Today is Veterans Day. During our Wesley Park Wednesday Check Ins on Zoom we talk about whatever comes up. Often, the conversation includes experiences during military service. Today, we remember those persons who have served and came home to tell their story. This might be a good time to ask someone of their experience serving their country. You can find my Dad's story here, along with thousands of others, at the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. And, we remember those who died in service. Included in this message is the song, "Remembrance" from The United Methodist Discipleship Ministry site. Here is the background. British Methodist pastor and hymn writer Andrew Pratt has composed this remarkable text for Veterans Day (USA) and Remembrance Day (British Commonwealth nations). Veterans/Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day, is observed each year on November 11 to commemorate the end of World War I on that date in 1918 and to remember the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. The "crimson poppies" in the opening line recall the red poppies that bloomed all across the worst World War I battlefields in Flanders and that grew in abundance over the graves of fallen soldiers, made so famous in the 1915 poem "In Flanders Field" by Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. The Rev. Pratt chose the title "Remembrance" over the customary opening line of text as title. The poignant and provocative text recalls the death that is at the heart of war, our human longing for peace even as we wage war, and ponders the causes of war: greed, race, pride, wealth, nationhood and creed. The final stanza concludes in a profound and exquisite act of remembrance of those who died in their service, whom even heaven remembers with "a loud amen." Let us pray and work for peace, and an end to war everywhere. And, with hearts filled with love, let us honor all Veterans on this day. Peace, Dean
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Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Nehemiah 8:1-12 Do you remember someone reading you a bedtime story? The words, their voice, the rhythm, the feel of someone reading to you is a great gift. The shared time is more valuable than gold itself. And, the way the story forms in the mind is the epitome of creativity. Both the one who is telling the story, and the one receiving, are imagining faces and accents and scenery that all fill in the story and makes the spoken word three dimensional. Ezra stood on a wooden stage and read to the people. Few had the education to read. Reading was limited to priests and scribes whom the people relied upon to receive the written word. As Ezra read, the people's hands rose in the air, tears fell from their faces. They shouted, "Amen, Amen." In our day, worship is one of the few places we can go where someone reads to us. Worship ignites our imagination and calls from us a response. The liturgist reading the scripture, Jane Ellen blessing the children, Adrianne, Dave, and Sarah filling the room with music, the sermon, the prayers, the Spirit are all replications of this moment in Nehemiah when Ezra read the Word to the people. Just thinking about this makes me miss Edna, shouting, "Amen, brother!" Worship is a beautiful gift. Sometimes it brings tears of joy and appreciation to our eyes. Make sure you continue to worship. At 10 am each Sunday we gather together as one body. You can find the link to that livestream on our website. And, we have all of our worship services, songs, and Children's Blessings at https://vimeo.com/showcase/wesleypark. Just choose one and click "Start Watching." Invite others to watch along with you and talk about the ways you are experiencing God, and give thanks. Today might be a good day to ask someone to read to you. Find a bedtime story or a book that you love, and let the words that fill the air, your heart, and your mind, be a good gift to you. Amen, sister. Amen, brother. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
I find myself struggling this morning with the lectionary. The Psalm recounts God's faithfulness and the people's failures, missteps, and redemption. The Hebrew Bible lesson tells of the death of Joshua and Eleazor, the son of Aaron. And, the reading from 1 Corinthians talks about tongues and prophecies. All of it is helpful and meaningful but I have to confess, it's not exactly what I was looking for this morning. What I wanted to find in the November 9, Year A Lectionary Readings were some words of inspiration to help us in the aftermath of a national election. People are so passionate, and the country is so divided, I had hoped that God would help us find our way. How can we support those who are hurting right now? Is there a way for us to trust one another and our institutions? Can we build on all the things we hold in common and move forward as a nation? Faith is like this sometimes. We turn to scripture to try to find what we hope it will say. We pray to God with the hope of a particular answer. But we find that God speaks what God speaks, when God speaks. If we are patient, God will meet us and guide us, help us and inspire us. That's the moment this morning when I lifted my eyes from the text and gazed through the window to find a beautiful sunrise. The low clouds were painted red and orange and yellow and fuchsia (I looked it up, and yes, fuchsia was in the sky this morning, too). Looking at the beauty of the sunrise, I had an overwhelming feeling of peace. The words, "Love will prevail, no matter what" repeated in my heart. Maybe God's words were written in the morning sky. I don't exactly know how we will come together again as a nation and a community. Kindness, compassion, empathy, and patience might be keys. And in the end, God's love will prevail, no matter what. So, be good to one another. Pray for your friends and any you might consider to be your enemies. Study God's Word in your Bible, and study God's Word in the sky. And trust in the One who has the power to save us from our sins and carry us all to a higher place. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Netilat Yadayim, the ritual of Jewish hand washing. Netilat Yadayim is a time to pause and give thanks to God before eating. This hand washing wasn't meant to kill a virus but to keep gratitude alive. Three pours of water over each hand. Slow down. Reflect. Remember. Rejoice. "Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us regarding hand washing." The Elders must have been shocked when the followers of Jesus skipped this ritual and went right into eating their food. What about Netilat Yadayim? Wouldn't God be offended if we didn't take a moment to give thanks? Would we be doing something wrong if we didn't do everything the way it was always done? Jesus knew the laws, commandments, and rituals of the faith. What are some reasons you might imagine Jesus allowed his disciples to skip the blessing, the Netilat Yadayim? What are some traditions today that Jesus might break and cause us to wonder what is happening? Lots of questions and room for reflection. Take some time to give someone a call and share your thoughts together. Peace, Dean PS: Wash your hands. I know that I have sent this quote from John Wesley out in early October. It bears repeating today.
“October 6, 1774 I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them 1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy 2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against, and 3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”Let us be loving and prayerful. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Joshua 4:1-24 I read today that the Kent District Library next to Wesley Park will be closed until November 9. An employee working at the Wyoming and Kelloggsville KDL's has been diagnosed with Covid-19. It takes time to clean and disinfect to make the library space safe from this contagious virus. The prayers are accelerating for people who have been infected or in contact and are now in quarantine. Nancy Spalenka asks for prayers today for her daughter Joy. A few people at her work have the coronavirus and they are praying it doesn't pass to more people, and to their homes and families and into the community. I ask your prayers for my friends Rebecca and Jeff. When we decided to postpone in-person worship last month, the positivity rate was 5.5%. As of Saturday, that had increased to 9.4%. We will see when the Kent County Health Department posts their data for the weekend after 3:30 today what the numbers are now. All this to say that we are not through this pandemic yet. And the experts say the worst of it ahead of us. So, we will continue to wander this wilderness because it is not yet safe to enter the promised land. God knows our cries and our complaints and will supply our needs. We will reach out and connect with one another with calls and cards and prayers. I just had the overwhelming feeling of opening up an avalanche of cards for my 50th birthday. I miss you all so much. But as I read each card I felt a love and connection that increased my joy in this faith in Christ that we share. Thank you for being so kind, thoughtful, funny, and faithful! I will never forget it. In this time ahead, how can kids and grandkids, neighbors and friends, help us worship together? How can those who do not have computers be adopted by a family that does and spend an hour in worship together? How can we pray, study, and even grieve together in this wandering time? Advent is coming soon. What can we do in the season of Advent that will honor this season of waiting and preparing? I know it is difficult, but some day when it is safe God will part the waters and we will cross over to the place we have been yearning to be. Can you imagine the joy of finding ourselves safe and together again? I can understand why God told Joshua to send 12 people to the center of the river and take from there 12 stones. The river stones would be placed on dry land and act as a reminder to all who will follow what God's people endured, and how God saved them once again. What are the stories you will tell to the generations that follow us of the ways that God was with us in this wilderness? Peace, Dean |
REv. Dean N. PrentissI am blessed to be the Pastor at Wesley Park UMC. Find Daily Lectionary Readings Here. Archives
February 2021
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