My Prayer of Hope for Today

I feel the grief deep in my soul tonight. 50,000 Americans are now deceased from COVID-19 (and tomorrow it will pass 200,000 world-wide).

Gracious Lord, we have sung since we were children that you’ve got the whole world in your hands. So hold it gently, Lord. Gaze upon it lovingly. Pour out a wave of healing on it in your mercy. Inspire your children upon it to be diligent in our practice of distancing, trusting that it saves lives. Teach those you have created in your image to trust, to persevere, and to remember what’s truly most important instead of bickering about things that aren’t. Call us to times of silence and patience and understanding. Heal and bless this ball of earth you hold in your hands, Lord. We yearn for restoration in you.

Amen and amen.

Finding Easter perspective in these strange times

This my column which appeared on the front page of The Arab Tribune on Thursday, April 9, 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic.

These are strange times.

Just like almost everyone else, we have closed the church office, and all of us are working at home. I’m spending way more time on the phone and much less time in person. I’m about to completely wear out my house shoes.

For the first time I can remember, my phone starts feeling warm on my ear every day. I became an amateur aficionado of Zoom and got over my distaste and discomfort with selfie videos. Somebody has to record the sermon for online worship, and I might as well let other people stay home, right?

My son came back from Germany a few months early and self-quarantined in the teardrop camper parked in my garage. My daughter has been nursing in all-COVID units, and today she feels sick, so she is getting her second test since the first one came back negative. A member of my church got the Coronavirus after a heart procedure but, thank God, she is recovering and off the respirator. I can’t go see her, so phone calls will have to do. Every day I pray for those who take ill and for those who are on the front lines, for people whose lives are disrupted and for those who find themselves looking for a job.

All this brings me to the weirdest Holy Week we’ve ever known. The White House issued a statement warning that “one of the toughest weeks is ahead,” and this happens to be the week of all weeks.

I grew up in the Church and have been a pastor for over 30 years. It’s going to be strange not gathering in the building on Easter (or Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, for that matter). My congregation won’t be “in” church, though we’ll definitely be “at” church. Thank God we can worship online.

No matter how bizarre Holy Week is this year, in a way it’s a “tough” week every year because it is the week of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But like my pastor friend says when giving his two word summary of the mystifying book of Revelation, “God wins.” And that keeps it all in perspective.

My wife and I were talking this morning over coffee, and I told her I’d been asked to write a column for Easter. Off the top of her head, she said there are four different perspectives we have on this journey. There’s the steering wheel, the windshield, the road ahead, and the horizon. She’s pretty intuitive, so I went with that.

The “steering wheel perspective” is about what’s right in front of you. You have to get food and medical supplies, as well as that extra roll of coveted toilet paper. You have to find what you need for a functioning household or get someone you love to the doctor. You download Zoom so your kids can go to school and spend time with them so they don’t go stir crazy. Sometimes your knuckles turn white holding onto the steering wheel, so it’s important to try and relax. But my wife makes me wipe my steering wheel with a napkin soaked in alcohol. It’s not always easy to keep focused on what’s right in front of you, but it’s all you’ve got in our hands. That’s “steering wheel” perspective.

The “windshield perspective” is how you perceive the larger world around you. How do you keep your windshield clean so you can see what do do next? You can’t keep it disinfected, but you have to clean off the coat of yellow pollen. It’s important to think about others on the road, not just what’s right in front of you. How do you get exercise without endangering anyone? Are you willing to wear a cloth mask? I have been disturbed by high-profile pastors who held public worship, defying the orders of government and the strong recommendations of health officials. For me, that’s not seeing the forest for the trees. My church has gone to online worship and we are finding new ways to be in community. Simply put, it’s the right thing to do. It’s not easy, but with a little creativity we can figure out how to do it together. That’s “windshield” perspective.

The “road ahead” perspective is to begin to see where all this is going and how you are going to get there. Most of us aren’t there yet, but after surprise after surprise has unrolled during the last few weeks, at some point you need to move from reacting to the latest stats to a long-term vision. Humanity is resilient and our country is strong, so there will be a way through. We’ve made it through through times before, but if you are going to look back on history and see this is as one of our finest hours (like Churchill famously said of England in World War II), it has to do with the direction we take in all this, not just what’s in right front of you. That’s “road ahead” perspective.

The “horizon” perspective is where Easter comes in. There is a bigger picture that lies at the end of the road and illuminates it along the way. Yes, you must deal with what’s right in front of you, operate with high regard for others, and find direction during tumultuous times. But this week is not just a “tough week ahead of us.” It’s a replay of the toughest and greatest week of all time.

Our faith reminds us that no matter what, our lives belong to God. Through the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, we are given power over death and destruction. Easter is not just about bunnies, eggs, and springtime.

One of the serendipitous blessings of these strange times is that I get to hear friends preach online, and as a pastor friend in Ghana said this week, every healing, blessing, and deliverance you are seeking from God is imbedded in the Paschal Mystery ... in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. That’s “horizon” perspective.

So keep your chin up. Look beyond the steering wheel, beyond the windshield, and even beyond the road ahead of you. There is a horizon up ahead.

Steve West is a husband, father, minister, musician, and writer who pastors Arab First United Methodist Church. His blog, “Musings of a Musical Preacher,” is at www.stevewestsmusings.blogspot.com.

Palm Sunday Online!

This is the "Palm Sunday Online" worship experience of Arab First UMC on April 5, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Participants were invited in advance to place palm or greenery arrangements on their doors and send in pictures, as well as have palms for their kids to wave during children's time in the service. Children had received a delivery from the church on their front porch the day before with special Holy Week toys, books, and activities. During Holy Week, they will be invited to bedtime stories each night on Facebook Live.

Included is a sermon on TRUST during uncertain times.

There is a three-minute countdown at the beginning and you may want to fast forward through that.

Are you having to improvise?

During these strange times when we are only able to worship and fellowship online due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I am sharing devotionals every Tuesday morning on Facebook Live and YouTube. This is one way we are staying connected as people of faith for mutual encouragement.

Here is one of my Tuesday morning devotionals. I reflect on how we are all IMPROVISING. I am encouraged by a story in the book of Acts when Peter and John improvised.

Why Jesus Wept

This is the sermon segment that was a part of the online worship experience of Arab First UMC on March 29, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.

The building may not have been open, but the church is alive!

The sermon explores how these two words, "Jesus wept," speak volumes ... especially right now.

Praying through Music

This is my recent podcast on "Praying Through Music." I created for the "Pray Together" podcast series put together by members of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church.

In it, I suggest one who sings "prays twice." See if you agree:

https://prayingtogether.podbean.com/e/praying-through-music/

Why I'm Not Leaving the UMC

This blog post went viral and got 37,000 hits in the first month, plus it was picked up by Al.com and UMNews.

A few weeks ago, hundreds of North Alabama Methodists that consider themselves traditional, orthodox, and conservative met at Clearbranch UMC to talk about splitting from the United Methodist Church. I have had good interactions with the pastors who organized the meeting. They are my colleagues. They are part of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, an organization of 1,500 churches nation-wide and about 60 clergy here in North Alabama planning to launch a new denomination a few months from now, once the General Conference in May allows for their gracious exit.

I respect their convictions. But I won’t be joining them. Here’s why.

1. I made a promise. My Dad is a retired pastor, and he and I agree neither of us will leave the UMC (until recently, it was beyond my imagination that any of us would consider it). It would dishonor our family history, but there's something even more important at stake. I feel it would disregard the vows I made at ordination. I promised I would be faithful to the UMC and uphold its discipline. I have done so even if others haven't, and I am only responsible for my own vows. I follow the Discipline of the UMC even when I get heat for it, gently insisting that all people may participate fully in the ministries, sacraments, and programs of the church (yes, that’s in there). I would not perform a same sex marriage, but I’m passionate about inclusiveness in the church. For me, it’s the way of Jesus but it's also about the vows I took. Speaking of vows, I feel leaving the UMC would be hypocritical when for over 30 years, I have welcomed members into God's Church by asking them to take a vow to be loyal to the UMC and support it.

2. This has evolved past social issues to schism. I am a centrist and have varied opinions on issues. The UMC is not perfect, but diversity of thought is one reason I love it. Wesley taught Christianity was essentially about love for God and neighbor, growing through the means of grace, and staying connected even when we "agree to disagree" (yes, he coined that phrase). We have made it through divisive issues such as slavery, voting rights, temperance, civil rights, and ordaining women. It is the most evenly widespread denomination in the United States, so there will always be cultural issues. But this is a moment where I must decide whether to stay at the table and work it out or not, and to me, that’s the very definition of Church. There is no plan on the table that involves telling pastors they have to perform weddings they’re not comfortable with, telling local churches they have to do something inappropriate for their context, or telling conferences that they can’t set standards for ministry. I respect that others may leave the UMC because of their convictions, but I am staying precisely because of mine. Wesley said that separating "from a body of living Christians with whom we were before united is a grievous breach of the law of love" and hence it "is only when our love grows cold that we can consider separation."

3. There is too much to be lost. The UMC is not perfect, but it's my home. In a romanticized view of starting a new Methodist denomination, one can forget there are so many positive things to be lost by leaving. Together we have created UMCOR, the Upper Room, the Walk to Emmaus, the Academy for Spiritual Formation, Africa University, and all sorts of regional treasures like Sumatanga and the Children’s Home. In America, we have started more colleges and universities than any other faith group, and we charter more Scouts than any other denomination. No Church is perfect, but there is much to be lost by leaving. I respect those who can't live with differing practices across the country, but our DNA is connectional, not congregational. Small churches will be the biggest losers if they suddenly have responsibility to recruit their pastor (this is in the proposed Discipline of the new denomination). Promises are being made, of course, but I believe that the DNA of a new denomination that forms over cultural disagreements will end up splitting again over the next one. I honor their decision, and perhaps we will all be able to move forward more freely with bringing people to Christ. But I can't be a part of leaving.

4. I believe in the authority of the Bible. The debate is incorrectly framed as being about Biblical authority when it is really about culture wars. I hold the Bible in high authority under the lordship of Christ. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit, written by human hands, and codified by holy councils. God was in all of it. Wesley didn’t teach fundamentalist ideas such as inerrancy and infallibility. Instead, he taught the importance of interpreting it faithfully through tradition, reason, and experience. He said in our Articles of Religion that the Bible contains everything necessary for salvation, but he didn’t say it spells out everything. How do I interpret the Bible over complex issues like acceptance of LGBTQ Christians? The reason we call it the Word of God is because it reveals Christ, who the Bible calls the Word. So I read the Bible through the lens of Christ, who fulfills the law and confounds the Pharisees. I don’t worship the Bible. I worship Jesus, so to make sense of the Bible, I read it through the person of Christ. He loved every broken person he encountered. The only people he criticized were the Pharisees who had lost sight of love because of religious rules based on their tight interpretation of scripture. The Bible says God is love, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, so I believe it.

5. I am traditional and orthodox. The schism is being planned over a set of social issues that are neither discussed in the gospels nor addressed in the ancient creeds. So it is odd for people of only one viewpoint to exclusively claim the terms “traditional” and “orthodox.” There are indeed moral issues addressed in scripture we must grapple with. But our Wesleyan tradition is, once again, to interpret scripture through tradition, reason, and experience. I believe in the virgin birth, the resurrection, the humanity and divinity of Christ, the Trinity, and the things addressed in orthodoxy. I also follow the tradition of Wesley, who loved to use the saying “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” Jesus didn’t even mention the issues that divide us, but there’s something else that he most definitely did talk about - our unity, for that’s what Jesus prayed for in John 17. I have friends that say they are not leaving the Church; the Church has left them. I get that, but I honestly find it to be an echo of southern secessionism. The UMC agrees on what’s essential, and I’m going to stay at the table and work out what’s secondary.

6. I follow Jesus. I keep coming back to the way Jesus treated the woman at the well. He offered her living water, then after indicating he knew of her past, he took her seriously in discussing the religious issues on her mind. I have noticed what he did NOT say. He gently pointed out that she was committing adultery (that one’s in the ten commandments), but he didn’t say “oh, now I take back what I said about living water.” Christ’s offer was still good, and then they had a fascinating discussion about faith. So I choose to accept people for who they are and invite them to God’s table for relationship with Christ. God handles the rest.

7. I believe in grace. Do our churches rebuke people who are divorced and remarried, not allowing them to serve in ministry? I’m not saying we should hold remarried people in judgment, not at all. I’m saying that if we offer grace in one situation addressed in scripture and not in another, it's clearly not about Biblical authority but about culture wars. I can't be a part of a new movement that insists LGBTQ people can't be Christians. I know too many that are.

8. I believe in the Church. We are the body of Christ, and I don't have all answers about the future, but leaving the table is out of the question. Our divided culture needs a witness to love that transcends our differences, not giving in to the prevalent “us vs. them” and “either/or” mentality. The biggest criticism Jesus got was that he “ate with sinners.” Who am I to decide that I can’t be in communion with someone I don’t agree with? The only people Jesus didn’t tolerate were the religious elites who were intolerant. I’m not going to be one of them.

That’s why I’ll stay UMC. I agree with Pinson UMC pastor Joe DeWitte who said “The UMC continues to discover that our church is big enough (because our God is big enough) to include people who disagree on matters that are not creedal."

Here I stand, I can do no other.