Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year's Wishes

18 Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
19 I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
--Isaiah 43:18-19

It's New Year's Eve. Lots of people are out partying. Some are playing or watching football. I am, as has been the case of most of my 31 years, sitting at home, probably going to doze off before midnight, and possibly going to drink some hot chocolate. It's not the most exciting New Year's Eve tradition. But then, I don't claim to be the most exciting of people. It's good for reflecting, though, and thinking about the passage of time.

So, I don't know what you might be wishing for in the new year. I have a few things I'd like to take care of--some things I didn't get done in 2010, and some new things I want to try in a new year.

I'm thinking about change, about how we all face change in a new year, no matter what. How difficult is it to change what year we write on our checks (for those of us who still write checks)?! I've just never liked change. Even now, as I type, I'm also listening online to Love 89, a local Christian radio station, which is switching over to nationally-syndicated Air 1 Radio at midnight tonight. I'm savoring the last few hours of the familiar station identifications that even say, "Welcome Home," and the voices I'm used to, even though all that's left is pre-recorded; all the personalities signed off together at 6:00 p.m. tonight. It's a sad, sad thing, to me. And yet, that's what New Year's Eve is all about, in a way. No other time of year, in our culture at least, is so full of nostalgia and promise, so likely to keep us on the brink of tears for what has been and also breathless for what is to be. As I think about it, though, in these moments of tension, of promise and regret, of all that was and all that might be, these are the times we should know most that God is with us. It's not just that we celebrated Christmas Eve only a week ago, that we rejoiced with shepherds and angels about a baby boy that was born. No, what is going on for us right now should be where we are always--right in the middle of being amazed at where we've been and being ready to see what happens next. God is walking with us, whether we can sense God there, or not. On New Year's Eve, when so much is possible, when we look at another year and wonder, what's certain is God. And that will just have to be good enough, I guess. As a United Methodist pastor, I never know where I might be from one year to the next, but what's certain is God. And for that, on this New Year's Eve, even as I say goodbye to Love 89, look ahead to a year of uncertainty--and hope--and wait, I am thankful.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Find us on Facebook!

I've just put up a page for Bethel UMC and a page for French Broad UMC on Facebook, so if you're on Facebook, find our new church pages and "like" us, then let me know what you think! Hope to see you there soon!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Watch Night Service Canceled

The Watch Night Service, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. December 31st, at Bethel UMC, is canceled. We'll see you at church on Sunday, the 2nd.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Longest Night of the Year

Today, December 21st, is the winter solstice, and the "longest night of the year." For some churches, it is customary to have a service on this night, acknowledging the dark parts of our lives, even during this season of light. Bethel Church hosts that service at 7:00 tonight, with dinner in the Fellowship Hall beforehand, at 6:00 p.m. Though I don't want to ruin the "surprise," I want to share here the meditation I will share there. For those of us who find reason to grieve this season, I pray God wraps us in peace beyond our understanding, so we can also experience the joy of the Christ Child, who is so much more than we ever expected...

“Not What We Expected”—Luke 1:26-38
When the angel came to Mary and told her what was going to happen, Mary responded, “But how?” This was not what she expected. This didn’t sound like an easy way for God to do things. This sounded like a very unlikely story. But Mary listened to all the angel had to say, and when he was done, she remembered: this was the same God she’d known all along, and from what she knew of God, God wasn’t always what she expected.

Mary’s response of obedience and praise, her running off to visit her cousin Elizabeth, an older woman who was also amazingly, surprisingly, with child, is not necessarily what we’d expect. Except for asking, “But how?” Mary asks nothing else. She puts her whole trust in the angel’s announcement, lock, stock, and barrel. She doesn’t check any facts. She doesn’t ask anyone’s permission. She doesn’t even argue that this is not the right way to do this, that this plan will bring hardship for herself and Joseph. Her response is one of obedience, though maybe not of perfect understanding, and it’s not what I think we expect.

So much of life is not what we expected. Perhaps you’ve heard the old adage, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” What we plan and what we expect are so seldom what we receive. Even in this season of merry-making, of happy times and happy memories, of high expectations, we find that what happens is not exactly what we expected. Loved ones get sick, travel plans change, inclement weather grounds us. Perhaps we stop just long enough to realize the aching in our hearts, that familiar feeling of something—someone—missing, that we’ve tried so hard to put behind us, and then we move on quickly, thinking there’s no time for grieving, this time of year. Maybe our loss is a broken relationship, a job we no longer have, a health crisis, or the realization that somewhere along the way, in the midst of the chaos of everyday life, we’ve lost just a bit too much of ourselves. Jobs are demanding. Families take time and energy. Caring for children or parents drains us. Where did those past days go, when we were sure of who we were, of what we were doing, of where we were going? No, this is certainly not what we expected.

Our own stories may not seem much like Mary’s. We most likely face no unexpected pregnancy, no long and arduous journey to an unfamiliar city, no disgrace to our family, perhaps. But maybe the secret to dealing with life, when it’s not what we expected—or a secret to dealing with it, at least—is in how Mary responds. It’s OK for us to ask, “But how?” along with Mary. It’s OK for us to wonder how it will all work out, maybe to be frustrated, afraid, or even angry along the way. Perhaps Mary even wondered what God was up to, if God could have really made the right choice in choosing her. As the popular song “Breath of Heaven” suggests, Mary may have been frightened, worried about the responsibility, the questions, all that went along with this story. And yet, she said “yes” to the angel. She had faith that God was at work, working things out for the best, though it was not at all what she expected.

The brokenness and dark spots of our lives are not what we expected. It’s easy to get drawn into them, to find ourselves trapped in our own grief, or to keep from feeling anything, in case it’s too much. But just like Mary, we can know that God is at work, in our lives, in the world, no matter what sort of tragedy befalls us. It doesn’t always mean things will have the happiest of endings. It doesn’t always mean that the “right” path will be easy. And it certainly doesn’t mean that we will move forward without other experiences of grief. But when life is not what we expected, we know God is with us. God is at work. Our salvation is sure, through the one who chose a lowly peasant girl to give birth to the Savior of the world. It’s not what we expected. But maybe that’s OK. We may grieve for this night, may wonder what will become of us, but we know that joy comes with the morning. And we wait with hope, even when it seems darkest, knowing that light will break through again. That’s the only thing we can expect—that the light will shine on us again, and the darkness will not ever overcome it. And we can rejoice with Mary, knowing that God is taking care of us, too. The dawn will come, and the joy of the Lord with it.

Thank you, Great God, for holding little us close to you, for shining your light on us, for leading us on, even when it’s not what we expected. Amen.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

December Events

Sunday, December 12th: Third Sunday of Advent
Community Christmas Celebration, 6:00 p.m. @ Sand Branch UMC
Monday, December 13th: Parsonage Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m. @ Bethel Fellowship Hall—this is rescheduled from Tuesday, November 30th
Tuesday, December 14th: Bethel N.O.W. Meeting, 7:00 p.m. @ Bethel Fellowship Hall
Sunday, December 19th: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Bethel Life Group Christmas Celebration, Potluck Lunch following worship
Walk Through Bethlehem, 1:00-6:00 p.m. @ Church Street UMC
Monday, December 20th: Christmas Caroling and Party @ French Broad Church, 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 21st: Longest Night of the Year Service of Healing and Remembrance, 7:00 p.m. @ Bethel Church
Friday, December 24th: Christmas Eve
3:00 p.m. : Candlelight Service at Huckleberry Springs Chapel
5:00 p.m.: Candlelight Service with Communion at Bethel Church
7:00 p.m.: Candlelight Vespers Service at French Broad Church
Saturday, December 25th: Christmas Day
Sunday, December 26th: First Sunday of Christmas
Friday, December 31st: Watch Night Service, 7:00 p.m. @ Bethel Church