THE CONNECTION

March 2024 Connection

Posted on Mar 1, 2024 in BLOG, Newsletter, Uncategorized |

“Condition and Desire”

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself. And the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. -Thomas Merton

As we’ve been journeying through this season of Lent, we have been reflecting. Our reflection began with the wearing of ashes on Ash Wednesday, reminding us of our mortality and our shared human condition – sin. As I shared in a sermon only a few weeks ago, I like to define “sin” as anything that puts distance between us and God, us and others, and even us and…us. And so, you see, the human condition of sin that we share means that at any given time, we find ourselves moving closer to God, and moving away from God. Closer, away, closer, away, closer away. You get the idea.

As we wear the ashes (or maybe simply remember them now that it’s March), we might be tempted to think that the ashes are a bleak symbol for our hopelessness – that we could never measure up to what God wants of us, and so we ought to just throw in the proverbial towel. But I deeply disagree with that! God’s command to us, articulated by Christ, is to love God with our whole being, to love others, and to love ourselves. When we live into that, we defy sin that so often seems to have a hold on us. When we fail to live into that command, we are met with a grace that reconciles us to the love of God. In other words, God has absolutely no intention of letting sin have the last word.

So, if there is grace, why did we bother with the ashes. If God has no intention of letting sin have the last word, why did we devote a whole day – heck, a whole season – to it? I believe it’s because we must name the condition in order to recognize the beauty of the grace which delivers us from it.

In the prayer by Thomas Merton, he offers these words: “But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.” I’m drawn to these words because I believe they reflect the desired outcome of this season of Lent: recognizing that we suffer from the human condition of sin, and yet our desire not to let sin rule our lives means that we are reaching out and grabbing the gift of grace that Christ so graciously gives to us. It is that reach that so pleases God!

As we draw closer to Holy Week, remember that Jesus ate with disciples who wrestled with sin, forgave the soldiers who were nailing his hands and feet, and offered grace to another man upon a cross. Remember that it was at the empty tomb where the resurrected Christ drew closer to Mary and called her by name.

Lent is about recognizing the reality of sin and desiring to close the gap. And it is in that desire that we discover the grace that has always been there. The miracle is that we can now see it.

Your sibling in Christ,
Pastor Brian

February 2024 Connection

Posted on Feb 1, 2024 in BLOG, Newsletter |

Feb '24

“Stable Churches”

I recently read an article about churches that said “the era of the stable church is gone.” At first, I assumed it was going to articulate something about the Bethlehem stable and some sort of decline in Christmas nativity scenes on church lawns, or something of the sort. But it didn’t. Instead, it offered an insight that I simply haven’t considered. It pointed out that churches are either thriving or declining – growing or deteriorating. The idea of having a church that just remains “stable,” unchanging, and steadfast in a community without growing or dying is a thing of the past.

Now, let me be clear: I don’t write this with a sense of doom and gloom. This is not intended to be read with dread or anxiety. Instead, my hope is that you’ll read it with joy, possibility, and the impulse to dream, act, and be a part of something amazing. What I want to do is share with you some really important observations about Grand Blanc UMC and how we are not merely existing as a stable church, but thriving as a growing, serving, and hope-filled church.

1. Sometimes we find ourselves perhaps a bit too analytical, to our own detriment. We measure growth in the church by a sum number of active members, and in doing so we forget some fundamental principles of our faith. For instance, I have a good friend who shared with me that his church welcomed 11 new members in the same year that they held funeral services for 12 of their long-time members. On their year end report, the analytics calculated a year of decline. But those numbers ultimately lie to us. We forget that those 12 members who have joined the saints of God had contributed to years of ministry and, despite their having died, continue to be a part of the church as they join the “great cloud of witnesses.” The new members the church added simply (though wonderfully) became part of the church on earth as in heaven. Through the witness of that church in that particular community, the church grew!

Here at GBUMC, we have said goodbye to beloved saints of the church who now rest from their labors with God. And yet, this past year, we have welcomed new members, welcomed guests, and have been a part of growing the church. In other words, GBUMC is a growing church!

2. Churches that are missional, thriving, and growing, happen to find themselves financially strong. And there is a very real correlation between the two! I was once acquainted with a small congregation that had a beautiful history of serving their community. It was never a big church, but it loved its community. Over time, the community changed, as communities tend to do, and it began to “circle the wagons,” so to speak. Missions and generosity took a back seat to balancing a budget. Sunday mornings became more about maintaining tradition than it was about worship. Even ideas for jump starting some new vitality were ignored for fear that it might be too hard and too different. The giving in the church continued to dwindle to the point that the biggest giver was a local community member who was not a member, but whose parents had attended the church years prior.

That particular congregation lost its missional identity. It traded growth and the possibility for the certainty of what seemed like stability. Ultimately, the excitement to be generous dwindled to next to nothing for a church that was no longer thriving.

In my time at GBUMC, I have seen the opposite happening. I have seen ministry that is resilient and exciting. I have seen generosity that defies the challenges many churches have faced. I have witnessed dreaming that is daring, bold, and full of vitality! In 2023, we closed the year with giving that surpassed our expected income, more than met our budget, and sets us up for a wonderful start of 2024. By all accounts (pun intended), Grand Blanc UMC is thriving, and your generosity is just one sign of that.

Grand Blanc UMC has, as part of its DNA, a welcoming and hospitable spirit. I will share with you, and probably not for the first time, that I am regularly told by guests, especially on Sunday mornings, how much they appreciate the warm and authentic welcome they feel while here at church. Hospitality is, believe it or not (though, I hope you will) a very big part of the Gospel message. Making space for others in our lives is central to what it means to be a Christian. And this responsibility belongs not just to the ushers, the greeters, the Coffee Hour volunteers, the staff, or me, the pastor. Rather, it belongs to each us! Growing, thriving, missional, Gospel-centered churches, make space for others and demonstrate an authentic welcoming spirit!

Grand Blanc UMC is not a stable church. We are growing. We are thriving. We are living out what it means to be the church! It is my privilege to be a part of it alongside each of you, and I truly look forward to all this year will bring!

Peace,

Pastor Brian

January 2024 Connection

Posted on Jan 1, 2024 in BLOG, Newsletter, Uncategorized |

Jan '24

Muddy Footprints in Jesus’ Church

And Other Reasons It’s Not Really About Us

A number of years ago, a church I served, after about 10 years of hosting a very popular Trunk-or-Treat on Halloween night, finally had to move things indoors on a particularly rainy Halloween night. Rain became mud, and not a soul wanted to be outside unless it was to move from one candy source to another. The night was still a great success, but, as you can imagine, the church’s carpets we pretty well muddied
and in need of cleaning. The next day, as I listened to a church member complain about the community’s disrespect of her church, I offered a not-so-subtle reminder of an important truth: “This church is not yours or mine. This church belongs to those who don’t yet have a church family.” The conversation ended, but I do hope that my point was taken. Sometimes, in the busyness of being the church, it’s easy to forget
what our purpose is.

In John 21:15, responding to Jesus’ question as to whether Simon Peter truly loved Jesus, Simon Peter’s reply was, “Yes. Lord…you know that I love you.” It was at that moment that Jesus gave the first of three nearly identical instructions: “Feed my lambs.”

In Mark 1:17, after calling his disciples, Jesus tells the two fishermen, Andrew and Simon, “Come, follow me…and I will send you out to fish for people.”

In Matthew 28:19, we discover the resurrected Jesus giving the disciples what has become known as the “Great Commission:” All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Time and time again, Jesus invites his disciples (and we are his disciples, too), that the notion of the church – the “Body of Christ” – is only about us up to the point that we are fed. Once we are fed, it is no longer really about us. We become the church for someone else! It becomes our obligation to become fishers of people, lamb feeders, and into-the-world goers!

The problem is, over time, the Church as institution (note the capital “C”) has done an amazing job of convincing Christians that church is all about “us.” We’ve been taught that Christianity’s goal is getting to heaven and getting as many people to go with us as possible. We’ve been taught that good people “go to church” and that Sundays are the most important thing we do.

Now, don’t get me wrong! I absolutely love the Church! I love being a Christian and I love being a follower of Jesus. That said, the Christian Church (notice that capital “C” again) needs to reexamine its role. We need deeply to see that the goal of Christianity is and has always really been about caring for and seeing the image of God in our neighbor, loving those who struggle to love us back, and praying for those we’d otherwise call our enemy. We deeply need to see that there are many, even in our community – our own backyard – who have been hurt by Churches and have walked away because Christians haven’t always been the best reflections of God’s immense and limitless love. We deeply need to begin to understand that worship attendance, while immensely important to our spiritual health and relationship with God, is not the marker of one’s “goodness” or their Christian faith, for that matter. Worship is, at its core an expression of gratitude and love for a God who has loved us before we could ever comprehend it (we call that prevenient grace).

Does this mean that we ignore one another and only focus on those not in relationship with this church or another church? Absolutely not! Jesus’ commission was never to forget one another. In the early church, we see countless examples of seeing and caring for one another, praying, encouraging one another, and growing deeper in faith! Just read Paul’s letter and you’ll discover it immediately. But you’ll also discover that the goal for all of that was singular – that others might come to discover through the church (little “c” means “Body of Christ) the good news of Jesus Christ.

In other words, its time for the Church to embody the church, and to see the muddy footprints on the
carpet as evidence of grace, goodness, and good news. It’s not my Church and it’s not your Church. We
exist as a church for those who have yet to discover the real gospel!

Are we ready – are you ready – to do what it takes to fish for people, feed sheep, and go into all the
world?

Today is a new day.
Pastor Brian

Grand Blanc United Methodist Church