Joy from the Balcony Seats

September 20, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Rarely did a week go by during my childhood that I didn’t catch the latest episode of Siskel & Ebert’s At the Movies. The thirty-minute program featured critiques of the latest films by Gene Siskel, movie critic of the Chicago Tribune, and Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun-Times. If you ever watched their show, you know the entertainment value of their program was not just in hearing their thoughts on Hollywood’s latest offerings. Like hockey fans who enjoy the brawls and NASCAR spectators who love the crashes, I looked forward to the spirited, often heated debates between these two men who transformed the way we watched and evaluated movies.

When Gene Siskel died of complications from a brain tumor in 1999, the show went on hiatus, and, despite efforts to revive it with other critics, it was never the same. Recently, Roger Ebert has endured multiple cancerous attacks to his thyroid, salivary gland, and lower jaw, and the ensuing surgeries have left him facially disfigured and unable to talk.


“WE MUST TRY TO CONTRIBUTE JOY TO THE WORLD”

Recently, Ebert released his memoir Life Itself, which I promptly picked up on Friday and have been unable to put down. Though his speaking ability has vanished, his mastery of the language has not. He continues to write a column for the Tribune, and commands a growing audience for his online blog. His memoir is partly a collection of his blog entries, in which he remembers the first movie he ever watched, the Marx Brothers’ A Day at the Races (“I had to stand to see the screen. I’d never heard Daddy laugh more loudly.”) as well as his first job as a high school sports reporter for the Urbana News-Gazette (“To be hired as a real writer at a real newspaper was such good fortune that I could scarcely sleep.”). He recounts one of his three interviews with the legendary John Wayne (“He sounded the way he looked. He was a small-town Iowa boy, a college football player. He wasn’t a sex symbol. He didn’t perform, he embodied.”) and his memories of Gene Siskel (“He’s in my mind almost every day. He became less like a friend than like a brother.”)

Though he is currently free of terminal illness, his life has changed forever. This lifelong logophile and master of words is now unable to speak a single one of them. A man who became a television fixture in many homes is now virtually unrecognizable from his illness. Yet, the true beauty of his memoir is in the way it captures the amazing spirit with which Ebert continues to live out his days. In “Go Gently,” one of the final chapters of his book, he reflects on his own mortality and acknowledges that he has fewer years ahead of him than behind. Still, he chooses to live with an indomitable courage, an undaunted optimism, and an unfailing joy:

I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.


“JOY IN FAITH”

I can’t think of a better quote to use as an entry point into this Sunday’s worship service, as Ebert’s story has a pitch-perfect connection to our sermon series on Philippians. Paul, in a jail cell and facing what he very well knew could be his final days, managed to write a letter of unshakable joy. Though his message predates Ebert’s by more than 2,000 years, they jointly attest to the possibilities of unbridled enthusiasm and unwavering courage in the face of hardship:

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. (1:23-26)

This Sunday, we’ll take a closer look at the conscious decision you and I can make to choose joy over our adversities. We will hear more about the life and witness of the Apostle Paul, and see how his unyielding commitment to the gospel gave him opportunities to minister even to the guards in his prison cell. I’ll share with you another story from my travels to the Philippines, about my mother’s cousin, Boy Rojas, and his ability to choose joy despite his circumstances.


“ATTRACTION, NOT PROMOTION”

One of last chapters in Ebert’s memoir is titled, “How I Believe in God,” in which he talks about his views on faith, Christianity, the church, and how his spiritual life has changed over time since his Catholic upbringing. Among his thoughts:

I prefer vertical prayer, directed up toward heaven, rather than horizontal prayer, directed sideways toward me. I believe a worthy church must grow through attraction, not promotion. I am wary of zealotry; even as a child I was suspicious of those who, as I often heard, were “more Catholic than the pope.” If we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, we must regard their beliefs with the same respect our own deserve.

It is in that same spirit, of becoming a church of “attraction” and not of “promotion,” that I invite us to come together in joy and be a witness for a world hurting and in need. Join us this Sunday and invite a friend, as we continue to journey through Paul’s remarkable letter to Philippi, and feel your soul uplifted for the living of your days.

Grace, Peace, and Joy!

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
E-mail: mdevega@cherokeespumc.org
http://www.cherokeespumc.org




PORK FEED!
Yes, it’s that time of year again! Join us after church on Sunday, September 25, for our annual Pork Feed, featuring the delicious flavor-injected pork tenderloins from the Parker family. You are invited to bring salads to share, and desserts and beverages will be provided. A free will donation will be accepted, and all of the proceeds will support our building renovation fund.

DISTRICT TRAINING EVENT
Prospective small group leaders are encouraged to attend a training workshop on Small Group Ministry, either on September 23 at Wesley UMC in Sioux City or September 24 at Alta UMC. Registration is $5, and the schedule goes from 9:00 to 4:00pm. Lunch is provided. The event is led by a staff member of Ginghamsburg UMC in Ohio, one of the largest Methodist churches in the country.


To view past editions of the Mid-Week Message, visit http://mdevega.blogspot.com
For more information about St. Paul's United Methodist Church, visit our website at http://www.cherokeespumc.org
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