Sisters & Brothers of PTCUMC!
What a welcome! It has been a very gracious and pleasant experience that you have offered to Kara and me and our family. Safe to say, we have “taken to you” right away! You’ve certainly reinforced the great reputation you have among United Methodist clergy. What a church!
I’ll be continuing to enjoy getting to know you for some time, so I appreciate your continuing to remind me of your name. Speaking of which nametags would be fantastic! Yes, I know, wearing an official name tag is not a fun thing to do for many people but I’ve appreciated those that have done so recently and many of them have encouraged me to share that “We’re supposed to.”
Well, I definitely understand the benefit such would be to guests in our worship services as well as helping everyone make new friends among ourselves, especially people you recognize but perhaps you are now embarrassed to ask for their name again. Of course, what is on the foremost part of my mind though is how name tags would particularly benefit me! Ha! In all seriousness, thank you for “helping me” in any way you can to get to know you in the upcoming weeks and months as well as the greater PTC community. It is a large task but a most enjoyable one. (In case you didn’t know, Kara and I purchased a home less than 10 minutes from the church in Braelinn.)
I hope from your perspective that it’s been a great start too. Thank you for the positive feedback so far about the two sermons I’ve given, and I’d like to continue this current worship theme: A STORY TO TELL, one more week. I’d like to focus this Sunday on the idea of “The Next Chapter.”
Life-transitions and especially major life transitions can essentially become new “chapters” in our story. Such can be both wonderful and difficult, something we feel is an improvement or a terrible setback. They are sometimes completely unexpected and unwanted while other times they represent years of intentionality, but almost always they elicit powerful or deep emotions.
Marriage, of course, fits this category as well as the birth or adoption of a child, especially the first child. But so does the death of a loved one. A serious diagnosis would also be a “new chapter” even if the unwanted kind. New chapters in our story can be as common and practical (even pertinent) as a change in jobs or locations – boy that sounds familiar! And yes, for those active in a church, a change in pastoral leadership, especially senior pastor leadership would be one. We can all relate one way or another: kids moving up to the next grade, especially when it involves starting in a new school; parents saying goodbye to a child now old enough to leave home for college; or finally retiring after decades of work.
Where does faith come to bear upon these transitions, when life, the way it has been, can no longer be so? What lessons might we want to learn or be prepared for; what scriptural truth might help us, comfort us, or challenge us? What opportunities come with “the next chapter”? Are there barriers? How do we make sure we do our part in actually, “turning the page.”
I look forward to sharing the message with you this week, as we offer Holy Communion, and pray a blessing on backpacks and the kids who will use them (as well as parents and teachers). It’s going to be a great Sunday at PTCUMC. (We’ll also receive a special offering during communion for the Zebulon UMC church that was recently destroyed by fire.)
I’m excited about the new chapter of the PTCUMC story that we get to write together, and I hope you are too. I’m also praying about helping you in the sermon this week, with whatever other personal transitions might be in your life today, or shortly to come, or even those you’ve been through that seem to still have a not-so-good hold on you.
May we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, friends.
Let’s have the life-posture of “Yes” to God for God has already said “yes” to us in Christ, Jesus.
