Pastor's E-letter 10/04/19

“Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever; and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Revelation 1:17-18

Every time I lead a funeral or a memorial service, I read these words from Revelation 1, found in our Book of Worship, at the beginning of the service. There are other words I could use. Sometimes I'm tempted to do so. But I always come back to them. I use them because they are so filled with hope and the assurance of the power of Christ to enable us to conquer and ultimately live, even in the face of death. The phrase, "Do not be afraid" which is found all through the bible, is perhaps, one of my favorite phrases. Over and over again God says to us, through prophets, priests, angelic messengers, and Christ, "Do not be afraid." I'm not sure how often this phrase occurs in scripture, but it is a lot. I would guess it occurs so often because part of being human in this very crazy, chaotic world, is to experience fear.

The churches to which John addresses his message from Christ had many reasons to be afraid. They lived in a time and place where being a follower of Jesus was risky and dangerous. They lived in a time where there was tremendous pressure to conform to the culture and the demands of the state by renouncing their faith in Christ and worshipping the emperor. They lived in a time when martyrdom was real, as was the case for a follower named Antipas who was part of the church of Pergamum about which we will read this week in worship.

Fortunately, as we have said previously, we live in a place where we need not fear martyrdom nor demands from the state to worship one way or the other. But sadly, we know that is not the case in every country. Real persecution of Christians still exists around the world, just as people of other faith traditions face persecution. It is a sad testimony to the brokenness of our world.

But even though we don't face martyrdom as a result of our faith, there are real, legitimate reasons that we might experience fear and anxiety in our daily lives. We fear for the future of our country or our loved ones. We fear the prospect of illness overtaking us or those we love. We may feel insecure about our job or our retirement. Do we have what we need to make ends meet? We may experience disruption and pain in relationships and fear they will fall apart, and we will be left alone. In the first week in September, we all sat on pins and needles as we waited to see the path that hurricane Dorian would take. There are many situations that we face in life where it is hard NOT to be afraid. Clearly, God knows and understands our fear.

Which is why I so appreciate the book of Revelation. I realize that many folks have used it and read it in such a way that it can instill fear. But that is not the point of this marvelous, curious and, at times, hard to understand text. The larger purpose is to remind the faithful that because of the work of Christ in us and the world, we need not fear! Jesus is the beginning and the end, the first and the last, and in him is the power to stand firm, to hold fast, and to overcome everything that threatens us, even death. That is the message to the churches of Revelation and us. Yes, there is suffering in life. Sometimes there is persecution. And sometimes, as is the case with the churches we will look at this week, (read Revelation 2:12-29 – we are covering a lot this week!) we are tempted to wander, to turn away from Christ and to worship all the wrong things. But Christ is alive! And he lives in us and is available to us in our fear and anxiety and our temptations to wander. To empower us to conquer our fear and to be faithful to the end. We aren't alone in conquering that fear. Jesus has already done that work for us and because he is victorious, we can be as well.

This week, I've also been praying over the words of Paul from 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline." In Christ, the one who was, and is, and is to come, we need not be afraid. We can find hope, courage, love, and power to overcome our fears and anxiety. Even when we face the worst, even when we face the shadow of death. That is the ultimate message of Revelation. And that is a message we all need to hear.

I look forward to seeing you in worship this Sunday as we continue to dig into these scriptures. We will also gather around the table of grace and celebrate our bond with brothers and sisters in Christ around the world as we celebrate World Communion Sunday. In the meantime, pray for the witness of God's worldwide church amid our own, chaotic and turbulent times.

Grace and Peace,

Annette

Pastor's E-letter 8/6/19

It is so good to be back in the office after days and days of hurricane preparations and stress over where Dorian was going. Like all of you, I watched with horror as Dorian struck the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane and then parked itself over the islands for two whole days. I was praying as I know all of you were; for the people of these Islands, for their safety, for their sanity, for the comfort of Christ amid the storm. It was so hard to watch and feel powerless to do anything to help their pain and suffering.

Now, the storm has passed us. But as I write this, people along the coast of North Carolina are still in harm’s way due to storm surge, flooding, and tornadoes. It appears Dorian will be off the East Coast for several more days, wreaking havoc in its wake.

The question I have, and that I’m hearing from many of you is, “What can we do now? How can we help?” As we see the images coming out, especially from the Bahamas, we are driven to want to act and act fast. I understand those feelings as I feel the same way. So, the first thing I did yesterday was contact our Disaster Response Director for the Florida Conference and ask those same questions. Her response, in short, was pretty much what I expected and yet not as satisfying as I might want right now, “Give money and wait.” The fact is, Disaster response professionals must begin to assess the best way to respond. Infrastructure must be secured in order to bring supplies into the Islands and to be sure it can be distributed. All the experts I’ve talked to have said the same thing, “Please don’t start sending stuff, or anything, until we know exactly what to send, how to send it, and where to send it.” The quickest way to make a disaster more of a disaster is to respond without an appropriate plan in place. It might make us feel good to “do something” but the point in our response is not to make us feel good. The point is to help the situation.

So, we are awaiting further instructions. I know we are all tired of waiting. But for the time being, it is the right thing to do. But we don’t “do nothing” during our waiting. First, we continue to pray for the people of the Bahamas, those who are scared, hurt, and who have lost so much. We also pray for their leaders and those on the ground who are beginning to map out a response. Don’t take those prayers lightly. They make a difference.

Second, we can give, right now, to relief efforts that will be there, not just in the next days or weeks, but in the months and even years to come. The best way I know how to give is through UMCOR, our United Methodist Committee on Relief. When we give through UMCOR, we are assured that 100% of our gifts will go to relief and recovery in the Bahamas because all their administrative costs are covered through our regular connection giving to this ministry. The beautiful thing about UMCOR is that they are already beginning to coordinate their relief efforts with other organizations. And, UMCOR will not just be there during the initial crisis, but for the years of rebuilding that must follow. When others move on, UMCOR is still there. For example, right now, UMCOR is still working with those here in Florida who are recovering from hurricane Irma. In fact, when I spoke with our Conference Disaster Director, she reminded me that they are still looking for work teams to go to areas affected by Irma.

This Sunday, I invite you to give, above and beyond your usual tithes and offerings, to UMCOR for Hurricane Dorian relief. Just write your check to Suntree UMC and put “Hurricane Dorian “in the memo line.

As soon as we get more information about other ways that we can help, whether it is by collecting certain necessities or putting together work teams to go to the Bahamas, we will let you know. I know that you stand ready and waiting to help. That is who we are here at Suntree and I’m so grateful for that.

This Sunday in worship we will be focusing on our membership vow that calls us to be a “witness” for Christ in the world in word and in deed as we reflect on John 1:35-51. We will be specifically focusing on the importance of learning to share our experience with Christ with others in ways that invite them to “come and see” the grace and love of Jesus. Sometimes, we need to use our words, our stories and experiences of faith to help others find their way to Jesus. But as St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” Sometimes the gospel is best embodied through acts of love and service in the name of Jesus. This is one of those times. I’m so grateful to be a part of a church where that kind of witness is second nature as we seek to love our neighbors in extraordinary ways.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Grace and Peace,

Annette