​ Who was it that said things to you that you continue to quote in your head?  What experiences with people did you have that shaped, changed or molded you along the way?  Part of this series intent is for each of us to remember, relive, and recall those moments, those events, those people that equipped you for your life confidences and direction and your ongoing spiritual formation.

​ Who are those people,... chance or obscure encounters?....

        .......​The reality is that people enter into our lives all the time, and we never know what act or phrase they may make that will forever shape us no matter how old we are.  Maybe that is the excitement of the new creation of each day, we are forever a work of clay in God’s hands, and God uses the ordinary places, people, and events in our lives to continue to direct and support us.  It could be today that it happens, and rare are the times when we actually know that it is happening in the present – most of the time it is only with hindsight that we realize it.       

          (From Pastor Randy's sermon 6/9/2013)

From Pamela --  I love the statement "we are forever a work of clay in God's hands.  The possibility of being molded or shaped or reshaped every day provides so much hope! 

It is important, I think, to remember that each person is being molded every day.  It is unfaithful to declare "that person can NEVER change", whether it is myself or someone else.  

If God is always up to something new, then part of our job is to recognize and appreciate qualities that are sprouting within that make us "wonder".  

One of my chance encounters was with a man I met at a Lenten Supper when I was "new" in the faith.   He was near me only a few minutes. Our conversation was fleeting.  He asked me "what do you do here at Pearl Road UMC?"  I said:  "I don't know.  I am just starting to wonder about this church stuff and Jesus and all of that."    

He held my hand for a moment.  He looked into my eyes and said:  "Stay close to the fire!"  

I have never forgotten that encounter or his words or his eyes.  But I have no idea who he is or what he does or where he came from.  I never saw him before or since.  Yet it was a formative moment to which I return regularly.  

We Have Come This Far By Faith

Perhaps it is equally threatening and comforting to us to know that throughout our lives we are forever ending some type of journey only to begin another.  But the reality of things that have occurred in our life and now have changed, does not mean they still don’t shape us.  We are forever turning a page in our own book of life and each page that is turned would be hollow if it were not for the pages before it.  For though buildings,groups, and people have come and gone, if we are blessed to be of good mind, those memories can take us back in a flash.  (From Pastor Randy's sermon 6/2)

From Pamela:  Here is one of my favorite memories about story telling:  

When my kids were little we had a night time ritual where I would begin the story:  Once upon a time there was a girl named Jackie (or a boy named Benjamin).  On a ______ in ______ 
she/he (fill in the blank with something that happened)....  

As the "story" progressed, I would recount some of the details --- my little listeners participated in the story telling, sometimes elaborating, sometimes correcting.  Sometimes I threw in something totally imaginary and they would giggle with delight.  

The memory of these evenings spent with my little ones (who are now in their 30s) takes me to a tender time -- the minutes before bedtime, tucking them in:  Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite.  It was tender time that connected me to the memory of being "tucked in" by my own parents -- it transports me to my childhood bedroom, sleeping with my cat Mittens by my side.

Revisiting our life story can be instructive, healing and (at the least/most) amusing.  Looking at our life from a faith perspective is a meaningful and effective spiritual practice -- and it is not difficult.

Take any event or phase of your life:

Remember the physical details.  What was going on?  What people were involved?  What were you doing?  What were others doing?

Here is the opener for the faith perspective:  What was God doing?  Do you recall anything in the event that offers comfort, or hope, or love or insight?  What do you appreciate most about the memory?  As you look "back" at the memory, do you see something you didn't see before?

It is sufficient

At the very heart of the Gospel, we are not saved by how much we know, and finding out the meaning of life.  We are saved by what God has done in Christ in our behalf.  We do not know everything, but we know everything that is essential.  What is our response to all of this?  It is to acknowledge that we live by faith.  Living by faith is not living without question.  Living by faith is not living without struggle.  Living by faith means living with a proclamation.  Living by faith is staking our lives on the belief that what we know about God through Christ and the Holy Spirit is enough to sustain us in this world and the world to come.  This is best summarized in our second lesson from Romans, and the text is an important one for the Christian life: “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”  (From Pastor Randy's Sermon -- May 25-26 2013)  

From Pamela:  (previously posted on the Faith Formation Blog)

The mystery of  the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit -- three in one all at once -- is one that stretches the imagination of the faithful. We use words to wonder about Trinity, but the words point to a meaning that goes deeper and beyond words.  We sing about the concept: "Holy, Holy, Holy" in a familiar hymn. In our statements of faith, The Nicene, the Apostles', and the Athanasian Creeds, we declare our belief as a community in the various persons of the Trinity.

Lots of words that boggle the mind of the one who is rooted in rationality.  Few of us have a mental understanding of how to explain the Trinity, and only the most courageous of preachers attempt to offer such an explanation in the context of a 12-17 minute long sermon.

Some simply tell a cute story:

A priest was in a public place where he witnessed a man who collapsed and was clearly in mortal danger. The priest (of course) ministered to the man, kneeling by his side: "My son, do you believe in God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit?" The man opened one eye partially and said...

"What... I'm dying.... and you're asking me a riddle?"

I suppose light humor can help us get around the frustration of our own inability to articulate the MEANING underlying our songs, our prayerful phrases, or our statements of faith.

Other teachers, preachers and theologians use images.  C.S. Lewis pondered a cube as one way to get his mind around "Trinity".  

Consider the geometric figure of a cube. A cube is comprised of 6 squares joined in a three dimensional fashion, right? And squares are comprised of four lines of equal length... and lines are created by connecting two points (taken even further... the connecting lines are nothing other than a series of points)

So you are looking at the cube... and it is a matter of your focus or the intention (choice) of your mind as to whether you are looking most closely at a square, a line or a point, or the cube as a "whole" comprised of many parts. Also, as you look at various squares, look at what happens when you gaze at the bottom line. (do this for 5 seconds) Now look away from the figure (for 10 seconds) and look back, but focus upon the space above the TOP line. Then slowly move your focus to the space on the right of the cube (5-10 seconds or until you see the figure "flip")

It is amazing how we can see the points, lines and squares in so many ways all at once, simply by allowing our senses to be open to a variety of perspectives and places of full attention.

So.... back to the idea of the Trinity. God's mystery of creation, compassion and abiding/eternal/infinite presence is one that we can experience "all at once in totality". Still, there are moments in our life when our spirit, heart or mind seem to be most fully aware of one aspect of the three in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In closing, we are reminded, though, that we can never, ever fully comprehend the mystery of God through the limited vehicle of OUR understanding. We are reminded, too, that it is not at the moment of understanding Father, Son and Holy Spirit that we are activated in our mission as Christians: It is the moment when our hearts are ignited in belief!

Pastor Prepares For Trinity Sunday

Looking towards the scriptures for this week, these questions are on Pastor Randy's mind:

The complexity of the Trinity stands next to the simplicity of Paul's statement in our second lesson.
"We are justified by faith" is a simple statement.  And the faith we profess is faith in a mysterious God who is manifest as "One in Three persons" -- Blessed Trinity (and so complex) 

How do we live in the mystery and simplicity of it all? How do we accept the simplicity without losing the awe?

Mini death. Maximum life.

        Mini-deaths are those situations, or significant events, that occur in our lives that cause a part of us to feel as if it has died.  We experience mini-deaths throughout our lifetime.  A mini-death can occur from something simple, to something major occurring in our lives.  When we experience a sort of mini-death, we are often left with a kind of depressed feeling, which has been described sometimes as a hollow feeling.  Something that was a part of you is now gone.  Mini-deaths can include things like a son or daughter getting married, for even though you might be caught up in the excitement of that event, there still may be a part of you that feels hollow inside.  Or it might be that something in house, something that has sentimental value to you is suddenly gone, and you can't stop thinking about it.  ..... The disciples must have certainly experienced a mini-death as they watched the resurrected Jesus ascend away from their immediate presence and into heaven.  The disciples most likely experienced that hollow feeling.  However, it is what happens to the disciples in the wake of the time period that begins the church season we celebrate today, namely this day of Pentecost.

         ..... Pentecost, as we might have heard many times in our lives, is the birthday of the Church. The disciples, the followers of Christ, receive Jesus’ gift of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.  So in the midst of their feelings of being down, depressed, and questioning their future, the Advocate, the Spirit arrives to give them a new beginning, a new birth. That's what the Pentecost season focuses our Christian lives upon.  Pentecost is the season of growing, but in order to have growth; we must have a new life, a new beginning. That is where part two comes in from the mini-deaths, because for every time we experience a mini-death, we also experience a new beginning, a kind of mini-birth.  It is very much like the season of Easter, when part of us dies; there also is a new part of us born.  

(From Pastor Randy's Pentecost Sermon) 

From Pamela

Many people have experienced the "surprise" of something new and fresh peeking out from the debris of mini- death.  Sadly our media has been replete with images of significant loss in the wake of this week's tornadoes.  For many, the loss is permanent.  Life and loved ones are gone.  

Happily, for many, the loss is material.  Even more happily, for some, what was initially declared destroyed is being found -- pets, friends and family are being returned to the hands and hearts of those who endured hours or days of wondering "is he/she gone forever?"

Across the board, those who testify to the experience of survival speak about the indelible lesson.  It goes something like this:  This miracle has taught me to value what is really important.   Never, ever take love and life for granted.  We can rebuild "stuff".  

Life will always include mini-deaths.  Grief and the hollowness of loss are a part of life, and there is no point in minimizing their impact.  However, God's spirit always, always, always invites us to look through the rubble of what seems to have collapsed and see the glimmers of hope and life.  When we can't see it individually, we gather in community to remind each other new life is most certainly present -- and we will welcome it even if it is dramatically different from the previous (precious) experiences.  

One of the fundamental powers and privileges of the church is the capacity to live in hope!   We lean towards new life even when we can't see it.  Life becomes maximized in the midst of a mini death.  

More than a makeover. Made new!

Unlike the early Christians who lived in fear of being killed for their beliefs, today our challenge as faithful followers is how we live out our lives with our community, with our world, with other Christians, with our mothers and fathers, and all our family, and even at times with ourselves.  For the truth of the matter is, that as broken but loved people, as humans who have been saved by the Gospel, we still maintain the capacity for messing up our lives.  (from Pastor Randy's sermon 5/12/2013)

From Pamela:  

Not long ago, reality shows about "makeovers" were very popular.  Sometimes it was a home that was being made over, at other times a wardrobe.  Sometimes it was a torso or a face.  And sometimes it was a family.  The episodes started with the mess and then step by step, enhanced by the dramatic flair of some narrator, the viewers were introduced to the miraculous result of some transformational process.  We were welcomed into the understory of liposuction, closet purging or whole house deconstruction.  We hung on the edge of what the new creation would be and then at the climax the host said, "and now, here it is!!!!"    

End of show.  We see the glorious product.  

But we never see what happens in the months ahead.  Not to be a skeptic, but I can't help but wonder how sustainable the result was, particularly if the people involved did not internalize the lifestyle needed to let the fruit of the transformation flourish.  Even the most dramatic makeover will fade unless the life is made new!  

Consider now the sustainability of our new lives in Christ.  We regularly get glimpses of the product -- we experience surges of joy or compassion.  We spring into energetic service or we burst with understanding of how Christ redeems us each day.  

And then the muck and mire of our brokenness begins to accumulate again.  Something is done to us. Or we do something to someone.  Or we do nothing at all.  The old way hovers in the corner, just like old eating or thinking or living habits hover at the perimeter of even the most extreme "makeover".  

The difference for Christians is that the love of God continually (and intentionally) surrounds us.   To be sure, every day we face the risk of backsliding. We can't stay "in Christ" on our own.   

But with every day God, who knows us better than we know ourselves, meets us and says "even now, I am making you new." The transformation from within expands daily, assuring us that what God has promised to accomplish for God's people, God does!  And what God does, is done forever!  

The Story Continues

​40 years. 1973. While work went into this ministry well ahead of that time, on May 27, 1973 the official beginning of this mission station, of this community of faith was celebrated.   Did the group of disciples that gathered there that day even envision that we would be sitting here in this facility forty years later and talking about them? That this group of people here today would be about Praising God, Serving Others? I think in many ways the answer to that question is yes.  Because all the work that went into those moments were not just about those moments, it was more so for future moments, for a people that had yet to encounter the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was about mission.  It was about sharing the Good News.  It was about the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, which would come to the church, as Jesus announced in our text.  It was about vision.  

(From Pastor Randy's Sermon on 5/5/2013)

From Pamela:  I recall a statement of one of the Native American Indian principles of decision making.  It went something like this: 

"Everything we decide to do today should be for the good of the next 10 generations".  

That is about vision.  It is about standing in the present, looking at all that we have before us, and using everything that we have with the future in our minds.  It is about trusting that what and who is beyond the horizon is in some way dependent upon us. 

I know that many of those who were present 10 or 15 or 30 or 40 years ago are no longer with us in "fact".  However, we are the way we are because of the way they were.  We at CRLC represent the current sum of the hopes and dreams and prayers of everybody who has been in this place.  

However, we are but a subtotal of what will ultimately unfold in our mission.  

So we celebrate the subtotal of 40 years of shared ministry, knowing that our commitment to the good news of Jesus Christ will affect all of the others who will praise God and serve others here long after we are, in a word, history!