Not All Churches Hit

My husband and I have been involved in ministry together now for twelve years.  Both of us had been raised as "Church-Goers" but for the first time, just this past year; we have both experienced something in Church we had never experienced before. . .the desire to invite others!  I know that is a sad statement, but it is the truth.  Unfortunntly we had several experiences in ministry that left us feeling battered and bruised; like a woman in an abusive relationship.  For anyone out there who may have suffered the same experience I am writing this blog to share some great news with you!  Just as I have told battered women that I counciled in the past: "Not all men hit". . .I need you all to know as well. . ."Not all churches hit".  (My blogs are full of bold statements so don't at shocked.)

(I want to make it clear to any reader that not every church we have been part of in the past left injury. . .so please don't hold a specific place in mind if you know us personally.  BUT due to painful experiences we really had no desire to invite others to our services "just in case".)

This past year that changed for us.  We found a church that holds strongly to the sacredness of worship, the liturgy of the Word, the holiness of Gods Law, and the beauty of Gods Grace! We have found a place that knows how to disagree and still walk in love with one another.  Our physical family has times when we rub each other the wrong way, get on nerves, and don't see eye to eye. . .but we love each other!  Shouldn't the Church family operate in the same way?  Ours does!  The first time I saw a disagreement between a member and clergy I thought for sure one of them was history. . . no such thing.  A member of fifty plus years knew the art of disagreement and the minister knew it was okay if someone did not share  his doctrinal opinion.  They were still "family" when the conversation ended.  I have also experienced a genuine love and "help" from church members.  Our middle son is suffering some health issues (inherited scoliosis).  We were immediatly covered in hugs, prayers, cards and inquirys (some from members we had never met).  We have not been left to fight this battle alone.
 Another beautiful thing we have experience is good old fashion church fellowship:  The Church Bazaar; Hanging of the Greens; Family Movie Nights; Wesley Hoe-Down; etc, etc, etc.  (I thought the only church that held a Bazaar was the church from the movie Pollyanna!)  This may seem like a silly small thing but it helps feel like a close knit community.    
I am so concerned with the amount of christian's who have disconnected from church due to past hurts. . .having felt the same way. . .I don't blame them!  But I am here to tell all of you there is hope.  NOT ALL CHURCHES HIT!  If you live near the Canyon or Amarillo area I personally invite you to visit mine.  http://www.firstchurchcanyon.com/  If not, please don't give up!  Your children need to be a part of a community of believers; they face a harsh world and so do you.  Keep searching until you find what we have found at First Methodist Canyon.  God will lead you, just ask Him!

Any Given Sunday

This week I attended the best church service I ever remember.  It wasn't a “Revival”, a “Retreat”, or a “Conference”.  It was any given Sunday at First United Methodist Church.  Every year the church has a service led by our children.  This is the time of year that we have confirmation, and baptisms for the youth.  In this service we had a second grader play “Praise God from whom all blessings flow” on the piano.  Two sisters (in 6^th and 7^th grade) led our offering worship song; one on piano and the other in vocals.  We had lectors come to read the Sacred Scriptures who were elementary age.  Next our Pastor took seven children through the sacramental waters of baptism as they professed faith in Christ and were united with His Church.  These children were surrounded by brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents and friends, all promising to help them in their journey of faith.  Next came twenty children who were making a public confirmation of faith before the congregation. They were each anointed with oil and the pastor prayed that they be sealed by the Holy Spirit.  Each one came to the altar and knelt during this process; no longer just the faith of their parents but personal faith!  Finally our pastor explained that each child had made a “Stole” (a long, scarf-like vestment worn as a symbol of the clerical office) they would be wearing as they would be over serving the congregation Holy Communion.  He reminded us that every Christian is called to minister in some way and each child had a special call placed on them by God to act as ministers for His kingdom. Each child held either the bread or the cup as the church members came forward and the children declared: “The blood of Christ shed for you; the body of Christ broken for you”. As if all of this wasn't enough to get me all the way through a box of tissue, along came the second service.  The second service is “Contemporary” and has a large group of college students from WTAMU.  On occasion my family attends both early and late services because we enjoy seeing the passion and excitement the college brings in.  This Sunday it was at its height!  Five young adults who had never before been baptized were immersed while four others made public confirmations.  At a baptism the pastor always invites the family of the individuals up to get a close look and be able to join in with the “laying on of hands” and prayers as each one comes up out of the water.  As our pastor asked this one of the college students shouted out, “I guess that means all of us”!  The students then swarmed the baptistery to support each person being immersed.  Each time our pastor put one student into the water and declared, “In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” the other 40-50 students would begin to whoop-holler-and rejoice!  I stood watching, amazed at the unity and love these kids have for each other.  Immediately this verse from the book of Acts came to mind: Acts 2:38  Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." . (47). And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

At times I feel very discouraged at the state of our nation and world at large.  I worry about my children and all the evil they are exposed to on a daily basis but then I can attend our worship service and know that my kids are going to be okay.  We still have a community that is united in Christ and is far more influential in the life of my family than anything this world has to offer! Each week I leave saying the same thing: “that’s the best service I have been to” and  I hear my five year old singing in the backseat of our car on the way home, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.”  It’s just any given Sunday at FUMC!

Take Up Your Cross

Back in February I wrote a blog about entering into my first Lenten season.  I was not raised in an Orthodox setting so this was brand new to me.  My family chose to give up television as a group and we all picked out our own individual “fasts” as well.  One of the things I gave up for Lent was social media (with the exception of business necessities).  In those forty days I experienced refreshing in every sense of the word, and I honestly don’t plan to make media a daily part of my life again. . .but Lent was only the first part of my journey.  Our Methodist Church walks through the life of Messiah from Lent (His 40 days in the wilderness) to the week of His Passover/Passion and then 50 days later we go into Pentecost.

As the season of Lent was soon to end, last Sunday  we “welcomed” Jesus into Jerusalem with Palm branches and heard the story of Him driving the money changers from the Temple.  On Thursday we kept the Passover feast together as a church family.  We sat as if we were with Him ourselves experiencing unleavened bread, bitter-herbs, and four cups of wine (okay so we used Welches).  During the Seder we experienced the traditional Maundy -Thursday foot washing in order to become like our Messiah and act as servants.

On Friday we attended the service of Tenebrae (Darkness).  We enter the dark sanctuary with only candles lit on the alter by the cross.  Our pastor and my husband take turns reading the story of Christ’s crucifixion from the gospels. . .after each passage ends, one candle is extinguished.  The last candle that goes out is the Christ candle.   “It is finished”, our Lord has died. . . He is now in the tomb. . .we leave in silence.

My family does not light or traditional Sabbath candle tonight. . .we spend the rest of Sabbath thinking about the Sacrifice made for us. 

But then, early the next morning, behold He is risen.  He is Risen indeed!  Our Resurrection service is beautiful.  The dark sanctuary of Friday has now been transformed in bright colors.  We have a special orchestra in honor of our Lords victory.  Our children are given seeds in the form of a cross to plant and remember they have life in Christ!  Our Pastor reminds us that Jesus death and resurrection does NOT guarantee us that we will have no more trials,   but it reminds us that even on the hardest day it’s not our last day.  We will one day follow Him into newness of life.

For many of you this Lenten/Holy Week cycle may seem like no big deal.  I hope that all of you have been blessed to participate in the fullness of our hope as Believers.  But for me this was the first time I was able to participate in the fullness of Christs Great Passover.  Our Great Passover. 

Mark 10:21-  Take up your cross and follow me

1 Corinthians 5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

What a beautiful walk we took. . .in the wilderness. . .through the streets of Jerusalem. . .at the Passover. . .in the garden. . .to the cross. . .and on into His victory over sin and death!

 

 

Passover Seder with our Pastor and his family. . .My Husband and Pastor Rick at Tenebrae.