"perfect love casts out all fear" by paul fromont

“A spirituality which takes human sexuality with theological and pastoral seriousness (as well as theological and pastoral fun!) will not see sexual desire as a problem to be dealt with, but as a gift, as the raw material of holiness and creativity. It will be a spirituality of liberation which recognises the close link between the policing of desire and the repressive machinery of society as a whole. So a spirituality which takes sexuality seriously will take politics seriously also. It will be a spirituality which is not afraid of passion, the darkness of mystical union, not afraid of adventure and risk. It will be a spirituality which recognises that human sexuality is an area where we do not know all the answers…
The New Testament teaches that fear is cast out by perfect love (1 John 4:18). So we all need to become lovers…for it is by becoming lovers, and only by becoming lovers, that we come to know God who is the source of all love… ”

Excerpted from his ‘The Carnality of Grace’: Sexuality, Spirituality and Pastoral Ministry in Embracing the Chaos: Theological Responses to Aids (1990 / SPCK) edited by James Woodward

thank you, rumi.

something opens our wings.
somethings makes boredom
and hurt disappear. someone
fills the cup in front of us.
we taste only sacredness.

"wherever two or more are gathered"

“Wherever Two or More Are Gathered”
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
Pastor Anna Blaedel
First United Methodist Church, Osage, Iowa
September 7, 2008

This morning I want to briefly offer a glimpse into two different communities, each struggling to be faithful, each striving to know and worship God, each sensing their deep need for revival and renewal. Let us pray…
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all of our hearts, be acceptable and pleasing in your sight, we pray, O God our Strength and our Redeemer.
A large group has left the church. People are divided about how to worship, and who should lead them. Tensions are tearing a community apart. Those who keep showing up are wondering if the church could survive without them. Those who have left are wondering if they can survive without the church. The community feels weary. Their passion, shaken. Their very relationship with God, strained.

Who are we as a faith community?
Where should we go from here?
How might we be faithful to God’s call?
How might we witness to Christ’s love, not just for us, but for our neighbors?
How might we not only survive, but really thrive, as God’s gathered children?

The time and place is 1st century Rome. Enter Paul, and our reading from the Epistle of Romans. Paul writes to this community. Gets back to basics. Places back in the spotlight the central theme of the Gospel. Love one another. Love your neighbors. Love God. Search tirelessly for ways to show this love every day. This is all Christ Jesus asks of us. Love your neighbor as yourself, because God first loved us.

Story 2. The community of faith feels defeated. The people are starting to question God’s faithfulness. Numbers are down. People are migrating to other houses of worship. The faithful keep showing up, keep trying to do good, keep trying to care for each other, but it seems every roadblock and barrier lies in wait. Not all is lost. People are praying for each other. Groups still gather to read and study scripture. Deep roots nourish tentative buds longing to blossom. Offerings are made, dreams are dreamt, but it seems every day brings more bad news, more need. The same people are trying to prop up the life of the faith community, but they know they can’t keep going like this forever.

Who are we as a faith community?
Where should we go from here?
How might we be faithful to God’s call?
How might we witness to Christ’s love, not just for us, but for our neighbors?
How might we not only survive, but really thrive, as God’s gathered children?

The time and place is 1st century Jerusalem. Enter Jesus, and our reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus reminds his followers what is required to build and sustain faithful Christian community. Talk to each other. Listen, really listen, to each other. Be honest about past hurts and wounds. Practice kindness to those who have hurt you. But most of all, gather. Wherever two or more are gathered, promises Jesus, there you will find the Spirit of the Living God. Right here, right now. Over caramel rolls Saturday mornings at the Kountry Kupboard. Down in fellowship hall for hot beef dinner with real mashed potatoes. When you sit down for a meal with family. When you invite someone who’s lonely to join you for the meal. In recovery community of AA or NA. On the front porch of the parsonage. When you visit someone sick in a hospital, unable to leave home, isolated in a nursing home. Over at Hardees at 3pm. In the youth room downstairs, when young folk gather to belong in beloved community and a space to call their own. And, by the grace of God, even at committee meetings!

Wherever we gather in the name and spirit of Jesus, in a spirit of love and compassion and hospitality, there we will find God. There God will find us. And there God will bless us beyond our weariest, wildest imagining!

Thanks be to God! Amen.

"why the church cares about immigrants"

Scripture guidance is clear

By the Rev. Clayton Childers, Director for Annual Conference Relations, General Board of Church & Society

The argument is being put forth that the United States cannot afford more immigrants, that we need to build a fence along our southern border, put new restrictions on legal immigration, and prosecute the estimated 10 million foreigners among us who do not have proper documentation. Yet our United Methodist General Conference, the denomination’s top policy-making body, disagreed with these arguments when it met in Ft. Worth, Texas, this spring.

In fact, by a vote of 825 to 29 it approved a resolution, “Welcoming the Migrant to the U.S.,” that said it is complicit to sin “to refuse to welcome migrants to this country and to stand by in silence while families are separated, individual freedoms are ignored, and the immigrant community in the United States is demonized by members of Congress and the media.”

We cannot accept that immigrants, even if they are here illegally, are beyond the scope of God’s concern.

Why is that?

Much of the Christian faith community’s response to this issue is grounded in its commitment to Holy Scripture. Many Christians believe our primary ethical reference point is the Bible. We cannot accept that immigrants, even if they are here illegally, are beyond the scope of God’s concern.

Jesus’ clear call

These people are our neighbors. And as neighbors we must wrestle with Jesus’ clear call to all those who would come after him to “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If I love my neighbor, how can I accept that my neighbor should be treated differently than others in the community simply because my neighbor came from another country, or has skin that is a different color, or speaks another language.

Jesus’ command makes no such allowance. Jesus simply said “love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Frankly, it is hard to get around this.

If I were an immigrant in a new land, how would I want people to treat me?

Jesus also called on his followers to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If I were an immigrant in a new land, how would I want people to treat me? For Christians, these simple rules guide the way we live our lives, they govern our actions and affect our decision making.

Scripture further commands those who would follow God to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.” Legal systems that serve the interests of those who are the “haves” while oppressing the “have nots” are unjust and must be opposed.

For many of us who profess a biblically grounded faith, it seems inconceivable to believe that God would want us to turn our back on the very poorest among us while they suffer abuse at the hands of the majority.

Bible stories

The Bible is filled with stories of people displaced from their homes traveling to foreign countries to begin new lives. Many of us have had similar experiences: moving to new communities, new neighborhoods, new jobs, new schools.

We can identify with Abraham, Ruth, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the disciples, Paul, Silas, Barnabas and many other itinerant biblical characters. Their stories, if we let ourselves remember, are also our stories. Their experiences are our experiences. All of them found themselves seeking the hospitality of strangers, at times being welcomed and other times being turned away.

The uncertain nature of immigration is not a new phenomenon. The plight of those suffering today is similar to that others have endured in previous eras.

Thus, scripture reminds us: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God (Leviticus 19:33-34).”

As people of faith we are expected to take seriously the message of God and apply it to our daily lives. For us, the abuse of aliens for us is not acceptable.

Date: 9/5/2008
Copyright 2008