Lent: A time for Focusing

 

The liturgical season of Lent (the word originally simply meant Spring) is the forty days (plus six Sundays) preceding Easter during which Christians are encouraged to fast (do without) from certain worldly comforts (traditionally meat) and to focus on the meaning of Jesus' suffering (passion) and death. It is a time of spiritual focusing in preparation for the most significant Holy Day of the year: Easter.

Many choose to fast from certain foods during Lent. Foods such as desserts, coffee, soft drinks or red meat are popular choices. Others choose to fast from television or internet surfing. The idea is to do without something that one enjoys in order to focus on spiritual things. How does doing without red meat (for instance) help us to focus on spiritual things? Simply put, when we deny ourselves an indulgence we feel it either physically or emotionally. And when we are feeling the "hunger" for this indulgence we ordinarily grant ourselves, it can be understood as an offering to God, a sacrifice (in the Old Testament tradition) that we make to show our love and devotion to God.

While fasting from certain things, I always encourage a Lenten discipline of ADDING a spiritual discipline to one's routine. Spending time in prayer every day (if one is not already accustomed to doing so), or adding another spiritual discipline (fasting, Bible reading, serving others, etcetera) will help one to focus on spiritual things. The idea is to so prepare ourselves that Easter Sunday greets us with exceptional joy and relief! Think about how good a slice of pork roast would taste after 40+ days of not eating any meat! When we long for the Lord as much as we long for a hamburger we are approaching the attitude expressed by the psalmist who wrote "As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, O God" (Psalm 42:1).

So beginning with Ash Wednesday (Feb. 25) when we are reminded of our mortality (ashes to ashes, dust to dust) and through the 40 days of Lent (plus six Sundays), culminating with Holy Week, I encourage you to fast, pray, focus and grow in your walk with the Lord. It is a holy time. Use it wisely!

Shalom,

Pastor Glen

A New Beginning

 

As I write this, President Barack Obama has just been sworn in to office as the 44^th President of the United States of America. It is an exciting day in the life of our country as another peaceful transition of power unfolds and the Great Experiment continues. It is also an historic day as the first African-American president is inaugurated. I am proud to be an American and hopeful for the future!

 

No matter what your political party or for whom you voted, this is a hopeful time. If for no other reason than the slate is wiped clean and it is a new beginning. No one knows for sure what an Obama presidency will bring forth, and we cannot foretell the future with regards to events that are yet to come, but we can all come together and face our future in unity. Does that mean there will be no disagreements? Hardly. Healthy disagreement is a hallmark of our nation. But we should all rejoice that there are no riots in the streets, no military coup, and no enemy attack to steal our national unity.

 

Having said that, as Christians we must always remember that no political party, no government, no president will usher in the Kingdom of God; Barack Obama is NOT the Messiah! George Bush was NOT the Messiah. Only Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and it is to Him alone we trust our faith and future. We cannot allow any politics to usurp the authority of Jesus Christ in our lives. True, we owe allegiance to our country, but only secondarily to our allegiance to God. We are to "give to Caesar" but we are first to "give to God."

 

So let's embrace hope! Hope is one of the "big three" (faith, hope, and love-1 Cor. 13:13). And let us remember that our hope is in the Lord (Psalm 39:7).

 

Peace,

 

Pastor Glen

What A Glorious Day!

The first Sunday back in our Sanctuary was, by all accounts, a glorious day! We had a full house and everyone was excited and thrilled by worshipping in the Sanctuary once again. So many people were involved and so many factors came together that I cannot begin to enumerate them all. Suffice it to say that God worked "all things together for good" (Rom. 8:28) on our first Sunday back.
 

It was an emotional day. I think we had grown so used to worship in the Social Hall that we had forgotten what it felt like in the Sanctuary. The ringing of the bell as we processed from the Social Hall to the Sanctuary, then the first notes of the organ and the singing of the opening hymn brought tears to many an eye (including mine!). The choir sounded twice as large as it did in the Social Hall (the acoustics in the Sanctuary are marvelous) and that new baby grand piano was wonderful. Like I said, it was a glorious day.
 

As we begin a new calendar year at Chino UMC, I am excited about what God is going to do in us and through us. The signs are there. People are hopeful. New ideas and enthusiasm are abundant. New leaders are stepping forward. The stage is set for God to move us into a new era, a "post fire" era. Starting of small groups, new outreach ministries, evangelism and mission, music programs and much, much more await us in 2009! There is no reason to rest on the "high" of that first Sunday back in the Sanctuary, because God has much more in store for us!
 

It is going to be a lot of fun as we walk forward under the guidance of the Lord. I hope you will fully enter in to the life of our church as, together, we discover what God has planned for us!

 

New Year Blessings!

What Next? Life After the Lay Witness Mission

We had a wonderful weekend, November 7-9, as 20 lay persons from Arizona, Utah and California converged on Chino to share their lives and faith with us. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm of our congregation emerge through the weekend. So many of you have commented to me of how much our “Kindling the Flame” weekend touched you!

But what’s next? After the potluck luncheon, 23 CUMC’ers stayed to share and contemplate that very question. Out of that meeting has come some very exciting ideas and plans for our church family! Jon Burk has compiled these ideas and the Church Council has met to discuss them and make some plans. The most prominent idea was to put our heart and soul into the Thanksgiving Day Dinner that was started last year by ChUMY (Chino United Methodist Youth!). So we are committed to work on making this year’s meal even more meaningful and helpful to our community. Last September, the Church Council decided not to have a CUMC Thanksgiving meal the Sunday before Thanksgiving in order that we can put all of our energy into the Thanksgiving Day event.

Beyond that one event, the most prominent idea to come out of the Lay Witness weekend was to form small groups in the congregation, and to enhance the small groups that already exist so that more CUMC members and friends can experience, in an on-going way, the blessing of small groups. So prominent was this idea, in fact, that the Church Council has encouraged me to get started on this right away! Small groups, like those we experienced on the “Kindling the Flame” weekend are a fabulous way to help each other to grow in our Christian discipleship, both in terms of our devotional life and our missional outreach. Growing our church for the future involves both drawing new members and families to our church, but also for us to continue to grow in our Christian discipleship. People are attracted to churches which are extraordinarily committed to living out the faith they proclaim!

So the first step is to recruit and train small group leaders and homes in which to hold small group meetings. I would like to call these groups “Home Groups.” They will be offering different activities and structures to fit the different needs of different people. Depending on how many we can recruit and train, I can envision groups including such activities as: Bible study, prayer, spiritual accountability, mission outreach, book study, and/or a combination of more than one. The only limit is our imagination! I will also be reaching out to the leadership of our existing small groups (committees, choir, and other groups) to offer ideas to help make them even more meaningful. But if you feel a call to hosting a Home Group in your home, please contact me. And if you feel a call to being trained to be a leader of a Home Group (could be the host, but doesn’t have to be), contact me. We are hoping to get these groups off the ground before the end of the year!

With the re-entry into the sanctuary coming up on December 14th and so many other things happening around the church, it is an exciting time to be here! I hope you join me in looking expectantly to God for what He wants to accomplish in us and through us!

Be Blessed!

Five Secrets of Life

I was sent this link by an acquaintance who is living with cancer. She is a clergy member of my annual conference. I pass it along to you because it is very moving and beautiful. But I also add something that I think is important, because as Christians we have a unique perspective. The “Five Secrets of Life” are given in a secular genre. But whatever is true is from God, so insofar that this is true, I believe, God has issued it. Therefore, after you have viewed the video (it’s about 6 minutes), consider my comments that follow. For me, it puts the whole thing in proper perspective.

Here’s the link: http://www.bkconnection.com/thefivesecrets/index.html

Now, after watching, consider:

1. Be true to yourself. This is the ONLY one of the five that needs any significant interpretation. Because as Christians, we believe that our “self” is corrupt. However, our “true self” is in Christ Jesus (who is NOT corrupt). For Christians, we might word this one “Be true to your true self.” So the scriptures for this are: 1 John 5:20 and Romans 12:5.
2. Leave no regrets. Philippians 3:13
3. Become love. 1 John 4:7-8
4. Live the moment. James 4:13-15
5. Give more than you take. Acts 20:35

Be Blessed!

When a Fire is Good

In just a couple of weeks, we are going to have a fire. No, not the kind of fire that heavily damaged our sanctuary over a year ago! This fire is a good fire; this fire is about the Spirit!

“Kindling the Flame” is the name of our first (ever?) Lay Witness Mission at Chino UMC. What is a Lay Witness Mission? I’m glad you asked! It is a marvelous weekend of spiritual growth that can have a lasting and transforming impact on a congregation. It is a weekend that could very well kindle the kind of growth and vitality that our church needs to face the challenges of the years ahead.

There is a brochure included in this issue of the Tidings that will tell you a lot about our “Kindling the Flame” Lay Witness Mission, November 7-9. It includes a schedule for the weekend.

I want to encourage every member of the Chino UMC family to make every effort to attend as much of the weekend as possible. You will meet lay persons, just like you, who have developed a deep and meaningful relationship with God in Jesus Christ. You will hear about the struggles with integrating their faith in all aspects of their lives. And you will be encouraged to grow deeper in your own faith.

What have you got to lose?

Our church has a lot to gain!

So plan now to attend “Kindling the Flame”, Friday, November 7th through Sunday, November 9th. For more information, talk to me or Mac Brazelton, Frank Cookingham, or any member of the Church Council, which planned this weekend just for you!

Be blessed!

Earth Has No Sorrow (that Heaven Cannot Heal)

Our church has been through a tremendous amount of grief lately. With the deaths of Bill Mendoza and Barbara Pine we have lost two “pillars” of the church, one in the prime of life, and the other taking with her the legacy and memories of countless numbers. Even if you did not know Bill or Barbara well, if you are involved in the church at all, you are feeling the grief.

Grief is God’s way of venting the pain of loss. When we lose someone we know and love, it hurts. That pain must be dealt with, or else it could kill us. Healing begins when grieving begins. At first, of course, we are in shock and feel nothing. But as the truth of our loss seeps in, our bodies and our hearts begin to grieve. It used to be believed that you make it through a loss by NOT crying or showing other forms of emotion. But that is simply not true. In fact, to shut down our emotions (in an effort to protect ourselves from too much grief) will only serve to exacerbate the problem. Emotions that are shoved down and hidden away will always come back strike more ferociously and unhealthy later on.

One of the best things we as a church family can do during times like these is to give permission to (and even encourage) each other to grieve, and grieve well. And that means to allow for tears, anger, disbelief, and more tears. This congregation is good at allowing these things, so I’m only saying this as a reminder.

God gives us other people to help make us better people. He puts people in our lives who will influence us and challenge us. The best thing we can do is consider what gifts Bill and Barbara (and anyone else who has passed) had that touched us and made us want to be better people. What was it about their faith, their character, their essence that reminded us of Jesus? Identify those things, hold on to them, and pray for God to make you more like them. Remember, the goal of Christian discipleship is to become more and more like Jesus. Bill was like Jesus; Barbara was like Jesus. Find what it is about them that was like Jesus, and embrace it.

And when you miss them, and the emotions well up inside you, it is good to cry.