So let’s take hands and pray together. And then, let’s pass the food and enjoy the feast of community God sets before us!

GRACE AND FORGIVENESS

I recently read an article that quoted NYC pastor Rev. Michael Keller: “We’ve become less of a forgiving culture.”

Everywhere we turn, we see the truth of this statement. Fuses are short. Tempers are hot. Our willingness to assume good intentions even when another’s action might have unintended consequences that inconvenience or confuse us is getting thinner and thinner.

Civility seems lost as we see fights over food in grocery stores, battles over parking spots, and pushes and shoves when a simple “excuse me” would suffice.

Is civility in short supply, or is it grace?

Grace and forgiveness are intimately entwined. We United Methodists believe that grace abounds in God’s love for us. So wide and generous is God’s grace that it goes ahead of us, inviting us into a deeper experience of it.

Have we really experienced this grace, freely and abundantly given to us? How has this grace informed how we move in the world? Do we seek to be a grace-filled people, our lives a witness to God’s grace?

Each week, we pray together the Lord’s Prayer. Every. Single. Week. This prayer includes, “forgive us our trespasses (debts/sins) as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” (Matthew 6:12). How well are we offering forgiveness to others? Could it be that our inability to open ourselves up to the power of grace is limiting us in our ability to forgive?

This weekend, the clergy of the conference met together. We acknowledged the difficult season we have been in, how COVID stretched us, denominational angst stressed us, and feelings of inadequacy plagued us as we considered the limits of our leadership in this time.

We needed to feel the reality of grace. And we needed the power of forgiveness. We needed not only to forgive others, we needed to forgive ourselves. There were tears and there were sighs too deep for words as we prayed silently and together. We reminded ourselves of God’s grace that assures us that we are forgiven.

May you, too, spend time in prayer with God. Let go of the guilt you are feeling and feel God lightening your load through the power of forgiveness.  May the grace your experience be poured out in the world, increasing kindness and compassion in a world that has forgotten how to forgive.

What Really Matters

 

This week’s scriptures talk a lot about money and about where our ultimate care and safety lie. 1 Timothy 6 reminds us that what matters is to have our basic needs met. Wealth is not a basic need and can deceive us into thinking it is what the “Good Life” is really about. As verse 10 warns: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.”

Jesus takes it further in the Gospel reading, telling the story of a poor man named Lazarus who sat outside the doors of a rich man’s home. Lazarus begged for even scraps of food but received none. When he died, the angels carried Lazarus to heaven. When the rich man died he…well, he wound up in a whole other place. Seeing Lazarus by Abraham’s side, he called up and asked Abraham to send Lazarus down to give him a sip of water because he was tormented by flames. Abraham said that the chasm between the two was now too great. The rich man asked if Abraham would send Lazarus to warn his brothers of the fate that might await them. Abraham responded, “They already have Moses and the prophets, what more do they need?”

I believe we are given all we need to live a good and faithful life through the scriptures. Jesus lays out a teaching to show us a way to live more deeply in love with God and others. There are those in our life who live in such a way that the truth of the Gospel’s claims is confirmed. Are we willing to be faithful to Jesus’ teaching? Are we willing to order our lives so that—no matter our wealth or poverty, health or disease—we will make Love our highest aim and our greatest commitment? Are we willing to order our lives so that this Love will connect us to others in profound ways?

Love compels us to share all we have with others. Love sees those the world overlooks. Love responds to the needs around us. Love is active. Love creates connections, bridges, and relationships that build beloved community.

May you allow Love to open your eyes, your heart, and your hands so that you can see those around you, listen to their voices, and share the love of Christ in tangible, life-changing ways. In this way, may you find your life enriched in ways money alone cannot provide.

To Move Through Our Adversities

I love to read. As a bishop, I am finding myself with little time to read as much as I like, so summer travels always include a pile of books. This summer, one book I read was by “Brighter By The Day: Waking Up to New Hopes and Dreams” by Robin Roberts, the co-anchor of Good Morning America. It is a wonderful devotional book, grounded in Roberts’ faith as a Christian. Roberts has been quoted as crediting her parents with instilling in her the “"three 'D's: Discipline, Determination, and 'De Lord.'

In the book, Roberts is honest not only about her triumphs but also her failures and adversities, including serious life-threatening medical diagnoses: “We may not fully understand why catastrophe has befallen us, and that’s okay. Our job isn’t to comprehend it. It’s to redeem it for good.”

That line jumped out at me. I don’t believe God inflicts horrible things on us. I don’t believe God sends fire or flood or famine or disease. A loving God wouldn’t try or treat us in that way. Being a human and walking and growing in the world leaves us open personal and natural disasters, disease, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

To focus on trying to understand “Why did this happen to me” can tie us in knots and leave us frustrated, depressed, and disempowered. Instead, where do we find God companioning us through the catastrophe? Who is walking with us as we move through grief? Who is cheering us on as we take another step towards sobriety? How is God offering us sustenance as we face the brokenness of our lives?

The God who rose Jesus from the dead makes plain to us that this is the God who truly makes all things new again. Not even the crushing blow of death can prevent God’s love from bursting from whatever tomb catastrophe has tried to bury us in. Ours is not to ask “Why did this happen to me?” Instead, turning from whatever may have befallen us, how do we move through it to the other side? How do we find the healing path? How do we integrate what we have experienced to make us even more than we were before, increase our capacity for compassion, enrich us for deeper empathy, and help us be more tender with others who are going through their own hard times?

May you find comfort and hope from these words from the Psalms: “Weeping may endure for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

The Servanthood of a Queen

 This week the world joined the United Kingdom in mourning as Queen Elizabeth died. There have been so many anecdotes about her life over the past several days, but what has stood out for me has been the way her faith shaped her life and leadership.

In her coronation speech, the Queen made a request to all those listening: “I want to ask you all, whatever your religion may be, to pray for me on that day, to pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.”

She was crowned Queen at the age of 25. As the weight of the crown was placed on her head, she was well aware that the weight of servanthood was also being placed upon her. For the rest of her life, her purpose was to serve.

As I think about this, I realize that in her life we have a clear example of discipleship: when we follow Christ, we shift the focus of our lives from self and instead seek to better the lives around us through the love of God found in Christ Jesus. We might not live in a castle (or many castles) or be a head of state, but each of us possesses within us the mark of Divine Love bestowed upon us by our Creator. Each of us has a unique purpose and mission that no one else possesses. Queen Elizabeth was clear about hers, and it guided her every single day. How about you?

“Billions of people now follow Christ’s teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value in doing small things with great love.”—Queen Elizabeth

How Lovely Are The Messengers…

 One of my favorite choral pieces is Felix Mendelssohn’s “How Lovely Are the Messengers”. We sang it often in my high school choir. If you haven’t heard this beautiful anthem, listen to it here: 

https://youtu.be/dR4QE0k72dw

I realize this piece, which references Romans 10: 15, 18, helped form my understanding of evangelism:

“How lovely are the messengers that preach us the gospel of peace. To all the nations is gone forth the sound of their words, throughout all the lands their glad tidings.”

As I reflect on my own journey of faith, those who shared the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with me, who taught me about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, who helped me experience God’s generous grace, were (and are) truly lovely. Their faith gave them a contagious joy. They did not hide their light under a bushel but rather held it high to light the way for others.  Through them, I heard Jesus’ warm invitation to follow him. Because of their witness, I have spent my life trying to live more fully into his Way. 

These lovely messengers never spoke poorly of another. They never denigrated another’s faith. They never built themselves up by tearing someone else down. 

Instead, they kept loving people. They may have had enemies but I only heard them call people “friends”. They saw the best (meaning, they saw the God-potential) in everyone they met. And they encouraged us all to grow into it. 

This is the kind of invitational, evangelical faith I hope every United Methodist church will embody. May the life-saving, life-transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ be lived out in the lives of each church member so vividly that it will be irresistible to others. May this gospel of peace shape how we extend our ministries into the world. May we all be worthy of this description:

How lovely are the messengers that preach us the gospel of peace.

MAY WE STAND FOR LOVE?

 I am sitting with one more email from a queer person who is scared about the stated intent of at least one Supreme Court member and countless Republicans who want to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, which gave LGBTQ+ couples the legal right of marriage. They are asking if they should move up their wedding plans in the hopes their marriage can be grandfathered in should such a ruling occur.

For those who are not LGBTQ+ and are married, can you imagine what it feels like to have the love you share, which brings you so much joy and bears so much fruit in the world, outlawed? Can you imagine being stripped of the rights you share as a married couple (which include but are not limited to):

• Visiting your spouse in a hospital intensive care unit or during restricted visiting hours in other parts of a medical facility.
• Making medical decisions if your spouse becomes incapacitated and unable to express wishes for treatment.

• Making burial or other final arrangements.
• Filing for stepparent or joint adoption.
• Receiving a share of marital property if you divorce.

• Receiving Social Security, Medicare, and disability benefits for spouses.
• Receiving veterans' and military benefits for spouses, such as those for education, medical care, or special loans.
• Filing joint income tax returns with the IRS and state taxing authorities.
• Obtaining priority if your spouse needs a conservator--that is, someone to make financial or medical decisions on your spouse's behalf.
• Obtaining insurance benefits through a spouse's employer.
• Taking family leave to care for your spouse during an illness.
• Receiving wages, workers' compensation, and retirement plan benefits for a deceased spouse.
• Taking bereavement leave if your spouse or one of your spouse's close relatives dies.
• Receiving crime victims' recovery benefits if your spouse is the victim of a crime.
• Obtaining immigration and residency benefits for noncitizen spouse.
• Visiting rights in jails and other places where visitors are restricted to immediate family.
• Automatically renewing leases signed by your spouse.

• Receiving family rates for health, homeowners', auto, and other types of insurance.
• Other consumer discounts and incentives offered only to married couples or families.

(from https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/marriage-rights-benefits-30190.html)

 

I grieve a society (and a church) that fails to honor and support love. I grieve couples that feel an urgency to marry because they fear they might lose the chance to do it in the future. I grieve couples that have built a life together that cannot rest in the security legal marriage provides but must yet again defend their love from attack.

In a world so divided by hate, may we stand together for love?

Death Is Entwined With Life

 

This weekend was Bishop Wilbur Choy’s funeral. Like so many episcopal elections in the Western Jurisdiction, his was historic as the first Asian American elected a bishop in the UMC. 

 

This has been a season of death. From COVID’s claws to nature’s fury to war’s destruction, the cloak of death weighs heavy. Lent, too, is a season where the specter of death is uncomfortably close. It begins with the imposition of ashes, marking and reminding us of our mortality. It ends in the darkness of a tomb. 

 

We can’t escape death. We are marching towards it our entire life. 

 

And while the final death blow is ever before us, throughout our life we experience little deaths. Relationships change. Our bodies change. The world we once knew is no more.

 

Death is entwined with life. 

 

Some deaths are needed and welcomed: killing off tumors, germs and viruses or habits and relationships we finally realize are hastening our demise. Others are unwelcomed, unexpected, and feel unwarranted. Yet, these, too, hold surprises for us.

 

Helen Keller once said: “Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see.”

 

We who follow a crucified yet resurrected Christ know that death is not final. There awaits, on the other side of every death, new and fuller life. Of this, the apostle Paul writes, almost mockingly: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (I Corinthians 15: 55)

 

What are the things within you that are preventing you from the promise of new life? What can you, must you let go of to receive the blessing of resurrection?