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Pastor's Letters Archive

Mansfield First United Methodist Church

Walking With Jesus

Walking is my favorite type of exercise. No smelly gyms or marathon races for me. Instead, there’s something about walking down a country road or
neighborhood street that seems to do more for my body and soul than an hour in front of the television being prodded on by screaming women or funny
little guys in striped shorts! Now, I’m not condemning aerobic exercise (or any other). Whatever we can do to get the heart pumping and strengthen our
bones is great. Keep it up. But, for me I’ll stick with walking…it’s biblical you know!
The disciples and Jesus walked many a mile during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Walking and talking, walking and thinking, walking and praying, Jesus was
able to teach the disciples what they needed to know to survive, to build the kingdom of God, and to become the men and women of faith that God
created them to be. Maybe that’s why the season of Lent is so special in the Christian year. In essence, we are walking with Jesus as he teaches us once
again survival, kingdom-building, and discipleship.
Let me offer the invitation to you to join me in walking with Jesus this Lenten season. Together, let us grow closer to our Savior as we daily read God’s
holy and living Word and pray for our church and world. Rededicate ourselves to be in worship each and every Sunday to glorify God together as a
community of faith, and give our time as an active participant in the various ministries of the church. Finally, join me in giving financially the first
fruits of your labor to God’s church to the building of God’s kingdom.
For each disciple, and later apostle, the time spent walking with Jesus was the most precious gift each had ever received. My prayer is that our time
spent walking with Jesus and walking together this Lent will be just as precious.

Grace and Peace,
J. J.

The Road to the Tomb and Beyond

What a journey we have been undertaking this Lenten season, and to think it’s almost over. Easter is right around the corner. I can hardly wait to open the doors of the church
on Easter morning, see the beauty of the lilies adorning the chancel rail, the excitement of the children in their new Easter clothes, the smiles on faces all around as family
members and old friends enter the door to the sanctuary, and feel the love of this faith community encircle all God’s children... But, there’s something else that brings the joy
of this day to life…music. Oh, my! The music of this High Holy Day seems to float above the sanctuary and then swoosh down to permeate the very skin of each person as the
piano hits the first notes and the choir processes in declaring that “Christ the Lord is Risen Today!” Hallelujah! And double Hallelujah! The children’s choir will be singing
Easter morning in worship. They are diligently working on their presentation, so can we let anyone miss out on these holy moments of experiencing God? No! It would be
unimaginable. Invite friends, invite total strangers, drag your family, and look up your long lost high school buddies to let them know everyone, absolutely everyone, is invited
to share in this morning of unbelievable worship of our Savior, Jesus the Christ.
But, we can’t get to the empty tomb without pausing to remember and reflect at the cross. On Good Friday, April 6, at 7:00 p.m. we will join countless other believers
throughout the world in standing beneath the cross once again to remember the death of our blessed Savior. Please offer this reflective experience to others as well.
For all the beautiful and meaningful worship opportunities that are coming up, we realize that our journey doesn’t end when Lent ends. Our journey doesn’t end on Good
Friday or even Easter morning. It just begins. Worshiping God and following Christ are just as important on Sunday, April 15, as they are on Easter Sunday. Great things are
happening here at Mansfield First United Methodist Church. Don’t miss a single opportunity to worship, fellowship, and be in ministry with your faith community. Every path
traveled has a corner just waiting to be turned. Let’s turn it together.

Grace and Peace,
J. J.

The Suspense Is Building!!

For many people, the best movies or novels are those that keep the viewer, or the reader in suspense until the concluding moments of the film or the very last page of the book. I
always thought the originators of this idea to be very astute. This literary ploy keeps the reader or the viewer involved all the way to the conclusion. Maybe that’s one of the many
reasons we are drawn to the story of Jesus and the beginnings of the early church. The story just keeps getting better. The plot thickens and the suspense builds.

Just think of it. Jesus dies, but is resurrected. He walks through solid doors, but has a body that can be touched. He eats and sleeps, preaches and prophesies, he appears and
disappears, but ascends back up to heaven. But that’s not all, at a blink of the eye, a loud wind rushes in to a large assembly of Jerusalem pilgrims and tongues of heavenly fire
come down to rest upon them. At that moment, a group of frightened, ignorant fisherman, tax collectors, virtual nomads to the last one, become brave, articulate, martyrs of the
faith…the apostles, the founders of the church. What a story! But it doesn’t stop there. It’s still playing out before our own eyes. The final page has not been written, nor has the
ending scene been shot.

We, the church, the community of faith, have the glorious opportunity and awesome responsibility to play out the rest of this story. What we do with this opportunity is a part of the
legacy we leave in this faith story of uncommon intrigue. During the month of May, let’s join together as a faith community to write our chapters of faithful discipleship so all
those first time readers and viewers will be hooked as well.
Grace and Peace,
J. J.

Summer Son

Summer’s here. School’s out, pools are open, hay is being put up, and air conditioners are going full blast. There seems to be so much to do during the summer.
Vacations and home projects are being planned, vegetables need to be canned, visiting relatives entertained, and kids need to be transported to their ballgames. Even churches
get in on the summer frenzy when calls go out for volunteers to help with vacation bible school. Pretty soon the summer is over and we all ask the same question, “Where did it go?
Summer flew by so fast!”
Maybe, just maybe we’re so concerned with seeing the actual results of our labors that we forget to enjoy the gift of life itself. Our culture says to work, work hard, make more money,
buy more “stuff,” keep up with the Jones’, appearances are everything! So we spend most of our lives trying to live up to these demands. But, in the end the “stuff” won’t matter. Jesus
tells us in Matthew’s Gospel that “storing up treasure on earth where moth and rust consume” and treasure that “thieves break in and consume” is pointless. Instead, we are to “store up
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20). The time we spend with those we love, the time we spend
with the One who loves us more than anything else, and the time we devote to helping others see what the love of Christ is all about, is what really matters. That’s the “stuff” that
really counts.
This summer, we have the awesome opportunity for some treasure-storing. Spend some quality, relaxing time with family and friends, and spend some quality, relaxing time with
God. Sunday morning is a good place to start. See you then.
Blessings!

A Celebration Place

There was a song in the 80’s that got a lot of play time on the radio, at proms, on football fields, and everywhere else. It was entitled, “Celebration” or something to that effect. Everyone sang this feel good
song. I remember being in Barnhill Arena in the early 80’s, cheering on the Razorbacks and seeing the noise meter rise to the very top when the band would crank up “Celebration.” It was the party of all
parties for a young college student. To this day, when I hear the song, I smile. That’s what celebrating does, it makes us feel good. When we feel good, things look good; life looks good, we look good.God
looks good!
That’s what worship is all about, celebrating God, celebrating the gift of life, celebrating the gift of Christ, celebrating the gift of the Church, and celebrating the gift of each other. Granted, sometimes we
celebrate more quietly. We bow our heads in prayer. We listen to the spoken word of God being read to the community of faith. We sit for a moment or two to silently listen for God’s voice amid the chaos
of our busy lives. Silence is good. Silence is needed. Silence is refreshing. But out of the silence comes joy. We have a lot to be joyful for Mansfield First United Methodist Church. We have a lot to
celebrate. First, we have a community of faith that loves and cares for each other through thick and thin. Second, we have a music ministry that is second to none in the quality and quantity of praise they give
to God each and every Sunday morning. Third, we have Sunday School for children, youth, and adults that provides the vital spiritual formation that is needed to ground us in the faith that will sustain us
throughout our years. Fourth, we have dedicated youth, children, and adult leaders who show up every week to help us see God working through and in us.
Fifth, we have committed leadership all the way from our Church Council to the various other committees of the church who faithfully discharge their duties in providing a wonderful, safe, and holy place in
which we can worship and grow in Christ. Sixth, we have spiritual formation groups such as Bible studies, UMW, and Garden Club that helps us in our spiritual transformation to be disciples of Christ.
Seventh, we have wonderful children’s outreach ministries, God Squad and VBS that reach out to the children of the community to show them God’s love. Eighth, we are financially solid in our offerings and
tithes to God’s kingdom. Yes, we can always give more to God. How can we ever give enough? But, we are able to make improvements to the building and grounds, plus fund the ministries because we take
as our sacred duty to give abundantly to the building of God’s kingdom upon this earth. Ninth, we are blessed to be a part of a connectional church. As a result, we are never alone. Every local church of the
United Methodist Church is connected to each other, and we rely upon each other to fulfill the great commission of making disciples of the entire world. Tenth, we have a grand future ahead of us, but it will
take all of us working together to bring that future to a reality. There’s no “me” in Christianity, it’s “us.” As a community of faith we will forge ahead together to build the kingdom. As a community of
faith, we will come together to celebrate our great God and the gracious love of God’s son, Jesus the Christ. And as a community of faith, we will grow in faith, grow in love for each other, and grow in
ministry to all the world. Now that’s something to celebrate!

Becoming

Giving a book to someone is one of the most enduring gifts you can give. Words can’t be thrown away. We can put books on the shelf and forget about them for a while,
but they are still there, beckoning us to give them a second chance, another peep perhaps. Usually when we do open these old friends, we find something new again.
That’s what makes books so special. They are unpredictable. Just like the book a friend gave me a few years ago, an unpredictable, completely delighting and utterly
challenging book full of pastoral prayers.
Some may remember the late Rev. Beverly Sawyer, one of God’s finest wordsmiths. I have drunk in each prayer from her book like a thirsty traveler walking through a
parched riverbed. When I reopened, Singer of Seasons, The Prayers of Beverly Sawyer, I took a long, cool draught….

“Labor Day is in some ways a marker that signals back to work, back to ordinary,
back to what has been so appropriately termed ‘the grind.’ (Oh, how did you know, Rev. Beverly?)

“Also God, This week begins the celebration of Kingdomtide. We couldn’t deny that if we wanted to,
with splashes of green and red and blue inviting us to celebrate. Crosses and plants in vivid hues, all symbolic of growth, development and change.

Kingdomtide is in some ways a marker that signals ‘become’ – become the people of God in the world –
become the church which can reveal his presence. Holidays and Holy days come and go, O God,
marking off the rhythms of our lives, sending us back to work, urging us to grow and become.

We pray that our work will become for us a way of moving toward better lives, as well as better lifestyles, that we will accomplish internal goals as well as social
achievements, and that our worship will become not just ritual,
but realization as well thy kingdom….tide come, Amen.”

In the weeks and months ahead, we have the opportunity to listen to the Spirit,
to “become” together. May this journey be as delightful and soul-filling as the cup of cool water offered by the gift of a thoughtful friend.

Grace and Peace,

J. J.

“The Greatest Gift”

Ever been stopped by one of those people taking a poll in the mall and asked rather strange questions? Annoying isn’t it? Especially when time is precious and Christmas is bearing down like a
falling balloon in the Macy’s parade. But what if one “caught” us and asked, “What was the best Christmas gift you have received?” What would we say?
I know what I would say….Dancerina! One Christmas (many moons ago) I woke up to a large present under the tree. Tearing into it with great abandon I discovered that Santa left me the most
beautiful doll in the world, Dancerina. She stood as tall as me. Her blond hair flowed down her back, just perfect for a little girl who loved to brush hair. Her attire made me gasp in delight. She was
dressed in a beautiful hot pink tutu with pink ballet slippers. But the best part of all….she danced! Just hold the knob inside the little crown on her head and she would twirl, and twirl, and twirl.
Needless to say, we twirled a lot that Christmas. Dancerina still twirls. She lives at Mother’s house inside my old closet. Her tutu has long since worn out and her slippers are forever gone, but she’s still
the most beautiful doll in the world. But Dancerina can’t hold a candle to God’s greatest gift, the Christ child.
It is with the same child-like anticipation by which we look to the coming of the Christ child again this Advent season. We wait with great expectation and hope of a new day and a new peace, but
we are not silent in our waiting. This is a season of joy! What child can stay quiet when they receive the best gift of all time on Christmas morn! Why should we?
We have the opportunity to share our joy with many this Advent. Here’s a way to start. Invite someone to worship each Sunday. Invite several people to the choir’s, “Old Fashioned Christmas” on
Dec. 16 at 7:00 p.m. Invite neighbors and loved ones to experience the joy of God’s Greatest Gift as our choir and church gather at the gazebo on Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 7:00 p.m. for “Caroling in
the Park.” Invite acquaintances to worship on Sunday, Dec. 23 as we share the Great Good News of the Christ child in “Lessons and Carols.” And give someone the most beautiful Christmas gift; invite
them to experience the birth of the Christ child during our Christmas Eve service, Dec. 24, at 8:00 p.m. Who knows? One day they may tell a mall pollster the best Christmas gift they ever received
was the day someone invited them to worship and they met the King of Kings!

Peace and Hope to you and your family,
Rev. J. J.

                                                    Commitment…Why is it so scary?

We’ve all heard the saying, “You’re just afraid to commit.” When we really think about it, yeah! Committing to
someone, to do something, to live a certain way, or to change certain behaviors or lifestyles can be
frightening. But, do we necessarily need to always look on the scary side? Can’t we see another side of the
“C” word?

For example, committing in love to a person is to covenant with that person to share all the joys, all the pains,
all the miracles, and all the challenges life has to offer together. Committing to share a life is committing to
grow, to become something together that separately two people could not achieve. Committing to do
something, such as committing to serve God is covenanting with God to grow, to become someone with God
that we would never achieve separately.

Furthermore, committing can be exciting! The Apostle Paul tells the church in Corinth about the amazing
things that are going on in the churches of Macedonia. He says, “they had first given themselves unreservedly
to God….the other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives.” II Corinthians 8:5,
The Message. These churches had gone through a fierce time of trouble, but they emerged “incredibly
happy.” Why? They first committed themselves to be fully–devoted disciples of Christ and from that
commitment came pure joy, generous, alive, over-flowing, consuming joy.

So what does that mean for us? How can we experience that same joy? One of the first things we can do is to
worship together as the body of Christ. I’m asking each of us to make two commitments this October; first, to
attend worship every Sunday in October. Place God first with everything else second. Second, pray
constantly this month that the Holy Spirit will reveal to each of us how we can commit ourselves to being fully-
devoted disciples of Jesus Christ this coming year.

Commitment isn’t so bad after all. It’s the alternative that’s the real scary stuff.

                                                                    Grace and Peace,
                                                                            J. J.