The stories of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt inspire us to live and work with certainty in an uncertain world. We ask God to light a lamp before us so that our feet do not stumble, and to make our path clear so we may never wander from His chosen way.
From the burning bush to the Pentecostal flame, God burns into our world in such a way as to break through our contentment with a status quo rooted in oppression and inequality. God emboldens us by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, and with the fire of His calling.
Within the complexity of God's Being there is unity. Yet from that unity flows forth diversity, and all taken together is wholeness. Despite our differences, we work to not be at odds, competing for power, and struggling for prestige. Rather, we wish to be at peace, whole as God is whole, conscientious trustees of His reconciling love.
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.
We are the children of God, who made us free to live in joyful relationship with Him and with one another. God's grace empowers us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We ask for the courage to love ourselves as much as He loves us and to love others with the same compassion.
In this time of division and unrest, and this time of reluctance, we are reluctant to set aside our anger and hurt. We are reluctant or refuse to put our guards down for fear of disappointment. Let us learn instead to love more like Christ and to act more like Christ in all the things we do. And may we shed old divisions and embrace the unity that God intends for all people.
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."