Blog Posts - Princeton UMC

Lent - A Season for Selfies

3/5/2014

Each year the Oxford University Press finds a word that has generated a lot of interest throughout the year and designates it as Word of the Year. For 2013 they selected “selfie.”1 A selfie is a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.
Last summer, Pope Francis, surprised the world when he posed for a selfie taken by some kids down from the diocese of Piacenza on a pilgrimage. He didn’t actually take the selfie, but he was in the photo as part of the group. It was hailed as the first papal selfie in the history of the church.

Actually, the selfie has been around for a long, long time. Go back 500 years or so, and you'll find famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio and Rembrandt mixing paints and doing selfies. They were quite clever in how they inserted themselves into their art.

In Leonardo’s “The Last Supper,” many maintain that he painted himself in as two of the disciples. Caravaggio, in “The Taking of Christ” (1602), appears on the far right, holding a lantern. Rembrandt may hold the record for the most selfie paintings (90+). In his famous seascape painting, “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” (1633), Rembrandt included a selfie in the boat next to Jesus.

Even God has taken a selfie. The selfie is called Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s self-portrait. He is essentially an Instagram shot of what God is like. But then Jesus Christ also took a selfie. It’s called the church. You, me, we in the church are Jesus’ selfie. What does your selfie look like? What is Princeton showing the world what Jesus looks like?

If ever there was a time for taking selfies – spiritual selfies - then the season of Lent is that time. As we journey to the cross, Christians take a spiritual self-portrait and look at where we are in relation to Jesus. It is a time of introspection and self-examination. We take a snapshot of our hearts in order to identify our sins and go through a process of reflection, repentance and prayer. Then when we take new selfies, hopefully, we the church, will better reflect the divine Selfie, Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord, as we draw closer to the cross of Good Friday, give to us an awareness of our sin. Help us mature into the people you desire us to be. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee

1 http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/press-releases/oxford-dictionaries-wo...
2 ‘Selfie’ as word of the year: Look at me, OED!, Boston Globe, December 10, 2013, online.

Created For Relationships

2/14/2014

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness…
Genesis 1:26

"Our image…Our likeness…” Plural… Our God is a relational God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The basis of our creation is God’s relationship likeness. But that is only half the story. If you remember in Genesis during the 6th day of Creation, God formed Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life and placed him in the Garden of Eden.

It was a beautiful and safe paradise. There was no war, famine or stress. God gave Adam everything he needed to enjoy life and a close relationship with his Creator. But in chapter 2 God realized something was missing. Of all his creation – the light, stars, planets, plants, animals, fish and man, there was one thing that was not good. The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. (2:18) So from Adam’s rib God formed Eve. It was love at first sight. This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman.

We were created for relationships. We have a longing to be with someone, to be wanted and loved. Dr. Allan Schore of the UCLA Medical School has found that right from birth our basic genetic structure within the brain is hardwired to form emotionally connected relationships. I have yet to hear anyone come to the end of their life and say, “I wish I had spent more time at the office and less time with my family and friends.” If anything, the great regret often heard, is that one didn’t spend enough time with other people.

Developing and maintaining relationships is necessary not only in our personal lives, but also in the life of a church. Our theme this year at Princeton is “Building Better Relationships.” As Christians, our Lord commanded us to “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations…” Discipleship at its heart is a relational thing. Through this Great Commission, Jesus essentially tells us to go into our communities and build better relationships. I hope you will join us as we make a fresh commitment this year to live out this calling invidually and as a church.

Triune God, fill our hearts with the love of Jesus Christ and his saving grace, so that we can build better relationships in our lives and in our community. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee

Etch-A-Sketch

1/1/2014

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,
that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
(Acts 3:19, NIV)

Years ago our son Chancey, who was seven year’s old at the time, asked “What’s so special about a New Year anyway?” “Well,” I answered, “a New Year provides us an opportunity to stop and think about the past year and see if there are areas in our life we need to start over.”

He had received an Etch-A-Sketch pad for Christmas that year. I picked it up and turned the knobs and made some squiggly lines. “Let’s pretend this pad is the old year and each of the marks on this pad are things I have done. Some of the things I have done made me happy and made other people happy and I am glad I did them. But there are some other marks that I wish hadn’t happened. Maybe I said something without meaning to that hurt somebody’s feelings, and that mark is on the pad. Maybe I missed out on an opportunity to do something for somebody who needed my help. That mark is on the pad too. I am glad for some of the marks on the pad, but there are some marks I want to take off the pad very much. The New Year gives me a chance to wipe the pad clean and to start over. Maybe I didn’t do everything I meant to do last year, but this is a New Year and I can do better. I have a new chance.”

Of course, every day is a New Year’s Day when you believe in Jesus. Jesus says that whenever we sin and do something that we are not proud of, we can pray for His forgiveness and God will wipe the pad clean immediately. We don’t have to wait 364 days for the next New Years’ to start over. That’s one of the best things about being a Christian. When we sin and desire to do better, Jesus wipes the pad clean and we can start again – right now. Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year, every day in 2014!

Gracious God, thank your for your loving forgiveness that wipes away my sin. May my life this year become a more holy sketch of you. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee

Light of the World

12/3/2013

                                “You are the light of the world. ...let your light shine before others,
                               that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.
                                                            (Matthew 5:14, 16, NIV)

The fiber optic Christmas tree is one of the newest, neatest looking Christmas trees that have been produced. Rather than lights being hung on the tree’s branches, the light source is inside the tree. The light illuminates the fiber optics from within the branches, which produces a shimmering light at their ends that looks almost supernatural. The first time I saw one of those I couldn’t help but think how beautifully it illustrates the words of Jesus, “You are the light of the world.” Jesus is our light source and He lives within us. Our life serves as a means for the light of Christ to shine through us so that all may experience the shining light of Christ.

Perhaps at no other time in the year besides Christmas do Christians have a chance to shine in the darkness more clearly and beautifully. There are people all around us – where we live, where we work, where we go to school – who don’t really understand what Christmas is about.

They may connect Christmas with the baby Jesus born in a manger, but they don’t connect what happened then to what’s happening now, or what’s happening in their lives. For many, Jesus’ birth has little or nothing to with how they live, or how they die.

Christmas is your time to shine. It offers you one of best times to illuminate for people the message about the baby born in Bethlehem. A message of peace with God and peace with one another. A message that he came to give us purpose in life, and hope after death. Your job as a light for the world is to tell and show why He came, and to lead people walking in darkness to the Light of the World that can light up their lives.

That won’t happen by chance. You’ve got to turn on the light of Christ in you by praying regularly and asking God to provide you opportunities to share his light and love with others.

Prayer: O God, as the days of Christmas unfold and the lights of our trees brighten, we cling to the promise of the Light that is coming into the world. Let every heart receive Him and shine forth His light, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee

It Seemed So Important

11/4/2013

                    “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day
                                        he went into the synagogue, as was His custom.”
                                                                    (Luke 4:16 NIV)

Fred Craddock tells the story of a young woman, 28 yrs old, at St. Mark’s church in Atlanta, who spoke to him after worship.

She said to him, “This is the first time I was ever in church.”
“Really” he responded.
“Yeah.”
“Well,” he asked her, “How was it?”
She said, “Kind of scary.”
He said “Kind of scary?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
And she said, “It just seems so important. You know, I never go to anything important. This just seemed so important.” (1)

How right she was – is. There is nothing more important than hearing about Jesus Christ and his love, grace and forgiveness. For 178 years that has been the job God has assigned the people of Princeton UMC – sharing the Gospel message.

Sometimes in the day to day frustrations of work, I find myself majoring on the minors and losing sight about what we’re here for. Maybe there are times when you get weary doing church work too. Then I remember that most Sundays we have 1-2 visitors that come searching for something important... searching for Jesus. While some individuals come to church for more information, most come for formation; not for the meaning of life, but for the experience of something, Someone more important than them. Something so important it will reach into the depths of their souls and profoundly affect them, now and eternally.

Every Sunday, we get the opportunity to be part of something more important than ourselves. It may not necessarily be earth-shattering all the time, but it should be the most important hour of your week, because worship is the primary place where people meet God. It is a holy occasion that requires your attendance, not only for your sake, but also for the sake and souls of others. Who knows what person will walk in our door and because you are here, will feel the connection of Christ and his divine importance in their life?

Prayer: Eternal God, thank you for the great privilege of being part of your church and pointing others to Christ. May we be faithful in fulfilling our job. In Jesus' name. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee

(1) Fred B. Craddock, Craddock Stories, (Chalice Press, 2001), pg 132.

More Please...

10/2/2013

                        And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
                                “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
                                                                        (Luke 22:17, NIV)

“I want some!” the little boy insisted as he pushed his way through the communion line. His mother tried to hold him back and encouraged him to wait his turn. But he twisted out of her hold and rushed forward, bumping into the lady in front of him. He disrupted our normal and sometimes ho-hum communion experience. Each week we bow our heads and consider Christ’s sacrifice for us – “for me” momentarily. But seeing three year old Luke Morris excited about communion shook up my half-hearted, lackadaisical ritual.

Snatching the bread out of my hand, his eyes flashed with delight as if he had waited his whole life for it. Hardly able to hold back from eating it then and there, he allowed his mother to guide his little hand to dip the morsel in the communion cup. Stuffing it in his mouth, he smiled and hummed “M-m-m good.” He looked up at me waving his fingers whispering, “More please.” “That’s all honey,” said his mother and they moved away.

I regret that I didn’t slip another piece of bread in young Luke’s hand. I’m not sure if that would be the correct theological response, but I am sure I had just witnessed someone ready to eat like it was his last supper. He actually had an intense desire to feast on the body of Christ – something I sometimes neglect to do. I wonder if we couldn’t all stand for a little more of Luke’s hunger and desperation at communion – “More please.” Maybe, he’s the one who has it right?

The first Sunday of this month, October 6, we will celebrate World Communion. With the arrival of the church of Jesus Christ a new age has dawned. It doesn’t matter what part of the world we’re from, because from God’s perspective there are no political, ethnic, cultural or national boundaries. From God’s perspective we are One people, the People of God!

I want to personally invite you to bring someone from “your world” and join the people of Princeton as we share in Holy Communion with people all over the world.

Prayer: Triune God, you call us into community. Yet so often we fail to invite others into community with us. Help us to hunger more for Christ as we work together to build your kingdom in our world, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee

The Hand of the Lord

9/2/2013

                   The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord
                                    and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
                           He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones
                                       on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry...
                                                        (Ezekiel 37:1-2, NIV)

Have you ever had a dream die out? A ministry vision that faded away? Felt like today and tomorrow are barren landscapes with no hope or promise of relief? That must have been how the prophet Ezekiel felt, when he received a vision from God, of a valley filled with dry bones.

He and his people, the Nation of Israel, were facing conditions of utter despair. It was a dark and dismal time in Jewish history. In 597 BC they had seen many of their people killed and their land desolated. Exiled as slaves to Babylon, they were suffering under the cruel King Nebuchadnezzar. A broken and lost people, they had crossed over into a place of spiritual death, and all hope was dying out for them.

God gives Ezekiel a vision of hope for the nation of Israel. The first thing Ezekiel informs us is he is not alone. When you are facing desperate times and feeling lost and broken, you want to know you are not in this alone. There is someone standing next to you. “The hand of the Lord was upon me...” The “hand of the Lord” is a biblical term for God’s power and presence in the lives of His people. More specifically, His Spirit with them. When the hand of the Lord is upon you, God’s Holy Spirit is with you.

Like a loving parent's hand upon a child, I find the hand of the Lord upon me reminding me of his love for me. He puts his hand upon me so I don’t run off in the wrong direction. His hand has caught me many times when I stumbled and fell. But the mighty hand of the Lord upon me most often strengthens my soul and lifts my spirit, especially when I find myself standing knee deep in dry bones. His hand reminds me he has the power to do the impossible. To bring hope from despair and life out of death. God tells Ezekiel to “preach to the bones” (v4) “and the bones came together” (v7) ...they came to life and stood up on their feet.” (v10).

Prayer: God of life and love, may your hand ever be upon us so that our parched and barren souls may be revived by your quickening Spirit. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee

Guest Post: It's All In the Timing

8/5/2013

                                   But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, 'You are my God.'
                                                       My times are in Your hand;..."
                                                              (Psalm 31:14-15, NKJV)

With school starting in a couple weeks and our city once again brimming with over 25,000 UGA students, we are reminded that it is a time of change for them and us. Below is an excerpt from a blog article, “It’s All in the Timing” (6/10/2013) by Annaliese Ashley that offers us spiritual insight to God’s timing.

...Sometimes you have opportunities, choices, open doors, challenges placed in front of you: like Abram when God told him to leave Ur for a land that He would show him. InGenesis12,God told Abram he would make of him a great nation if he left his homeland and followed God’s directions to a new home. Abram said: okay deal. Flash forward to Hebrews, Abraham (the –ha was added to change his name from meaning “exalted father,” to “father of many”) has the biggest chunk of the “hall of faith.” Abraham, because he answered God’s call, became the father of many nations: the Jews, Muslims, and Christians... He answered the call when it was set in front of him; he saw the timing and took it.

By the way, Abram wasn’t told where he was going...until well after he left. Seeing the timing and taking it isn’t always easy or transparent. The “right timing” doesn’t always mean the “I can see my life’s path clearly now-timing.” Sometimes it looks like “I know it’s time for me to move, so I’ll pack, but I don’t know where I’m going-timing.” Sometimes it’s as simple as an unsettled feeling in your stomach, a lack of peace within your soul. Sometimes it’s a tough pill to swallow. Leaving your homeland, your family (blood or friends), your community, your habits, your desires, your own selfish hopes...these are all difficult things to leave and wander off into the unknown...

...What opportunities are in front of me? Which ones do I fight for? Which ones do I let happen, or let slide past?... How do I know when I get there that I’m in the right place? What if there’s something potentially really awesome happening in a place I might be leaving?... What if I’m settling...what if I’m not?... What if where I’m going isn’t as cool as where I am? ... What if I fail...or succeed?

I can’t pretend to imagine if those were the questions racing through Abram’s mind as they race through mine. A step of faith is hard no matter which way you slice it. But I know what thought Abram’s mind landed on; it’s the same one mine did.

I will go. I have seen my ways and I have seen the ways of the LORD; His are wiser and much better in the long run than mine will ever be. I can’t deny that it seems silly—turning down seemingly good opportunities or holding out for others or walking off into nothing hoping for guidance—but I cannot shake it. I must be faithful to the God with whom I stand and to whom I cling. Everything is in His timing anyway: His perfect timing.

Prayer: Almighty God, I don’t always understand your timing, but I know that it is perfect. Grant me the grace to step out in faith and put my times in your hand. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee

Annaliese has attended Princeton for the past two years and is a recent graduate of UGA. Link to the complete post at her Wondering Wanderer blogspothttp://akajournaling.blogspot.com/

Abba...Father

6/17/2013

                            All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters
                         you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children.
                                            With this Spirit, we cry, “Abba, Father.”
                                                        (Romans 8:14-16, CEB)

Die-hard fan, Steve Monforto, had been going to Phillies baseball games since he was three years old. After all that time, on September 7, 2009 he finally caught his first foul ball. After trading a couple quick knuckle bumps with other nearby fans, he handed the ball to his 3-year-old daughter, Emily. Big Mistake… Little Emily immediately threw the ball over the railing to the fans below.

Watching on a Jumbo-tron, the whole stadium gasped while Dad grabbed his head and yelled, “Oh no!” The people held their breath waiting to see how this father would react at the loss of his treasure. Quick as a flash he scooped his little daughter in his arms and gave her a loving hug for the entire world to see. The crowd cheered. Looking back at the moment, Steve said, “I wanted her to know that her daddy loved her and that she didn’t do anything wrong.”

Daddy… When Jesus was asked by the disciples how they should pray, he taught his followers to pray, “Our Father.” In the original Aramaic language that Jesus spoke with his disciples, the word he used was “Abba.” This is a title for God found nowhere else in Jewish literature. “Abba” is more intimate than the English word “father.” It was the way a young child would address an earthly father. In English, we would literally translate the word as “Daddy.”

Little Emily is her “Daddy’s girl.” Monforto’s love for his daughter is touching and inspiring. It’s a good way for us to visualize our own Heavenly Father. He isn’t in the business of chiding and punishing. His concern is to reassure his daughters and sons that each of us is deeply loved. In Christ’s name, we dare to come before the Lord God in prayer and call him “Daddy.” On Father’s Day, we honor our earthly fathers; but we also recognize that at their very best, fathers give us a glimpse of our heavenly Father’s love for us. May our earthly fathers keep giving us such glimpses…

Prayer: Abba, bless all the fathers. Guide them to be godly role models and loving to all their children. Give them grace and patience to handle situations in a loving way, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee

"Go" Itinerant Methodists

5/6/2013

                                        The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country,
                            your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
                                                                     (Genesis 12:1)

“Go” the Lord said to Abram and leave your home, your country and pretty much all you have ever known. According to verse 4, just like that “Abram went, as the LORD had told him.” He traveled on a journey to a land he had never seen and had no idea where it was. Quite frankly, I can’t believe Abram went or that his wife Sarai agreed to let him uproot them. But, he and Sarai did go. God changed their names to Abraham and Sarah and made Abraham the father of many nations and Sarah the mother of kings.

For United Methodist elders, this time of year is fraught with anxiety over the possibility of hearing that word “go” from the Bishop. Clergy in the United Methodist Church serve as itinerant ministers. “Itinerant” literally means, “to travel from place to place.” Ministers are appointed one year at a time by the bishop of their annual conference. This form of deploying pastors has a long and rich history in our denomination that dates back to John Wesley and the Circuit Riders. Presently, most ministers are re-appointed to the same church for multiple years, but there was a time when ministers never stayed more than one year at a particular church or circuit.

All ordained elders in the United Methodist Church take an oath and promise to “go where we are sent.” From then on, we go where we are sent within the geographical bounds of our annual conference, often relocating to a land and a church we have never seen and sometimes have no idea where it is. Quite frankly, I can’t believe so many of us go and that our spouses consent, but we do and they come along. As scary as it is, there is an implicit faith that God is at work in and through the appointive system. After all, God is the One who started it.

We may wonder at Abraham and Sarah’s faith. They left their home and family and became itinerant nomads who were obedient to God’s call. However, ALL Christians are itinerants. Faithful disciples promise to go where we are sent. And we are seldom told the details about route and destination. In the spirit of Father Abraham, we step out on faith to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who gave us the Great Commission to “Go and make disciples of all nations… baptizing them… and teaching them…” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Prayer: Dear God, where and who do YOU want me to go today? Help me have the faith to release control of my life to go where you send me. In Christ’s name. Amen.

In His Word,
Reverend Dee Dee