Rev. Ron says that "I hope and pray that these weeks' reflections on being 'open' – our openness to all people after God's invitation and example, in both our hearts and minds – will inspire us in our interactions with one another and members of our community. As we continue to live in times of uncertainty and anxiety, I invite you today to reflect on what it means for our church to commit to having 'open doors,' to being generous, maybe even 'radical,' in our hospitality toward others."
Rev. Ron Bartlow says that "One of my deep appreciations for our Methodist heritage is that it has always taken seriously a person's ability to think. Indeed, 'reason' is one of the four methods by which we are exhorted to consider the things of God (the other three being Scripture, tradition, and experience). I invite you to consider what it means to demonstrate an 'open mind' as members together of our church community."
The first of a three week series in which we contemplate what it means to be a church of "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors." Culturally, we speak of the heart as the center of our emotional selves, the seat of our hopes and desires, the core of our love. As those committed to loving God and others, how we open our hearts becomes metaphor for how we respond to the world around us. Are we "hard hearted," callous and indifferent to the struggles and needs of others? Or are we "tender hearted," caring and impacted by the lives of those we meet?
God's various gifts are handed out everywhere, but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere, but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere, but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits.
While Rev. Ron Bartlow is away attending the Annual Conference of the Desert Southwest Conference, we are treated to a video recording of his sermon "The Kairos Moment."
Pentecost is a day in the life of our church equal to Christmas and Easter. On the Day of Penteost, the church changed, experiencing radical disruption even as the Spirit sustained it. The first Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, three thousand were baptized by the Holy Spirit. And to this day, the Holy Spirit lives among us, surrounding us with mercy and grace, witnessing to us about God's steadfast love for God's people.
We are interdependent with all of creation around us, and the climate crisis is a challenge that threatens us all. The earth cries out. Will we hear and respond?
We started the month with a Star Wars reference, so why not end it with one? Released on May 25 (1977!), it was later re-titled "A New Hope." These lectionary readings for the season of Easter also share a "New Hope." That is, a hope of a new world, one where God is present, not just in creation around us, and not just in the person of Jesus Christ, but in the love that Jesus' disciples demonstrate.
Many passages from scripture speak to the nature of God's care, concern, and providence, both here and hereafter. This loving care isn't all that far from the nurturing, loving care of a good mother, whose love is made clear in how they nurture their children. Let us all reflect more of God's compassion, kindness and strength to those around us today.
For some, today is "Star Wars Day". While not a part of the church tradition, the movie tale of Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) reminds us that no one is beyond redemption. In real life, God casts his net far and wide, redeeming and calling people ranging from the disciples to Saul.