This week we enter the season of Lent. For Christians around the world, the season of Lent leading up to Easter is a time for repentance, self-examination, and prayer. As pastor, I ask that you join me in praying for all those affected by the violence that seems to be a constant part of our world. Again, this week, we were shaken with the reports of the shootings in Kansas City during the Super Bowl champion parade.

We live under the constant news of geo-political armed conflict around the world. Let us pray and fast for reconciliation and peace in our world. May God, in his grace, open our eyes to the things that make for peace, may God protect us from the evil of these days. 

Life is a journey of FINDING OUR PLACE. Finding our place in prayer, finding our place in worship, finding our place in generosity, finding our place in service, and finding our place in showing others Jesus through word and deed.

Through the Church, God has given us traveling companions on the journey of life. Just as we need trustworthy companions, others around us need us to be companions for them. Children, teenagers, adults—young and old—all of us need to know that there are people who care for us and will stand by us. People whom we can turn to for wisdom. People who will pray for us. People who want the best for us. 

During the tenure of David Letterman as host of the Tonight Show, he would often present a “Top 10 List”. These lists were often topical in nature, making light of some national event or seasonal occasion. 

Yesterday I was speaking with a friend and colleague about serving as pastor of Stonebridge UMC. I was telling him how much I love being the pastor here. 

So, with that in mind here are my “Top 10 Reasons I love Stonebridge UMC”…

Not many followers of Jesus every reach the pinnacle of a pure heart. It is a lifelong process of making sure our heart is in the right place. In his book The Incendiary Fellowship, Eldon Trueblood says that only ten percent of Christians ever achieve a pure heart with a focus totally on God for all things. For most of us, our spiritual sight comes in stages as we strive to put all things in God’s hands – work, vocation, family, school, leisure, friends. Sometimes we see clearly, sometimes not so much. Most important… are we growing?  

Like the ant carrying the contact lens, we may not know the reason why we are carrying the load, but we know and trust the God who has set the task before us. 

I am reminded of the great commandment of Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

These are the most important words of Jesus recorded in the New Testament. When Jesus is asked which of the Old Testament commandments was the greatest, the words in this passage are his answer. Our faith grows as we honor and love God with every fiber of our being. We then show this love by loving others. 

In what ways are we honoring God in our lives? What do others see in our behavior? What values shape our lives, our work, our family, and our relationships?

We're suffering from millionaire angst. We all want to live like a millionaire but don’t realize that real joy and contentment does not come with dollar signs. We are trying to save our lives by building bigger barns. But Jesus says we've got it all wrong, and He poses a question that the contestants on these “get rich shows” might find hard to answer: "For what good is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:36).

This Sunday we begin our journey through the Beatitudes. Close examination of these verses reveals a six-step process of becoming a disciple of Jesus. This Sunday we begin with step one by looking at the first two “blessings”. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. These first two Beatitudes are about admitting our need for God, letting go of our pride and self-importance. The journey as a disciple begins when we admit our need for God and grieve the self-made mess we have made. Only then can God begin to do God’s work of forgiving our past and showing us the future God has prepared for us. 

As I write this email, my prayer today is that these remarkable Christmas Eve services will be a springboard for the spirit of Christ to bless our ministries in 2024. There is so much yet to be done for those who need a community of faith where they can grow in their faith and join hands to serve the spirit of Christ in this world. 

God takes the broken pieces of our lives and shapes them into beautiful works of art. We look at our broken lives and wonder, “How will God ever use this?” The miracle of the Christ Child is that God can take whatever we have to mold it into something to reflect and magnify the message of God’s love for us. There is nothing too broken for God. 

This Sunday, December 17, I will be preaching from Matthew 1:18-25. We will focus on the character of Joseph. Why did God choose Joseph? Further… why does God choose us? The wonder of God’s love for us is that God does choose us. God’s favor is not about what we have done, but it is all about how much God loves us. 

Christmas is the “celebration” of the birth of our Lord –God in the flesh. Let us not let the excesses of our culture pervert this season. Let us focus on others instead of self. Let us celebrate the gift of Jesus. Let us celebrate what God’s love in Christ has done and is doing. The season of celebration and joy has come. Let us celebrate with gratitude for the Christ has come! Let us sing the songs of Jesus' birth, hear the story told again, and see what God can do through us as the body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that when the voice of God’s Word visits us, we will be ready to hear. We will take the time to open our ears and eyes to what God has for us. We will slow down and wait with anticipation knowing that our Lord is near and has a Word for us. 

Join us in worship these next few Sundays, and let’s see what God has for us. Let us do all in our power not to let work, school, schedules, distractions, or whatever stand in the way of what God has for us. I believe that God is waiting to bless each of us. God is waiting for the open heart to speak a new word of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace this season. 

While Thanksgiving should be a time of truly counting our blessings, it has become a time of overeating on Thursday and overspending on Friday. This year let’s start a counterculture of truly making Thanksgiving a time to remember our blessings and show gratitude to others. This Thanksgiving let’s give away to those who are hungry as much as we spend on the meal we will consume. On “black” Friday, the biggest retail day of the year, let’s stay home. Or if the “SALE” is just too tempting, make an offering on Sunday matching what we spend on Friday. 

As we approach Christmas, let’s remember it’s not our birthday, it’s Jesus’ birthday. Several years ago, Adam Hamilton challenged his congregation to match every dollar spent on our Christmas gifts, parties, and vacations, with a gift of equal proportion to the work of Christ through the church. Wow! Do you think we could do that? 

I believe that Paul’s secret to joy amid hardship is found in the prayer of encouragement that he prays for the church in Philippians 1:9-11. Gratitude grows out of receiving and sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ. As Paul was transformed from an embittered persecutor of Christians to a joyous and gracious example for Jesus Christ, so can we.

We are a light for Jesus Christ. Let it shine. People may have missed us before, but now we will again be a light for Jesus Christ at 1800 Stonebridge Drive. 

In 1 Chronicles 29, the prophet Ezra writes about the method King David uses to raise the funds for the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. Ezra writes that David revealed in detail what he was willing to give to the building of the Temple. It was an extravagant offering. By making his commitment public David inspired the leadership and then the people to a level of generosity never before seen in Israel. 

This passage has often haunted me. Does God want me, as the pastoral leader of this congregation, to share in detail my financial commitment to the work of Stonebridge United Methodist Church? This year, God is challenging Amy and me to take a huge step in faith in our giving, to step forward as leaders in the work of Stonebridge UMC. 

We are the church because of the host of saints who have gone before us. We stand on their shoulders as followers of Jesus. I will be preaching this Sunday on James 2:14-20 and Romans 12:1. These passages lead us to consider the difference between faith (our acceptance of and salvation through Christ) and action (living as a disciple of Christ). James goes so far as to say, “faith without works is dead”. These are hard words for us.

Mediocrity is the opposite of power. We fall into the trap of thinking partial effort — 80% if necessary, 50% when we can get away with it — is good enough. 

We see this all too often in our faith lives. Following Christ can be a challenge.  Faithful worship, being active in prayer, studying the Bible, and serving as a member of the body of Christ all take time in a time-pressure culture. “How much is enough?” some might ask. 

For me, I do not think it is possible to be a growing and serving disciple of Jesus Christ without weekly worship, weekly participation in a small group, and a daily prayer life. Anything less will compromise our connection to our Lord.

What Prayer does for us…

• Lowers stress levels dramatically and prevents stress-related health problems.

• Reduces blood pressure and boosts heart health.

• Makes you a happier person.

For seventy-one years, Ruthie Taylor belonged to a small Presbyterian church in South Carolina. Ruthie was known all over town for her love of the church. Every Sunday for fifty years she would invite and bring someone to church. That was her mission in life. 

On the Sunday following the day she died, the minister of that little church did a great thing. As he announced her passing, he asked everyone in the service that morning that had come to the church for the first time with Ruthie to please stand. All but eighteen out of the 120 people in that service stood!!!

Who will be the Ruthie Taylor for Stonebridge UMC this Sunday?
Will it be you?

Last evening as Amy and I prayer walked the Stonebridge UMC property, God gave me a vision. We were on the northeast corner of the property, and I looked toward Celebration Hall where the cross of Christ rises dramatically above the building. I was praying for our worship services. Praying that God would bring just the right people at just the right time to be touched by the Holy Spirit. Suddenly, the sun broke from behind a cloud and lit up the cross like a beacon. It was incredible! These words from a hymn came to mind, “Lift high the cross, the cross of Christ proclaim, till all the world adore His sacred name.”

This was God's message for me. Lift high the cross of Christ. Let the presence of Christ prevail in everything we do. Believe that through our Lord Jesus Christ, a new vitality and community will be born at Stonebridge UMC. I went to the scriptures. The words were there in John 12:32, “Jesus said, ‘And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to me.’”