Times of Transition

In the lectionary, in these Sundays past Easter, we have been studying the transition time after the death and resurrection of Christ, to the time of his departure back to heaven. We are already looking forward to Pentecost Sunday. In the Sundays between Easter and Pentecost, we find ourselves in a time of transition. We have worked hard to prepare for the whole season of Lent to get our hearts ready for the sadness of Good Friday, and the joy of Easter morning. We celebrated at Faith UMC with people joining the church and being baptized, and for this we give the Lord praise! Now, our church enters into another time of transition, a transition time that comes with the change of pastors. I connect my heart with all the pastors and congregations who are going through a time of transition. We actually connect our lives to the lectionary season, for this time of anticipation of good things to come. Praise be to God for all the grace and patience that surrounds the appointment making process. Faith UMC is praying for all pastors and churches who are going through a time of transition. Even in the best of circumstances, which I really believe we are living at Faith, change is difficult because we are human beings. God's peace to you and to your church if you are also in this time of transition. We are holding on to God's promise, that our future is in God's hands, and that is good enough. God's grace and patience and peace be with you as you also anticipate good things to come for your future and for the future of your church. Much love to each of you going through the process. We are holding on to God's promises and trusting that God's promises are enough to see us through anything that comes. Thanks be to God who holds our future.

Standing at the edge of the Red Sea

We studied John 20 this past Sunday and the scripture that deals with doubting Thomas. Thomas was dealing with what he thought was certain in his friend and leader Jesus Christ. Then came the crucifixion and then the resurrection. It rocked the world of those disciples. They were having a hard time with their faith. What they thought was going to happen was not the way events unfolded. Yet, God provided through Christ to give Thomas what he needed to move him to a deeper place of faith. His response to really understanding finally that Christ was standing in front of him, he proclaimed, my Lord and my God. He moved from certainty to doubt to belief in Christ. Somehow God moved the process along and helped him come to the understanding he needed to trust Christ with everything. Faith has been a key practice for thousands of years. What a time of transition it must have been for the people of God when they were following Moses, headed away from the Pharoah and standing at the shore of the sea. With the enemy behind them and closing in and the water in front of them, surely they must have doubted Moses. In Exodus 13 and 14 you can read their responses to this situation. They asked of Moses, did you bring us here to die? Wouldn't we have been better off to have stayed where we were? In our own times of transition that test our faith, we lean on God to give us greater faith to hold us in the in between times. From certainty, to doubt, to deeper faith and trust, God gives each of us what we need to move us along in our journey. Standing at the edge of the Red Sea would have required some faith to believe that God was going to make a way. But, God did make a way, and the good news for us, is that God still makes a way! Keep the faith!