The World's Happiest Playlist

March 17, 2015

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

The United Nations would like to know:  What songs make you happy?

The UN has designated this Friday, March 20, as the International Day of Happiness, which sounds at first like a fairly cheesy addition to the already overloaded list of contrived annual observances.  (It’s sandwiched between March 19 (National Poultry Day) and March 21 (National Fragrance Day and National Goof Off Day.)  But the International Day of Happiness was inaugurated in 2012 for a more serious purpose: to declare solidarity with those suffering around the world due to hunger, poverty, and violence, and affirm the universal right of all human beings to pursue happiness.

To commemorate the day, the UN has enlisted some well known songwriters, including Ed Sheeran, James Blunt, David Guetta and John Legend, to assemble what they are calling “The World’s Happiest Playlist.” The UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon - who personally recommends Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” - describes the power of this playlist in this way: “On this day we are using the universal language of music to show solidarity with the millions of people around the world suffering from poverty, human rights abuses, humanitarian crises and the effects of environmental degradation and climate change.” [1]

Naturally, this all makes me wonder what song titles you would recommend to this list.  What songs put a jump in your step and a lift to your spirits?  What songs have the power to buoy your soul in your toughest moments, and give you courage to sustain you when life is difficult? 

For what it’s worth, my three songs are:

·      “Linus and Lucy” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio.  That song returns me to the innocence of my childhood.  And it makes me want to dance like Snoopy.

·      “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.  It brims with so much optimism and hope that I want it played at my funeral some day.

·      “Sunshine on My Shoulders” by John Denver.  It’s hard to pick just one John Denver song for this list, but I’ll go with the one that actually contains the word “happy.”

I’d love to hear your recommendations, but more importantly, I’d love for you to join us for worship this Sunday, when we continue our sermon series on how to have a cross-shaped character.  This week, we’ll take a look at the concept of joy, which is one of the Bible’s favorite words.  It appears over 170 times throughout the Scriptures.  Jesus used the word almost twenty times in his public teaching and ministry.  Paul used the word two dozen times throughout his letters to the churches.  

Yet joy is one of the most elusive concepts in the Christian life.  We know what it means to be happy, but joy is not the same as happiness.  Happiness is contingent on your circumstances, on your situation.  Happiness is what you feel when something good is happening to you or around you.  It comes and it goes, depending on whether or not you are having a good day, or a bad day. Happiness flees and fades. 

But joy is much more constant.  Its roots in the Greek language, which we will explore this Sunday, suggest a steady, constant, unwavering acknowledgment of something good in one’s life.  And what is that source of joy?

Perhaps it is best summarized by the words of St. Patrick, whose legacy was much more significant than the corned beef, cabbage, and Irish beer we use to commemorate him today.  As a passionate follower of Jesus, and an ardent evangelizer of the gospel to the people of Ireland, he drew his strength from the one true source of joy:

“God, my God, omnipotent King, I humbly adore thee.

Thou art King of kings, Lord of lords.

Thou art the Judge of every age.

Thou art the Redeemer of souls.

Thou art the Liberator of those who believe.

Thou art the Hope of those who toil.

Thou art the Comforter of those in sorrow.

Thou art the Way to those who wander.

Thou art Master to the nations.

Thou art the Creator of all creatures.

Thou art the Lover of all good.

Thou art the Prince of all virtues.

Thou art the joy of all Thy saints.

Thou art life perpetual.

Thou art joy in truth.

Thou art the exultation in the eternal fatherland.

Thou art the Light of light.

Thou art the Fountain of holiness.

Thou art the glory of God the Father in the height.

Thou art Savior of the world.

Thou art the plenitude of the Holy Spirit.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God the Father on the throne, reigning for ever.”

I’m sure this song won’t make the UN list this Friday, but it sounds pretty joyful to me!

Grace, Peace, and Joy,

Magrey

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

[1] http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/16/joy-to-the-world-whats-your-happy-music

A Prayer for Persecuted Christians

March 10, 2015

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

The freedom to publically exercise our religious convictions without fear of persecution is a constitutional right that we should never take for granted. This is a country that neither establishes one religion for all of its citizens nor prohibits them from practicing their beliefs. And everything we do as a church, from gathering in worship to performing acts of service, is protected under the very freedoms that we enjoy.

But neither should those freedoms be trivialized. Media personalities over the years have trumpeted ways they claim the American church is being mistreated in this country. Controversies over prayer in public schools, the display of the ten commandments in courthouses, and the recitation of “Merry Christmas” during the holidays might be portrayed as persecution, but in many ways they are merely trumped up expressions of the ongoing culture war between political and ideological factions in this country.

So we have to be careful about how we use the word persecution, since we live in a country that is blessedly insulated from so much of the real persecution that the church has suffered throughout its history. This is true especially in the light of the significant persecution that is happening to Christians around the world today.  Consider these figures from the non-profit organization Open Doors.  Each month:

·      322 Christians around the world are killed for their faith.

·      214 Churches and Christian properties are destroyed.

·      772 Forms of violence are committed against Christians, such as beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests, and forced marriages.

The temptation might be to place blame one country, or one region of the world, or one religion for these incidents. But these are occurring on every major continent, at the hands of more than just the ones we hear about in the news. 

There may be an additional temptation to lash out in anger, with the kind of retributive violence that perceives justice as an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This response, of course, would be contrary to the very core of our Christian convictions about non-violence and peaceful resolutions to conflict.  Besides, Christianity itself is far from innocent, for its own cruelty to others throughout history. The Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Salem Witch Trials are all blemishes with which our own conscience must contend. And any hatred we have for Muslim people must be confessed and transformed, lest they feed into the kind of dangerous rhetoric and unbridled anger that contributes to today’s enduring cycles of violence.

The true remedy is humility and prayer. We can remember that on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” But he did not say these words until he named blessedness for the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers.  Being persecuted never permits persecution in response.  Instead, it is a call to prayer, solidarity, courage, humility, and acts of mercy and restoration.

To that end, I was grateful over the weekend to meet and get to know Bishop Gary Mueller, who presides over the Arkansas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.  I was there to speak to their Veritas Conference, a gathering of nearly 1,300 amazing Methodist youth and their leaders.

He told me that a week ago, at a Bishops’ gathering in Nashville, he was having breakfast with my Florida Bishop, Ken Carter, and they openly shared their mutual concern for persecuted Christians around the world. As a response, they have written the following Prayer for Persecuted Christians, which they hope will be shared by Bishops with their Conferences and churches throughout the connection. It is their desire that this prayer might raise awareness and elicit a humble spirit of petition for those who are suffering today. 

We concluded a powerful weekend of worship services with the youth by having Bishop Mueller invite all of us to recite the prayer in unison.  It was stirring to hear over a thousand youth say this prayer together, and it was a reminder of our global solidarity with brothers and sisters around the world.

A PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

God of us all,

You love us so passionately that you sent Your Son to help us experience the fullness of divine love. And while we love you, we are not often asked to risk our lives because of our faith.

This is not true for many of our sisters and brothers in Christ. Our hearts break as we see more of them suffering and dying simply because they are living as disciples of Jesus.

We pray for their safety and sanctuary. We pray that you will give them grace in suffering.  We are humbled by the witness of these martyred for their faith.  We pray for their persecutors, and that acts of violence and persecution will cease.

Help us to grow in our commitment to live as Jesus' disciples. Remind us that we are the One Body of Christ: when one member suffers, all suffer. Stir us to pray unceasingly. And empower us to speak boldly.

We pray all of this in the name of our Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ.

Amen.

Bishops Mueller and Carter are asking churches to include this prayer during worship on March 22, which we will do here at St. Paul’s.  But they are also hoping that this prayer might be exercised in our own private devotions. So I am asking you to consider using it in your own prayer life over these weeks of Lent.  Together, let us pray for the persecuted. And let us pray for our own response, that we might be meek, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers.

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 PASTOR FOR ST. PAUL’S UMC ANNOUNCED

The following is a statement from our District Superintendent Tom Carver, read last Sunday by our Staff-Parish Chairperson John Chalstrom: 

As the chairperson of our Staff Parish Relations Committee I have a special announcement to make.

I am very pleased to announce that Bishop Julius Calvin Trimble and his cabinet have appointed Pastor Cris Decious to become the pastor of St Pauls United Methodist Church beginning in late June of this year.

Pastor Cris is currently serving as the pastor of the Minburn, Redfield and  Dexter United Methodist Churches in central Iowa.   He and his wife, Jennifer are the parents of Elijah, Noah and Grace. 

In the coming days we will want to enjoy the time we will have with Pastor Magrey, Grace and Maddy and then give them a good send off.

We can begin now to pray for Pastor Cris and his family as they prepare to come and be part of our church family.  In addition to praying for our congregation and especially our Staff Parish Relations Committee, we should also remember the Minburn, Redfield and  Dexter congregations as we all prepare for this transition.

The Scriptures promise us that God goes with us through the changing seasons of our lives.  May we claim that promise in the days ahead as we anticipate God's future.

Emily's Oz

March 3, 2015

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

If you watched last week’s broadcast of the Academy Awards, you may remember seeing a commercial involving 7-year old Emily Groves of Bettendorf, Iowa.  There are two immediate things to know about Emily: 1) she loves the movie Wizard of Oz, and 2) she has been blind since birth.

But to hear Emily talk, you would think she has personally been to Oz herself. In her imagination, the Tin Man is thinner than a normal human since he has no heart, and has big feet shaped like a giant toe. The scarecrow has long arms and long fingernails, teeth made out of wood, and tubes sticking out of his chest to shoot chemicals at birds. The cowardly lion? Just the size of a chihuahua.  “He’s tiny,” Emily says, “because he has no courage.”  And Dorothy? “Looks like me,” she says with a smile. 

Oz purists might balk at the liberties young Emily takes with one of the most beloved classics of all time. Until you remember that the Wizard of Oz was not originally a film, but a book, by L. Frank Baum, in 1900. Until the film in 1939, no one pictured Dorothy Gale as a young Judy Garland, or the tin man with a funnel hat, or a lion that looked part teddy bear. 

That is what happens with the written word: it is first illustrated by the mind’s eye, long before it is rendered visually. Whenever we read a story, we are “blind” in a sense, and we depend on the pictures within our own imagination to derive meaning and enjoyment. Rarely do we argue with others who have read the same story about the superiority of our mind-pictures over theirs.

It’s not until the written word becomes visually literalized that we become purists over the smallest details. (Just look at the way rabid Star Wars fans treated George Lucas after his digital changes to the original trilogy.) Once we “see” the story literally, it’s hard to see it any other way. And there ends the fruit of our own creativity, our capacity to imagine, and our ability to extract fresh meaning from the text.

“HEALING” THE BLIND MAN

I used to be quite puzzled by the story of the blind man of Bethsaida in Mark 8:22-26. Some people had brought him to Jesus in the hopes that he might be healed. Jesus then did a surprising thing. After leading him outside the village, he spit on his eyes, touched him, and told him to open his eyes.

But he was only partially healed. And in effect, he was still blind. Jesus said, “Do you see anything?” The man looked up and said, “I see people. They look like trees, only they are walking around.”  It wasn’t until Jesus touched him a second time that the man recovered the fullness of sight. 

I’ve often wondered why Jesus was playing games with the poor man. Why not heal him the first time, rather than drag his misery along? Or maybe – and this is an even more controversial idea – Jesus wasn’t able to heal him the first time. Maybe he needed a second touch to bring him full healing.

But after reading the story of Emily Groves, I am starting to wonder if what Jesus did for the blind man was neither unkind or unintentional. Maybe that first touch was not accidental, but a reminder that blindness to convention can bring creativity and new meaning.  And maybe that second touch, while it restored the man’s physical sight, effectively brought an end to his imaginative sight.  In other words, perhaps the first touch of Jesus was as much a gift as the second. 

This story might remind us never to depend solely on our physical eyes in order to discern spiritual truths. The man regained his sight, but he ought not to lose his vision: his dependence on God and others, his capacity to wonder and be in awe, and his ability to trust in a power greater than himself. 

To reinforce that idea, just look at the stories that bookend this healing of the blind man.  Right beforehand, Jesus reminded them of the feeding miracle, in which the world saw paltry loaves and fish, but he saw it as a feast to feed a crowd.  And afterwards, there is the confession of Peter.  Whereas the world saw Jesus as the reincarnation John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets, Peter saw Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the God. 

SEEING TODAY

Maybe what churches need today is a new way of seeing.  This is no disrespect to tradition, but maybe the Church has too long depended on its own physical eyes to discern spiritual truths. Maybe we are so quick to jump to the second touch of Jesus that we miss the value of the first. That first touch is the work of the Holy Spirit, prompting us to see with fresh creativity and imagination, to get a glimpse of the new work that God wants to do in the world, and to reaffirm our utter and ultimate dependence on God.

That’s why I think it’s significant that Jesus brought the man outside the village before he healed him. It is a geographic maneuver that makes an important statement to the church. Sometimes, The Spirit introduces new insights to the church through those outside the church:  The first-time visitor with the tattoos. The scientific doubter. The new Christian with the weird ideas. The gay man who feels shunned by his local church. The homeless person on the street.  Maybe the Church has gotten so used to seeing The Wizard of Oz in the same way that it takes a relatively blind person on the outside to help the Church spiritually envision the fresh work that God wants to do.

EMILY’S OZ

I don’t know what we do with all of this, but I do know what one director named Andreas Nillson did. He decided to listen to young 7-year old Emily Groves, and bring to life her vision of how she perceives the world and the characters of The Wizard of Oz. He and his crew meticulously built her vision of Oz and rendered each of the four main characters following the exact details of her mind’s eye.  And they put it all together for the commercial “Emily’s Oz” for the Comcast cable company.  And during last week’s Oscars ceremony, the world saw this fresh, new vision of L. Frank Baum’s timeless classic.

Change can be a good thing. It can challenge us to broaden our perspectives and expand our view of how broad and how wide the love of God really is. And sometimes, that change can only happen when we invite the points of view of those on the outside, who are blind to the traditional ways of seeing, but awakened to the way that God wants to do a new thing.

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

OUT OF TOWN THIS WEEKEND

This weekend, I have the privilege of speaking to about 1,100 Methodist youth in Arkansas for their Conference’s annual Veritas gathering. I will be gone from Friday morning to Sunday night, preaching five sermons to them during that time. I appreciate your prayers for safe travel, and for the Spirit’s movement through me and those in attendance. I’m grateful to Dave Orthmann, who will provide the sermon for you this Sunday.  

Live! From the Red Carpet!

February 24, 2015

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Sunday, February 22, 2015    7:20pm CST

Daydreaming a bit while watching the Oscars red carpet coverage ….

Robin Roberts:  Hello, ladies and gentleman, and welcome to our very special broadcast.  We’re here, live from the red carpet just outside Jerusalem, awaiting the arrival of this year’s biggest stars. We’re giving you a front row view of all the big name celebrities as they arrive for this year’s big festival. We’ve put together a terrific broadcast team to bring you all the action, up close and personal.  First, let’s send it over to Lara Spencer.  Lara?

Lara Spencer:  Thanks, Robin. I’m here with at Reuben Ben-Tobas, owner of Reuben’s Livery Stable. He has been attending the festival for the past thirty years and has seen some major stars come through. Reuben, tell us how you’re doing. What have you seen today?

Reuben: Well, so far the crowd seems a lot bigger than in years past. And business has been very good, with lots of people renting my donkeys to haul their souvenirs around. In fact, I just rented my last animal this morning. Interesting fellows. Said they were out of town, and I told them all I had was this young colt - -  

Robin: - - Sorry to interrupt, Lara, but we’re here with our first big celebrities. James and John, sons of Zebedee.  (Crowd cheers.  “Thunderous” applause.)  It’s an honor to welcome you to our red carpet show. First of all, you both look fabulous. I love what you did with your hair, James.

James: Oh, thanks. Glad you like it. John and I were having this discussion on the way here about whose hair was the greatest. You can’t imagine how heated it got. But I think we both look pretty good. 

Robin: And tell us, John. What do you expect from tonight’s festivities? Who are you hoping to see?

John: Well, I’ve been a big fan of Billy Crystal since he first hosted the seder in my hometown. Never been a better host in my opinion.  Makes this night more special than any other night. 

Robin: And I think a lot of people here would agree with you. Thanks for stopping by, and good luck with the festivities.  And now, look who it is. Speaking of big names, it’s Peter!  Welcome, Peter, how are you doing?

Peter: WOO-HOO! FREEDOM! (Crowd cheers loudly)  Fine. I’m doing fine.

Robin: As we all know, it’s been a big year for you. Your mother-in-law came back from a grave illness, you got front row tickets to see Elijah and Moses, and .. you walked on water!  Tell us, how was that?

Peter: Biggest thrill of my life.  For a while.  And then…well, no comment.

Robin: (laughs) I see. How about telling us who you are wearing tonight?

Peter: Oh, this? This is the latest John the Baptist. He specially designed it just for me before he, you know, got his head served on a platter.  But this isn’t just any camel hair coat.  It’s got a cool zipper pocket for me to hide this sword. (Waves sword awkwardly) I’m not very good with swords, but you never know when one might come in handy.

Robin: Wow. Fascinating. Now, Peter. Let’s talk about your latest project. You are currently on tour with the traveling Jesus show. We all want to know: what has it been like working with such an amazing cast of people over the course of these past several months? Give us one bit of juicy gossip about one of your cast mates that folks at home would never know!

Peter: Well, let me think.  There’s not a whole lot I can say, really. We’re all very different, with little personality quirks. Andrew keeps trying to bring new people into the production, so that’s good. Matthew, he’s a tax collector, so the others kind of leave him alone.  James and John? They seem to like to argue.  Like all the time.  And then there’s Judas.  I tell you, that guy is really going to make a name for himself some day.

Robin: You heard it here first, folks.  Thanks so much, Peter, and have fun tonight!

Peter:  Thanks, Robin.  FREEDOM!  (Crowd cheers wildly)

Robin:  And here he is, the one everyone has come to see.  Just look at all the palm branches waving, and the folks throwing their coats on the ground in front of him.  Let’s go back to Lara, who is right there for an interview.  Lara?

Lara:  Yes, Robin, I’m here with Jesus of Nazareth.  (Crowd cheers)  My goodness, Jesus. Listen to this crowd! I can’t say that I’ve ever seen such a big crowd for a red carpet event. Look at them all, chanting “Hosanna, Hosanna!” Must make you feel pretty special, huh?

Jesus:  I have come not to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.

Lara: (chuckles) Oh, there you go again, always ready with the sound bite! Now tell us, all the reporters are buzzing about this young colt you are riding!  What gave you the inspiration for such an eye-catching fashion accessory?

Jesus:  Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Lara:  Profound, Jesus. That prophet Zechariah sure had a way with words, huh?  Now let me ask you. There has been a lot of speculation in the press that you have come today to make a big announcement about the next major project in your career.  A career, as we all know, that has commanded crowds all across the land, with healing, teaching, and miracles. We all want to know, Jesus: what is next in store for you?

Jesus:  Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.  

Lara:  Oooh!  Sounds like an action film!  You heard it here first, folks. No more dramas or documentary movies – it sounds like Jesus will be branching out to star in his first ever big budget blockbuster!  We will all be waiting to see it, I’m sure!

Jesus:  You will all fall away, for it is written: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”

Lara:  Heh, heh.  Good one, Jesus.  Oh, wait.  Robin has a question.

Robin:  Thanks, Lara.  Yes, Jesus, this is Robin Roberts from Good Morning Jerusalem.  I was wondering, with all of the great lines you’ve delivered in your storied career, which one do you want to be remembered by?  I mean, Arnold has “I’ll be back” and Tom has “Life is like a box of chocolates.”  When you’re dead, what do you want your tombstone to read?

Jesus:  He is not here. He has been raised.

Robin:  I love it. Well, Jesus, enjoy the rest of your time here. Now go meet your adoring fans! Look how they love you!

Jesus:  Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

Robin:  Oh, that Jesus. Always a kidder. Thanks for joining us, everyone!

Let's Race! (Then, Let's Walk)

February 17, 2015

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Once again, it is Shrove Tuesday, on the cusp of another Lenten season. This evening, we will join with festivities around the world with our own version of Mardi Gras: a Pancake Race from City Hall to the front steps of the church, with a worship service and pancake supper to follow. We are anticipating local television news coverage from ABC affiliate KCAU ABC9, so you might check tonight’s news broadcast for coverage of the event. You can read more about the return of the race in last week’s Mid-Week Message, and it’s still not too late to register to race by visiting www.pancakerace.com. 

Then, starting tomorrow, we will embark on the sacred 40-day journey that leads us from the ashes of repentance to the glory of the resurrection. To guide us along that journey, I would once again encourage you to sign up for a project I have been a part of called #pictureLent.  It is a series of daily devotions written by me and clergy colleagues that will focus your attention on seven key words:

• Return: To remind us of the temporal nature of human existence, and to return to Christ, who is the source of all life.

• Reveal: To be open to the many ways God is revealed to us in every day moments.

• Reflect: To internalize the words and work of God in our lives through meditation, prayer, and study, and then to reflect God’s love to others.

• Reject: To confess the ways we have rejected Christ, and to renew our commitments to acts of mercy, piety, and justice.

• Remember: To recall the stories of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, and to live into the example of Christ through daily living. 

• Replace: To give thanks for the sacrifice of Christ, who took our place on the cross and saved us from our sins.

• Resurrection: To rejoice in the new life and power God gives to us through the resurrection.

Each of these weekly key words will be interpreted by a daily devotional written by a United Methodist clergy person, and we have expanded the number of writers this season to give you a wider, fuller diversity of authors.  As during #pictureAdvent, you can share a picture of how you interpret these key words via social media, constructing an expansive virtual gallery of fellow sojourners on the journey.

In addition to family activities for parents and children, there are also new resources for churches that you can share with family and friends in other congregations: sermon ideas for preachers, youth group activities, bulletin inserts, and much more.

To sign up, simply visit www.lecfamily.org/lent and register your email address.  The journey begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday, with a devotional written by me.

So tonight, let’s race!  And tomorrow, let’s walk. Let’s take this Lenten journey, one step at a time, and discover all that God has to share with us.

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

The Great Cherokee Pancake Day Race, 2015

February 10, 2015

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Come next Tuesday, February 17, our return to the new kitchen and dining hall will be complete.

That is the date that we will once again be observing The Great Cherokee Pancake Day Race and Shrove Tuesday Luncheon, after a long two-year hiatus.  It was three years ago this month, a week after the Pancake Race of 2012, that a fire destroyed our lower level church facilities.  Every year since, we have debated how or if we might continue the pancake race tradition we started in 2009, but we could not figure out the logistics of hosting it on our campus and doing the event justice.

So, next Tuesday will be a joyous moment for our congregation and our community. Not just because it culminates our return to the kitchen and dining hall, and not just because it resumes an event that for three years had gained Cherokee regional notoriety and news media coverage. But after major floods two out of the last three years, the closing of a major employer here in town, and numerous private and community-wide setbacks that have drawn our spirits downward, it will be great to celebrate all that is best about living in Cherokee: community pride, care for each other, fortitude through tough times, and a willingness to have a good old fashioned fun time. 

As a reminder of what the pancake race is all about:  Next Tuesday, February 17, a crowd of women dressed in skirts, aprons, and head-kerchiefs will race 415 yards in possible freezing temperature, while carrying a cast-iron skillet and a pancake.  In a Shrove Tuesday tradition harkening back to Olney, England since 1445, contestants will begin with a flip of a pancake in a provided cast-iron skillet, and conclude the race with one more flip.  And standing at the finish line,  greeting these heroines in house dresses, will be yours truly, ready to award the winner with the traditional “Kiss of Peace” accompanied by the words, “The peace of the Lord be always with you.”

This is also a worthwhile fundraiser.  After the Shrove Tuesday service and awards ceremony in the sanctuary, we will gather for a pancake supper down in the Dining Hall, where folks can leave a free-will donation.  All of the proceeds will go to support the food pantries at the Christian Action Program, Mid-Sioux Opportunities, Inc., and the Trinity Lutheran Church food bank.  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 it is always great to see churches cooperating together with an ecumenical spirit.  Clergy from the Presbyterian, Evangelical Free, and other churches will all be present to help officiate some part of the race. 

All you have to do is sign up to help!  If you are a women who would like to run the race, or if you would like to put together a team of people to run it as a relay, registration forms are available at the church office or by visiting our exclusive website at www.pancakerace.com.  If you would like to help with set up, clean up, or cooking pancakes, contact John Cook, Jenny Burroughs, or a member of the Adult Class. At the very least, come watch the race, attend the brief worship service, and be generous in your donation at the pancake supper. None of this happens without the passion and energy of lay people like you.  

So, women, get ready to start your pancakes!  See you next Tuesday!

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

Haunted by a Heresy, Part 2

February 3, 2015

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

The response to last week’s Mid-Week Message suggests that my description of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD) really resonated with many of you. For those of you who missed it, it is available online here.  MTD asserts that God is knowable only from a distance, rarely intervening in our lives unless we are in need of something.  It describes God as a cosmic butler, requiring little more of us than simply being nice to others.  It is a stealthy and pervasive modern day heresy, and last week I admitted my own inadvertent contributions to its spread.

So today, I want to offer an antidote.  It is no silver bullet by any means, as something so widespread as MTD requires more than just one solution.  But the heart of the Wesleyan faith contains one key to countering it, as expressed in the most famous prayer John Wesley ever wrote.   

It begins with these words:

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Forget anything that MTD suggests about a God who is simply there to serve our needs.  Forget any viral egocentricism that has infected your Christian belief and practice.  Like Copernicus’ discovery that the earth is not the center of the solar system, this prayer fundamentally shifts our focus Godward, so that our primary interest is not in what God can do for us, but in what we are created to be in God. 

Here is the whole prayer:

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

The Wesley Covenant Prayer knows nothing about a God who is distant, only intervening when necessary.  Instead, God is perpetually engaged in every aspect of our being, wanting nothing less than our complete surrender to whatever fits God’s best purposes for the world.  Forget about only wanting God to serve our needs.  This prayer says, “God, because I belong to you, I am willing to go through suffering.  I am willing to be laid aside for you.  I am willing to be brought low for you.  I am willing to be empty.  I am willing to have nothing.”

“And in those moments when life seems blessed beyond measure, when I am full, when I have all things, when I feel useful and active and exalted … then I know it is simply because you own me, and all I have and all I am is yours.”

Each line is a couplet of extremes, covering the entire range of life’s complexities.  Sometimes there are hills, and sometimes there are valleys.  After every triumph, there seems a tragedy lurks around the next corner.  Some days are great, and others are not.  And while MTD would suggest that such randomness can be explained by a God who is distant from our every day existence, the Wesley Covenant Prayer takes this evidence to prove the exact opposite: since our lives belong to God, we do not have the right to chart our existence according to our own wishes.  God has always had – and always will have – a bigger picture in mind.

The prayers pulses like a heartbeat, drawing energy and sustenance straight from the Source of all Life.  It challenges us to recalibrate our relationship with God to make it less about what we need and more about who we are called to be.  Like branches are to a vine, we cannot exist apart from God, and God demands nothing less than our fullest participation in the life of God in the world. 

That’s why it ends the way it does:  I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine.

Try this for the next several weeks.  Memorize the prayer.  Commit it to memory.  And until you do, read it every morning as one of the first things you do when you wake up.  Remind yourself of whose you are, and consciously dismiss every suggestion that God is simply here to meet your needs.  And pledge to spend every moment, to the best of your ability, to allow God to use you – or not use you – in the best ways that God sees fit.

And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega

St. Paul's United Methodist Church

531 W. Main St.

Cherokee, IA  51012

Ph:  712-225-3955

Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org