Advent

A new church year has begun and we have entered the Season of Advent.  This year, our theme for Advent is, "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus."  Each Sunday morning in Advent, we will invite Jesus to come among us, as we worship our Lord and Savior.

Advent is a time for preparation.  Many of us are busy getting our homes ready for Christmas.  We are cleaning, decorating, baking, and sharing in many festivities.  We spend a lot of time preparing.

John the Baptizer came to prepare the way for Jesus.  The Greek words translated as "prepare" carry the meaning of building, constructing, furnishing, equipping, making ready, and getting everything done.  We certainly do a lot of that as Christmas approaches.  Yet, all of our external preparations are not nearly as important as how we prepare ourselves internally for the coming of Christ.

Is your heart ready to receive Jesus?  Is your mind open to the coming of the Christ Child?  Does the Messiah make a difference in your life?

John the Baptizer roars from the wilderness, "Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming!  Make a straight road for him!  Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills!  Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places!  And then all people will see the salvation sent from God." (Luke 3:4-6 NLT)

Are you preparing a path for the Lord?  Can you see the salvation sent from God?  During this Season of Advent, ask God to straighten the road to your heart.  Pray that your valleys will be filled, and your mountains and hills made level.  Ask God to straighten the curves and smooth out the rough places.  Prepare to receive the salvation sent from God.

We eagerly await the coming of Christmas.  We welcome the Baby of Bethlehem.  Yet, we are also called to await the Second Coming of Christ.  Jesus will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Our calling is to make him our King and to live with Christ as Lord of our lives.

So, get ready!  Be prepared!  Jesus is coming!  Welcome the baby of Bethlehem and worship the King of Kings!

Come, thou long expected Jesus!  Come and rule in our hearts, our minds, and our lives!  Come, Jesus, come!

Pastor Linda  

Giving

This week we are focusing on the subject of giving and on being wise stewards of all that God has given us.  We are richly blessed; we are called to use these blessings for God's glory.

Our text is Mark 12:38-44.  Here, we find the story known as "The Widow's Mite."  A widow comes to the temple to  give her offering.  Out of her poverty, the widow puts in all that she has.  She serves as a model for us.

We, too, should be giving our all and doing our best to be responsible stewards of all that God has given us.  We must consider our devotion to God.  Do we give God our best, or does God only get what is leftover? 

I often consider this true story from the Butterball Turkey Hotline.  This phone service is dedicated to answering people's questions about how best to cook turkeys.  It offers many useful instructions for those who need a little help with turkey cooking information.  A concerned woman once called this number.  She had found a turkey in her freezer.  According to the date on the package, the turkey had been in the freezer for 22 years!  She wanted to know if it would be safe to eat.  The person on the hotline checked and determined that, indeed, the turkey would be safe to eat; but she told the inquiring woman that it wouldn't taste very good.  The woman replied, "That's ok.  I'm just going to give it to the church."

Sometimes, we are like that "turkey lady," and we, too, give God our leftovers.  Yet, God deserves our first and our best.  Like the widow in this week's lesson, we are to give God our all.

Let's take time and consider our giving.  Let's strive to give God our first and our best.  Let's work to be wise stewards of all that God has given us.

As you pray this week, ask God to help you to care for all of creation.  Ask God to help you to become a wise steward of all of God's blessings.  Ask for the Spirit's power to grow in your giving and to become wholly devoted to God.

And, please, don't give God any 22 year old frozen turkeys!

Blessings,

Pastor Linda

The Greatest Commandment

This week, we are considering Mark 12:28-34.  In this passage, Jesus answers a question regarding what is the most important commandment.  Christ summarizes all of the law and the prophets in one word - love.

We are to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength.  We are also to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. 

Love should be our witness to the world.  As the song goes, "They'll know we are Christians by our love."  In this time and place, however, the world often fails to see love as an earmark of those who follow Jesus.  We need to consider what we think, what we say, and what we do and determine if love is the motivating force in our lives.  We must show the world the love of Christ.

Paul describes this love in 1 Corinthians 13.  In verses 4-7 we read:

Love is patient and kind. 

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. 

Love does not demand its own way. 

Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. 

It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

If we truly are following Jesus Christ, we should embody such love.  These verses should describe us.  I challenge you to put your own name in place of love in the verses above.  For me, those verses would read like this:

Linda is patient and kind.

Linda is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

Linda does not demand her own way.

Linda is not irritable, and keeps no record of when she has been wronged.

Linda is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Linda never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Doing this, I can quickly see how I fall short of the mark.  The only person who ever could perfectly fulfill this description of love is Jesus Christ.

Jesus is patient and kind.

Jesus is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

Jesus does not demand his own way.

Jesus is not irritable, and keeps no record of when he has been wronged.

Jesus is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Jesus never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Let us cherish the love of Christ and strive to embody such love. 

Pray that God will fill you with divine love so that you can live in that love and give it to the world that so greatly needs such love.

"They'll know we are Christians by our love..."  Make it so.

Pastor Linda

Ambition

This week, we are considering the topic of ambition.  In Mark 10:35-45, we read of a time when James and John came to Jesus to ask him if they could sit on his right hand and left hand in the Kingdom of God.  What ambition they had!  Sadly, though, it was wrongly directed.

One definition of ambition, according to Webster's Dictionary, is "a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous."  In our lesson, the two disciples seem to be longing for such success, power, and fame. 

Jesus asks James and John if they can drink the cup that he drinks and share in his baptism.  They assure him that they are able to do so.  Jesus then tells them that it is not his place to grant them positions in the coming Kingdom.

As I ponder this passage, I think of Calvary.  There, Jesus suffered on the cross, hanging between two thieves.  As Christ was coming into the Kingdom, he hung in shame before the world.  I wonder if James and John would have wanted the positions on the right and left of Jesus on Calvary.  I doubt that, at the time, they would have wanted to be crucified alongside Christ.  Then, that just was not their ambition. 

The other disciples are angered by the requests of James and John.  Jesus redirects all of the disciples to consider that true greatness is achieved by servant hood, telling them that he has come not to be served but to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.

Jesus is turning things upside down again.  He shows us that we are not to be self-serving.  Our desire is to be one of service for others.  That fits well with another dictionary definition of ambition, "a desire to do things and be active."  We are to desire to be actively serving others.

How are you doing in terms of service?  Are you helping those around you?  Are you actively seeking ways that you might benefit others?  Service is the call of the Christian life.

As you pray this week, ask God to help you to be a good servant in the Kingdom.  Ask God for a servant's heart as you journey through this life.  Ask God to show you ways that you can serve others.

In His service,

Pastor Linda

World Communion Sunday

This Sunday, October 4, 2015, is World Communion Sunday.  On this day, Christians all over the world gather around the Lord's Table and share in Communion.  It is an awesome thought to consider that believers everywhere are made one through the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  As the old hymn tells us, "There is power in the blood."

The blood of Christ cleanses us from all of our sins and washes us so that we are whiter than snow.  Thinking of that brings to mind pictures of freshly fallen snow.  When sunlight hits that snow, the snow reflects the light and gives off a warm glow.  That is how we are to be as followers of Christ - reflecting the light of Jesus and glowing for God.  Each snowflake is unique and reflects light on its own; but the power of the snow is evidenced when the flakes are joined together.

As Christians, we experience the love of God both individually and corporately; however, we are stronger when we are joined together as the family of God.  It is important for us to remember that just as God exists in relationship:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are to be in relationship with others.

So many of those faith relationships are formed in the local church.  That is one reason why it is important to be a part of a fellowship of believers where we can learn and grow together in Christ.

I challenge you to join in worship this Sunday and to gather around the Lord's Table with believers all around the world.  Pause and reflect on being part of God's family.  Ponder how many become one in Christ.  Be filled and refreshed to go out to serve the Lord.

Amen!

Pastor Linda

Falling into the Father's Hands

As I write this post, September has officially arrived.  Summer is drawing to a close, even though the temperatures keep rising and it feels like summer.  We are starting our "normal" routines again and thinking about football and autumn leaves.

September is a wonderful time to get reconnected with the church.  Make Sunday morning worship a part of your weekly routine.  Join a Bible Study Group and dig deeper into God's Word.  Strengthen your commitment to Christ.  Grow closer in your relationship with him.

As I was preparing for the month of September, I came across a powerful prayer by Charles de Foucauld.  It is called,

"Prayer of Abandonment"

Father,

I abandon myself into your hands;

do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you:

I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me,

and in all your creatures -

I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;

I offer it to you with all the love of my heart.

For I love you, Lord,

and so need to give myself,

to surrender myself into your hands,

without reserve,

and with boundless confidence.

For you are my Father.

I pray that this fall, you fall into the hands of our almighty and all-loving God.  Let God direct all of your steps.  Let God's will be done in you. 

This week in worship, we will get some guidance from a whale, as we focus on living a life that demonstrates Biblical respect for all people.  We would love to have you join us and we hope to see you on Sunday!

In His Love,
Pastor Linda 

What a Wonderful Week!

We are having a wonderful week at Camp Discovery Vacation Bible School.  Each evening, we gather at Verona United Methodist Church from 6:00-8:30 PM for a time of Bible stories, recreation, crafts, music, and snacks.  We are learning lots of new things and are having a blast.  If you are not already part of this great experience, it is not to late to come and join with our campers.

God's awesome love is the focus of Vacation Bible School.  We love, because God first loved us.  All love is rooted and grounded in God's never-ending love.  It is wonderful to be so greatly loved!

This week, pause and consider God's unfailing love.  Give thanks that you are loved.  Develop an attitude of gratitude in your daily life.  Consider your blessings and rejoice!

Since we have been camping all week, we are going to consider some outdoor animals in the message this Sunday.  We will talk about birds, beavers, and otters.  You'll have to come and join us to see what lessons these creatures have to teach us!

On Sunday morning, both the Verona and Rosedale congregations are sharing in a Combined Worship Service at 9:30 AM at Verona United Methodist Church.  During the service, we will celebrate Vacation Bible School.  The children will share what they have learned and will sing a lot of new songs.  It promises to be a wonderful time of worship.  The service will be followed by an indoor picnic lunch.  We hope that you can come and share with us on Sunday!

Amen!

From Pigs to Cats

Last week we learned a lesson from the pig, who reminded us to Persist in Grace.  This week, as we continue our study of Ephesians 4 and 5, we will learn a lesson from the cat.

Cats do a lot of crazy things.  My little cat, Buster, likes to climb up on everything.  He tries to get as high as he can, and often goes on top of the refrigerator.  Once he is up high there, he waits on top of the fridge until he can pounce on whoever comes into the kitchen.  Buster's pouncing is not greatly appreciated by the other cats!  Still, he keeps on pouncing.

We are sometimes like Buster.  We keep on doing things that impact others in a negative way.  In Ephesians 4, Paul reminds us that we are all "parts of each other in the same body."  It is important that we consider our actions and strive to live in a way that evidences the love of God in Christ Jesus. 

Paul warns us about holding on to anger and about watching the kinds of words and speech that we use.  He reminds us to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving, just as God forgave us in Christ.

In short, we are to be careful how we walk.

I am reminded of the song, "Oh, Be Careful Little Eyes What You See."  The song challenges children to be careful of what their eyes see, what their ears hear, what their tongues say, what their hands do, and where their feet go.  Those cautions are very important for us as well.

As we move on to maturity in Christ, we must watch our walk, and keep moving toward Christ.  As we do so, our lives will reflect the light of Christ to a world in darkness.

Keep on shining!

Pastor Linda

Pigs and Pebbles

I hope that you are keeping cool during this hot weather.  One thing I like to do while I am keeping cool is to listen to some good music.  This week, I have been listening to the music for Vacation Bible School.  It is awesome!  It will be great to share the music with the children during the week of August 10th-14th at Verona UMC from 6:00 PM-8:30 PM.  Please encourage the children you know to come and participate in VBS.  We will have a lot of fun together!

We are also going to have some fun in worship this week.  The sermon title is "Pigs and Pebbles."  The challenge is to figure out what pigs and pebbles have to do with our Scripture lesson from Ephesians 4:1-16.  Here is a hint:  If you follow the pig, you will have some neat pebbles and some great experiences.  You will have to come to worship for that to make sense.

Seriously, though, we are considering the gifts that God gives to build up the Body of Christ.  Each of us is gifted; each of us is called to serve the Body of Christ and to work to advance God's Kingdom.  The theme song for Vacation Bible School puts it like this:

We have his love, His gift of faith;
Saved by God's amazing grace. 
Go, help, share, serve,
Giving God the glory!

So, this week, consider your gifts and how you can use those gifts to serve others.  As you pray, ask God to show you what you can do to build up the Body of Christ.  Search God's heart for how you can share the love of Christ with a world in need.

The theme for Vacation Bible School this year is Camp Discovery.:  Jesus at Work through Us.  May you truly discover Jesus and may he work through you now and always.

We gather together each week to celebrate God's presence and to build each other up in the Lord.  Come and catch the excitement.  Share the fun! 

Blessings!
Pastor Linda

Believe

Our summer theme can be summed up in one word, "Believe."  We have been considering who Jesus is and how we respond to him.  If we truly believe, our lives are changed because of that belief.

Jesus shows us that God is here with us.  Knowing that is vital to our lives.  We must learn to depend on God and to trust God fully.

This week, we are considering Jesus' feeding a crowd of over 5,000 people in the wilderness.  He used what was given, 5 loaves and 2 fish, to feed a multitude.  In his hands, little became much.  All were satisfied and there were 12 baskets full of leftovers.  Jesus proved that he was and is God with us.  Wow!

I am fascinated that there were 12 baskets full of leftovers.  Many people believe that the 12 baskets represent the 12 tribes of Israel, and demonstrate that God provides for all of God's people.  I wonder if the 12 baskets could also represent the 12 apostles.  Jesus repeatedly calls his followers to feed his sheep.  Here, he provides the much needed resources for each of the apostles to do so.

When we give what we have to God, God works miracles.  Crowds are fed.  People realize that God is present.  We all grow and learn to depend on God.

When we depend on God, we learn to work together to feed the multitudes both physically and spiritually.  It is my prayer that we grow in God's grace and make a difference in this world.

Paul prays this in Ephesians 3:18-19, "I ask that you'll have the power to grasp love's width and length, height and depth, together with all believers.  I ask that you'll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God."

We believe!  Fill us, Lord!  Let us believe and live!

No More Barriers

This week we will be considering the topic of barriers.  Barriers divide and separate us in many ways.  Jesus came to remove the barriers that separated us from God.  Because of Christ's mighty actions, we have "instant access" to our Heavenly Father.  Jesus also showed us how to love others so that we could be united in Christ.  He calls us to remove the walls that separate us from others and to realize that he died for each and every person that ever was, is, or will be alive.

We must work to live out the love that Christ shows us.  We must strive to remove hatred and to bring peace to this troubled world.  It is a tall order.  So many things separate us.  We have been divided for so long that it is hard to see how we could live in unity.

As I was studying for this week's message, I learned a lot about the divisions in the Temple in Jerusalem.  I discovered that there were serious penalties for entering forbidden places.  If  Gentiles ventured inside from their designated court area, they were executed.  The punishment for ignoring a barrier was death.  The divisions between peoples and genders were rigid.  Even the Jewish men had limited access to the Temple.  The temple veil or curtain separated all but the high priests from the most holy area.  When Jesus was crucified, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom.  Jesus opened access to Almighty God.

I am so thankful that I can talk with God anytime and anywhere!  I am grateful that Christ removes barriers.  As I ponder Christ's great deeds, I realize that I am called to work to remove the barriers that separate people from God and from each other.

It is hard to tear down walls and barriers.  In most cases, much effort has gone into the creation of sturdy walls and firm barriers.  Yet, Christ calls us to love all people with the love he shows to all.  We are to love as Jesus loves.

As you pray this week, ask God to help you to identify the barriers in your life and to remove everything that separates you from God and from other people.  Pray that you are filled with the love of Christ and that you will be able to see the world as God sees it.  Reach out to Jesus and reach out to other people.

One of my favorite poems is a short one by E. Markham.  It goes:

He drew a circle that shut me out;
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took him in.

Start taking others in and embrace the people that God puts in your life.  Work to live without barriers.  Love God and love others.  It is the real way to live.

Summer Reflections

May and June certainly flew by quickly!  Since I last wrote, I have been blessed with some restful vacation time and by sharing in Annual Conference in Grove City.

I spent most of my vacation time at home with the cats.  It was a blessing to have time to read, to listen to music, and just to relax.  Such times of refreshment are vital to the body and to the soul.

Times of gathering together in faith are also essential.  This year, at Annual Conference, I was blessed to renew many relationships and to share in worship with brothers and sisters in Christ from across western Pennsylvania.  It was a joy to join together and to share in the many ways that we are serving God in our Annual Conference.

Now, however, things are returning to "normal."  It is also a joy to resume the regular routines of ministry at home.  I am looking forward to a summer full of sunshine and Son-shine, as we share together in worship and in service.

During the month of July, we will be focusing on what it means to believe in Jesus Christ.  We will consider our calling as Christians and we will reaffirm our faith that God is real and present in our world.  We will review the creeds of our faith and will examine what we believe.  Please come and join us as we learn and grow together!

This week, we will consider how God has destined us for greatness in Christ.  It is exciting to know that we are God's adopted children and that we share in God's promises.  We are traveling together in the power of the Holy Spirit, as God brings all things together in Christ. 

As you talk with God this week, thank God for your adoption.  Ponder what it means to be chosen and welcomed into God's family.  Consider the great love of Christ that makes your adoption possible.  Embrace the gift of the Holy Spirit who empowers you to live as a child of God.

And, finally, rejoice!  Take delight in the wonders of God!  Spend time with the Savior!  Live for the honor of God's glory through the power of the Holy Spirit!

Believe!  Believe and live!

I had trouble publishing last week's blog and I just got it up today.  Please forgive my errors, as I learn something new.

This week, we are focusing on something that was absolutely new for the disciples, Christ's Ascension into Heaven.  Jesus went up into the clouds to go to Heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father.  The disciples saw him rise and looked upward with awe.  Two men in white robes suddenly stood among them and asked, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky?" (NLT)

I love that question.  "Why are you standing here staring at the sky?"  It implies that we have more to do than look up at the clouds.  I think it also prepares us to realize that Christ is not in the clouds; he is with us through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. 

The disciples had been told to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come upon them.  I suspect that waiting was difficult for this burly bunch.  They were men of action.  Yet, they had to wait because they could not be effective ministers of the Gospel in their own power.

How hard it is to wait!  I remember waiting in line for just about everything when I lived in the former Soviet Union.  Often, people stood in lines and did not know what they were waiting for at the end of the line.  They figured that if they discovered something that they could not use personally, then their friends and neighbors could use it.  People pulled together and shared what they could find.  This was especially evident in the Christian community.  It was a powerful witness.

We, too, have a powerful witness.  The way we live our lives is our witness to the world.  We must ask ourselves if we are standing and looking up into the sky or if we are putting flesh to our faith.  I hope and pray that we are embodying the Love of Christ.

Press on!

Pastor Linda 

Friends of Jesus

This week, we are again considering the great love of God.  We see that love in all of creation.  We learn of that love in the life of Christ.

For many of us, our mothers were the first to embody for us the love and devotion of Christ.  Our moms held us, nurtured us, and guided us along the many paths of life.  At this time of the year, we pause and reflect on our mothers.

One of my earliest memories of my mom is that of planting flowers beside our house.  We would check on the flowers each day, to see if they were growing.  We watched as the stems poked through the ground, as petals formed, and as blossoms opened.  Mom taught me my colors with those flowers.  One of my most cherished photos shows me bending over to sniff the flowers, while Mom held me to keep me from falling in the dirt.  I loved those flowers, and I loved my mom.  Unfortunately, I also loved the dirt, and Mom spent a lot of time working to keep me clean and tidy.

I am blessed to have so many good memories.  Others are not so blessed.  Their memories do not put smiles on their faces, as mine do.  I remember this, as I give thanks, and I pray that everyone does learn of God and God's love.

God loves us so much!  Creation shows the love of God.  Jesus Christ embodies that love.  This week, we are considering the love of God as demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Christ, who gave his life for us, commands us to love one another.  Love is the mark of a follower of Jesus.  Christ calls his followers "friends" in this week's Scripture lesson (John 15:9-17.)  What wonderful news!  What a friend we have in Jesus!

It reminds me of a little song my mother taught me, "If anybody asks me who I am, who I am, who I am, if anybody asks me who I am, I'll tell them I'm a friend of Jesus!"

Amen!

April 2015 - Our First Blog

     It is an exciting time to be serving the Lord!  Both Rosedale United Methodist Church and Verona United Methodist Church are launching new websites.  As a part of this effort, I will be posting a weekly blog about what we will celebrate and study in worship, as well as what is happening around us.

     This is a new experience for me; I have never written a blog before.  My goal is to use this writing to focus on our spiritual journeys, as we learn and grow together in Christ.  I hope that you will join me on this journey of faith.  I pray that our journey will be filled with wonderful surprises and lots of love.

     Love will be our theme for the month of May.  We will focus on the great love of God and how that love transforms us.  Additionally, we will celebrate the Ascension of the Lord on May 17^th and Pentecost on May 24^th.  On May 31^st, we will examine what it means to be “born again.”  I am looking forward to an exciting month in worship.

     It is a time of many changes.  We are called to be continually growing in the Lord.  I challenge you to allow God to transform you through the study of the Word, through worship, and through prayer.  I pray that we burst forth in blossom just as nature is bursting forth all around us.

     The bright colors of spring show us a lot about God’s love for us.  God could have created the world in black and white and we never would have known the difference.  I often think about that, and I dream of the many new colors that we will see in Paradise.

     How great is God’s love for us!  God is love and we are loved.  It is our calling to share that love with others both nearby and far away.  That is why we come together as a community of faith.

     I hope and pray that you will know God’s love in an ever more powerful way.  Watch for the new blog the first week of May.

     Blessings!

     Pastor Linda