|
Reflections from Pastor Kim—Part 2 of 2 School is out, baseball fields buzz with practices and games, campers are pulled through town on the way to times of rest and relaxation, and most days a jacket is a fleeting thought, at best. It would seem that summer is moving its way into our lives and we are ready! For many, summer is a time of building. Whether it’s an addition to the house, adding some parking room or landscaping, building on what was there before to make spaces available that are a reflection of how they may currently be used, and perhaps even some dreams of what could be in the future. Often you will hear that to build reflects hope and begets a special kind of energy. That does ring true when we think of the things we’ve mentioned above. We can’t wait to see how a new space will enhance our days and our activities. As people of faith we build on what has gone before. We can’t imagine stumbling across the desert for forty years, yet the story of the Israelites is part of the firm foundation on which our faith is built. While we are reading with The Bible Year, we find it hard to understand the violence and death as we read Judges and Kings, or the devastation of the story of Job. Yet it was those stories and those people who take us on a genealogical journey to the New Testament, where in a short recap in Matthew we see the lineage that brings us to the birth of Christ who was foretold in the midst of power struggles and prophecy. In these stories we sometimes have questions about our faith, and yet we find reassurance that others have gone before, walking new paths, both doubting and finding strength and reassurance in God, and building on traditions of those who have gone before. If we are at our best, we build the many areas of our lives with intent. We look at what has been, what is possible and even what we hope and pray will be. If we want to be able to give more money to entities who do amazing things in our communities, we likely have to look through our budget, see where we’ve spent our money in the past, where we are spending our money now and how we would like to spend in the future. We do research, we make a plan, and we put everything we can into making that plan come to fruition. We do the same if we want to add more devotional time to our days, we want to step away from work more fully when we are off the clock, when our kids have a fabulous idea for a vacation, and the list goes on. With intent we explore and we build a plan. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. “ Isaiah 43:19 The Oakland UMC Build Team is currently in the midst of this process. They are looking at building projects of the past, then looking at our current needs and dreaming a bit about the needs for the future of Oakland UMC. They are exploring how to have a strong foundation for future ministry, ministries that are easily accessible to all. They are exploring safety precautions, storage, materials, drainage and so many other details that help in securing a firm foundation and fruitful ministry. In the midst of all this are prayers asking for guidance and a path that clears before them to indicate the Holy Spirit’s leading. Whether we are talking about “repair” (see last months newsletter) or “build” we know that God is faithful to have a plan for Oakland UMC and has ministry for us to carry out in God’s name. When things get crazy and it seems like the wilderness of life is taking over, God makes a way for us to fulfill this call on our lives. God doesn’t guarantee things will always be the same, but instead that God will always go with us into the unknown. Both repairing and building are important steps in our lives and in our activities. As a Faith Family we work together to both repair and build in many contexts. May God’s blessing be upon us as we move through this summer ponder “what ifs,” “how abouts,” and “can you imagines.” May each thought and action give glory to God! Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey!
Pastor Kim
0 Comments
Reflections from Pastor Kim—Part 1 of 2 Ahhh, spring! A time of “repair” in so many different ways. There’s cleaning out the gutters from the leftovers of fall, clearing flower beds, and checking soil temps so the seeds we are anxious to plant have the best environment possible for growth and flourishing. As I considered this offering of words, it also brought me to a wondering of what “repair” looks like for Oakland UMC. First, we’ve just come through the season of Lent, Holy Week and the glory of Easter. So we’ve had time to reflect, look at what is moving inside of our faith—the very soul that exists within us. If we are completely honest, we likely have found things that need a bit of a spruce up; cracks that let things in that can destroy our foundation over time; holes in our umbrella of faith which let’s the world around us encroach on our faith; stumbling blocks in our faith journey that can cause us to fall and become battered and bruised; a lack of structure away from ourselves to support us when the ground under our feet shifts. Whatever it is that has this season has made known to our souls, this is the best time to deal with the issues. Now, before time passes and the issues become overwhelming. Then I considered how we repair our physical bodies; braces to support us, new joints, partials or dentures, hearing aids, chiropractic or massage time, and chemo treatments, just to name a few. We run tests, we analyze the creaks and groans, we do the research, get estimates for the repairs and move forward as we are able. If we are true to the thought that we are an instrument of God, we make sure we are always as able as possible to carry our God’s call. We also consider preventative actions so that the issues do not become overwhelming. “Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.” Matthew 4:21 Also coming to mind were our teams who are working to care for the building that houses our worship and other activities, specifically the Repair Team. Our 1909 building has been through over a century of shelter for the OUMC congregation. It has come to a time when there is great need to do an inventory of foundation cracks, roof leaks with internal damage, loosened bricks and the results of those many years of faithful service. Just like our human selves, buildings need repair—some more than others, yet all have that need. Our Repair Team is doing the research and getting the estimates so that we can move forward. Just like the above, we hope for those repairs to not become overwhelming. Jesus sat with the fishermen as they repaired nets. Jesus sits with us as we repair our souls. Jesus sits with us as we walk through our human physical repairs. Jesus sits with us as we look at the condition of the building that houses our Faith Family activities. Jesus sits with us. Jesus sits with you. To God be the glory. Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey!
Pastor Kim REFLECTIONS FROM PASTOR KIM Who, What, Where, When, Why and How? These are all questions I am asking myself just past the halfway point of Lent. Do any sound familiar to you? Place yourself in all the “I” and “me” spaces. First is WHO – Who has this Lenten season been about? Me and my unending schedule and tired self, or about Jesus and the role He plays in my life, as well as my need to dig deeper into my faith? Who am I in the servant Body of Christ? Who am I as a Child of God? Second is WHAT – What does this season do if not to bring me closer to my Savior, become connected to a deeper understanding of God’s Word in my life, and preparing myself for the Easter morning “Alleluia?” Third is WHERE – Where am I spending my time during each day? Is it in the busy-ness of the world or in the faith-ness of my ever-constant search for deeper faith? Am I letting the schedule of the world overrule the schedule I need to keep for my faith and reliance on God strengthening moments? Fourth is WHEN – When will I learn to focus on the important stuff, and not the pinpricks and irritating grains of sand in life, and instead focus on love of self, neighbor, siblings in Christ, and through that strengthen my love of God, Christ, and Holy Spirit? When will I be strong enough in my faith to leave the familiar behind and instead reach out and grasp the Will of God with both hands, moving into uncharted territory that is anything but familiar? Fifth is WHY – Why do I resist faith-filled abandonment into a life of selfless service and dedication to God who loves me even when I mess up royally? Why, when I unintentionally say words with inflection that breeds misunderstanding, stumble through familiar territory that should be an easy journey, make mistakes that make others wonder if I should be known as a Christian, or any myriad of things, do I feel that I am not worthy of the love of God who offers grace and love despite my societal shortcomings and finger pointing of self-righteous humans? Sixth is HOW – How does my daily life move me closer to the leading of the Holy Spirit in directing my daily steps? How do all the things I’ve mentioned first through fifth come together to give me a better understanding of who I am not by worldly standards, but by God’s standards? How often do I become negligent of my faith because it’s easy or less difficult or boring or overwhelming in ways that just floating through the day is not? “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 12:28 (NRSV) Do you see what happened there? All the things that have the potential to bring me joy in the Lord, I turned into a long to-do list of tests and hoops to be passed and jumped through. The only thing e need is this, “Who am I in the servant Body of Christ? Who am I as a Child of God?” John Wesley would probably remind us at this point in our wondering, that God is a God of prevenient grace – the grace that goes before. God is ready and waiting for us to come to the foot of the throne and rest in that “pre” grace. God sits there with us, offering not just a grace that comes only through Him, but lifts up for our hearts and souls a Savior, who is Christ the King. God offers us innumerable chances to call on Jesus as Savior in our lives. WHO keeps us from calling out? WHAT lets us call out and then worship from afar? WHERE do we let this Savior and this grace be evident in our lives? WHEN will we quit trying to hide our true selves, even though God knows who we were before we were born? WHY do we not witness to a world which so badly needs to see a higher calling on their lives than they currently seek? HOW do we lift up the broken hearted, broken spirited, broken lives people in our midst? If we break it all down, it rests on the foundation of relationship. Relationship with God, ourselves, our neighbor, our world. Being in relationship takes more than one person. That reminds us that we must walk these worn roadways of faith together. Supporting each other in Christian love and coming together in relationship building fellowship. How does the world know what we fail to bring into the light; that God awaits their acknowledgement? May we each spend the remainder of our Lenten season focusing on seeking answers to the questions, not the questions themselves. In the midst of all that we say and do be glorifying to God! Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey!
Pastor Kim Reflections from Pastor Kim As I write this I am sitting in the Pastor’s Office FREEZING! Tomorrow it will be in the 40s and then in the 50s and I will forget that a space heater can’t appropriately heat two rooms when it’s 4* with a ‘feels like’ of -7. We will get cold again this season and I will sit typing with my coat on wondering why I didn’t prepare better when I knew it would get cold again. This is what we do though, right? Out of sight, out of mind – cold, warmth – hungry, full – we forget the uncomfortable when we are in the comfortable – we don’t prepare for the next time of the uncomfortable or pain or crisis – and we have that tendency set on automatic repeat. So what’s a guy or gal to do? We are entering the season of Lent on Wednesday, March 2, a time of self-reflection and self-denial. A time of contemplating our commitment to our faith, to our God, and to our Savior. A time to prepare ourselves for the moments in our lives where we sit huddled and shivering in our deepest depths, knowing it won’t last forever, and wondering why we didn’t prepare for this known eventuality. “But,” you may ask, “how in the world do we prepare for the things that topple us to the ground? For the loss of a loved one, the screams of children who are in danger in a multitude of ways, the cry of the hungry, or the pain of not knowing if your friend or family member is alive? How do we prepare to watch bombs explode in someone’s back yard, to look into the eyes of those who have been victim of human trafficking or physical, mental, psychological, religious, or sexual abuse? Maybe in some of these things the ‘we’ is actually ‘me’ and I don’t know how to get past the pain. Kim, we can’t prepare ourselves to watch, experience, or hear this things!” Beloved Child of God, there is only one thing we can do. In all honesty, we may – no, we WILL never be ready for these events in our lives, and the lives of those in our midst or around the world. What we can do is hold on boldly to our faith, to each other, and to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “I LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS – FROM WHERE WILL MY HELP COME? MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.” PSALM 121:1-2 We must cling to our source of strength and hope, and we must cling to those comprising this worldly Body of Christ. Let us experience Lent together this year, more fully than ever before. Let us worship together Sunday mornings and throughout the week; let us ready God’s Word together through the Bible Year plan (more copies are available if you’d like one for your household); let us gather for fellowship and learning throughout the seek; let us dedicate ourselves to taking the things out of our lives that keep us from focusing more on Christ; let us spend more time in prayer – not just talking, but listening. This is how we prepare ourselves for the unknown future, for gut wrenching realities, and to present ourselves more confidently as people of faith. Please join together this Lenten season in repentance, as well as to experience the wonder of God’s grace. Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey!
Pastor Kim
Pastor Kim asked me to contribute to this month’s newsletter by answering the question “Why do you give of your time, talents and money”. This assignment put me in mind of my school day essay writing; so I pulled out my index cards and wrote 1 thought on each card, arranged them in a reasonable order, and voila, here it is.
My time and talent is pretty specific. I’ve always been a detail, numbers-oriented person as shown by my work career being mostly in finance. However, I would not have thought to volunteer as Church Treasurer. But God has a sense of humor and knew how to point me in that direction. At one Ad Council Meeting I made the “mistake” of saying I did not understand the Treasurer’s Report presented and then made some suggestions. Eyes lit up because the current Treasurer was looking for a replacement and I was asked if that was something I felt called to do. Six years later, I’m still in position and feel I have been blessed in return. The Lord knew I needed to keep my retired brain working. He also knew that even though the Church Treasurer position takes a lot of time, it fit into my schedule well as I could go in anytime to get the work done. With God’s “nudge” I feel I’ve grown spiritually by volunteering my time and talent. How has my giving to the church filled my soul? When God wants me to be a cheerful giver, he starts working on my conscious. After I receive my annual “Giving Notice”, I make a copy of the card and fill out my next year’s giving. Then I wait. Sure enough, a voice is telling me, “Barb, you can do a bit better than that. You know through your work as Treasurer at church, that more funds are needed to meet the daily operating expense obligations. You know that the Church’s ministry is then able to grow and reach beyond when the foundation is firm.” I believe God expects me to give up to my ability. So, the original “Giving Notice” comes out and I up my commitment cheerfully. I do the auto giving because to me it represents giving first and consistently to the church by being a faithful giver. In turn, I believe I’ve grown in my faith and trust in God to provide. One last God story that goes along with the scripture Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you”. After I retired I was really struggling with increasing my annual giving. The Lord was doing his usual talking thing; but I was telling Him, “Look, I’m retired and do not have as much spending money as when I was working. Would You be satisfied if I kept it the same?” Well, apparently not. I did increase my commitment that year and I tried for cheerful giver. A few weeks later I was notified that one of the companies I had worked for was going to give me a second unexpected small pension, which was more that I had upped my giving to. Good one, God! – Barb Schorsch Reflections from Pastor Kim
I'm writing this "the morning after." The morning after high winds, thunderstorms, tornados, and yes, snow cut a swath through the southern Great Plains and Upper Midwest. This wasn't unexpected, it had been forecasted for several days with surprising accuracy. Today's technology is not foolproof, but it gives us a much larger picture of the possibilities than we had even ten years ago. Our job is to take the information and use it for the best results in our context. To achieve this level of meteorology took many people, over many centuries who kept notes, watched patterns, listened to stories, and shared all that with the world, so the next generation could build on that hard work that had already been done. The disheartening thing about this is those who, often with malice, attack the one who shares the results of these centuries of work with those affected. If the timing isn't just right in the naysayers mind, the rest of the information is useless. If total precipitation doesn't add up to the forecasted amount, the information should all be thrown out. When the weather passes by them without catastrophic events then all who shared the information have overreacted. Here's the amazing thing! Even when someone is a naysayer it doesn't keep the information from being recorded. Even when a disgruntled citizen takes to social media to attempt to cut the centuries of research to the core, the information is shared and compared to other events. Even when those who attack for no apparent reason speak with derision and disrespect to someone they don't know, on a topic in which they are simply an observer of, observations are explored for clues. A much repeated saying goes something like this, "Their actions are a reflection on them, not you." Though negativity and unconstructive criticism is hard to deal with, that doesn't change the story. The events still happen and there is more knowledge now than before the event. We have the ability to more accurately predict weather, because many people dreamed dreams and paved the way. "Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." Joel 2:28 As we approach this new year as a Faith Family, I feel a bit of that anticipation. The anticipation that comes from seeing what the next steps will look like and what the results will be. Some of the dreams and visions for 2022 are tried and true--more information will be gathered for future reference. Some of those dreams and visions have been just that, dreams and visions, and 2022 will be a starting block for what those dreams and visions will produce. Yet, other dreams and visions are new, at least for Oakland UMC, and tied into those may be a bit of apprehension, as well as anticipation. A piece of our work is to take what has been shared before and build on that--to use that information the best we can in our context. Regardless how we see 2022 as we stand on its brink, we know it won't look like any other year, because we know that is not a norm. For well over a century, the Faith Family of Oakland UMC have weathered hardship, trials, hatred, love, peace, and joy. We will do the same. For over a century the Faith Family of Oakland UMC have kept traditions and planned new adventures. We will do the same. For over a century the Faith Family of Oakland UMC have been faithful to sharing a story--the story of a humble people who share their faith with those next door and those far away. The story of a Faith Family who dream dreams and see visions of how God has called them to be a gift to the community of Oakland, Iowa. Not just for this new year of 2022 we move into, but for generations yet to come. This isn't unexpected, it's been forecast! Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey! Pastor Kim Reflections from Pastor Kim  Home – noun The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. A place of origin adjective Relating to the place where one lives. adverb To or at the place where one lives. verb (of an animal) Return by instinct to its territory after leaving it. Move or be aimed toward (a target or destination) with great accuracy. intransitive verb To move to or toward an objective by following a signal or landmark —usually used with on or in. Home. That word means so many different things, depending on your experience – the lens that all things filter through in your thought process. For some it is an amazing and love filled space, and a sense of belonging. For some it is a place of longing for what the possibilities are. For still others it is a place of pain, neglect, anger and hopelessness. Home can be a many faceted experience, not just a place. An introduction to “Come Home for Christmas” from UM Discipleship Ministries: “Advent is an invitation. For many, it is the invitation to get into that Christmas spirit, to count down the days to the grand celebration, and let the holiday transform everything around us. But there is a deeper and more profound invitation being offered in the season of Advent. The invitation is to re-member that we are heading for home. Or if we’re not, if we’ve forgotten that there is a home toward which to head, it is the invitation to long for the home we call the kin-dom of God. It is where family resides, where peace resides, where justice abides, and hope will rise. Advent reminds us that we shouldn’t be complacent about the way things are – not that we want to become angrily attuned to every perceived failing in those around us or the world at large; but that we want to be those who look forward to something greater, something more that is just on the horizon. Advent is the call to come home.” https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/come-home-for-christmas From the first Sunday of Advent through the Sunday after Christmas, we will explore home and images of home that cling to us. We might even find some new images of home. You’ll hear from me, and from some other voices, very familiar voices from this church home in Oakland. Do you know someone who might benefit from this experience? Bring them along! I look forward to spending this season of anticipation and contemplation with you for the first time! Together we develop a space that brings a sense of home to others. Might the result be an outpouring of the love, grace and mercy that God has shown each of us. Might we experience the expectation of what is yet to be in faith as the Holy Spirit leads us with intent and God’s will. Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey! Pastor Kim
Reflections from Pastor Kim Thanksgiving – one word, that we associate with one day or season. What if instead we considered Thanks Giving – more than one word, with a broader focus. Consider what it might look like if we made giving thanks a way of life? What if Thanks Giving became a culture not just of individuals, not just a faith family, but of an entire community? How does that change the greater community? How does that change the world? November 1 we begin to move in just that direction! We will be working together to move into a culture of Thanks Giving; not focused on a day or season, but instead working together to change our lives and the lives of others, as we learn to live in a continual atmosphere of Thanks Giving. That will not be an overnight transition. It will not happen in a few months. This is a long-range endeavor to deepen our faith, strengthen our faith family, and reach our community with the love God calls us to cultivate and share. We will work together with a common goal, with a plan laid out for next steps of which I’ve shared the basic structure below. During the October Administrative Board meeting, Oakland UMC leadership agreed to support the plan and work together with myself and you, to make a culture of Thanks Giving a reality. This is nothing that a pastor can do on their own, nor anything that appointed leadership alone can tackle. Each of you are an integral part of this process because you are an integral part of our faith family. It will take our realization that together we can have a more profound effect on our children, youth, elders, and everyone in between. Together we are able to have a larger and more significant impact on our local and greater community in faith building, mission, and ministry. The next year of this endeavor has a name, 2022 - A Gift to Oakland. This is a plan that will be evaluated weekly by those who are in the midst of specific elements of the plan, and monthly by the Administrative Board. The plan has desired outcomes listed and dreams and realities mixed in with each step. Oakland UMC leadership is committed to being nimble and responsive to changing needs and situations, yet continuing to move forward. This is such a testament to the deep roots of faith and the willingness to petition the Holy Spirit for next steps of Oakland UMC. How did this foundational plan come to be? I have been at Oakland for four months. No, not long, but the time has been full of learning! There have been many hours of listening to stories, reading church history, talking to leadership about who we are, where we are, and in what direction we feel God is calling us to move forward. There have been conversations with community members, unscientific core values polls, watching you all worship, communicate and be together. In the midst of this is also the realities of the last over eighteen months of unrest surrounding COVID, changing demographics, and the changing perception of faith and organized religion. So many things in the mix!! The most important though, is the consistent leading of the Holy Spirit. I am so excited to be on this journey with you!! We will work together, learn together, grow together and worship together over the next years. There will be more to come. Always know that my door is open to your questions, ideas and inspirations. Let’s move forward to what God has for us that we have yet to imagine! “FOR SURELY I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, SAYS THE LORD, PLANS FOR YOUR WELFARE AND NOT FOR YOUR HARM, TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE WITH HOPE." JEREMIAH 29:11 NRSV 2022 - A Gift to Oakland 1. Create an atmosphere of thanksgiving
2. Develop a network of learning centered on the giving of time, talents and treasures 3. Oakland UMC becomes a community outreach hub. Each of these are multi-faceted and our next few months are just the beginning. Let’s live in Thanks Giving EVERY day! See you on the journey! Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey! Pastor Kim Reflections from Pastor Kim This month we will spend some time in worship talking about healing and the impact that has on a positive move forward in relationship with God, ourselves, and others. If you don’t know this about me yet, you soon will. I’m not a big fan of reinventing the wheel! So when I read something that is better left in its original form than synopsized, I tend to let that happen whenever possible. I read the following excerpt from an article to be published in the Early UMC October newsletter. We all have wounds. We all have scars. Physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual. So many injuries which are left to fester. Most often, because we are too busy taking care of others, or rushing to the next thing, to be able to take care of the pain caused by scar tissue which grows layer by layer. Even if we are very private people, there are ways to facilitate healing of all kinds in our lives. Never be afraid or embarrassed to seek out healing balms of life. They are life giving, and life affirming. Below find a portion of the article by Cary Brown, Spiritual Director, and Administrative Assistant for Early UMC, Early, Iowa.  I love trees and their beauty in every season! The colors of fall is a no-brainer. That one is easy. God’s paintbox in the colors of the leaves is a wonder! Then those leaves let go and fall and leave the trees bare. The structures of the trees fascinate me. Some are straight and tall and strong and lift their arms high. But then there are the trees who have been injured, broken, or bent. They are the ones with holes in them or huge knotholes or unexpected bends and twists. They are the interesting ones! They have a beauty all of their own if we just stop and look and see the wonder. When I see trees like that, I wonder what they have been through to end up like that…. Their ‘wounds’ are hidden by the leaves during most of the year but during winter, those ‘wounds’ end up showing their beauty. Just like us. Most of the time our ‘wounds’ and imperfections are hidden because we are ashamed of them. What we don’t get is that those ‘wounds’ and imperfections have a beauty all of their own. How many people around us need to see and hear about our ‘wounds’ and imperfections in order to know they can make it through their own? Whether your story includes surviving abuse of any kind, or surviving cancer, or the death of a loved one, or a fire, or any other of a multitude of things, people need to hear from you that this can be survived! In fact, can even be a grace.  When we hide our ‘wounds’, we hide the wonder of who we are. We hide the grace we have to offer others to help them through their ‘wounds’. Jesus did not hide his wounds – he showed them to his friends and taught them the graces those wounds hold. “The changing of leaves reminds us that new wonders are just around the corner.” When we are willing to let the leaves of our lives change and eventually fall, we let others see the wonders that are just around the corner. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it is uncomfortable. Jesus knows all about hurting and being uncomfortable – but, more than anything, he knows the wonder!! This fall, look for the wonders – around you and inside you. Look for the wonders you can share with others as Jesus did. Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey!
Pastor Kim Reflections from Pastor Kim “…let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill,… " Proverbs 1:5 I am a lifetime learner. There has never been a time in my life that I can remember not wanting to know more about, well, anything! Now, this can be both a blessing and a curse. It means I know just enough about just about everything to be a bit dangerous. It also means that I have spent many nights in my life (still do) reading way too late into the night, which leaves me a little bleary eyed for the day to come. This need to continue to learn has included learning more about scripture, the Church, and my role in the midst of that. One thing that fascinates me is to read scripture and then dig into the context of what was going on at the time it was written. Why was this story important to the people of the time. What was the original words in which it was written? Do they mean the same thing today? Did the story have an ulterior motive or is it clearly directed by God? So very many different things to dig into. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7 Perhaps the hardest thing I’ve found to do with knowledge is to relearn something. An example would be to dive into new knowledge and then discern how that effects what I already know to be true, then draw new and informed conclusions to add to the knowledge bank. The longer I’ve had the base knowledge, the harder it is to think of the topic or situation in a different light. Let’s think on the familiar Birth of Christ story. In our youth as we are building the foundation of our faith, all the events of the Birth of Christ happen in one night, right? That is, according to the annual Christmas pageant! When we begin to age and read scripture ourselves, what an onslaught of emotion there is when we realize that our Christmas pageant story actually comes from more than one story. Then as we get older and the realization hits that not all the Gospel writers felt the “Birth of Christ” was worthy of inclusion, but instead focused on the life and ministry of Christ, there’s another hiccup. At that point there is yet another gut punch to our faith, or at least a realization that we may need to dig deeper; learn more. “An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Proverbs 18:15 What I’ve found to be particularly helpful in my journey of lifelong learning, is having people to bounce my thoughts off of as I wonder about what I’ve been learning. That includes colleagues, friends, small groups and educators in many different levels and genres. If I just lean on my own understanding, I miss the depth of meaning in nearly every topic known to man. When it comes to scripture, in my mind and life, it is essential to have those folks in my life who I can question, safely debate with, and in all things, learn together. “Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will gain in learning.” Proverbs 9:9 How about you? How do you learn best? No matter what age you are as you read this, your faith can deepen. Whether you are young, middle-aged, or in your golden years, deepening your faith is still very important. How we read and understand the Living Word throughout our lives, is indeed the “Living” part of the Word. Our age, our experiences and our culture all plays a part in how we experience that Living Word. Though it is timeless, it speaks to the people of every age, in every age. All of us can use someone to bounce our learnings off of, to help us discern is we are hearing what we think we are hearing.
How are you working towards learning more about scripture? What about learning to deepen your faith? I’d love to have a chat with you about how we can work on those things together. Feel free to contact me at any time to dive a bit deeper or to chat about what tools I may be able to offer for your faith journey. Above all – DON’T STOP LEARNING! Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey! Pastor Kim |
AuthorPastor Kim Dewey Archives
June 2022
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed