Something to Ponder on the Lord’s Day!  January 16, 2022

Today's Gospel reading is an interesting story because it is Jesus' first miracle as recorded in the Gospel of John (John 2:1-11). Yet it is also a strange miracle for modern-day readers, turning water into wine. Especially with the abuse and dangers, excessive drinking has caused throughout the ages, including in Jesus' time. In Jesus' day, drinking wine was socially accepted, but as Paul tells us later, excessive drinking was not acceptable and considered a sin. 

The story is strange to our modern ears because alcoholism has affected most of us in one way or another. My paternal grandfather died from complications caused by alcoholism in his 50s, so it is a terrible disease that has harmed many lives and families. However, I still believe the miracle of turning water into wine is a story of grace, and what better way for Jesus to begin His ministry to save humanity. 
The wedding banquet in Cana in Galilee is John's way of saying from the very outset of Jesus' ministry every earthly act is connected to His glory and messianic mission and God's desire to save humanity.

Mary comes to her son not asking him to turn water into wine to save a wedding feast; but to help the groom and his family, who will be shamed by the guests, literally the entire community. I believe Jesus did not know it was time to begin his ministry until His Heavenly Father helped him decide at that moment. Jesus then chose to tart His ministry with an example of God's extravagant generosity. 

God's grace and our Lord's gracious hospitality to provide wine for a needy family and community may be challenging. Still, I hope we can see beyond our modern prejudices. Jesus' first miracle is often referred to as 'Cana Grace,' which emphasizes the reality of God’s grace that is the essence of every miracle God has ever done, from the beginning of creation to current day miracles, those often missed by our modern-day eyes. 

 Something to ponder this Lord's day. January 9, 2022

We get a very different perspective in Luke's rendition of Jesus' baptism (Luke 3:15-17; 21-22).

People flocked to John, not out of fear but excitement. Many hoped he was the long waited for Messiah who would save them from their Roman oppressors. 

Others believed Elijah would reappear when the Messiah was about to come. So when they saw John dressed as the great Old Testament prophet, they thought he embodied the heart and soul of Israel's faith and that he might be Elijah. 

Luke begins the baptism story with John chastising those who believe he is the Messiah. Although baptism is essential for fulfilling prophecy, it is secondary to Jesus' actions following the baptism. Luke tells us Jesus doesn't say a word and is one of many who get baptized by John on this day. There is no discussion between John and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit descends after everyone is baptized, including Jesus, while Jesus is praying. 

I believe baptism is important. It symbolizes our faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior, but it is also a spiritually transforming moment in our faith. The Holy Spirit marks the baptized as God's children. Yes, baptism is important, but the Holy Spirit's action after we are baptized is instrumental for our continued relationship with God throughout our lives, actions that transform us into God’s beloved children. 

Something to Ponder on the Lord's Day!

 Something to ponder in the New Year

In 1979, archaeologists were excavating in the area believed to be ancient Gehenna. Gehenna is an area not far from the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, used as far back as Solomon’s time as the dumping ground for the sewage and refuse of the city. Fires burned continually in this valley to destroy the garbage and impurities, which is why it was named Gehenna and came to be a symbol of punishment.

The archaeologists found what is considered one of the oldest bits of Scripture that exists in the world, more than 400 years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. It dates from the time just before the destruction of the first temple, the Temple of Solomon, in 586 B.C. The scorched ground yielded two rolled-up silver amulets that are on display in the Israel Museum. When painstakingly unfurled, the text was almost verbatim to the Bible verses:

“May God bless you and keep you.

May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May God turn His face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

This is the priestly blessing Jewish parents recite for their children each Friday night, a passionate prayer for the future. In the words of Rabbi David Wolpe, the oldest bit of Scripture that exists in the world is a blessing of peace snatched from hell.’ (Rabbi David Wolpe, The Jewish History of Israel…, The New York Times, May 28, 2021.)

As we begin a New Year, may this Scripture of old fill you with hope and the knowledge that God is always with us, in the best of times and in the worst of times; and “May God bless you and keep you. May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious to you. And May God turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

 

Words to ponder  

"…the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words" (Romans 8.26).

I served as a combat communications officer in the military. It was an honor, and I feel blessed to have serve with these dedicated men and women. 

When I was with the 25^th Infantry Division, I spent hours traversing the Korean terrain to various sites checking on young men and women (usually three or four soldiers) stationed on a mountaintop working long hours maintaining the communications equipment. You can imagine the frustration these soldiers had when a piece of equipment stopped working. 

I remember receiving a call from the battalion headquarters that the battalion operations staff officer's radio stopped working. The division had just upgraded to a new secure radio system, and as you can imagine, there were equipment and operator problems.

When I arrived at the battalion operations, he met me as I got out of the truck. He was livid as he cursed me, the equipment, and the people who designed and built the equipment. He wanted someone to blame, and I happened to be the unlucky soul available.

I climbed into the van that sat on the back of a truck. I noticed the problem immediately, fixed it in about 20 seconds, turned around, walked back out, and told him it was good to go. He, as you can imagine, did not believe me. I doubt I would have believed me if I had been in his boots either. So, I explained the problem. 

The cable between the radio and the security coding device was loose. When installing the cable, you push the female end of the cable onto the connector on the radio; then, you twist to the left to line up the connections between the security equipment and the radio. The cable was new and stiff, and tension in the cable loosed it, breaking the connection. The fix was to twist the cable before connecting it, using the natural stiffness in the cable to keep it tight.

It is the same for most equipment. If the power is not connected, it will not work. If the cable from the satellite is unplugged from the television, it will not work. If the power source is not plugged into the WIFI box, it won't work. Nor will your tablet or phone work if the battery is missing or dead. 

Anyone who has ever worked technical support in automation or even appliance repair has had calls from bewildered callers about a piece of equipment that does not work as expected. These support people have learned to ask fundamental questions about matters that have nothing to do with any defect in the device. The first question they ask the caller, "is it plugged in, or have you checked the battery?"

It doesn't matter how well your equipment is designed or constructed. If it's not connected to a power source, it's just a doorstop.

So, too, with our spiritual lives. 

“…the Spirit helps us in our weakness…” 

Words to ponder on this the Lord’s Day.

Ed

This Unprecedented Time

 A Thought to Ponder from your Pastor                                 Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020

In his book 'Getting Ready to Preach,' United Methodist Bishop Robert H. Spain tells how "Casey Stengel, the former baseball manager, said, 'There are two kinds of baseball managers: managers who have been fired, and managers that will be fired.'" 

Bishop Spain then says there are also two kinds of Christians: "those who have lost their passion for the Lord, and those who will. We all suffer some periods of spiritual dryness."

What do you think? Is this a dry period? I believe most people worldwide wonder if this unprecedented time will redefine us for better or worse. As a pastor, I wonder how many have lost their faith or will lose it; or get stronger through the storm?

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). 

May God give you strength and courage to endure the hardships of life and ultimately, by his grace, help you grow closer to Christ, our Lord, and Savior, through the good and not so good days. Amen

 

Reverend Dr. Edward Judy, 

Summerville First UMC

Soul Searching

Soul Searching - note to myself

Late Sunday[i] afternoon I was returning from a clergy meeting when I passed a church sign that said, donate shoes for lost souls. Now I confess, I sometimes over analyze things, especially church signs.

So I asked myself what do they mean? Shoes for lost souls or did they mean to write soles. Which means they have soles without shoes? If this is what they mean, then they want shoes without soles so they can put them together to create a complete pair of shoes. If this is what they are asking then I cannot help since all my shoes have soles.

Or are they talking about people? We are Trinitarian beings. We have a physical body, a spiritual body, and a soul. So does the congregation want shoes for souls?

But our souls are the essence of our being, that which connects our spiritual self to God and I do not believe for a second our souls wear shoes. So surely that cannot be what they are asking.

So perhaps the church is not in the cobbler business at all, which means they do not have shoes without souls nor are they looking to provide shoes for souls since souls do not wear shoes.

So what do they mean? Was it just a pun, a witticism to catch our attention? “Shoes for lost souls”. Well, it got my attention, but I still do not know what they are going to do with the shoes. I suppose I can assume they are going to give them to people who need shoes. However, I do not like making assumptions. I would rather make a decision based on deductive reasoning, but that says more about me than the shoes.

Shoes are an interesting topic – they are important for our feet and if you know someone who needs shoes or soles for their shoes; I am sure you too would like to help.

---

[i] August 3, 2017

A Sermonette … A Trail of Tears – Luke 24:13-35           May 2017

Thanks to the gospel stories we are able to do more than imagine the agony the disciples endured after Jesus’ crucifixion. One such story occurred on The Road to Emmaus.

In this story, two disciples are walking back home from Jerusalem. Their hearts and minds overflow with what happened the preceding week. As they make their way home, they talk, attempting to make sense of it all. The entry into the city, the uproar of the crowds, the garments and branches scattered on the road in front of the donkey Jesus was riding. They remembered thinking that their dreams were coming true.

So much happened in that city in just a few days. The culmination was Jesus nailed to the cross, dead. With his last breath, their hope had died. They had seen his lifeless body on the cross; they knew it had been taken down and buried. All that was left for them to do was to brush aside the outlandish reports that he was alive again and trudge their weary way back to Emmaus.

So the story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus begins with the appearance of a mysterious

stranger. He walks beside them, a fellow traveler, and invites himself into their conversation. They explain their ill temperament and are astounded that the stranger knows nothing about the events. After all, Jesus had been the talk of everyone in Jerusalem, the city; a short distance behind these wearied travelers to. The pair continue on, talking about how their hope had been in that man Jesus. Sadness clouded their vision, so they did not recognize the face of the one who walked beside them.

There's plenty of roads still left to travel, and so the stranger begins to question the travelers. “Did not the prophets say the Messiah would suffer and be killed before he entered into glory?” The travelers remember as the stranger explains the scrolls of old about the messiah and they listen with increasing interest.

Is the story familiar because it happens only once, on the road to Emmaus on a spring day shortly after the original Easter? Or does it happen repeatedly, in the course of our lives?

Our destination may not be Emmaus, but often enough we walk our own trail of tears. We were not in Jerusalem to see Jesus crucified, but things happen in the course of our lives; things that shatter our faith, break our hope, violate our love. We walk home again, retreating like a defeated army. We don't want a home so much as a place to hide, where we lick our wounds, turn our backs on life, and nurse our cynicism.

Yes, each of us walks this trail of tears from time to time. Sometimes we walk together, driven by our pain, but achieving no resolution.

Then something cosmic happens. Jesus appears beside us. But like the disciples of old, we don't recognize him! He looks so ordinary. Just another traveler made weary by the road. Somehow he gets inside our conversation and hears what we have to say.

His response is not rejection. Nor is it sympathy, a patting of the hand. Jesus takes the situation and hoists it up to a new level.

There's more going on than meets the eye, he tells us. Our afflictions belong to a larger picture, some deeper mystery. Like the messiah's death, our afflictions do not have the last word but point beyond our suffering to an eternal hope.

Jesus seeks to present our story here and now as he presented his own on the original Emmaus road. He wants to reveal our affliction for what it is: not the final word, not meaningless pain, but rather the prelude to some bright glory, our own resurrection.

Our achievements and failures, our mistakes and injuries – none of these are the final report on who we are, and none is without significance. Instead, they are rags, scraps of material, which in our hands look poor, but taken up by God are accepted, and woven into a tapestry that glimmers with gold thread and a multitude of colors.

This God, Jesus tells us about, refuses to stop with the resurrection of Jesus. There is our resurrection to accomplish as well, not only after this world is done, but in all the little Easters along our span of life.

When you must walk your Emmaus road, believing him dead and your hope dead with him, dare to recognize him, a stranger walking beside you, a stranger who offers you broken bread, who lifts from you, your burden of hopelessness with his nail scarred hands.

And once you recognize him, and know that the fire of love inflames your heart, once the great cosmic comedy has made you laugh, then run, run through the dark sad night of this world, run like a fool for God, and let others know of your joy: that the Lord has risen and you are alive with Him!