Grace United Methodist Church - Franklin, IN
  • About Us
    • Staff
    • What to Expect
    • What We Believe
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Institutional Partners
  • Classes & Small Groups
    • Adult >
      • Classes and Spiritual Formation Opportunities
      • Small Group Locations & Times
    • Youth
    • Children
  • Missions
    • Service Opportunities
    • Ministry Partners
  • Give
    • Giving
    • Ways of Giving
    • What is tithing?
  • Preschool
    • Home
    • Classes
    • Calendar
    • Kroger Community Rewards
  • Resources
    • Sermons
    • Blog
    • The Kids These Days podcast
  • About Us
    • Staff
    • What to Expect
    • What We Believe
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Institutional Partners
  • Classes & Small Groups
    • Adult >
      • Classes and Spiritual Formation Opportunities
      • Small Group Locations & Times
    • Youth
    • Children
  • Missions
    • Service Opportunities
    • Ministry Partners
  • Give
    • Giving
    • Ways of Giving
    • What is tithing?
  • Preschool
    • Home
    • Classes
    • Calendar
    • Kroger Community Rewards
  • Resources
    • Sermons
    • Blog
    • The Kids These Days podcast

Soul Wrestling - Mark 1:9-15

2/23/2021

0 Comments

 
I was so relieved when my youngest son decided not to play football even though he had the build for it.  I had no desire to watch him on the line, getting smashed into, or running full on into another player and careening to the ground.  I didn’t want to sit in the stands and watch him slamming into other players or being at the bottom of a pile up.  I cringe just thinking about it still.  Instead, he decided to wrestle!  

Wrestling.  A sport defined as two opponents grappling in a hand to hand battle with the intent of throwing the other to the floor with force, and pressing their shoulders to the mat. A sport that taxes and contorts the body in ways you can’t imagine and requires mental and emotional fortitude as well.  So much for being relieved. 

 I share this with you because wrestling, I have come to realize, makes a great metaphor to illustrate the season in the church we call Lent.  The forty days we commit ourselves to intentional self reflection and spiritual examination.  It is indeed a wrestling match of the soul and requires us to look again at our commitment to following Jesus - our commitment to living a life reflective of Jesus’ teaching.  It is a time to remember what is important, to recognize the places we have grown cold or callous in our faith or understanding of sacrifice, and to take ownership of how we might be a part of the problem we so eagerly criticise rather than the solution.  

To help wrap our head around the purpose and meaning of Lent, I turn to one of my favorite authors, Frederik Beuchner, who puts it this way: “In many cultures there is an ancient custom of giving a tenth of each year’s income to some holy use.  For Christians, to observe the forty days of Lent is to do the same thing with roughly a tenth of each year’s days.  After being baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus went off alone into the wilderness where he spent forty days asking himself the question what it meant to be Jesus.  During Lent, Christians are supposed to ask one way or another, what it means to be themselves. If you had to bet everything you have on whether there is a God or whether there isn’t, which side would get your money and why?  When you look at your face in the mirror, what do you see in it that you most like and what do you see in it that you most deplore?  If you had only one last message to leave to the handful of people who are most important to you, what would it be in twenty-five words or less?  Of all the things you have done in your life, which is the one you would most like to undo?  Which is the one that makes you happiest to remember?  Is there any person in the world, or any cause, that, if circumstances called for it, you would be willing to die for?  If this were the last day of your life, what would you do with it?  To hear yourself answer questions like these is to begin to hear something of not only who you are but of both what you are becoming and what you are failing to become.  It can be a pretty depressing business all in all, but if sackcloth and ashes are at the start of it, something like Easter may be at the end” (Whistling in the Dark pp. 74-75). 

That is Lent - a wrestling match with the soul.  Throughout the bible we read of individuals and groups of people who find themselves in a wrestling match with God, angels, demons, and themselves.  Wrestling with who they are, who they are to become, where to go, how to move forward, how to be faithful to God in the midst of pain, anger, injustice, uncertainty, and tragedy.  How to be patient and courageous.

In the gospel of Mark, 1:9-15, a freshly baptized Jesus heads to the wilderness to face his own wrestling match.  I believe the account of Jesus’ baptism and wilderness experience is told in the gospel to show us that Jesus, in his humanity, endured the hard stuff too. He wrestled with who he was and what he was asked to do; his power and his authority, his hunger and his pain.  So that anyone asking soul deep questions about identity, purpose, or meaning of life, can come to understand that Jesus faced those questions as well.  

The wilderness of the soul can be a frightful and dangerous place but it can also be a place where our senses are heightened like never before. Over the next several weeks we will explore the wilderness together.  Whether you face a wilderness of the heart - a soul searching time, a wilderness of the mind - a time of questioning, reason, and doubt, or a physical wilderness - a time of pain, brokenness, and discomfort, there is much to be learned in the listening.  There is much to be given and received, lost and found. 

The beauty of Lent - is that it can show us how God moves among us even in the midst of pain and anger, injustice, uncertainty and tragedy.  Wrestling is a back and forth, give and take, kind of struggle where we continually search for our footing and hand hold, balance, and position.  It’s not necessarily meant to be easy.  It’s not meant to be all fun and games.  But rather, it is meant for us, like Jesus, to stand us on the edge of a personal wilderness, remembering our baptism - our commitment to God.  We remember the words of God telling us, “you are my beloved, you matter, you are capable, you are where you need to be, your life has meaning, and you are enough...now walk in faith - find your way with me (God) step by step, come what may.     

As we, together yet alone, take our first steps into this season, let us do so with the following blessing, written by author, artist, and poet, Jan Richardson.  
Beloved is Where We Begin
If you would enter
Into the wilderness,
Do not begin
Without a blessing.

Do not leave without hearing
Who you are:
Beloved,
Named by the One
Who has traveled this path
Before you.

Do not go 
Without letting it echo
In your ears,
And if you find
It is hard
To let it into your heart,
Do not despair.
That is what this journey is for.

I cannot promise
This blessing will free you
From danger,
From fear,
From hunger
Or thirst,
From the scorching
Of sun
Or the fall
Of the night.

But I can tell you 
That on this path
There will be help.

I can tell you
That on this way
There will be rest.

I can tell you
That you will know 
The strange graces
That come to our aid
Only on a road
Such as this,
That fly to meet us
Bearing comfort
And strength,
That come alongside us
For no other cause
That to lean themselves
Toward our ear, 
And with their 
Curious insistence
Whisper our name: beloved, beloved, beloved. 

People of God, may the wrestling begin… amen.

​Pastor Jenothy Irvine
0 Comments

No Guts, No Glory - 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

2/16/2021

0 Comments

 
Glory.  We are fascinated by it.  We are moved when we see it.  We stand in awe of it.   So why is it when it comes to our faith, to the glory of God revealed in Jesus, and lived out in those who believe, that few of us have the guts to truly live it,  and many fail to see it?  The most glorious news one could share with someone else, yet we don’t have the guts to share it, or our guts only share it so far, within limits.   The best news anyone could hope to receive - that they are loved beyond measure and their life has meaning and purpose yet they can’t see past their circumstance, resentment, or regret; or past the judgement, criticism, and callus of believers.

Our eyes are wide open to the glory of an Olympic athlete getting a gold, the underdog winning the hard fought fight, an unknown poet taking the inauguration stage, or a former Colts quarterback making it to the Hall of Fame.  We revel in such glory stories.  Yet when it comes to the greatest glory story of all, we often treat it like another entre in the buffett line. 

The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the church in Corinth addressed two things: a message to believers about how their lives are meant to be a lens through which others see the glory of God, AND a lesson to believers that there are people around them that cannot see such glory because they are looking elsewhere; distracted or focused on other things.

When was the last time your life - what you do, where you go, who you help, the way you treat people, where you spend your money, the words you speak, the projects you get involved in, the causes you support, and how you spend your time; was the lens through which someone saw the glory of God?  The peace of Jesus?  The presence of love?  The attitude of humility?  The grace of forgiveness? 
When people look at you - your family, your lifestyle, your choices, your behavior, do they see glory?  When people listen to you - your opinions, ideas, conversations, do they hear glory?  

It is so easy to go about life and forget why we are here - forget that God created us for good.  Easy to fall into habits, patterns, and ways of living that get us by and yet do not reflect glory.  We become entrenched in the day in, day out, routine of it all; going to school, getting a job, earning a paycheck, paying the bills, raising the kids, running the kids, cleaning the house, attending meetings, changing the oil, getting a loan, working on a project, taking out the trash, feeding the pets, checking the mail, and on and on it goes until perhaps we lose sight of the glory we have been given and are to be shining and sharing with others.  

Paul is telling the believers then and now, that yes it gets hard, yes it gets uncomfortable, yes it can be mundane, yes there are no guarantees you won’t get hurt or suffer, it’s risky, and yes it takes guts AND we don’t give up, we don’t get too comfortable, we don’t hide from the hard stuff, we don’t silence or cancel one another out, and we don’t go blind to the glory-filled things God is doing.  

I believe he is telling the church and by that I mean those who follow Jesus, that their lives as a community - a body of believers (not just individuals) is meant to show the glory of God - our purpose is to live life together, in such a way that the glory of God shines through, even when its hard and even when people may not see what we are trying to do.  We press on with guts and prayer, trusting that God’s glory, not ours, will prevail and that people will come to have eyes to see, including the eyes of some within the church.

The glory of God appears in a variety of ways - in expected and unexpected places.  It takes guts to live a life that reveals such glory - it takes guts to see such glory.   I pray dear church, we are up for both. 
Amen

​Pastor Jenothy Irvine
0 Comments

The Cure for Fatigue - Isaiah 40:21-31

2/9/2021

0 Comments

 
In one of the most famous passages in the Bible, the prophet Isaiah seeks to remind the people of Israel following Exile about the ground of their hope and comfort. He reminds the people with a series of questions about their faith: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?” – God is creator and liberator! God is the Lord of heaven and earth (v. 21-22).

In other words, don’t underestimate what this God will do, when compared with the gods and goddesses surrounding you in Babylon! Nothing is going to defeat this God, or the purposes of God, for the good of God’s creation, or for God’s people! No matter how difficult the moment (Rom. 8:28). 

This is the reason for Isaiah’s hope: it is in the very nature of God to create new beginnings for his people, to offer a way when there appears to be no way!

Think, for example, of how God led Israel out of the wilderness following the Exodus: it was during this wilderness time of struggle that Israel developed the Tabernacle, the priesthood, the Sanhedrin, the Torah, and the twelve Tribes. It was actually a time of creativity. Or, consider how God led the people of Israel back to Israel following the Exile in Babylon: it was during this time of disturbance that Israel created the synagogue, the teaching class called the rabbis, and wisdom literature. God did not just create and then stop creating in Genesis. God is creating all the time, even now. New things are being born. 

Think of all the online-learning opportunities now occurring, for example, or of the ways some churches are now cooperating with other churches because they may not have the resources, or think of the different ways we are trying to connect and encourage differently, or the way we have had to adapt and experiment. What’s the old saying? Necessity is the mother of invention!

How is God calling us to trust and walk together? How God is working to show us new possibilities? How are we walking in God’s strength and not being weary?
​

Pastor Andy Kinsey
0 Comments

Oil, Clay and Rock - Elements of Healing and Wholeness

2/2/2021

0 Comments

 
Today we pause, regroup, take a deep breath, and allow ourselves to recognize we may be tired of the race; that some are broken in body or spirit, worn down mentally and physically from the last year.  We take a moment and sit with each other in our individual and collective pain, loss and grief.  Today we give space for healing, prayer, and renewal as we seek to encourage one another and find wholeness. 

Using the symbols of oil, clay, and rock, we remember God’s presence with us. 

Oil has long symbolized healing, cleansing, and anointing. It has long been used for spiritual and medicinal purposes.  It has come to represent the balm that soothes our wounds, the agent that purifies, and the marker of our royal inheritance as God’s people.  It is not the oil itself but what it represents that matters.  Throughout the bible oil is used to wash the dirty, dusty feet of weary travelers as a sign of hospitality; or poured over wounds for healing, and the head as a sign of honor.  Fragrant oil was burned as an offering in temples and homes on special occasions.

As you reflect on the oil, may it soothe your wounded heart or physical pain; may it bring comfort, peace, .  Imagine the love of God, the hand of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit pouring over you and those places in your life which need 

Scripture tells us that God is the Potter and we are the clay.  In other words, in the hands of God, we are molded, shaped, and created into vessels of God’s love, mercy, and grace.  God is continually shaping us and forming us into who we were created to be.  The thing about clay is that no matter what shape it takes, it is still clay and it can be remolded, or reshaped into something new.  

As you reflect on the clay, consider how God shapes you.  How has this past year formed your faith.  Imagine the love of God, the hand of Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit shaping your life, relationships, church, and family. 

The rock is a common symbol of stability, protection, and a sure foundation.  Throughout the Psalms we read of God as our rock, our refuge and strength.  Many grew up learning the song about building your house upon the rock and not the sand.  We take encouragement from those who came before us and faced great struggle and pain.  We look to their faith and personal experiences and draw comfort, courage, and hope.  We share our own stories of grief, disappointment, and brokenness.  We listen to our stories, recognize similaires, discover differences and cherish both.  

As you reflect on the rock, may you draw strength and be encouraged to know God’s love is unshakable.  God’s grace is unmovable.  God remains our rock.  Imagine the love of God, the hand of Jesus, and the place of the Holy Spirit providing the foundation you need to stand on each and every day. 

Prayer - You are the source of strength, healing, and wholeness.  You are the place of comfort, rest, and peace.  You are the hope and promise of all things good, beautiful, and true.  In moments of brokenness, pain, and grief, you collect our sorrow, discomfort, and tears.  In moments of uncertainty, turmoil, and transition, you carry our fear, questions, and doubt.  Wrap us in your overwhelming Love and hold us while we weep, tremble, and scream.  Sustain us in your unconditional Grace and walk with us to the other side.  Heal us body, soul, and mind.  Amen. 

Pastors Jenothy and Andy


0 Comments

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018

    RSS Feed

Grace United Methodist Church
1300 E Adams Dr,
Franklin, IN 46131

Phone: 317-736-7962
grace@franklingrace.org

Weekend  Worship Services
Saturday: 5:30pm 
Sunday: 9:00am & 11:00am

Picture