A Prayer for Our Nation

To the faith-filled sisters and brothers of The United Methodist Church of Enfield –
 
We are in shock.  We are in grief.  We are in a place of crying out to God in lament – yet again – for God’s presence to be made more fully known in the world.   The violent events in Washington, D.C. yesterday [Wednesday], both destructive actions and inflammatory words, have left us reeling after a year that has already demanded much of our lives.  Free speech in our country does not equal cheap speech.  The words we use have a cost to them, be they words used in a personal exchange or a public forum.
 
How can we not consider the value of the words we use, when we in the church have chosen to follow God’s word made flesh – Jesus the Christ.  This Word, above all other words, paid a terrible cost to be heard for all time.  If we are at all to cherish this Word, given freely but not cheaply, then we are also called to cherish the words we choose to use. 
 
I encourage you to be present in worship on Sunday.  We will hear God’s Word in prayer, in proclamation and in life.  This Sunday is the day in the life of the church when we celebrate the baptism of Jesus, and when we will have the opportunity to reaffirm our own baptism into the body of Christ.  We will have the opportunity to use our words to reconnect to the original source of grace, love and mercy in the world.  It will be a service of scripture and song, reflection and prayer, based in part on the prayer vigil held by the New England Annual Conference last night.  If you would like to watch a recording of the prayer vigil, please go to this page on the Conference website HERE , where you will find a link to the video.
 
Above is a prayer we will use in the service.  I encourage you to offer this prayer in the coming days and weeks ahead. 
 
May God’s peace and grace be with you,
Pastor Janet
 

December 23, 2020

To the faith-filled sisters and brothers of The United Methodist Church of Enfield –
 
As you read this, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is just a day or two away. This year especially we crave the hope, the love, the joy and above all the peace that Jesus brought to the world.  Not as a passing emotional frame of mind, but the truest experience of these things that comes from being in the presence of God.  This year, perhaps more than most, the scene at the manger holds a powerful appeal.   
 
When Christ was born, he was known to most people as Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph of Nazareth.  To a few – the shepherds, the wise men, to Simeon and Anna in the temple – he was known as the Messiah, the Christ, the one whom God had sent to redeem God’s people.
 
The birth of Christ challenges us to stop, look around and consider who we are before God.  We are reminded of the greatest gift the world has ever received – that of God’s son, born of a young woman named Mary in the city of Bethlehem so long ago.  Jesus Christ continues to give life to everyone who turns to him. 
 
If you have not read the story of Jesus’ birth in a while, slow down long enough (just 5-10 minutes) to read the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke. The beginning of the chapter is below. Imagine yourself as one of the people who came to the manger to gaze upon the baby who would one day be known as the Messiah.  How might you find a moment of rest, a moment of joy, a moment of hope at the manger scene?
 
Christmas blessings to you all! 
 
Peace & grace,
Pastor Janet
 
 
Luke 2
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn…(to be continued)

This recent column from the United Methodist Foundation of New England came into my email box last week. I found the reflection on Advent from a prisoner named Phil thought provoking. I wanted to share it with all of you.

Pastor Janet

As I have stated in the past I am involved in prison ministry. This year has been particularly hard on the men behind the walls as all volunteers have been banned since February, and much of that time was without family visits as well. Bethany House Ministries is one of the not-for-profits that supports the men when they are released. This year, as part of their annual appeal, they shared a reflection written by one of the men I know well. I share it now because it is too moving not to.

An Advent – Christmas Reflection from Behind the Walls 2020

Let’s face it, these are tumultuous times for all of us. Time in which I find myself often gazing from my cell window and wondering, what it might be that you yourself are seeing from your window? For me, I see a co-mingling of sorrow and joy. The leaves are changing and so are we. Colder weather is moving in, and the ways in which we now interact with one another are dramatically altered. So much suffering abounds, often it is difficult to know how best to help. Many have become cynical, fearful, disillusioned, and the stress and anxiety and frustration can get overwhelming. I get it, I have my moments too. However, the longer I gaze out my window, the more deeply I feel drawn to go deeper within myself.

From this vantage point, the window of my heart, my Advent journey is beginning. I can see that many of us have grown older, more infirm, are struggling to make ends meet, and are wrestling with the innumerable uncertainties life now challenges us with. Many more of us are also grieving the losses of both loved ones and the way life used to be. In the windows of my own nostalgic moments, I fondly recall your face and the many memories we shared from our vibrant communal Bethanian days. It is the memory of your face, like a shining star to me, that brings me both solace and hope. Comfort knowing that we may [be] separated, but we are far from being apart.

For a few moments I wished I could turn back the hands of time. Then a realization struck me. Advent calls us forward, not backwards. We have grown since last we met, and each of us is on a journey now to transcend who we are at this moment. Like the Wise folk of old who took a risk, took off their mask, and dared to follow that bright shining star into an uncertain future, so too are we called to do the same, to step out in faith. Advent journeys are about learning to trust, and about learning to see through the darkness and into the light. Often one baby step at a time. Advent feeds us the nutrients we most need to birth new life in us. Christmas dispels the dark, transcends the fear, in the humble gathering where we meet once again at the manger of Christ and together are fed. May we be stars for others along the way to the celebration. See you at the manger of Love!    Phil