Three People

This will be the “back page” for the Fishkill UMC bulletin this Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Lent (Year A), 26 March 2017.  The reading is from Matthew 27: 33 – 44.

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There were three men on that hill outside Jerusalem.  They hung on crosses where everyone could see them to remind the people there were rules to society and you paid the price when you broke the rules.

Two of the three committed crimes against people directly but the other’s “crime” was simply to question the roles of society, rules that excluded people because of actual and perceived differences.  To question the rules of society was considered as bad as robbery or murder.

We live in a similar society today.  There are those who suggest that there is a standard for society’s membership and if you don’t meet that standard, you don’t belong.  Many people want a society where obedience to the law is greater than concern for the people.

The one criminal echoed the views of society then and perhaps today that Jesus’ mission was to ensure that the status quo was maintained at all costs and that there were people tasked with that maintenance.  He and society see Jesus in terms of earthly power and might, of the rule of law without compassion.

But the other criminal understood that Jesus had sought to move beyond the “law”.  He understood that Jesus’ mission was never about him but about His Father and how people were treated in God’s Kingdom. And in understanding this, the second man asked for forgiveness.

Which of the two are you?  And what will you do?

“I Dreamed of a Church: Christ’s Representative”

This will be the “back page” for the 19 March 2017, 3rd Sunday of Lent (A), bulletin at Fishkill UMC.  The reading for this Sunday comes from Matthew 25.  I have told this story before but it speaks to the point of our participation in someone else’s baptism.

I have been fortunate to have been directly involved in the baptism of several individuals, both as a pastoral assistant and as a member of the family.  Perhaps the greatest joy was when I presented Casey, my granddaughter, and George, my grandson, to the congregation on the day of their baptisms.

But the story that strikes a chord with me is not my story but rather that of a current United Methodist pastor.  At the time of this story, this pastor-to-be was a bouncer in a local bar (which seems to be the career path of choice these days).  He was present at the baptism as the result of a direct command from his sister.  So, he came to church that Sunday morning after a rather long night at his regular job.  At the end of the service, one of the “saints” of the church saw that he was desperately searching for a cup of coffee and directed him to the church’s Fellowship Hall.

A few weeks later he found the bulletin for that Sunday in his coat pocket.  With the remembrance that someone had shown him some kindness, he returned to that church on his own accord.  Shortly afterwards, he made the decision to accept Christ as his Savior and he was baptized.

As it turns out, there was more to this than simply accepting the call to follow Christ.  It began a journey that has lead to becoming a minister in the United Methodist Church.

We all take part in the baptism of an individual.  In our participation, we welcome friends and strangers.  And while we never know how this will all turn out, we need to understand that one time someone offered a cup of coffee to a stranger and a life was changed.                                                – Tony Mitchell

How has baptism changed your life?

Here are my thoughts for the 2^nd Sunday in Lent (A), 12 March 2017.  They are based on Psalm 13.  This is also part of the Fishkill UMC “Back Pages” series.

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I have talked and written about my own baptism on a number of occasions; I have also included a discussion about a baptism that didn’t take place (See “My Two Baptisms” for what happened then; I will be addressing that topic again later in this Lenten series.)

To answer the question posted as the title to the post, It is safe to say that had I not been baptized, I would not be here today.  But because of when I was baptized, a path was set before me that I would, sometimes knowingly but often unknowingly, follow all my life.

My parents understood what my baptism meant and they made sure that I walked a path that would eventually allow me to understand it baptism meant.

There was a time in my life that I have come to call “my wilderness period.”  Life was rough during this period but I never felt lost.  Perhaps it was because the Holy Spirit was a part of life, even if I did not know it.

But when I more fully recognized the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, I knew had to do some things, things that have lead me to this place and time.  I was lucky; I knew that God was there and all I had to do was look.

The Psalmist knew what it was like to be lost and out of God’s site.  He welcomed being able to be in God’s Grace once again.

Our baptism is never the end of the journey but its beginning.  For some, it sets the path they will follow; for others, it offers a new path.

Baptism represents an opportunity for all.

Performance Reviews

I am reposting this because I think it is needed, though we may cry rather than laugh when we think of the situation we are in.

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This is somewhere out there in the ether but I wanted to put it anyway (some at CarTalk)

The following comments are said to have been included in actual performance reviews (the source seems to vary according):

• A gross ignoramus — 144 times worse than an ordinary ignoramus.
• A photographic memory but the lens cap glued on.
• A prime candidate for natural deselection.
• Donated his brain to science before he was done using it.
• Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn’t running.
• Got a full six-pack but lacks the plastic thing to hold it all together.
• Has two brains:  One is lost and the other is out looking for it.
• He brings a lot of joy when he leaves the room.
• He certainly takes a long time to make his pointless.
• He doesn’t have ulcers, but he’s a carrier.
• He has carried out each and every one of his duties to his entire satisfaction.
• He has the wisdom of youth, and the energy of old age.
• Sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.
• He would argue with a signpost.
• He would be out of his depth in a parking lot puddle.
• His men would follow him anywhere, but only out of curiosity.
• I would like to go hunting with him sometime.
• I would not breed from this officer.
• If he were any more stupid, he’d have to be watered twice a week.
• If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you’d get change.
• If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he’s the other one.
• If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean.
• In my opinion this pilot should not be authorized to fly below 250 feet.
• One neuron short of a synapse
• Since my last report he has reached rock bottom, and has started to dig.
• Some drink at the fountain of knowledge; he only gargled.
• Takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 minutes.
• Technically sound, but socially impossible.
• The wheel is turning but the hamster is dead.
• This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.
• Is really not so much of a has been, but more of a definitely won’t be.
• This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts, the better.
• This medical officer has used my ship to carry his genitals from port to port, and my officers to carry him from bar to bar.
• This officer reminds me very much of a gyroscope: always spinning around at a frantic pace, but not really going anywhere.
• This young lady had delusions of adequacy.
• When he joined my ship, this officer was something of a granny; since then he has aged considerably.
• When his I. Q. reaches 50, he should sell.
• When she opens her mouth, it seems that is only to change feet.
• Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap.