Franksville UMC together...

Each new year we look forward to a time of new beginnings, new challenges, new experiences, and blessings.  Each new year we commit to renewing old contracts with ourselves – I’ll exercise regularly; I’ll pray more diligently; I’ll be more forgiving; I’ll improve my relationship with loved ones; I’ll read the Bible more; I’ll….  While our heart is often in the right place, we find that life gets in our way (yet again) and our intent of new beginnings fades like it has so often in the past.

I find myself falling into this pattern all too often.  How thankful I am that God’s commitment is nothing like my own.  Kimberly Dunnam Reisman once said, “God does not wait for us to have our spiritual acts together before reaching out to us and seeking relationship with us.  This should be a point of great relief and freedom for us,… our relationship with God is not dependent on our success.  God’s love will remain steadfast regardless.”

I am so very thankful for God’s faith and commitment to me, to us, and to this church.

In our new year together, I believe we’ll see the mission and ministries at Franksville UMC continue to grow and flourish.  Our leadership team continues to meet in quarterly retreats, setting actions to vision and vision to prayerful consideration of who God wants us to be as a church.  We continue to reach out in local mission to HALO, Oxford House, our local schools, and local families.  We continue to reach out to sisters and brothers outside the country – like the Mabe Orphanage.  The families of our church come together for worship, song, prayer, fellowship, Bible studies, women’s study groups, men’s groups, children’s events, Family Fusion, community events, fund raising and so much more.   

It’s amazing how much happens here and almost every bit of it through volunteer hours!  Your sharing of talents, gifts, prayers, leadership, and commitment is vital to a healthy and growing church.  Here are three indicators that we are indeed getting healthy and growing in Christ.

1)   23 new members were added this last year – through profession of faith or confirmation.

2)   From January through November (2013) our average Sunday attendance has increased by almost 4%.

3)   Our steward pledges for 2014 have increased approximately 35% from 2013.   

These are all wonderful indicators that help show vitality and growth and are indicative of our hearts desiring to be in relationship with God and one another.  I look forward to this new year with you and give thanks for all you do and all you are in Christ.  

Praise the Lord!

The other afternoon my daughter came up to me and whispered in my ear.  "I want to go outside to praise God" she said.  I asked why we wanted to go outside to do this and she said, "Because I want to shout my praise to God as loud as I can."

Awesome, I thought.  And we went outside.  We began our worship by singing 'Come, Now is the Time to Worship.'  We both know most of those words - and the words we don't know we make up.  Then we had prayer in which we both spoke our prayers out loud.  And lastly, we both looked into the sky, raised our hands and shouted at the top of our voices, "Praise God!"

It was liberating, refreshing, and oh so very joyful to do this.  We sang again, ran around a little bit, raised our hands and called out "Praise God" several more times.

Perhaps on a fine weather day, on a Sunday morning, we can have our whole congregation worship outside and shout to our hearts content, with hands lifted up, "Praise God!"

Father's Day Present Early

This Memorial Day weekend I had a 'date' with my five year old daughter Gracie.  Sunday afternoon we left for mall shopping.  We spent much of our time going up and down the escalator in Sears, looking for fingernail polish for Grace, and some Packer wear for papa.

We had dinner at our one of our favorite restaurants in Janesville and then checked into a hotel for an evening of swimming.

That night we had prayer time while looking out the hotel window at the nighttime lights.  I read to her from the OT Habakkuk, which I'm contemplating a message from.  She read to me a story she had written and illustrated.  By 9:00 pm the lights were out and we were snoozing.

Monday morning we were up early, lazing about, watching some cartoons, reading our Calvin and Hobbes book and then back in the pool before checking out.  Before we headed back home we managed a bit more shopping and then lunch at the Milton Family Restaurant.

The thing about having this time away with Gracie was, there were no interruptions, no deadlines to meet, nothing that really had to be done.  It was like a mini-vacation together without all the hassle of packing a car full of stuff and then not being able to find what you thought you packed, only to realize you left it at home anyway!

Gracie and I agreed to do this every year (at least until she gets old enough to date boys - this is what she told me anyway!)

One of the most important relationships in our life is that between parent and child.  Dads take some time to spend with your children - just you and them.  It's the best Father's Day gift you'll ever receive.

42

This last week, while on vacation, my wife and I went to see the movie 42.  It’s a movie about Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to enter and play in Major League Baseball since the late 1880s.  If you haven’t seen this movie, I’d encourage you to go.  

It’s an eye-opening, riveting movie giving us a glimpse into the challenges of de-segregation in baseball.  It takes place in the mid-1940’s following WWII.  Jackie, who went to UCLA and was the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports while there; who served in WWII and was honorably discharged from the Army as a Lieutenant; is brought up from the minor leagues to the Brooklyn Dodgers by Branch Rickey, a visionary who felt called to help end the segregation between whites and blacks in baseball.    

Three moments in the movie stood out to me:

• At the beginning of one of the Dodger games everyone is standing and singing the Star Spangled Banner.  The camera pans the audience who are holding hands over hearts and mouthing the words of the song.  The camera pans the players who are doing likewise.  The camera then focuses on Jackie at the moment when the words – “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave” are being sung.  Jackie is not singing along.  I thought to myself – how is this the home of the free when black people cannot use the same restroom as white people, or they have to enter the stadium through the “Colored” entrance, or black players cannot stay in the same hotel as white players…

• During one of the games in the south (I don’t remember where they were playing at the moment) Jackie came out to take the field.  Just prior, the camera showed a dad and his young son at their first ball game together.  The boy was so excited to see his first game with his dad.  His dad was sharing the story of his dad taking him to the ball game when he was a boy.  When Jackie came on to the field the spectators began to yell at him to get off the field, to go back to the cotton fields where he belonged, and they used the “n” word vociferously.  The little boy looked around at everyone cussing and yelling with great prejudice including his dad and then he himself began to call out, “get off the field you 'n…'”.  Just moments before he had been filled with this joyous innocence.  And then he learned how to shout out in hate and prejudice.  It's amazing what our children learn from us.   

• When Branch Rickey first talked to Jackie about becoming a Brooklyn Dodger he got up in his face asking if he would be able to stand up to the prejudice, the names, the rocks being thrown, that he might not be able to stay at the same hotel, the hate, the vitriol… Branch asked he if had the courage to do this.  When Branch said, “Can you do this you, s.o.b. n...?” Jackie stood up and asked, “You want someone with the courage to stand up and fight against this bigotry?”  Branch replied, “No, I want someone with the courage to not stand up and fight…”

 
It takes courage to not strike out at those who hate, who throw stones, who spit upon you, who threaten your life.  It takes courage to respond, not in kind but, in love and restraint.  It takes the courage of Christ to face that kind of bigotry and prejudice.   
 
As an aside, I found it interesting that Jackie was a Methodist as was Branch Rickey!  

Church

So the churches were strengthened in the faith 

and increased in numbers daily. Acts 16:5 (NRSV)

In my studies of the Old Testament I have come to realize the building of the Israelite nation happened because God wanted to establish a nation living under the government of God – within the laws and commandments given by God so that the presence of God would be seen by the other nations, by the other people.  This holy nation would be a beacon of light in a darkened world, serving to reveal the character of God to the rest of the world. 

On a smaller scale, doesn't this sound like the church of today?  Perhaps you've asked these questions yourself.  Why are we called together as a people?  Why is the church here?  Why do we spend time learning about God’s commandments and making changes in our own lives?  Why are we seeking to become a holy people?  Yes, so that our own relationship with God deepens, but also (and just as importantly) so we can be a beacon of light in a darkened world and serve to reveal the character of God to the people around us! 

O Holy God, strengthen my will today that I may follow your commandments and listen to your Word.  Be at work in me and through me that I may be a beacon of light in a world of darkness.  Through my character, my example, and my invitation may others come to know the grace and peace of Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Patrick Schultz 

Change

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished.  Malachi 3:6 

In a world that moves at an ever faster pace we find ourselves struggling to stay caught up.  In the midst of the whirlwind speeds we recognize that many things around us change at an alarming rate.  Job situations are ever changing.  We need to change along with the industry or risk being left behind.  Family situations are changing.  What once was considered a nucleus family of mom, dad, and children has changed to include multiples of moms and dads or even absentee parents.  Schooling has changed with our kids utilizing ipads and iphones and internet on-line classes.  Church can now be “done” by watching television.  One no longer needs to get in the car and drive anywhere.  I’ve even heard of on-line marriages, long-distance joining of churches, and receiving Holy Communion via the internet.  Some changes are good.  Some changes are not so good.  But regardless of whether we think good or bad – change is inevitable. 

The only thing constant, that we can always rely upon, that will never change – is our Lord God.  God has always remained steadfast in love for us.  God’s grace and mercy has always been and always will be in abundance for each and every one of us.  No matter our background, no matter our history, no matter our race, our creed, our color, our sexual preference – God is there and loves us. 

Almighty God and Creator of All, we give thanks for your presence among us.  In the long and lonely nights, in the darkened and frightening moments, when we are at our lowest, we call out to you.  We give thanks that you are there and have not forsaken us.  Patrick 

No Ordinary Teacher

Last week I gave a sermon entitled, "No Ordinary Man" as part of a sermon series called the Story.  The sermon focused on three points of Jesus Christ which I would like to share with you.  The first is, Jesus was no ordinary teacher.  

Most of the faithful Jewish people were accustomed to going to the temple and listening to their rabbis read from the Book of Law.  Imagine coming to church on Sunday morning and having me stand in front of you and read, from the book of Leviticus, detailed instructions for what you can eat and what you can wear and what kind of haircut you can get!  

Jesus didn't teach that way.  Jesus was informative and challenging and mesmerizing.  He told stories or parables with a heavenly message that communicated truth in ways that reading the book of law could never convey.  And people came flocking from all over to hear him – by the thousands.  

One of his teaching moments takes place on the side of a mountain.  We find his words recorded in the gospel of Matthew chapters 5-6-7.  We know this as the Sermon on the Mount.  Thousands of people came to hear this incredible teacher and they crowd in close sitting on the side of this large hill which formed a natural amphitheater near the Sea of Galilee.  

In those days there were no microphones, but the people had no problems hearing him – the acoustics of that amphitheater were perfect.  Who would know these acoustics better than the one who had created this mountainside? 

Now, the thing about Jesus’ teachings was that they were what we might call counter-cultural.  They went against the societal belief  of the people.  After all, who in their right mind would teach that being poor is a blessing? Yet, Jesus taught…
    Blessed are the poor.  

Who would teach that those who mourn or found themselves being persecuted would find blessing?  Yet Jesus taught… 
    Blessed are those who mourn…
    Blessed are the meek…
    Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 

No one wants to mourn.  No one wants to find themselves oppressed or persecuted.  Jesus even taught…
    Blessed are the pure in heart – Come on!  Purity is for prudes. 

But what Jesus is really doing in this teaching is giving the people a glimpse – a vision – of God’s kingdom and how God’s kingdom is different than the world itself.  He is saying that character is more important than possessions and circumstances and position and prestige.  

Jesus looks around the hillside and sees the people sitting, held in rapt attention;             
    In the faces of the people he sees hunger, fright, uncertainty;            
        he sees the people needing something more than more than what the world was giving them. 

And the kingdom of God that Jesus described to them was not that of the world; but, that of a new garden – a restored version of the garden we learned about in Genesis - The Garden of Eden.  A garden where God will once again come down and walk and talk and dwell with those who believe him.  

One of the lessons Jesus was trying to get across to the people was that they understand that to be part of God’s nation, they had to live differently than those who lived only to an earthly nation.  The people heard this wondrous teaching of Jesus, and they saw him living what he taught and they wondered.  

How does Jesus' teachings help you to live differently?   

God’s Grace Is Sufficient

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. – II Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

Grace is the unmerited, unconditional, unending love of God.  It is through God’s grace that we receive the gift of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life.  Grace is pardon for sin and peace for tomorrow.  This wondrous gift means that we don’t need to get it all right, in order to be all right.  Likewise, it does not mean we need to know all the right answers in order to live the questions. 

We must understand however, grace is not magic, nor does it whisk us off into some fantasy land or Disney world.  Grace does not cure all our cancers, it does not turn our kids into the perfect children, it does not guarantee a life of happiness and success.  In fact, grace most often shows up in our lives when all is at its darkest.  We all experience those moments when we question our own worth, when we ask if it is worth it, when we are weary and set upon.  It is God’s grace that can help us through those moments that we may become stronger in our faith.

Patrick

Where Is God?

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen?  Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?  Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble?  Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.  So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails.  The wicked surround the righteous – therefore judgment comes forth perverted.  – Habakkuk 1:1-4 (NRSV)

The question, “Why doesn't God put an end to all suffering, if God is good and loving, and all-powerful?” is asked many times over.  As pastor, I have been asked by a weeping mother whose daughter was in the hospital, “She’s been a good girl – I don’t understand why this is happening.  How can this be?”  In light of the Sandy Hook shooting many postings on Facebook demanded, “Where was your God in this?”  Following Hurricane Sandy, the same was wondered.  Time and time again we want to know where God is, why God allows this to happen, how can good people suffer – especially those who follow Christ. 

When God gave to us the gift of Jesus Christ – Christ did not promise us there would be no more pain, no more trouble, no more loss or sorrow.  What he did promise is that he would be with us to the ends of the age.  While God could stop all accidents and disease and suffering from happening, God’s way of working in our lives is less direct than that.  God guides us through scripture and church and the people around us, through the doctors and medicine and science and faith that help and sustain us. 

There is no easy direct answer to the ultimate question we pose, but perhaps we can find God’s presence through our faith, be comforted by this and know that God is with us to the very end.  Perhaps our questions can be turned from, “Why do bad things happen in a world supposedly ruled over by a good God?” to “How is it good things happen in a world of chaos and violence?”

Lord, give me strength to see me through the trials of my day.  Let me be reassured in your presence even and especially in the midst of troubled times.  Patrick Schultz