Happy Holidays! Don't you love hearing this greeting?

Carol Howard Merritt is a blogger (carymilkweed.blogspot.com);[1] for those of you whose computer knowledge is limited to knowing how to spell computer, a blog is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web.  The Christian Century Magazine republished Mrs. Merritt's blog in the December 18, 2013 issue titled, Why I love to say "Happy Holidays".

She began the article with a theological discussion about the tradition of waiting to sing the Christmas Carols, while the congregation stretches out the four Advent hymns they know as they  wait for Christmas.  She said, she is sad that the church does not go out Christmas caroling to their homebound friends anymore. Therefore, we sing the carols less during the holiday season.

The question of following the Christian Calendar, which calls us to experience the wait for the Christ Child or to succumb to the desire to sing the hymns, is an annual question in many churches.  I personally look forward to the Advent season and the anticipation of waiting for Christmas Eve when we traditionally light the Christ Candle to announce Jesus' birth, but I also hunger for the hymns I grew up with. In the Assembly of God Church we did not follow the Christian Calendar so we never experienced waiting for the birth of Christ. Throughout December we sang about the shepherds in the field, wisemen following the star, and the angels singing on high about the new born King. 

I am not one of those progressive liturgical individuals Mrs. Merritt wrote about who gets upset because people want to sing about the birth of Christ before the birth of Christ. But I do want to honor our traditions.  Yet, I also understand the desire to sing the hymns because the season is so secularized we need the hymns to help us embrace the spirit of Christmas.

Maybe Mrs. Merritt is correct, that our conservative friends do host an annual “War on Christmas.” She says, "The soldiers in this war include people who punch Salvation Army volunteers because they say 'Happy Holidays' instead of “Merry Christmas”, then stand tall believing baby Jesus would want them to lead this war.

Well they may be surprised to hear that "the word 'holiday' comes from 'holy day.' But it’s more than that. It hearkens[2] a hope of Sabbath. There is also a sense of wholeness and healing in the word." So this Christmas season when someone says, Happy Holidays, smile and wish that person blessings as well as the hope of Sabbath. 

May God bless you as you anticipate the birth of Christ and while you are waiting, sing a few carols and have a very happy holiday.

---

[1] Carol Howard Merritt, http://www.christiancentury.org/blogs/archive/2013-12/why-i-love-say-happy-holidays

[2] Hearken, to listen and pay attention

Orginally published in the Morrow First United Methodist Church Mirror (Week Newsletter/Bulletin)

Remember

Words to Ponder …Remember … Morrow Mirror … November 24, 2013

"This day shall be a day of remembrance for you" Exodus 12:14.

In 1986 Julie, Lauren, and I stood on the memorial built above the USS Arizona. It was a serene moment. Lauren had only just begun to walk, but this is part of our family story. As Christians part of our calling is to share our story: How Jesus has changed our lives, a story worth telling.  As human beings we are also called to remember and learn from our history. Julie shared a devotional that Mary Lou Carney wrote that brought back memories of that day long ago and touch her heart.

"I'd heard about Pearl Harbor all my life…in every US History class I took, and from my father and father-in-law, both of whom served in the navy. But when Gary and I visited Hawaii and took a trip to see Pearl Harbor for ourselves, I was amazed at the emotion I felt.

A gleaning white structure rested out in the bay, a memorial built over the sunken Arizona. We boarded a boat with other tourists and listened as the guide talked about December 7, 1941. 'The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives. In the shrine room of the memorial, you will find the names of those killed.'

As we walked onto the memorial, I looked over the side. I could see the sunken ship! Its outline was visible in the clear water below us. I imagined the sailors that morning, roused from their sleep. Young, confused, frightened, brave. Did they have mothers, sweethearts, wives? I sensed someone standing next to me at the rail. I looked up to see a Japanese woman. For a moment I stiffened. What right did she have to be here? Then I realized what she was doing: dropping flower petals into the water. In that instant I knew that death-like bravery and love-knows no boundaries, that we are all enlarged by the noble and diminished by the tragic.

The water lapped quietly against the sides of the memorial, and when the lady looked my way, I smiled" (Mary Lou Carney, Reader Digest, Women's Devotional).

December began with a day to remember the tragedy of our own humanity. Lives lost because of conflicting ideologies.  We are a fallen people. However, as we journey through Advent toward the manger we are reminded that God has not given up on humanity. In the Christ Child, Immanuel we find hope and unconditional love.

When the struggles of the season weigh upon you, look around at God's creation, look in the eyes of your neighbor, and see the hope that Christ placed in each us and remember God's love.

In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ, Dr. Ed Judy

Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart

Words to Ponder … Give thanks with a grateful heart … Morrow Mirror … November 24, 2013

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name" (Psalm 100:4).

Each of us at different times in our lives have or will fail to thank others for their kindness, whether with a word of grace, a card, or something of greater importance, we sometimes fail at even the simplest of things, such as to say thank you. We also, all too often, fail to thank God for our blessings.

I am reminded of a story of an old miser who protested to his neighbor. The story is dated, but the message still holds true.

The old miser said, "everything I have I got the hard way, by the sweat of my own brow."

"But who gave you the sweat?" asked his neighbor.

The old miser hung his head in guilty silence. He could not ignore the fact that God had given the "sweat," the strength to work hard and gain material wealth. [Pulpit Helps, Why Be Thankful (Published by AMG, Heavenword Inc., 1999)]

Yes, everything that we are or that we possess is because of God's loving kindness. Therefore, it is good for us all to pause at least once a year and say, "Thank You, God." Actually, everyday should be one of thanksgiving. Why? Because of spiritual and material blessings. Here is another story that puts perspective on why we should thank God for all our blessings.

Mrs. Green thanked Tom, the grocery boy, for delivering a loaf of bread.

"Do not thank me. Thank Grocer Jones," Tom smiled. "He gave me the loaf to deliver."

But when she thanked the grocer, he said, "I get the bread from Baker Brown. He makes it, so he deserves the thanks."

So Mrs. Green thanked the baker. But he told her that Miller Milligan should be given the gratitude. "Without Miller Milligan's flour, I could not make bread," Brown replied.

The miller told her to thank Farmer Foster because he made the flour from Foster's wheat. But the farmer also protested, "Don't thank me; thank God," Foster said. "If He did not give my farm sunshine and rain, I could not grow wheat."

Yes, even a common loaf of bread can be traced back to God, the Giver of "every good and perfect gift" (Josh. 1:17). [Ibid]

Let us thank God for the gift of "Thanksgiving", a day to pause and give thanks for all our blessings. Give thanks with a grateful heart.

Words to ponder...In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ, Dr. Ed Judy

You Are Call

Words to Ponder … You Are Called … Morrow Mirror, October 20, 2013 

If you have attended church, at least a few times in your life, I imagine you have heard Christians talk about God's call.  If you have heard me preach or teach, you heard me say, "God calls all people into ministry". I believe if we are intentional about our walk with God, God will help us discern His will for our lives.

When I was a child my mother called me for supper, she also called me to take out the trash, to clean up my room and for numerous other reasons.  It is a mistake to think of God's call as a single event. God never stops calling us.  Relationships do not begin and end with one call. Relationships grow with a continuous call and response interaction.

To be Christians is a calling, but it is just the first call. God continues to call us to new life changing journeys.  Age opens the door for new adventures and new calls for the building of God's Kingdom and as we age we need to continuously evaluate our call. If our actions are not growing the kingdom of God, making disciples, then we are either doing it wrong or it is not our calling.

God calls God's people to important work and the work is never finished, it changes but it will not end as long as there are those who need to hear the Good News of the Gospel.

In Dr. Lovett Weems Jr.'s book on Worship he said, "God calls God's people to gather for worship—and to worship God alone."  [Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Tom Berlin, Overflow, Increase Worship Attendance & Bear More Fruit (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013) 27.]  Dr. Weems sites numerous references from the Old Testament where God commands the people of Israel to worship. He believes God calls us to worship only God, not for any narcissistic reason, but because when we "pledge our faithfulness solely to God, we are transformed and we grow toward the reflection of the One we worship. Like those exiles long ago, we are restored to new life in worship." [Ibid].

I believe worship can and should be the church's strongest evangelistic ministry. Worship not only draws the people of God into stronger relationship with each other, it is the bond that holds us together as a community of faith and the light that draws others to Christ. "Through the power of the Spirit we are enriched by the journey " [Ibid] and God's grace shines forth drawing others by our actions to Christ.

"Why worship? God's people cannot live and grow as faithful disciples apart from worship, and those who do not yet know the good news of the Gospel will be unlikely to hear it [Ibid].

Words to Ponder...In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ Dr. Ed Judy

Halloween

Words to Ponder … Halloween … Morrow Mirror, October 13, 2013

“Halloween is the highest holy day for various religions and satanic cults. Its roots lie with the ancient Druids, who worshiped Samhain, god of the dead, whom they believed called the souls of evil men out of the grave to play tricks on people. Villagers wearing masks to disguise themselves from the evil spirits collected food for the celebration. If you gave, you were promised food. If not, a trick.

 

Early Christian missionaries sought to replace this celebration of death with a day to honor the lives of Christians – All Saints Day. The previous evening was All Hallowed-Ones' Eve or Hallow'een.”[1]

In rural America, I remember Halloween as an exciting time for both children and parents. As children we dressed up in costumes then we piled in the car with our broom sticks, ray guns, and plastic masks for the ride to town where we walked the neighborhoods hoping to fill our paper grocery bags with chocolate, hardtack, and other sweet goodies.

Going door-to-door on Halloween has become a footnote in our American history books.  Parents today, for good reasons, would never dream of letting their children walk alone after dark to solicit candy from strangers.

Halloween was a big event in my hometown.  It was the one school day a year children loved because the grade schools put away the books and took out the games. Children and many of the teachers dressed in costume, played games, and won prizes.  As children we did not know why we celebrated Halloween, nor did we care, we just liked dressing up and getting candy.

In the late sixties things began to change. It was then that razor blades were found in candy apples. After that my mother inspected all our candy before we could eat it and if it was unwrapped it went in the trash.  That was when the innocence of Halloween was lost and neighbor began to distrust neighbor.

Today churches and communities offer alternative events like trunk-or-treat and fall festivals as a way to continue the tradition of Halloween and to celebrate community.

Halloween began as a day to glorify death, but as Christians we honor, not death, but life.  Life eternal, because Jesus has defeated death, as He does all evil that tries to destroy our innocence, to God be the glory.  

Words to Ponder...In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ Dr. Ed Judy

Mark your calendars, and don't forget to sign-up to volunteer. October 26 is Morrow First UMC's Fall Festival and Annual Barbeque. There are positions for everyone young and old. If you can only work for an hour then work an hour, but if you can do more that too is great.  Work as long as you can then enjoy a wonderful barbeque meal followed by a homemade dessert.

 "It is an all day affair" when Morrow 1st UMC comes together as community in Jesus' name.

---

[1] Jeffery Raker, Halloween, http://www.bristolhouseltd.com/our-faith-today/

The Wisdom of Sabbath

Words to Ponder … The Wisdom of Sabbath … 

Morrow Mirror … October 6, 2013

Wayne Muller wrote in his book The Sabbath, "When we go to the movie, the lights go dark and we enter the world on the screen. We are seduced by the illusion on the film. Slowly, we surrender even our emotions to the illusion and enter into the world of the 'characters' on the screen, coming to know them, care for them, even worry about them. Our body responds, our heart beats faster, perhaps we laugh or weep, as if we were actually present and involved in that world."[1]

"In the same way we can, over time, become enthralled in the trance of our work. It is all-important, it must be done right away, it won't get done without me, I cannot stop or it will all fall apart, it is all up to me, terrible things will happen if I do not get this done. I have to keep working because I have things to buy and there are bills to pay for those things and I have to buy faster computers and more expensive telephones to help me get more done so I can keep and make money to pay the bills for the things I need to buy to help me get these things done …"[2]

Muller says, "once we are in this trance, there never seems to be a good enough reason to stop."  This is the wisdom of Sabbath time, on the seventh day God rested from all he had done (Gen 2.2).  It was time for rest so God stopped to rest. Look around you; reflect back on time and space, God did not finish creating on the sixth day. The universe is still expanding and life, as we know it, is not the same as it once was nor is it the same as it will be tomorrow. God continues to be involved in creation; making things new. Yet, in the beginning (not our beginning but the beginning of creation) God stopped and rested. 

"Sabbath time is time for rest. We cannot wait until we have everything we need, because the mind is seduced by endlessly multiplying desires. We cannot wait until things slow down, because the world is moving faster and faster."[3] 

If I have any addiction besides expensive coffee it is books. I have several hundred books in my office and every room in our home has bookshelves filled with books. When I finish with a book I place it on a shelf and I think one day I will read that book again. However, I never seem to get around-to-it because everyday a new book is published and there is not enough time to read the new ones let alone the old ones.  To paraphrase Paul… I know what I should not do but I keep on doing it.  I wonder if there is a library in heaven?

Sabbath time is time for rest; we cannot wait until we are finished, because we are never finished.  Words to ponder...In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ, Dr. Ed Judy

---

[1] Wayne Muller, Sabbath, Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives (New York: Bantam Books) 209

[2] Ibid, 210

[3] Ibid, 210f

A Time For God's People

Words to ponder … A time for God’s People … Morrow Mirror, September 28, 2013

¹⁵ …the report about [Jesus] went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. ¹⁶But he [withdrew] to desolate places and prayed (Luke 5:15-16).

The first century grapevine did not move as fast as it does today in our modern multimedia world, but news of the miracle worker still moved quickly from community to community throughout all of Judea.  When the people heard that the lame walked and the blind gained their sight families traveled from far and wide in hopes of miracle.  We do the same today. We fly across the country carrying our loved one to hospitals in other states or countries if there is the slightest of hope of a cure.

Luke reminds us that Jesus worked hard. The work at times had to be overwhelming. Jesus was a man and he needed all the things we need to stay healthy: exercise, food, shelter, and rest.  I am reminded of Jesus’ words after the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years touched His clothes and was healed. “Jesus felt the power go out from him and he asked the crowd who had touched him (Mark 5:25-30).”  Jesus’ work weighed heavy upon Him. It never seemed to let up.

The multitude came from far and wide, some out of curiosity and others in hopes of a miracle.  The people did not stop coming and after awhile Jesus would leave the crowd. He did not wait until everyone who came for healing was healed.[1]  When he needed rest, time to pray, Jesus withdrew.

When computers made their way into our work places it was believed they would give us more time for leisure activities. Many wondered what they would do with all this spare time. Yet in our modern technological world we are often bombarded with information. Emails, text, twitter, television, telephone calls and other means of communication come at us from every direction telling us what we need to do and how to live our lives.  Work never seems to be complete. There is always more to do and Sabbath, rest, is considered a rare luxury and often ignored.

In the Jewish tradition Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday. It does not matter that work is left undone. The to-do list can wait. It is time for Sabbath and the work will be there later.  Families stop what they are doing and they come together to be with each other, to play, to laugh, to dance, to praise and thank God for life.

“So Sabbath is more then the absence of work; it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing, or true. It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us.”[2]

In the Christian tradition, Sabbath begins at sunrise on Sunday, a day to remember the resurrection of our Lord: a day to come together as the family of God to play, to laugh, to dance, to rest, and a time to praise and thank God for life … A Time For God's People …

Words to ponder...In Christian Love, your pastor and friend in Christ Dr. Ed Judy

                                           

---

[1]Wayne Muller, Sabbath, Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives, (New York: Bantam

Books, 1999) 25.

[2] Ibid. 8

Sabbath ... Morrow Mirror 9.22.2013

Words to ponder … Sabbath … Morrow Mirror, September 22, 2013

I will be writing over the next few weeks about Sabbath. When I say Sabbath, I am not talking about Sunday morning worship. I am talking about rest: a much-needed time for healing as well as a time for nourishing our souls. Without this time-this time for rest-our spirit, soul and physical self suffers.  I sometimes wonder if the world has lost its way because humanity does not embrace the Sabbath. I am concerned not because we are disobedient, but because our spirits suffer. Therefore, my discussion is rooted in Exodus 20:8-11, which says in part, “The seventh day is a day of rest.”

Wayne Muller, author and spiritual director, began his book ‘Sabbath’1 with these words: “In the relentless busyness of modern life, we have lost the rhythm between work and rest.” I believe most of us would agree with Muller. We have no balance because the idea of resting has been swallowed up by our desire to succeed. This is fed by the cultural norm that tells us to succeed at whatever the cost. ‘I am to ‘busy’ becomes the greeting of the day. 2

We even lift our busyness up to each other as a badge of honor; “I am so busy I don’t have time to… so how can I rest?” I have come to realize that we are all busy and if we want some sense of normality in our lives, whatever normal is then we have to realize that we will not get everything accomplished we want to accomplish in any given day. Life is busy and we have allowed this to happen and because of our busyness we have forgotten the Sabbath, or maybe more to the point to recognize its value. As people of faith, we need to plan and schedule Sabbath time.

“Remember the Sabbath and keep in holy” is not just a mandate to give God praise, but a call to rest and to take care of our spiritual and physical health.

---

[1] Wayne Muller, Sabbath, Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives, (New York: Bantam Books, 1999) 1.

[2] Ibid.

The Needs Are Many

Words to Ponder…The Needs Are Many…Morrow Mirror…September 15, 2013

There are numerous opportunities to serve in the United Methodist Church. There are positions in the local Church, the District, and in the North Georgia Conference as well as across the globe. The United Methodist Church reaches around the world helping and serving communities for the Kingdom of God and it begins in the local church; you make a difference.

In your church (Morrow First UMC) the opportunities are all around you.  There is much to do for the kingdom and a lot is accomplished everyday by volunteers but the needs are many and sometimes the work is left undone. It is my belief that God calls each of us to serve (to be involved) and by serving we are drawn closer to God. What we are able to do changes with time but the need to serve does not change, service is part of being Christian. Jesus began the Christian movement by serving and teaching others about God's love, and by calling others to follow him as servants to make disciples.

Is God calling you to do something specific, to lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need or to do something general for the building of God's kingdom?  As in many organizations, a few members accomplish the work (the ministries of the church in our case). The number of servants increases on Sunday, but needs are many.  Service affects the church universal, the local church, and the servant’s spiritual growth.   Service is not always easy; sometimes others disagree with our choices (we call this human nature). But service always brings growth, growth for the church, the one being served and the one serving. It is a win - win situation because when God's people open their hearts to serve, God makes good things happen.  I also believe when the people of God work together for the good of the kingdom, there is nothing that can stop the growth - both physical and spiritual.  

There are lists of ministry opportunities located on the tables in the adult education wing, in the narthex and on the church facebook page. Don't wait for someone else to show you what to do, share with them what God is calling you to do.  If you don't see the ministry on the list, don't ignore God's call, step up and say, "Here I am Lord."

Here are a few of the ministry needs: Children, youth, adult education ministries; bereavement ministry (prepare a meal for someone going through a difficult time); Family Care ministries: give a person a ride to the doctor's office; lend an ear to someone in need; coordinate speakers to provide health and welfare information; help plan Sunday school lessons; help maintain the church's history; help with worship: music, witness, drama, acolyte, altar decorations, audio and visual, sound management, sing in the choir; shop for fellowship hall supplies; work in the food pantry; work the barbecue; the yard sale; help with the bulletin boards; do minor maintenance around the church; the needs are many and God's work goes on and on and on, and it will go on and on until every knee bows in service to God.

Sing a New Song

Words to ponder … Sing a New Song … Morrow Mirror, September 8, 2013

The song of the humpback whale is one of the strangest in nature. It is a weird combination of high- and low-pitched groaning. Those who have studied the humpback whale say their songs are noteworthy because these giants of the deep are continually changing them. New patterns are added and old ones eliminated so that over a period of time the whale actually sings a whole new song.[1]  



Throughout history each new generation of Christians composed new songs of praise around the fresh mercies of God, often against the wishes of other Christians; traditionalists who believe new songs ignore the fundamentals of their faith.  Intellectually we know every song began anew in the heart of the composer.  Charles Wesley, for example, was shunned for his hymns because many of them were written to familiar ‘bar tunes’.  Many of the Christians in Wesley’s day, like many of our traditionalists today, believed the new songs were sacrilegious.  Today, many of Wesley’s songs are the traditional hymns we grew up on and for many of us they are a sacred part of our past. 

The psalmist says, “the works of God's deliverance in the lives of his people are many and give us reason to express our praise to him in new ways. His works are more than we can count” (Psalm 40:5). 

 So in the words of Martin R. De Haan “why is our testimony of God's saving grace expressed in the same rote way year after year?”[2]   De Haan believed our hearts and minds should be continually filled with new songs that express the mercies of the cross and of Christ's resurrection power. 

Humanity continues to be created anew with each new generation; the ways of praising God may change, but our ways of praising do not change the gospel story. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1-2). And [then] the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen the glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Let us sing a new song of God’s saving grace and to God be the glory.

---

[1] Martin R. De Haan, New Songs, Our Daily Bread (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Radio Bible Class), 5 December 1992.

[2] Ibid.