The Holy Work of Words

October 18, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,
 

"But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think."
~George Gordon Byron
 

I hope that your Sunday schedule this past weekend included viewing the dedication of the MLK Memorial in Washington, D.C.  Assembled in our nation’s capital were about 50,000 people who, along with the millions viewing around the world, remembered the life, witness, and work of America’s greatest champion for civil rights and non-violence.

The memorial sits on four acres on the northwest corner of the Tidal Basin, on a perfect line between memorials to Abraham Lincoln – the “Great Emancipator,” and Thomas Jefferson – the “Apostle of Democracy.”  From these three great figures we get three of the most significant pronouncements on human dignity in American history:  The Declaration of Independence, The Gettysburg Address, and the “I Have a Dream” speech.

We remember that our history, our collective conscience, and the hope of our future is grounded and shaped by the power of words.

Yes, words mean little if not complemented by conviction and implemented with action.  But, as Lord Byron wrote in the quote above, words can make “thousands, perhaps millions, think.”  Words can unlock our imagination, unleash our creative potential, and empower us to see a future that is better than our past.  Speeches can stir our hearts, essays can evoke hope, and documents can determine our identity as a people.  After all, one of the Latin words for word is dictum, whose root word dico originally meant “to consecrate.”  To participate in the power of words is to dedicate a part of ourselves for holy work, to partake in divine efforts for truth, dignity, and justice throughout the world.


JOSE RIZAL

I was eminently reminded of the power of words over the summer, during our trip to the Philippines.  This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jose Rizal, the 19th century poet, novelist, and champion for Filipino pride and liberty.  Like Dr. King, his society was marked by injustice and oppression, stemming from three centuries of Spanish occupation in the Philippines. Perceiving the Filipino people to be savagely primitive and illiterate, Spain ruled the Philippines with a heavy hand, affording them little opportunity for cultural expression and civic pride.

But Rizal was an iconoclast.  Far more than merely literate, he was a polyglot: able to speak and write in twenty-two languages.  His extensive university education earned him degrees in Madrid, Paris, and Heidelberg, Germany.  From his studies, he wrote books and essays which promoted education for all Filipinos and the development of a national identity, all through non-violent resistance.   His significant works became the basis for peaceful reform, resulting in the Philippines Revolution of 1896-1898 and the secession of the Philippines from Spanish occupation.

King and Rizal shared more in common than their mutual belief in the power of words and non-violence.  They shared similar fates, as their growing influence and threat to the oppressive establishment resulted in their own untimely deaths. Rizal was exiled, imprisoned, and ultimately sentenced to execution in 1896 for acts of rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy.  Just days before his death, Rizal penned a poem called “My Last Farewell” that spoke of his pride as a Filipino, and his undying hope for a land filled with freedom, justice, and liberty for all people:

If over my grave some day thou seest grow,
In the grassy sod, a humble flower,
Draw it to thy lips and kiss my soul so,
While I may feel on my brow in the cold tomb below
The touch of thy tenderness, thy breath's warm power.
Let the moon beam over me soft and serene,
Let the dawn shed over me its radiant flashes,
Let the wind with sad lament over me keen;
And if on my cross a bird should be seen,
Let it trill there its hymn of peace to my ashes.
Let the sun draw the vapors up to the sky,
And heavenward in purity bear my tardy protest
Let some kind soul o 'er my untimely fate sigh,
And in the still evening a prayer be lifted on high
From thee, 0 my country, that in God I may rest.

This poem is to Filipinos what Dr. King’s speech is to Americans:  a vision of the future, seeded in hope for today, and grounded in the power of words.


CHILDREN’S SABBATH

This Sunday you and I will participate in that same transformative power, as the children lead us in our annual Children’s Sabbath.  They will raise our awareness of the plight of children around the world, who lack access to adequate health care, proper nutrition, and safe homes and neighborhoods. But most importantly, they will use that same power of words to evoke hope and call us to action, as embodied by the words of Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund, which sponsors the Children’s Sabbath:

“With faith, commitment, and hard, persistent work, if we stand united for healthy children and for hope and healing for all children neglected and left behind in our world, God will do the rest.”

So, as people of God, let us be a living word of hope and justice for the world.  In the spirit of Martin Luther King and Jose Rizal, let us seek the dignity of all people, including our children and the most vulnerable among us.  Let us participate in the “holy work” of words, with grit, courage, and non-violence, all in the manner of the Word Made Flesh.

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



NEW MEMBER SUNDAY: OCTOBER 30
We have a number of new folks who are interested in joining the church, and we will be welcoming them into membership on October 30.  If you or someone you know is interested in joining St. Paul’s, please respond to this e-mail or contact Andrea in the church office.

CHEROKEE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER 5K FUN RUN / WALK
In support of Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative, the Cherokee Regional Medical Center Physical Medicine and Rehab Department will be sponsoring a 5K Fun Run/ Walk as well as a 1K “Tot Trot /Mutt Strut” on Saturday, October 22. Registration will be at 8:00 a.m., and the events will begin at 9 a.m.  They will start and finish on the CRMC campus.  All runners, walkers, pets on leashes and strollers are welcome.

The cost is $15 if you pre-register by noon on October 10th, and pre-registrants will receive a T-shirt. Registration fees after October 10th will be $20.00.  All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Hawarden, IA site of the Personal Energy Transportation (PET) project, a program designed to provide appropriate mobility for God’s children in need.

Visit www.giftofmobility.org for more information about the PET project.  You may pre-register by contacting the CRMC Physical Medicine and Rehab Department at 712.225.1502 or you may download a brochure and registration form at www.cherokeermc.org .

CHARGE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 27
Join us at 6:00pm on Thursday, October 27, for our annual charge conference.  We will celebrate our ministries from the past year, approve the 2012 budget, and adopt ministry goals for the upcoming year.  Every member of the church is a voting member of the charge conference.

In Connection We Become

October 11, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

There was a stretch of days last week in which I was reminded of both the grind and the gratification of pastoral work.  Multiple people on different occasions welcomed me into the midst of their difficult crises, allowing me into the most private and best-fortified parts of their lives, invitations which I always regard with great humility and privilege. While the content of our conversations must be kept confidential, I can tell you that their struggles would seem quite familiar to many of us.

Life is a nimble stride along the constant intersections of hope and sorrow.  When in the midst of our darkest difficulties, when our innermost resources to resist despair are depleted, we have little recourse but to reach out to others for love and support.  That mutual concern can awaken us to the subtle, unfeigned work of the Spirit, which incarnates courage and promise.

All these thoughts, along with the memories of people to whom I had ministered last week, culminated on my laptop on Thursday night, when I typed out the following few verses.  For me, they reflect the value of solidarity:  the comfort that comes in connecting with others in the midst of our struggles, and the promise that we claim together when we turn our corporate attention to Hope in our midst.

“In Connection We Become”

Down in the mire and the raw
Where brokenness, like grass withered in the crags
Recalls our earthly rigors, the dust from whence we came.

We yearn, and catch the glint in fellow eyes
Reaching for empathic nods and thin-lipped smiles
For evidence of companionship along well-worn paths.

Up to the heavens we long
For rains to saturate our thirsty souls, lavished on us, banquet-style;
The kinds of epiphanies that broker hope

Hope that is found, but not produced.
(For we are too weak to work with nimble fingers)
Then, a gift descends in free fall.  

Into our midst a form appears
Incarnating sunrise, breaking into our dawn.
Calling us into union with God and each other.

And so, we raise our calloused, weary hands
Palmward to the heavens, and outward to fellow sojourners
For in our connectedness, with the Connection, we become.

I don’t claim to be a poet (especially when it doesn’t involve Seussian couplets), and it is unlikely that this poem will launch me into a new stream of writing endeavors. Besides, there’s no way I could pretend to pace the power and passion of Paul’s pen (although, he probably couldn’t match my awesome abilities for alliteration).  In this Sunday’s scripture text, Paul envisions the capacity for people to join together in hope and expectation, rising above their earthly sorrows into a heavenly camaraderie:

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us….Our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.  (Philippians 3:17, 20-21)

It may seem trite and cliché to say this, but no matter what you are facing today, you are not alone. We are called to become the body of Christ, to encourage each other with godly example, intimately joining together in the expectation of a Savior.  As we look ahead to these final few weeks in our Philippians sermon series on joy, you may be longing for a “rain to saturate your thirsty soul.”  I believe you’ll find it in connection with fellow sojourners along the way, which is precisely the subject of this Sunday’s sermon, “Soaring in Solidarity.”  This may be a great sermon to invite a friend to attend, if they are looking for real hope amidst their loneliness.

One, Together,

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




NEW EVENING CLASS: MEET THE METHODISTS

“Meet the Methodists” is a two-part introduction to the United Methodist Church and an orientation to St. Paul’s.  Part 1 will be this Thursday, October 13, at 6:30pm.  It will be a 90-minute introduction to the history, beliefs, structure, and practices of the United Methodist Church.  Part 2 will be on November 10 at 6:30pm and will be an orientation to the history, mission, vision, and ministries of St. Paul’s.  Both parts will be offered on a continuing rotation throughout 2012, in case you miss one or both parts this fall.

This class will be perfect for people who have just joined the church, those interested in joining, and members who would like a refresher course on what it means to be United Methodist.


NEW MEMBER SUNDAY: OCTOBER 30

We have a number of new folks who are interested in joining the church, and we will be welcoming them into membership on October 30.  If you or someone you know is interested in joining St. Paul’s, please respond to this e-mail or contact Andrea in the church office.


CHEROKEE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER 5K FUN RUN / WALK

In support of Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative, the Cherokee Regional Medical Center Physical Medicine and Rehab Department will be sponsoring a 5K Fun Run/ Walk as well as a 1K “Tot Trot /Mutt Strut” on Saturday, October 22. Registration will be at 8:00 a.m., and the events will begin at 9 a.m.  They will start and finish on the CRMC campus.  All runners, walkers, pets on leashes and strollers are welcome.

The cost is $15 if you pre-register by noon on October 10th, and pre-registrants will receive a T-shirt. Registration fees after October 10th will be $20.00.  All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Hawarden, IA site of the Personal Energy Transportation (PET) project, a program designed to provide appropriate mobility for God’s children in need.

Visit www.giftofmobility.org for more information about the PET project.  You may pre-register by contacting the CRMC Physical Medicine and Rehab Department at 712.225.1502 or you may download a brochure and registration form at www.cherokeermc.org .

Showing You Yourself

October 4, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

A few days ago I read a splendid essay by Casey Clabough called “The Skeleton Woman,” published in the latest issue of the journal Creative Nonfiction.  It is a childhood recollection of the day Clabough’s mother came to “Parent Show and Tell Day,” in which parents shared with the students their occupations.  The story begins with his mother saying to him “Tell them I am going to show them what they are,” as she dropped him off at school a few days prior.

For much of the essay, Clabough recounts stories of his mother’s professional life.  An accomplished research biologist and professor, she was the only female faculty at her medical college, during the growing pains of gender equality in the 1960s.  Many of the vignettes recount his mother’s struggle against gender bias and blatant sexism in the classroom, which she handled with grit, grace, and – sometimes – graphic strength (like the time she cut off a cadaver’s certain body part to illustrate a point to some childish male students.)

Eventually, this collection of memories winds back to its original premise:  the morning that this determined, defiant mother entered her son’s classroom to tell his teacher and his classmates “what they are.”  At the very moment when the reader expects a combustible climactic scene between a powerful woman and the oppressive cultural conventions that hampered her success, the essay takes a surprising turn toward the poignant.

She brought with her an actual, full-size skeleton.  “Well, here you are,” she said to the students.  “Here is what you all are beneath your clothes and your skin.  An adult human skeleton consists of 206 bones altogether, which are divided into two principal divisions:  the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial forms the long axis of the body, and it includes the bones of the skull, vertebral column, breastbone and rib cage.  The appendicular consists of the bones of the upper and lower extremities, the shoulder girdle and the hip girdle.”

Then, with her demonstration well under way and the students’ attention wrapped around the skeleton’s little finger, she said:  “I could show and tell about this forever, but the best showers and tellers care about what other people want to know.  I am interest in you all.  What do you want to know?”


WHO TELLS US WHAT WE ARE?

The Bible contains numerous passages that engage us in much the same way.  Its words assess the human condition with diagnostic precision, showing us who we really are deep below the surface of our skin.  It exposes both the deviant parts of our souls as well as our divine potential for beauty and wholeness.  It reminds us that as much as we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” we also “fall short of the glory of God.”  Rather than using skeletons and anatomical sketches, the Bible uses parables and poetry, prose and prayers, to remind us that behind our public facades, we are people of fears, hopes, irritation, grief, and love.  We live with complexity, ambiguity, and inconsistency, much like Paul’s confession to the Romans: For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.

That’s why it’s good to willfully subject ourselves to the enduring gaze of the God who is in the Show and Tell business: Showing us facets of our lives that we have ignored or concealed, and telling us how to be authentic, whole, and aligned with God’s highest purposes.

Incidentally, this is partly how I see my role as your minister.  As your preacher, your residential theologian, and your mid-week columnist, my task is to give language to the Spirit’s work in and through us.  It is to invite us to receive the Scripture’s words of comfort and of challenge with receptive ears and open minds, and to direct our attention to the one in whom we “live and move and breathe and have our being.”   Admittedly, there is a regular temptation to make the sermon more egocentric, and much more about the preacher’s personality, humor, and charisma.  But sermons are never about me, and they are never about any of you.  First and foremost, they are about God, and God’s constant efforts to save us and perfect us in love.

Perhaps Paul came to this same realization as he was writing his letter to the Philippians.  Rather than focus on his own efforts to advance the gospel, or rely on his own prominence in the church to advance his agenda, he redirects our attention in the text that we will study this Sunday:   I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.


SHOWING US OURSELVES

Toward the end of the class period, Clabough’s mother said to the kids, “I like talking to you all.  Now for the real fun.  Who wants to touch him?”  Then the essay ends with these charming words:

An eruption of hands and a piping chorus of “Me!  Me!  Me!”  Bodies abandon their desks, pressing forward as one.  My little classmates weave around the skeleton in a frenzy of fascination, giving quick touches from small forefingers. One girl reaches up to grab a bottom rib then lifts her shirt to poke at her own.  And I, apart from the others, have eyes only for my mother: towering above the swirl of motion, commanding the classroom, beaming down upon the children, showing them themselves.

So, join us this Sunday, for another show and tell demonstration.  Let’s come to learn more about who we really are, deep down inside.  But more importantly, let’s come wanting to know more about Christ, and the God who created us, redeemed us, and strengthens us every day.

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


Philippians 3:1-11

1  Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard.
2  Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!
3  For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh—
4  even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh.  If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:
5  circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7  Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.
8  More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.
10  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,
11  if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.


INVITATION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
Join us this Thursday for the start of a new evening study called “Invitation to the New Testament.”  The class will meet on the first and third Thursdays of the month, from 6:30-8:00, and will be an overview of the major themes and books of the New Testament.  The books cost $12.00 and will be available this Thursday.  Please respond to this e-mail with your interest in attending.

ELECTION DAY LUNCHEON
This year our United Methodist Women’s election day luncheon will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, from 11:00am-1:00pm. The bake sale and coffee will start at 9:00am.  If you would like to help here are some things you can do:

·     Make a salad for the salad bar, by picking up an ice cream bucket from the dining room.  The recipe for the salad is in the bucket.
·     Make any kind of pie for the dessert table.
·     Make baked items for the sale.

Please contact chairperson Ervina Scott or Barb Clabaugh if you have questions or wish to help out in any way.  Thanks for your help in making this another successful event.

Somewhere in the World

September 27, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Stop me if you heard this one:  a Jewish rabbi, a Methodist minister, and a Missouri Synod Lutheran walk into a classroom….

Nope, it’s not a joke, but the setting for one of my favorite highlights of every fall. Under the invitation of Dr. Bruce Forbes, professor of religion at Morningside College, I participated in a panel discussion last week for his Science and Religion class.  On my left was Rabbi Guy Green, of the Congregation Beth Shalom.  On my right was Dr. Sharon Ocker, a retired professor of Education and lay member of the St. Paul’s Lutheran church.  And there I was, in the middle, both physically and ideologically, between a reformed Jewish mystic and a conservative, seven-day-creation literalist.

The students aptly identified our different perspectives on the relationship between faith and science, leading one woman in particular to ask what was, to me, the most poignant question of the night.

“I’ve listened to your positions,” she said, “and I’m wondering why there have to be such differences in what you believe.  It seems to me that Christians and Jews, conservatives and liberals, have so much more in common than different.  Why is there so much division among people of faith?”

My first response was to agree with her.  Yes, I affirmed.  Western religions all essentially come from the same family tree, as monotheistic descendants of Abraham that hold many of the same scriptures as sacred. And certainly within Christian denominations, it should not be unreasonable to expect more unity and less fractious debate.  Despite our denominational differences, we are one church, under one Lord, with one mission, even though our behavior and our rhetoric sometimes suggest otherwise.

I noted her nod of approval and even detected some relief, which she later admitted came from some difficult talks she has had with her somewhat dogmatic grandmother.  I was quite ready at that point to stop talking, allowing the other two presenters to have their say, when I blurted out an epilogue.

“But…” I said. “But, now that I think about it, I should say that it’s okay to have our differences, too.”

I explained that because religious convictions are so deeply personal, expressions of faith cannot help but be  influenced by one’s culture, geography, and ethnicity.  It would be difficult, even improper, to expect people around the world to worship and believe in God in exactly the same way.  And while we  may hold many of the same central doctrinal tenets, our nuanced positions can just as easily be a reflection of a God who is personally revealed to us in a variety of ways.

WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY

This reminder comes on the threshold of yet another World Communion Sunday, when we observe our shared connection with Christians all around the globe.  We’ll gather around the communion table to celebrate our unity in Christ with people near and far, whom we will likely never meet. But we will also celebrate the wonderful differences throughout the church that make us the rich, textured tapestry that we are:

Think about it. This Sunday, as we gather to worship in the way we have become comfortably accustomed, people will be glorifying that same Jesus Christ in ways utterly unfamiliar to us:

Somewhere in Greece, an orthodox priest will walk down the aisle of the sanctuary swinging a censer, carrying burning, aromatic incense.  Its billowing waft will remind people that their prayers are being lfited up to heaven.

Somewhere in Siberia, a group of Sakha Christians will sing an olonkho, a heroic epic poem set to music that recounts the wondrous stories of the first three chapters of Genesis.

Somewhere in the Burgundy region of France, the Taize community will gather to sing the songs that have garnered them international intention:  simple melodic chants based on Scripture, and sung in canon.

Somewhere in Moscow, worshippers in a Russian Orthodox Church will sit in a sanctuary filled with beautiful icons, pictures that portray saints and sacred stories, drawing people into a focused celebration of the faith.

Somewhere in India, Christians will sing a bhajan, a beautiful devotional song repeated like a haunting, lyrical mantra.

And somewhere in Togo in western Africa, Christians celebrate the New Testament in a formation similar to country line dancing.   With their hips and torsos shaking in perfect synchronism, they worship God with passion and energy.

It is great to know that just as our common creeds unite us together, our rich differences speak of a God of wonderful variety.  World Communion Sunday is a vivid reminder of John’s vision recorded in Revelation 7:9-10: After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’

So join us this Sunday, and let’s celebrate being part of that great multitude!

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


NEW E-MAIL ADDRESSES
Once again, please note the new e-mail contacts for the church office:
Magrey’s email is mdevega@sp-umc.
Administrative Assistant Andrea Cook’s new e-mail is acook@sp-umc.org.
And the new address for the church inbox is church@sp-umc.org.
These changes took place effective last Wednesday, and the old addresses are no longer active.

PORK FEED THANK-YOU
Thanks to all of you who helped make last Sunday’s pork feed another great success.  The Parkers once again provided some delicious grilled pork tenderloins, and the Adult Class and Finance Committee did a wonderful job setting up and serving.  Thanks to all of you who provided salads, as we were able to raise close to $1,000 for the Building Renovation Fund.  Thanks!

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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A Life of True Joy

September 13, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

You don’t need to be a movie connoisseur to know that computer technology has dramatically changed the movie industry in the last twenty-five years. Gone are the cheesy plastic models and claymation figures, replaced instead with stunning computer generated imagery (CGI) that blurs the line between the real and the manufactured. Even animated films have veered away from traditional hand drawings and moved toward eye-popping scenes that look stunningly realistic. I’ll never forget watching Toy Story, Pixar Animation Studios’ first big blockbuster hit in 1995: when I wasn’t laughing at the jokes or enjoying the characters, I was scooping my jaw off the ground at the breathtaking animation.

CAPTURING THE FACE

But even as amazing as CGI can be, it has its limitations. It’s one thing to make cartoon toys look real, but industry experts would say that there is still one thing that computers cannot render realistically: the human face. Try as they might, computer animators have yet to draw a fully expressive, natural looking face. It remains the elusive holy grail of the animation world.

There are a number of reasons for this difficulty. For one thing, it is virtually impossible, even for the most powerful computers and most creative designers, to accurately capture the seamless interplay of the forty-four muscles used by a person to control one’s facial features. Those muscles are capable of creating some 5,000 different expressions, all in fluid, real time. That’s why the human faces in even some of the most stunning animated films still look more plasticized than personalized.

But human expressions are even deeper than muscles and skin. Emotions are not just described by how they are expressed on the surface; they are defined by one’s innermost feelings, responses, and convictions. The human face is beautifully complex, not because of the emotions it can express, but because of the deeply set feelings it can emit. And there’s no computer in the world that can accurately render that.

The great twentieth century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre took these considerations one step further. He said that a person’s face is not only an accurate reflection of one’s innermost feelings. It can also be, at its best, a reflection of the transcendent. In his essay “The Face,” Sartre wrote,

"If I watch his eyes, I see that they are not fastened in his head, serene like agate marbles. They are being created at each moment by what they look at….If we call transcendence the ability of the mind to pass beyond itself and all other things as well, to escape from itself that it may lose itself elsewhere; then to be a visible transcendence is the meaning of a face."

No wonder the human face has been the holy grail of the CGI industry. There are some expressions that simply cannot be manufactured.


A LIFE OF TRUE JOY

The Apostle Paul may have known this when writing to the church in Philippi about the spiritual attribute of joy. Throughout the four brief chapters that constitute the book of Philippians, Paul describes nearly every dimension of a Christian’s joyful life, separating joy from mere happiness, and encouraging people to live a life that leads to contentment, confidence, and courage. Many have called Philippians the most joyful book in the Bible, and as we use it as our guide over the next two months, you’ll discover for yourself the secrets to the elusive, “holy grail” kind of life that you have been craving. Paul’s lessons on joy will bring to you what no computer animator could ever create: a life of true joy.

And do you want to know the most amazing part of Paul’s writing? He wrote this whole letter – this entire treatise on true joy – from the confines of a dark, dank prison cell. How about that? He was able to describe joy in the most miserable setting imaginable. And right out of the gate, at the outset of the letter, Paul wrote with a gratitude utterly contradictory to his surroundings:

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

Just as Sartre declared that the transcendent can be visible on our faces, Paul proclaimed that Christ is at work in our lives, sanctifying us as individuals and drawing us together in community. And nothing – not even the traumas that befall us on the outside – can prevent Christ’s work from being completed. That’s good news!

That’s the subject of this Sunday’s sermon, the first in our new series, simply titled, “Joy! A Journey through the Bible’s Most Joyful Book.” We’ll begin with a sermon titled, “Why is This Man Smiling?” based on Philippians 1:1-11. I would invite you to prepare for worship by simply reading the four short chapters of Philippians for yourself, and experience the whole of this book’s message for yourself. It is filled with some of the most often memorized and quoted passages in the Bible, and it has the power to show you the kind of joyful life you’ve always wanted to live.

JOY!

A Journey Through the Bible’s Most Joyful Book

“Why is This Man Smiling?”
Philippians 1:1-11
September 18, 2011

“The Choice to Rejoice”
Philippians 1:12-30
September 25, 2011

“Rooted, Grounded, United”
Philippians 2:1-30
(World Communion Sunday)
October 2, 2011

“One Worth Knowing”
Philippians 3:1-11
October 9, 2011

“Soaring in Solidarity”
Philippians 3:12-21
October 16, 2011

Children’s Sabbath
October 23, 2011

“Living a Life of Joy”
Philippians 4:1-23
October 30, 2011

Certainly, this would be a great series for you to invite a friend or family member to experience with you. You and I both know people for whom joy – real, deep, biblical joy – is an elusive gift. Let’s experience that blessing together, and share it with others.

See you Sunday!

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

Email: 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 side dishes and 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.

THIRD-GRADE BIBLES THIS SUNDAY
Join us this Sunday as we celebrate a milestone in the lives of our third-graders. They will receiving their very own Bibles from the church, as a gift from the congregation and as a sign of our support of their continued spiritual maturity. They will also receive a beautiful, handmade, tatted cross bookmark made by Ellen Henderson.

YOUTH KICK-OFF EVENT
Attention, all youth, grades 7-12! We are going to be kicking off a great new year of youth activities with an event after church, September 18. You and your families are encouraged to join us for a time of free food and fun games. We’re looking to have badminton and ping-pong tournaments, and lots of pizza. You’ll also get a copy of the Fall youth schedule and learn about the two new weekly small groups we are offering this fall: one for mid-high and one for senior high! Don’t miss out on the fun!

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.

Remembering 9/11

September 6, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Do you remember where you were on Monday, September 10, 2001?

No? Me neither. In fact, most of that day was largely forgettable; just another day in the office. The news headlines at the time were also fairly unremarkable: Time magazine had done yet another story about disgraced senator Gary Condit and the mysterious disappearance of Chandra Levy. Michael Jackson had just rung the bell to open up a day of trading on Wall Street. And famed motorist Rodney King was pulled over and charged with drug possession.

Just another typical day in America.


A DAY TO REMEMBER

But then came Tuesday. I suppose it would take very little to jog your memory about where you were and what you were doing that morning. I was dropping my then 6-month old daughter Grace off at her daycare when her caregiver stopped me at the door to ask if I had heard the news. We gathered with other preschool workers around a grainy, black and white television to watch the unfolding saga.

I rushed off to the office and assembled with the rest of the church staff, spending a large part of the morning with them in the chapel in prayer. News updates trickled in as we gathered: a collision in the Pentagon, a crash in Pennsylvania. Like all of you, we felt stunned, heartsick, and numb.

Later that evening, we held a prayer service for the congregation and the community, and the chapel was filled with watery-eyed, shell-shocked people, who attempted to express the unutterable anguish they were feeling. Some prayed tearfully for the victims and their families, particularly those who were still missing. Others prayed for the volunteers and officials on the scene. A few confessed their own anger, searching for ways to stem their instincts for revenge. Someone even prayed for the Muslims in our city, that they would not be subject to unfair prejudice. The tears flowed freely that night.


JESUS CRIED TWICE

The task of preaching that first Sunday after 9/11 was a formidable one. I remember standing before a congregation in the chapel preaching on two texts: John 11:28-37 (the death of Lazarus) and Luke 19:41-44 (Jesus outside Jerusalem). The connection between the two texts was eminently clear: these are two of the only times in the gospels where Jesus is recorded as weeping. But the connection between those texts and the emotional burdens of 9/11 were even more profound.

When reflecting on Jesus’ tears upon hearing of the unexpected death of his dear friend Lazarus, I said the following:

It is appropriate to cry. Jesus’ weeping over the death of Lazarus suggests to us that weeping over the death of any part of God’s creation is itself a divine action. We need not suppress the tears, we need not cover up our deep feelings of anger, bitterness, confusion, or grief. To be emotionally open in the midst of suffering does not mean a lack of faith in God; indeed, crying with grief is a reflection of the Divine. God weeps even today, and so may we.

Jesus’ tears were real and raw, much like the grief shared by the congregation that day. But in John, we see Jesus crying for a very different reason. Rather than grieving the loss of innocent life, Jesus stood on the outskirts of a city in chaos, bemoaning their demise, and longing for the people to follow the path that leads to peace: As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. (Luke 19:41-42)

And so, in that same sermon, I offered these words:

God weeps today because we do not live in a place remotely close to the kind of place God is working to create. This world does not exist according to the kingdom values of peace, equality, justice, compassion, and love. The countries of this world have busied themselves with building up their self-aggrandizing, political, economic, and military machines. Without a hint of cooperation or compassion between them, nations have risen against nation, becoming guilty of that very thing which Jesus wept over outside Jerusalem: “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”

If Jesus’ tears in John were born of grief, the tears in Luke were forged from a deep desire for justice and peace. And in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, God shared both kinds of tears for both of those reasons. The people of faith came together to hear words that both comfort and challenge, from a God who both empathizes with our deepest anguish and calls us to a higher hope.

And now, as we gather ten years later, both kinds of tears are appropriate once again.


THIS SUNDAY: REMEMBRANCE AND RECOMMITMENT

Much has certainly changed in the past ten years. The raw anguish has largely abated, and our news headlines today are more about economics, politics, and celebrity tabloids rather than our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And as much as we shared the same feelings after 9/11, we are now a country quite polarized along multiple ideological fault lines. There will be those on this tenth anniversary who will want to criticize our country for its past and present decisions. There will be those on the other hand who will want to “wrap the cross with the flag” under the jingoistic notion of civil religion. And there are many, many people on the spectrum in between.

It is therefore quite appropriate that the tenth anniversary of 9/11 falls on a Sunday, and critically important for us to do what we did ten years ago: gather together. For though there now may be differences of opinion throughout the country on how to respond to 9/11, the church must do what it always does: come together, hear the biblical accounts of God’s activity throughout history, and remember our calling as God’s people to promote justice and work for peace in a hurting world.

This Sunday, we will turn to the book of Nehemiah, and hear the story of how the Israelites returned to the site of abject tragedy – the destruction of their beloved Temple by a foreign empire seventy years prior – and began the work of rebuilding both their lives and their sense of community. The contemporary connections to this passage are quite clear, and we will ask the question, “What have we learned since 9/11?” We’ll hear some valuable lessons from the great reformer Ezra, who led the Israelites to a sincere recommitment to God. It is a text that I believe has a profound message for us on this special anniversary.

Finally, on a personal note, let me tell you how much I am looking forward to rejoining you after an immensely rewarding, life-altering renewal period. Over the weeks and months to come, I’ll steadily share with you how the experience abroad will shape my life and our ministry together. In the meantime, I am deeply grateful for your support, prayers, and your warm welcomes as we return to St. Paul’s and the good people of Cherokee. (And, may I add, it feels great to be back in the rhythm of writing these Mid-Week Messages to you!)

Now, more than ever, it is good to be the church. Let’s gather together in solemn remembrance, and work together for peace.

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@cherokeespumc.org
http://www.cherokeespumc.org