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A Word from John Wesley
And at the same time that we are justified, yea, in that very moment, sanctification begins. In that instant we are ‘born again’, ‘born from above’, ‘born of the Spirit’. There is a real as well as a relative change. We are inwardly renewed by the power of God. We feel the ‘love of God shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us’, producing love to all mankind, and more especially to the children of God; expelling the love of the world, the love of pleasure, of ease, of honor, of money; together with pride, anger, self-will, and every other evil temper—in a word, changing the ‘earthly, sensual, devilish’ mind, into ‘the mind which was in Christ Jesus’. (John Wesley, Sermon 43: “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” § I.4.)
A Hymn from Charles Wesley
1. His love surpassing far
The love of all beneath,
We find within our hearts, and dare
The pointless darts of death.
Stronger than death or hell
The mystic power we prove;
And conqu’rors of the world,
We dwell In heaven, who dwell in love.
2.We by his Spirit prove
And know the things of God;
The things which freely of his love
He hath on us bestowed:
His Spirit to us he gave,
And dwells in us, we know;
The witness in ourselves we have,
And all his fruits we show. (Collection-1781, #93:3 & 4.)
Questions for Reflection:
- In John Wesley’s sermon above, he makes it clear that salvation is a real change given to us by the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Do you agree or disagree? When does the change begin?
- What is the meaning of Charles Wesley’s hymn for us today?
- Charles Wesley believed that Christian faith results in a salvation that is real and perceptible: “We by his Spirit prove/ And know the things of God.” Do you agree? Is this your experience?
Everlasting God, you give strength to the powerless and power to the faint; you raise up the sick and cast out demons. Make us agents of healing and wholeness, that your good news may be made known to the ends of your creation. Amen.
The Wesley excerpts are from A Disciple’s Journal—2018: A Guide for Daily Prayer, Bible Reading, and Discipleship, by Steven W. Manskar. Copyright © 2018 Discipleship Resources, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Used by permission. The prayer is reprinted with permission from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, copyright © 2002, Consultation on Common Texts.
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"Family Prayer and Action" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Do One Thing for People in Need*
- Skip snacks this week and donate the money you would have spent on them to an agency that helps people in need.
- Collect clothing to donate to a group that helps the homeless.
- Check your home for books you don’t need any more and donate them to a family shelter.
- Pray for people who have no homes.
- Pray for the members of the Council of Bishops.
***
"Glory Revealed through SEEKING" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
A prayer by Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference and her team,* leading the United Methodist Church in “Praying Our Way Forward” for the week of February 11-17, 2018.
Glory Revealed through SEEKING
Scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on my Name and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
Praise God: For God’s desire to reveal God’s self to us and make God’s self known.
Offer Thanks: For God’s faithfulness to the promises God makes, especially to hear from heaven (2 Chronicles 7:14) and answer our prayers.
Confess: Any tendency to doubt God’s love and goodness toward us.
Ask God: To give us hearts fully devoted to seeking God’s glory continually above all else that we may display the glory of God. “Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Spiritual Discipline: As we begin this week, we recognize that as much as we need bread and water to live, we need the bread of Christ and the living water God offers to us. As you are able, submit yourself to a voluntary weakness and forgo the good food you have to eat this day for the better meal that God has for you.
Reflection: The words “Seek the Lord” appear in both Old and New Testaments of the Bible to remind us to do what should come naturally to us as believers and followers of Christ. Sadly, what should come naturally, doesn’t, at least, not like it should. The truth about us is our hearts become divided. Instead of “seeking” the Lord (some translations say “looking”) with hearts that are fully and wholly devoted to God, too often (if we’re honest) we find ourselves seeking after other things in the place of God. Our hearts get distracted, with our own selves.
It’s what Peter, James and John found themselves doing when they were on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and Jesus revealed his glory. Peter’s response was to remain, exclaiming, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Matthew 17:3-4)
While none of us can fault Peter, and many of us (if not all of us!) would likely have responded the same way, what Peter didn’t understand yet was experiencing Jesus’ glory was not to be an experience for him alone. Others also were to experience it, especially God’s mercy, justice and truth. It’s why Jesus came down the mountain. It’s also why Jesus went to the cross. Jesus went to the cross to display God’s glory.
On the cross Jesus displayed God’s glory by the sacrifice of his life as an expression of God’s love. It was God’s glory Jesus prayed for most of all. His heart torn between his will and the will of his Father in heaven, Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify your name.” (John 12:28) Wouldn’t you know it? God answered Jesus’ prayer! John writes, “Then a voice came from heaven. ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (John 12:28)
When the desire of our heart is the same as the desire of Jesus’ heart and we pray like Jesus prayed – “Father, glorify your name.” – seeking God’s glory above all else we fulfill the reason why we were created (Isaiah 43:7). While there will be much about which we will be uncertain, of this we can be sure. When we pray for God to be glorified God will answer our prayer.
So together we pray, seeking God’s glory above all else. We pray for the way forward and we pray, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work with us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
*The contributors (alphabetically) to the Western Pennsylvania Week of Prayer resource are:
- Mrs. Jaye Beatty
- Rev Chad Bogdewic
- Rev Chris Kindle
- Rev. Brad Lauster
- Rev Hannah Loughman
- Rev. D. Renee Mikell
- Rev Robert Zilhaver
"Glory Revealed through HUMILITY" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville Tennessee United States
Monday, FEBRUARY 12, 2018
Glory Revealed through HUMILITY
Scripture: He must increase, but I must decrease. The one who comes from above is above all. (John 3:30-31a)
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. (Psalm 25:9)
Reverence for the Lord is an education in itself — first you learn humility, then you experience glory. (Proverbs 15:33)
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)
Praise God: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. (Hebrews 13:15)
Offer Thanks: We thank God for bountiful mercy and unfailing love. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. God’s love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: God’s love endures forever. He remembered us in our low estate. God’s love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1, 3, 26)
Confess: In our times of frailty and moments of pride we do not offer the same love and compassion to others that God has graciously extended toward us. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12
Ask God: Speak to our hearts, order our steps, influence our ways, and help us to become great in your eyes.
Listen to God: (Simplicity) Therefore anyone who humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:1-4
Reflection: Most pet lovers will agree dogs can be regarded as the humblest of animals. They exist by what is freely given, follow their owner’s instructions and are faithful companions. With a mouth full of teeth capable of doing great damage, pet dogs will gently nuzzle even the smallest child. A dog’s humility is often displayed as power under control.
It has been said that our humility can also be thought of as strength under control. People can intentionally exhibit meekness too but it’s not always the norm. Having been created in the image and likeness of God, possessing all things pertaining to life and Godliness, been given full stewardship over all the earth, made a little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor, there is a human tendency toward self-sufficiency, rather than first seeking help from the all – sufficient God.
In the book of Judges, it is mentioned that God reduced Gideon’s army from 22,000 soldiers to 300. The Lord said to Gideon, “…for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’ (Judges 7:2).
Our numbers as The United Methodist Church are also large and we have been empowered to do great things, but in times of uncertainty it is important to remain humble. “Not by power nor might but by my spirit says the Lord.” God is not looking to honor the great things accomplished by our own strength, but that which is offered in prayerful humility.
Today as we seek to pray our Way Forward, let us humble ourselves in the sight of our God, and prostrate ourselves (in body or spirit). Let us hold on to God’s unchanging hand. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among ourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in our hearts (Ephesians 5:19), and perhaps let those led to do so, consider prayerfully humming and enacting this hymn – written by Charles Wesley:
***
Glory Revealed through HUMILITY
Scripture: He must increase, but I must decrease. The one who comes from above is above all. (John 3:30-31a)
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. (Psalm 25:9)
Reverence for the Lord is an education in itself — first you learn humility, then you experience glory. (Proverbs 15:33)
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)
Praise God: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. (Hebrews 13:15)
Offer Thanks: We thank God for bountiful mercy and unfailing love. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. God’s love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: God’s love endures forever. He remembered us in our low estate. God’s love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1, 3, 26)
Confess: In our times of frailty and moments of pride we do not offer the same love and compassion to others that God has graciously extended toward us. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12
Ask God: Speak to our hearts, order our steps, influence our ways, and help us to become great in your eyes.
Listen to God: (Simplicity) Therefore anyone who humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:1-4
Reflection: Most pet lovers will agree dogs can be regarded as the humblest of animals. They exist by what is freely given, follow their owner’s instructions and are faithful companions. With a mouth full of teeth capable of doing great damage, pet dogs will gently nuzzle even the smallest child. A dog’s humility is often displayed as power under control.
It has been said that our humility can also be thought of as strength under control. People can intentionally exhibit meekness too but it’s not always the norm. Having been created in the image and likeness of God, possessing all things pertaining to life and Godliness, been given full stewardship over all the earth, made a little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor, there is a human tendency toward self-sufficiency, rather than first seeking help from the all – sufficient God.
In the book of Judges, it is mentioned that God reduced Gideon’s army from 22,000 soldiers to 300. The Lord said to Gideon, “…for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’ (Judges 7:2).
Our numbers as The United Methodist Church are also large and we have been empowered to do great things, but in times of uncertainty it is important to remain humble. “Not by power nor might but by my spirit says the Lord.” God is not looking to honor the great things accomplished by our own strength, but that which is offered in prayerful humility.
Today as we seek to pray our Way Forward, let us humble ourselves in the sight of our God, and prostrate ourselves (in body or spirit). Let us hold on to God’s unchanging hand. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among ourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in our hearts (Ephesians 5:19), and perhaps let those led to do so, consider prayerfully humming and enacting this hymn – written by Charles Wesley:
Father, I stretch my hands to Thee, No other help I know;
If Thou withdraw Thyself from me, Ah! whither shall I go?
O Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer. AMEN.
To download the Western PA Conference prayer guide, (click here). The Conference Center will host a conference call for people in the USA to pray with one another as we pray for a way forward for our denomination Monday through Friday during the noonhour EST. Call toll free 877.860.3058 and enter this pass code 5048371. International participants are invited to join through the live stream on Facebook at facebook.com/wpaumc.***
"Glory Revealed through OBEDIENCE" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018
Glory Revealed through OBEDIENCE
Scripture: “This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love.” (2 John 1:6 CEB)
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 NRSV)
Praise God: We praise you Jesus for the showing us that obedience is a gift, which helps us live lives that honor you and allow us to live in harmony with others and all creation.
Offer Thanks: Thank you, Jesus, for showing us what love is. You loved the unlovable, you reached out to those whom we are often afraid of, and you gave your life for us, so that we could live in love and have life everlasting with you.
Confess: Lord God, there are times in our lives that we go after our own ways, we seek the path that we want, but it eventually leads to disappointment. Yet, we are hesitant to follow your path, because we still think we know best. We want to be right so much so that we do not care how often we are wrong. The fleeting feeling of self-accomplishment leads to disappointment, and we often blame you for something that was our fault in the first place. People get hurt, we shy away from you, but you always pull us back in, like a shepherd leads his or her sheep. Oh, great shepherd, forgive our stubborn ways, but lead us back to your fold, to your protection, to you. Amen.
Ask God: Help us, Lord, to see each other as the image bearers that we are. We often get caught up in out factions that we forget about the humanity in others. We are different, Lord, and you love that about us, but sometimes it is hard to be different and love those who are different than us. We all have different ideas, different talents, different gifts, but we are one body. Help us to realize that we need each other for the body of Christ to be whole. Help us be whole, oh God.
Listen to God: Hush and you will hear the voice of God. We have so much noise in the world today, that it is hard to keep our focus on God and listen to His voice. We like to talk, we like to tell God our needs, but we often leave little room for listening. Even in the busyness of life, we can be silent. Take in the sounds, put on music, whatever gets you to that sweet spot, but just listen. God is talking and He has something to say to us.
Reflection: It can be hard to think of obedience as a gift. We have been told what to do by so many people in our lives; first our parents, then our teachers, then our bosses, and the list goes on. But I believe we need to rethink the word obedience, at least in regards to how we think about it with God.
The writer of 2 John tells us that obedience is to live in love. This is such a beautiful image. Wouldn’t it nice if it was that simple? But what if it is? There are two great commandments that Jesus tells us to follow: to love God with all of our heart, soul, and might and to love our neighbor as ourselves. God calls us to love God and all that resemble God – humanity. When we put our own interests above others’, then we do a disservice to ourselves and to God. Finding obedience in love is how we will be able to live together and how we will be able to live in the Kingdom of God. You cannot love God without loving your neighbor, that is what the author of 1 John says, because how can you love God whom you have not seen if you cannot love your sibling, whom you have seen.
When Jesus walked this earth 2,000 years ago, He showed us what true obedience looks like. Jesus would often listen for God’s voice in prayer, He showed God love through His heart, soul, and might, which means all of one’s emotions and thoughts, all of one’s life, and all of one’s treasure. To best explain what is meant by this, there is a legend of a Jewish hero, Rabbi Aqiva:
Rabbi Aqiva was sentenced before the wicked Tinius Rufus. The time came to say the Shema prayer. He began to say it, and laughed. He said to him: Old man, old man, either you are a sorcerer or you are contemptuous of suffering. He said to him: May the spirit of this man be blown away! I am not a sorcerer and I am not contemptuous of suffering…I loved God with all my heart, and I loved him with all my money, but I did not test “all my soul,” and now I have the chance for all my soul and the time has come to say the Shema prayer aloud and I did not miss the chance! That is why I say the Shema and laugh. (Aharon Oppenheimer, “Removing the Decalogue From the Shema and Phylacteries : The Historical Implications,” in The Decalogue in Jewish and Christian Tradition, ed. Henning Graf Reventlow and Yair Hoffman (New York, NY: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2.011, pp. 101-102).
Jesus also showed mercy to those who were often forgotten; the tax collectors, sinners, prostitutes, ethnic minorities, and the disabled. He healed the sick, welcomed the stranger, and pleaded the cause of the poor. Jesus was obedient, even to the point of death, even death on a cross. What if we lived in this kind of love of God and one another, how different would the world be? Perhaps we need a little more obedience in the church, perhaps we need a little more obedience in our lives, perhaps we need a little more obedience to God. As Lent is coming tomorrow, seek to be more loving to God and others, seek to be more obedient. Amen.
To download the Western PA Conference prayer guide, (click here). The Conference Center will host a conference call for people in the USA to pray with one another as we pray for a way forward for our denomination Monday through Friday during the noonhour EST. Call toll free 877.860.3058 and enter this pass code 5048371. International participants are invited to join through the live stream on Facebook at facebook.com/wpaumc.
***
Glory Revealed through OBEDIENCE
Scripture: “This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love.” (2 John 1:6 CEB)
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 NRSV)
Praise God: We praise you Jesus for the showing us that obedience is a gift, which helps us live lives that honor you and allow us to live in harmony with others and all creation.
Offer Thanks: Thank you, Jesus, for showing us what love is. You loved the unlovable, you reached out to those whom we are often afraid of, and you gave your life for us, so that we could live in love and have life everlasting with you.
Confess: Lord God, there are times in our lives that we go after our own ways, we seek the path that we want, but it eventually leads to disappointment. Yet, we are hesitant to follow your path, because we still think we know best. We want to be right so much so that we do not care how often we are wrong. The fleeting feeling of self-accomplishment leads to disappointment, and we often blame you for something that was our fault in the first place. People get hurt, we shy away from you, but you always pull us back in, like a shepherd leads his or her sheep. Oh, great shepherd, forgive our stubborn ways, but lead us back to your fold, to your protection, to you. Amen.
Ask God: Help us, Lord, to see each other as the image bearers that we are. We often get caught up in out factions that we forget about the humanity in others. We are different, Lord, and you love that about us, but sometimes it is hard to be different and love those who are different than us. We all have different ideas, different talents, different gifts, but we are one body. Help us to realize that we need each other for the body of Christ to be whole. Help us be whole, oh God.
Listen to God: Hush and you will hear the voice of God. We have so much noise in the world today, that it is hard to keep our focus on God and listen to His voice. We like to talk, we like to tell God our needs, but we often leave little room for listening. Even in the busyness of life, we can be silent. Take in the sounds, put on music, whatever gets you to that sweet spot, but just listen. God is talking and He has something to say to us.
Reflection: It can be hard to think of obedience as a gift. We have been told what to do by so many people in our lives; first our parents, then our teachers, then our bosses, and the list goes on. But I believe we need to rethink the word obedience, at least in regards to how we think about it with God.
The writer of 2 John tells us that obedience is to live in love. This is such a beautiful image. Wouldn’t it nice if it was that simple? But what if it is? There are two great commandments that Jesus tells us to follow: to love God with all of our heart, soul, and might and to love our neighbor as ourselves. God calls us to love God and all that resemble God – humanity. When we put our own interests above others’, then we do a disservice to ourselves and to God. Finding obedience in love is how we will be able to live together and how we will be able to live in the Kingdom of God. You cannot love God without loving your neighbor, that is what the author of 1 John says, because how can you love God whom you have not seen if you cannot love your sibling, whom you have seen.
When Jesus walked this earth 2,000 years ago, He showed us what true obedience looks like. Jesus would often listen for God’s voice in prayer, He showed God love through His heart, soul, and might, which means all of one’s emotions and thoughts, all of one’s life, and all of one’s treasure. To best explain what is meant by this, there is a legend of a Jewish hero, Rabbi Aqiva:
Rabbi Aqiva was sentenced before the wicked Tinius Rufus. The time came to say the Shema prayer. He began to say it, and laughed. He said to him: Old man, old man, either you are a sorcerer or you are contemptuous of suffering. He said to him: May the spirit of this man be blown away! I am not a sorcerer and I am not contemptuous of suffering…I loved God with all my heart, and I loved him with all my money, but I did not test “all my soul,” and now I have the chance for all my soul and the time has come to say the Shema prayer aloud and I did not miss the chance! That is why I say the Shema and laugh. (Aharon Oppenheimer, “Removing the Decalogue From the Shema and Phylacteries : The Historical Implications,” in The Decalogue in Jewish and Christian Tradition, ed. Henning Graf Reventlow and Yair Hoffman (New York, NY: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2.011, pp. 101-102).
Jesus also showed mercy to those who were often forgotten; the tax collectors, sinners, prostitutes, ethnic minorities, and the disabled. He healed the sick, welcomed the stranger, and pleaded the cause of the poor. Jesus was obedient, even to the point of death, even death on a cross. What if we lived in this kind of love of God and one another, how different would the world be? Perhaps we need a little more obedience in the church, perhaps we need a little more obedience in our lives, perhaps we need a little more obedience to God. As Lent is coming tomorrow, seek to be more loving to God and others, seek to be more obedient. Amen.
To download the Western PA Conference prayer guide, (click here). The Conference Center will host a conference call for people in the USA to pray with one another as we pray for a way forward for our denomination Monday through Friday during the noonhour EST. Call toll free 877.860.3058 and enter this pass code 5048371. International participants are invited to join through the live stream on Facebook at facebook.com/wpaumc.
***
"February 2018 - Ash Wednesday and Lent" The Upper Room Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Ash Wednesday and Lent - February 2018
This newsletter is a partnership of Weavings, Alive Now, The Upper Room Center for Christian Spiritual Formation, and The Academy for Spiritual Formation.
What Is Authentic Spirituality? by E. Glenn Hinson
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21, NRSV
If you are taking Lent seriously, you will be asking, “What is authentic spirituality? What is it that I ought to covet and seek and pray for?” According to Matthew, authentic spirituality has to do with purity of heart (Matt. 5:8), single-mindedness (6:22-24), kingdom righteousness (25:31-46), or, as I would phrase it,downright goodness.
Downright goodness is what Jesus insisted upon when he spoke about almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (Matt. 6:1-18). He was not negating these religious practices. He was teaching that an intimate relationship with God ought to result in unselfconscious expressions of them. When we practice them, we should do so without calling attention to ourselves—indeed, without even thinking about them. We should become so sensitized to and conscious of God’s mysterious presence in our every thought and action that we would do them automatically.
Jesus told the Parable of Kingdom Character in Matthew 25:31-46 to make unmistakable what authentic spirituality is. In it, the king invited into the kingdom those who had fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, taken strangers into their homes, and, in short, met human need wherever or in whatever form they found it. They were goodness in action.
They were those good trees bearing good fruit (Matt. 7:17-18). They were people who did the will of the heavenly Father and not those who just said, “Lord! Lord!” (7:21). They were the wise who built on rock rather than on sand (7:24-27).
In our humanness, we can only strive to act with complete selflessness. But strive, we must. A few “ordinary saints” sometimes inspire us. Mother Teresa of Calcutta spent her life tending the dying, and called it doing “something beautiful for God.”
What beautiful thing can you do for God today?
E. Glenn Hinson is Professor Emeritus of Spirituality and Church History, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. A prolific author, Glenn has contributed numerous articles to Weavings and served on its advisory board from the beginning.
Are You Thirsty? Come to the Water by Beth A. Richardson
Join us on the journey -- Upcoming Two-Year Academies for Spiritual Formation. Beginning in July in California. Beginning in August in Alabama. I'll be the worship leader for the Two-Year in Alabama. Learn more.
I had worked at The Upper Room for fifteen years before I attended The Academy for Spiritual Formation. I “knew” about The Academy because I worked at The Upper Room. I watched my colleagues, one by one, attend the Two-Year Academy at Camp Sumatanga, Alabama.
When I saw The Academy brochure, it didn’t speak to me. Reading the prospectus just brought back memories of Divinity school: Trying to stay awake as I trudged through text books. The pressure of reading and exams and sitting through lectures.
It was my friend, Jerry Haas, who finally lured me into The Academy for Spiritual Formation. He invited me to attend the Five-Day Academy in Arizona. I was excited to meet Flora Slosson Wuellner, one of the faculty presenters. And my friend and colleague, Elise Eslinger, was to be the worship leader.
I attended that five-day experience and fell in love with The Academy for Spiritual Formation. It was nothing like Divinity school. It was nothing like anything I had ever experienced. A few months later, I joined the Two-Year Academy in California in its second week. And the experience nurtured, shaped, and changed me.
I discovered a thirst I didn’t even know I had — a thirst for community, for silence, for a daily rhythm of prayer. I discovered a thirst for the Holy One. I count myself fortunate that I was enticed into The Academy experience.
I hope you will listen to the longings of your spirit, your thirsts, your hungers. Consider whether you are being called to join us on this journey. (Learn more.)
Beth A. Richardson is Director of Prayer and Upper Room Worship Life. She is formerly the editor of Weavings and Alive Now. She blogs at All the Wonders.
This occasional newsletter brings resources for your spiritual journey and updates from The Upper Room.
Blessings to you during this Lenten season.
***
This newsletter is a partnership of Weavings, Alive Now, The Upper Room Center for Christian Spiritual Formation, and The Academy for Spiritual Formation.
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21, NRSV
If you are taking Lent seriously, you will be asking, “What is authentic spirituality? What is it that I ought to covet and seek and pray for?” According to Matthew, authentic spirituality has to do with purity of heart (Matt. 5:8), single-mindedness (6:22-24), kingdom righteousness (25:31-46), or, as I would phrase it,downright goodness.
Downright goodness is what Jesus insisted upon when he spoke about almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (Matt. 6:1-18). He was not negating these religious practices. He was teaching that an intimate relationship with God ought to result in unselfconscious expressions of them. When we practice them, we should do so without calling attention to ourselves—indeed, without even thinking about them. We should become so sensitized to and conscious of God’s mysterious presence in our every thought and action that we would do them automatically.
Jesus told the Parable of Kingdom Character in Matthew 25:31-46 to make unmistakable what authentic spirituality is. In it, the king invited into the kingdom those who had fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, taken strangers into their homes, and, in short, met human need wherever or in whatever form they found it. They were goodness in action.
They were those good trees bearing good fruit (Matt. 7:17-18). They were people who did the will of the heavenly Father and not those who just said, “Lord! Lord!” (7:21). They were the wise who built on rock rather than on sand (7:24-27).
In our humanness, we can only strive to act with complete selflessness. But strive, we must. A few “ordinary saints” sometimes inspire us. Mother Teresa of Calcutta spent her life tending the dying, and called it doing “something beautiful for God.”
What beautiful thing can you do for God today?
E. Glenn Hinson is Professor Emeritus of Spirituality and Church History, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. A prolific author, Glenn has contributed numerous articles to Weavings and served on its advisory board from the beginning.
Are You Thirsty? Come to the Water by Beth A. Richardson
Join us on the journey -- Upcoming Two-Year Academies for Spiritual Formation. Beginning in July in California. Beginning in August in Alabama. I'll be the worship leader for the Two-Year in Alabama. Learn more.
I had worked at The Upper Room for fifteen years before I attended The Academy for Spiritual Formation. I “knew” about The Academy because I worked at The Upper Room. I watched my colleagues, one by one, attend the Two-Year Academy at Camp Sumatanga, Alabama.
When I saw The Academy brochure, it didn’t speak to me. Reading the prospectus just brought back memories of Divinity school: Trying to stay awake as I trudged through text books. The pressure of reading and exams and sitting through lectures.
It was my friend, Jerry Haas, who finally lured me into The Academy for Spiritual Formation. He invited me to attend the Five-Day Academy in Arizona. I was excited to meet Flora Slosson Wuellner, one of the faculty presenters. And my friend and colleague, Elise Eslinger, was to be the worship leader.
I attended that five-day experience and fell in love with The Academy for Spiritual Formation. It was nothing like Divinity school. It was nothing like anything I had ever experienced. A few months later, I joined the Two-Year Academy in California in its second week. And the experience nurtured, shaped, and changed me.
I discovered a thirst I didn’t even know I had — a thirst for community, for silence, for a daily rhythm of prayer. I discovered a thirst for the Holy One. I count myself fortunate that I was enticed into The Academy experience.
I hope you will listen to the longings of your spirit, your thirsts, your hungers. Consider whether you are being called to join us on this journey. (Learn more.)
Beth A. Richardson is Director of Prayer and Upper Room Worship Life. She is formerly the editor of Weavings and Alive Now. She blogs at All the Wonders.
This occasional newsletter brings resources for your spiritual journey and updates from The Upper Room.
Blessings to you during this Lenten season.
***
"Lent, Day 2, Prayer for Love" The United Methodist Church Prays
in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018
Glory Revealed through LOVE. For additional resources from The Upper Room for all of Lent, click here.
Scripture: Above all things, have unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8 Modern English Version)
You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with ointment. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:46-48 Modern English Version)
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Praise God: We praise You for the mind-bending love that You have shown to each one of us, even to our “enemies”.
Offer Thanks: We thank you for forgiving us for every one of our sins. We are overwhelmed by the love you showed by going to the cross in our place so that we could have the gift of freedom and intimacy with God.
Confess: We confess that because of our faithlessness and prejudice, sin and hard-heartedness, we have jumped to conclusions about others and have reacted in sinful ways. We confess treating one another with contempt, failing to recognize that You died for them as well as You have died for me.
We commit to responding with love and respect for those with whom we disagree, and depend on the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sin and not to point the finger at each another.
Let us open our hearts and thoughts to the searching gaze of the Holy Spirit to remove the roots of pride, self-righteousness, and self-justification. Let us deny the rationalization that excuses our own sin and condemns our brother or sister.
Since we cannot agree on what is right, let us invite the Holy Spirit to guide us daily in how to treat one another. Let us not fall into legalism or license, but rather fall into your holy and Grace-filled righteousness for all.
Ask God: Help me to forgive and move forward in love and unity. How can we love someone with whom we disagree so strongly? Jesus said, “Love your enemies; bless and do not curse them.” Many of us in the UMC have taken positions that deeply oppose one another and we have become like enemies. The Good News is that Jesus calls us to love even our enemies. In order to love, we must forgive.
Listen to God: Spend some time in silence, listening to the Holy One, soaking in the Presence, and experiencing the deepest love and forgiveness, and freedom to forgive others.
Reflection: C. S. Lewis said: “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive.” How true. It’s not until forgiveness becomes personal and costly that its actual size and weight become real.
Perhaps what makes forgiveness so hard is that we don’t understand what it is … and what it is not.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean excusing what someone did to you or forgetting what happened to you. Neither does it mean denying or stuffing your feelings and especially not reconciling instantly every time. (That requires the other person’s willingness to change their behavior and rebuild trust in a safe and accountable environment.)
Jesus modeled forgiveness and welcomed back those who hurt him most – like Peter who denied him. He forgave those who tortured him on the cross, before they ever asked for forgiveness. Giving up the right to get even, to punish, and to see justice done is the essence of forgiveness.
If forgiveness is hard for you, remember that when someone owes you something – respect, an apology, tenderness, . . . there remains a “debt;” a hollow place in your soul as long as it is not fulfilled. However, unforgiveness is a trap that leads to resentment and keeps reminding you of the hurt and pain. It hurts you more than it hurts them, and leads to bitterness. Choosing not to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die!
If you want to be free of that knot in your stomach every time you think of that person or action that has hurt you, you must forgive them. It is not “letting them off the hook”, but rather letting YOU off the hook of anger and intolerance. Spend some time in solitude, speak the words of forgiveness over your offender, free your enemy, and free yourself from the prison of unforgiveness. Welcome peace into your soul.
Amen.
***
in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Glory Revealed through LOVE. For additional resources from The Upper Room for all of Lent, click here.
Scripture: Above all things, have unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8 Modern English Version)
You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with ointment. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:46-48 Modern English Version)
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Praise God: We praise You for the mind-bending love that You have shown to each one of us, even to our “enemies”.
Offer Thanks: We thank you for forgiving us for every one of our sins. We are overwhelmed by the love you showed by going to the cross in our place so that we could have the gift of freedom and intimacy with God.
Confess: We confess that because of our faithlessness and prejudice, sin and hard-heartedness, we have jumped to conclusions about others and have reacted in sinful ways. We confess treating one another with contempt, failing to recognize that You died for them as well as You have died for me.
We commit to responding with love and respect for those with whom we disagree, and depend on the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sin and not to point the finger at each another.
Let us open our hearts and thoughts to the searching gaze of the Holy Spirit to remove the roots of pride, self-righteousness, and self-justification. Let us deny the rationalization that excuses our own sin and condemns our brother or sister.
Since we cannot agree on what is right, let us invite the Holy Spirit to guide us daily in how to treat one another. Let us not fall into legalism or license, but rather fall into your holy and Grace-filled righteousness for all.
Ask God: Help me to forgive and move forward in love and unity. How can we love someone with whom we disagree so strongly? Jesus said, “Love your enemies; bless and do not curse them.” Many of us in the UMC have taken positions that deeply oppose one another and we have become like enemies. The Good News is that Jesus calls us to love even our enemies. In order to love, we must forgive.
Listen to God: Spend some time in silence, listening to the Holy One, soaking in the Presence, and experiencing the deepest love and forgiveness, and freedom to forgive others.
Reflection: C. S. Lewis said: “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive.” How true. It’s not until forgiveness becomes personal and costly that its actual size and weight become real.
Perhaps what makes forgiveness so hard is that we don’t understand what it is … and what it is not.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean excusing what someone did to you or forgetting what happened to you. Neither does it mean denying or stuffing your feelings and especially not reconciling instantly every time. (That requires the other person’s willingness to change their behavior and rebuild trust in a safe and accountable environment.)
Jesus modeled forgiveness and welcomed back those who hurt him most – like Peter who denied him. He forgave those who tortured him on the cross, before they ever asked for forgiveness. Giving up the right to get even, to punish, and to see justice done is the essence of forgiveness.
If forgiveness is hard for you, remember that when someone owes you something – respect, an apology, tenderness, . . . there remains a “debt;” a hollow place in your soul as long as it is not fulfilled. However, unforgiveness is a trap that leads to resentment and keeps reminding you of the hurt and pain. It hurts you more than it hurts them, and leads to bitterness. Choosing not to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die!
If you want to be free of that knot in your stomach every time you think of that person or action that has hurt you, you must forgive them. It is not “letting them off the hook”, but rather letting YOU off the hook of anger and intolerance. Spend some time in solitude, speak the words of forgiveness over your offender, free your enemy, and free yourself from the prison of unforgiveness. Welcome peace into your soul.
Amen.
***
"Lent, Day 3, Prayer for Hope" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Friday, February 16, 2018
Glory Revealed through HOPE. For additional resources from The Upper Room for all of Lent, click here.
Scripture: “For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.” (Job 14:7)
“And you will have confidence, because there is hope; you will be protected and take your rest in safety.” (Job 11:18)
“Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)
Praise God: For the steadfast love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:5
Offer Thanks: “O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
Confess: When we think, feel, and act that our life and our life together in the church is beyond the power of God. “My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
Ask God: God give me faith to see beyond the horizon of the current uncertainty of the future and give me the assurance that all things will work together for my good and your glory. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Listen to God: Listen to God in the other. Focus on the spiritual discipline of hospitality (welcome the other and entertain the image of God in them). “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” Romans 12:12-13
Reflection: In our life together, when we only focus on the issues and problems facing our church related to human sexuality, I think we can be filled with fear and despair. Our lives and our life in the church can become like a gray overcast day.
All the great minds of the church and the news coming out of the Commission on A Way Forward can’t seem to push back the clouds. The Council of Bishops can’t seem to shed enough light on the situation to brighten the gray. Our hearts can lose hope.
I am reminded of some of the writings of Albert Camus. This French writer compared us with the legendary Sisyphus, doomed forever to push a huge boulder up a steep hill, knowing that at the very moment the boulder was about to reach the top, it would slip and roll to the bottom, and he would have to start all over again. The best we can expect of ourselves in such a hopeless situation is an act of courage enabling us to continue the struggle.
It is true that Camus had a gift for describing a vital force at work in the midst of life, speaking on one occasion, for example, of “an invincible summer in the midst of his winter.” But I generally come away from encounters with his writing feeling the absence of God’s grace. And without God’s grace, there is no hope. In one of his stories Camus talks about the doves (symbolizing the Holy Spirit?) circling above the
gray clouds of Amsterdam with no place to land. If the Holy Spirit cannot come to us, then our life is gray and hopeless.
Hope in our life and our life together comes not from focusing on the problems of the present, but on God and the plans God has for us and our life together. Hope in God that no matter what decisions are made, not matter what sketch is selected, no matter what old may pass away and no matter what new may come, God’s steadfast love will never fail. And no matter what the future or the future structure of the United Methodist Church, nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and the unity we share in the body of Christ.
Come Holy Spirit, Come.
***
February in the Chapel
Every Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. we gather to worship in The Upper Room Chapel. We areREAD MORE
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For over 80 years, The Upper Room daily devotional guide has encouraged people everywhere to share their stories of faith. Not long after its first issue was printed The Upper Room began crossing borders and being translated into Spanish, Korean, and Hindustani. Now, The Upper Room is translated into more than 30 languages and can be found in over 100 countries.
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Scripture: “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23, NRSV)
“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” (Psalms 133:1, NRSV)
Praise God: Lord we praise you for the opportunity to get glimpses of heaven as we live in community with those different than ourselves. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12, NRSV)
Offer Thanks: We thank you for the uniqueness in which you have created each of us and praise you for the opportunity to celebrate our differences as a gift from you. “For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13, NRSV)
Confess: “Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (United Methodist Hymnal page 12)
Ask God: “We ask you, O Lord, for the gifts of your Spirit. Enable us to penetrate the depth of the whole truth, and grant that we may share with others the goods you have put at our disposal. Teach us to overcome divisions. Send us your Spirit to lead to full unity your sons and daughters in full charity, in obedience to your will; through Christ our Lord. Amen.” (United Methodist Hymnal page 556)
Listen to God: Listen to God by celebrating with a brother or sister in Christ today. You have spent a week practicing unity by joining together in prayer with those who may feel differently than you do. Celebrate this opportunity we have been given to be united by the same Spirit in prayer. Celebrate in being assured that that same Spirit holds our future. Grab the hand of your neighbor and offer up a word of celebration that the work of God cannot fail.
Reflection: Have you ever sat in a restaurant and rejoiced as you witnessed a family offering up a word of grace before a meal? Have you ever overheard people in the grocery store talking about what a great message the pastor gave at church that day? Have you ever had the privilege to see someone witnessing about the love of Christ to a stranger?
If you have, then you must understand the feeling of true unity. You don’t know those people. You don’t know what church they go to, you don’t know where they live or where they work. They might look different then you, they might talk different then you, they might even believe differently then than you.
However, in those moments that you witnessed the Spirit at work in the world, none of those things really mattered. You somehow felt connected to them. As if you weren’t alone in the world and your best friend was within reach. You wanted to run up and tell them you are a Christian too and how good it is to meet another brother or sister in Christ. This is because we are all united by the same Spirit. As we move toward an uncertain future, may we move together.
As we seek a way forward, may we not lose sight of that unifying Spirit. May we desperately grab onto what unifies us and not what divides us. In this way the harvest that is ready will know the love of God. Amen.
***
Glory Revealed through HOPE. For additional resources from The Upper Room for all of Lent, click here.
Scripture: “For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.” (Job 14:7)
“And you will have confidence, because there is hope; you will be protected and take your rest in safety.” (Job 11:18)
“Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)
Praise God: For the steadfast love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:5
Offer Thanks: “O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
Confess: When we think, feel, and act that our life and our life together in the church is beyond the power of God. “My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
Ask God: God give me faith to see beyond the horizon of the current uncertainty of the future and give me the assurance that all things will work together for my good and your glory. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Listen to God: Listen to God in the other. Focus on the spiritual discipline of hospitality (welcome the other and entertain the image of God in them). “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” Romans 12:12-13
Reflection: In our life together, when we only focus on the issues and problems facing our church related to human sexuality, I think we can be filled with fear and despair. Our lives and our life in the church can become like a gray overcast day.
All the great minds of the church and the news coming out of the Commission on A Way Forward can’t seem to push back the clouds. The Council of Bishops can’t seem to shed enough light on the situation to brighten the gray. Our hearts can lose hope.
I am reminded of some of the writings of Albert Camus. This French writer compared us with the legendary Sisyphus, doomed forever to push a huge boulder up a steep hill, knowing that at the very moment the boulder was about to reach the top, it would slip and roll to the bottom, and he would have to start all over again. The best we can expect of ourselves in such a hopeless situation is an act of courage enabling us to continue the struggle.
It is true that Camus had a gift for describing a vital force at work in the midst of life, speaking on one occasion, for example, of “an invincible summer in the midst of his winter.” But I generally come away from encounters with his writing feeling the absence of God’s grace. And without God’s grace, there is no hope. In one of his stories Camus talks about the doves (symbolizing the Holy Spirit?) circling above the
gray clouds of Amsterdam with no place to land. If the Holy Spirit cannot come to us, then our life is gray and hopeless.
Hope in our life and our life together comes not from focusing on the problems of the present, but on God and the plans God has for us and our life together. Hope in God that no matter what decisions are made, not matter what sketch is selected, no matter what old may pass away and no matter what new may come, God’s steadfast love will never fail. And no matter what the future or the future structure of the United Methodist Church, nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and the unity we share in the body of Christ.
Come Holy Spirit, Come.
***
"Lent, Day 4, Prayer for Unity" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2018
Glory Revealed through UNITY. For additional resources from The Upper Room for all of Lent, click here.
Every Day-Prayer-Community-Engage-Resources-Our Story
devozine
FEBRUARY 23, 2018
This devotional magazine for teens encourages young people ages 14-19 to spend time with God each day, to practice their faith, to connect with Christian teens around the world, to listen to the faith stories of their peers, and to share their own stories, gifts, and prayers.
The Family of God
Daily Devotional · FEBRUARY 23, 2018
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devozine
FEBRUARY 23, 2018
The Living Prayer Center
Glory Revealed through UNITY. For additional resources from The Upper Room for all of Lent, click here.
FEBRUARY 23, 2018
This devotional magazine for teens encourages young people ages 14-19 to spend time with God each day, to practice their faith, to connect with Christian teens around the world, to listen to the faith stories of their peers, and to share their own stories, gifts, and prayers.
The Family of God
Daily Devotional · FEBRUARY 23, 2018
Uncomfortable with Grace
Disciplines · FEBRUARY 23, 2018
REST
Sight Psalms · FEBRUARY 23, 2018
devozine
FEBRUARY 23, 2018
The Living Prayer Center
I trust & believe with tremendous faith that i will receive a job offer with delta...
ME IN GEORGIA 26 MINUTES AGO
ME IN GEORGIA 26 MINUTES AGO
Every Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. we gather to worship in The Upper Room Chapel. We areREAD MORE
Resources for Spiritual Formation from The Upper Room
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Where the World Meets to Pray
81YEARS
100COUNTRIES
33LANGUAGES
For over 80 years, The Upper Room daily devotional guide has encouraged people everywhere to share their stories of faith. Not long after its first issue was printed The Upper Room began crossing borders and being translated into Spanish, Korean, and Hindustani. Now, The Upper Room is translated into more than 30 languages and can be found in over 100 countries.
LEARN MORE
Upcoming Events
FEB25
After 42 years in pastoral ministry, James Harnish has something to say about earthquakes, the kind READ MORE
“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” (Psalms 133:1, NRSV)
Praise God: Lord we praise you for the opportunity to get glimpses of heaven as we live in community with those different than ourselves. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12, NRSV)
Offer Thanks: We thank you for the uniqueness in which you have created each of us and praise you for the opportunity to celebrate our differences as a gift from you. “For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13, NRSV)
Confess: “Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (United Methodist Hymnal page 12)
Ask God: “We ask you, O Lord, for the gifts of your Spirit. Enable us to penetrate the depth of the whole truth, and grant that we may share with others the goods you have put at our disposal. Teach us to overcome divisions. Send us your Spirit to lead to full unity your sons and daughters in full charity, in obedience to your will; through Christ our Lord. Amen.” (United Methodist Hymnal page 556)
Listen to God: Listen to God by celebrating with a brother or sister in Christ today. You have spent a week practicing unity by joining together in prayer with those who may feel differently than you do. Celebrate this opportunity we have been given to be united by the same Spirit in prayer. Celebrate in being assured that that same Spirit holds our future. Grab the hand of your neighbor and offer up a word of celebration that the work of God cannot fail.
Reflection: Have you ever sat in a restaurant and rejoiced as you witnessed a family offering up a word of grace before a meal? Have you ever overheard people in the grocery store talking about what a great message the pastor gave at church that day? Have you ever had the privilege to see someone witnessing about the love of Christ to a stranger?
If you have, then you must understand the feeling of true unity. You don’t know those people. You don’t know what church they go to, you don’t know where they live or where they work. They might look different then you, they might talk different then you, they might even believe differently then than you.
However, in those moments that you witnessed the Spirit at work in the world, none of those things really mattered. You somehow felt connected to them. As if you weren’t alone in the world and your best friend was within reach. You wanted to run up and tell them you are a Christian too and how good it is to meet another brother or sister in Christ. This is because we are all united by the same Spirit. As we move toward an uncertain future, may we move together.
As we seek a way forward, may we not lose sight of that unifying Spirit. May we desperately grab onto what unifies us and not what divides us. In this way the harvest that is ready will know the love of God. Amen.
***
"Prayer for Protection of the Integrity of the Process" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2018
A prayer by Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, leading the United Methodist Church in “Praying Our Way Forward” for the week of February 18-24, 2018.
Bishop Jung and the Wisconsin Annual Conference Delegations have written a week of “Prayers of Protection for the Work of the Commission on a Way Forward: February 18–24, 2018.” Below you will find the introduction from Bishop Jung and the first of the daily prayers:
“Differences in understanding of how God is calling United Methodists to faithfully live together culminated at General Conference 2016 with the authorization of a Commission on a Way Forward. That commission continues to work preparing its recommendations to the Council of Bishops. The final proposals to the Special General Conference in February, 2019 will result in new directions for the church. You are invited to participate in this supportive prayer movement, a response to the Bishops initiative called Praying Our Way Forward. We are called to pray for God’s leadership to guide us effectively in fulfilling the mission of the church. Laity and clergy across the denomination are invited to pray for God’s guidance. If there is ever a place where we can be one, it’s in the space where we meet God. General Conference delegates and reserves from Wisconsin offer these prayers for your use.” (Bishop Jung).
Daily Prayer by Steve Zekoff:
Everlasting God, we pray that your Spirit’s power permeates The United Methodist Church as new possibilities are considered by those designated to discern our way into the future. Protect us from the mentality of presuming our perspective is superior when other members of your church experience your presence and message differently than we do. Open us to a creative outcome from our current struggles, one which surrounds all with your protection. Help us to recognize your love expressed through leaders and followers, the vulnerable as well as the powerful, the quiet as well as the noisy. May we feel your protective presence with us as we walk alongside the diversity of believers who make up Christ’s body. Guide us into your future with grace. Amen. ***
First Lady Lucille "Lucy" Ware Webb Hayes was a devout Methodist. She joined the president in saying prayers after breakfast and conducting hymn sings with members of Congress. Photo courtesy of United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.
It would be more than a century after the nation's birth, however, before a Methodist would be in the White House as president. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-81) attended Methodist schools and, as president, attended Foundry Church, a Methodist church in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Lucy. One of the founders and the first president of the Home Missionary Society (a precursor of United Methodist Women), Lucy was known affectionately by White House guests as "Lemonade Lucy" because she did not serve alcohol at White House functions, following Methodism's commitment to temperance.
Less than two decades later, another Methodist, William McKinley (1897-1901), was elected president. Early in life, McKinley had considered the Methodist ministry, but later became a lawyer. He remained active at the Methodist Church of the Savior in Canton, Ohio. He served as Sunday school superintendent and trustee.
McKinley's assassination in 1901, after election to his second term in office, left an impact on the Methodist denomination, according to Dale Patterson at the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History. "It touched the hearts of church members in a lot of places," he said. "I've personally seen windows dedicated to President McKinley inside churches in Kansas and Oklahoma."
McKinley death touched many hearts
Funeral services were held at McKinley's home church in Canton, where reminders of the assassinated president still can be found. On the west wall of the sanctuary are four stained-glass windows, given to the church by his widow in memory of her late husband. The flag that draped his casket is displayed in the church library.
A century later, George W. Bush (2001-09) entered the office as the nation's first United Methodist president. Raised in Presbyterian and Episcopal churches, Bush became a United Methodist after marrying his wife, Laura, a lifelong Methodist, in 1977. Both attended and taught Sunday school at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas.
After he was elected governor of Texas in 1994, Bush worshipped at the Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin. Today, his presidential library is on the Dallas campus of Southern Methodist University, the alma mater of his wife.
George W. Bush became the 43rd President of the United States in January 2001. Photo courtesy of White House Photo.
Other presidents also have Methodist connections.
James K. Polk (1845-49) had a conversion experience at a Methodist camp and considered himself a Methodist, though he continued to attend Presbyterian services out of respect to his mother and his wife. Shortly before his death, Polk was baptized and confirmed into the Methodist church by the Rev. John B. McFerrin, the same pastor who was present at his conversion years before.
While in the White House, Andrew Johnson (1865-69) accompanied his wife, Eliza, to services at Foundry Church. Almost 125 years later, Bill Clinton (1993-2001), a Southern Baptist, would do the same with his wife, Hillary, a lifelong Methodist.
'God bless the Methodist church'
Although never baptized into any church, Ulysses S. Grant (1869-77) regularly attended services at Metropolitan Memorial Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. "Grant was very sympathetic with the Methodists," said Patterson, noting Grant was friends with Methodist Bishop John P. Newman, who was present when Grant died of cancer in 1885.
Visits from presidents, no matter their denomination, continue to be points of pride for United Methodist congregations across the nation such as First United Methodist Church, Jasper, Ala., where a funeral in 1940 for House Speaker John Brockman Bankhead brought President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45), along with future president Harry Truman (1945-53), to its sanctuary. Today, a large brass plaque marks the pew where Roosevelt sat.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt prepare to leave the White House for Christmas services at Foundry Methodist Church in this 1941 photo. Photo courtesy of Foundry United Methodist Church/Acme Photos.
United Methodists also have had a role in high-profile ceremonies related to the presidency. When President Barack Obama was inaugurated into office in 2009, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a United Methodist pastor and civil rights activist, delivered a prayer. Lowery has served churches in Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.; and Montgomery, Ala.
Even Abraham Lincoln (1861-65), who frequently spoke of Christian principles but had no specific church ties, was touched by Methodism. His parents were married by a Methodist minister in Washington County, Ky. Later, at Lincoln's White House, a frequent visitor was Methodist Bishop Matthew Simpson. After Lincoln's assassination in 1865, Simpson traveled with the president's body back to Springfield, Ill., and delivered the eulogy.
The presence of a Methodist bishop for Lincoln's funeral was no surprise given his respect for the Methodist church. In 1864, shortly before his death, Lincoln offered this praise for the young denomination:
"It is no fault in others that the Methodist Church sends more soldiers to the field, more nurses to the hospitals, and more prayers to Heaven than any. God bless the Methodist Church. Bless all the churches and blessed be God, who in this our trial, giveth us the churches."
Watch a video about the United Methodist landmark that was the church home of past U.S. presidents and Supreme Court justices. And learn about the United Methodist agency that is a beacon on Capitol Hill.
*Aldrich is a freelance writer from Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Fran Walsh, United Methodist Communications.
This story was first published Feb. 21, 2011.
***
What Olympic sport fits John Wesley best?
Inspired by the 2018 Winter Olympics, we asked United Methodist Facebook fans where Methodism's founder might excel. The lighthearted replies were medal‑worthy!
Judge for yourself +
Denzel Washington helps black college make history
The Hollywood star directed “The Great Debaters” about a 1935 team from United Methodist‑related Wiley College. He’s since given $2 million to keep the program strong.
Read the latest
Image courtesy of Harpo Films
Denzel Washington starred in "The Great Debaters," a movie about a 1935 championship team from United-Methodist related Wiley College in Texas.
Denzel Washington continues support of black colleges by Fran Coode Walsh
For the second time, one of Hollywood's most famous leading men has pledged $1 million to support United Methodist-related Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. The historically black school will receive another gift from Denzel Washington, who wants to increase awareness about the value of debate education.
Washington acted in and directed the 2007 release “The Great Debaters” about the outstanding 1935 debate team from Wiley. The fictional film focuses on four young debaters and their mentor, Melvin Tolson, who taught at the college and coached the champion team. Washington stars as Tolson, a poet and author. When the film was released, the actor made a $1 million gift to fund the re-launching of the long dormant debate program.
Now known as the Melvin B. Tolson/Denzel Washington Forensics Society, the Wiley team has earned more than 3,000 awards and won competitions that Tolson’s teams were not allowed to enter. In 2017, Wiley College formed the HBCU Speech and Debate League which currently includes 18 schools.
Then and now
In 2007, UMC.org had an exclusive interview with Washington during which he addressed the significance of black colleges for African Americans in the early 20th century.
"It was the first time they got an opportunity to get a college education," the actor said.
"I think these professors and the founding fathers of these schools understood that importance. They knew that it gave these young people more options. We were in the middle of the Depression, so your options were education, or sharecropping or unemployment."
Visionaries for a freed people
The first historically black college west of the Mississippi River, Wiley was founded in 1873 to prepare newly emancipated people for the future.
Oprah Winfrey, whose Harpo Films produced the movie, calls both the church school and Tolson visionaries. "Here is this little college ... in the rural South in the 1930s, where you had to be there to even begin to understand what it was like to be a person of color, in a land that thought you were invisible and thought that your work really didn't matter," Winfrey said in a videotaped promotional message to media outlets.
One of Washington's costars in the film, Forest Whitaker, was born near Wiley College. He wanted movie viewers to appreciate the relevance of historically black colleges. "Unfortunately when you go to (public schools) ... a lot of the accomplishments of people of color ... aren't really shown," he explained. He also urged young people to consider attending historically black schools. "It's not to isolate ourselves. It's just an opportunity for youth to embrace your heritage and your ancestry and feel your power so that you can be a part of this world in a strong way."
Preserving the legacy
During a January 2018 awards ceremony for the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities Speech and Debate Championship Tournament, Washington was inducted into the newly formed HBCU Forensics Hall of Fame. That was when the two-time Academy award winner announced a new pledge of $1 million to Wiley.
Dr. Haywood L. Strickland, President and CEO of Wiley College thanked Washington for his continued support. "He has preserved the legacy of the original Great Debaters, while also ensuring that current generations of students can carry forward Tolson's legacy of excellence. We are forever indebted to him."
Learn more about the United Methodist Black College Fund.
*Walsh is Director of Member Communications, at United Methodist Communications. You canreach her at 615-742-5458.
Watch a video about the film +
***
A prayer by Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, leading the United Methodist Church in “Praying Our Way Forward” for the week of February 18-24, 2018.
Bishop Jung and the Wisconsin Annual Conference Delegations have written a week of “Prayers of Protection for the Work of the Commission on a Way Forward: February 18–24, 2018.” Below you will find the introduction from Bishop Jung and the first of the daily prayers:
“Differences in understanding of how God is calling United Methodists to faithfully live together culminated at General Conference 2016 with the authorization of a Commission on a Way Forward. That commission continues to work preparing its recommendations to the Council of Bishops. The final proposals to the Special General Conference in February, 2019 will result in new directions for the church. You are invited to participate in this supportive prayer movement, a response to the Bishops initiative called Praying Our Way Forward. We are called to pray for God’s leadership to guide us effectively in fulfilling the mission of the church. Laity and clergy across the denomination are invited to pray for God’s guidance. If there is ever a place where we can be one, it’s in the space where we meet God. General Conference delegates and reserves from Wisconsin offer these prayers for your use.” (Bishop Jung).
Daily Prayer by Steve Zekoff:
Everlasting God, we pray that your Spirit’s power permeates The United Methodist Church as new possibilities are considered by those designated to discern our way into the future. Protect us from the mentality of presuming our perspective is superior when other members of your church experience your presence and message differently than we do. Open us to a creative outcome from our current struggles, one which surrounds all with your protection. Help us to recognize your love expressed through leaders and followers, the vulnerable as well as the powerful, the quiet as well as the noisy. May we feel your protective presence with us as we walk alongside the diversity of believers who make up Christ’s body. Guide us into your future with grace. Amen. ***
"John Wesley the Olympian?" United Methodist Now: The United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
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New quiz for Lent 2018
Another season of preparation for Easter has begun. One way to learn more about the themes and practices of Lent is to try our short quiz about this time of year.
Test your knowledge
Americans are marking Presidents Day today. Discover the many ties between Methodism and White House leaders from Washington to Lincoln to FDR to Obama.
Read more +
Photo illustration by Kathleen Barry, United Methodist Communications
Several U.S. presidents had ties to what is now The United Methodist Church.
Many U.S. presidents have Methodist ties by Courtney Aldrich*
They escorted Abraham Lincoln's body to his burial in Illinois. They served lemonade to guests at the White House in an age of temperance. They had roles in inaugurations and extended spiritual advice to presidents on justice issues, ranging from slavery to war.
United Methodists have a long history of ties to U.S. presidencies. In fact, Methodism began its relationship with the presidency through the general who would become the nation's first elected leader.
After the Revolutionary War, Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury approached George Washington (1789-97) twice, first presenting an anti-slavery petition from Methodist bishops, and later to assure the new president of Methodist support for the new republic.
Another season of preparation for Easter has begun. One way to learn more about the themes and practices of Lent is to try our short quiz about this time of year.
Test your knowledge
Advertisement
Read more +
Photo illustration by Kathleen Barry, United Methodist Communications
Several U.S. presidents had ties to what is now The United Methodist Church.
Many U.S. presidents have Methodist ties by Courtney Aldrich*
They escorted Abraham Lincoln's body to his burial in Illinois. They served lemonade to guests at the White House in an age of temperance. They had roles in inaugurations and extended spiritual advice to presidents on justice issues, ranging from slavery to war.
United Methodists have a long history of ties to U.S. presidencies. In fact, Methodism began its relationship with the presidency through the general who would become the nation's first elected leader.
After the Revolutionary War, Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury approached George Washington (1789-97) twice, first presenting an anti-slavery petition from Methodist bishops, and later to assure the new president of Methodist support for the new republic.
First Lady Lucille "Lucy" Ware Webb Hayes was a devout Methodist. She joined the president in saying prayers after breakfast and conducting hymn sings with members of Congress. Photo courtesy of United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.It would be more than a century after the nation's birth, however, before a Methodist would be in the White House as president. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-81) attended Methodist schools and, as president, attended Foundry Church, a Methodist church in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Lucy. One of the founders and the first president of the Home Missionary Society (a precursor of United Methodist Women), Lucy was known affectionately by White House guests as "Lemonade Lucy" because she did not serve alcohol at White House functions, following Methodism's commitment to temperance.
Less than two decades later, another Methodist, William McKinley (1897-1901), was elected president. Early in life, McKinley had considered the Methodist ministry, but later became a lawyer. He remained active at the Methodist Church of the Savior in Canton, Ohio. He served as Sunday school superintendent and trustee.
McKinley's assassination in 1901, after election to his second term in office, left an impact on the Methodist denomination, according to Dale Patterson at the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History. "It touched the hearts of church members in a lot of places," he said. "I've personally seen windows dedicated to President McKinley inside churches in Kansas and Oklahoma."
McKinley death touched many hearts
Funeral services were held at McKinley's home church in Canton, where reminders of the assassinated president still can be found. On the west wall of the sanctuary are four stained-glass windows, given to the church by his widow in memory of her late husband. The flag that draped his casket is displayed in the church library.
A century later, George W. Bush (2001-09) entered the office as the nation's first United Methodist president. Raised in Presbyterian and Episcopal churches, Bush became a United Methodist after marrying his wife, Laura, a lifelong Methodist, in 1977. Both attended and taught Sunday school at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas.
After he was elected governor of Texas in 1994, Bush worshipped at the Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin. Today, his presidential library is on the Dallas campus of Southern Methodist University, the alma mater of his wife.
George W. Bush became the 43rd President of the United States in January 2001. Photo courtesy of White House Photo.Other presidents also have Methodist connections.
James K. Polk (1845-49) had a conversion experience at a Methodist camp and considered himself a Methodist, though he continued to attend Presbyterian services out of respect to his mother and his wife. Shortly before his death, Polk was baptized and confirmed into the Methodist church by the Rev. John B. McFerrin, the same pastor who was present at his conversion years before.
While in the White House, Andrew Johnson (1865-69) accompanied his wife, Eliza, to services at Foundry Church. Almost 125 years later, Bill Clinton (1993-2001), a Southern Baptist, would do the same with his wife, Hillary, a lifelong Methodist.
'God bless the Methodist church'
Although never baptized into any church, Ulysses S. Grant (1869-77) regularly attended services at Metropolitan Memorial Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. "Grant was very sympathetic with the Methodists," said Patterson, noting Grant was friends with Methodist Bishop John P. Newman, who was present when Grant died of cancer in 1885.
Visits from presidents, no matter their denomination, continue to be points of pride for United Methodist congregations across the nation such as First United Methodist Church, Jasper, Ala., where a funeral in 1940 for House Speaker John Brockman Bankhead brought President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45), along with future president Harry Truman (1945-53), to its sanctuary. Today, a large brass plaque marks the pew where Roosevelt sat.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt prepare to leave the White House for Christmas services at Foundry Methodist Church in this 1941 photo. Photo courtesy of Foundry United Methodist Church/Acme Photos.United Methodists also have had a role in high-profile ceremonies related to the presidency. When President Barack Obama was inaugurated into office in 2009, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a United Methodist pastor and civil rights activist, delivered a prayer. Lowery has served churches in Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.; and Montgomery, Ala.
Even Abraham Lincoln (1861-65), who frequently spoke of Christian principles but had no specific church ties, was touched by Methodism. His parents were married by a Methodist minister in Washington County, Ky. Later, at Lincoln's White House, a frequent visitor was Methodist Bishop Matthew Simpson. After Lincoln's assassination in 1865, Simpson traveled with the president's body back to Springfield, Ill., and delivered the eulogy.
The presence of a Methodist bishop for Lincoln's funeral was no surprise given his respect for the Methodist church. In 1864, shortly before his death, Lincoln offered this praise for the young denomination:
"It is no fault in others that the Methodist Church sends more soldiers to the field, more nurses to the hospitals, and more prayers to Heaven than any. God bless the Methodist Church. Bless all the churches and blessed be God, who in this our trial, giveth us the churches."
Watch a video about the United Methodist landmark that was the church home of past U.S. presidents and Supreme Court justices. And learn about the United Methodist agency that is a beacon on Capitol Hill.
*Aldrich is a freelance writer from Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Fran Walsh, United Methodist Communications.
This story was first published Feb. 21, 2011.
***
What Olympic sport fits John Wesley best? Inspired by the 2018 Winter Olympics, we asked United Methodist Facebook fans where Methodism's founder might excel. The lighthearted replies were medal‑worthy!
Judge for yourself +
Denzel Washington helps black college make history The Hollywood star directed “The Great Debaters” about a 1935 team from United Methodist‑related Wiley College. He’s since given $2 million to keep the program strong.
Read the latest
Image courtesy of Harpo Films
Denzel Washington starred in "The Great Debaters," a movie about a 1935 championship team from United-Methodist related Wiley College in Texas.
Denzel Washington continues support of black colleges by Fran Coode Walsh
For the second time, one of Hollywood's most famous leading men has pledged $1 million to support United Methodist-related Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. The historically black school will receive another gift from Denzel Washington, who wants to increase awareness about the value of debate education.
Washington acted in and directed the 2007 release “The Great Debaters” about the outstanding 1935 debate team from Wiley. The fictional film focuses on four young debaters and their mentor, Melvin Tolson, who taught at the college and coached the champion team. Washington stars as Tolson, a poet and author. When the film was released, the actor made a $1 million gift to fund the re-launching of the long dormant debate program.
Now known as the Melvin B. Tolson/Denzel Washington Forensics Society, the Wiley team has earned more than 3,000 awards and won competitions that Tolson’s teams were not allowed to enter. In 2017, Wiley College formed the HBCU Speech and Debate League which currently includes 18 schools.
Then and now
In 2007, UMC.org had an exclusive interview with Washington during which he addressed the significance of black colleges for African Americans in the early 20th century.
"It was the first time they got an opportunity to get a college education," the actor said.
"I think these professors and the founding fathers of these schools understood that importance. They knew that it gave these young people more options. We were in the middle of the Depression, so your options were education, or sharecropping or unemployment."
Visionaries for a freed people
The first historically black college west of the Mississippi River, Wiley was founded in 1873 to prepare newly emancipated people for the future.
Oprah Winfrey, whose Harpo Films produced the movie, calls both the church school and Tolson visionaries. "Here is this little college ... in the rural South in the 1930s, where you had to be there to even begin to understand what it was like to be a person of color, in a land that thought you were invisible and thought that your work really didn't matter," Winfrey said in a videotaped promotional message to media outlets.
One of Washington's costars in the film, Forest Whitaker, was born near Wiley College. He wanted movie viewers to appreciate the relevance of historically black colleges. "Unfortunately when you go to (public schools) ... a lot of the accomplishments of people of color ... aren't really shown," he explained. He also urged young people to consider attending historically black schools. "It's not to isolate ourselves. It's just an opportunity for youth to embrace your heritage and your ancestry and feel your power so that you can be a part of this world in a strong way."
Preserving the legacy
During a January 2018 awards ceremony for the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities Speech and Debate Championship Tournament, Washington was inducted into the newly formed HBCU Forensics Hall of Fame. That was when the two-time Academy award winner announced a new pledge of $1 million to Wiley.
Dr. Haywood L. Strickland, President and CEO of Wiley College thanked Washington for his continued support. "He has preserved the legacy of the original Great Debaters, while also ensuring that current generations of students can carry forward Tolson's legacy of excellence. We are forever indebted to him."
Learn more about the United Methodist Black College Fund.
*Walsh is Director of Member Communications, at United Methodist Communications. You canreach her at 615-742-5458.
Watch a video about the film +
***
"Prayer for the Unity of The United Methodist Church" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
For the Protection of the Unity of The United Methodist Church
God of peace and unity, we come humbly and gratefully into your presence. We come to you with minds full of concerns and hands full of needs, but also hearts seeking to be sustained as a church by the peace of your presence. Help us, O God, to clear our cluttered thoughts and to rediscover the truth of your peace that is deep and life-giving. Loving God, help us to remember that Christ came as our peace, breaking down the dividing walls of hostility. Guide us, God, to follow in the steady footsteps of Christ and help us to work together to be witnesses of your love in this world and in our denomination of many diverse people. We continue our prayers for our United Methodist Church and the Commission on a Way Forward. Thank you for each one who loves you and loves the church with faithfulness and willingness to share and show your love for all people. We pray in the name and Spirit of Jesus the Christ. Amen. (Jenny Arneson, member of the Wisconsin Delegation to General Conference; for more information for this week click here.)***
The Council of Bishops has asked each annual conference across the UM connection to engage in a week of intentional prayer for the work of the Commission on A Way Forward. The Commission is preparing recommendations for the Council to offer to General Conference regarding sexuality—as related to ordination and marriage. General Conference will consider and vote on the recommendations at a special session in February 2019. Your prayers will help to focus the debates and dialogue on God’s call to the future of The United Methodist Church.
In the video Interview with the Bishop: Prayer Week 2018, Bishop Jung explains what Prayer Week is all about. Speaking on the importance of prayer, Bishop Jung says, “Prayer is the utmost gift in Christian community…Prayer is the way that we come together to God. Hopefully this can be a great gift for our Church, the Conference, and the whole General Conference.”
For Wisconsin’s week of prayer—February 18–24—we have been asked to focus on the theme of Protection. Members of your General Conference delegation have written prayers on this theme for use by individuals and local churches. They include prayers of protection for: the members of the commission, our bishops and other leaders, the unity of our denomination, the core tenets of United Methodism, vulnerable constituencies in our communities, and the integrity of the commission’s process. They are available as a PDF download (https://www.wisconsinumc.org/Resources/Documents/ENews/PrayersOfProtection.pdf) in a format suitable for insertion in a bulletin or as a half-sheet handout. Here are some ways you might use the prayers during the week of February 18–24:
Friday, February 23, 2018
For Protection of Vulnerable Constituencies
Gracious and Loving God, we marvel at your loving care for all people. As the Commission on a Way Forward continues its work, open us to grace, so that we may see your light shining through one another, regardless of our theological perspectives or stand on a particular issue. We beseech your protection and comfort, Lord, for all who feel threatened or violated or isolated. Help us to stand up with those whose voices are not heard, to listen and speak your truth with respect and humility. We offer this prayer in the love of Christ our Lord and in the power of your Holy Spirit, which we all share. Amen. — Barbara Dick, member of the Wisconsin Delegation to General Conference; for more information for this week click here.
Our Week of Prayer, February 18–24: Using Our Prayers in Local ChurchesPublished: 13 February 2018
The Council of Bishops has asked each annual conference across the UM connection to engage in a week of intentional prayer for the work of the Commission on A Way Forward. The Commission is preparing recommendations for the Council to offer to General Conference regarding sexuality—as related to ordination and marriage. General Conference will consider and vote on the recommendations at a special session in February 2019. Your prayers will help to focus the debates and dialogue on God’s call to the future of The United Methodist Church.
In the video Interview with the Bishop: Prayer Week 2018, Bishop Jung explains what Prayer Week is all about. Speaking on the importance of prayer, Bishop Jung says, “Prayer is the utmost gift in Christian community…Prayer is the way that we come together to God. Hopefully this can be a great gift for our Church, the Conference, and the whole General Conference.”
For Wisconsin’s week of prayer—February 18–24—we have been asked to focus on the theme of Protection. Members of your General Conference delegation have written prayers on this theme for use by individuals and local churches. They include prayers of protection for: the members of the commission, our bishops and other leaders, the unity of our denomination, the core tenets of United Methodism, vulnerable constituencies in our communities, and the integrity of the commission’s process. They are available as a PDF download (https://www.wisconsinumc.org/Resources/Documents/ENews/PrayersOfProtection.pdf) in a format suitable for insertion in a bulletin or as a half-sheet handout. Here are some ways you might use the prayers during the week of February 18–24:
For the Protection of the Unity of The United Methodist Church
God of peace and unity, we come humbly and gratefully into your presence. We come to you with minds full of concerns and hands full of needs, but also hearts seeking to be sustained as a church by the peace of your presence. Help us, O God, to clear our cluttered thoughts and to rediscover the truth of your peace that is deep and life-giving. Loving God, help us to remember that Christ came as our peace, breaking down the dividing walls of hostility. Guide us, God, to follow in the steady footsteps of Christ and help us to work together to be witnesses of your love in this world and in our denomination of many diverse people. We continue our prayers for our United Methodist Church and the Commission on a Way Forward. Thank you for each one who loves you and loves the church with faithfulness and willingness to share and show your love for all people. We pray in the name and Spirit of Jesus the Christ. Amen. (Jenny Arneson, member of the Wisconsin Delegation to General Conference; for more information for this week click here.)***
"Pray for the Protection of the Core Tenents" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Generous and grace-filled God, help us remember who we are. As United Methodists, make us agents of your grace and giving. Remind us that the whole world is our parish. Everywhere we go we are in a mission field, ripe for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and witnessing to mercy, justice, peace, and compassion. As faithful stewards of the many gifts of your Holy Spirit, may we remember to “Do all the good we can, By all the means we can, In all the ways we can, In all the places we can, At all the times we can, To all the people we can, As long as ever we can.” We ask this humbly in your Holy Name. Amen. (Dan Dick, member of the Wisconsin Delegation to General Conference; for more information for this week click here.)
Our Week of Prayer, February 18–24: Using Our Prayers in Local ChurchesPublished: 13 February 2018
Generous and grace-filled God, help us remember who we are. As United Methodists, make us agents of your grace and giving. Remind us that the whole world is our parish. Everywhere we go we are in a mission field, ripe for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and witnessing to mercy, justice, peace, and compassion. As faithful stewards of the many gifts of your Holy Spirit, may we remember to “Do all the good we can, By all the means we can, In all the ways we can, In all the places we can, At all the times we can, To all the people we can, As long as ever we can.” We ask this humbly in your Holy Name. Amen. (Dan Dick, member of the Wisconsin Delegation to General Conference; for more information for this week click here.)
Our Week of Prayer, February 18–24: Using Our Prayers in Local ChurchesPublished: 13 February 2018
The Council of Bishops has asked each annual conference across the UM connection to engage in a week of intentional prayer for the work of the Commission on A Way Forward. The Commission is preparing recommendations for the Council to offer to General Conference regarding sexuality—as related to ordination and marriage. General Conference will consider and vote on the recommendations at a special session in February 2019. Your prayers will help to focus the debates and dialogue on God’s call to the future of The United Methodist Church. In the video Interview with the Bishop: Prayer Week 2018, Bishop Jung explains what Prayer Week is all about. Speaking on the importance of prayer, Bishop Jung says, “Prayer is the utmost gift in Christian community…Prayer is the way that we come together to God. Hopefully this can be a great gift for our Church, the Conference, and the whole General Conference.”
For Wisconsin’s week of prayer—February 18–24—we have been asked to focus on the theme of Protection. Members of your General Conference delegation have written prayers on this theme for use by individuals and local churches. They include prayers of protection for: the members of the commission, our bishops and other leaders, the unity of our denomination, the core tenets of United Methodism, vulnerable constituencies in our communities, and the integrity of the commission’s process. They are available as a PDF download (https://www.wisconsinumc.org/Resources/Documents/ENews/PrayersOfProtection.pdf) in a format suitable for insertion in a bulletin or as a half-sheet handout. Here are some ways you might use the prayers during the week of February 18–24:
- Organize a prayer vigil, inviting people to sign up for 15–30 minutes of meditation and prayer on the theme and prayer for the day.
- Invite all members of the congregation to incorporate the prayer for the day into their personal devotional time.
- At church meetings or events during that week, use the prayer for the day, or all of the prayers, in opening or closing devotions.
- If your church has a prayer chain or circulates a prayer list, include the daily prayers, or a link to them, in the communication for that week.
***
The Upper Room - Lent, Week 2 - The Upper Room Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Lent, Week 2, Thoughts from The Upper Room
This newsletter comes to you from The Upper Room Center for Christian Spiritual Formation, an evolving offering of Upper Room resources, past and present.
The Season of Lent by John S. Mogabgab
Does not the season of Lent quietly invite us to pause and take stock of ourselves?
Pain is among the most powerful magnets for our attention. Surely a rupture in the deepest parts of our being, where our lives are knit together with God’s by the tender tissue of divine love, must exert a forceful draw upon our thoughts and feelings.
The wrenching words of Psalm 51 ... are hardly those of a self-forgetful penitent: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. ... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:3, 10).
Amidst the tumult of thoughts the world jars loose in us, does not the season of Lent quietly invite us to pause and take stock of ourselves?
John S. Mogabgab was founding editor of Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life. From "Editor's Introduction," Weavings(May/June 1995). Copyright © 1995. Used with permission.
Weavings "Signs of the Times Collection" (six PDF articles fromWeavings) is available in The Upper Room Bookstore.
The Womb of God’s Love By Jerry Haas
Into the compassionate Womb of your love, O God,
I bring my deepest needs, my strongest hopes,
my greatest fears.
Give me tears for my grief,
a voice that I might cry out to you.
Give me words
that I might say what is most on my heart.
Give me courage,
so that I will always seek the healing you have to give.
Let me always offer my suffering to you,
so that when healing does not come,
wisdom, justice, and compassion may be its fruits,
A life given to you,
Abba God.
Amen.
From The Upper Room Worshipbook. Copyright © 2006 Upper Room Books. Used with permission.
Never Wasted by Flora Slosson Wuellner
Pain and sorrow are never wasted when given into God’s hands, and their transformation is far beyond our imaginings. The deepest comfort in our mourning is to know that God not only has compassion but actually feels our suffering with us.
From Forgiveness, the Passionate Journey. Copyright © 2001 by Flora Slosson Wuellner. Used with permission of Upper Room Books.
Blessing
May the Lord of all places and times, guide us beneath the world’s veneer of breathless busyness to the deeps of every moment, where time swells with room to breathe the scent of eternity. Amen
From A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with Godby Rueben P. Job, Norman Shawchuck and John S. Mogabgab. Copyright © 2013 by The Upper Room. Used with permission.
Audio Lectio
Pray with us the gospel lessions for each Sunday of Lent. Audio Lectio is a guided meditation using each week's gospel reading from the lectionary.
This occasional newsletter brings resources for your spiritual journey and updates from The Upper Room.
Blessings to you during this Lenten season.
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"Pray for Protection of Vulnerable Constituencies" The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United StatesThis newsletter comes to you from The Upper Room Center for Christian Spiritual Formation, an evolving offering of Upper Room resources, past and present.
The Season of Lent by John S. Mogabgab
Does not the season of Lent quietly invite us to pause and take stock of ourselves?
Pain is among the most powerful magnets for our attention. Surely a rupture in the deepest parts of our being, where our lives are knit together with God’s by the tender tissue of divine love, must exert a forceful draw upon our thoughts and feelings.
The wrenching words of Psalm 51 ... are hardly those of a self-forgetful penitent: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. ... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:3, 10).
Amidst the tumult of thoughts the world jars loose in us, does not the season of Lent quietly invite us to pause and take stock of ourselves?
John S. Mogabgab was founding editor of Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life. From "Editor's Introduction," Weavings(May/June 1995). Copyright © 1995. Used with permission.
Weavings "Signs of the Times Collection" (six PDF articles fromWeavings) is available in The Upper Room Bookstore.
The Womb of God’s Love By Jerry Haas
Into the compassionate Womb of your love, O God,
I bring my deepest needs, my strongest hopes,
my greatest fears.
Give me tears for my grief,
a voice that I might cry out to you.
Give me words
that I might say what is most on my heart.
Give me courage,
so that I will always seek the healing you have to give.
Let me always offer my suffering to you,
so that when healing does not come,
wisdom, justice, and compassion may be its fruits,
A life given to you,
Abba God.
Amen.
From The Upper Room Worshipbook. Copyright © 2006 Upper Room Books. Used with permission.
Never Wasted by Flora Slosson Wuellner
Pain and sorrow are never wasted when given into God’s hands, and their transformation is far beyond our imaginings. The deepest comfort in our mourning is to know that God not only has compassion but actually feels our suffering with us.
From Forgiveness, the Passionate Journey. Copyright © 2001 by Flora Slosson Wuellner. Used with permission of Upper Room Books.
Blessing
May the Lord of all places and times, guide us beneath the world’s veneer of breathless busyness to the deeps of every moment, where time swells with room to breathe the scent of eternity. Amen
From A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with Godby Rueben P. Job, Norman Shawchuck and John S. Mogabgab. Copyright © 2013 by The Upper Room. Used with permission.
Audio Lectio
Pray with us the gospel lessions for each Sunday of Lent. Audio Lectio is a guided meditation using each week's gospel reading from the lectionary.
Blessings to you during this Lenten season.
For Protection of Vulnerable Constituencies
Gracious and Loving God, we marvel at your loving care for all people. As the Commission on a Way Forward continues its work, open us to grace, so that we may see your light shining through one another, regardless of our theological perspectives or stand on a particular issue. We beseech your protection and comfort, Lord, for all who feel threatened or violated or isolated. Help us to stand up with those whose voices are not heard, to listen and speak your truth with respect and humility. We offer this prayer in the love of Christ our Lord and in the power of your Holy Spirit, which we all share. Amen. — Barbara Dick, member of the Wisconsin Delegation to General Conference; for more information for this week click here.
Our Week of Prayer, February 18–24: Using Our Prayers in Local ChurchesPublished: 13 February 2018
The Council of Bishops has asked each annual conference across the UM connection to engage in a week of intentional prayer for the work of the Commission on A Way Forward. The Commission is preparing recommendations for the Council to offer to General Conference regarding sexuality—as related to ordination and marriage. General Conference will consider and vote on the recommendations at a special session in February 2019. Your prayers will help to focus the debates and dialogue on God’s call to the future of The United Methodist Church. In the video Interview with the Bishop: Prayer Week 2018, Bishop Jung explains what Prayer Week is all about. Speaking on the importance of prayer, Bishop Jung says, “Prayer is the utmost gift in Christian community…Prayer is the way that we come together to God. Hopefully this can be a great gift for our Church, the Conference, and the whole General Conference.”
For Wisconsin’s week of prayer—February 18–24—we have been asked to focus on the theme of Protection. Members of your General Conference delegation have written prayers on this theme for use by individuals and local churches. They include prayers of protection for: the members of the commission, our bishops and other leaders, the unity of our denomination, the core tenets of United Methodism, vulnerable constituencies in our communities, and the integrity of the commission’s process. They are available as a PDF download (https://www.wisconsinumc.org/Resources/Documents/ENews/PrayersOfProtection.pdf) in a format suitable for insertion in a bulletin or as a half-sheet handout. Here are some ways you might use the prayers during the week of February 18–24:
- Organize a prayer vigil, inviting people to sign up for 15–30 minutes of meditation and prayer on the theme and prayer for the day.
- Invite all members of the congregation to incorporate the prayer for the day into their personal devotional time.
- At church meetings or events during that week, use the prayer for the day, or all of the prayers, in opening or closing devotions.
- If your church has a prayer chain or circulates a prayer list, include the daily prayers, or a link to them, in the communication for that week.
Copyright © 2018 The Upper Room, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
The Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
Nashville, Tennessee 37203, United States
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