The Healing Spirit!

"Sometimes our own insufficiency is what God finds the most useful about us. James W. Moore tells of his own past to

illustrate this quirky divine preference for turning weakness into strength. While a seminarian, Moore took a course in clinical pastoral education. One afternoon the head nurse took him aside and told him that a patient, Mrs. Davis, was in dire need of pastoral counseling. She was facing serious brain surgery the next morning with the double liabilities of poor physical condition and a soured, self-pitying spirit. Her chances of survival did not look good. 

Overawed by the life-and-death responsibility his pastoral ability seemed to carry, young Moore decided to let Mrs. Davis do all the talking and serve as an active listening sound-board for her fears and anxieties. Unfortunately this plan was squelched when, at the last minute, Moore was told Mrs. Davis was not allowed to speak. In a panic, this young seminarian bumbled into the desperately ill woman's room, accidentally banging the door into the wall. He then lurched forward into the room and jarred the poor woman by kicking her bed. Mortified, he then launched into a stuttering, stammering series of platitudes and prayers, saying all the wrong things and feeling he had utterly failed to reach the woman's fears. Horrified at his inadequacy, Moore left quickly. 

A few days later, Moore was amazed to find Mrs. Davis recovering nicely and in remarkably good spirits. Even more incredibly this patient praised him and credited him with practically saving her life. But I don't understand. I felt so terrible; I was so ashamed. I did everything wrong, Moore moaned. That's just it, she replied. I felt so sorry for you! It was the first time I had felt anything but self-pity for months. That little spark of compassion ignited in me the will to live! And the doctors tell me it made all the difference."

[James W. Moore, Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned, But I Have Several Excellent Excuses (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991) 96-98.]

Mrs. Davis found what we all need to find, and I am not talking about the will to live; although, I pray you have the will to live life to the fullest. What Mrs. Davis found was compassion for another human being. This was the first time she was not consumed by her own struggles.

It is my belief the root of all sin is selfishness. You may be wondering if I am considering self-pity a sin, the answer is yes. Anything that takes us into the pit of despair is wrong because it can destroy our spirit as well as our relationships with family and friends, God's gifts to us.

Christians are not immune to self-pity and sometimes we find ourselves in the dark pit of despair. Life can be extremely difficult, but no one has to face his or her struggles alone. Christ told the disciples he was going away to be with the Father, but he was not leaving them alone. He would the comforter, the Holy Spirit to be with them. The same Spirit dwells within us and when we open our hearts and empathize with others the Spirit shines forth a healing grace to all who have eyes to see. 

I imagine Moore was feeling a little self-pity when he left Mrs. Davis' room, but when he returned, his despair was vanquished by the Light of Christ. The Spirit used Moore’s compassion to heal her and her compassion healed him.

May the Light of Christ Shine on you today and always. In Christ, Dr. Ed Judy

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.

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[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.

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[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

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

[2] Ibid, 210

[3] Ibid, 210f