A Hidden Promise

Growing up in the heart of the Berkshire Mountains, I came to love Autumn—the crisp air, the smell of wood burning, and the beautiful colors decorating the hillsides. Each year, since the day I left, I get homesick during the month of October as I long for the beauty of mountains painted red, orange, and yellow. I know I’m not alone in this, as it was not uncommon to run into people driving through the hillsides, randomly stopping to soak in the color.

As I was driving around the district last week, I began to reflect on the beauty of this season. At the height of Autumn, all the leaves on a tree might adopt some radiant color, yet this is not their greatest achievement. I have come to believe, that the moment of greatest beauty comes not in the vitality of their original green, or in the miraculous changing of color, but rather I find it in a tree’s willingness to let their leaves fall.

By letting go, the tree ensures its outward beauty will continue. The leaves that remain at the base of a tree decompose and release nutrients to the topsoil which benefit the forest ecosystem throughout the year. And then with the arrival of Spring, the tree that appeared to be dead begins to blossom anew as pristine leaves reveal themselves. If the tree instead refused to let go, there would be no new nutrients to sustain the diversity of life we find in every forest and we would be robbed of the beauty of Spring.

Much like those who drive through the hillsides of the Northeast, we, in the church, often believe that beauty is found in the vibrancy of color. Many imagine that the most beautiful and vibrant congregations are those with hundreds, if not thousands of members, large youth groups, extensive programs for children, numerous educational events, significant missional opportunities, financial sustainability, and a pastoral staff that can visit all members regularly and preach amazing sermons every week. This type of beauty is more about our outward appearance and what we can provide in the form of programs and staff to members.

To read more from Cara, click here.

Change your spiritual life in 5 minutes a day

By the Rev. Cara Scriven | Tacoma District Superintendent

By the time I arrive home with my youngest girls each evening, everyone is hungry and the first thing the twins ask for is a snack. Often times, this declaration that they are starving begins as soon as their feet cross the threshold of our home. To the girls dismay, it is difficult to prepare them a snack before I have taken off my coat and put down my things. I frequently have to remind them to be patient. Yet, for two five year-olds, five minutes is a lifetime away.

Children are not the only ones for whom patience is difficult. Adults have an equally difficult time with this fruit of the Spirit. Impatience has grown as we have become accustomed to receiving whatever we desire instantaneously. For example, we get frustrated if a web page takes longer than 5 seconds to load or if we have to wait three weeks for the delivery of the newest iPhone.  With music, information, and movies at our finger tips, television shows on demand, and Amazon Prime 2 day shipping; it is difficult for us to learn patience.

Impatience is not only visible in our secular lives; it has also permeated our spiritual ones. Today, we expect that if we give one hour a week to God, whether in worship or small groups, we should experience a deep and meaningful spiritual life. However when we study the great saints of the Christian faith, we realize that it takes decades and hours of attention to gain the  kind of spirituality many are seeking.  It is no surprise then that in our society which values quik responses, many of us give up searching for spiritual depth before we have even really begun.

Read more of Cara’s post here: http://www.pnwumc.org/news/change-your-spiritual-life-in-5-minutes-a-day/

Seasonal Anxiety

BY THE REV. CARA SCRIVEN | TACOMA DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT

photo courtesy of UW Tacoma

This morning one of my youngest daughters asked, “Mom, is it Fall yet?” I responded with, “Yes, it is Fall.” I know this partly because it is cooler in the mornings and the grass in our front yard is greening as it gets a reprieve from the hot summer sun. However, I wouldn’t need to step outside to know that Autumn has arrived. I would only need to pay attention to my body.

Over the last few weeks that body has gotten increasingly tense as I prepared to send my eldest daughter to Middle School for the first time and my youngest children to Kindergarten. These normal transitions coupled with a move over the summer for our family has left my shoulders as knotted up as Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, my breath, too short and shallow, and my emotions as grounded as my daughter will be the first time she is caught making out with a boy. Simply put, this year, the fall for me is full of anxiety.

Over the last several decades, the church has become increasingly aware that “Fall” has arrived. We live in a perpetual state of dread akin to the popular television show where, “Winter is (always) Coming.” For many churches, the season has brought with it a decrease in membership and worship attendance, fewer younger families and youth, and less financial resources to do much about it. As I wrote about a few weeks ago, despite trying a variety of different strategies to respond, the church finds itself short of breath, shoulders locked in position, and full of emotional tension.

Click here to read the rest of Cara’s latest Post…

Being Excited for the Anticipation of a “New Life Journey”

A Lenten Reflection

The days are getting longer, and the sun is beginning to show up more often. Flowers are beginning to poke through the soil and start to bud.  The weather greatly varies, the time change slows us down a bit, and the kids count the days until Spring Break.

All these signs make me hopeful that spring is coming, and I’m a tad bit more hopeful that the grey and rainy days might be coming to an end.  I’m excited to imagine the warm days of summer that lie ahead.  Yet, I’m painfully aware that summer isn’t here quite yet.  There’s more waiting to be done….

As we wait for spring, there’s this “in between” time in which we live.   It is in this space that we have the opportunity to make shifts in our daily lives and spiritual journeys. Our faith instructs us to spend time in prayer, study, fasting, service, and acts of mercy.  These practices help us to down shift from the pace of our everyday lives, connect more deeply with the Living Christ and prepare for the new life that is coming.

As people of faith we are called to be filled with the hope and promise of the Good News that God is in our midst and has a plan for our lives.

As we walk in the footsteps of Christ during this season, I invite you to make space in your heart and life for the Good News that is breaking into our world yet once again.

Take heart and let’s remember and claim the promise that death is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new life journey.

Peace and Blessings,

Pastor Denise (Whitesel Mallek, Tumwater UMC)

 

Making a List for God – It’s a Good Thing!

Greetings friends at Sunrise,

In this Season after Epiphany, we are looking for manifestations of God in our lives and in the world.  Our faith tells us that the Light of God shines through all the world, and that there is nowhere that God cannot be found.

There is a song in our Methodist collection that comes from Zimbabwe, and was originally sung in the Shona language. The song is “There’s No One in This World Like Jesus”  (Worship and Song #3036)  The chorus of this song is “I’m running, running, searching, searching.  I’m turning, turning, searching, searching. I’m searching, searching every-where.  There’s no one, there’s no one like him.”

This song, which in Africa is acted out in dance, is of people looking to find someone as good as Jesus in their lives.  And they do not find anyone who can compare to Jesus. 

We do get another chance!

The Season of Advent 

We do get another chance!  The Season of Advent gives the church the opportunity to begin again.  Once more the full story of God’s grace is awaiting our discovery.  Once more we shake off the failures and victories of the past, and we get a clean page on which to write the story of our companionship with God in Christ.  Once more we get to listen and respond in faithfulness to the God who comes to us so humbly, intimately, and personally in the birth of Jesus.  Advent marks the beginning of the church year and lays before us the pathway of faith for the year ahead.  Advent initiates once again remembering, retelling, and celebrating the whole drama of God’s revelation.

Helping People in Times of Grief

Musings by Pastor Marta

A tragedy occurred in our community.  The young man 20 years old that we have been praying for ever since we heard he was missing, was later found drowned.  It goes without saying that this is every parent’s nightmare.  When tragedy happens, we want to respond and we want our response to reflect our faith in God, even as we have deep questions.

I’ve reread a book by Delores Kuenning, after all the deaths we’ve had in our church family, and community this past few weeks.  Her book is called Helping People Through Grief.   I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things she says.

First of all, a theological comment.  We must not believe that God causes tragic events in order to receive the comfort of God.  Sometimes we attribute the cause of the tragedy to God in hopes that, though life seems out of control, God is still in control. But believing God is in ultimate control of history does not mean that God actively causes tragedy, suffering, or evil that happens in our lives. Instead, we believe that God loves us deeply.  We believe that God loves us so much that we are given God’s grace and power to heal our grief and pain, as well as forgiveness of our sins.   And we believe that nothing, even tragic loss, can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.  God draws near, grieves with us, and comforts us in our affliction.