It was probably dead. It had grown sluggish before its skin peeled away to reveal the tough substance beneath. It stopped moving, encased within a hardened shell. To any passerby this lifeless object was barely noticeable; a minute inanimate object within a busy world. But one day that changes. The ‘dead’ thing shudders, it trembles once more before a crack appears, widening ever so slightly before it splits open and falls to the ground. A creature emerges, of no resemblance to what was once in its place. It is like something new is born, but— not. It’s a rebirth of sorts, a startling curiosity of creation.

A beautiful butterfly emerges into the spring day. This creature has limp wings that in time will harden. This creature flies. A camera strapped upon a caterpillar and then later put on a butterfly would be a totally different movie shot from an entirely different perspective. What had seemed dead now alive, but the transformation so profound that the creature isn’t even recognizable from its former self. Is it any wonder that we often see butterflies as a symbol of Easter?

Easter is a season of resurrection and new life. It is a call to transformation. On the surface that sounds good, but to live it out can be daunting.

During Lent we practiced the discipline of fasting, often taking things out of our lives to make more space for God. On Easter Sunday as we proclaimed the powerful ways God works in empty places. For those who have emptied out their lives during Lent in a time of prayer and self-reflection, it was Good News that the discipline of fasting could lead to God’s transformative work within our hearts and lives. God can work miracles in empty places. In this season of Easter we celebrate that life can be full and abundant when filled up with the things of God. When we clear out the empty distractions, empty words, and empty activities we make space for the fulfilling things of God to change us from the inside out.

That means that we, like our ground dwelling caterpillars, may need to shed our skins, shed our former ways. Find a place away from the busyness of life to stop and let God’s work begin. Pause and wait for it. Slowly release aspects of your old self that cannot make the journey into the resurrection life. Once you have stripped away the things of your old way of life: be still, be at peace, and wait for God.

When the transformation occurs don’t be surprised if you feel different. If the way you used to do things just doesn’t work anymore. You have been changed for a new way of living and the old patterns don’t fit with a new heart. Transformation is a beautiful thing, but it looks an awful lot like death at first. But as we have seen and heard through the resurrection story, death is no longer something to be feared, entering into the tomb Jesus brought our brokenness, emerging from the tomb He brings our resurrection!

When we have faith in that power, in God’s power, we abandon our fear of death. We do not fear the change that means shedding the old and embracing the new. We place our hope in the one who brings new life. We leave behind fear and enter into the life abundant. I recently heard it said that “Fear is disguised as practicality.”

How willing are we to abandon practicality, to abandon our fears of the unknown, the unplanned, the uncontrolled so that we can let go and let God do the work needed to change us from the inside out? The Christian life is one of abandon, dying to self so that our true self, by God’s power, can emerge and flourish. This Easter season it’s okay to let go of the old and allow God to work a new creation within you. God’s love is boundless and God’s power is mighty. Don’t let fear hold you back from the faithful discipleship to which you are called. You were meant to fly.

 

Peace and Blessings,

Pastor Nicole Jones

It was March 17^thand everyone was just walking around campus like it was any other day. “What is wrong with these people?!” I thought. “It’s SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!!!! Where’s the green? Where are the shamrocks? The sounds of a parade and scents of festival food wafting through the air? And bagpipes. My word. Can someone tell me why I don’t hear bagpipes?!”

Apparently Saint Patrick’s Day is not a universally celebrated holiday. But in my family? You better believe it. It was also considered a work day for my parents and I remember many a Saturday falling near Saint Patty’s day when my mother would groan at the thought of performing at another parade. “This is my last one!” she would insist; a declaration that spanned decades. I grew up with parents who bag piped. They met at bag piping school in their teens. So the Scottish-Irish traditions were very much a part of growing up.

A bass drum case would serve as my play pen at the Highland Games. Band members considered all the band babies their own. My siblings and I were frequently awakened early on Saturday morning to the sound of bagpipes being tuned outside for a wedding or funeral to take place later that day. We took it for granted that our parents wore kilts. We knew to check my dad’s sporran (think Scottish fanny pack!) for loose change to buy candy. My parents would frequently tap out beats and tunes, their fingers drumming along the table top or a chanter if one was nearby.

And yes, potatoes are a staple at every meal. Baked potatoes, party potatoes, mashed potatoes, and colcannon (mashed potatoes with cabbage and cream).

So Saint Patrick’s Day is like a family holiday for me, and when I walked around campus and in a town where NO ONE was celebrating— it left me homesick like I was in a foreign land at Thanksgiving. I need my people. I need someone to celebrate with. Can I justify peeling an entire bag of potatoes for a party of one?!  It’s time for a céilí! Sigh.

Gatherings and traditions are important. Food, music, language, dress, and shared experience all help form a culture and create community. What gatherings and traditions stand out in your memory? What delights your soul as you either remember traditions growing up or anticipate a gathering to come? Which scent or taste of a food instantly transports you back to a time of a warm family/friend gathering? Fabrics can have that effect too: faded aprons, stained coveralls, bonnets, or gardening gloves.

At Morning Star United Methodist we want to create a space where memories are created, preserved, and treasured. We want you to have that sense of belonging, knowing that when you walk in the door you are welcome and when you aren’t here your presence is missed. We want the sounds of the church bells ringing to make your heart soar as you anticipate gathering to worship. We hope that the towering trees out front will remind you of the many people that have walked under them for decades on their way to Sunday school. We hope that you will long to be present at the time-honored Old Folks Day, feel the quiet holiness of Christmas candlelight services, experience the power of Holy Week and Easter, feel the excitement of Vacation Bible School, grow deeper in your faith through Bible studies, delight in singing with the choir, and feel empowered through the mission and service opportunities of the church with and for the community.

To be a part of the church community is special.  Your family of faith is creating and renewing traditions and celebrations every week. What a joy to know that you belong. You have a community, and you are an important part of what God is doing through our church. There are others in your path that are longing for that community too. I hope you will invite them to enter into the Morning Star story, where our tradition and our celebration is sharing God’s light through love, fellowship and service.

Céilí blessings friends!

Pastor Nicole

All is not well in the Neighborhood of Make Believe. Something is just not right. Something scandalous has occurred, someone has changed things around. Suddenly the Eiffel Tower is on the wrong side of the castle, the tree has gone from one side to the other, the clock, the fountain, just everything in the wrong place!   Lady Elaine is up to her old tricks again…

King Friday is furious! He immediately sets up border guards, begins drafting people as soldiers demanding people’s name, rank and serial number, and becomes increasingly suspicious and paranoid of everyone and everything around him. He exchanges his crown for a helmet, complete with thirteen stars. When his niece asks, “Where is your crown? Why is it that Edgar only has one star?”

King Friday replies, “Edgar is only a one-star man. I am a 13 star king. 13 star kings have no joking around them. This is serious time niece, no joking around.”

The Neighborhood of Make Believe is all in a tizzy as people fear a coming war with all the changes and extra security measures enacted by the king. Fear spreads.

Recently my children have been introduced to Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. On Sunday evenings they would sit down to watch an episode, starting from the very beginning. It was in Episode 2 that the big changes occurred. A little over a month later my children were playing in a pretend castle when I heard my daughter (who was positioned in the castle) ask my son, “what is your name, rank and serial number?!” My children had picked up on this language.

We do too.

How do you react to change? Especially when you aren’t the one initiating the change? Do you feel a sense of panic? A need to regain control?

When change shifts the world around us, people tend to act defensively and sometimes violently. This reaction isn’t unique to our culture or even our time. The fear of change that grips us seems to be hardwired into our DNA. How we react to that fear is telling.

When Jesus first arrived on the scene humanity was comfortable in their ways. The empires enjoyed their places of strength and power, the religious and political leaders enjoyed their places of privilege. But then God entered the picture; because despite people’s desire for comfort, change was needed.

When Jesus disrupted the status quo some people’s sense of security was shaken. And when people get scared, they get dangerous. Those in leadership scramble to grasp onto the reins of power, demonizing and threatening anyone who poses a threat. The religious leaders of the day scurried into political manipulation mode and murderous plotting.

Just like poor, frightened King Friday, when change proved too challenging those in power were quick to:

• Undermine an “opponent’s” authority while conflating one’s own superiority
• Draw clear lines between “us” vs. “them”
• Create a suspicious and fear soaked environment
• Make up more rules.
• Justify their own position— no matter what.
• Leave little room for conversation, listening, or other perspectives. Keep things serious at all times.

 

But Jesus offers a different approach.

 

When disruptions, interruptions, and inconveniences came Jesus’ way, he didn’t respond out of fear or impulsively. Rather, Jesus would address the situation from a place of wisdom, grace, and faith.

When smooth sailing turned choppy and his boat was threatened by waves, Jesus calmed the storm (Matt 8:23-27)

When a political ruler beheaded his cousin and Jesus sought solitude but was followed by the multitude, he fed those who were hungry (Matt 14:1-21)

When Jesus’ supper was interrupted by a scandalous scene of a woman anointing him, he commended her and praised her acts (Matt 26:6-13)

When betrayed and arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus didn’t react violently, but placed a healing hand on the victim of a violent act committed by one of his followers (Matt 26:47-56)

When faced with death upon the cross Jesus gave his life courageously and sacrificially (Matt 27:32-56)

 

He calmed, he fed, he taught, he loved, he healed, he sacrificed— he arose victorious.

 

Jesus stayed focus on his Father’s mission. He was not swayed by threat or unsettled by change. He lived his life as an example to all to stay the course, to be true to the values of God’s Kingdom above all others, to humbly serve God every day no matter what.

Jesus transformed the neighborhood from a place of fear, brokenness and pain to one of hope, healing, redemption, and salvation. In God’s neighborhood one can fearlessly love because God, in Christ, first loved us.

“ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.  Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

 – 1 John 4:18-21

On Aug. 21, 2017, skies darkened from Oregon to South Carolina in the first total solar eclipse visible from coast to coast across the United States in 99 years. And totality was coming right our way. Confession? I was geeking out. We loaded up the kids early that morning and drove down to Pisgah Forest where my uncle lives and where there would be 100% totality. After unloading a ridiculous amount of “eclipse party” snacks, drinks and decorations we walked outside to the golf course behind my uncle’s house. There was a broad swath of field with trees that formed a ring around the outer edges and made the perfect viewing spot. We scouted out our nook; put down chairs, blankets and little sun tents for the kids before settling in for a fun day of food and eclipse anticipation.

A little after 1pm the event began. With those super cute eclipse shades plastered to our faces we all stared up to watch first contact. A sliver of a shadow crept upon the sun. For over an hour we would continue to glance back up with our chic eyewear as the moon took a larger and larger bite out of that fiercely glowing orb in the sky.

And then at 2:37pm it happened. The sun was eclipsed. It was one of the most spectacular sky events I’ve ever seen as the sky grew swiftly dark and the sun-moon-shadow-iridescent blue orb in the sky popped into place for forty-five seconds. The crowd of fifteen or so in our group gasped. Other people scattered around the field in various clusters also released exclamations of surprise and delight. Within a matter of seconds the entire world had transformed.

When the sun’s first brilliant rays burst out from the shadowy moon– creating that classic ‘diamond ring’ image, the world brightened remarkably fast. The crowd on the field erupted in cheers. Daylight returned within seconds even though the partial eclipse continued until just after 4:00pm.

I’m really glad we made the trip to get to a place of totality. The difference between even 98% and 100%— well, made all the difference in the world. It was like a different event. It wasn’t until within the last sixty seconds toward totality that the world got noticeably darker. You see, for most of the eclipse event, during partiality, the world around remained the same. The sky was as bright as ever, it was warm outside, and if you didn’t have glasses on to be able to stare directly at the sun, you really wouldn’t know there was anything different happening that day. For most people going about their daily lives, it was just another Monday. Without the glasses, without knowing where to look, no one would notice that a really cool cosmic event was happening that very moment!

Likewise, the Kingdom of God has a way of slowly breaking into this world, often unassuming, often missed by most people. The Gospels reference the Kingdom of God/Heaven/His Kingdom about eighty times. With the coming of Christ, Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom. John the Baptist boldly pronounced in Mark 1:15 “The time has come, the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus alluded to the mysterious nature of God’s Kingdom when talking to the Pharisees in Luke 17. He proclaimed that the kingdom of God is in their midst. That sounded strange to the religious leaders of the day who were expecting God’s kingdom to mean the overthrow of Rome and Israel’s new kingdom would reign. The signs they were expecting were not to be found. And yet—the king (Jesus) was present and so was His kingdom.

Through Jesus’ presence the Kingdom of God was entering the world. A mysterious and elusive kingdom like that of a mustard seed, leaven, a man sowing good seed in his field, a merchant seeking pearls a large net cast into the sea, treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13). The ushering in of God’s Kingdom happened in remote places, with unexpected people, through healings and exorcisms but not the great political, military, and even religious signs that the Pharisees were looking for. The Kingdom of God was in their midst, but they couldn’t even see. They didn’t know where to look, they didn’t have the eyes to see (Matthew 13:15-17).

The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, is like an eclipse. It has already begun here on earth. With the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, our Lord’s Kingdom has already come. Death has been defeated, healing has occurred, the Good News of God is being proclaimed. And yet— it hasn’t achieved totality yet. We are in this time of partiality— God’s Kingdom is already but not yet.  “As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:8-9)

The Kingdom is slowly working toward an ultimate fulfillment. We are not Kingdom makers, we don’t bring God’s Kingdom—God does. God’s Kingdom will come, as we pray “on earth as it is in heaven.” But we do have a chance to be a part of what God is doing. To recognize something amazing is happening. The world you see around you isn’t all that’s going on! During the eclipse we needed glasses until totality. But once we reached 100% we removed our glasses and we could see fully, without the aid of any other medium. “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12

We are heading toward a fulfillment of all of God’s promises— and with eyes to see, and your eyes, hearts and attention focused in the right direction, you can catch glimpses of God’s advancing Kingdom all around.

So go ahead and begin a celebration, receive God’s Kingdom with joy. Expect that God is doing something in this world, even when it may not always appear like anything has changed. Put on your ‘Gospel glasses’ and look up. Proclaim a new reality to those who have yet to see, and share the Gospel glasses with others so they too can see that there is more than meets the eye. Christ has died. Christ is Risen. Christ will come again.

 

Blessings,

Pastor Nicole

 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. –Hebrews 10

 

It was the smell of burgers and hotdogs grilling, the aroma infused smoke swirling past a picnic shelter and wafting through the forest. Then the coolers— all lined up like tanks ready for an invasion, some still partially open revealing ice and solo cups, while others had already been relieved of their precious cargo. You know, the important items like deviled eggs, coleslaw, my great-grandmother’s special baked bean recipe. The picnic tables were an assortment of salads, sides, and fresh cut fruit, a watermelon perched on a bench just waiting for its moment. Arriving on the scene I knew I was at the right place— the family reunion.

Distant cousins embraced and chatted under the shadows of towering sycamore trees. Many of these folks I see only every couple years or so for just this one occasion. We always have to play catch up, reminding each other of names, relation to parents or grandparents and where we are now. But even the catching up is delightful as connections are rekindled and family stories are unearthed. For just an afternoon of family connection it takes some effort. Space is secured, food is prepared and some people traveled from many hours away. It wasn’t an epic sporting or entertainment event, neither was it a work-related, school-required or extra-curricular commitment. A reunion was just setting aside the time and energy to prioritize gathering together, keeping the connection strong between relatives of growing geographic and even familial distance.

In the days leading up to the reunion my son got very excited and kept asking about our “family communion.” “It’s reunion” I would correct him. But as I thought about it, communion kind of works too. There is something sacred and holy about coming together—breaking bread, experiencing connection. My son experiences communion at least once a month at church and he knows that it is a special time when people gather together in ‘God’s house’ to do something that matters. He loves his church family and as he has learned his days of the week, the identifying factor for Sunday is that it is the day we go to church. For him, his church community is like family— his church family.

Family is a special social group in God’s creation that pushes us to be in relationship with one another in often challenging ways. Family can be unique because you spend SO much time together that you know every quirk, every vulnerability, every idiosyncrasy. When it comes to siblings growing up in the same household, you are in many ways forced to occupy the same space and relationships with other people whether or not your particularly care for them! A tight family unit teaches the importance of respect, forgiveness, differences, commitment to one another, time together, acceptance, and what it means to really love and support someone no matter what. There is the old adage that you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family. So when you have a healthy family unit it can be all the more important to make it a priority.

Our church family will be gathering together for “Old Folks Day” on Sunday September 10^th. I hope you will be there. If you’ve been gone a while, whether for vacation, family time, or just plain old fallen out of the habit of coming to church, I hope this day can be a time to come ‘home’ again and get back into the habit of gathering with your church family each week. It’s not only a good thing for the person who comes, but really the whole church is blessed through the fellowship of our entire body gathering together each week. It’s our time—our time to worship and get centered for the week, our time to grow in the faith we proclaim, our time to serve using the talents God has given us for God’s glory, and our time to be surrounded by a church family that is in this thing called life together.

The Christian walk is one we don’t do Lone Ranger style, but rather we go hand in hand—knowing that we have each other’s backs in good times and bad, that people know our quirks and love us anyway, and perhaps even because of those quirks! It’s a journey and a community like no other because it was created supernaturally by the Creator of all. So we hope to see everyone soon at Old Folks Day, a type of reunion that perhaps for a few of us is more than a once a year event and instead is a rejoining with a community for this coming year.

 

Blessings,

Pastor Nicole

“Look at this fog!” I exclaimed to the children as we drove to school. “You know, starting in August we can count the days of fog and predict how much snow we will get this winter.” In response to this announcement I received incredulous stares.

A friend of mine from Ashe County used to keep tally of the foggy mornings in August by placing a small bean in a jar for light fogs and large one for heavy ones. As he started making his winter storm predictions he would take into account the number of beans in the jar. He had learned the signs from an elder woman who foretold the great snowstorm of 1960. The elder woman noticed Joe’s love of the woods and his ear for the old ways, so she showed him how the fog hangs and the sweetgrass twists before a harsh winter.

I’ve always been fascinated by mountain fogs. The way it wraps its tendrils around mountain peaks, flowing over the crests like water, thickening and heavy in the valleys before being whisked away by morning sun. When I was little I would go to Camp Cheerio near Stone Mountain. Just before sunrise I would venture out to a little gazebo overlooking the mountains and watch the morning fog roll over the hills, ebbing and flowing like the ocean tide. It was so elusive.

The fog reminded me of an ancient Celtic Christian phrase, “thin places.” It describes the veil that separates heaven and earth, a place where that veil can be temporarily lifted and you can glimpse the glory of God. Fog can also be a little unsettling sometimes, as it conceals the unknown. But as a people of faith we are called to embrace the unknown.

Both the Old and New Testaments have accounts of clouds shrouding the mystery of God’s presence. In the Exodus, the cloud of God’s presence protected the Israelites from the armies of Egypt at the red sea, and guided them (Ex. 13:21-22). A cloud on Mount Sinai represented God’s presence at the giving of the law to God’s people (Exodus 13:21-22; 14:19-25). A cloud descended at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting when God conversed with Moses (Ex. 33:9-10; Num. 11:25; 12:5). Such a cloud was the visible symbol of the presence of God among God’s people. Also appearing in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).  In the New Testament a bright cloud hovered over Jesus, Peter, James and John and voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:1-8)

There are lots of little things in nature that remind us of God’s presence among us— a rainbow after a storm, a caterpillar’s transformation into a butterfly, the mustard seed, or the glow of candlelight. I hope this month as you experience the early morning fog, you’ll also be reminded of God’s presence around you.

God may seem elusive at times, beyond our understanding, beyond our control, and unpredictable. And yet, God is present—not to be controlled, grasped, manipulated or coerced—but rather worshipped. And through that worship we assured of God’s ever guiding, ever loving, and ever faithful presence. Rather than throwing our hands up in despair during those clouded times of our own life, those times when the answers seem slow to come, when understanding is dimmed and certainty as elusive as the morning fog, we look to the one upon which the cloud hovered— Jesus.

Jesus, God’s son “I love him, I am pleased with him. Listen to him!” And in the glory of the cloud, when we simply dwell in the presence of God’s mysterious nature and power, we listen to the voice of God’s Son, of God in the flesh, who will continue to provide guidance, promise, hope and salvation for those all those who take a moment to meet Him in the morning fog.

Blessings,

Pastor Nicole

Several years ago I was hiking with a group in the Holy Land in a place called Golan Heights which bordered Lebanon and Syria. We were hiking near in the Dan nature reserve where there used to be ancient Canaanite and Israelite cities. The path here was rocky, filled with stones and water flowed EVERYWHERE.

The water gushed and gurgled, noisily crashing across the rocks and rushed down the mountainside. This water was the headwater of the River Jordan. As it rushed downstream it joined with others to flow and become the Jordan river where Jesus was baptized. We had just had a reaffirmation of baptism in the Jordan a couple days before. That water had been murky, and snaked lazily among the weeds. This water looked clean and pristine, frigid and wild as it tumbled over the rocks. What amazed me is that the water was literally flowing beneath our feet.

The very path we took was just river rocks over a stream. It was like the path itself was moving under my feet as the water shimmered and danced between the stones. Wow. It was like a living path with that water flowing under it. Here were the headwaters of the Jordan river, the place of baptism, and they seemed so alive. So untamable. The waters roared around us and danced under our feet.

As we hiked I noticed these strange signs that said, “sink hole exit.” Sinkhole exit— thaaaat sounds ominous. But what it was is that there are a bunch of small springs up there and many of them literally appear from nowhere and disappear into “sinkholes” in the ground. The water up there just had a life of its own, going where it pleased. Starting and stopping, popping up out of now where, flowing loudly for a few yards before popping down, cleverly flowing underground somewhere only to pop up unexpectedly somewhere else.

Wild. Clear. Beautiful. Living. Surrounding us. Flowing under our path. I couldn’t help but think of the Holy Spirit when I reflected on these early Jordan baptismal waters.

The Holy Spirit who is everywhere, sometimes loudly proclaiming God’s presence, sometimes almost mischievously dipping out of sight only to pop up unexpectedly somewhere else. The Holy Spirit who guides our steps, who is alive and joyful, and life-giving. The Holy Spirit who is present at our baptisms, was at work before our baptisms, and continues to direct our steps as baptized disciples of Jesus Christ.

In the Water and the Spirit it says that The Holy Spirit who is the power of creation (Genesis 1:2) is also the giver of new life. When you are baptized the presence of the Holy Spirit, marks you with an identifying seal as God’s own, and as is written in 2 Corinthians 1 “and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

In your baptism as water runs down your head, hands are laid upon you and the words are proclaimed, “The Holy Spirit works within you, that being born through water and the Spirit, you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ”

Hiking in that place with my Christian brothers and sisters I could feel the power of the church who had the Spirit of God and the waters of baptism all around them. It was a different way of traveling from running off on my own straight into trouble. It was a place of beauty and refreshment.

Who we are and who’s we are dictates our path, it’s the foundation; our identity in baptism determines where we go and what we do. Knowing that we are claimed by God, that we are Gods children, that God has placed a stamp on our being and a promise on our hearts and a purpose for our lives will give us direction each and every day.

The United Methodist Church has a mission. It is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches and extension ministries of the Church provide the most significant arenas through which disciple-making occurs.(United Methodist Book of Discipline ¶ 120).

We are called to this mission through the words of Jesus, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20)

On Sunday July 30^th at our church picnic we will be having a service of Baptism and Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant down at the river. This will be an opportunity for those who are new to the faith, have never been baptized, and desire to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ to be baptized. It is also an opportunity for those who have been baptized before to celebrate the covenant made at their baptism and reaffirm their commitment to following Christ.

Baptism is our initiation into the church, through baptism we are claimed and marked by God and given our identity. Who we are and how we act in this world is tied to our baptismal identity, our relationship with God. More than where you are from, your skin color, the language you speak, how much money you make, or your politics; baptism brings you into the family of God that is open to people of all ages, nations and races. You are now connected with a world-wide church of people who love God and are committed to following Christ into the world.

Several months ago I asked that you be praying for God to lead you to a person with whom you could share your faith; a person that you could share God’s love with in such a way that would draw that person closer to a walk with God. I hope you will continue to be about this important work of discipleship. Sharing the Good News of God isn’t just a church thing, but a life thing when it comes to being a disciple of Jesus. If there is someone in your life who has a desire to follow Christ and live out their discipleship through the life of our congregation, consider inviting them to our special event in July. Before our gathering in July, I would love to meet with them to hear about how God is working in their lives and their hope of serving through Christ’s church.
Baptism, worship, discipleship, evangelism, and service are all part of a life transformed by God. Our hope at Morning Star UMC is that you will remain strengthened as you remember your baptismal identity, that you will continue to joyfully be about the work of God, and through the strength of the Holy Spirit faithfully serve God in this world.

Many Blessings,

Pastor Nicole

It was probably dead. It had grown sluggish before its skin peeled away to reveal the tough substance beneath. It stopped moving, encased within a hardened shell. To any passerby this lifeless object was barely noticeable; a minute inanimate object within a busy world. But one day that changes. The ‘dead’ thing shudders, it trembles once more before a crack appears, widening ever so slightly before it splits open and falls to the ground. A creature emerges, of no resemblance to what was once  in its place. It is like something new is born, but— not. It’s a rebirth of sorts, a startling curiosity of creation.

A beautiful butterfly emerges into the spring day. This creature has limp wings that in time will harden. This creature flies. A camera strapped upon a caterpillar and then later put on a butterfly would be a totally different movie shot from an entirely different perspective. What had seemed dead now alive, but the transformation so profound that the creature isn’t even recognizable from its former self. Is it any wonder that we often see butterflies as a symbol of Easter?

Easter is a season of resurrection and new life. It is a call to transformation. On the surface that sounds good, but to live it out can be daunting.

During Lent we practiced the discipline of fasting, often taking things out of our lives to make more space for God. On Easter Sunday as we proclaimed the powerful ways God works in empty places. For those who have emptied out their lives during Lent in a time of prayer and self-reflection, it was Good News that the discipline of fasting could lead to God’s transformative work within our hearts and lives. God can work miracles in empty places. In this season of Easter we celebrate that life can be full and abundant when filled up with the things of God. When we clear out the empty distractions, empty words, and empty activities we make space for the fulfilling things of God to change us from the inside out.

That means that we, like our ground dwelling caterpillars, may need to shed our skins, shed our former ways. Find a place away from the busyness of life to stop and let God’s work begin. Pause and wait for it. Slowly release aspects of your old self that cannot make the journey into the resurrection life. Once you have stripped away the things of your old way of life: be still, be at peace, and wait for God.

When the transformation occurs don’t be surprised if you feel different. If the way you used to do things just doesn’t work anymore. You have been changed for a new way of living and the old patterns don’t fit with a new heart. Transformation is a beautiful thing, but it looks an awful lot like death at first. But as we have seen and heard through the resurrection story, death is no longer something to be feared, entering into the tomb Jesus brought our brokenness, emerging from the tomb He brings our resurrection!

When we have faith in that power, in God’s power, we abandon our fear of death. We do not fear the change that means shedding the old and embracing the new. We place our hope in the one who brings new life. We leave behind fear and enter into the life abundant. I recently heard it said that “Fear is disguised as practicality.”

How willing are we to abandon practicality, to abandon our fears of the unknown, the unplanned, the uncontrolled so that we can let go and let God do the work needed to change us from the inside out? The Christian life is one of abandon, dying to self so that our true self, by God’s power, can emerge and flourish. This Easter season it’s okay to let go of the old and allow God to work a new creation within you. God’s love is boundless and God’s power is mighty. Don’t let fear hold you back from the faithful discipleship to which you are called. You were meant to fly.

 

Peace and Blessings,

Pastor Nicole Jones

 

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

-2 Corinthians 5:16-20

 

“What is the world coming to?!”

“It’s the media!”

“It’s this next generation!”

“People buy too much!”

“People eat too much…”

“People don’t care for each other like they used to…”

 

When we feel like the world is going to pieces quite often the response is like that of the knights in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when they encountered the “most cruel and bad –tempered, killer rabbit with a vicious streak a mile wide” ——RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!

And sometimes people do. Occasionally literally, but more often than not we metaphorically take refuge in our church’s lingo and inner circle of people just like us. It feels safer that way. More predictable. And within the security of those circles we can glance outward clucking our tongues, casting a downward glance at ‘those people,’ and keep our distance from any people or situations that may give the impression of unseemly impurity.

“It’s us against the world!” Becomes the rallying cry. Which would make sense— if we weren’t such active participants in that world.

You see, every day we have the opportunity to contribute to the culture we want to be a part of—a Kingdom in which we want to dwell. It’s not the time to passively bemoan our surroundings as though the entertainment, food, government, education system, and economic structures are something wholly distinct from the church. We feed into the culture, we consume the culture, we live each and every day in the world around us and it is precisely HOW we choose to live that indicates whether or not our lives are glorifying God or still chained to our own self-indulgences and ‘former way of life’ (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Our call is to live faithfully, diligently, and joyfully while casting the most critical glances away from the ‘other’ and inwardly toward our own wandering hearts. The well of grace is deep and everlasting, a well from which we all must drink deeply while extending that to others. Such nourishment is quite counter-cultural in and of itself, and yet can be transformative to a dry and dusty land with parched inhabitants.

We are called to the same world to which Christ was sent. A world that is broken and hurting. Not to condemn, but to offer hope, to point people back to the God who offers salvation, redemption, and new life for all. People need hope. And people need hope in One who is faithful and will deliver the people day by day, minute by minute, into a full and abundant life.

It’s good news and news people need to hear. Jesus, God in the flesh, coming into the world serving, living, and dying so that people might live. That’s how God so loved the world. Go and do likewise. Die to self. Love others sacrificially. Offer your all to God. Create the world you want to live in as a child of God. Extend mercy, grace and forgiveness. Let the Spirit of God dwell within you so that the fruit of the Spirit flows through your life like a channel, watering the thirsty world.

And be not afraid. For God is with you. Be leaven, be light, be salt, be in the world even as your allegiance belongs to another Kingdom, another Lord. The God of eternal “I love yous” and whose grace is sufficient, the Almighty Creator of All who gives you the call is sending you. Therefore Go! Make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.  The world is waiting and people are hoping for messengers of Good News— and remember that Christ is with you, even unto the end of the age.

 

Extending His Peace,

Pastor Nicole Jones