Mid-Week News 4-26-12

Dear Family of Faith, What a gorgeous week in Florida this has been-- blue skies, cooler weather, low humidity! We couldn't ask for more. I hope that you have taken advantage of the days and gotten out to enjoy God's gift to us. A recent cover of Newsweek magazine had as its headline "Forget the church! Follow Jesus!" I got to thinking about that (naturally). It's so indicative of what is happening in religion these days. On the one hand, the movement toward "practical religion" in which one's belief is made visible is admirable. I'm not much for people who say that they are Christian and act like the devil, so to speak. On the other hand, there seems to be a trend in modern society to reduce religion to its lowest common denominator, namely to make it a purely ethical system of values, which most world religions have in common. For example, "love your neighbor as yourself" is not found just in Christianity and Judaism but in Hinduism and Islam as well. What I fear, is that this trend toward "doing your religion" forgets to take one very important thing into consideration-- namely the power to do it, which is the Holy Spirit. Christianity maintains that if we could 'do it' by ourselves, we wouldn't have needed Jesus. Jesus comes to us because we can't 'do it' by ourselves. And we certainly can't do it by ourselves by ourselves (yes I meant to write that twice!). In other words, we are incapable of perfection and we need each other in this journey of faith. From a biblical perspective there is no such thing as a 'lone ranger' Christian. Sunday morning worship may seem like a gathering of saints, but it is, in reality, a collection of sinners who need the grace of God and the support of others. That's what I like about my religion; it's realistic. I don't need to pretend that I'm perfect. I only need to be honest about my imperfections and find forgiveness and another chance. In the church we huddle together to face the storms of life and experiencing the unlikely, awesome power of God to triumph in spite of ourselves. The real headline in Newsweek should be "Follow Jesus and stick with the Church!" I hope you will. On this morning's talk shows people were discussing Mitt Romney's time as a bishop in the Mormon Church. Predictably some people liked him and some did not. It got me to thinking about leadership in the church-- pastors, teachers, moderators, etc. Since all of us are sinners and imperfect, how are we to judge whether someone is a good leader or not. After all, I probably learned the most from teachers in my life that I didn't like (because they were too demanding). We cannot judge people's leadership abilities by their character, for all of us have flawed characters. Neither can we judge them by whether we feel a personal affinity toward the leader since we all have different preferences in personalities. The only valid judge of a Christian leader is whether God uses that leader to transform people's lives. The most undeserving people are often used by God to do the greatest things. I hope that you will judge my leadership not by whether you 'like me' or not or whether you think I'm a good person or not, but rather by what you see God doing through me as a pastor. You see, no good pastor ever chose to be one; he/she has been called to the position because it was God's desire. The movie Amadeus is a great portrayal of this grace of God. Check it out if you haven't seen it. A lot of people didn't like John the Baptist, but God used him. A lot of people didn't like Jesus either, but we know him as God's Son. Next time you get to thinking about some Christian leader, don't worry about liking him or her. Ask yourself, "Is God using this person to bless the world?" That's what matters in the end. You are great people, and I thank God every day for the privilege of being part of our church. See you Sunday! With affection, Pastor Carlan

Mid-Week News 4-19-12

Midweek News – 4-18-12 Dear Family of faith, I weeded my flower garden today....I loved it! When I mentioned to Marty, our Administrative Assistant, that I had spent a couple of hours weeding, she replied, "Well, you can come over and weed mine, too!" That's the usual response to the task-- Ugh! But I have loved weeding gardens from the time I was quite young, and now that I'm older, I still like it. Why? Two reasons! First of all, being an introvert and needing "alone time," there is no better activity than weeding to keep people away. (If they get too close, they're afraid that you might rope them into helping!) Weeding is such a mindless job that you can think away to your heart's content. It is a time for solving problems, reliving joys, praying, getting inspired, and thinking grand thoughts for the future with no one or no thing to distract you. Secondly, and even more powerful for me, is the whole concept of getting rid of the things you don't want. Weeding removes the unwanted plants in the garden; and if you have a bent toward perfectionism like I do, you can get rid of every bit of extraneous plant material, bringing the garden back from a disheveled wreck to a beautiful, well-kept display of nature's wonders. The reason this so intrigues me is that there are so few things in life that I can "clean up" like a weed-infested garden. I only wish I could clean up my whole life as easily-- getting rid of the unwanted things and making it all beautiful again! Yes, I can't control people; I can't control circumstances or events; I can't control the past or the future; I can't even control my feelings; but I can pull those prickly, unsightly weeds out of the soil and mulch and make something beautiful. Think about it next time you face the task, and happy weeding! The Northerners are heading back north, little by little, and we will miss them all. If you are one and would like to continue to stay in touch with us not only by this email but also by receiving sermons emailed to you, contact Marty at the church office and add your name to the list. Have a wonderful week. See you in worship on Sunday! With affection, Pastor Carlan

Mid-Week News 4-12-12

Midweek News – 4/11/12 Dear Family of faith, What a glorious day last Sunday was! The cantata was spectacular, the breakfast was fantastic, the Easter egg hunt was fun (complete with Easter Bunny thanks to Jessica Salentino), the 124 flowers fragranced and beautified our sanctuary along with a new banner, and 311 people helped sing, pray, and commune to make it a wonderful spiritual experience. Our kudos to Wayne Raymond, who directed the choir; Kathy Hackemer, who accompanied the cantata; and Donna Ives, who narrated it. Wayne and Judy Barker also had another great organ/piano duet, as well! We also want to thank Sue Hill and all those who helped with the delicious breakfast and all of you who purchased flowers (and Elma Adams, Marlene and Roge Mihalus, and Andrea Gleason for arranging them). Thanks also to Pat Scott for hiding the eggs and the members of the Faith Formation Team who put together the candy bags with all the treats you provided. A lot of people worked hard to make our Easter the celebration that it should be. When others need to give up ministries they have done for years, who will take their places? Can you? We need help in almost every area of our church's life and mission. All you have to do is say to me, "I think I could help" and you will have a place in our church. It's said that 20% of the people in a church do 80% of the work. Let's be different and spread the ministry around! With affection for all of you, Pastor Carlan

Dear Family of faith,
They look spectacular! The stained glass windows are in! What an extra ordinary Holy Week this will be this year as we get the chance to worship three times with our new windows adorning the sanctuary-- Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. They have been a year in the making, and you will hear more about the story when we dedicate them during worship on Sunday, April 15th. They were installed yesterday on my birthday, making this year's celebration all the more special for me personally.
Tomorrow night is the first of our Holy Week special events beginning with a Dessert Buffet in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30 p.m. Just bring whatever dessert you enjoy making and share it with others. Drinks and eating utensils will be provided. Following the buffet, the Maundy Thursday worship service with Communion will begin in the sanctuary at 7:30 p.m. Evening services have always been my favorite, so I hope you can attend. There is something about the darkness that quiets our spirits and makes us more sensitive to God's leading presence.

Last Monday as we remembered and celebrated the life of Dave Malaby, I was moved by two things. First of all, all three of Dave and Loretta's sons spoke about their father and what he meant to them. Secondly, one of Dave's grandsons, a navy man, got the privilege of presenting the American flag to his grandmother at the cemetery in Bushnell. The latter was a particularly emotional event for the whole family and those of us who watched. It reminded me that life is not about words and not even deeds as much as about relationships-- relationships of friendship, of love, and of mutual understanding. Never waste your life staying to yourself or amassing things that will be thrown away or sold after you are gone. It's the people around you who mean the most. Spend your time and energy with them.
See you Sunday for the celebration.
With affection,
Pastor Carlan