Happy Friday, friends!
Thank you to all of you who organized and participated in the parade on July 4. So much fun, I have never been in an actual parade before! I loved the laughter in it, and the thankfulness for the blessings of this beautiful country. Thank you to all of you who have served, and continue to serve our country in so many ways, here at home and overseas. You are so loved, and deeply appreciated.
In worship this summer, we are spending our time cultivating what Paul in his letter to the Galatians calls the "fruits of the spirit." You will find them in chapter 5, verses 22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We are talking about these together because these things are the results of a life lived in Christ. These describe what a healthy Christian person looks like. They are the stuff of the abundant life Jesus offers, the things that all of us really, deeply want. Need. And besides being gifts of God to us, they become in us gifts that we give back to the world.
This is why I love when Jesus uses metaphors about farming, gardening, and growing things so much in his own teaching: that whole process teaches us the careful way we need to go about cultivating our own spiritual health, the obstacles that need removing, the constant nourishment and care we need to take, God's ultimate role in creating the miracle of it, and the joyful, amazing result. I love that, in the end, the peace and love and hope and joy that is produced in us not only makes OUR lives better, but also makes everyone and everything around us better, because the whole point of fruit is not to feed the tree it comes from but to feed someone else and plant more trees!
Last week, we touched on the first one in Paul's list of fruits of the Spirit: love. This week, we will spend time looking in some depth at the next one, joy.
I was blessed to spend some time with Donna Colt this week, in her hospital bed. I was honored to talk with some of you this week about some difficult things in your lives. Like the rest of you, I smelled the smoke from the fires, listened to the news, thought of my own loved ones and their struggles. Life isn't always pleasant. There are times when it is painful, and terrifying, and stressful, and sad. Of course, life is also beautiful and full and miraculous, too! But those are the times when joy is easy. What about when it's not? What does joy even mean, in times like that? How do you feel when you read Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 6, when he writes:
"As servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in il repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-- we are alive; as punished and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything."
Give it some thought. Let me know what you think. And we will talk together on Sunday!
As you prepare your hearts for worship, you might like to take a look at Psalm 100. I pray that it brings a smile to your face, a spring in your step, and warmth to your heart. See you Sunday morning! If you are reading this and have never joined us for worship, we begin with music at 9:00am, and you are very, very welcome. If you have any questions about worship here at Epworth, or would like to talk about anything at all, give me a call at the church at 775-423-4714.
God's greatest blessings,
Pastor Dawn
A Chronicle of the Life of Epworth United Methodist Church in Fallon NV
