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