xmlns:og='http://ogp.me/ns#' The Mid-Week Message: 2012

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

A St. Paul's Christmas Carol

Here is the text of the rhyming sermon I preached this Christmas Eve, 2012.  Merry Christmas!

(For ease of oral recitation, the underlined portions indicate the syllable that serves as the first stressed foot of the tetrameter.)


“A St. Paul’s Christmas Carol”
December 4, 2012
Luke 2:1-20

Here we are, once again, on this most sacred eve
To hear of a great tale that we’ve long believed

Of Joseph and Mary, of Christ’s holy birth
Of shepherds and angels, a star above earth

But if we are honest, and if you’re like me
There’s maybe a staleness to this great story

We’ve heard it so often that we have grown numb
Of the meaning of Christmas and God’s only Son. 

Maybe, if we’re honest, we’re missing a spark
Something that makes us feel so lost in the dark.

A feeling that wrinkles the brows on our faces
A sadness that haunts on an ongoing basis.

You hear folks around you wish holiday cheer
Yet, try as you might, joy comes nowhere near.

News of injustice, and violence, and grief
It’s tough to feel joy and maintain our belief -

Belief in a God who can bring us good news;
You’re much less like Santa, and a lot more like Scrooge

The same Scrooge we saw portrayed live on the stage
The same one that wonderful Dave Zelle played

There’s a bit of old Scrooge in each one of us, friends
There’s a part of us longing for hope to begin.

So come, then, dear Scrooges, on a trip we will go
And take it from Marley, there is much to show

We’ll visit three places, and three times, three sites
Of Christmas Past, Present, and Future tonight.

Our first stop is long ago into the past,
Back when our town was a wilderness, vast

Back when our roads were just dusty footpaths
Back a long time – a century and a half!

Before Knobens and Cooks and before Appleby’s
Before the Phipps, and the Pyles, even before Marlene Kelly

Before Lundell’s and Lunquist’s, Deichmann’s, DeRoos,
Before any were here … even, Sherry Held, too

We find ourselves now near the Little Sioux River
Its thick layer of ice gives a cool, shiny shimmer

We look all around, and there’s no one to see
No streets, and no buildings, no nearby city.

We’re surrounded by woods, in the distance, some hills
It all seems so cold here, we’re getting a chill.

As we stood there all feeling so cold with remorse
A man came up near us while riding a horse

He was gruff looking, tall, with a thin gangly frame
His thick coat had tears, and his pants were the same

He had a long beard, and a tired, worn-out look
It’s like he jumped straight off a history book

We worked up the courage to say hi to the man
And told him we’re visitors to this strange land.

Travelers, huh?” the man said, “I’m one too.
“My name’s O.S. Wight, and it’s nice to meet you.

“I’ve traveled some distance to this desolate land.
“In the hopes of my following God’s mighty plan.

“You see, I’m a preacher, a Methodist brand.
“And God’s called me here to come settle new land.

“It’s just me and my wife, and this horse and some stuff.
“It’s about all we’ve got, but with God, it’s enough.

“We think that this place is a suitable spot.
“To set up a town, and a church – the whole lot.

“So I can’t give a name to this town here, just yet.
“But it’s now Christmas Eve, 1858. 

We blink, disbelieving that where we all stood
Would someday be a Cherokee neighborhood

And here’s Reverend Wight, the Methodist preacher
The one who was Cherokee’s original settler.

And the cool thing is now we just happen to be
Here for the first Christmas in Cherokee.

He invited us back to his home for a bit.
He said, “You all look tired, come on in for a sit.”

His house was quite basic, a one-room wood frame.
A small fire gave us some good warmth with its flame.

We met his wife, who came to greet us warmly
We’re touched by this couples’ hospitality

Join us for dinner,” she told us, “All of you.”
“It’s not a whole lot, but it’s good Christmas stew.”

We sat their table, the fire made us feel warm.
Our eyes drifted around, and we studied the room.

In the corner, we spotted a rattle and doll.
And a small pretty dress, on a hook on the wall.

“Do you have a child, Reverend and Mrs. Wight?”
Then we noticed their faces began to turn white.

“We did,” the man said, but then … his voice got real quiet
“Well, this harsh frontier life…she didn’t quite make it.

“She got sick, and, well, we just couldn’t save her.
“We buried her on a hill not far from the river.

We sat in stunned silence, since words have escaped us
To say to those who’ve lost a child before Christmas

Before we all ate, Reverend Wight said, “Let’s pray.”
“Dear God,” he began, “we give thanks for this day.

“For on this good night many long years ago
“You gave us yourself, to the world you did show

“Born not in a palace, where royalty sits.
“Not in a castle with kings dwelling in it.

“You entered where outcasts were pushed to the fringe
“Where the lonely and lost and the lowly had been.

“You were born in humanity’s sorrows and fears.
“Just like out here, way out in the frontier.

“So bless us, dear Lord, once again with your love.
Bless us with courage to share grace from above.

“And may all of our efforts to start this new town.
“And to plant a small church on this, your holy ground

“Be around after we have long left this grand earth.
“So those in the future can hear news of Christ’s birth.

“We won’t be here forever, that much is sure.
“So use all we do to ensure the future.

“May you find us faithful, until our life’s end.
“And may your love endure, in your name, Amen.

We opened our eyes and we sat very still.
To hear our church founder pray was quite a thrill.

O.S. Wight, long ago, imagined each one of us.
And knew that we all would need life in Jesus.

So he risked all that he had, and he and his wife
Sacrificed all they were so that we would have life.

They believed in the church, and the good it could do
To save who’d come after them, like me and like you

The Wight’s took God’s love and then gave it away
To do so is part of St. Paul’s DNA. 

Then suddenly, out of the blue, in a flash,
We were all whisked away in a hyper-speed dash.

Through time and through space, we moved out at light speed.
And landed back here, in present Cherokee.

As we look around town, all is calm, all is bright
All things seem to be as they should be tonight.

It’s Christmas Eve here, and the town looks quite nice
With its hanging greenery and its twinkling lights

There’s Christmas trees up in our homes and our places
Presents beneath them to light up our kids’ faces

Tonight, they will sleep safely tucked in their beds
With visions of sugarplums stuck in their heads

But behind some closed doors is a more somber sight
Invisible to most, but we see them tonight.

The first is a couple, forlorn, at their table
Neither are smiling because they’re not able.

Between them are papers, and one says, “Foreclosure”
It dawns on us what are the burdens they shoulder.

At once, we dash off, and appear once again.
In another one’s home, and we see an old man.

He stares at a picture of his wife who just died
His first Christmas alone, without her by his side.

In a blink we are whisked to another household
And we see a room full of folks both young and old.

In the middles’ a woman, looking torn with great tension
Her family’s surrounded her for an intervention.

In an instant we see yet another sad place.
This one is a young couple, they’re face to face.

For years they have tried to make their marriage last.
But there’s just too much hurt that they just can’t get past.

We dash to another part of Cherokee
And next there’s a young girl that all of us see

She stares into space, as if into thin air.
And says, quietly, “God, I don’t know if you’re there.”

And then, finally, in another one’s home,
In an upstairs bedroom, sitting there, all alone.

Is a young little girl, and as faint as can be
She says to her teddy bear: “Won’t someone love me?”

One by one, around town, behind many closed doors,
We saw all the hurt that is present for sure.

All around us, right now, on this Christmas present
There’s a pain that makes our hearts all yearn for Advent.

It’s the Christmas we don’t see, but that we all feel
The one deep inside once the surface is peeled.

Beneath all the holiday, plastic good cheer
Is a cold, chilly feeling, like on the frontier.

Then we remember what O.S. Wight prayed
For those who were lonely and feeling afraid

We remembered that he lived believing the church 
Could give hope to people who were lost in their search

Looking for peace, and longing for hope 
Looking for ways in the darkness to cope

But what of these people that we’ve seen tonight?
How will their lives turn around toward the light?

With all of their heartache and all of their grief?
And all of their doubts that prevent their belief?

What of the addict, the marriage that’s ripped?
Financial distress, or the fears that are gripped?

What about those for whom Christmas ain’t Merry?
Could there be those folks here right in this sanctuary?

This present day Christmas is not all it can be
For those who are suffering in sheer misery

Well, there’s one final trip we must take, you all know
It’s on to the future that we all must go.

We forge years ahead, year Twenty-Forty-Two (2042)
Thirty years following all of us, me and you.

We look around town, and not too much has changed
Nothing seems out of place, nothing seems strange

We pick up a newspaper and scan the day’s news
The front page contains a full year in review

Apple just came out with iPhone Fifteen
And Rocky 20 debuted on the big screen

Cars in the future make sixty mpg
And Barney the Dinosaur’s still annoying to me

Computers are now the size of a strawberry
And, lo and behold!  The Cubs won the World Series

And here is good news that surely astounds
Thirty years later, Sherry Held’s still around!

So some things are different, but here it’s the same,
As we walk into St. Paul’s, still on 6th and Main.

It’s Christmas Eve here, in year Twenty Fourty-Two.
There’s chrismon trees, lights, and an advent wreath, too.

It’s basically a lot like the St. Paul’s we have known.
‘Cause even the dining hall’s still not yet done.

We walk through the doors, as the service begins
The preacher seems nice, and he welcomes us in.

The choir is lovely, their songs tried and true
Lots of kids come down for children’s time, too

And then there’s the sermon, no gimmicky rhymes
Just a word about having Jesus in our lives.

The preacher asks anyone in the congregation 
If they’d like to share how they’ve seen God’s love in action.

Several hands shot up tall, and the first one stood up.
After clearing her throat, she began to speak up.

When she spoke, we realized she’s the one that we’d seen
As the one whom we saw in the present day scene.

She said, “Many years ago, my life was the pits.”
“On one Christmas Eve, I’d had ‘nuff of it.

“My family came over for an intervention
“And because of this church, I addressed my addiction

“Tonight I’ve been sober for thirty years now.
“Without God in my life, I wouldn’t know how.

There was some applause, then another one stood.
He was nervous, but spoke out the best that he could.

Thirty years ago, on this night I was home
Feeling so frightened, and so lost and alone.

“I had all these doubts about if God was true
“I was mad at the church, and at Christianity, too.

“I thought I could figure things out with my mind.
“And get over those Christians, hypocritical, unkind.

“But then one of you reached out to me in my grief.
“And God’s love put in action rekindled belief.

Now, ‘cause of God, my life’s been turned around.
“Because all of you, my world’s turned upside down.

Another one stood, and her words stirred our hearts.
As she spoke of how Jesus gave her a new start.

She’d been through divorce, and miscarried a child.
She’d then lost her job, with a bankruptcy filed.

Someone at St. Paul’s then invited her here.
She joined a small group, and confronted her fears. 

So now on this Christmas, she came to tell all
That her life had been changed by this babe in a stall.

One by one, they came up, with a story to share.
Of how God’s love in action through St. Paul’s was there.

There to meet them in the midst of their tears
There, just like O.S. Wight on the frontier

There, like the shepherds on Christ’s holy birth
Went out to share God’s love to all in the earth

We realized, then, what this Christmas was for
It’s not about parties and gift giving galore

It’s about sharing God’s love with those who are down low
About giving ourselves to heal others’ sorrows

It’s about being the church in a world that needs hope  
About giving the downtrodden methods to cope

And maybe for some of you, you’re feeling blue
Because you don’t think there’s something that you can do

To combat the Scrooge that has set up a tent
Inside of your heart on this Christmas Present

Well, here’s some good news, for you there is no doubt
This Christ has been born in you, and him you can live out

No need to succumb to a culture that’s dark
Because in Christ alone, God can give you a spark

To live beyond who you thought you’d always been
To overcome all of your burdensome sin

To turn back your focus away from yourself
And renew a commitment to serve someone else

This God has a plan to do great work through you
With your unique abilities and giftedness, too

This God has a love for you that will persist
And is the grand reason that you even exist

This one is the God who made past, present, and future
And this God, this Christmas, will make you secure

In the knowledge and hope that this God has came near
To vanquish your worries and conquer all your fears.

Since over one hundred fifty years ago
This church, from its humblest beginnings, we know

Has shared the incarnate Word, Jesus made flesh
To everyone whose life has been in a mess.

It’s part of our heritage, and our DNA
To help those around us, and show them the way

The way to a new life of peace and goodwill
The way to a word of hope, and promise still

The way to salvation, of love born anew
The way that can save us, even me, even you.

So how will you celebrate Christmas come dawn?
More importantly, how will you live it from now on?

God has given a gift, Jesus heaven sent
So be the gift tomorrow, just as it is the present

In the name of the God who created the heavens,
Redeems us, sustains us, we all say, Amen.

Monday, December 24, 2012

"I Still Have a Dream"

Christmas Eve, 2012

Dear St. Paul’s Family,
 

From a Sermon on Christmas Eve
by Martin Luther King, Jr.
(Preached on December 24, 1967, at Ebenezer Baptist Church)
 
This Christmas season finds us a rather bewildered human race. We have neither peace within nor peace without. Everywhere paralyzing fears harrow people by day and haunt them by night. Our world is sick with war; everywhere we turn we see its ominous possibilities. And yet, my friends, the Christmas hope for peace and good will toward all men can no longer be dismissed as a kind of pious dream of some utopian. If we don’t have good will toward men in this world, we will destroy ourselves by the misuse of our own instruments and our own power….

I have a dream that one day men will rise up and come to see that they are made to live together as brothers.

I still have a dream this morning that one day every Negro in this country, every colored person in the world, will be judged on the basis of the content of his character rather than the color of his skin, and every man will respect the dignity and worth of human personality.

I still have a dream that one day the idle industries of Appalachia will be revitalized, and the empty stomachs of Mississippi will be filled, and brotherhood will be more than a few words at the end of a prayer, but rather the first order of business on every legislative agenda.

I still have a dream today that one day justice will roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I still have a dream today that in all of our state houses and city halls men will be elected to go there who will do justly and love mercy and walk humbly with their God.

I still have a dream today that one day war will come to an end, that men will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, that nations will no longer rise up against nations, neither will they study war any more.

I still have a dream today that one day the lamb and the lion will lie down together and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid.

I still have a dream today that one day every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill will be made low, the rough places will be made smooth and the crooked places straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

I still have a dream that with this faith we will be able to adjourn the councils of despair and bring new light into the dark chambers of pessimism. With this faith we will be able to speed up the day when there will be peace on earth and good will toward men. It will be a glorious day, the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy.


On behalf of the staff and lay leadership of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Let us move into 2013 with a renewed commitment to bear witness to the light of Christ, which no darkness can overcome.

Grace and Peace, Indeed,

Magrey  

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org



CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE
Join us tonight at 5:30 for a very special celebration of the birth of Christ, featuring carols, candle lighting, and a sermon in rhyme titled “A St. Paul’s Christmas Carol.” To help extend hospitality to the many guests we are anticipating tonight, please consider parking as far away from the church campus as you are comfortable in walking.

IN OBSERVANCE OF CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR
The church office will be closed tomorrow and Wednesday in celebration of Christmas, as well as next Tuesday, January 1.  The Mid-Week Message will continue the week of January 7.

END OF THE YEAR GIVING
Help St. Paul’s meet all of its financial obligations in 2012 by making your contributions to the general fund and postmarking your gifts by December 31.  Thank you for all of your generosity over the past year.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Light in the Darkest Places

December 18, 2012

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

I spent some time yesterday listening again to Coventry Carol, the only Christmas song that describes Herod’s massacre of the innocents.  Written in 1534 in Coventry, England, it is the only surviving work from the play The Pageant of Shearman and Tailors, which portrayed in vivid detail all of the events of Jesus’ birth from Matthew’s gospel.

Its haunting melody and lyrics are from the perspective of Mary, who sings a lullaby to her baby Jesus in the wake of so much bloodshed around them.  Her song is both a longing to protect him from the evil and wickedness in their midst, and an acknowledgment that death is itself the very reason he came to give his life.  I invite you to listen to the King’s College Choir perform the carol at the link below, and read the following lyrics. [1]

       Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
       By, by, lully, lullay.
       Lullay, thou little tiny Child,
       By, by, lully, lullay.

       O sisters too, how may we do,
       For to preserve this day
       This poor youngling for whom we do sing
       By, by, lully, lullay.

       Herod, the king, in his raging,
       Charged he hath this day
       His men of might, in his own sight,
       All children young to slay.

       Then, woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
       And ever mourn and sigh
       For thy parting neither say nor sing,
       By, by, lully, lullay.

It is no surprise that this song does not rank in popularity among the brighter, more festive Christmas carols to which we are more accustomed.  It certainly contradicts the plastic holiday cheer advocated by our consumerist culture.  But maybe, in the aftermath of the massacre of the innocents of Sandy Creek Elementary School, in a year when we have had seven mass shootings in this country, and in a time when so many are struggling with grief, broken relationships, and financial distress, this may be the perfect song to resonate with our aching Advent spirits.   

After all, we remember that Christmas always comes four days after December 21, the precise date when daylight is shortest and the darkness is longest.  Then, the day after Christmas is the Feast Day of St. Stephen, the first Christian to die as a martyr.  And just two days later, on December 28, right in the heart of the Christmas season, is the Feast Day of the Innocents, which commemorates the death of young children at the hands of Herod.  The light of Christmas comes in the darkest moments, at precisely the time when we need it the most.

There is no reason to deny the darkness of our world.  Instead, our baptismal vows call us to “resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”  While it is true that the myriad factors that contributed to last Friday’s horrible tragedy cannot be alleviated by any one solution, our baptism leaves us no room for denial, ignorance, or resignation.  To sit back and do nothing is utterly contradictory to our Christian convictions about Christmas and the incarnation, and it is paramount to allowing the darkness to prevail.  That is simply not an option, at least according to the gospel, for the opening verses of John attest to an incarnational power in which the “light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.”

Make no mistake, friends.  No matter how awful this world seems to be, God’s light revealed in Christ is right where it should be:  shining in the darkest places, illuminating shadows, and eradicating fears.  It is a light that we must embrace, embody, and emanate.  


A PASTORAL PRAYER IN THE WAKE OF SANDY CREEK

Since there were those who requested by pastoral prayer from last Sunday, I’ve offered it to you as part of today’s message.  May it guide our hearts and collective resolve as we anticipate the coming of Christ among us.

Gracious and Merciful God,

During this season of Advent, we remember that the world into which your son was born was not silent and peaceful, but muddled and messy.  That world was filled with tears and anguish, and a longing for redemption from the world’s waywardness.  It is that same kind of world – our world today – into which we yearn for your return.

We pray, oh Lord, for the recent victims of violence, for so many young lives taken much too soon.  We grieve for the families whose mantles will have one fewer Christmas stocking and one fewer seat at the table.  We mourn with the families of survivors, whose children are now scarred by memories no child should have to endure.  We are pained by the images of a community too shell-shocked for words.  Grant to all who mourn an Advent of your peace, and a healing that only your Spirit can bring over time.

We confess to you that our world and our nation are brutally addicted to violence.  We acknowledge the statistics that are too jarring to ignore:  Seven mass shootings in one year, the highest one-year total in our country’s history.  Fifteen of the twenty-six worst mass shootings in the past fifty years have happened on our own soil.  Our media, movies, and video games glorify bloodshed. We fall for the lie that justice must always involve the taking of a life.  There are too many of the wrong kinds of guns in the wrong kinds of hands.  We are saturated by our own bloodlust, blinded by our own frailties.  So come to us, Lord, and set us free from our hearts turned inward upon themselves.

Here, in the town of Cherokee, we ask your blessing on our teachers and all of our public servants, who tend to the lives of our youngest generation, serve our community, and preserve our future. Grant to them wisdom and courage in their daily tasks, and an environment that is safe, peaceful, and conducive to sound learning.

God, inspire each of us to be agents of healing and transformation, even in the context of our own relationships. Help us to support our schools, our law enforcement agencies, our emergency personnel, our health care providers, and all those who order our common good.  Guide us in reconciling any conflict that we have with other.  Teach us to love our children.  Grant to us a steadiness of will and a sobriety of mind to do your will in all that we do, so that we might see your kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven.

In the face of tragedy, and during this season of preparation, focus our resolve, and help us to be agents of peace.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org

[1]  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHkTYpzHNVQ



CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE 5:30
Join us for our grand celebration of the birth of Christ on December 24 at 5:30pm.  The service will feature carols and candle lighting, and another sermon in rhyme titled “A St. Paul’s Christmas Carol.”

END OF THE YEAR GIVING
Help St. Paul’s meet all of its financial obligations in 2012 by making your contributions to the general fund and postmarking your gifts by December 31.  Thank you for all of your generosity over the past year.

SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGING
Thank you, St. Paul’s for your bell ringing efforts this month.  You have been able to raise over $2,400, ninety percent of which stays here in Cherokee to help people in need.  There are still a number of slots available for ringing between 10am and 2pm this Saturday at both Fareway and K-mart.  To sign up, call the church office or contact Mary Jo Carnine.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

A Prayer in the Wake of the Newtown Shooting


A Pastoral Prayer offered on Sunday, December 16, 2012, in the wake of the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, December 14. 


O God of Hope and Promise,

During this season of Advent, we remember that the world into which your son was born was not silent and peaceful, but muddled and messy.  That world was filled with tears and anguish, and a longing for redemption from the world’s brokenness.  It is that same kind of world – our world today – into which we yearn for your return.

We pray, O Lord, for the recent victims of violence, for so many young lives taken much too soon.  We grieve for the families whose mantles will have one fewer Christmas stocking and one fewer seat at the table.  We mourn with the families of survivors, whose children are now scarred by memories no child should have to endure.  We are pained by the images of a community too shell-shocked for words.  Grant to all who mourn an Advent of your peace, and a healing that only your Spirit can bring over time.

We confess to you that our world and our nation are brutally addicted to violence.  We acknowledge the statistics that are too jarring to ignore:  Seven mass shootings in one year, the highest one-year total in our country’s history.  Fifteen of the twenty six worst mass shootings over the past fifty years have happened on our very own soil.  Our media, movies, and video games glorify bloodshed.  We fall for the lie that justice must always involve the taking of a life.  There are too many guns in the hands of too many of the wrong people.  We are saturated by our own bloodlust, blinded by our own frailties.  So come to us, Lord, and set us free from our hearts turned inward upon themselves.

Here, in the town of Cherokee, we ask your blessing on our teachers and all of our public servants, who tend to the lives of our youngest generation, serve our community, and preserve our future. Grant to them wisdom and courage in their daily tasks, and an environment that is safe, peaceful, and conducive to sound learning.

God, inspire each of us to be agents of healing and transformation, even in the context of our own relationships.  Help us to support our schools, our law enforcement agencies, our emergency personnel, our health care providers, and all those who order our common good.  Guide us in reconciling any conflict that we have with other.  Teach us to love our children.  Grant to us a steadiness of will and a sobriety of mind to do your will in all that we do, so that we might see your kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven.

In the face of tragedy, and during this season of preparation, focus our resolve, and help us to be agents of peace.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Hopefully, It's Okay to Say This

December 11, 2012

Hopefully, this message finds you well.

You may have missed the bit of news last April that the Associated Press Stylebook, the longtime self-avowed guardian of proper journalistic grammar and word usage, finally relented on a decades long battle over one of our most common, and – they would argue – most misappropriated words.

“Hopefully, you will appreciate this style update, announced at #aces2012,” the AP Stylebook tweeted on April 17, 2012. “We now support the modern usage of hopefully: it's hoped, we hope.”

For years, language purists have argued that use of the adverb hopefully is suitable only when describing the action of the person in the sentence, when performed in a hopeful manner.  As in, “The little boy hopefully tossed his coin into the wishing well.”  Or, “The girl blew out her birthday candles hopefully.”   It is about the hope felt by the main character, the subject of the sentence.

But over time, we have expanded its application to include not just the person in the sentence, but even the narrator themselves.  “Hopefully, the team will make it to the playoffs,” says less about the hope the team feels and more about the person writing the statement. “Hopefully, the two sides can come to an agreement,” describes our hopes for the best outcome, rather than the emotional state of either party.  In other words, we’ve taken the word hopefully and used it as a mirror to reflect our own feelings.

Hopefully, you can see the difference.

When the AP Stylebook agreed to this expanded usage, it felt like a defeat for those who have long complained about the ongoing twisting and warping of our English language. It’s vagabonds like us, they would say, who butcher perfectly good words like hopefully and cast its carcass on the wreckage of debates over words like nauseated vs. nauseous and healthily vs. healthful.  

However, for Advent pilgrims like us, this news reinforces what we should already know.  This is not just a season for third-person hope.  It is more than just remembering the main characters in the Christmas pageant.  Yes, we sense the hopeful anticipation in Mary’s heart, and the hopeful obedience that marked Joseph’s spirit.  We remember the hopeful word of the angels who broke through with amazing news to the shepherds, and the hope that was born and wrapped in manger hay.

But this is also about the hope we might find in ourselves.  When we light the Advent candles and sing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” when we gaze on the twinkling star lights on our Chrismon tree, when we pause during our busy days and refocus our attention on the God who leads us on our own journey, then hopefully, hopefully, we become people of hope ourselves.

This is not simply a time of fondly recollecting stories from long ago, but it’s also an invitation to allow those stories to sort through and soothe our conflicted lives, so that the hope that God offers can become our own.  For whatever reason you are in need of hope today, I pray for God’s richest promises and possibilities for you and those you love.

Let us, then, be full of hope.

Magrey  

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org



BETWEEN THE TESTAMENTS
We continue our Advent sermon series this Sunday with a closer look at the rise and fall of the Greek Empire.  We will discover the origins of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the festival of Hannukah, and we will explore the question of what it means to maintain our spiritual commitment in a culture that is contrary to our convictions.  Join us for a sermon titled “The Greek Empire: Faithful Living in a Changing World.”

YEAR-END GIVING
Help St. Paul’s finish the year strong by offering your final year-end contributions by December 31.  If you have not yet done so, please fill out a stewardship pledge card, available in the narthex or church office.

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE
Join us on Monday, December 24, for our special Christmas Eve service featuring carols and candle lighting.  The service begins at 5:30, and we encourage you to come early to find a seat.  We also hope that you will park as far away from the church as you are comfortable to walk, so that you can reserve the closer spots for the many visitors joining us that night.

Monday, December 3, 2012

My Christmas Gift to You

December 4, 2012

Dear Advent Pilgrims,

Over the past few Sundays, I have encouraged you to slow down and be still during this Advent, in the midst of the busyness and bustle of the season.  It has occurred to me that merely inviting you to slow down ought to be coupled with some specific guidance on how you might do just that.  So, I’d like to devote today’s Mid-Week to sharing with you some practical steps on incorporating a different kind of prayer as a regular part of your spiritual routine.  I hope that among the gifts you receive this Christmas, this may be the most helpful to your spiritual life.

The practice I’d like to share with you is called “centering prayer,” which has been around for countless generations in the church.  It is by no means the only way to pray, but it is one that has been very useful to me over the past several months.  Therefore, most of what I will share with you will be born from personal experience.

The act of prayer is such an intimate part of each of our lives that the various ways to pray are as numerous as our particular personalities.  As such, some of you may find this to be a helpful way to pray; others may try it and find it only marginally valuable. If nothing else, I pray that it will enhance your journey through even just this season of Advent and keep your life properly focused on your relationship with Jesus Christ.


Preparation.  Begin by finding a time and a place in which you will not be interrupted for at least twenty minutes.  For me, it is at 8:00 am in my office, after I have dropped off the girls at school and before visitors start trickling in.  It may be another time of the day for you, but generally the start of the day is best.

Find a place that is conducive to silence, and I advise that you find a comfortable chair that will offer you good back support.  Sit with your feet on the ground and your hands, palm down, on your lap.  Close your eyes and breathe normally.


Initiation.  Once you close your eyes and listen to your breathing, you will likely be immediately assaulted by a swirl of random thoughts and feelings.  Some of it will be associated with past or upcoming events in your day:  items on your to-do list, conversations with other people, random “this or that.”  You may also begin questioning whether this form of prayer seems absurd:  What if someone walks in on me?  Why am I doing this, anyway?  The collision of random thoughts and feelings, coupled with the eerie silence of your environment, might feel strange at first.  But it is your mind’s natural way of reacting to your effort to recalibrate it towards the work of the Holy Spirit.

Do not try to fight the thoughts that are flooding in and out during this initial phase.  The more you fight against them, the more your conscious efforts will amplify their intensity.  Don’t resist by telling them, “Stop!” or “Be quiet! Can’t you see I’m trying to focus here?”  That will only give them more attention than they deserve.  Rather, gently breathe through those thoughts and feelings.  Whether you realize it or not, with every breath, the Holy Spirit will help you release the more trivial thoughts and begin to collate the thoughts and feelings that are most relevant to this session’s prayer time.


Centering Word. After your mind and your spirit have settled into a calm breathing pattern, you will sense your body becoming more relaxed.  With that calming, you will feel with more clarity the emotions that are most affecting you right now (worry, contentment, loneliness, peace, etc.)   There is no need at this point to characterize what you are feeling; simply breathe through it.

Eventually, a word will emerge in your mind that will capture God’s desired outcome for your soul today.  It will be such a unique word during your prayer time that at the very moment it comes to mind, it will “fit” like a key in a lock, and all of your random thoughts and feelings will come to a new resonance.

That word is your centering word for the day, for the moment.  It is not a word that likely would have worked yesterday, nor is it certain to work tomorrow.  It is a private gift from the Holy Spirit to you, that you can carry with you throughout the prayer and on into the rest of today.   In my experience, you will know the word works by more than its meaning.  Its power will work simply by the way it sounds to you.  There will be something about the way certain letters, letter combinations, and vowel sounds in that word will work together to interact with your present situation.

The selection of that word is the most critical part of this prayer.  At first, you may go through a handful of other words that won’t quite work as you breathe them.  There will be trial and error each time.  If you do not initially hear that word from the Spirit, do not get frustrated.  Simply breathe through your thoughts and feelings, and with every breath, ask.  Seek.  With enough quiet breathing, and as you allow the Spirit to weave through the tensions of your present moment, a word will emerge.  And once that word does come, you will know it almost immediately.

You should not be surprised if the word is not a church sounding word.  While on some days my word has been grace or peace, on other days it has been a surprising word.  Once, for me, it was the word resistance.  I was going through a particularly rough patch of events in my life, and the Spirit was inviting me to surrender them to God, and allow God to smooth them out.  So the “z” sound in resistance felt like refining sandpaper to me, and as I breathed the tensions of my day through that word, I felt the abrasive work of the Spirit smoothing out those tensions into a calming surrender.

There are times when the word will emerge from a reading of Scripture, or the lyrics of a hymn, or a piece of sacred poetry.  Some people prefer to read Scripture prior to centering prayer, allowing a key word from that passage to serve as their centering word.  That kind of spiritual reading is called lectio divina, practiced by Benedictine Christians centuries ago.

The first time I practiced centering prayer, the word that came to me was womb.  It was the word I needed on a day when I was feeling all kinds of anxieties and insecurities.  The long “oo” sound in womb was what I needed to feel like I was being enveloped by the warmth of God’s love, safe and secure from all that felt threatening.  Again, once you discover the centering word that the Spirit is giving you, you will know it almost instantly in your mind, body, and heart.


Prayer.   Once you have determined that word, repeat it in your mind softly and gently with every exhale.  Don’t be too conscious of your repetition; rather, allow it to be embedded into the natural flow of your breathing.  Now, with the word at the center of your praying, you can resume with allowing the free drifting of your thoughts and feelings to interact with that word every time you exhale.  Allow your tensions, in whatever forms they are present to you (thoughts, images, physical aches, or other manifestations) to pass through that word.

Depending on the texture and tone of your word, you may discover a supplemental image that will guide you.  It may be like a sieve, through which your tensions can be filtered; or a funnel, through which your tensions can be channeled; or a womb, through which your tensions can be dissipated.  As I mentioned earlier, the word resistance carried an image of sandpaper, and I surrendered those tensions over to the refining work of the Spirit.  Whether or not an image emerges, and whatever that image might be, depend on the nature of your word and how you might interact with it.

During this time of breathing your prayer through your centering word, pay attention to whatever messages from God may drift into your mind.  Sometimes, I have felt prompted later to explore what Scripture passages have contained that day’s centering word.  Other times, I have felt called to change my perception of events that seemed troublesome to me.  And at other times, I have sensed God clearly nudging me toward specific actions.  In fact, as a result of the word quiet on November 27, I felt the impulse to write the very message I am writing to you today.


Reemergence.  I advise that you spend at least twenty minutes doing centering prayer.  At first, you might find it difficult to conceive spending that much time in total silence.  Others might welcome it.  I can guarantee that once the Spirit brings you that precious word of the day to you, the twenty minutes will fly by.

After those twenty minutes, you will be perfectly suited to enter into whatever is your current pattern of devotional time:  Scripture reading, devotional material, the Upper Room, or others.  I am currently working through the Daily Offices of the church, a book on men’s spirituality by Richard Rohr, and, of course, the Bible.  I now find that only after spending some time in centering prayer am I best able to benefit from reading the Bible and other materials.  And it is often the case that my richest time with God every day is in those first moments of centering prayer.

You might choose to write down that word so it can stay with you throughout your day.  I keep a running log on my smartphone so it is always accessible during the chaos of my day.  It has the added benefit of allowing me to reflect back on prior days, sort of like an abbreviated diary.  Often, seeing a word from a previous day’s centering session will remind me of all that I was facing, thinking, and feeling that day, with more vivid clarity than any lengthy journal entry.  It also prompts gratitude for how God has been tangibly at work in my life.

It is my deepest hope and desire for you that this Advent will be no mere holiday for you, but that it will be a time of renewal, preparation, and hope.  May your spirit, and the work of the Spirit, partner together in our journey to Bethlehem.

Breath, Stillness, and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org



CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
Join us this Sunday for our special Christmas program featuring our Children’s Ministries.  They will lead us in the singing of carols, and a vivid retelling of the nativity story.

CHRISTMAS COOKIE SALE
Once again, our Adult Class will be sponsoring a sale of Christmas cookies to support ministries and projects for the church.  Reserve an extra batch or two of your favorite holiday cookies and bring them to the church this Sunday morning, December 9, where they will be packaged as part of our sale.

COMMITMENT CARDS
If you have not yet done so, please turn in your stewardship commitment card to the church office, so that the Finance Committee can make budgetary plans for next year.  Extra pledge cards are available in the office or in the sanctuary pew racks.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The World Between the Testaments

November 27, 2012

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Imagine waking up this morning after having been asleep for the last four hundred years.

It would mean that the world you once knew was back in 1612, just five years after the first English settlers founded the Jamestown colony in Virginia, a few years after Captain John Smith met the famed Pocahontas, and back when the first seeds of tobacco were ever planted on our soil.

Then, you wake up from your four century long slumber, and you see the United States as it is today.  A jungle of concrete and cables, with sprawling cities and cultivated farmlands, filled with millions of people living in a high speed, completely digitized world.

Culture shock?  Probably so.

To a large degree, that is precisely what readers of the Bible experience when they skip from the Old Testament into the New Testament.  The jump from Malachi to Matthew may be a mere flip of the page in our Bibles, but it is a hyper-speed time shift of four centuries in the Ancient Near Eastern world.

In that period of time, commonly known as the Intertestamental Period, seismic events shaped the world into which Jesus was eventually born.  The land of Palestine, occupied by the returning Israelite exiles, became the brokered pawn of major empires that entered and exited the world stage.  The great Persian empire fell with the rise of the Greeks and Alexander the Great, whose demise gave way to independence under the Ptolemies, eventually to succumb to Caesar and the mighty Romans.

Consider all the changes that occurred to the Hebrew people between the Old and New Testaments.  

        •    They learned to speak new languages (Aramaic for every day conversation, Greek for international commerce, while still maintaining Hebrew for worship.)
        •    They saw the rise of new religious leaders that would react either favorably (Sadducees) or against (Pharisees) prevailing Greco-Roman influences.
        •    They would gather in new facilities called synagogues for religious instruction and community affairs.
        •    The isolated communes of farms and villages would evolve into expansive metropolises connected by modern roads and common currency.
        •    Even the way the Hebrew people referred to themselves changed, from the ancient name Israelite (which connected them to their ancestor Jacob, meaning “mighty with God”) to the modern name Jew (which connected them to Judah, the sole surviving tribe which returned from exile).
        •    And it is here we find the origins of Hannukah, the festival of lights that Jewish people still observe today, based on the miracle that occurred at the dedication of the Temple during the second century B.C.

Most importantly, this period gave rise to the chief theological concern of the Jewish people:  the arrival of a messiah, who would bring them political freedom and cultural independence.

I don’t think it’s possible to fully understand and appreciate all that the arrival of Jesus means to us this Christmas without knowing what happened in the years just prior to his birth 2,000 years ago.  That’s why I’ve decided to devote this Advent season to a deeper exploration of the significant changes that occurred in the people of God between the testaments.

Over these upcoming weeks, we’ll discover how the return from exile and the dominant Greco-Roman world contributed to the world that Jesus knew, and why they are so important in understanding the message of the gospels.

More importantly, we’ll learn how to cultivate and maintain hope amid the cultural and societal shifts taking place in our world today.  If you are looking for ways to find a solid anchor in your life in a time when so much around you and within you is changing beyond your control, then join us for this special Advent series.  It will be both informative and formative, preparing you once again for the arrival of the Messiah.



Between the Testaments:
The World Awaiting Jesus

December 2
The Exiles Return:  The People Long for a Messiah
Jeremiah 33:14-16

December 9
Children’s Christmas Program
Malachi 3:1-4

December 16
The Greek Empire:  Changing the Way We Think
Zephaniah
3:14-20

December 23
The Roman Empire:  The World of Jesus
Micah 5:2-5a

December 24
A St. Paul’s Christmas Carol
Luke 2:1-20

December 30
Jesus:  What the World Needs Now
Matthew 2:13-23


Happy Advent!

Magrey  


The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org


CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
Join us on December 9 for our special Christmas program featuring our Children’s Ministries.  They will lead us in the singing of carols, and a vivid retelling of the nativity story.

CHRISTMAS COOKIE SALE
Once again, our Adult Class will be sponsoring a sale of Christmas cookies to support ministries and projects for the church.  Reserve an extra batch or two of your favorite holiday cookies and bring them to the church Sunday morning, December 9, where they will be packaged as part of our sale.

COMMITMENT CARDS
If you have not yet done so, please turn in your stewardship commitment card to the church office, so that the Finance Committee can make budgetary plans for next year.  Extra pledge cards are available in the office or in the sanctuary pew racks.  

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

A Poem for Thanksgiving

November 21, 2012

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

From Pulitzer Prize winning poet Carl Sandburg, from his collection Cornhuskers, with these simple directions:  “Written to be read aloud, if so be, Thanksgiving Day.”




“Fire Dreams”
by Carl Sandburg (1918)


I remember here by the fire,
In the flickering reds and saffrons,
They came in a ramshackle tub,
Pilgrims in tall hats,
Pilgrims of iron jaws,
Drifting by weeks on beaten seas,
And the random chapters say
They were glad and sang to God.

And so
Since the iron-jawed men sat down
And said, “Thanks, O God,”
For life and soup and a little less
Than a hobo handout to-day,
Since gray winds blew gray patterns of sleet on Plymouth Rock,
Since the iron-jawed men sang “Thanks, O God,”
You and I, O Child of the West,
Remember more than ever
November and the hunter’s moon,
November and the yellow-spotted hills.

And so
In the name of the iron-jawed men
I will stand up and say yes till the finish is come and gone.
God of all broken hearts, empty hands, sleeping soldiers,
God of all star-flung beaches of night sky,
I and my love-child stand up together to-day and sing: “Thanks, O God.”


On behalf of the staff and lay leadership of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, I wish you and yours a week of grateful acknowledgment of God’s blessings in your life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Magrey  

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org


ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS GIFT CATALOG
As you prepare your shopping lists to purchase Christmas gifts for loved ones, consider using our annual Alternative Christmas Gift catalog, sponsored by the Missions Committee.  Starting this Sunday, you can buy gifts in honor of loved ones that support numerous local and international agencies, including Heifer International, Church World Service, and the Cherokee Needy Children Program.

FOOD DRIVE THANK YOU
Thank you to all of you who contributed to our recent food drives for Mid-Sioux and the Christian Action Program.  Your donations totaled 482 food items, just in time for the holidays.  Thank you!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Tales of a Flying Preacher


November 13, 2012

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

As many of you know by now, the girls and I have landed roles in the Cherokee Community Theater’s upcoming production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: The Broadway Musical.  The girls are part of the town choir, and I – if you can believe it – am playing the Ghost of Jacob Marley.

Try to imagine your pastor dressed in a ghostly white vest, tailcoat, and knee socks, encumbered by drooping chains, locks, keys, and cash boxes.  I’ll even be wearing a pigtail wig.  The role also involves singing, of course, which means that the song “Link by Link” has been irrevocably scarred into my brain. (“Link by Link / My chain was getting longer / Link by Link / I should have heard it clink / Link by Link / Each year a little stronger / Link by Link by HORRIFYING Link!”)

Oh, and did I mention the part requires flying?

That’s right, I’ll be entering the stage suspended about twenty feet in the air, then bouncing ethereally around the set during my encounter with Scrooge.  (And by bouncing ethereally, I should rather say “clumsily thumping around like a medicine ball on beach sand.”)  Yes, this pigtailed preacher will be flying.  Which means hell will soon freeze over, followed by the Cubs winning the World Series.

Now I know what you’re thinking.  You take one look at me and say to yourself, “Wow, that preacher really looks like nineteenth century Londoner.” Okay, maybe not.  I look as much like Marley’s ghost as I would, say, Annie.  Which is why I had to chuckle a bit when the director Andy Linn offered me the part with the comforting caveat that the theater’s makeup department would be purchasing “lots of white powder.”

During one of our earliest conversations in rehearsal, Andy asked me to channel my inner instincts as a preacher to understand Marley’s character.  Dickens used Marley’s life as a morality tale, a kind of sermon illustration for Scrooge, from which he could learn the mistakes of living a radically self-centered life, obsessed with the accumulation of money.  Marley’s repentance is fueled not by genuine remorse, but by a bitterness brewed over years of regret for knowing neither the error of his ways nor the consequence of his choices.

Like a good preacher, Dickens used an image as an object lesson to drive home his main point:  in this case, a chain.  If you live a life of selfishness rather than generosity, it will be as if you are encumbered by heavy chains around your soul.  (“Or would you know,” pursued the Ghost, “the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself?  It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. You have laboured on it, since.  It is a ponderous chain!”)

Since I’ve been living in Marley’s skin over the last two months, it seemed natural that I would connect Dickens’ tale with this stewardship sermon series called “The Spirit of St. Paul’s.”  This Sunday, as we observe Commitment Sunday and bring forward our pledge cards for 2013, it is my prayer that the same transformation that occurred in old Ebenezer will take place in any one of us who chooses the path of generosity:

“I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!” Scrooge repeated, as he scrambled out of bed. “The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. Oh Jacob Marley! Heaven, and the Christmas Time be praised for this! I say it on my knees, old Jacob; on my knees!”

Let us surrender to the power of God who has come to set us free, laying aside the heavy shackles that have turned our hearts inward upon themselves.  And let us experience the joy that comes from abundance and charity, and a life of service to God and others.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org



TICKETS FOR “A CHRISTMAS CAROL”
Tickets for the general public went on sale yesterday, and tickets will be going quickly. There will only be eight performances during the six-day run, November 30, December 1, 6-9.  Tickets are $12 adult and $8 children under 12, and can be reserved online through cherokeect.org or by calling the community theater box office at 712-225-4440.

SALVATION ARMY BELL-RINGING
We are once again ringing bells for the Salvation Army, and 90% of the proceeds will stay right here in the county to help people with emergency needs.  We will be ringing at Hy-Vee, Fareway, and K-Mart, and the dates begin Friday, November 23, followed by every Saturday until Christmas Eve. Sign up sheets are in the narthex for time slots from 10am-2pm on those days, and for more information contact Mary Jo Carnine.

FREE LECTURE BY PHILIP GULLEY
Philip Gulley, a Quaker pastor and bestselling author, will present the annual Morningside College Wright Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, at Grace United Methodist Church, 1735 Morningside Avenue in Sioux City.  The lecture is free and open to the public.  Gulley has published 17 books, including the “Harmony” series of novels that chronicle life in the Quaker community of Harmony, Ind., and the bestselling “Porch Talk” series of inspirational and humorous essays. His most recent book is “The Evolution of Faith: How God is Creating a Better Christianity.”

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

The 2012 Pastor's Report

November 6, 2012

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

For those not in attendance at last week’s Charge Conference, I want to share with you this year’s pastor’s report, which offers the main highlights of our year together.  I invite you to read it and join with me in celebrating another great year of putting God’s love into action, even despite our recent church fire.

 

Pastor’s Report
St. Paul’s UMC Charge Conference
October 29, 2012
Magrey R. deVega

When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched and flame won’t burn you. I am the LORD your God, the holy one of Israel, your savior.
– Isaiah 43:2-3
 
       This will forever be a memorable year in the history of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.  On February 26, 2012, a fire that started on the north stove of the kitchen destroyed the entire kitchen and Schuldt Dining Hall, and caused significant smoke damage to the sanctuary and Feller Lounge.  The devastation was shocking news to a congregation that had never had a fire in its 154-year history.
        But just as a fire in nature has a way of forging the potential for new life, this congregation has displayed an amazing vitality in the weeks and months following the disaster.  We relocated our worship service to the Cherokee Community Center for seven months, and continued gathering for excellent, inspirational worship without suffering our normally sizable drop in summer attendance or giving.  In fact, the different space created an opportunity for a casual, fun worship environment, and the great sound system ensured that people could hear everything from the stage.
        By far the greatest blessing through this ordeal has been the amazing leadership offered by some incredible leaders and committees in the congregation.  The Board of Trustees, led by the inimitable Don Witcombe, were immediate, proficient, and thorough in their response and recovery efforts.  The Building Committee, led by Gene Anderson, has faithfully engaged a long, comprehensive process of designing the new facilities with our architects and engineers, negotiating through tough decisions, and soliciting feedback and support from the congregation.  And many in the congregation have stepped in to offer many hours of volunteer service to help us work through this recovery.  
        On September 30, a little over seven months since our fire, we returned to worship in the sanctuary.  After a thorough cleaning by ServiceMaster, a new coat of paint (including a repair to the ceiling in the southwest corner), and new pew cushions and carpet, the sanctuary feels (and, more importantly, smells!) as good as new.
        We are now in the process of completing our negotiations with the insurance company and general contractor to begin work on the new kitchen and dining hall. The church’s leadership has spent much time designing the facilities that this church will need to carry out its mission through future generations, and they have paid careful attention to make sure that all the plans comply with newer code requirements.  We look forward to seeing the new rooms when they are completed.

        We celebrate the fact that even though the fire was the major headline in our church family over the past year, it did not preclude us from doing some amazing work for the kingdom of God.  Last December, St. Paul’s had a very busy Advent season, introducing some new ways to engage people in the work of mission throughout the community. We started a Winter Outerwear Ministry that solicited donations from the congregation and aided dozens of families with coats, jackets, and other cold weather clothing.  For the first time, St. Paul’s sponsored a Bell Ringing program for the Salvation Army, providing volunteers to ring bells and solicit money at Fareway, Hy-Vee, and K-Mart during the weekends of December.  Your support raised over $3,500, 90% of which stayed right here in Cherokee. And, the Missions Committee offered its second annual Alternative Christmas Gift Catalog and saw an increase in the number of gifts people gave to Heifer International, Church World Service, and Stan Sitzmann’s Needy Children Project.  Finally, the youth program did another service project for the Midwest Christian Children’s Home.
        Last February, a week before the fire, we hosted another successful Pancake Day Race and Shrove Tuesday Service, raising around $1,000 for the two local food pantries.  And then in May, despite the fire, we were able to participate once again in Cherokee Hot Dog Days, thanks to Jeff Blum, Rodney Bainbridge, Darly Gochenour, and several other wonderful volunteers. We used that as an outreach opportunity to promote our upcoming Vacation Bible School.
        And what a VBS it was!  We relocated our program to the lower level basement, which we remodeled with a new kitchenette, carpeting, and a fresh coat of paint thanks to Rod Brown.  As a result of the great leadership and creativity of coordinator Karen Long, we were able to have over eighty children participate in a powerful experience of God’s love, made real for them.  Thanks to their efforts, and those matched by the congregation, the children were able to raise over $1,500 for needy street children in India through a United Methodist-sponsored program.
       Speaking of children and youth, these months have been marked by amazing growth in our ministry to our young people.  Craig and Monica Schmidt continue their tremendous work with our senior high, now hosting about twenty teens in their home every Wednesday.  Our kids are even exchanging friendly debates with their classmates about which church has the best youth group! Thanks to Emily Kramer, we have started a new program for seventh and eight graders on Wednesday nights, and we are getting about eight to ten kids, with new kids every week.  And we are grateful once again to John Chalstrom for coordinating a ski trip for the kids last February, which attracted about thirty kids, our highest total ever.
        We certainly cannot summarize the past year without celebrating the incredible way this church offered ministry and hospitality to the thousands of bicyclists that came through Cherokee in last July’s RAGBRAI event.  We offered two feeding sites, a lunch-time “Cowboy Oasis” on our church’s front lawn, and an evening meal at “Mustang Sherry’s” at the community center.  We offer great thanks for the leadership of Jenny Burroughs (who ensured that we carefully followed – and passed! – all health code regulations), John Cook, Sherry Held, and their great team of volunteers.  Additional thanks to Kristal and Curtis Phillips for arranging our use of the corn roaster for the event.  In all, we served about 1,000 hungry bicyclists, who were grateful for the great food and warm hospitality.  And, we hosted about 75 riders in our own building, along with hundreds more housed by individual church members.  We were glad to welcome the thousands of bicyclists to Cherokee, and thrilled to say good-bye to them when they left!

        Even by numerical standards, this has been a great year.  Last March, our statistical report to the Conference celebrated forty-eight new members at St. Paul’s over the prior twelve months, nearly half of them by profession of faith.  That means many new folks have joined the church who have never made a commitment to Christ or joined another local church.  And, once again, we achieved third-mile status in our Rainbow Covenant Missions giving, the highest distinction offered by the Conference.
But of course, numbers don’t tell the whole story.  St. Paul’s has continued to provide great pastoral care and support to people in need throughout this past year.  Our Visitation Program continues to link lay visitors with shut-ins and homebound persons.  We continue to be the epicenter of care for people seeking health and wholeness, with four Alcoholics Anonymous groups, Moms on Meth, Narcotics Anonymous, and our Wednesday morning weight-loss group, called WOW (“Weight Off Wisely”).
        Our Funeral Luncheon Team continues to provide incredibly generous and gracious hospitality for grieving families in Cherokee, and we extend special thanks to Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Memorial Presbyterian Church for allowing us to use their facilities for funeral luncheons and weddings.  Finally, our Helping Hands program, under the guidance of Sheree Hausmann and Marlene Kelly, continues to link the skills and energy of people in the congregation with those in need.

The prophet Isaiah offered a word of encouragement to God’s people, that when they go through the fire, they would not be burned.  It is that same promise of comfort that gives us hope as we look ahead to even brighter days together.  These last few months, while memorable, have been a blessing to us.  God has brought us together, uniting us with determination and joy for the future.  Now more than ever, these are exciting days to be a part of St. Paul’s UMC.  I count it a deep privilege to have served another year as this church’s pastor, and I look forward to another great year of putting God’s love into action!

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org


PRAYERS FOR THE COUNTRY, AND BE SURE TO VOTE
We join with all Americans today in exercising the privilege and responsibility to vote for our elected leaders.  As you make your choices, please offer a prayer for civility and fairness in all of today’s proceedings, along with unity for our country starting tomorrow.

CONFIRMATION SUNDAY
This Sunday we observe an important milestone in the faith journey of our eighth graders.  We celebrate the commitments they will be making to Jesus Christ, the church, and the ministries of St. Paul’s.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN:  THE SPIRIT OF ST. PAUL’S
We continue our annual stewardship campaign, themed “The Spirit of St. Paul’s,” with a sermon this Sunday titled “The Spirit of St. Paul’s Present.”  Watch your mail in the next few days for the arrival of a special mailing from the church, which contains a copy of the 2013 budget and your commitment card for this year.

OUT OF TOWN
I am currently in Leesburg, Florida, for one of my two annual weeks serving the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Florida Annual Conference. I will be returning on Friday in time to preach this Sunday.  In the event of an emergency, I will be checking email periodically, or you can contact the church office.

THANK YOU FROM ELLEN HENDERSON
“Thanks to all for your cards, memorials, and prayers for Don Henderson.  He is in a better place.”  - Ellen Henderson and Family