I used to volunteer with an organization that had a strict policy against mixing causes. We would say, if our meetings veered off into some adjacent cause, “There are many worthy causes.  Our organization is about thus-and-such.”  It was a good way to bring us back to our central concern, and not invalidate another person’s concern with a related issue.  “In this time and place, we are concerning ourselves with one thing.” 

I am finding that that those sorts of boundaries and discussions are much more difficult in the church—one of the troubles with being a pastor is deciding which of the many possibilities of ministry to pursue, because so many things are ministry!  In terms of whole-church ministry, obviously Council and the church both have significant voices, but I get emails every day from good organizations and good causes seeking our help and our support. And the reality of being human—and finite—mean that one church can address or help with only some of them.

As Fall ramps up, we are beginning all the things here at McKnight, including our new Bible study on Genesis.  In order to accommodate a class I am taking (in order to prepare for the next Bible study!), we are moving Bible study to Monday nights, beginning the first Monday after Labor Day.  I’m very excited about this study, and am hoping that the new night might make it possible for a few more of us to join.  Also, I know that some of you prefer to drive only when it’s light out, but we’ll have several more weeks of evening sunshine, so feel free to join us for as long as you are comfortable. 

Our preschool is also starting up again soon, and I invite you to keep the students, the teachers, and the parents and caregivers in prayer as they start this new year.  It was especially fun for me this year at orientation to see families that I have started to know through Vacation Bible School—to have that little kid wave to me with a shy smile as I came into the room to pray with them was a special blessing.  We are lucky to have a gifted and experienced team of teachers here in our building, and the work that they do is a labor of love and a service to our community. 

And even as new things are beginning, your council and several other members of the church are working to continue our ongoing ministries:  the feeding ministry, the food pantry, building maintenance (including new lights down in the Fellowship Hall!), and Global Links, among others.  Thank you to all who participate in these ongoing ministries, either by contribution or by coordination. 

In my personal Bible study lately, I’ve been looking at the book of Acts, with the help of author and UM Bishop Will Willimon.  Writing of the multiple groups of Christians Paul meets on his final journey, Willimon writes,

“The nineteenth-century historian Alfred Loisy is often quoted as saying, ‘Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, and what came was the church.’  Loisy did not mean this in the cynical way in which it is most often repeated, as if the church were a later misunderstanding of the original, more individualistic teachings of Jesus.  Jesus’ message formed a distinct people.  His message was about a new community.  The Acts question is not merely the intellectual one of ‘Do you agree?’ But the political and social question, ‘Will you join up?’"

Sometimes I think that one of the church’s biggest problems right now is that we fell for the individualistic story of our current culture.  “I, personally, believe” somehow became enough, even for the church.  And while “I believe” and “I trust” are important, we have missed a good portion of the Bible if we think that, if we believe, we can continue in the world without reference to anyone else, as long as we are relatively decent people.  We are called again and again to be a body, the people of God. 

I’ve been feeling that burst of last-of-summer energy in the air.  Even for those of us who aren’t in school in any role, there’s a sense of trying to get in one more thing before the summer is over, or of preparing for the new season.  For others of you it means trying to get in one more hike or one more trip to the beach, or preparing your garden for some fall planting.  Pastorally speaking, for me that means preparing for our new Bible study and fall events, and even thinking about Advent.  More on all of that to come!

Depending on whether or not you were able to join us for worship on Sunday, you may or may not know that for us at McKnight, fall also will mean a partial repaving of our parking lot.  We had some uncommitted funds in our reserve that we will be using, as well as our $20,000 grant from conference, and so we are able to do a thorough repaving (rather than just repair) of the area in front of the church doors.  We are now on the contractor’s list of projects, but dates will be somewhat weather dependent, so please be on the watch for announcements and potentially also for traffic cones and yellow tape blocking off a portion of the lot. 

As I write this letter this morning, Red Cross blood drive personnel are setting up downstairs, getting ready to receive the 50 donors who have already signed up.  Our country has a blood shortage right now, and these 50 donors will help with that—as we have helped by sharing our resources in the form of the building itself and a few volunteers.  This is one of many examples of a ministry of presence in our community, of sharing the resources we already have.  It is also a form of witness to our community—that the church doesn’t exist only for itself and its own interests, but for the entire world.  And finally, it is a form of stewardship—of good use of our resources, and of using them for God’s beloved.  Thank you to those of you who have signed up to donate, or who have contributed to the organization and staffing of this event, and especially for finding this new way that we can be present to and show care for our community. 

In my studies this morning, I read that psychologist Erik Erikson was asked once, via letter, whether he was a Christian.  His response was one I find very moving:  he said that he was what he would call a “Christian apprentice.”  He did not mean that he wasn’t yet a Christian, or that he had some questions about the faith—although probably, like many people, there were still a few questions for which he would have preferred to have answers.  He meant something more like “I am a disciple”:  I am a learner, someone at some point along the way.  Christianity, at its best, is a way of life, an orientation toward Christ that changes you not simply in a moment, but as you live your life.  You learn and grow over time.  John Wesley called this process sanctification, and while his term points up the aspect of holiness, there is also in it a quality of ongoing learning. 

As of today, we have 49 out of 50 slots filled for our upcoming blood drive—well done, McKnight!  Yet another good way for us to be present and visible and contributing in and to the community.  By the way, if you don’t manage to get a slot but would still like to donate, you might choose to come anyway, as sometimes they have to turn another potential donor away for a temporary risk factor.  And if we get a minimum number of donors, they’ll even give us an Amazon gift card for the church. 

I am currently beginning my work on this year’s Bible study:  I have been intrigued by the Genesis passages in the lectionary recently, and as we did a New Testament book last year, we’ll do an Old Testament book this year.  The story of God’s people began long before the birth of Jesus, and we have much to learn from looking at these ancient texts—texts about which I’m concerned we’re losing our cultural memory. 

A few weeks ago someone asked me what the church was doing for the McKnight garage sale, and I essentially said, “What garage sale?”  But that person’s awareness and her thoughtfulness got us on the ball, and so we were able to host in our church parking lot the neighborhood’s already planned food truck, and we had friendly volunteers and a table with brochures for both church and preschool, as well as a page of upcoming activities.  We also gave out free water bottles and just generally offered hospitality—people could use the bathroom, etc.  So thank you to all of you who showed up for that in various ways:  noticing the event and bringing it to the church’s attention, reworking our literature, and staffing the table with friendly faces and warm conversation. 

These kinds of events are really important for churches in today’s world, in which there is no longer an assumption that one simply goes to church because that is what one does on a Sunday.  It is also important as a kind of counter-witness, because when any church shows up in the news because of something negative, it unfortunately touches all of us, in terms of the trust people have in the wider church.  And finally, in our case specifically, it’s important simply for visibility.  People may or may not notice the sign that they pass every day, but friendly faces and some hospitality can make a significant impression.  So again, thank you to all who helped with that event. 

Last year we were blessed with beautiful weather for our VBS, but this year was a whole different story!  You all had the same week we had: hot, smoke-filled, and probably mostly indoors.  But it was still a really great week:  the kids learned a lot about the world we all live in, we sang songs, learned some Bible verses, and did some projects together.  And we also had some really fun, theme-appropriate snacks!  We had about 30 kids, and several volunteers, and we made it through all of the challenges and still had a good time. 

That said, I’m grateful for the quiet this week.  It’s still busy—we’re gearing up for a table at the McKnight Village rummage sale and food truck events that are coming up, and we’ve refreshed our brochures and gotten the business cards ready.  One family is donating water bottles to distribute and we’ll have coloring pages, bookmarks, and crayons ready.  And another person has prepared a page of some of our current goings-on, so that people in our wider McKnight community will know what we’re up to here at the church.

But also, I’m just looking forward to worshipping with you every week.  I love that time when we come together in the presence of God.

As I write this, we’re a few sessions into this year’s Vacation Bible School.  Our program is called Wild Wonder, and this year is about Creation Care.  The kids have learned about water and soil one day, and plants another, and insects another.  Thursday will be birds, and Friday will be mammals.  We’re having a great time with Bible lessons, music, and different art and science encounters—not to mention theme-appropriate snacks!

Our Bible memory verse this year is taken from Psalms:  “All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.” – Psalm 104:27-28 (NIV).  So we’re talking about God’s care for the world, and we’re also talking about the invitation that God gives us to participate in that care.  And as part of caring for the world, we are caring for our neighbors by participating in the food pantry’s personal care product collection.  Speaking of which—feel free to join us in our collecting this week!

Pastor Becky is away at for a few days at Olmsted for training. She will be back for next week's Vacation Bible School.

First of all, thank you all for the lovely ordination celebration! It was good to see so many of you there—and the food was delicious! I have said it before and am happy to say it again: I am so glad to have journeyed through this process with this congregation.  

As we all move well into the summer season, we are preparing for our upcoming Vacation Bible School. I invite you to keep in prayer both the kids and the teachers, as well as the families of the kids and all those who work so faithfully behind the scenes. We pray that all will be blessed by this work, and that God’s faithful love for all of creation will be made known.

I have so been enjoying our turn into the Book of Genesis for this month’s Sunday scriptures.  There is an unfortunate tendency in the modern church to generally ignore the Hebrew Bible, also called the Old Testament.  But the church throughout all of our history has affirmed that the story of God’s love for us—for all of us—begins there.  Our creation stories have richness and affirmations that still have relevance to us now, and so do the stories about Abraham and Sarah and the beginnings of the people of God.  And the fact that our New Testament makes continual references to the “Old” is a clue that these books still have important relevance to us as Christians. 

This year once again our VBS curriculum will take us to the Old Testament as well.  The core verse for this four-year series is Psalm 104:24:  “What a wildly wonderful world, God!  You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made the earth overflow with your wonderful creations” (MSG).  And the specific verses for this year, which is about God’s care for creation, are Psalm 104:27-28:  “All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.  When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.” (NIV) 

You guys. Oh my goodness. Thank you so very much for your lovely ordination gifts! I love my new stole, quilted with all of the liturgical colors, especially knowing that it was handmade with such love. And I am so looking forward to using my gift certificates at the Body Bar—I have been wanting a massage for a while, but just wasn’t getting to it in terms of time and budget. But now I have the perfect excuse! Thank you so much for the gifts—but thank you especially for the love and the affirmations with which they were given. You touched my heart. I consider myself very blessed to serve in this community and in this church.

In the same general vein, I am very much looking forward to this Wednesday’s picnic celebration—I hope you all can make it! It will be a great time of good food and good fellowship. I’ve invited our new young adult group as well, and am hoping that their work schedules allow them to come.

As many of you already know, this last week I made it through the last few hurdles in our United Methodist process of preparation for ordination, and at Annual Conference on Friday, I was—at long last—ordained as a full elder. I am both relieved and elated—this is the culmination of a process that takes a minimum of six years.

Those of us who choose this path begin in seminary, and are required to complete a Master’s of Divinity from an approved theological school; this is the first three years. Once that process is completed and we are serving a church full-time, another three-year clock begins, during which we serve as “provisional” elders. At the end of the second three-year period, having completed multiple sets of papers and interviews, along with a site visit and a few specific longer-term projects, all to be reviewed by our Board of Ordained Ministry, the Board votes on whether to pass us for clergy, vote on status or to continue us in the provisional process. Finally, all already ordained clergy in our Annual Conference vote on each candidate’s readiness for ordination—a vote which takes place at Annual Conference. Only then are we truly ready for ordination.

Happily, I passed my interviews this spring and then the clergy vote at Annual Conference.

Writing of a talk she had with a friend of hers, Tish Harrison Warren writes, “She said that spiritual growth and art making are usually not found in a sudden insight, like a burst of flame, but in ‘the steady laying on of the logs’—in the long, sometimes monotonous tending of a fire—a fire that sputters, dwindles, burns out, and then, at times unexpectedly, flickers back to life.” 

Warren is writing of a “dry” period in her own spiritual life, but I think that many churches right now have been putting down “logs” for some time, doing the steady work of ministry, doing the studying and the worship, and wondering why things are more quiet than they had assumed they would be.  And while I think that the larger church is still trying to figure out how best to meet the moment in which we find ourselves, here at McKnight, we are happy to be seeing some new sparks. 

Last night, with Council’s support, I met with some of our church young adults about starting a young adult fellowship group here at McKnight, and I am delighted to tell you that enthusiasm is high—one of the people I had invited already brought two guests.  I gave them a few guidelines, including Safe Sanctuary, and they were off!  We came up with a long list of potential activities, including some potential service projects, and they have a date for their first meeting:  they’re starting with 5:30 game night on Tuesday, June 16th.  They’ll have pizza and soda, and get a chance to set out a schedule that works for most people most of the time.  

Currently the group includes people roughly 18 to 30, and while that is certainly flexible on the upper end, we’re keeping 18 as a firm guideline for the younger side, because otherwise they would have to have with them at all times two adults with clearances and Safe Sanctuary training.  Please feel free to invite your local young adults, whether or not they claim McKnight as their home church! 

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Easter is both a day and a season:  we celebrate Easter on a particular Sunday, but we also celebrate Easter liturgically for a “week of weeks.”  The same is actually true of Pentecost, which I will confess that I used to think of as the day that concluded the Easter season.  There are roots here in the Jewish festival of Pentecost (a festival which also counted 50 days), which celebrates both a harvest and the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai, but for Christians, the emphasis is on the gift of the Holy Spirit and the empowerment of the church. 

I was surprised to find out recently, as part of the preparations for the new Archbishop of Canterbury, that those miters worn by bishops in high-church traditions are actually shaped that way to represent the flames of Pentecost—the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is supposed to be both a sign of authority and a sign of humility, of being in God’s service.  We, as you know, do not have such traditions in United Methodism.  We do have liturgical symbols, of course—for instance, we change the colors of our altar cloths, and those clergy who wear stoles also change them with the season.

Speaking of traditions and of stoles, I have just purchased my very first one.  As of my ordination as a full elder on June 5th, at Annual Conference, I will be allowed to wear a stole—and I am required to have one for the ordination service.  It will be red—Pentecost red—because we believe that the Holy Spirit is part of the entire ordination process. 

But we have smaller traditions as well.  For instance, as we transition from the Easter season to Pentecost, I want to invite everyone here at McKnight to wear red this Sunday. There’s no downside if you do or don’t, so if you don’t have a red garment, there’s no need to purchase anything for Sunday.  Come as you are.  But the intention around wearing red is simply to give us a little extra reminder of what we will celebrate this week, so I invite you into the practice. 

I mentioned during last week’s sermon that Easter is celebrated in the church lectionary as a “week of weeks,” and the same is true of Pentecost.  In one way or another, we’ll be thinking together of the relationship between the Spirit and the church for the next several weeks, and I’m really looking forward to it. 

Before I close, I want to mention two things. . .

Last night at Bible study we talked about loving boldly, because it’s an important part of our bishops’ new mission statement: “The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ, who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.” 

As part of our study, we spoke of times when we had been loved boldly by others.  We could also have spoken of times when we have had to lean into our faith to love another person—being human, we are each, at times, harder to love than at other times.  But, thanks be to God, we do not have to do this only on our own power:  we, the church, have been given the Holy Spirit, to awaken us, to transform us, and to empower us.  And we can lean into this gift—into the presence of God in our own lives and hearts—when we need a little help loving another human being.  

But often it’s clear and easy to love, as in our upcoming blood drive late this summer, or our silent fund for helping neighbors who are in need.  Or in the beautiful build-a-bouquet table set up in the Welcome Center this past Mother’s Day. We are given so much and loved so deeply as Christians, and we can simply turn and give out of the abundance we have already been given.  

As we as a church live into this time in the world, our current Bible study reminds us that we are never alone:  we live as Christians empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Our denomination’s new vision statement calls us to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously, both in our own locality and in the wider worldwide connection—and, the study gently tells us, we do not have to do this by our own power.  We are gifted, like the church in Acts, with the guidance, inspiration, and empowerment of the Spirit. 

Since not all of us can attend the study, I’ll share a portion here:  “The Holy Spirit is not a distant mystery but a present and active force—guiding, renewing, and empowering us for lives of love and service. In Psalm 16, the hymn book of the people of God, we read the following:  “You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). The Holy Spirit is the one who reveals the “path of life” and in whom we can experience God’s presence. Psalm 16 reminds us that the Spirit’s work often begins quietly—with refuge, trust, and a growing assurance that our lives are held securely in God’s care.” 

As much as I enjoyed England (so, so much!), I am delighted to be back with you this week. You will hear many things about our trip over time, but I will say here that I had expected an educational and sight-seeing trip, but found it to be more of a true pilgrimage.  As well as all of the places we saw and the things we learned, we had daily devotions and reflections, and we worshiped in various places and settings, from communion in Epworth Methodist Church and in Methodist Central Hall in London, to evening prayer at Lincoln Cathedral, to evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral.  It was a privilege and a gift that I was able to go. 

And now that I’m back, we are finishing out the Bible study year with “A New Vision, A Shared Calling:  Embracing a New Era of Ministry as United Methodists.”  Since I know that not everyone can make it to Bible study, I will share a few things from the study here in the newsletter each week.  There is a link to the study here https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/miracle-sunday-worship-study-resources#small-group-resources.  I will also put a few copies of the study on the counter in the front hall so that if you would like to do the study independently, you can access it easily there.  If you don’t find one there, it will be because the copies have already been taken—please let me know so that I can make more.