Shrieking Stones and Missing Palms

March 23, 2010

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

I’ll admit that even though this is my third Holy Week with you, I am still not accustomed to ordering imported palm branches for Palm Sunday. In Florida, they were easy pickings from just about any home, and the church usually invited children to “B.Y.O.P.B.” For our two girls, it usually meant my taking out a last-minute machete before we left for the service. No problem.

Maybe Luke’s rendition is most suitable for us snow-thawed, flood-receding, Upper Midwest folks. Because his is the only version not to say a word about palm branches. Whereas Mark is obsessed with the details of the branches (calling them “leafy” and “cut from the fields”) and John is the only one to name the branches as “palm,” Luke is disinterested in this kind of biblical botany. It could be that since Luke is writing to a generally Gentile audience, he feels it unnecessary to portray the Messiah with Jewish symbolism that would be lost among his readers.

But deep down inside, I’ll prefer to think of Luke as an Iowan at heart.

What Luke lacks in heavenly horticulture, he makes up for in divine drama. His is the only gospel to record the dialogue between the Pharisees and Jesus after his arrival. The charge is disturbing the peace (“Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”), to which Jesus offers an unusual response: if he silenced them, then the stones would resume the shouting.

Shrieking stones is a strong image, in light of a God who with a hefty resume of bringing life out of inanimate objects. God breathed life into a lump of clay to create human beings. God spoke judgment to Habakkuk through stone-filled walls. And in this gospel, John the Baptist affirmed God’s ability to raise Abraham’s descendants from the stones (Luke 3:8). Clearly, if the disciples went silent, the stones would be ready.

But the disciples were not silent. They threw caution to the wind, displaying a free, unfettered enthusiasm, unencumbered by societal restriction or personal inhibition. Their response is a complementary bookend to the parable of the talents, which Luke places immediately prior to Jesus’ triumphal entry. Whereas Matthew and Mark locate the parable long after Jesus’ arrival, Luke’s placement suggests a model for how followers of Christ are to behave as they enter the passion of Holy Week: ready to take a risk, unafraid of cultural pressure, and determined to live self-sacrificially, rather than cautiously.

Of course, seasoned Lenten pilgrims are well aware that this is just the beginning. The disciples, over a week’s time, do become silent. They fall away from Jesus, one by one, until he is left to die, alone, on Calvary’s hill. But by week’s end, a stone will cry out. The one that is rolled away from the tomb becomes the first witness to a resurrection that has triumphed over death, and signals the arrival of a new dawn.

Join us this Sunday as we mark the beginning of the week that changed the world, and we continue our sermon series “Facing Life with Faith.” The sermon is titled, “How to Be Passion-Prepared.”

See you along the way,

Magrey

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




Luke 19:29-40
29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,
30 saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
31 If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’
32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them.
33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’
34 They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’
35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.
36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road.
37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen,
38 saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’
40 He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’



HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE:

Maundy Thursday: Service of Holy Communion
Thursday, April 1, 7:00pm

Good Friday: Service of Light and Darkness
Friday, April 2, 7:00pm

Easter Sunday: Service of Resurrection
Identical Services at 7:00am at 10:10am
Easter Brunch sponsored by the youth group, 8:00-10:00am

EASTER BRUNCH
The youth group will be offering a church-wide brunch on Easter morning, and would appreciate anyone who would contribute breakfast dishes or assist with clean-up throughout the morning. If interested, contact Lisa Sampson or Karla Wilkie.

The Pastor as Spiritual Docent

March 16, 2010

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Years ago a clergy colleague in Florida gave me one of the best book recommendations I have ever received. She told me that Eugene Peterson’s Under the Unpredictable Plant should be required reading for every pastor who has served for at least five years in the ministry. Since that’s how long it had been since my ordination, I picked up a copy and started reading.

Early in the book, Peterson claims that there are two common types of clergy, each equally unhealthy. The first is the messiah. Messiahs seek out wounded, broken people, and seek to make them healthy again. It is a noble task, except for its motivation: messiahs work to feel needed and useful, and they consider healed people to be mere numbers, accumulated to suggest pastoral effectiveness.

Then there are managers, who seek not the unhealthy but the healthy: talented, devoted, faithful, and prepared. Managers search them out and plug them in, finding the right places for them to serve in an ever-growing, ever-expanding congregational machine. The bigger the church gets, the better managers feel effective and useful. Once again, people become numbers.

Peterson’s two images made a deep impression on me, because I knew that at my core, I have both messianic and managerial tendencies. It is too easy for congregants to become statistics, which I can use for my own external motivation: to boost my self-esteem, inflate my self-worth, and assure my sense of clergy effectiveness.

That realization prompted me to search for a new pastoral identity, one that treated people more personally and grounded me in a purer sense of my calling. Last week while traveling with my family in Paris, I remembered that image during a visit to the world-renowned Louvre.

Rather than being your messiah or your manager, I see myself as your docent.

Clergy are docents of the church, showcasing to the world the architecture and artistry of the Christian faith. We are tour guides, leading people from one gallery to another, shifting their attention from one work of God to the next. At times, we offer language to describe the unutterable: magnificence, awe, distress, anguish. We make a living with our remarks, becoming wordsmiths for life’s most muted moments.

Sometimes that moment demands explanations, and like a docent we offer you helpful information, novel perspectives, and doses of insight. We love it when you look at a familiar passage of scripture in a fresh way, or unpack some mystery of God in your life, or discover some truth that transforms your life. Those are galleries that buzz with energy, excitement, and new possibility.

But other rooms we visit demand nothing but silence. We pause, speechless, when confronted by the mysteries of our liturgy: the breaking of bread, the lifting of a cup, the pouring of water. And there are times when our silence emerges from the ache and anguish of our souls: the graveside of a loved one, a doctor’s diagnosis, or a future swirling with darkness and shadows. Our job in these moments may not be to speak but to stand. To stand with you and let you know that you are not alone in this gallery, and that you have someone who has been there before.

We also know that our tours are temporary, as is the relationship between docent and patron. Our paths have crossed for this period of time, and I consider it a holy privilege to serve as your pastor. Itineracy and other forms of mobility ensure that our relationship is only for a season, so we cherish this time together.

Which leads me to best reason I adhere to this metaphor: the docent never steals attention from the artist. I can tell you about some amazing works I’ve seen, even most recently as last week: the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, the Code of Hammurabi, and The Thinker. But I can’t for the life of me remember the name of a single docent that explained them to me. And I think that’s the way it should be.

Today, too many churches are served by pastors who would rather have the attention focused on their own celebrity: their skill, their charisma, their passion, their personality. Congregations might swell in numbers as they gravitate toward these larger than life, spotlight-dwelling preachers. But I’m learning that such a model is as much blasphemous as it is unbiblical. Pastoral Docents merely point to the Artist, rather than becoming the art itself. We must decrease, so that God might increase.

Of course, the docent image isn’t perfect, just as most metaphors have their flaws. We shouldn’t think of churches as museums, mere tributes to the past, or mausoleums of entities long deceased. People are drawn to churches that are committed to missions and movements, not to monuments. We serve a living, organic faith, that forges a dynamic path into an exciting future.

Nevertheless, the idea of serving as your docent energizes me and grounds me in my calling. I am neither your messiah, or your manager, and you are much more to me than statistics and numbers. Together, we journey in awe through the splendor and artistry of the work of God in our lives and throughout the world. It is my joy to accompany you.

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
http://www.cherokeespumc.org



FACING LIFE WITH FAITH SERIES
We continue our Lenten sermon series with the compelling story of Mary’s anointing of Jesus in John 12:1-8. We’ll hear about the stunning contrast John offers between Mary and Judas in their responses to Jesus, and discover how to live a cross-shaped life.

ADAM TIMMERMAN THIS SUNDAY
All youth are invited to join us at the church this Sunday from 4:00-5:30, to hear our very own Adam Timmerman. He is a retired NFL player who played with the Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Rams. You’ll want to hear him share his faith and his stories of life as a professional football player.

EASTER LILIES
We are currently taking orders for Easter lilies from Rhoadside at a cost of $12.00. You can purchase them in honor or in memory of a loved one, and the deadline for ordering is next Monday. Contact the church office, or place your order on an attendance form this Sunday.

Tiger Woods and the Season of Lent

February 23, 2010

Dear Lenten Pilgrims,

When celebrities sin, it’s voyeuristic entertainment. We hang on every word of every detail, and dissect their apologies like a science lab experiment. That’s why Tiger Woods’ confession last Friday seemed to garner so much attention, with millions viewing it live on television and on the web.

It is impossible to gauge his true motivations behind his apology. He could have been trying to repair his public image, or express genuine remorse, or both. But what we do know is what he said:

I knew my actions were wrong. But I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to....I was wrong. I was foolish.
I've had a lot of time to think about what I have done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It is now up to me to make amends. And that starts by never repeating the mistakes I have made. It is up to me to start living a life of integrity.

After hearing (and re-reading) these words, I find it hard to let them go as mere celebrity spectacle. For doing so distances us, not just from Tiger, but from the task of confession itself. As long as we convince ourselves that repentance of such sins is a task only for high-profile, high-risk cultural icons, then we fail to see the possibilities of a teachable moment for ourselves.

What if, instead of hearing these words while watching a television, we were speaking these words while looking at a mirror?

Tiger likely did not time his public confession to coincide with the start of Lent, but for us Golgotha-bound pilgrims, this was a timely moment. There is something about the words of his apology that ought to reverberate within the dark, recessive confines of our souls. Lent is a time of deep introspection, along with acknowledging the resident, residual sins that go unacknowledged for too long. It is a time of exposing these sins to the light of God’s grace, confessing them to loved ones that we have hurt, others that we have wronged, and vowing to make amends with transformed behavior.

No, this is not easy. While we might never have to stand under the scrutinizing gaze of hot lights and television cameras, we have to strip down layers and layers of self-protection and self-deception, allowing a vulnerability that we would readily avoid.

No true confession is ever easy, even though half-hearted confessions always are. It is much too easy to take less than full responsibility for our mistakes. We’d rather practice conditional apologies, like “I apologize to anyone if my actions were harmful.” A wise person once said, “An apology is not an apology if it contains the word if.”

While Tiger’s words are an effective model in assuming total responsibility, it’s not the best one. I think of King David who, upon acknowledging his own case of infidelity, cried out the words of Psalm 51:

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me….
Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me….
You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart….
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me….
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

The day after Tiger’s television appearance, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, well-known pop-psychologist and author of Shalom in the Home, reminded readers of beliefnet.com of the three stages of repentance from the Hebrew Talmud:

The Talmud says there are three essential steps to repentance. The first is to admit you have a problem. The second is to confess it verbally and take full responsibility. And the third is to undertake corrective, righteous action that will undo or make better the error.

During these weeks of Lent, I pray that each of us will make time to take a serious inventory of our deepest, most secret sins, confess them verbally, and take full responsibility. And then, by the grace and forgiveness of God, let us change our behavior, and determine to live a holier life.

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
http://www.cherokeespumc.org

THIS SUNDAY
We continue our Lenten sermon series, “Facing Life with Faith” with a lesson on how to stay focused on one’s priorities in life. It’s based on Luke 13:31-35 and is titled, “How to Stay Forward Focused.”

MAGREY AND FAMILY ON VACATION
Next week, Magrey and the family will be traveling on vacation, from March 3-10. During that time, the Mid-Week Message will be put on hold and will return on March 16. Also, local preachers have agreed to serve in the event of an emergency. In cases of a hospitalization or a death in the family, please contact the church office.

A Portrait of Temptation

February 17, 2010

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

If Luke had commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of the temptation of Jesus, he may have chosen contemporary American painter Rohann Zulienn. Most paintings of the temptation show both Jesus and Satan, battling in a study of contrasts. Often Jesus is portrayed as shimmering with holiness, projecting confidence. Satan is usually a wretched creature, haggard and human-like. The visual distinctions are stunning.

But that’s not the case for Zulienn’s Temptation of Christ. Like most of Luke’s gospel, this painting is raw, visceral, and evidently human. It shows only a close-up of Jesus, who looks fatigued rather than confident, troubled rather than triumphant. And instead of brushing the devil aside, Jesus is cupping a stone with his famished fingers, pondering the possibilities, debating whether to give in.

As disconcerting as this portrait might be to some, Luke would have us linger over it, as it reminds us of just how human Jesus was, and how ongoing temptations are to human existence. Whereas Matthew and Mark imply that these three encounters were only part of Jesus’ forty days, Luke implies that the temptation was constant throughout the time he was in the wilderness (“for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”) In fact, only Luke suggests that once this experience ended, there remained the possibility for the devil to return at a more “opportune time.”

For Luke, Satan’s presence was incidental to the ongoing reality of Jesus’ temptation. Their three conversations were merely the crystallizing moments to the persistent inner struggles happening within Jesus’ mind and heart.

But with the same precision that Luke diagnoses the human condition, he offers the remedy. He reminds us of two things: while Jesus was in the wilderness, he fasted and he was led by the Spirit. He poses these in dynamic tension, saying that while Jesus’ stomach was empty, he was “full of the Holy Spirit.” This is, in fact, one of Luke’s favorite phrases, appearing recurrently throughout the book of Acts. Both Stephen and Barnabas were characterized in this way: the former was the first martyr, and the latter served a people who were first called Christians. For Luke, being filled with the Spirit inaugurated a new movement in history, when something dramatic and significant would be introduced to the world.

It is appropriate, then, that the first Sunday of Lent begins with this text and this challenge: be filled with the Holy Spirit, engage the struggles of life, and start a new journey. The greatest temptations for some are periodic; for others, they are more frequent. Regardless, we should remember that spiritual preparation must be constant. For though the temptations come and go, they only “depart until an opportune time.”

This Sunday, I invite you to join us as we begin a Lenten journey guided by a sermon series titled, “Facing Life with Faith.” Each week, we will take another step toward the cross and learn how following Jesus calls us to deeper commitment and enables us to withstand life’s toughest battles. We start this week with a sermon titled, “How to Be Temptation Tough.”

Come, Lenten pilgrims, and let us be led by the Spirit.

Magrey

Facing Life with Faith:
Lenten Lessons from Luke

February 21
“How to Be Temptation Tough”
Luke 4:1-13

February 28
“How to Stay Forward Focused”
Luke 13:31-35

March 7
Guest Preacher

March 14
“How to Be Freely Forgiven”
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

March 21
“How to Live a Cross-Shaped Life”
John 12:1-8

March 28
“How to Be Passion Prepared”
Luke 19:28-40

April 1
Maundy Thursday Service
7:00pm

April 2
Good Friday Tenebrae Service
7:00pm

April 4
“How to Be Resurrection Ready”
Luke 24:1-12

PANCAKE RACE UPDATE
What a great night! We had over three dozen racers compete in the second annual Great Cherokee Pancake Day Race. Congratulations to Liza Fuller, for her first place finish. To see the official results, visit www.pancakerace.com. More importantly, proceeds from the day resulted in $1,000 , which will be evenly split between our two local food pantries. Be sure to check out all the media coverage from the event, including the Cherokee Chronicle, Sioux City Journal, KCHE radio, and KTIV television news. And yes, given the starting temperature of 23.5 degrees, we will be submitting this event to the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest frozen pancake race. Great thanks to John Cook and members of the adult class for their outstanding leadership, and countless hours of volunteer support. You all truly, truly put God’s love into action.

RENOVATION UPDATE
The Building Committee is eager to show you all of the preliminary drawings of the next renovation and get your comments. This Sunday, February 21, after the worship service, you are invited to attend a feedback session downstairs in the Fellowship Hall to see all the plans. At that time, the Committee can answer any questions you might have, including timelines for the renovation and the next capital campaign.

MAGREY PUBLISHED
The United Methodist publication Circuit Rider has asked me to write the “Sermon Starters” articles for the six Sundays of Lent. These will assist preachers in their preparations for their sermons over the next several weeks. To view the articles (and to get a taste of our new sermon series), visit http://www.umph.org/pdfs/circuitrider/BBMT001808PDF000.pdf.

The Gospel's Intermission

February 9, 2010

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Long before the days of three-hour epics such as Titanic and The Lord of the Rings, classic films had built-in intermissions. Halfway into the movie, the first act would draw to a close, and theater goers could hit the snack bar, run to the bathroom, and be back in their seats without missing a single scene.

There were many reasons for this interlude. It encouraged concession sales for the theater and provided timely comfort breaks for the customers. And, since movies arrived in multiple film canisters, there was ample time to change reels.

As a result, screenwriters learned to write their stories in two distinct acts, bridged by a thrilling cliffhanger. Would the hero survive and win in the end? What would happen to the couple’s forbidden love? Will the story have a happy ending? Patrons pondered these questions while filling their popcorn buckets, eager to get back before the movie resumed.

While the gospels are a far cry from a film script, they do contain a clearly defined intermission. The stories of Peter’s confession and the transfiguration of Jesus serve as the critical hinge between the two distinct acts of Jesus’ life: 1) his birth and public ministry, and 2) his death and ascent to glory. And in bold, cinematic fashion, the drama culminates with this gripping question from Jesus:

“Who do you say that I am?”

Peter, of course, answered the question correctly. “You are the Messiah of God.” But just when we might think this to be a suitable conclusion to the story of Jesus, we discover that this is merely the end of the first act. For it is not enough to have a proper understanding of Jesus, or to simply make correct claims about him. Yes, Peter knew the right answer, but the life of a disciple is more than mere superficial knowledge. He had not yet allowed those convictions to shape his behavior, to alter his commitments, and to live a cruciform life.

His faith was still stuck in Act I.

So, Jesus introduced a cliffhanger. A powerful scene on a mountaintop, in which he radiated in dazzling white, accompanied by ancestral heroes, and heard the divine words of a proud Parent:

“This is my Son, my Chosen. Listen to him.”

We can almost hear the orchestra swelling and the curtain falling, daring us not to miss the exciting conclusion. And as we take a deep breath and digest the first half of the story, God’s message to us is quite clear. Listen to him. Stay tuned. Don’t leave the theater, get back to your seat, and stay in the story. For there is much, much more for you to see.

Transfiguration Sunday is a pivotal moment in the course of the Christian year. We officially move away from the glory of Christmas and the joy of Epiphany, moving into the sobriety of Ash Wednesday and the reverence of the Lenten season.

But more importantly, the transfiguration echoes that pivotal moment in the life of every faithful sojourner. It is that moment when we must move past an “Act I” faith and shift into “Act II.” Will we be content to have mere knowledge about Jesus, without a desire to live like Jesus? Are we well-versed in making claims about the Christ, without allowing that same Christ to shape our behavior? And will we be stuck in the comforting cradle of Christmas and Epiphany, or will we follow Jesus to the cross, and live a life of obedience and self-sacrifice?

These are vital questions for all of us to answer, so I invite you to join us this Sunday, as we observe the Transfiguration of our Lord. We’ll gather on the mountaintop, bear witness to his glory, and echo the words of his disciples: “It is good for us to be here.” Together, we’ll move from Epiphany to Lent, and turn our gaze toward the cross.

Come back for the second half of the story. It’s an ending you won’t want to miss.

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
http://www.cherokeespumc.org




Luke 9:18-20, 28-36
18 Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’
19 They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’
20 He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’
28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.
30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.
31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said.
34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.
35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’
36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.



PANCAKE RACE DEADLINE ON FRIDAY
Be sure to sign up for the biggest thing to hit Cherokee since Pilot Rock: the Second Annual Great Cherokee Pancake Day Race. Registration costs $10, and forms are available at the church office, City Hall, the Wellness Center, KCHE, or online at www.pancakerace.com. The race is next Tuesday, February 16, with festivities beginning at 5:00pm. The Shrove Tuesday service follows, and concludes with a pancake supper. Proceeds from the day support our two local food pantries.

YOUTH OLYMPICS NIGHT
Attention, 7th – 12th Graders! Join us for the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat! Our next youth group gathering is this Sunday, from 5:00-7:00, and features a host of activities celebrating this year’s Winter Olympics. You won’t want to miss it, and bring a friend!

GIRL SCOUTS LASAGNA SUPPER
Join the Girl Scouts in the Fellowship Hall after this Sunday’s service for their annual fundraiser. No advanced tickets are necessary, and a free will offering will be received at the meal.

RENOVATION UPDATE
The Building Committee is eager to show you all of the preliminary drawings of the next renovation and get your comments. On Sunday, February 21, after the worship service, you are invited to attend a feedback session downstairs in the lounge to see all the plans. At that time, the Committee can answer any questions you might have, including timelines for the renovation and the next capital campaign.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Ahoy, mates! Energy is building for this year’s Vacation Bible School, themed “High Seas Expedition!” We are in need of several new volunteers to help with a range of fun tasks throughout the week. All VBS volunteers are invited to an initial organizational meeting on Wednesday, February 24, at 6:30. If you’re interested, contact Jill Chalstrom.

The Second Annual Great Cherokee Pancake Day Race

February 2, 2010

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Legend claims that 565 years ago, a homemaker in Olney, England, heard the church bells signaling the start of a Shrove Tuesday service. She had been hurriedly cleansing her pantry of all fattening foods in preparation for Lent, using up the remainder of milk, flour, eggs, and butter to make a batch of pancakes. Upon hearing the bells, she scurried out of the house, still wearing her apron and carrying her cast-iron skillet. In it was a pancake, which she repeatedly flipped as she ran to the church, in order to keep the pancake from burning. Poet William Fennor remembered the moment in his 1634 work Palinodia:

“And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne.”

Thus, in the town of Olney, the pancake race began, as an unusual way of starting the Lenten season. Every Shrove Tuesday, women dressed in the traditional costumes of aprons and head coverings run a 415-yard course, carrying their cast-iron skillets, and giving their pancakes one final flip as they cross the finish line. Since the race’s birth, communities around the world have staged similar events, matching their times with their international counterparts, in a show of civic pride. (In case you are wondering, Jane Hughes from Liberal, Kansas, had the best time in 2009, running the course in 62 seconds.)

And last year, your Cherokee, Iowa, community joined the ranks of the head-kerchiefed pancake flippers. We had 80 women compete, and a standing-room only crowd in our sanctuary for the Shrove Tuesday worship service that followed. Local and regional media coverage, including KCHE radio, the Cherokee Chronicle, and KTIV television news ran stories about the event, and we raised $2,200 in donations for our two local food pantries. Last year’s event was so successful that there was little doubt that we would run it again.

The Second Annual Great Cherokee Pancake Day Race promises to be bigger and better than ever, on Tuesday, February 16, at 5:30pm. The course begins at City Hall, then follows the same route as last year, concluding with the challenging incline of Piety Hill leading to the front doors of St. Paul’s. The initial buzz over the event has prompted the need to limit racers to the first 100 skillets (we can have more than 100 racers, if some teams choose to pass their skillet in relay fashion). We are already receiving registrations, at a cost of $10 per contestant, which will help defray costs associated with the event. And this year, we have a new website, www.pancakerace.com, where you can read detailed information about the event, and even register online.

After the race, we will have a brief worship service, award prizes, and prepare for Lent. Then, we’ll head down to the Fellowship Hall for a pancake supper, the donations from which will support the food pantries at both the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and Mid-Sioux Opportunities, Inc. The idea that other people’s food pantries will be replenished on a day usually set aside for cleaning out your own is deliciously ironic.

And did I mention that the winner of the Pancake Race gets a kiss from the Supervising Vicar?

Oh, and did I mention that, as the pastor of St. Paul’s, I am the Supervising Vicar?

Finally, did I say that I have encouraged my wife Jessica to try to win the race, at all costs?

At any rate, this is an event you surely will not want to miss. Register as a contestant, or offer to help out with any of a number of volunteer opportunities on that day. Please see John Cook, Jenny Burroughs, or any member of the Adult Class.

Women, start your pancakes!

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
http://www.cherokeespumc.org



BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
Our sermon series on the amazing stories of Jesus from the gospel of Luke continues with a story from 7:1-10. It’s titled, “The Man Who Amazed Jesus,” and focuses on the centurion who impressed Jesus with his display of faith and conviction.

YOUTH FUNDRAISER THIS SUNDAY
To raise money for their upcoming ski trip, the youth will be selling baked goods and Super Bowl snacks this Sunday morning. If you would like to help out in any way, contact Sue Parker or Lisa Sampson.

RENOVATION UPDATE
The Building Committee is eager to show you all of the preliminary drawings of the next renovation and get your comments. On Sunday, February 21, after the worship service, you are invited to attend a feedback session downstairs in the lounge to see all the plans. At that time, the Committee can answer any questions you might have, including timelines for the renovation and the next capital campaign.

Fishing with Pringles

January 26, 2010

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Reading the gospel lesson for this Sunday evokes strong, fond memories of my grandfather, Genaro Rojas. He lived with us for periods of several months during numerous visits from the Philippines, and every stay was memorable. He spoke no English, except for broken versions of the bare essentials (“Be nice day,” he would tell me as I went off to school. Translation: “Be nice to everyone you meet today.”) That made his communicating with this Florida-born, English-raised kid quite challenging. But we loved being together, especially in those moments that transcended the need for common language. Like watching The Three Stooges (which is funny to young boys and old men alike, in any language.) Or enjoying a good meal. Or riding bikes.

Or, fishing.

My family would go on frequent outings to the Bay Pines Boulevard bridge, just a mile from our house and overlooking a tranquil bay connecting the Pinellas County bayous with the Gulf of Mexico. On many Saturday mornings, we would set up our folding chairs, haul up our bait and tackle, and sit for hours at a time. I was only eight years old then, and the fishing pole was taller than I was. But I was prepared with all the expensive gear: hooks, bobbers, lures, weights, bait. All the bells and whistles. And then I’d look over at my grandpa.

He had no fancy fishing pole. Just an old, empty Pringles can, wrapped with a stray length of line, with a rusty hook and a tiny bit of bait on the end. Whereas the rest of us cast our lines and sat on comfy chairs, he simply lowered his hook into the water, and squatted on the bridge deck, line held gingerly between his fingertips, staring into the water.

After several hours, I had zero bites. Nothing. Not even a nibble. But my grandfather? His seasoned fingers could feel the vibrations of curious fish. And he knew the precise moment to jerk his line and snap the hook into the fish’s mouth. Every few minutes, he’d pull up new prey, filling a bucket in no time.

I was stunned. I had been bested by a man many times my age, armed only with a castaway potato chip can and some leftover line. To smooth my pride, I reminded myself that he grew up on an island, surrounded by water, where fishing was not just a hobby; it was a matter of survival. Nonetheless, there was something simply awesome about watching a master at work.

Something tells me that my reaction was similar to that of Simon Peter, who had spent years out on the water as a professional fisherman. Then, along came some carpenter-turned-public-speaker, who dared to give him some advice about how to catch more fish. Luke says that when Peter followed Jesus’ instructions, casting the net on the other side, they caught so much fish that the nets began to burst and the boat began to sink.

I think there’s a lesson here about swallowing and allowing. About swallowing one’s pride, and allowing the Guide. About letting go of past patterns of behavior that have been ineffective (at the very least) or harmful and destructive (at worst). And then changing course, following the Master, and living a completely different kind of life, no matter how weird it seems.

Undoubtedly, Jesus’ fishing lessons sound as crazy as fishing with a Pringles can. But that was simply a precursor to the unbelievable things he would later say in Luke’s gospel. After teaching his disciples how to fish more deeply, he told them how to live more deeply:

· Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you

· If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.

· Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

· Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.

· Do to others as you would have them do to you.

I don’t know about you, but it’s hard enough to live like Jesus, let alone catch fish like my grandfather. Which is why I find Peter’s reaction to Jesus so spot on, and so human: “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken.

I invite you to join me this Sunday as we explore this passage a little more, well, deeply. And we’ll discover ways to live out our commitment to Jesus that disrupts old patterns of behavior and harvests new expressions of joy, love, and courage. It’s all part of our current sermon series “Believe It or Not: Surpising Moments with the Savior,” and the sermon is titled, “What a Fish Tale!”

Come join us! The water is deep and the fishing is great!

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
http://www.cherokeespumc.org





Luke 5:1-11
1 Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God,
2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’
5 Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’
6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.
7 So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’
9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken;
10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’
11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Believe It or Not: What a Fish Tale!
January 31, 2009
Luke 5:1-11

Believe It or Not: The Man Who Surprised Jesus
February 7, 2009
Luke 7:1-10

So Do You Believe Him or Not?
February 14, 2009
Luke 9:28-43
(Transfiguration Sunday)

NEW HAITI RELIEF TAX DEDUCTION
The federal government recently authorized that all donations you give to Haiti relief between January 11 and March 1 can be included as tax deductions for your 2009 return. That includes any money you donated to UMCOR during our special offerings the last two Sundays. If you would like to receive a statement verifying your contributions to UMCOR, please contact our Financial Secretary, Sarah Cook (sarahcook@hughes.net). Please note that this deduction only applies to financial contributions, not goods and services.


BUILDING COMMITTEE AND TRUSTEES UPDATES
These have been exciting days for the St. Paul’s campus, and we thought you’d want to know about the progress being made throughout the church property. Efforts continue to bring to completion a preliminary design plan that carries out the suggestions and desires of our members as expressed in our congregational survey.

Parking Lot: The two residential properties have been demolished and cleared by Lundell Construction, and the Trustees have contracted with Grundman-Hicks to pave the new parking lot. The city has approved plans for ten new perpendicular parking spots to be built along the western edge of the property, accessible directly off 6th St. The remainder of the property will be left “green” to allow for future expansion of the site.

The cost of the construction will be $25,000, which the Trustees and Finance Committee have approved and will be paid for by a loan through Cherokee State Bank. Grundman-Hicks was able to install the sidewalk and prepare the parking spots for concrete before the onset of winter, and they will complete the project as soon as weather allows.

Campus Renovation: The Building Committee has met extensively with members of Rick Dean's architect firm, the same company that was involved with the sanctuary renovation. They have completed the initial design phase of their work, which includes preliminary drawings for the kitchen, fellowship hall, lounge, library, offices, classrooms, lower level basement, new sanctuary-level bathrooms, and a new façade for the education wing. The architects have been paid out of the Next Generation Fund.

The Trustees have just approved a contract with Engineering Design Associates (EDA) of Sioux Center to study and present detailed mechanical plans for the renovation, including electricity, heating and cooling, plumbing, audio-visual support, and energy efficiency. They will be paid $3,500, also out of the Next Generation Fund.

Feedback Groups: The Building Committee is eager to show you all of the preliminary drawings and get your feedback. On Sunday, February 21, after the worship service, you are welcome to attend a feedback session downstairs in the lounge to see all the plans. At that time, the Committee can answer any questions you might have, including timelines for the renovation and the next capital campaign. In the meantime, should you have questions or comments, please see a member of the Building Committee:

Gene Anderson and Keith Willis (Co-chairs), John Cook, Roni Timmerman, Dave Appleby, Jeanie Anderson, Donna Lucas, Bruce Dagel, Joyce Pyle, Bob Shroeder, Mike Taylor and Magrey deVega


THE PANCAKE RACE IS COMING!
Attention, women of Cherokee! Dust off that apron and practice your pancake flipping! The wildly successful Great Cherokee Pancake Day Race returns this Shrove Tuesday, February 16, and it promises to be even bigger and better than last year! It is time to start assembling your teams and preparing your costumes, and we are ready to receive your registrations. To download a registration form, and for more information about the race, visit our new website at www.pancakerace.com.


MAGREY IN FLORIDA
Magrey is in Florida serving on the Florida Conference Board of Ordained Ministry in Leesburg, FL. He will return Saturday afternoon, in time to preach this Sunday. He has regular access to e-mail throughout his time there. Should you have a pastoral emergency, such as a hospitalization or death in the family, please contact the church office. Area United Methodist ministers are serving “on-call” to respond to any immediate needs.