Scriptures to Live By

 

Scripture to Live By – Selected readings

Isaiah 55:8-11

⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Hosea 6:6

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
    the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

1 John 1:5

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.

1 John 4:7-12

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Galatians 5:6b

The only thing that counts is faith working through love.

Galatians 3:28

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:11

In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

James 3:17-18

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Acts 10:34-36

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵ but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶ You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ - he is Lord of all.

Mark 12:29-31

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; ³⁰ you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

John 13:34-35

³⁴ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

On “Judgement”

Matthew 7:1-2

¹ “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. ² For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.”

Luke 6:37-38a

³⁷ “Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven; ³⁸ give and it will be given to you.”

Romans 2:1

Therefore, you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. 

 

A Prayer for Creation - a Poem

 This past Sunday, May 8, 2022, a member of the congregation I serve preached on Creation Care and the EarthKeepers movement in the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She asked me to pray early in the service and I assumed she wanted me to pray for Creation. I wrote this poem for that purpose. 

--------------------------

A Prayer for Creation - A Poem

Oh God, you who creates from overflowing love

Your Spirit swept across the waters –

was it an easy breeze or a category five hurricane?

When the lands were brought forth

was it a violent upwelling or a gentle push?

When you put your hands into the moist clay

to form adam and you breathed Spirit into us

 did you know what we would do

to the garden, to the earth, to your creation?

 

Do you see what we have done and do you cry?

Deforestation for marginal crops

Waters filled with all of our wastes

          We’ve burned the fossil fuels, remnants of your past creation,

now temperatures are rising on earth

and in our hearts as we fight each other

          We’ve sucked all the water out of the ground

Lakes, streams, rivers, reservoirs run dry

and we’ve torn up the earth for the minerals we adore

          The creatures that swim in your waters

                   that fly in your atmosphere

                   that crawl and creep and wiggle and slither on your good earth . . .

                             we have extinguished or are nearing extinction

As one singer once sang, we’ve paved paradise

          and put up parking lots and theme parks and office buildings

                   because we can and we are greedy and

                             we’ve misread your blessing of dominion

 

Forgive us! Help our unbelief and show us your way

          of living together in peace

                   of honoring all you have created

                             of working together to restore what we have destroyed.

          Open our eyes to see all we have done

                   unstop our ears to hear the cries of creation

          lift the veil that clouds our understanding

                   for your creation waits with eager longing

          Give us your heart of creating and loving and caring

 

Keep us ever faithful to you, O God

          Remind us of the covenant of the Rainbow

                   and the covenant of stewardship

                             and the covenant of the Cross

          May your Spirit once again blow across and renew creation

                   and breathe into our lives that we may renew

                             ourselves in your love

 

May your Spirit fall afresh upon us in the name

          of your Son, who lives with and within us

          the one who shows us your Way of Life

                   Jesus, the Resurrected and Living Christ. Amen and amen.

Believer's Baptism, Infant Baptism, or Both?

Infant baptism, believer's baptism, or both?

Theology talk and a long post ahead.

Today, a door to door evangelist came over. He was an open-carry kind of guy - openly carrying his Bible. 😉 I noticed a Gideon's Logo on the Bible. We happened to be outside when he came over and he approached me. He introduced himself as Gary and I introduced myself and told him I was the pastor of the church behind me. He asked me if I knew I was going to heaven or not when I died. I asked him if he knew how to bring heaven to earth as Jesus taught us to pray. ("Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.") He said something to the effect of taking Jesus to everyone so they will convert. Agreeing, I wished him a good day, hoping to send him on his way.

He then changed the subject and asked me if I did infant baptism, knowing how I would answer. (FYI, this is not the first time this entire scenario has happened in my life.) I, of course, said "Yes."

He then proceeded to ask me to show him in the Bible were infants were baptized. I mentioned Cornelius' family in Acts 10 (verses 47 & 48). He said there no babies were mentioned, that Paul said "How are people to believe if there is no one to teach them?" and that we can't teach babies the Gospel and therefore they can't be baptized. I mentioned that we are to raise our children up in faith, that baptism was God's gift, and the text doesn't say babies in the household weren't there. (Is that a double negative?)

I also mentioned that the vast majority of Christians for 2,000 years practice infant baptism. The church in the 100's and 200's was baptizing children and they would have received that tradition from the apostles. The Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, and 3 of the 4 branches of Reformation Protestantism (Lutherans, Calvanist, and Church of England) practice infant baptism. (The exception is the Anabaptist churches which became the Baptist churches (???), the Amish, the Mennonite, and the Church of the Brethren.)

I then wished him a good day and he, getting no where with me, said that we will have to disagree and walked off.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against "Believers Baptism". I was baptized in the Disciples of Christ denomination in 7th grade after confessing my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I became a Methodist in 1980 and fully embrace the Grace and Gift of God in baptism of all people, infants included. The service of baptism includes a covenant where parents, sponsors, and the church promise to raise the child in faith so that they in turn will take the baptismal convent on for themselves.

In 21 years of ministry, I have also done baptisms for teenagers and adults. So, in other words, I have done both.

I have many friends on Facebook who are clergy. They are mostly United Methodist and Lutherans. Some, however, are clergy in churches that espouse "Believers Baptism". I am anxious to hear from everyone about this experience. ✝️

Thoughts on Good Friday

Thoughts on “Good” Friday

It is a bit strange to call the day in which we commemorate and remember the trial, scourging, crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus “Good”. Many Christians in other parts of the world have a different name for this day. In Germany it is call Karfreitag, meaning “Sorrowful Friday”. Others call it “Holy Friday”, “Great Friday”, or “Black Friday” (which is why we often decorate the sanctuary with black cloth). One website I checked said that “good” is used with an out-of-date meaning of “holy”; for example, “The Good Book” said as a substitute for “Holy Bible”.

The four Gospels – Mark, Matthew, Luke and John – tell a remarkably similar tale of the day when Jesus was crucified. Jesus is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane on Thursday night. He is questioned/interrogated by the High Priest, King Herod, and the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate. Pilate sentences Jesus to die by crucifixion and turns him over to the guards. The guards mock and beat Jesus and then force him to carry the means by which he will die. Along the way, when Jesus can no long carry the cross, a stranger is pressed into service. When they get to Golgotha, Jesus is nailed to the cross and crucified between two criminals. Typically, crucified people linger in a tortuous state for many hours. Jesus died relatively quickly. When his death was verified, his body was taken down from the cross and placed in an empty tomb. For the religious and political powers of Jerusalem, that was that; case closed.

In the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus died a centurion stationed at the crosses said, “Truly this man was God’s Son.” (In the Gospel of Matthew, many people said the same thing.) In the Gospel of Luke, the centurion said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” These two statements of the centurion are one of many keys to the revelation of the Passion stories: This man, Jesus, was innocent and this was the Son of God.

The Passion stories “reveal” to us the Sin of Humanity: we are addicted to violence. The life of Jesus showed us another way, a way of reconciliation and healing. All of the miracles, teachings, and parables show us God’s way of love. It is a love that reaches out to the rejected, despised, and marginalized victims of society. A love showing humanity a new way of living within God’s love. Jesus shows and teaches us how to truly love God with heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love, forgive our neighbors (all people) as God loves and forgives us.

Yet, this is not the message the powers of this world – political, religious, economic – wants to hear. Human systems of power are built on winners and losers. Those who control and manipulate everything, and those who suffer the consequences. The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Laws are enacted by the powerful to keep themselves in power and to keep everyone in line. When the system is stressed; when the community becomes fearful or angry; when life as the community knows it seems to be crumbling around them, several solutions become viable.

First, the powers that be clamp down on the unrest. We are see this as China exerts more control over Hong Kong, the military firing on civilians in Myanmar, and on and on.

A second way is to find ways to make peace, fix the problems and restore the balance perhaps by giving some semblance of power to the marginalized and excluded. We saw this happen in South Africa 30 years or so ago. Or when the USSR cut loose its former bloc as it was crumbling in the 1980’s

If solutions aren’t found then the potential of having an all out civil war, or a war of all against all, can destroy a community.

An ancient way of bring peace to the community is the way of the scapegoat. Leviticus 16 has an actually ritual of the goat that bears the sins of Israel. The scapegoating ritual, with humans instead of goats, has been theorized (Rene Girard and others) as the foundation of all ancient religions and the mechanism of scapegoating lives on in our societies. Here my description of what happens:

1. The community descends into chaos and the likelihood of all out violence is present. (Jerusalem at Passover in the Gospels)
2. Some begin to ask, “Who did this to us?” and look for someone to blame. (Scribes, Pharisees, Priests in John 11)
3. An individual or a small group of people who are “different” from the community are identified as most likely to have caused the trouble. This person or people are “outsiders”, sometimes physically different, sometimes ethnically different. Remember the 1930’s when the Nazi’s in Germany blamed Jewish people for all the troubles they had. (In the Gospels, it is Jesus who is blamed.*)
4. The blamers start spreading the news of who can be blamed. This is often done by gossiping one from another.
5. When all, or a sufficient number of people, cast their blaming finger at that person or group, then the crowd demands an expelling or execution. (“Crucify Him!” in all gospels).
6. The victim, now chosen, is either run out into the wilderness (the scapegoat in Leviticus 16) or killed. (Jesus crucified.) Any system of killing is usable: crucifixion, throwing off a cliff (Luke 4:29), stoning (Acts 7, all of it), guillotining, lynching, etc.
7. Once the “perpetuator” (victim) is dispatched, peace descends upon the community. A catharsis has happened.
8. Once order is restored, life goes on until the next time chaos happens. Then the collective memory of the community will repeat the process.
9. Also, to relieve the collective guilt of the community, the events are remembered as a visitation of the gods. Only the gods have the power to bring about the collective chaos and violence and only a god, the one who was killed, can give the community its peace, if only for a while.
10. After a few iterations of this cycle, a system of organized sacrifice (humans at first, animals later) was put into place and regularly repeated to keep the gods happy.

*In the Gospel of John, the High Priest Caiaphas says to some Pharisees, scribes, and other priests, “You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.”

The story of God’s work through the Old and New Testament is the revelation of this system that is not God’s way. The Judeo-Christian story is a revelation of humanity’s sin of violence against the innocent. In the Book of Job, in at least a third of the Psalms, in the words of the prophets, the victim is loved by God. There should be no more victims. The story of the Passion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and an innocent man, is Jesus entering into our system of death to reveal and redeem it. Good Friday is the day we remember what God has done for us. The story of the Resurrection (Easter) is God’s declaration to us that death does not have the final say. God is a God of Life, Grace, Forgiveness, Redemption, and, most of all, Love.

Expectations

Recently, a member of the church and I had a short conversation. His basic point was that the church was in decline and I was not living up to his and his friends' (other church members) expectations. This man is a friend and he is faithful to his beloved church. It was hard to hear but he is not wrong, especially in one area where I have failed: staying in contact with the older generation of this church during our COVID pandemic shutdown.

In 21 years of ministry, visitation and staying connected in other ways has always been a weakness. I have always needed to have some one, or a few, to prod me. I know I can do better but I should offer an explanation which is not intended as an excuse.

Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory? You can learn more about it here: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. My "type" is ISTP = Introversion Sensing Thinking Perceiving. Another site offered this explanation of ISTP:

ISTP indicates a person who is energized by time spent alone (Introverted), who focuses on facts and details rather than ideas and concepts (Sensing), who makes decisions based on logic and reason (Thinking) and who prefers to be spontaneous and flexible rather than planned and organized (Perceiving). ISTPs are sometimes referred to as Craftsperson personalities because they typically have an innate mechanical ability and facility with tools.

Knowing this, I also know that I can overcome my default type and reach out to others. I pledge to start calling five to six members each week. When I get my second vaccination in a couple of weeks I will begin visiting our members in the nursing homes, assisted living facilities and those who cannot get out much.

I ask for your forgiveness and for your help. Communication is a two-way avenue. Please feel free to call me just to let me know how you are doing. If you know someone who needs a visit or a call, let me know. Pray for me and your church everyday.

The Meal

 

The Meal

Gary B. Taylor

 

Go, prepare a place, he said.

We went and found a room

Small, cramped, dark, yet warm

We cooked, cleaned, and set it up

 

We waited. Late afternoon

The food was ready for their arrival

Lamb, cheese, fruit, and bread

And wine, dark red, thick, bittersweet

 

They arrived, from the noise of the crowd

Into the peace, calm of the room

Friends, followers, women, men

Places at the table ready

 

We ate. We drank. We laughed.

Expectations of High Holy Days

Lamb, crusty bread, sharp cheese

Sweet fruit. Wine filled the cups.

 

He spoke, softly then forcefully.

Friends, he said, this meal is for you.

This bread, my body. This wine, my blood.

You won’t understand. Soon you will.

 

One will betray. All will flee.

You, my friend, will deny.

Remember. Relive. And know

You are forgiven. You are the hope.

 

In silence we ate; the laughter gone.

As he got up to leave, he sang

An ancient song of redemption.

We left the meal while singing that song.

 

The meal. The body. The blood. The song.

The meal, the bread, the wine, and the song go on.

Will Alexandria UMC proceed? HCI and 2022 General Conference.

 Grace and Peace to you and your family through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Alexandria United Methodist Church is . . .  what? We are a community of worshipers (a church) who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We have a 154 year history in the Alexandria, Minnesota, Lakes Area. We are Methodists by tradition and history (Methodist Episcopal Church (1867-1939), Methodist Church (1939-1968), and United Methodist Church (1968 to present). We follow the teachings and organization of John Wesley (1703-1791). Today, as a church, we have members who might be thought of as traditional in their theological understandings. We have others who could be thought of as progressive in their theology. And we have many who are in the middle. I believe this to be a beautiful, though sometimes difficult, thing.

Today, we are at a threshold. In a few years, we will be at another threshold. The two may or may not be independent of each other but we will definitely face the second one in the future. Let me explain my thinking.

Several years ago, before my tenure here, Alexandria UMC was having a bit of a fight. This didn't involve a lot of people, but enough (roughly breaking along the traditional/progressive lines). Most of the AUMC members know the story and I won't dwell on it. However it will become significant for the second threshold. Many people left the church over this issue while others left because of the decisions made at the 2019 General Conference of the United Methodist Church.

When I was appointed to AUMC in 2018, I knew there were hurt feelings that I would need to navigate and I sought to bring God's Spirit of Healing. Healing has happened but not completely. At the beginning of 2020, we hit a financial crises; a cash flow problem that would necessitate reducing staff and renegotiating debt. About the time we figured it out, the COVID-19 (Covid) pandemic shut us down. We cancelled all activities in the church building and raced to get our worship services online. We had Bible Studies and Council Meetings on Zoom, Worship on YouTube, and small groups that were still meeting sat outside, weather permitting. Several of the staff that remained after the cutbacks resigned.

The question in my mind throughout this past year was, "What will Alex UMC look like after the pandemic eases or passes?" Several people have asked about our vision for future; the direction we will be taking; the ministries we will pursue. I have hopes for our church. I love all the people of this wonderful place. My vision is that we will be a place were ALL people are welcomed, included, and loved. We have some wonderful ministries that are happening here: Wood-fired pizza oven, Community Gardens, Community Playground, support for the food shelf, a Children, Youth, and Families Ministry, to name a few. However, what we are lacking, in my estimation, is a "Bold Vision" to take us into the future. A vision that is AUMC's vision and not mine. (Pastors, including me, come and go with regular frequency. As best I can determine, I am the 43rd pastor for an average of a new pastor every 3.5 years.)

This is where Healthy Church Initiative (HCI) comes in. (Here is an older article on the Minnesota Annual Conference website: Revitalization Processes.) This program/process is the joint effort of our church and the Minnesota Annual Conference to chart our course as a church in the Alexandria Area. Working together, the Annual Conference will help us determine our "Bold Vision" and assist us in implementing it. I don't know what that will look like because I cannot see the future. But I do know that participating in HCI will help us renew our vision, strengthen our missional efforts for the Alexandria community, and bring some excitement back to our beloved church.

This is the first threshold: commit to HCI and begin to do the work needed. The Church Council affirmed the need to proceed with HCI, but I have discovered a lack of interest in helping with the beginning stages. Two people, each on opposite sides of the theological spectrum, asked me the same question, "Why now? Especially with the 2020, 2021, 2022 General Conference needing to decide the future of the United Methodist Church." This brings me to the second threshold.

The much delayed 2020 General Conference, to now be held in August 2022, will decide if and how the denomination will split (called a "schism"). The issue is over how the denomination understands scripture when it comes to LGBTQ marriage and ordination, as traditional wing of the denomination states it, or how the church will be fully inclusive of LGBTQ people, as the progressive wing puts it. If the General Conference passes the most popular plan of separation (there are several), there will be at least 2, if not more, new denominations: the Global Methodist Church (the traditional Methodists - I wonder if General Motors will object to the use of GMC?), a "post-separation" United Methodist Church (psUMC), and maybe a couple of others (the Liberation Methodist Connexion and Out of Chaos - Creation). In late 2022 or early 2023, the Annual Conferences will have to ratify the plan. If this plan passes, all Annual Conferences will de-facto into the psUMC unless they vote to join another denomination like GMC. Individual churches within the Annual Conferences will go with their Annual Conference. If a church doesn't like the Annual Conference's choice, it can vote to leave the conference and denomination and join the other one. (Clear as mud, as my dad used to say.) There will be a lot of rules around how things get done and the whole process of schism may take up to two years (maybe into 2024). The second threshold will be deciding which denomination AUMC will be part of two to three years from now.

Let's return to the question asked of me, "Why now?" Why step across the first threshold when we don't know which denomination we will be members of?

By crossing the first threshold and working through HCI, I would like to see Alexandria UMC become a strong, vital, mission oriented, life changing witness to the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ before we are faced with the decision of which denomination we will be associated with, the second threshold. Working together to spread the Good News through our "Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service and Witness" without regard to our differing theological perspective, yet honoring those perspectives and understandings, will position AUMC to walk through that second threshold with strength and grace. Then, and I pray that this doesn't happen, if some people decide they cannot remain at AUMC based on the denomination we associate with, we can honor and respect those decisions, and reaffirm our friendships with humility and grace. If we don't work through HCI and catch that Bold Vision for our future, we may not have a future. We have declined enough and it is time to turn this around. Will this be hard work? Yes. It may even feel like a camel going through the eye of a needle. But with God, all things are possible. (Mark 10:23-27).

I believe we should embrace the Healthy Church Initiative and begin the work of discovering our Bold Vision and implementing it. Praise be to God, creator of all that was, is and will be, and Jesus Christ our crucified and resurrected Savior, and the Holy Spirit, the presence of God with us. Amen.

Pastor Gary

A Time of Being

Hello, Everyone,

Wow! It's been nearly two years since I last entered a post. Since my last post, I finished my ministries at Peace United Church in Long Prairie, Minnesota, and Grey Eagle United Methodist Church in Grey Eagle, Minnesota, having spent 10 years with them. I took a two month sabbatical in June and July of 2018 and then began a new appointment at Alexandria United Methodist Church in Alexandria, Minnesota. You can find them at alexumc.org or https://www.facebook.com/AlexMNUMC/.

I have be struggling through what I thought was a tough cold for the last two weeks. On Tuesday, I finally broke down and saw a local PA at a walk-in clinic. He diagnosed pneumonia and gave me two prescriptions for antibiotics. Shortly thereafter, my vocal chords gave up the ghost and all I can do is whisper. One problem though: Ash Wednesday Service. Tuesday afternoon I wrote the following poem as my sermon which Cheryl, my lovely and long-suffering (because of my stubbornness at not seeing a doctor) wife, read at worship. Her reading was beautiful.

A Time of Being

Pastor Gary Taylor

Ash Wednesday

first day of Lent

ashes to ashes, dust to dust

“Dust in the Wind”

all we are is dust in the wind

Last Year’s Palm Branches

this year’s ashes

The Times they are a-changing

seed to plant to tree with fruit

plucked and eaten

seeds tossed aside. to grow again.

the circle of Life?

Babies are born

Babies become students and learn

become teenagers and begin to seek their own way

Off to college, graduate, get a job, find a mate.

Have more kids?

Kids having kids?

Work 8 to 5, or is it 3 to midnight?

Find a new job, start over again

Then do it again, 2 or 3 times.

Work Monday to Friday, or is it Saturday?

Take your 3 to 5 weeks of vacation, or not.

Visit your parents, watch your kids graduate,

get married, have their own kids

Now it is time to retire.

Now it is time to what?

Travel the country, world?

Visit long lost friends?

Find a quiet place on the lake, in the mountains

away from everyone.

Don’t forget to plan that funeral

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

When did we take time to Just Be?

To take in creation’s beauty

while noticing

its destruction by humanity.

To meet new people

People not like us

To notice their struggles

to celebrate their joys

to share in their humanity

Hispanic

African American

Native Americans, the First Peoples

Let Lent be a time of being

stop, see, wonder, enjoy

A time to share in Life

God’s Life

Community Life

Family Life

Your own Life.

A

Time

of

Being

Being

in

God’s

Time.

Thank you for taking time to read this. May you have a Blessed Holy Lent!

Readings for Sunday, May 27, 2018 - Trinity Sunday

Hello Everyone,

Grace and Peace to you through God who creates, God the Son who saves, and God the Holy Spirit who enlivens us.

This will be my last email about our Sunday scripture lessons. These email reflections where posted on my blog site ruralminnesotaministry.blogspot.com.

My first blog post was on August 10, 2009. You can check it out here with all my typos (which continue to this day).

My third post was about being a Local Licensed Pastor and an Associate Member in the United Methodist church. Check it out here.

My first scripture commentary posted on my blog site happened a year later, on August 24, 2010. You can check that post out here.

My most read post was published in April 2017. Life and Death - questions was read by 163.

I started a weekly email ministry in my previous appointment. With nearly weekly posts, I have been at it for perhaps 15 years. This past year I have been recycling old posts (and cleaning the typos up). With the Lectionary readings built on a three year cycle it is hard to come up with anything fresh the third, fourth, fifth time around. Today, I will be recycling a post from May 2012.

Thank you for reading my weekly email reflections on our scripture lessons. For those who wandered over to my blog post thank you.

Beginning of June 4, I will be taking a 2 month sabbatical and I begin my ministry at Alexandria UMC on August 1. Cheryl and I will be moving to Alexandria after having lived in our house for 30 years. The process of moving is beginning to freak us out. Please pray for us.

During the sabbatical, my friend, retired ELCA clergy, Hollis Bishop will be leading worship at both churches. Then on August 1, your new pastor will begin serving. No, I don't know who it will be at this time. Please do everything in your power to support her/his ministry with you. New ideas and new ways of doing worship and ministry are a good thing so I ask your patience with your new pastor.

And, without further ado, our scriptures for this Sunday, Trinity Sunday.

This Sunday is a bit of an oddity in the life of the Church. We celebrate and learn about the Trinity of God. Of course, as I have said in past years, you won’t find the word “trinity” in the Bible. What you will find in the pages of the Bible is God who created all that is seen and unseen; God who became a human like us and is both fully human and fully God (“God Incarnate” is the churchy phrase); and God who comes to us and is present with us as Spirit (breath-wind). This is God: One and yet Three; Three and yet always One. Think of Trinity as Three (tri) in Unity (-nity). This is always confusing and is a mystery. Not everything in faith can be reduced to logical explanations As I once said to a friend, paraphrasing Spock from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, “It has been and always shall be a mystery”.

Without a whole lot of discussion, our readings are:

Isaiah 6:1-8 – Isaiah’s vision of the Lord sitting on a throne and then being commissioned (or is it “ordained”) to be a prophet.

Psalm 29 – The voice of God, the LORD, is mighty, powerful, and “flashes forth flames of fire”. The voice is over the waters, thundering over the waves. The voice breaks the cedars and shakes the wilderness. We are called to say “Glory” and pray for God’s blessing of peace.

Romans 8:12-17 – The Spirit leads us as the children of God and the Spirit bears witness (along with our own spirits) to the fact that we are indeed the children of God. The fact that we are now the children of God makes us heirs (with our brother Jesus) to God’s Life.

John 3:1-17 – Jesus has a discussion with Nicodemus about being “born again” or “born from above”. Of course this passage has the famous John 3:16 but please pay close attention to 3:17 in which the Son of Man came not to condemn but to save. If you keep reading through verse 21, the judgment and condemnation comes from ourselves.

It seem that none of these passages deals with the Trinity but only one of the three. Isaiah is about God, Romans is about the Spirit, and John is about the Son. So check out these verses: John 14:15-17; John 14:26; John 15:26, and John 16:12-15.

Have a wonderful week. If I don't see you in church this week or next, it has been a pleasure to serve you as the pastor of your church. Grace and Peace to you and your families.

Pastor Gary

Readings for Sunday, May 13, 2018

Hello Everyone,

This Thursday is known as Ascension Day when we celebrate the day, according to Luke in Acts 1:1-11, that Jesus was lifted up from this earth. This happened 40 days after the Resurrection. Sunday is the Seventh Sunday of Easter and is the last Sunday in the Easter season.

The readings appointed for Thursday, Ascension Day, are:

Acts 1:1-11 – In verse 1, the writer of Acts, usually identified as Luke, addresses his reader as Theophilus. This is the same person identified at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke. In our passage, we are told that Jesus appeared to the disciples over a 40 day period after his resurrection. When they gather for the last time (at Mt. Olivet, vs. 12), Jesus tells the disciples that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit. With that power, they are to go to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all the world.  Jesus is then lifted up and he disappears in the clouds. Of course, the disciples stand around with their mouths agape. Two men in white robes ask them why they are staring at the sky. They tell the disciples that Jesus will return in the same manner as he left them. Verse 12 tells us the disciples then returned to Jerusalem.

Psalm 47 – God is the God of all peoples and nations. Sing praises to God!

Ephesians 1:15-23 – Paul prays to God that those who believe in Jesus will have the spirit of wisdom, enlightened eyes, and that they will know the hope to which we are called.

Luke 24:44-53 – Jesus opens the minds of the disciples to understand the Scripture and is then carried away to heaven. This story is similar, but not the same, as the story Luke recalls in Acts 1. The disciples are sent to all the world beginning at Jerusalem to witness to all they have seen and know.

The readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, are:

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 – The eleven remaining disciples decide that they should have a twelfth to replace Judas. They set up the criteria, narrow the choices to two, and then throw dice (trusting God to decide) to choose Matthias.

Psalm 1 – Those who delight in the law of God will know happiness and they will bear much fruit. Those who do not delight in the law of God will not know happiness for they will blow away like dried leaves.

1 John 5:9-13 – This is the final reading in the first letter of John and there are some summary statements within the reading. “Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony [of God] in their hearts . . . [which is] God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” “I write these things . . . so you may know that you have eternal life.” The glory and beauty of 1 John is simple: God is Light, Life and Love. In love, God gave his son Jesus to humanity to be Light, Life, and Love. To those who believe in Jesus, that Light and Love are in them and they have his Eternal Life. We, in turn, become and are the Light, Life, and Love of God for the rest of humanity.

John 17:6-19 – The entirety of chapter 17 is Jesus’ prayer to God. Verses 1-5 are a prayer for himself. Verses 6-19 are his prayer for the disciples. Verses 20-26 are his prayer for future disciples. Jesus’ prayers in John can seem convoluted and redundant. I think the one key verse for understanding the second section, our reading, is verse 11b: “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” At the beginning of chapter 18 Jesus is arrested and will soon be dead. They need God’s protection.

I pray that you will have a blessed week. Be witnesses to the Love, Light, and Life of Jesus Christ with all the people you meet this week.

Pastor Gary

Readings for Sunday, May 6, 2018

Hello Everyone,

I am now back from my two week "stay-cation". I spent some of my days watching my grandkids, Leighana and Preston. I spend three days in the office throwing out too many papers that had accumulated, sorting through books and things to determine what needs to stay in the office, and boxing all the rest. Each of those three days were followed by a trip to Alexandria to get a cup of Dunn Brothers Coffee and drop the boxes off at Alexandria UMC.

Many thanks go to Bob Kutter who filled in for me the last two Sundays. I know he puts a lot of work into worship preparation the weeks before I went on vacation and into sermon preparation for the Sundays he led worship. Bob is God's blessing for our churches. Thank you, Bob.

National Day of Prayer for our country is this Thursday. There are prayer gatherings in Grey Eagle at the Fire Hall beginning at Noon and at the Memorial Park in Long Prairie also at noon. If you can make the time, please join with other in praying for our country, state, county, and city.

This coming Sunday is the Sixth Sunday of Easter, so, "yes", we are still celebrating Easter. Our appointed readings are:

Acts 10:44-48 - This is the conclusion to the story of Peter visiting Cornelius and family in Caesarea. To appreciate this ending, please read ALL of Acts 10. I think the most important verses in Chapter 10 is 34-35, "Then Peter began to speak to them: 'I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.'" What does that mean to us today? Is there any reason that any church may show partiality to anyone? Sometimes we quibble about "who fear him" and "does what is right". To quote a famous Pope, "Who am I to judge?"

Psalm 98 - Sing a new song to the Lord who has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness. Make a joyful noise to the Lord (all of you non-singers - I see you). For God will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.

1 John 5:1-6 - I missed my favorite Bible verses this past week but I plan on making up for that this week. The two verses are in 1 John 4 and if you carefully read that chapter I am sure you will figure out what they are. The Gospel comes down to this: Love God who first loved us; in loving God you will love neighbor; in loving neighbor you will love God; and in this way love, whose name is Jesus Christ, will conquer the world.

John 15:9-17 - "This is my commandment that you love one another just as I have loved you". Enough said (but, if you must, reread the comments in the paragraph above.)

Have a wonderful week serving God by serving your neighbors.
Pastor Gary

Readings for Sunday, April 15, 2018

Hello Everyone,

Christ is Risen!
Christ is Risen, Indeed!

There are two happenings on Thursday, April 12, that you may be interested.

1. "Developing Stewardship and Generosity Leaders". This workshop (9 am to 3 pm) is being held at Advent UMC in Eagan, MN, and is simultaneously being streamed to Alexandria UMC. Dr. Clayton Smith, Executive Pastor of Generosity at the Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, Kansas will teach us "about how it is essential for church leaders to use faith-based programs to enable their churches to grow in love of God and neighbor and to reach new people." If you would like to attend, let me know ASAP (today, Tuesday) so I can let Alexandria UMC know. I will be attending.

2. "Second Harvest Conversation". This short gathering, maybe 1 1/2 hours, is about providing the people of Todd County who need food with fresh produce. Here is their description: "We are exploring a partnership with Second Harvest Heartland to facilitate a Produce Distribution that would occur in our community once a month. One time a month Second Harvest would deliver around 5,000+ pounds of fresh produce to be distributed to residents in need of food. There is no cost and no prerequisites to “qualify” to receive the food. We ask for no personal information or identification. We welcome any and all to participate to come and take what they need to feed themselves and their families.  It is with community involvement and collaboration that makes this initiative successful and sustainable, and faith based communities are very important partners to have as we embark on this endeavor!" The meeting is Thursday at 9 am in the boardroom at the old hospital and clinic in Long Prairie. It would be especially good if several people from Peace United Church could attend. Let me know if you can go and I will let the coordinator know.

Our readings this week, the Third Sunday of Easter, are:

Acts 3:12-19 – Peter and John go to the temple and heal a man who was lame from birth (3:1-10). The people are amazed so Peter takes the opportunity to tell them who actually did the healing – Jesus Christ. A point to consider: Peter places the blame for the killing of Jesus on his audience but he was as complicit as they were when he denied Jesus. Would his testimony be more effective if he said “We killed Jesus, but God raised him from death”?

Psalm 4 – The psalmist addresses God in verses 1, 7, and 8 and he addresses his enemies in verses 2-6. He pleads for God to help him and chastises the people for not being faithful to God. At the end of the psalm and in the knowledge that God will keep him safe, he has peace.

1 John 3:1-7 – I am not so sure that the Lectionary Committee who chose this passage gave us enough of it. I may expand it to 2:29-3:11. To abide in Jesus is to be a child of God. If we are children of God then we have no sin. (Except see 1:8.) The Elder goes so far as to say that everyone who does right is righteous like Jesus is righteous (verse 7). The true message to the followers of Jesus is that we should love each other (verse 11).

Luke 24:36b-48 – The “Walk to Emmaus” occurs on Easter Day and you can find it at 24:13-35. Our reading picks up immediately after the two disciples run back to Jerusalem and tell the other disciples what they have experienced. Verse 36a says, “While they were talking about this . . .” and that is where we pick it up. Jesus appears and says . . . wait for it . . . “Peace be with you.” Jesus invites the startled disciples to look and him and touch his wounds. He then eats a piece of fish. Jesus then proceeds to teach them about how his death and resurrection was a fulfillment of their scriptures (our Old Testament). If you keep reading to the end of Luke you will encounter a conundrum. All of chapter 24 reads like it all happened on the same day. In Acts 1:3 Luke says that Jesus appeared for 40 days. Did Luke forget what he said in the Gospel when he wrote Acts? Or did he leave out a seemingly important detail at the end of Luke?

Have a blessed week telling and showing others the Good News of the Resurrected Christ,

Pastor Gary

Readings for Sunday, April 8, 2018

Hello Everyone,

Christ Is Risen! Christ Is Risen, Indeed!

Grace and Peace in our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus who is the Christ.

Thank you, everyone, for the wonderful celebration of Easter we had on Sunday. If you missed Easter Worship, you have a second chance for this coming Sunday, April 8, is Orthodox Easter. I have fond memories of visiting the family of a friend, who was Greek, of my grandfather's on Orthodox Easter and eating lamb, stuffed grape leaves, and baklava. I may have to go to a restaurant that serves lamb next Sunday.

We are in the "season" of Easter, the time from Easter Sunday to, but not including, Pentecost Sunday. Our readings will be from "The Acts of the Apostles", "The First Letter of John", and "The Gospel According to John". (The one exception will be Sunday, April 15, when the Gospel reading is from Luke.)

I am thinking about a series of sermons based on the "First Letter of John" and the Gospel readings titled "Light, Life, and Love: Our Response to Resurrection". What does it mean to live as a Follower of Jesus Christ? What does it mean to be called "Christian"?

Our scripture lessons for this week are:

Acts 4:32-35 – The community of believers sharing everything so that none are in need. Is this possible in the 21st century? Why Not?

Psalm 133 – Three verses! “How good it is when kindred live together in unity!” Community united in the love of God which is life everlasting.

1 John 1:1-2:2 – We know Jesus therefore we know God. In Jesus we see that God is light and that there is no darkness in God at all. One of the passages in the New Testament that seems to advance the idea of universal redemption is verse 2:2. “[Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Wow! What do you think?

John 20:19-31 – Jesus appears to 10 of the 11 remaining disciples on the day of his resurrection and gives them the Spirit. The missing disciple, Thomas, will not believe without proof (oh how I am so like Thomas). Jesus appears again on the following Sunday and shows Thomas his wounds. Notice that Jesus bears the marks of a victim yet twice declares, “Peace be with you.” It seems to me that too many 21st century American Christians want to claim the marks of victimhood (“We are being persecuted by society/government/advocacy groups!”) yet seem to not want to make or bring peace.

Have a great week serving God by serving others. See you in church!

Peace in Christ, our Risen Lord and Savior,
Pastor Gary

Readings for Holy Week and Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018

Hello Everyone,

This past Sunday we celebrated Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) and read the Passion narrative from the Gospel of Mark (Passion Sunday). In many ways it was the beginning of the end for Jesus. Next Sunday, Easter or Resurrection Sunday, is the beginning of New Life. But first, quoting the Psalmist, we must "walk through the valley of the shadow of death". There are assigned readings for each day this week. (I know it is Tuesday already so there may be some makeup reading for those who read our scripture lessons. (That would be everyone, right?))

Here are the synopses for our journey on "The Road to Light".

Thursday, March 29 – Maundy or Holy Thursday "Respite to Wash, Eat, Drink, Love"

Before the terrible day, Jesus gathers with the disciples and others to commend a new way of life, a life lived in love for each other, and by extension, all others. A life of love is counter to the ways of the world. Living in this life will demonstrate to the world the better way God calls us to live. And when we gather around the Table of the Lord to share in his Body and Blood, we remember Jesus’ life, teachings, death and resurrection.

Friday, March 30 – Good Friday "Death on the Road"

Another version of the betrayal, trial, torture, and crucifixion of Jesus. The Light has been lifted up on the cross for us to see.

Sunday, April 1 – Resurrection Sunday "The Road Is Light (and Life)"

God vindicates the victim of our violence. The tomb is empty and we are called to journey with Jesus to new life. When we truly see what we have done and seek forgiveness; when we turn to Jesus and begin living without victims; when we call others to this new road of Life; when we love all as God loves us and all the God Reign, God’s Kingdom will come to earth as it is in heaven.

And now for the assigned readings:

Monday, March 26
- Isaiah 42:1-9 – The first servant song of Isaiah
- Psalm 36:5-11 – God’s love is endless and priceless
- Hebrews 9:11-15 – Jesus is the sacrifice whose blood cleans us so we can serve God
- John 12:1-11 – Jesus with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and Mary anoints Jesus’ feet.

Tuesday, March 27
- Isaiah 49:1-7 – The second servant song of Isaiah
- Psalm 71:1-14 – The attacked Psalmist hopes in the Lord
- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 – The wisdom of the cross is wiser than human wisdom
- John 12:20-36 – Jesus’ death is the judgment of this world

Wednesday, March 28
- Isaiah 50:4-9a – The third servant song of Isaiah
- Psalm 70 – The Psalmist seeks help from the Lord
- Hebrews 12:1-3 – Run the race and fix our eyes on Jesus who endured the cross.
- John 13:21-32 – Someone will betray Jesus and the Son of Man is glorified

Thursday, March 29 – Maundy Thursday
- Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 – God’s instructions for the first Passover
- Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 – Because God has been good, I’ll keep my promises
- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – Paul’s instructions on Communion.
- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 – Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and Jesus commands them to love.

Friday, March 30 – Good Friday
- Isaiah 52:13-53:12 – The fourth and final servant song of Isaiah
- Psalm 22 – “My God, My God, why have you left me alone?”
- Hebrews 10:16-25 – We are have been made clean so we can serve our new High Priest, Jesus.
- or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9 – We have a new High Priest who has made the right sacrifice for us.
- John 18:1-19:42 – The passion of Jesus according to the Gospel of John.

Saturday, March 31 – Holy Saturday
- Job 14:1-14 – The destiny of humanity
- or Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24 – The prophet blames God for what happened yet trusts God’s love
- Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16 – The Psalmist requests help from God
- 1 Peter 4:1-8 – Love because love brings the forgiveness of many sins
- Matthew 27:57-66 – The burial of Jesus and the placement of the guards at the tomb
- or John 19:38-42 – The burial of Jesus

Sunday, April 1 – EASTER or RESURRECTION SUNDAY
-Acts 10:34-43 – Peter preaches the resurrection of Jesus
- or Isaiah 25:6-9 – The Lord will save all people and death will be eliminated
- Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 – The Lord is our deliverance.
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 – We are being saved because Christ was crucified, died, buried and rose on the third day.
- John 20:1-18 – Mary Magdalene discovers the empty tomb, Peter checks it out, and then she encounters Jesus.
- or Mark 16:1-8 – Three women, including Mary Magdalene, discover the empty tomb with a messenger but say nothing.

Have a Blessed Holy Week!

Pastor Gary

Peace United Church & Grey Eagle UMC

Readings for Sunday, March 25, 2018

Hello Everyone,

This Sunday we will continue with our worship series "The Road to Light". The topic will be "The Road through Jerusalem to Death". Here is what I wrote in my plan for the series:

Why did the cheers and praise of the crowds on Sunday turn to cries of “Crucify Him” on Friday? Why were the religious and political authorities threatened by this carpenter turned itinerant preacher/shaman from a backwater part of the empire? What were they afraid of? The answer may lay in John 11 when the High Priest Caiaphas says, “it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” Therefore, Jesus is betrayed, arrested, tried, beaten, and crucified. One friend betrays him, one denies him, all run away. Only the women, the powerless in society, stayed with him. A Roman Centurion says, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

This Sunday will be Palm and Passion Sunday. We will be reading the texts for both portions. It used to be that Palm Sunday only included the reading for the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. That was at a time when most church goers then came to Good Friday Services which were almost always held in the afternoon, because schools weren’t in session and businesses closed for a couple of hours on Friday afternoon. Since that is not the case these days, most people, including church goers, don’t hear the Passion of Jesus but only the glory of Palm Sunday and the glory of Easter. Hence, the necessity of hearing the Passion on Palm Sunday. (To get from one mountain top to another, you must go through the valley.)

Palm Sunday Texts:
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 – The title given to this psalm in my NRSV Bible is “A Song of Victory”. One verse in our reading is well known. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (verse 24) The most quoted Old Testament verse used in the New Testament is verse 22, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”

Mark 11:1-11 – Verses 1 to 6 are the preparations for the entry. Verses 7-10 are about the actual entry. Verse 11 is about what Jesus did after riding in: he looked at the Temple and then went out of Jerusalem to Bethany.

Passion Sunday Texts:
Isaiah 50:4-9a – This is part of the third of four Servant Songs found in Isaiah and extends to verse 11. God has given the servant the gift of teaching and listening. God calls the servant to teach even though he is opposed by people who whip and beat him. Yet, God gives him strength and vindicates him.

Psalm 31:9-16 – This psalm in its entirety is the cry of a victim of society calling upon God to save him from his enemies. 

Philippians 2:5-11 – Paul quotes an early Christian Hymn which affirms Christ descent from Godhood to humanness and his ascent back to God so that every knee should bow before him and declare him “Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Mark 14:1-15:47 (We will be starting at 14:12.) – I will simply share with you the titles of all the sections as the NRSV has it with some parenthetical comments:

14:12-21 – The Passover with the Disciples (Someone at the table will betray Jesus)

14:22-25 – The Institution of the Lord’s Supper (commonly called “communion”)

14:26-31 – Peter’s Denial Foretold (“No, I won’t!”)

14:32-42 – Jesus Prays in Gethsemane (Peter, James, and John can’t seem to stay awake.)

14:43-52 – The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus (Judas does the deed.)

14:53-65 – Jesus Before the Council (chief priest, high priests, elders, and scribes; not a “city council”)

14:66-72 – Peter Denies Jesus (Yes, he did.)

15:1-5 – Jesus before Pilate (Jesus only says three words, “You say so.”)

15:6-15 – Pilate Hands Jesus over to be Crucified (The chief priests were jealous; they stir up the crowd; “Crucify him”; Pilate caves in.)

15:16-20 – The Soldiers Mock Jesus (purple robe; crown of thorns; “Hail, King of the Jews!”)

15:21-32 – The Crucifixion of Jesus (Everyone mocks Jesus: the crowds, the chief priests, and the two crucified bandits.)

15:33-41 – The Death of Jesus (Darkness at noon, Jesus cries out, the temple curtain is torn, and a Roman soldier declares him “God’s Son”)

15:42-47 – The Burial of Jesus (Joseph, a member of the council, retrieves Jesus’ body and lays it in a tomb; two Mary’s watch.)

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Gary Taylor