Duty

There was once a vine that felt unappreciated. People often came and removed its grapes without a single word of gratitude.

One day a priest sat down to rest in the shade near the vine. Taking the opportunity to explain its concern, the vine said, “As you can see, I am a vine. Young men and old women come by and take my ripe grapes without ever saying thank you to me for all my efforts. How can people be so insensitive?

The priest pondered the question for a moment and then replied, “Perhaps people are insensitive, but in all probability their lack of gratitude comes from a different reason. Just as people expect the sun to shine and the wind to blow, they expect grapes from a vine. They are no doubt under the impression that providing grapes is your duty,” the priest said with a wry smile. (William White, Stories for Telling, Duty, [Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing house, 1986] p 75.)

When I read this illustration this week, I thought about my Christian

responsibilities and how the world sees me. I then wondered if those who see me know, by my actions, that I am a Christian. I imagine if we were honest with ourselves we would all have to admit that we fail, all too often, to truly be Christ’s representative in the world. Individually and as Christ’s church we fail.

In this season of Lent may each of us renew our Christians vow and make a good faith effort to grow in our relationship with Christ and to truly be Christ in the world. May those who come to know us, know we are Christian by our love for God and neighbor.

© Reverend Dr. Edward E. Judy (first published in the Morrow Mirror MFUMC 3.9.2014)

A Guide for Lay Members (5 of 5)

Today’s words to ponder is the fifth and final review of the General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church published guide for lay members (www.gbod.org).  I decided to share this article with comments for the 2014 Lenten season. The steps include the Lay members' covenant commitment to 'pray' for the church, to accept and exercise their responsibilities as the body of Christ with their 'presence', to use their 'gifts' to nurture and grow the body of Christ and to take an active role in the body of Christ by ‘serving’ his or her faith community through the ministries and life of the church.  This week we are looking at ‘witness’, which is how we live out our faith on a daily basis, both in the life of the church and in the secular world where we work and live.

The author reminds us that when we join the church “we covenant to witness to other people who see and hear us all the time.”   It is important for us to remember; not only to witness, but that we are witnesses all the time. “Our living, our words, our actions and commitments are a witness to our priorities.” We can claim Christ as Lord, but how we live our lives tells the truth about who or what we deem most important in life.

“To uphold God's church with our witness is a vow to let our life speak, 24/7. 

• Live with integrity so that our words and actions honor God, honor ourself, and honor others.
• Greet and speak warmly to others, especially visitors in our church, co-workers and people with whom we live, do business and interact every day.
• Learn how to share your faith naturally and comfortably; invite people to attend church events with you.” (http://www.gbod.org/)

The 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church added the statement to uphold God’s church with our witness; however, this is not a new tenet. Adding this vow only reminds us of what we already know: how we live is a testimony to what is important. This does not mean we cannot have hobbies or be involved in other activities. What the author is saying, is that other people will notice our priorities and our witness will either benefit God or hinder God’s mission to make disciples for the transformation of the world.  In fact, participating in hobbies and enjoying secular activities are great places to witness our faith.

To join the United Methodist Church is to say, “I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and I will follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and live my life as a Christian.” This does not mean we believe when we join a church we will be perfect. When we join a church we are saying, we are going to be intentional about living out our Christian faith by following the teachings of Jesus Christ 24/7.


Published in the Morrow Mirror (Morrow First UMC, Morrow Ga) March 2, 2013 

A Guide for Lay Members (4 of 5)

Today is Scout Sunday (February 23, 2014). So what do Jesus, Scouts, and Christians have in common? The answer is SERVICE. In Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus teaches us that the best way to serve God is to serve others. [in verse 40 Jesus says, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’ (CEB)] Scouts teach the same thing. So do Christians. Service is how we follow Jesus' commandment to love God and our neighbor.

Today’s words to ponder is the fourth installment from the General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church recently published a guide for lay members (www.gbod.org).  I decided to republish this article to help us reflect on Lent. So far we have covered the Lay members' covenant commitment to 'pray' for the church, to accept and exercise their responsibilities as the body of Christ with their 'presence' and to use their 'gifts' to nurture and grow the body of Christ. This week we are looking at  ‘service’.

The author of the article wrote, “Service reminds us that Jesus' life was an example of living as a servant and his words instructed his disciples to do the same.

• Participate in church service and mission projects. When you recognize an unmet need, work with others to try to meet the need.
• Volunteer regularly to serve the church community through office work, teaching, building cleanup, Sunday morning service, and other ways.
• Volunteer regularly for community service, such as school tutoring, cleanup and recycling, disaster recovery, and other ways.” (http://www.gbod.org/lead-your-church)

It would be impossible to address all the diverse areas of service where Lay members can contribute to their church communities and throughout the world. However, the point of the GBD’s article is not to provide a list for the faithful to follow but to remind laity that being part of the Body of Christ is more then membership. It is an active role that provides a place (the body of Christ) to grow in faith as well as a place to be in service (to love God and to love neighbor) Christians can learn a lot from boy and girl scouts on what it means to be faithful members of the body of Christ. 

First Published in the Morrow Mirror (Morrow First UMC, Morrow Ga) 2.23.2014

A Guide for Lay Members (3 of 5)

The General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church recently published a guide for lay members on their website (www.gbod.org).  We are republishing this article and adding comments in preparation for Lent. So far we have discussed the Lay members' covenant commitment to 'pray' for the church, their covenant commitment to accept and exercise their responsibilities as the body of Christ with their 'presence' and today we are looking at the Lay members' covenant commitment to use their 'gifts' to support the body of Christ.

The General Board of Discipleship (GBD) of the United Methodist Church article "encourages us to use our spiritual gifts, our natural abilities, our material assets, our training and experience to uphold God's church. The writer believes Christians have opportunities each day to discover and develop their gifts, then a responsibility through this vow to full stewardship of their time, abilities, and finances. Christians therefore should:

• Maximize opportunities through church, work, school, and relationships to discover and develop their natural and spiritual gifts, and to expand their experience. This is referred to in the Bible as growing in wisdom.
• Practice recycling and wise stewardship of the earth's resources.
• Manage their material assets wisely. Learn about and practice financial management and biblical giving of money and resources. John Wesley would say earn all you can and give all you can." (http://www.gbod.org/…/church-membership-checklist)

Hank Hanegraaff wrote, "Of all the questions asked to answer, questions about money, specifically about the tithe are the most difficult.  He says, it is difficult in part because tithing is often hotly debated and it is difficult because research demonstrates that the vast majority of Christians not only do not tithe regularly, but give little or nothing at all in support of the church they call their church" (The Bible Answer Book, © 2004 Hank Hanegraaff).  

Discussions about tithing are uncomfortable, but they should not be, because giving is rooted in the very fabric of our faith. Why Abraham decided on giving 'ten percent' or why those that followed him continued with this ritual amount is a mystery of faith. What I know is that after I give my ten plus percent to God there is always enough to pay the bills and I also know that since I began giving I have grown spiritually, tenfold. I believe that by giving the tithe we literally knock down the wall of selfishness that surrounds our heart and inhibits spiritual growth. 

Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic. I believe he did this because he understood that selfishness is the great destroyer of faith and it creates a wall between us and God. A wall made of ice that freezes our hearts and inhibits our spiritual growth. Author and theologian Randy Alcorn says, that the tithe may well be regarded as the training wheels of giving. If that is the case and I believe it is, then tithing is just as important today as it was for the people of Israel when Moses' said, we tithe so [we] may learn to revere the Lord [our] God always (Deuteronomy 14:23).

The story of Cain and Able makes it clear that if our gifts come not from the heart they are unworthy of God's grace. God required Israel to give numerous sacrifices, not because God needed them, but because Israel needed to give in order to grow in relationship with God.

Giving has always been about growing in relationship with God by trusting and believing God created us, knows us, and cares for us so much that He gave His only begotten Son that we may have eternal life.