Living Up to the Rainbow

On June 23 at 9:30 am we will celebrate the fourth year of our “Living Up to the Rainbow” worship service. Each year in this special worship service we celebrate the diversity of God’s people and we affirm the sacred worth of all persons, not determined by their sexual orientation or gender identity, but by their identity in Christ. Through music and liturgy, we affirm the expansive love that God has for all persons and God’s call for us to do the same. 

This service is marked with rainbows because the rainbow is a deeply significant symbol in the Bible. In Genesis, the rainbow represents the covenant of love God initiates with Noah after the flood: 

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (Genesis 9: 12-13). 

In scripture, God uses the rainbow to mark the end of destruction and the beginning of new life. The promise of the rainbow declares that we can all have confidence in who we truly are as God’s children. Living up to the rainbow, to followers of Christ, means to mark an end to destructive ways and the beginning of a new life of love and acceptance for all of God’s people. As St. Matthew’s celebrates the inclusion of all of God’s people, we remember the covenant of the rainbow and its leading us into new and abundant life.

We intentionally do this service during Pride month. Unfortunately, throughout much of its history, the larger Christian church has excluded LGBTQ persons and communicated to them that they are less than beloved children of God. However, the United Methodist Church “affirms that all people are of sacred worth and are equally valuable in the sight of God. It is committed to be in ministry with all people ... .The Church ‘implores families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends.’ The Church deplores acts of hate and violence against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity and believes human rights and civil liberties are due all people, regardless of sexual orientation.”

This principle of the inclusiveness of the church is enshrined in the Constitution of the United Methodist Church. Therefore, we believe that everyone is welcome to worship and actively participate in the life of our congregations without respect to sexual orientation or gender identity. A few weeks ago, the United Methodist General Conference removed language from our social principles that undermined this inclusiveness.  

Our Living Up to the Rainbow service is an expression of our commitment to the principle of welcome and  inclusiveness that is at the heart of United Methodism. Our goal is to express a core truth that runs throughout the pages of the Bible: All persons are loved by God and we are called to do the same. It is important that we articulate the inclusive love of God to people who have been hurt and marginalized by communities of faith.  

We may wonder what difference being a welcoming and inclusive community of faith makes for LGBTQ persons. For some, it can mean the difference between life and death.  According to the Trevor Project (A non profit organization whose mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ young people) 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Their research has determined that LGBTQ youth who felt high social support from family, friends, etc reported attempting suicide at less than half the rate of those who felt low or moderate social support. LGBTQ youth who live in a community that is accepting of them reported significantly lower rates of attempting suicide than those who do not. In the adult population, statistics tell us that 41% of American transgender people have attempted suicide, compared to 1.6% of the general U.S. population. A 2016 review of research found 17% of LGBQ adults had attempted suicide during their lifetime, compared with 2.4% of the general U.S. population. All of this underscores the crucial difference that being an inclusive church can make in the lives of LGBTQ brothers and sisters in Christ.  

I remember one of our bishops saying in a sermon, “Unless the church is a home for all, it is a home for no one.” His words reminded me that as soon as we start excluding some people, we will find a way to exclude others.  It is not our role to be gatekeepers for God because God has opened the gate wide so that all may enter in.  

It is my hope that you will join us for our June 23 Living Up to the Rainbow service as we celebrate United Methodism’s commitment to the inclusive love of God and seek to communicate that love to those who have so frequently been denied it.

---

1 (https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-is-the-churchs-position-on-homosexuality) 
2 (https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-is-the-churchs-position-on-homosexuality) The Trevor 3 Project, 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health
4 https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/suicide-prevention-media-alert/

St. Matthew's is a Safe Sanctuary Church

On April 21, 2024 following the 11am worship service, we will be hosting a Lunch & Learn: Safe Sanctuary at St. Matthew’s. This will be a time to learn about the Safe Sanctuary program, share best practices, and learn more about how you can be involved in helping to provide a safe environment for all who gather within our banner of ministry at St. Matthew’s.

Vaction Bible School and God's Great Love

It’s Monday morning at 8:00am and you arrive at an empty church. As you walk around to begin turning on lights, AC, and AV equipment, put blankets outside on the fresh cut lawn, and prepare for what is the culmination of 8 months of prayer, preparation, and planning. Soon the halls will be filled with laughter, singing, and running feet of children who for four days are in the care of our volunteers as they experience God’s great love. It’s loud. It’s exhausting. It’s controlled chaos. 

It’s the most amazing week of the year.

LifeWay reports that 2.5 million children every summer participate in Vacation Bible School. That is 2.5 million reasons why we do what we do every summer. That’s thousands of families who are entrusting the church to pour God’s love into their lives in fun, engaging, engaging ways. Did you know that the majority of VBS families that St. Matthew’s teaches every year come from the community? We have youth volunteers who grew up coming to VBS at St. Matthew’s and excitedly volunteer their time each summer to give back. 

One of the reasons that I have always loved directing VBS is the opportunity to create an immersive experience for kids to have a few hours outside of the ordinary. I had many people this summer in the weeks leading up to Hero Hotline what in the world the batcave had to do with the Bible. My cheeky answer would be ‘Absolutely nothing’ but after a quick smile I would give the real answer. It’s about those 30-50 kids who will spend 12 hours in our care. It’s to see the wonder in their eyes when they walk into the sanctuary and see a superhero headquarters like a comic book. It’s seeing Betty Lou Wanderer spending a morning in the craft station as a real life superhero of faith and watching the next generation be inspired by the older generation. It’s the ability to be engaged in our neighborhood and community in a very special way. 

The thesis statement for children’s ministry can be summed up from two verses in Matthew 19: “One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: "Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these. (Matthew 19:13-14 MSG). Jesus wants the little children to come. He was radical in his acceptance of marginalized groups. The kingdom of God is fully inclusive and expansive. It includes children and elders, rich and poor, healthy and sick, abled and disabled, quiet and loud. It’s messy, it’s controlled chaos, it’s exhausting…and it is the greatest family to be a part of. Seeds are planted. Roots are nurtured and tended. Lives are impacted and changed. In fact, close to 90% of American adults in 2018 report a positive memory of VBS as a child.

This year we welcomed 5 new VBS adult volunteers for their first full VBS experience. We challenged the families to help collect and fill 5 backpacks for our school supply drive benefiting Midtown. The families responded overwhelmingly and Pastor John was treated to a water balloon bath for their efforts. 3 youth volunteers from the community have expressed interest in participating with our youth group this fall. Countless seeds were planted and nurtured. 

I sit here reflecting back on our 2023 VBS “Hero Hotline” and it feels like a blur. I am already dreaming about next year’s theme and devising plans for greater cooperation between ourselves and Paoli UMC (who are borrowing our decorations this summer) and the Early Learning Center. I know I do not have to sell the importance of VBS to our congregation. Every year our congregation steps up in new and overwhelmingly amazing ways to support this program. It is a cornerstone program of our ministry at St. Matthew’s and I am eternally grateful to be part of a church family that loves VBS.

Thank you. Thank you for your love for the children of our community. Thank you for your love for the families of our neighborhood. Thank you for your time, talents, generous donations, prayers, and support. The volunteers and I could truly not do what we do without the full support of the congregation. The impact of your generosity will cause ripples throughout the next generation because the community knows that St. Matthew’s is a safe place to encounter God’s love and grace in real and incredible ways. Thank you for allowing me to dream crazy dreams to bring wonder into the eyes of children and help them know that they are safe, loved, and wanted unconditionally.

There is so much ministry to happen between now and VBS 2024–but gear up, we’re going camping at Camp Firelight July 8-11, 2024. Even though our focus turns to fall and Back to School, remember to keep the families of VBS in your prayers—that the Holy Spirit would nurture those seeds planted in those precious lives and their families.

The Meaning Behind Living Up To the Rainbow

On June 11 at 9:30 am we will celebrate the third year of our “Living Up to the Rainbow” worship service. Each year in this special worship service we celebrate the diversity of God’s people and we affirm the sacred worth of all persons, not determined by their sexual orientation or gender identity, but by their identity in Christ. Through music and liturgy, we affirm the expansive love that God has for all persons and God’s call for us to do the same. 

This service is marked with rainbows because the rainbow is a deeply significant symbol in the Bible. In Genesis, the rainbow represents the covenant of love God initiates with Noah after the flood: 

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (Genesis 9: 12-13). 

In scripture, God uses the rainbow to mark the end of destruction and the beginning of new life. The promise of the rainbow says that we can all have confidence in who we truly are as God’s children. Living up to the rainbow, to followers of Christ, means to mark an end to destructive ways and the beginning of a new life of love and acceptance for all of God’s people. As St. Matthew’s celebrates the inclusion of all of God’s people, we remember the covenant of the rainbow and its leading us into new and abundant life.

It is no accident that we do this service during Pride month. Unfortunately, throughout much of its history, the larger Christian church has excluded LGBTQ persons and communicated to them that they are less than beloved children of God. However, the United Methodist Church “affirms that all people are of sacred worth and are equally valuable in the sight of God. It is committed to be in ministry with all people ... .The Church ‘implores families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends.’ The Church deplores acts of hate and violence against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity and believes human rights and civil liberties are due all people, regardless of sexual orientation.”

This principle of the inclusiveness of the church is enshrined in the Constitution of the United Methodist Church. Therefore, we believe that everyone is welcome to worship and actively participate in the life of our congregations without respect to sexual orientation or gender identity.  

Our Living Up to the Rainbow service is an expression of our commitment to the principle of inclusiveness that is at the heart of United Methodism. We are not trying to be political or to give our blessing to a cultural or social movement.  Our goal is to express a core truth that runs throughout the pages of the Bible: All persons are loved by God and we are called to do the same. It is important that we articulate the inclusive love of God to people who have been hurt and marginalized by communities of faith.  

We may wonder what difference being a welcoming and inclusive community of faith makes for LGBTQ persons. For some, it can mean the difference between life and death.  According to the Trevor Project (A non profit organization whose mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ young people) 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Their research has determined that LGBTQ youth who felt high social support from family, friends, etc reported attempting suicide at less than half the rate of those who felt low or moderate social support. LGBTQ youth who live in a community that is accepting of them reported significantly lower rates of attempting suicide than those who do not. In the adult population, statistics tell us that 41% of American transgender people have attempted suicide, compared to 1.6% of the general U.S. population. A 2016 review of research found 17% of LGBQ adults had attempted suicide during their lifetime, compared with 2.4% of the general U.S. population. All of this underscores the crucial difference that being an inclusive church can make in the lives of LGBTQ brothers and sisters in Christ.  

I remember one of our bishops saying in a sermon, “Unless the church is a home for all, it is a home for no one.” His words reminded me that as soon as we start excluding some people, we will find a way to exclude others. Friends, that is a place I never want to go as a pastor and it is a place our church should not go.  It is not our role to be gatekeepers for God because God has opened the gate wide so that all may enter in.  

It is my hope that you will join us for June 11th’s Living Up to the Rainbow service as we embrace United Methodism’s commitment to the inclusive love of God and seek to communicate that love to those who have so often been denied it.

In Christ,
Pastor John

St. Matthew's is a Safe Sanctuary Church

St. Matthew’s is a Safe Sanctuary Church. A small sentence on the front of every bulletin that St. Matthew’s creates. What does it mean and why is it even there?

I want to begin this blog post with a trigger warning. Just like before a rather upsetting video is shown on the news or an upsetting topic is discussed in an online forum, this blog post will contain discussion of child abuse. This topic is uncomfortable, upsetting, and an unfortunate reality that we all have a role to play in its prevention. If this is a topic that is too difficult for you to read about, I see you and please feel free to skip this post. Note that for the majority of this conversation church with a small ‘c’ refers to the church universal. When discussing St. Matthew’s specifically I will state as such.

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” Maybe you have heard this quote before. Maybe you have heard it attributed to the founder of the Methodist movement, John Welsey. While the actual authorship for the quote is disputed online, it is nonetheless reminiscent of Wesley’s 3 Simple Rules.

1. Do No Harm

2. Do Good

3. Stay in Love with God

It is reported by The U.S. Department of Children & Families that over 600,000 children each year are victims of abuse in the United States. 600,000 lives forever changed and impacted by abuse and or neglect. That works out to roughly 1 in every 1,000 children are abused annually in the United States. To bring that number to a local level, there were 178,656 children under the age of 18 in Montgomery County in 2020 and approximately 6,941 students in the T&E School District. By using the national numbers one could surmise that 7 persons under the age of 18 were abused or neglected in T&E. The actuals for the sum of Montgomery County in 2020 was 89 cases of substantiated cases or 0.5 children per 1,000. While this hypothesis is flawed inherently due to several factors (such as population density and reporting concerns), the fact remains the same–child abuse and neglect is happening in our backyard. 

Our Christian faith calls us to offer both hospitality and protection to children. The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church state that "...children must be protected from economic, physical and sexual exploitation, and abuse." We are called to make our ministry safe by ensuring the safety of all children, youth, and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. 

Tragically, churches have not always been safe places for children. Child sexual abuse, exploitation and ritual abuse (ritual abuse refers to abusive acts committed as part of ceremonies or rites: ritual abusers are often related to cults, or pretend to be) occur in churches, large and small, urban and rural. The problem cuts across all economic, cultural, and racial lines. It is real and if not addressed with systemic change and ardent awareness, we risk perpetrating more harm by our apathy.

Even years removed from the situation, the emotional and mental ramifications of abuse are present in those who were involved. Virtually every congregation has among its members adult survivors of childhood abuse and harassment. Such incidents are devastating to all who are involved: the child, the family, the local church and its leaders. Increasingly, churches are torn apart by the legal, emotional, and monetary consequences of litigation following allegations of abuse.  

The solution seems simple–right? Don’t allow anyone who has perpetrated abuse or neglect against a child within the body of the church. Create a bubble of safety where no one deemed unsafe or unworthy cannot get in. One major flaw in that mindset is found in our Social Principles–the innate and inherent divine sanctity of life. Churches are also a place of community and renewal, inasmuch, the church will also minister to those who have been charged as a sex offender and will continue to treat them as children of God--while maintaining safety for all. 

God calls us to make our churches safe places, protecting children and other vulnerable persons from sexual and ritual abuse. God calls us to create communities of faith where children and adults grow safe and strong. Following the 1996 General Conference resolution aimed to reduce the risk of abuse happening in the church, the United Methodist Church developed what is known as Safe Sanctuaries. It is a guideline of best practices for ministries to identify and address inherent risk factors in an attempt to mitigate the potential for harm or abuse to occur. I categorize it as a guideline to remind us that Safe Sanctuary is a covenant that continues to live and breath–ever growing and adapting in order to address the changing nature of ministry. One such adaptation that was recently addressed in 2020 was to develop safe and effective digital ministry practices during what was an unprecedented time in the life of the church. 

This covenant seeks to address policies and procedures that work towards:

1. preventing abuse from happening in our church

2. preventing abuse from happening while ministering in a digital world

3. providing an environment where children, youth, and vulnerable adults can feel safe in disclosing abuse

4. protecting staff and volunteers who minister to our children, youth, and vulnerable adults

5. allow those who are known sex offenders who may wish to participate in worship at St. Matthew’s to do so in a way that protects our children, youth, and vulnerable adults while at the same time protects and safely integrates those known sex offenders into our congregation in a way that honors their divine sanctity.

Coming this summer you will hear more about Safe Sanctuary at St. Matthew’s and new changes that are coming to our covenant based upon new guidelines that were developed at the national level taking into account the last 25 years of best practices and the ever changing ministry dynamics of a fast paced digital world. Safe Sanctuary is not just for and about children and youth. This is a covenant that has its roots dug into the very foundation of our belief. We can only hope to keep everyone as safe as we can by all working together. That is why in the coming weeks and months there is going to be a renewed push to revamp our volunteer lists, get more members through the Safe Sanctuary program, and offer new training opportunities. 

We are always looking for more support and volunteer help on Sunday mornings in our Nursery and Jr Church programs. Would you prayerfully consider offering on service occasionally to sit in the Nursery when needed alongside our Nursery staff, Ms. Judy? Maybe you have a heart for supporting children who are a little older–Jr Church would be a great place for you to consider volunteering alongside me as I teach our children about God’s love for them. Think teenagers are pretty neat? The 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month we have Youth Group where we play games, hang out and talk about life, eat some pizza, and delve deeper into what it means to be a Christian in a crazy world.

We are blessed to have a loving and passionate community of faith at St. Matthew’s. Studies have shown time and time again that when adults invest in the lives of young people, those young people are more likely to grow up as active participants in the church. That commitment begins with our Safe Sanctuary program and is affirmed everytime we utter the baptism covenant:

“As members together with you in the body of Christ and in this congregation of The United Methodist Church, we renew our covenant faithfully to participate in the ministries of the Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness, that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”
If you are ready to begin working your way through the Safe Sanctuary process now, please reach out to me via email: dcm@stmatthewsvf.org or see me after worship anytime. The process is easy and requires only a few minutes of your time to get started.

1 National annual child abuse statistics cited from U.S. Administration for Children & Families, Child Maltreatment 2021. This data, released annually, is the most current federal data available. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/cm2021.pdf

2 Montgomery County annual child abuse statistics cited from PA Department of Human Services, 2020 Child Protective Services Final Report.

3 The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2016 (Nashville, Tenn.: United Methodist Publishing House, 2016), ¶162.

4 Ibid. If you want to read more into what it is that the UMC believes and affirms socially, I strongly encourage you to explore the UMB Book of Discipline, specifically the Social Principles. A free digital version is available at: https://www.cokesbury.com/book-of-discipline-book-of-resolutions-free-versions

5 From the book Resolutions of The United Methodist Church- 1996. Copyright, 1996 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission. [pp.384- 386]

6 “The United Methodist Hymnal : Book of United Methodist Worship.” Nashville, Tenn. :United Methodist Pub. House, 1989.

I Am: Journey with Jesus through Lent - 4/2

A lenten reFlection - Key events of Holy Week

Since Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent we have been journeying with Jesus and his disciples to Jerusalem for the events of Holy Week and Easter. The events of Holy Week recount the Passion Narratives in the Gospels that describe the suffering (passio in Latin), death and burial of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week with Palm Sunday and with it our Lenten journey slows down and affords us a more detailed look at the last week of Jesus’ earthly life.

Here are the key events of Holy Week

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ ‘triumphal entry’ into Jerusalem where the Gospels tell us he was greeted with crowds waving palm branches and crying “‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (Mark 11:9-10).  

In a few short days, these same voices that greet Jesus as Messiah and King will be the same voices that shout “Crucify him!” on Good Friday.  Traditionally, worshipers will receive palm branches or palm crosses on Palm Sunday as a physical sign of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. 

On Palm Sunday, Jesus and his disciples spent the night in Bethany, a town about two miles east of Jerusalem. This is where Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead in last week’s Gospel lesson, and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, lived. They were close friends, and probably hosted Jesus and his disciples during their final days in Jerusalem.

Monday

The following morning, Jesus and his disciples went back to Jerusalem. Along the way, he cursed a fig tree because it had failed to bear fruit. It is a curious story that has generated a lot of debate. Some scholars believe this represented God's judgment on the spiritually dead religious leaders of Israel. Others believe the symbolism extended to all believers, demonstrating that true faith is more than just outward religiosity; a living faith must bear spiritual fruit in our lives.

When Jesus arrived at the Temple, he found the courts crowded with money changers. He began overturning their tables and clearing the Temple, saying, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves" (Luke 19:46). This act generates even more dislike of Jesus among the religious leaders.

Tuesday

On Tuesday morning, Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. They once again passed the withered fig tree, and Jesus spoke to his disciples about the importance of faith.

At the Temple, the religious leaders were angry with Jesus for establishing himself as a spiritual authority. They organized an ambush with the intent to place him under arrest. But Jesus evaded their traps and pronounced harsh judgment on them. 

Later that afternoon, Jesus left the city and went with his disciples to the Mount of Olives, which sits due east of the Temple mount and overlooks Jerusalem. Here Jesus shared an elaborate prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the present age. He speaks in parables about the end of the age, His Second Coming and the final judgment. The Gospels tell us that this was also the day Judas Iscariot negotiated with the Sanhedrin, the rabbinical court, to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16).

After a day of confrontation and warnings about the future, Jesus and the disciples returned to Bethany to stay the night

Wednesday

The Bible doesn't say what Jesus did on the Wednesday of Holy Week. Scholars speculate that after two days in Jerusalem filled with controversy and confrontation, Jesus and his disciples spent this day resting in Bethany in anticipation of the coming Passover.

What follows is the core of Holy Week – Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. 

Maundy Thursday

Maundy (Holy) Thursday marks the Last Supper that Jesus shares with his disciples, his betrayal by his disciple Judas Iscariot, and his arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane. Often Maundy Thursday services will include an act of foot washing, which commemorates Jesus washing the feet of his disciples as an act of service on the night of his arrest as recounted by the gospel of John (13:1-20).

The day reminds participants of the ‘new commandment’ (mandatum in Latin) that Jesus gave his disciples to love one another as he has loved them (John 15:12) – a love that is seen in Jesus willingly giving up his life on the cross on Good Friday. 

Good Friday

Good Friday commemorates Jesus’ trial before Pilate, his sentence of death, his torture, and his crucifixion and burial. It is called ‘good’ Friday in the more ancient sense of the word ‘good’ – indicating something “holy” or “pious.” There is some irony in this since this day is the most somber day for followers of Jesus, when the suffering, death and burial of the Lord is remembered.

For many, Good Friday is a day of fasting and is marked with a church service which focuses on the key aspects of Jesus' last hours of his earthly life and his last words. The service is often called “Tenebrae” (Latin for ‘darkness’ or ‘shadows’), marked by the hearing of scripture readings while candles on a candelabrum are gradually extinguished, creating the sense of growing darkness. This darkness symbolizes the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples and the anguish and tragedy of his death.

Holy Saturday

On Saturday, which was the Sabbath, Jesus' body lay in the tomb, where it was guarded by Roman soldiers. When the Sabbath ended at 6 p.m., Jesus’ body was treated for burial with spices purchased by Nicodemus: "He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus' body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth." (John 19: 39-40) 

Nicodemus, like Joseph of Arimathea, was a member of the Sanhedrin, the court that had condemned Jesus to death. Both had lived as secret followers of Jesus, afraid to make a public profession of faith because of their prominent positions in the Jewish community. Both were deeply affected by Christ's death. They came out of hiding, risking their lives because they had come to realize that Jesus was the Messiah. Together they cared for Jesus' body and prepared it for burial.

While his body lay in the tomb, Jesus paid the penalty for sin by offering a perfect sacrifice. He conquered death and in the process secured our salvation.

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday we reach the climax of Holy Week. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundational event of our faith. 

Early Sunday morning, several women (Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Salome, and Mary the mother of James) went to the tomb and discovered that the large stone covering the entrance had been rolled away. They encountered an angel who announced: "Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen." (Matthew 28:5-6)

On this day, Jesus made at least five appearances. Mark's Gospel says the first person to see him was Mary Magdalene. Jesus also appeared to Peter, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and later that day to all of the disciples except Thomas, while they were gathered in a house for prayer.

Christians mark Easter with celebratory worship services, some of which begin at sunrise in memory of the women who went to the tomb of Jesus when it was still dark and heard the angelic pronouncement. In worship we declare our joy at Jesus’ resurrection with an abundance of music and the celebration of Holy Communion.

There is a sacred rhythm to Holy Week as it moves from the enthusiastic shouts of ‘Hosanna’ to the somberness of Maundy Thursday, the horrors of 

Jesus’ death on Good Friday, to the joyous celebration of the resurrection on Easter.  It is a journey I hope you will make with us at St. Matthew’s.

In Christ,
Pastor John

I Am: Journey with Jesus through Lent - 3/26

A Lenten Reflection - Journaling

For as long as I can remember I have loved pens, pencils, notebooks and writing. While I didn’t always enjoy returning to school after summer break, I did enjoy shopping for new school supplies with my mom. Fresh notebooks, pens and pencils along with a new Trapper Keeper and pencil case often took away the sting of summer break ending and school starting. This appreciation for school supplies continued into college and seminary. To this day, I still enjoy putting pen to paper and prefer to plan worship and draft documents. There is something satisfying about the glide of the pen across the page as ideas come to life and are recorded.

I guess it was natural that I adopted journaling as a spiritual discipline decades ago. Journaling as a devotional practice has long been used by Christians to record and reflect upon the developments in their spiritual life and relationship with God. The class theological work for St. Augustine known as his Confessions may have begun with his journals. The father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther, journaled inductively through the scriptures and encouraged his students to do the same. The Anglican priest, Oxford professor and founder of Methodism, John Wesley, kept a meticulous journal for most of his adult life. In it he recorded every detail of his life as well as his reflections on his relationship with God. He wrote so much in his journal that he developed a unique coded shorthand that no one could read until Dr. Richard Heitzenrater, (one of my seminary professors) cracked the code and unlocked them for us to read. 

Over the years, I have found journaling to be a wonderful way to cultivate a posture of self-reflection as I think through the events of each day, and recognize and record the ebb and flow of my emotional and spiritual life. As I write, I often become more aware of the movements of God in my life and notice the subtle and not-so-subtle directional guidance that the Lord is providing me. In short, my journal helps me pay close attention to the workings of God in my life. The simple act of slowing down and writing helps me to cut through the distractions of life and focus on God. 

In the season of Lent we have been exploring the practices that could foster spiritual growth in the hopes that you might find a new tool that would help you to grow in your relationship with God. Journaling could be one of those spiritual practices that helps connect you with God more deeply.

To help get you started I’d like to share some practical tips for spiritual journaling that from a wonderful article on Crosswalk (Whitney Hopler: “How to Encounter God Through Journaling,” Crosswalk, August 1, 2008):

1. Begin with prayer. Invite God to use your journaling experiences to draw you closer to Him and help you grow as a person. 

2. Get ready. Decide when and where you’ll journal regularly. Choose any time or place that works best for you – from early morning journaling in a quiet room of your home, to late night journaling in a busy coffeehouse. Then buy a journal that appeals to you for writing your journal entries by hand, or set up a special file on your computer to type in your journal entries.

3. Give yourself freedom. Allow yourself to write or draw whatever comes to your mind. Don’t criticize or censor your journal entries. Don’t worry about trying to stick to grammar or spelling rules, trying to be logical, comparing yourself to others, or avoiding the expression of troubling thoughts or feelings. Write what’s true and real, keeping in mind that God loves you unconditionally.

4. Face your fears. Don’t let a desire to avoid your fears keep you from journaling honestly about whatever you’re thinking and feeling. Ask God to give you the courage to write about each of your fears openly, and expect that, as you do, God will meet you in the middle of them and help you grow. 

5. Honor your story. Use your journal as a place to get to know more about yourself and befriend yourself, remembering that your identity is rooted in the fact that God made you and loves you. Notice when you’ve thought negatively about yourself, and start to write positively about yourself in your journal. Learn how to bless yourself by describing yourself in positive ways.

6. Mine beneath the surface of your life. Go deeper than just recording events in your journal. Aim to express your reactions to the events you experience, writing meaningful thoughts and feelings you have rather than just what’s happened lately in your life. Pray about the various parts of your life – your family and friends, your work, your health, etc. – and ask God to show you what He would like you to reflect on more deeply in your journal. 

7. Reflect on the past. Ask God to shed His light on your past to help you see it from His perspective. List some things for which you’re thankful, and write a prayer of gratitude to God. As you reflect on your past, pray for discernment about what you need to let go of and what you need to hold on to. 

8. Look forward. Use your journal to imagine your future. Ask God to help you consider what seeds you’re planting in your own life and the lives of those around you – seeds that will produce good fruit, or seeds that will lead to bad results. Think of a particular concern you have, and write about your feelings as you’re waiting to see how God will answer your prayers about it. Write down your questions for God and wait about a week, listening for any answers you might receive. Then, after the week is over, write down any new insights you now have about the situation. 

These are just a few suggestions. The important thing is to let your journal be what you need it to be to reflect honestly on your life and relationship with God.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor John

I Am: Journey with Jesus through Lent - 3/19

A Lenten Reflection - Reading the Bible with your head and Heart

For as long as I can remember my faith has always been more cognitive in nature. According to my family, this began when I was a small child in Sunday school where I would ask countless questions about a biblical text and try to make connections to other scripture passages. In school I was a diligent student who did his homework, read voraciously, and engaged in classroom discussions. This continued into my undergraduate studies where I majored in religion and psychology. I especially enjoyed the academic study of the Bible and learned all that I could of its historical and cultural background and delved into learning its original languages by learning New Testament Greek. For seminary I attended Duke Divinity School which is a place known for erudition. I took more Greek classes and filled my schedule with as many biblical studies courses as was allowed. After meeting Rhonda (who was a PhD student in Hebrew Bible at Duke) I started taking classes in biblical Hebrew. My goal was to be able to do my own translation work from the original Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament. For as long as I can remember I have always been interested in making sense of the Bible. 

The problem is that this is only one half of the equation. We need to read the Bible with our heads and our hearts. Reading the Bible with only our heads eventually makes the Bible a cold, rational exercise that feels more like school than encountering the living God. Reading the Bible with only our hearts runs the risk of missing the truths unlocked by knowing the culture and historical background of a passage.  Reading the Bible with my heart has always been hard for me. I struggled with it until I encountered a way of spending time in the Bible that was profoundly different from my more studious, rational approach. It was called Lectio Divina and it revolutionized my experience of the Bible.

Lectio Divina is an ancient way of reading the Bible that focuses on finding the presence of God in the text and allowing the Bible to shape our thoughts and behaviors. The goal is not just understanding but transformation.  

I would like to share one way of doing Lectio Divina. This way of practicing it developed in the Middle Ages at the beginning of the Scholastic Period. At this time, there began a tendency to compartmentalize spiritual life. As this tendency grew, the emphasis was placed more upon rational analysis and less on personal experience. The scholastic form divides the process into stages or steps in a hierarchical pattern. I have found that this method is a good way to learn Lectio Divina.

Guidelines for Scholastic Lectio Divina

Step One: [READ] Read the passage, listening with the “ear of their heart.” What phrase, sentence or even one word stands out to you?

Step Two: [REFLECT] Read the passage again and Reflect on the word of God. Be aware of what touches you, a thought or reflection that is meaningful. Allow a minute or two of silence.

Step Three: [RESPOND] Read the passage again and respond spontaneously to the word of God. Be aware of any prayer that rises up within that expresses the experience. Allow a minute or two of silence.

Step Four: [REST] Read the passage a final time and Rest in the word, reflect or pray and allow God to speak in the silence. Allow three or four minutes of silence.

To Extend the Practice: [EXTEND] After resting, take the phrase, sentence, or word into your daily activity and listen to it, reflect on it, pray over it, and rest in it as time allows during the day. Allow it to become part of you.

My hope is that this ancient practice of scripture reading will help you discover that spending time with the Bible is less a matter of doing homework and more a matter of being open to an encounter with the living God. In this way, the words of the text can come alive in our hearts and draw us closer into relationship with the Lord of the Universe and the Author of our salvation. 

Grace and Peace,
Pastor John

I Am: Journey with Jesus through Lent - 3/12

A Lenten Reflection – What are your motivations?

Lent is a season of reflection.  It comes from an Old English word meaning “a lengthening.”  As the days become longer and Spring approaches, nature begins to show renewed life, energy, and growth.  The trees will begin to sprout green tinted leaves, warmer winds will blow, and the sky will lose its grayish cast and take on a rich blue tint.

During this season of Lent Christians are called upon to reflect together on the final weeks of Christ’s ministry.  We remember his betrayal, arrest, and suffering upon the cross.  Lent is a time for us to reflect as well upon our own discipleship.  It is a time to examine our motivations for serving our Lord Jesus Christ.  Like a scuba diver exploring the coral reef below, we, too, search below the surface and examine who we are and why we are here in God’s world.

Podcasts and conferences are awash with nationally known motivational speakers.  The virtual shelves of Amazon are crowded with books that motivate people to become more productive workers and effective leaders.  Good business leaders recognize the importance of motivation in cementing a business deal or guiding a project from vision to implementation.  

Motivation is also essential to healthy living.  A marriage flounders unless both partners are committed to remaining faithful and interested in one another.  A championship season is almost impossible without coaches and players who are highly motivated. In our spiritual lives our motivation is important if we are to serve Jesus with energy, intelligence, imagination and love.  So what motivates us in the Christian life?

In the Gospel readings of the Lenten season Jesus examines our motives with great care.  He gazes into hearts to see what is at work in our souls.  His teachings shine a light on the hypocrisy we keep well hidden in our soul’s cluttered closet.   How often do we catch ourselves doing a good deed with an ulterior motive, thinking such things as, “If I help the boss out by staying late, perhaps she will promote me and not the person adjacent to me on the org chart.”   Or, “If I tithe, I can assure my place in heaven.”  Our self-deception can be a wonder to behold.

My wife and I used to watch the hit television show Friends when it aired each Thursday evening.  In one episode, two characters, Phoebe and Joey, debate the possibility of a truly selfless action.  Phoebe naively assumes that it is possible and easy to find.  The skeptical Joey assumes the worst in matters of human motivation.  Every time that Phoebe tries to do a selfless act, Joey finds the benefit for her in doing it.  Finally, to help out Joey and prove to him that selfless acts are possible, Phoebe calls in a large donation to Joey as he works a telethon.  As she hangs up the phone, she announces how good it made her feel to prove Joey wrong.  Then she realizes that she has just made the act a selfish one.  It is indeed hard to remove personal interest from our motivations.  

Lent is a season of hope in which we can grow our faith. But we can’t grow in faith if our motives are as soiled as the old oil in the rototiller that we forgot to change after turning the beds of the garden last season.  Lent is the perfect time to explore our true motives for doing things.  It is a time to repent – to turn around - and be more authentic in service to our Savior. 

Grace and Peace,
Pastor John

I Am: Journey with Jesus through Lent - 3/5

A Lenten Reflection – What are you giving up for lent?

“What are you giving up for Lent?” is a frequently asked question during these forty days of preparation leading up to Easter. Some people give up chocolate. Some give up ice cream. Others give up caffeine. The language of “giving up” something is another way of saying that we are fasting from something. Fasting as a spiritual discipline has been around for thousands of years in Judaism and Christianity and is found across many of the world’s religions.  It is voluntarily going without food — or any other regularly enjoyed, good gift from God — for the sake of some spiritual purpose. It is markedly counter-cultural in our materialistic, pleasure seeking society that tells us we should have as much as we want, whenever we want. Instead of indulging ourselves we deny ourselves so that we can direct our hearts and minds toward God.

Fasting can take many forms. We can abstain from eating food or refrain from eating certain types of food for a certain period of time. We can put down our smartphones for a certain amount of time each day and mute it. We could log off from social media for a certain time each day or for the entire season of Lent and not check Facebook, Twitter or TikTok. This Lent I am fasting from purchasing Starbucks (or Dunkin etc) while I am out and about and intend to take what I would normally spend on those coffee indulgences and gift them to the mission efforts of St. Matthews.

David Mathis says, “Fasting isn’t merely an act of self-deprivation, but a spiritual discipline for seeking more of God’s fullness.” Therefore we should have a plan to undertake a more spiritual pursuit in the time it normally takes to eat, check our phones or scroll TikTok. One of the primary benefits of fasting is the time and space in our lives that it creates for prayer and meditation on the scriptures or for undertaking some act of love for others. A fast should have a specific spiritual purpose. Identify what that is and design a focus to replace the time you would have spent eating or scrolling Instagram on your phone. Without a purpose and plan, it’s not fasting; it’s just giving up something.

The year before we moved up to Pennsylvania, I traveled to a monastery in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to spend two weeks in silence and contemplative prayer. I knew I would be giving up talking for two weeks which I suspected would be hard for me since I have been talking in church since the age of 3 and haven't really stopped doing so. However, I was unprepared for the loss of cell signal in the high mountain valley that encompassed the monastery. Consequently, in addition to fasting from speech for two weeks I ended up fasting from the internet, social media, streaming music, i Message, and email. For two weeks I could only use my phone for taking pictures as I hiked the valley in between prayer sessions. Instead of being distracted by the stream of constant alerts from my iPhone and using free time to reply to emails and scroll Twitter, I read a book a day from the vast spiritual library of the monastery and journaled about what I was learning from the hours I was spending in contemplative prayer.  I filled the time I would have spent looking at my phone with more spiritual pursuits. 

As I traveled back to Denver airport for my flight home, my phone started flooding me with alerts when it found a cell signal again. I muted it until I got to the airport and while I waited at the gate I went into the notifications control panel and turned off almost all notifications. I had learned from my fast from the internet and my smartphone that I voluntarily let far too many things distract me from God. I didn’t need those alerts and I could better use the time to be more attentive to God and the people around me. I also started putting my phone on a table or shelf when I get home from work each day. 

My fasting from speech taught me that I talk far too much and don’t listen enough - to God and the people around me. During the retreat, I found myself listening for God more and more and I discovered that God was speaking to me and leading me in ways that I had drowned out with words. It’s amazing how much easier it is to hear God when I’m not talking over the Lord who is with me every minute of every day and who longs to guide me. I still have a lot of work to do here and feel the longing to return to the monastery for a fasting from speech. 

Fasting can take many forms. Maybe you can’t fast from food because of health reasons. Giving up food is not the only way to fast. Find something that you could give up for a certain period of time each day or maybe for the entirety of Lent and then use that newly freed up time to read the Bible or go for a prayer walk or doing acts of kindness for others. 

“There’s something about it that makes sense, Lent. You give something up, and everything’s more joyful.” —Elaine Stritch

Grace and Peace,
Pastor John

I Am: Journey with Jesus through Lent - 2/26

A Lenten Reflection – Spiritual Disciplines

On Ash Wednesday, we entered the season of Lent in the Christian liturgical calendar. Lent is a season of self reflection as we examine our lives and our hearts in preparation for the celebration of Easter. It is a time when we can give up something to better focus our attention on God. We can also add something to our lives that will foster a deeper relationship with God. Giving up something is perhaps the most popular option as people give up all kinds of things for Lent. However, today I want to focus on adding something for Lent.

The “something” we seek to add is usually a spiritual discipline or holy habit that we have tried before and abandoned or are employing for the first time. We can think of spiritual disciplines as being either upstream or downstream. Upstream disciplines are holy habits that don’t come easily to us and may run contrary to our personality or nature. Downstream disciplines are holy habits that are second nature to us and seem a natural outgrowth of our lifestyle and personality. 

Both types have value. Downstream disciplines can build on existing strengths and refine the spiritual skills we already possess. Understandably, downstream spiritual disciplines are more popular because they are easier for us to enact. However, upstream spiritual disciplines often prove more valuable because they push us to grow beyond our comfort zone much like weight or endurance training does in the physical sense. We get stronger and build more muscle when we encounter resistance. It is true both physically and spiritually. 

I encourage you to try both types in your devotional life. Some seasons of life require challenge to grow and upstream disciplines can provide that challenge.

Some seasons of life require comfort and downstream spiritual disciplines offer that comfort. I have been rewarded by pursuing both types over the years. 

This Lent I encourage you to deepen your spiritual life. Try something new or recommit to a spiritual practice previously abandoned. Try something that comes naturally to you or something that is hard for you. Either type can produce growth and lead you closer to God. 

In Christ,
Pastor John

I Am: Journey with Jesus through Lent

John Chaffee – Echos in the Desert: A Lenten Devotional

Have you ever come across someone so interesting in your life that you are honored to know them and call them a friend? That is John Chaffee to me. 

We first met in August 2009 when I was just beginning my seminary journey at Palmer. At that time Palmer was still in its own building on Lancaster Ave in Wynnewood, so students could be residential if they wanted. I was assigned a room on the fourth floor and during those first few days before orientation, my new roommate and I would prowl the hallways trying to meet people and attempt to not get lost in the corridors of the massive building. One of the first people we met was John. He lived at the end of the hallway from us and to say that my roommate at the time had a crush on him at first sight would be an understatement. We were both single 20-somethings who had gone to Christian colleges where most girls graduate with a degree and a ring. John was one of the few guys on the floor who met all the right criteria: no ring, 20s, good hygiene, and listened to all the right music.

Looking back, this is such an embarrassing story to tell because our naivety was on full display. My roommate, we’ll call her Stacey for her own good, and I decided to bake homemade cookies to share with the boys on the floor. Stacey and I gladly took cookies by John’s room to say hello. A few days later I would go on to meet Kyle at New Student Orientation and for me you could say the rest was history. That fateful cookie baking excursion was about as much of an interaction as I would have with John during my two years at Palmer. I recently sat down for coffee with John at Starbucks and shared this rather embarrassing tale with him; mortified of my former self but relieved to find that he didn’t remember the event. He went on to serve in several local church ministries after seminary. We have run around in the same youth ministry circles for the last 7 years and have developed a respect for each other as colleagues, hardcore music listeners, and fellow ministry lifers.

To talk to John is to sit and talk with an old favorite book that is worn in and thread bare. No matter the passage of time, the circumstance, or if you are a new acquaintance, John delights in talking, learning, and gleaning stories from whomever he meets. He genuinely leans into conversation and asks inviting questions that help guide you to new realizations about yourself and God. He has a fascinating story himself about how God has called him, broke him, and rebuilt him for His glory. He currently teaches Spiritual Formation at Eastern while considering himself a “missionary to a post-Christian culture” by working for the Church universal and not a church specific. He has traveled the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, reads the church fathers for fun, and has a heart for helping people rediscover their spirituality by stripping away the pomp and circumstance, the glitz and glamor, and getting back to the mystical heart of the created worshiping the Creator. As John says on his website, “I believe that Jesus envisioned person to person conversations of depth, vulnerability and mystery… all while grounded in the best of the wide and deep Christian spiritual tradition.”

This Lent we are fortunate at St. Matthew’s to have John come and speak with our Adult Sunday School class twice to help create open spaces for conversation and deeper spiritual growth. Our goal during this season is to see our congregation seek ways to have a holy Lent, allowing God the space to fill our hearts with His goodness while we wrestle out the darkness. John will be with us on Sunday February 26th during the 10am Sunday School hour, still with the hybrid format. During this first session together, John plans to discuss what this season of Lent is all about and how it is that we can engage more fully. John will return to spend Palm Sunday with us during the 10 am hour to kick start the Holy Week march towards the cross and resurrection so that as a congregation we might linger in the uncomfortable.

I invite and encourage you to come out or join in online with our conversation with John Chaffee on Sundays February 26 and April 2, 2023. John will also be available to talk about the new Lenten devotion that he recently published called, Echoes in the Desert: A Lenten Daily Devotional which is available for purchase via Amazon. If you are looking for an in depth and meaningful study to do this Lent season from a fresh perspective and new voice, I encourage you to pick up a copy. Pastor John and I will both be using this devotional during the season of Lent and encourage you to do also. If you would like to see a copy, I will have one available at worship.

Jesus is inviting us to go on a journey with Him during the season of Lent. I encourage everyone to make intentional ways to invite Jesus into your space during these next 6 weeks of discovery and formation. For more ideas and resources, check out our Lent page!

Vica Jones
Director of Youth & Family Ministries

Haws Avenue Soup Kitchen Volunteers Hard at Work

Haws Avenue Soup Kitchen volunteers served almost 100 people in Norristown on Sunday 1/8. With the Haws Avenue church participating in the county Code Blue program offering the church as an overnight facility, volunteers were busy setting up additional tables and chairs and serving an influx of new guests. Please mark your calendars with the following dates for when we will be volunteering at Haws Avenue again. February 19th • April 16th •. June 11th

Junteenth: An Important Holiday

This year, St. Matthew’s observes Juneteenth, a day honoring the end of slavery in the United States.

On that day in 1865, Union Army General Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free – more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. People enslaved in Union-held territory were not freed until the passage of the 13th Amendment several months later on December 18, 1865.

The events of the past few weeks have shown us that ending systemic racism is a goal we must continue to strive for in all sectors of society, including the church. As United Methodists, we are committed to that effort.

A statement from the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church:

Racism is the combination of the power to dominate by one race over other races and a value system that assumes that the dominant race is innately superior to the others. Racism includes both personal and institutional racism. Personal racism is manifested through the individual expressions, attitudes, and/or behaviors that accept the assumptions of a racist value system and that maintain the benefits of this system. Institutional racism is the established social pattern that supports implicitly or explicitly the racist value system. Racism, manifested as sin, plagues and hinders our relationship with Christ, inasmuch as it is antithetical to the gospel itself. In many cultures white persons are granted unearned privileges and benefits that are denied to persons of color. We oppose the creation of a racial hierarchy in any culture. Racism breeds racial discrimination. We define racial discrimination as the disparate treatment and lack of full access and equity in resources, opportunities, and participation in the Church and in society based on race or ethnicity.

Therefore, we recognize racism as sin and affirm the ultimate and temporal worth of all persons. We rejoice in the gifts that particular ethnic histories and cultures bring to our total life. We commit as the Church to move beyond symbolic expressions and representative models that do not challenge unjust systems of power and access.

We commend and encourage the self-awareness of all racial and ethnic groups and oppressed people that leads them to demand their just and equal rights as members of society. We assert the obligation of society and people within the society to implement compensatory programs that redress long-standing, systemic social deprivation of racial and ethnic persons. We further assert the right of historically underrepresented racial and ethnic persons to equal and equitable opportunities in employment and promotion; to education and training of the highest quality; to nondiscrimination in voting, access to public accommodations, and housing purchase or rental; to credit, financial loans, venture capital, and insurance policies; to positions of leadership and power in all elements of our life together; and to full participation in the Church and society. We support affirmative action as one method of addressing the inequalities and discriminatory practices within the Church and society.

Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation

The mediation team

On Friday, January 3, the United Methodist Church made national headlines when a group of 16 church leaders (from diverse theological, ethnic, and cultural viewpoints) proposed an agreement of separation. This mediation team has created this agreement in service to the delegates who will go to the General Conference in May. They represented very different and significant values in our twelve million member global church. The proposal is called "The Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation," or “The Protocol” for short. This page is dedicated to offer an unbiased explanation of The Protocol to educate members of St. Matthew’s UMC and the broader community.

The authors of The Protocol did what many within The United Methodist Church have done and are doing. That is, they are making a proposal for a way forward in a divided United Methodist Church. This team represents diverse points of view within our denomination. While we give thanks to God for our diversity, it also presents us with some challenges and this group has proposed a way for us to work through some of the issues generated by this diversity.

As United Methodists situated in the Valley Forge area, we are seeking to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, faithful to the scriptures, and faithful to our tradition as Methodists. We are seeking to welcome all people into the full life and ministry of the church, and, more deeply, into the grace of God. We are seeking to live together with our siblings across the world, even those who are in very different contexts. They have much to teach us.

The news media has picked up The Protocol as a lead story and many may perceive that its a “done deal.” It isn’t. The Protocol has to be considered along with the dozens of other petitions brought to the General Conference this year. It does have a reasonable chance of passing, since there seems to be a coalescing of support for it. However, implementing any plan will take years to work out with much prayer, discernment, and cooperation from differing points of view.

The material below gives some facts, explanation, and some reflections by prominent church leaders. It contains the following (click on the link to view the original source):

1. Press Release by authors of The Protocol

2. The Protocol itself (8 pages)

3. FAQ’s by the protocol authors

4. A list of reliable, unbiased news sources for UMC Information outside of mainstream media.

a. The United Methodist Church Official Site www.umc.org

b. The United Methodist News Service. www.umnews.org

c. The Council of Bishops www.unitedmethodistbishops.org

d. The Eastern PA Conference of The UMC www.epaumc.org

5. A response from Bishop Peggy Johnson, bishop of the Eastern PA Conference of The United Methodist Church.

I encourage you to read the mediation protocol. And I encourage us to give as much to each other and to those who differ from us as we possibly can. In this way, they will know we are Christians—by our love.

If you have any questions about The Protocol or the polity of The United Methodist Church, you may email me at pastorjohn@stmatthewsvf.org or call me at 610-688-7055 to talk or setup an appointment.

As pastor of St. Matthew’s UMC, I pray that the headlines will not distract us from accomplishing the ministry that God has set before us at St. Matthew’s. The best way for us to face any changes to the United Methodist denomination is for our congregation to be as strong as we can be.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor John

Hungry for Fish?

You’ve gotta catch ‘em first!

Jesus says to you and me, "Follow me. You are essential personnel. Come as you are. Bring whatever gifts and talents you have and use them in my name. Bring your excitement and enthusiasm and I will channel them in the right direction. Bring your commitment and I will show you a place where you can make a difference. Bring your love and hope and watch them change lives."

Jesus' disciples were not a panel of experts. Jesus took people whom the world had labeled in many ways non-essential -- fishermen, tax collectors, notorious sinners, women who were never considered essential before -- and used them and their gifts in doing the work of love and issuing the call to others to follow in the way of Jesus. People who before never felt wanted found a place. People who doubted the world even knew they existed were suddenly important. 

True to the service’s theme, Vica told a story about fishing.

Vica went fishing and happened to catch a 6 inch catfish which she insisted on having taxidermied. Having caught this fish, she can now claim that she is a fisherman even though she do not like fishing nor has she gone since that fateful day as a child.

However, she is a fisher of people after the example of the disciples that Jesus called. You don't have to be a pastor or a missionary to share God's love and to live a life pointing to God's goodness. She implored upon the children that no matter what they choose to do in life, they can do it for God. 

Mary kept us on beat.

This past Sunday we had the lovely sounds of Kim Trolier on flute, playing beautiful hymn arrangements during the prelude & offertory. There was also an additional congregationally sung prayer, a hymn with words written expressly for hurricane victims, to support the special collection for the survivors of the hurricane & earthquakes in Puerto Rico.

Next week, to kick off our celebration of Black History Month, we have a special soloist, Donnie Hammond. Donnie is a familiar face to Philly theater-goers. She'll be joining us at both services - don't miss it!

Who's Better?

When it comes to the Kingdom, no one; since all are equal

In Paul’s day, some thought the answer was to be found in less variety, in exclusion, in isolation and the building of fences. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s day, many felt the same way, and built communities and churches by marking off who was not welcome. And so it is still in our own day.

All gifts are not acknowledged, the body is not complete, and love does not always prevail. 

But in this twenty-first century after Christ, let us live the way suggested by Paul: with diversity, with inclusivity, and with love. Let us ensure that all are welcome in the church, our communities, our neighborhoods and friendships.

Let us remember that all of humanity is made in the image of God. Not just the people who look like us, who think like us or act like us. Let us see the image of God that is in the other - especially the one that is different than us - because when we do so, we embrace God, but when we fail to do so, we reject God.

Embrace God in our Music

Lots of special music this past Sunday, in honor of Dr. King and Human Relations Sunday. The choir (with Kathy Niness on guitar) rocked the house with Garth Brooks' We Shall Be Free, and Janice Conner did a beautiful rendition of Abraham, Martin, and John. Some of the hymns were taken from a special hymnal: Songs for the Holy Other, an all-inclusive hymnal with special music celebrating diversity of all kinds.

The sermon included the song Don't Laugh at Me, an inclusionary anthem with special words written for the occasion by Mary Sugar.

Next week, Kim Trolier will be with us, enhancing the service with her lovely flute music! Don't miss a week!

Teaching Children to be Inclusive

The children spent a little extra time in worship so that they could participate in the litany in remembrance of Dr. King and to also witness our new friends, Erin, Charlie, and Sara join our church family formally.

When it came time to call the children forward, Vica only called the girls forward.  Everyone giggled as Vica extolled that girls rule and boys drool.  The girls thought it was great. However, Vica was quick to say that it was in fact not.

After having the boys finally join the girls, Vica shared that because all people were created in God's image, all people are important. No one is greater than anyone else. We all have a light inside that is the image of God and when someone tries to dampen it within someone else, two lights are dimmed. We are called to love like and because Jesus loves us.

New Beginnings

This is the Sunday we celebrate the baptism of Jesus and remember our own baptism. We remember how it can free us to be the people which God intended for us to be.

For a number of reasons, some of us need to be set free from our old lives. Some of us are unhappy with where we are in our faith journey. Some of us have made grievous mistakes along the way. The waters of Christian baptism symbolize the opportunity for every child of God: to make a new beginning. To be set free.

Coming up

In the next few weeks, we've got special music for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day/Human Relations Sunday, and we're getting ready for Black History Month in February, where all the choral and bell anthems will be Spirituals. There'll also be guests galore in February! Don't miss a Sunday!

Who's in the Details?

SERMON

We don't know who the magi were. We know they were seekers and we know they were Gentiles. They were not Jews.

Matthew wants us to know in the second chapter of his book that this Gospel is for everybody. It is not just for a select group. It is not just for the "in" crowd. It is not just for those who think and have all the answers. It is not just for the religious elite.

CHILDREN’S MOMENT

This past Sunday, Vica focused our children on the necessity of smaller details. She asked about the new addition we made to the nativity. It was a small detail of three new figurines that needed their attention. Some of them already knew what it was: the Wise Men come to visit Jesus. She shared about her own childhood tradition of placing their Wise Men in another room, on the top shelf in the far back corner. Do the math, and you figure it would take them at least 2-3 years to get to the nativity in the living room.

She pointed out how, before they arrive, noone ever seems to notice the missing figures from the nativity scene, despite their importance.

This is similar to the importance of the details in the Christmas story. It is a small passage that we read every year, but that doesn’t mean the details lose their importance. If we aren’t paying attention to the words, we’d miss that when the Wise Men. arrived Jesus is no longer a baby but a child and they are in a house. She stressed the hope that we all take time to pay attention to the small things. God does amazing miraculous huge things like what happens in the Christmas story, but so much of God happens in the small moments.

MUSIC

Coming up in the next few weeks, we've got special music for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day/Human Relations Sunday, and we're getting ready for Black History Month in February, where all the choral and bell anthems will be Spirituals. There'll also be guests galore in February! Don't miss a Sunday!

Refuge in the Nativity

For this first Sunday after Christmas, our own Vica Jones lead the congregation through service, complete with compelling sermon. She preached from Matthew 2:13-23, which picks up immediately after the wise-men's visit. Having been woken up from a frightening dream, Joseph and family pack and head for Egypt to escape Herod's murderous plan. After they were told that it was safe, they returned to Nazareth. This scripture was able to focus us on Jesus as Plan A. 

There is nothing that God does not foresee and cannot work for good. 

The wise-men had visited and brought to Jesus the weirdest gifts someone could bring for a small child. Though, God knew what they would be needed for. The gifts were light in weight and would have been worth years of wages for Joseph and family. This gave the family money for travel, to live off of while in Egypt, and travel back to Nazareth. Money they needed in order to follow the ordinances they received through Joseph's terrifying dream.

We also looked at a piece of art from Sister Grace Remmington from the Mississippi Abbey in Iowa (pictured above). The picture is of Eve and Mary interacting with each other. Ultimately, where Eve disobeyed, Mary obeyed. Eve's first born was killed because of jealousy, Mary's first born was killed because of perfect love. Eve's yes brought sin into the world, and Mary's yes brought about the Savior who would defeat sin for good.

As we go into a new year, I challenged everyone to step with faith that God is, was, and ever will be in control even in the midst of chaos. Will you say yes even if it's the middle of the night like Joseph?

The children learned through the book "Refuge." It is a book about the Nativity story from an uncommon perspective, that of the donkey. It follows the family from the birth of Jesus through their frightful flight to Egypt as refuges.

Service was completed through the recitation of the Covenant Prayer of Wesleyan Tradition:

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.P
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,
Praised for you or criticized for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service.
And now, O wonderful and holy God,
Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, 
you are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it also be made in heaven. 

 Amen.