March 31st reflection by Jeff Lamont
April 1st reflection bySandra Ammons
April 2nd reflection by Bobby Sharp
April 3rd reflection by Charles Stanley
April 4th reflection by Rev. George Thompson, former BUMC Senior Pastor
April 5th reflection by Dale Williams
Black Forest Academy
March 31st, reflection by Jeff Lamont
Our New Normal
Isaiah 65:17-21 (New Heavens and a New Earth) / John 4:43-54 (Jesus Heals an Official’s Son)
Last summer we received news that a dear friend of ours was in a diving accident. Chris is an amazing 17 year old, at the time of the accident, when he dove into a friend’s pool and hit his head. He was paralyzed from his head down with limited movement in his thumbs. After an incredible stabilization period the family came to grips that they were entering a “New Normal.” They sold their home and moved into a home more conducive to the new life in front of them. During all of the chaos something amazing happened.
Most of us think of Lent as a time to give something up. Some give up foods, some give up lifestyles, some give up habits and others even take a vow of silence. “The real grace is when we recognize that Lent is a season in which God wants to give us something. God wants to help us transform our lives and make us more free as people — not just freer with God, but in the way we live our lives and love our families. ” (from the Creighton University site)
Chris had no choice in what he gave up last summer. When tragedies strike we often ask for God’s healing. We ask for him to make things normal. In John 4:43-54, the official asks for his son to be healed. Jesus’s response was: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” Jesus did heal his son, but the point here is “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
Chris and his family came to this crossroad, they prayed, they asked for healing and God did heal them. God did not heal them physically in the way they anticipated, he gave them the ultimate gift – he transformed their lives. This February, Chris, his Mother and Father were all baptized and dedicated their lives to Christ. Isaiah 65: 17-18 “The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create…”.
Chris made the choice to accept God’s gift. He did not blame God, he rejoiced in what God is giving him. During Lent instead of looking at what we are giving up maybe we should focus on asking God to give us “Our New Normal”. . . accept his gift and look at all we are getting.
April 1st reflection by Sandra Ammons
Consumed by Fear
John 17:25-33 and 18:15-18
We all read the gospels and enjoy hearing of the marvelous miracles and sermons that Jesus delivered to his disciples and those who followed him as he traveled about. Jesus spoke in parables often in order for the people to understand his messages better. However, in these passages there is no parable, just plain facts.
Two important points can be gleaned from these passages of scripture. The first one is that we just need to believe, and then we need to trust. Peter believed that Jesus was the Son of God, but he was a little short on trust. Peter had been with Jesus throughout Jesus’s ministry, witnessing the miracles, listening to His words of wisdom, and eating with Him. He believed the he would always be there for Jesus. However, after Jesus was arrested, he found it difficult to stand up for Jesus and be there for him. He just didn’t trust that all would be well if he acknowledged that he knew Jesus.
How often we are like Peter in our lack of trust! We find ourselves doubting that all will be well.
This reminds me of our children as Gene made his commitment to the ministry. As we were preparing to make our way to Kentucky where he would be attending seminary, we found our two oldest children afraid of moving away to a new state, leaving grandparents and friends behind. They cried, “But we won’t have any friends there.” We assured them that God would provide for us; and there would be children around, and they would soon find themselves surrounded with lots of friends. The trip to Kentucky from Myrtle Beach, SC, was long and tiring. The children couldn’t get excited about the move for the fears that consumed them of the unknown place and lack of friends. However, as God promises us, he provided. When we arrived in the new neighborhood, our truck was surrounded by many children. And during our stay in Kentucky, our yard was always full of children.
Just like our children, we all need to believe that God will never leave us and will provide our every needs.
Thought: Hold fast to God’s promises!
April 2nd reflection by Bobby Sharp
John 5:17-30
In today’s New Testament verses, John 5:17-30, Jesus turned conventional wisdom and accepted practice upside down. Here’s what happened earlier in Chapter 5: Jesus healed an invalid, someone who could not walk, on a Sabbath. The man, following Jesus’ directive, picked up his mat and walked away with it. People who knew Jewish laws saw the man carrying his mat and took issue because carrying the mat violated Sabbath rules. Eventually, the Jewish leaders found out that it was Jesus who had healed the man and had told him to pick up his mat and walk, and these legal experts confronted Jesus about it.
Jesus’ response? 17But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” (NRSV) Then, two verses later, Jesus goes on: 19Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.”
Profound truth is contained in Jesus’ response, truth that turns one of our prevailing tendencies upon its head. You’ve seen it; I’ve seen it; I’ve done it. That tendency is to look around, see a need, decide it’s a worthy cause, head toward it, and then ask God to support our efforts and make them succeed. We tend to call in God for reinforcement as though God is the cavalry.
In today’s scripture, Jesus teaches us how backward that “reinforcement thinking” is. Instead, look at what Jesus did: he saw where God already was working, and he joined God there. That bears repeating: Jesus saw where God already was working, and he joined God there. Jesus said he simply looked and saw God working on this Sabbath occasion, and pitched in. The NIV puts it this way: “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” The order of the action seems pretty clear.
So, we can assume that God already is at work in the vicinity of our going and coming. During Lent, what if we seek to let go of our human tendency to adopt worthy causes out of a mixture of human motivations, and what if we ask God for the capacity to see where God already is working? What if we look for where we can join in God’s work that already is underway? What if?
Where might that be, that place along our paths where God already is at work? Perhaps a Lenten prayer can be to have the eyes to see where God is at work around us and to have the will to join in, just like Jesus did that day long ago. Amen.
April 3rd reflection by Charles Stanley
God’s will is perfect for his children –us. Unfortunately, we are imperfect and fall far short of being faithful to God. In Exodus Chapter 32, God instructs Moses to go back to his people “so that my anger may burn against them.” Moses knows that his brother Aaron is one of those who helped forge the golden calf that has so upset our Lord. He humbly asks God to spare these people and reminds Him of his covenants with Abraham, Isaac and Israel. God’s mercy knows no limits and he relents.
Showing mercy is so important and yet we live in a society that seems to believe “I’ve got mine, you get yours”. There’s no mercy or grace in doing what’s only best for you when others are left to go without. Those folks without food need our help. Those without love need our concern. Those without hope need a helping hand to be reunited with Christ. Those who are sick and hurting need a gracious hand from the disciples Christ left behind to do his work–us.
Jesus spent his entire life reaching out to those who were scorned by “proper society”. When he asks Zacchaeus to come down from the tree so that he could have dinner with him, Jesus did not weigh the attitude of those around him to see if this was a popular idea. Would he be held accountable by the Pharisees? Jesus chose the path of doing the RIGHT action regardless of the consequences. We should not worry what others think when we stop to help a homeless person–rather; we should praise God for the opportunity to serve.
Please pray with me:
Father, you have shown mercy when we have failed. You have loved us when we worship our earthly idols. You have forgiven us of our sins and taken the sins of the world on your shoulders. Lead us to do our part in making this earthly place one in which love overcomes all obstacles which keep us from a lasting peace. Amen.
April 4th reflection by Rev. George Thompson, former BUMC Senior Pastor
A Lakeshore Lesson for Lent
Luke 5: 1-16
The gospel is all about abundance. Great crowds had begun to follow Jesus as he taught the multitudes along the lake of Gennesaret. His teachings were so popular that he presumed to climb aboard a boat owned by a wealthy fisherman named Simon in order to claim some space for effective communication. Upon finishing his lesson and dismissing the crowd, Jesus ordered the unsuspecting Simon to sail his boat into deeper waters in order to continue fishing. This seasoned fisherman skeptically obeyed even though he had labored intensely the entire previous night and arrived at lakeshore empty handed. To his consternation, when Jesus directed the operation, Simon’s nets became so full of fish that the threads began to break under the stress. Simon, who considered his failure to be punishment for the condition of sin within him, confessed at the feet of Jesus. Feeling the sincerity of Simon’s plea and the trust implied by his posture, Jesus called this experienced seaman to a new vocation with the admonition, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching people.”
We United Methodists have been better at the shepherd’s vocation to which we have been called (tending, caring, protecting) than the fisherman’s task (evangelism). Thus, we have shrunk in numbers and impact as a denomination. But, in Luke’s story, Jesus’ presence and power within that boat (the Church) was the impetus for an abundant catch. When we assume that there is only scarcity of resources (diminishing financial strength, the United Methodist economic tsunami, static population, or an aging congregation), reading this story is a reminder of our central calling–namely, to make disciples and to catch, nurture, and sustain other human beings for the Kingdom.
It is no accident that this incident is quickly followed by Luke’s account of Jesus’ healing an outcasted leper. Perhaps we have done all our fishing in shallow waters that are clean and pure, near the fellowship of familiar faces, and in the circle of “me and my kind.” Perhaps our most compelling evangelical calling is really among the outcaste of this town and community. According to recently acquired statistics, over 21% (one in five citizens) of Watauga County live below the poverty level. We can meet these children of God through the Hunger and Health Coalition or our participation in Circles of the High Country that meets at the Hospitality House. Faithfulness to Christ requires more than an item in the budget or check in the mail. These people need to know that they are welcome in this fellowship of compassion–Boone UMC. Perhaps our most urgent evangelical calling is to be more readily among those who are not like us in appearance or sophistication.
Prayer: Jesus of the lakeside, empower your church here in Boone with a new eagerness to share the abundant grace of your love and forgiveness among multitudes of the lonely, the lost, and the lowly. Amen.
April 5th reflection by Dale Williams
John 7:40-53
As we come to the final days of Jesus’ life, a whirlwind of controversy surrounds the Son of God as it has even before his birth.
He was the buzz of Jerusalem. Would Jesus come to the Passover feast? Everyone was asking.
When Jesus did make his way towards Jerusalem, crowds, who had heard about the raising of Lazarus, greeted him with shouts of praise and worship. They adorned the road with palm branches, a tradition reserved for the mighty and revered. The mob was united in praise for the Rabbi from Galilee.
The religious and political leaders saw it differently. “The multitude is accursed,” they fumed. Pharisees considered Jesus a social vexation, a spiritual heretic, and a threat to their authority.
As they met to discuss the issue, divisions over the Holy One of Israel created a hullabaloo in their closed door meetings. Determining the true identity of this person Jesus split the chamber.
Finally, they took a vote – kill him. The vote was not unanimous, but, nevertheless, the motion passed. It was a precarious time for the Son of Man.
Jesus is still controversial, still the buzz. His claims are still questioned, his very person still divisive.
Two thousand years later, we too must decide. Will we shout “Hosanna” and lay branches at his feet, or will we reject the King of Kings as he rides by on a donkey?
It is sobering to recall, the mob that lavished praise on Jesus was the same mob that shouted crucify him just a few days later. Is there a little bit of Judas in all of us? Paul warns, “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall.”
There is, however, Good News. Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. The first two are accomplished. The Church anticipates and longs for the third.
Until then, in Christ, God establishes his Church, forgives us, anoints us, seals us, and gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. Good News indeed.
April 6th
Black Forest Academy
In the Melting Pot – By Elise De Ruiter
I remember the first time someone asked me what state I was from in America. I gave her a blank stare and said, “I have never been to America. I’m Dutch…but I lived in China for most of my life.” She looked at me with utter confusion, and now that I think about it, I was confused too.
I lived in China for fourteen years—not because I wanted to, but because my parents were missionaries there. So growing up, China was all I knew: the pollution, the trash bags flying around, the stares I got as I walked down the street, people pointing at me and crying out “Foreigner! Foreigner”, the dry heat, the ice cold winters, the language, the people…It all seemed normal to me, yet I could never call it my home. I remember going to Chinese preschool and being the only white kid in the school. You can imagine it is hard to fit in when you have blue eyes, blond hair, and white skin and everyone else is Asian.
When I was six, I was excited to hear that we would be moving to the Netherlands for our home assignment. Of course it was a big adjustment…I still remember trying to find the filter for drinking water in our new house, until I finally realized I could just drink water from the faucet. The Netherlands seemed like a luxury. I mean, the heating worked the whole winter, and the electricity never shut down at unexpected times. I loved Holland. It was great to be near relatives, to go to a nice school, and to be in a culture that I felt at home in.
I had just made myself comfortable when my parents decided to go back to China again. Before I knew it, I was hugging relatives and friends at the airport with tears running down my cheeks. Back in China, I attended a tiny school that consisted of about twelve students of all ages. I was the only Dutch girl among all the Americans. So at age seven I was speaking English at school, Dutch at home, and Chinese out on the streets.
Time soon brought me to freshman year, when I was the only high schooler at my school. By then, I really wanted to leave China more than anything else. I didn’t want to be the only foreigner anymore.
So my sophomore year my family moved to Germany, so that I could attend BFA. This was another period of adjustment, but it didn’t take long for me to feel at home in this new country, school, and environment. It was amazing to be surrounded by other MK’s and to learn the value of friendship. It was a blessing to have so many teachers that were deeply interested in me, and that respected the different cultures represented in the school. They openly shared their experiences with me and taught me so much in all areas of life. I got to participate in so many fun activities that I had never done before. All in all, my sophomore year ended on a happy note, but I also found out that my parents would be moving to the Netherlands. Junior year I moved into the dorm so that I could stay at BFA. I can’t say it was easy to live without my family, but I definitely developed my character and found the value of honesty. I learned to show respect to dorm staff and other adults, discovered the importance of clear communication, and learned how to live with twenty other girls in a patient, loving way. BFA has taught me many things, but above everything else it has taught me to make the most of every moment and to pour out love daily.
Not only has BFA meant a lot to me, it has also made it possible for my parents to do what they are doing now. Because they know that I am surrounded by a loving community, they could leave me at BFA while they work to further the Kindgdom in China. My mother is a midwife, and she had done a lot to improve the education of Chinese nurses. While she was giving lessons in various hospitals, she found out that many Chinese women face problems with breast feeding. Consequently, she studied for a year in the Netherlands to become a lactation consultant. Presently, she has been helping many Chinese women with problems in breast feeding. Besides that, she also translated a Bible study into Chinese, and has been meeting with a group of Chinese Christians to go through this study with them. My dad is the regional director of our organization, and has been overseeing many different projects. He has been helping set up a children’s camp that will run during the summer. He also works a lot within the Chinese church that was started a few years ago. Because he is an
agriculturalist, he has built many relationships with the farmers in our area and helps them improve their farming techniques. In these ways, my parents hope that the Chinese people will experience God’s love and understand what the Gospel is truly about.