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As we are in the first 15 days of the new year, doesn’t it seem like 2021 is just an extension of 2020? As if today, Jan. 15, 2021 is really Dec. 46th, 2020. The breach of our hallowed US Capitol last week, the fear that uprisings could happen again, the tension leading up to the president’s second impeachment, all combined with the problem that won’t seem to go away—the number of COVID-19 cases increasing again at alarming rates. We are so close to having a hopeful resolution to the pandemic. The vaccine is now being dispensed, yet the delivery has been bogged down with distribution problems. We had a glimmer of excitement when we celebrated the new year’s arrival, but we have awakened to a new season of crises. And we are so tired of it. Couldn’t the new year give us a break? This weekend we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his monumental endeavor in advancing civil rights through a policy of nonviolence. His work brought to light the plight of racial inequality in our nation, in a way that multitudes were able to embrace and spark change. The pinnacle of his noble venture was his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC in 1963 – “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” As hopeful and confident were his messages, he had his days when he was tired of it all. In one of his last speeches he admitted, “I’m tired of marching, marching for something that should have been mine at birth … I don’t mind saying to you tonight that I’m tired of the tensions surrounding our days.” “Sick and tired of being sick and tired,” he cries out in another speech. Yet Dr. King found solace, comfort and strength in the Lord that carried him through his days until his tragic death in 1968. He dreamed for the day when “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain ...” Isaiah 40:4-5 (KJV). He proclaims, “But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.” Amos 5:24 (KJV). He is comforted by the words of Psalm 30:5 (KJV), “…weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” We dream for a day when this pandemic is over and the unrest in our lives has settled down. But we can take encouragement in the words of Dr. King, “Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.” Dr. King lived his life by faith and knew the power of God’s love to support and transform humankind, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Blessings, Gary #aplaceforgrace #MLK #loveoverhate #faith

My life is stuck in the dirt. Now make me live again according to your promise! I confessed my ways and you answered me. Now teach me your statutes! Help me understand what your precepts are about so I can contemplate your wondrous works! - Psalm 119:25-27 CEB Recently, I had to help someone answer a question on an application which asked, “What does the Bible mean to you?” One of the problems with answering that question is that there are a multitude of ways to answer it. Answering it in a few words, is the problem. One lens of looking at the Bible is that it tells us about living life. And how to hopefully live it well. As we go through our lives, the Bible reminds us that primarily we are dealing with God. Yet it means dealing with a lot of other things that go along with living in this world. Everyday items, such as traffic jams, paying bills, plumbing problems, homework, changing diapers. Dealing with our children, our parents, our siblings, our co-workers, our neighbors. We deal with health problems, getting through COVID, our broken relationships, loss of a loved one. Fears, dangers, anxieties. We are finally out of 2020, yet unfortunately this new year we are faced with the same problems. And new concerns—leading off this year with the events of this past week in our nation’s capital. As we read through the Bible, we realize that we are not that much different from the characters we meet in there who lived thousands of years ago. They faced problems as well. Maybe even more serious than ours. For everyday was a battle for their survival—literally. Yet through all these things that one deals with walking the face of this earth, at the forefront and in the background of all things, circumstances, events, and people—is God. As we read the Bible, we are reminded continuously and constantly of this assurance in our lives. The Bible shouts out to us, that God is an ever-present help in our time of need. And even when we are not in great need, but just trying to get through the challenges of everyday life. I like the way that the Message translation of the Bible expresses verse 27 in the above passage. Help me understand these things inside and out, so I can ponder your miracles and wonders. Let this guide and encourage us as we journey into the new adventures that we will face in 2021. Blessings, Gary #aplaceforgrace #2021 #hope

A man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. He was righteous and devout. He eagerly anticipated the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple area. Meanwhile, Jesus’ parents brought the child to the temple so that they could do what was customary under the Law. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God. He said, “Now, master, let your servant go in peace according to your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation. You prepared this salvation in the presence of all peoples. It’s a light for revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for your people Israel.” Luke 2:25-32 I love people like Simeon who can anticipate good things and not lose hope. I am not one of those people. I am more of a glass half empty type of person. I often anticipate the worst-case scenarios just to prepare myself on the chance that something difficult might happen. That was not true of Simeon. God had promised him that he would see the long-awaited Messiah before he died, and Simeon did not give up hope on that promise. When a young poor family wandered into the temple with their newborn son, the Holy Spirit was ignited in Simeon. He immediately recognized the Christ child, and he knew that God was giving him the gift He had promised. How often do you anticipate Gods’ faithfulness in your life? Are you anticipating God’s faithfulness in 2021? I think we can all agree that 2020 was a hard year filled with much pain and grief. How are you feeling about the new year? Do you have hope? I think it is here that we can learn from Simeon. First, scripture tells us that Simeon was righteous and devout. For me, that means he continually practiced his faith even when life was difficult. For every human being, life brings us challenges at some point and the question is always the same. Will we continue to believe in God even when life hurts? We also learn that Simeon anticipated God’s faithfulness to His promises to the nation of Israel. That means we need to anticipate God’s faithfulness to us, His people. What are some of God’s promises? He promises to continually live among us, to comfort us, bless us, and bring us peace. He promises us that we will never be separated from his love. None of us know what 2021 will bring. The vaccine gives us all hope that COVID will one day end, but more importantly, as people of faith, we need to put our hope in God’s faithful promises to us. Like Simeon, we need to live lives of hopeful anticipation of the faithfulness of God in each of our hearts. Happy New Year and God’s Blessing to You, Pastor Jayne #aplaceforgrace #2021 #hope

Jayne and I are so glad to be sharing our first Christmas with the St. Andrew’s UMC family. From the first moment that we find out that we were being appointed to St. Andrew’s, we knew God was in this. And as we now have been here about six months, there is nothing to sway us from feeling that God’s hand has been in bringing us here, that we can join in ministry with this faithful and dedicated community of servants of Christ who we have met here. We look forward to sharing many more Advent seasons and Christmases with you. We look forward to where God will take us here at this church as we discern God’s direction together in fulfilling the vision He has set out for us. For we know deep down in our hearts that God is with us. Isn’t that the real message of Christmas, that God is with us, He chose to be with us, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, or as Eugene Peterson states in his translation of the Bible called the Message, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” The God of heaven who created you and me and all creation, didn’t just send us a messenger to tell us about His love, but that He loved us enough that He entered our world himself to tell us and show us his great love for all humankind. He came as a helpless, vulnerable baby, coming into the world as we all have done. He came not as a powerful leader, but as a humble servant to show us how we should live. Often at Christmas time, we focus on the infant in the manger, tender and mild. Yet, this baby would become the savior of the world. Not just part of the world, but the whole world. This is the great news that the angels, appearing before the shepherds, watching their flock at night, announced, “I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” This is good news of great joy for all the heavens above and the earth below. This is why a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angels and the shepherds, singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Christ came so that the world through Him might be saved. This is God’s grand purpose in our lives, that His love be shown to us through Christ. It was foretold thousands of years before the birth of Jesus. In Isaiah 9, we read that the people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.” This year, 2020, has been quite a challenging year to say the least. And all the problems in the world, in our nation, in our community, in our families, don’t just evaporate once it becomes 2021. We don’t know what the new year will bring. But we are certain that whatever happens, God will be with us. God is in it. The message of Christmas is this very thing. Jesus said that “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The light of the world is with us, so that we can share this light to others who walk in darkness. From the Rideout family to all of you, may you have a very blessed Christmas and a hope-filled 2021. #aplaceforgrace #advent #Christmas@SAUMC

I received a devotion today via email that contained an excerpt from L. B. E. Cowman’s classic book “Streams in the Desert,” originally published in 1918. She tells of a Christmas story that she read entitled “If Christ Had Not Come.” The story is based on the passage in John 15:22, where Jesus speaks these words, “If I had not come.” It is sort of a twist on the story in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” where George Bailey wonders how life would be if he had not ever been born. In the story that Cowman shares, a minister falls asleep in his study on Christmas morning and dreams of a world into which Jesus had never come. He walks through his home, but he saw no stocking hung on the chimney, no Christmas tree, no wreaths. No Christ to comfort and gladden hearts and to save us from our sins. No church bells ringing in the countryside. The doorbell rings and a messenger gives him a note to visit a friend’s poor dying mother. When he arrives at their home, he realizes he has no words of comfort for him. No gospel, no promise of hope and salvation. All he could do was to weep with his friend in utter despair. Two days later the minister stands beside her coffin to conduct her funeral. But again, he realized there was nothing he could say. No message of comfort, no words of eternal life, no mansion in heaven awaiting her. There was only “dust to dust, ashes to ashes” and a final goodbye. Then suddenly the minister woke up from his dream to hear a song of joy and praise as he heard his choir singing these words in his nearby church: O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem! Come and behold Him, born the King of angels, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord! This Advent season let us rejoice in all the blessings we have in Christ, through the babe in the manger, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Let the blessings of comfort, peace, love, joy, hope and the promise of eternal life flow to us in abundance so that we are ever grateful for the gift that God gives us and all humankind at Christmas. #aplaceforgrace #advent

Today I was feeling discouraged because we are not having in-person worship this Sunday. There will be a pre-recorded service to watch this Sunday at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m., but I am disappointed we had to make this adjustment. I went to my computer and Googled “Scriptures about frustration.” Yes, you can do that and a whole list popped up. I then picked one of the scriptures and Googled it adding the words at the end, "The Message." That is a biblical translation created by Eugene Peterson. It is an easy, modern-day translation that makes the Bible easy to read. Yes, I just said that. It makes reading scripture easier. Let us be honest here for a moment. Reading your Bible is hard, and we often avoid it because when we do read, we are so confused by what we read that we give up. Of course, we don’t tell anyone. We do not want people to know we avoid reading our Bible. That is embarrassing. All Christians read their Bible, right? Guess what? You are probably in the majority if you struggle to read scripture. So here is the passage I Googled today to help me with my frustration. It comes from the book of Isaiah and I especially love the second half, which gives me the most encouragement. Regardless of how I feel today, this Scripture reminds me that God has my back. It was just what I needed to hear today. “But you, Israel, are my servant. You’re Jacob, my first choice, descendants of my good friend Abraham. I pulled you in from all over the world, called you in from every dark corner of the earth, Telling you, ‘You’re my servant, serving on my side. I’ve picked you. I haven’t dropped you.’ Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” (Isaiah 41:8-10 The Message) So here is my suggestion. Buy a copy of The Message for someone you love or for yourself this Christmas. It will help you read your Bible and it will bring you encouragement. It will make Bible-reading easier. Remember, reading your Bible is not about impressing anyone with your biblical knowledge. It is about drawing closer to God when you are discouraged. Anything that will help you do that is a blessing. Hold on to your other Bibles. This one is just to keep you reading. And yes, we will be back in person for worship on December 20. God has our back. We will be okay. Blessings to you on this Friday, Pastor Jayne #aplaceforgrace #advent

We hope that you were able to take one of the Advent Wreath kits home with you to share in lighting of the Advent Candles each week with your family, or you have witnessed the lighting of the candles in our Sunday morning services. Some of you may be familiar with this tradition. For some it is a new experience for you. Actually, the Advent Wreath is an ancient tradition, going back centuries; however, its origin is uncertain. Sometime before the Middle Ages, Christians began using the Advent wreath as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas. The illuminated candles were a reminder of the hope of Christmas, that Christ is “the Light that came into the world” to dispel the darkness of sin and radiate the truth and love of God." On the first Sunday in Advent, one candle is lit, and then for each subsequent Sunday an additional candle is lit, which increasingly brightens the surroundings. This is symbolic of the light of the world becoming nearer as we approach Christmas. The design of the Advent Wreath consists of four candles placed in a wreath that surrounds a larger middle candle. The Advent Wreath itself, is very symbolic. The evergreens used for the wreath are a reminder of continuous life. The continuity of life is reinforced by it being in the shape of circle. The circle is also a sign of everlasting life as well as the eternity of God. The four candles used, three purple and one pink, mark the Sundays of Advent before Christmas. The pink candle is used on Gaudete Sunday, typically the third Sunday of Advent. Guadete is Latin for Rejoice. It is a day of rejoicing for Christ is near. Each of the four candles has a significant symbolism assigned to them, however they may be used in a different order from church to church. The four candles are the Peace or the Angel’s candle, Joy or the Shepherd’s candle, Hope or the Prophets candle, and Love or the Bethlehem candle. Finally, in the middle of the wreath is the largest candle, a white candle, the Christ candle, which is lit on Christmas Eve. Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent and the Peace candle was lit, inspiring us to slow down this season to experience the stillness of God. This Sunday is the second Sunday of Advent. We will experience the lighting of the Joy candle. It reminds us of the joy that all people, even the lowly shepherds, experienced at the birth of Jesus, as well as our own joy as we celebrate Christ’s birth. The Advent Wreath serves as a powerful visual reminder of the holiness of the season. The lighting of the candles invites us to quiet ourselves during this busy time and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Whether at home or at church, it provides an invitation to wait and pray in hopeful anticipation for the coming of Christ. We are called to welcome the light of Christ into our lives. #aplaceforgrace #advent

A normal Thanksgiving for the Rideout family means heading to Atlantic Beach to be with Gary’s sister and her family. It is our beach getaway where we set down the stresses in our daily lives and we just live the beach life of chill and relax. Just writing about it makes me want to get in the car and head over there. But not this year. Due to COVID, we like millions of others are not with our extended family for Thanksgiving. Neither will we go Black Friday shopping, which I strangely enjoy. Lots of great deals and lots of energy with big crowds. I feel a bit embarrassed admitting I like Black Friday, but I do and this year it can only happen online. No big crowds and no energy. When we first made this decision to stay home for Thanksgiving, the decision was based on safety. A head decision. Today my emotions are weighing in and my heart is both sad and mad. I am sad that nothing is the same this year and I am mad that nothing is the same this year. When I am discouraged, I find that the book of Psalms is a comforting place to land. Not for words of encouragement, but rather for the validation that when life is hard, I can take my complaint to God. I do not have to hold back, but I can honestly express my distress or frustration. Psalms 6 is a great place to land when you have had it with life. It is believed that Psalms 6 was written by King David for those suffering from sickness or distress. It expresses the deep frustration we often feel when life continually knocks us down and we cannot seem to catch our breath. But it also teaches us something about a relationship with God. We can have the boldness to wrestle with God when we are frustrated. Wrestling is not disbelief. Wrestling is announcing there is a relationship there, that can handle your truth. King David was able to wrestle with God because he had a deep conviction of God’s righteousness. When I wrestle with God, it says to me that I now know God loves me regardless of my complaint. It says to me that God cares about my feelings and he knows I am not going anywhere. I am just being real with him as he is always real with me. Psalm 6:3 says, “My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?” I do not know about you, but “How long, Lord, how long” perfectly expresses my deep distress over COVID. David also expresses the same confidence I have in God’s faithfulness, “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.” (Psalms 6:9) However you share your truth with God, just be assured that God hears and accepts our prayers in whatever form they arrive. Blessings, Pastor Jayne #aplaceforgrace

And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 NRSV This Sunday, October 4, we will celebrate World Communion Sunday in both our 9:45 and 11:15 services. World Communion Sunday is a day when we celebrate together, worldwide, the breaking of the bread and the sharing in the cup. We share communion as one, yet even though we are scattered, we are one in Christ. We are the church Universal. When we share communion, we remember what Christ has done for us. That he shed his blood for us, to take away the punishment of our sins, so that we may be forgiven of our sins through the cross of Jesus. It is an act of worship that brings us together; the faithful and those who are seeking the grace of God in their lives. It is an act of unity, bringing a community together. Yet World Communion Sunday presents some challenges this year. Communion is meant to be shared together, as we all gather at the altar. This is not possible this year. Some will be at home with their families, gathered in groups, or alone. Some will be gathered in the sanctuary, yet not able to come to the rail for the elements. In actuality, we will not be one. Plus, this year, it is more apparent than ever that we are not one. Unity is so desired in our world today. This is what is so powerful about Holy Communion. For that one moment as we share in this act, we push our differences aside. We share in the one cup and the one bread, if not physically, but symbolically. Only through the grace and saving work of Christ could unity be possible. We lay aside our grievances and disagreements to remember and honor the only hope in our lives that could bring us back together. “Places in the Heart” was an Academy Award-winning film that starred Sally Fields as a young woman, widowed within the first few minutes of the film—her husband accidentally shot by a reckless and foolish young man. She struggles against life and the powers of corruption in everyday life of central Texas during the 1930s. Forces work to try to take away the only thing her husband has left her and her family, a small farm in Texas. Lynching, brutality, infidelity, racism, greed, hypocrisy are all woven into the lives of those who make up this story. What was so powerful about this movie is the ending. The movie concludes with a communion service; a dream-like fantasy that ties up all the loose ends of these desperate circumstances portrayed in the movie. At first the camera shows you a few of the good folk in town. Next, some of the not-so-good. Then the banker and others who conspired to take away the farm. The camera continues to move with the cups of wine. There is the faithful black farmhand who helped bring in the crop so the widow might pay her mortgage. The plate passes to the children, then to their mother. She is seated next to her late husband. As you are trying to take this in, the plate moves to the young man who shot her husband. They commune, and each respond: "the peace of God." All are gathered at the table to share the bread and cup of salvation. Suddenly this is more than Sunday morning; this is the kingdom, a glimpse of eternity captured in time. This visual gives us a look at life, the way God looks at it. God has done something to enable everyone to break bread together and share in the cup. God was in Christ, bringing reconciliation to all. This is what we celebrate, this is what happens when we pass the bread and the cup. Blessings, Rev. Gary Rideout #aplaceforgrace #worldcommunionsunday

Gary and I have always been conservative when it comes to money. As pastors, there is always a limit to how much we have, and we are comfortable with the limitations of our budget. Yet somehow, with growing kids and many demands on our family, we found ourselves with some debt that frankly both surprised and worried us. Gary and I have always been faithful tithers and we feel like we constantly experience God’s grace when it comes to our budget. Yet this time it was different. We had a debt we needed to pay off and as much as I fantasized about how God might just fix it, we had to face our reality. Around that same period, I had been hearing about a new class called Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey. Other churches in our area were hosting FPU classes at their church and were having success in helping their congregation manage debt. I found a few leaders to lead a class and we hosted our first course. It was also a great opportunity for Gary and I as pastors to join the class so we could see what it was all about without anyone knowing how much we personally needed it. It wasn’t until we began the course that I realized how safe we would feel in class. No one was expected to spill their dirty laundry. In fact, it was very private. We were all just trying to be wise with our money and pay off any debt we had. So here is what we learned. There are no short cuts in paying off debt. But there are better ways of doing it than we realized. We also learned that our approach to money needed to be shifted. Our money did not control us, we controlled our money and our budget. The class also helped us learn to talk about money without getting frustrated or blaming each other. As we took the class, we made some changes and created some priorities that were not as painful as we expected. In fact, we met our goal and to this day, continue to practice several of the principles. If you have ever spent time in the book of Proverbs you probably realize there are many scriptures that talk about being teachable and open to instruction. Scripture tells us that wise people always seek advice. We are not created to live lives in a bubble, but rather in a community where we are both taught and where we also teach. My favorite wisdom scripture is Proverbs 19:20-21, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, so you might grow wise in the future. Many plans are in a person’s mind, but the LORD’s purpose will succeed.” (CEB) We knew God wanted us to face our debt and we found strong, biblical advice through Financial Peace University. We hope you will consider taking advantage of the next class which starts in just a couple weeks. Blessings, Rev. Jayne Rideout #aplaceforgrace #financialpeace

As we face the reopening of two of our worship services this Sunday the 20th, it will be a new chapter in the history of St. Andrew’s UMC. And it will be a new chapter in the lives of Jayne and I, as well. For the first time, this Sunday, I will be in the pulpit at St. Andrew’s in front of a live congregation. This will be so exciting. Worship is so much more meaningful and inspirational in the presence of a community of faithful. It fills you with energy and passion. After being co-pastors of St. Andrew’s for two and a half months, we can attest that the people of this church have a lot of energy and passion for the Lord. Yet we know that this Sunday will mark a new chapter because it will mark the beginning of a rebuilding. The question is “how will we rebuild?” This is the question that Zerubbabel asked God, around 530 BC, when he led the first group of Hebrews back to Jerusalem after being in exile in Babylon. We can say that, in a way, we have been in exile over the last six months. Here are God’s words to him in Zechariah 4:6-7: "So, he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” As we enter this new phase at the church, we face the same concerns about rebuilding. The task seems so daunting for us. Yet we need to take these words to heart, that it is not by our power but by the Spirit of God. Success will not come by human strength but through God’s power. We must put our trust in God that by the Holy Spirit, we will be guided and directed to new life after this six-month hiatus. Zerubbabel was instructed to bring out the capstone, the foundation for rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. We are hopeful to hear our crowds shout “God bless it! God bless it!" as we open our doors for worship this Sunday and later to ministries and classes for meeting back in the church. We will do so celebrating God’s blessings in our midst. As we see God’s movement in our church and among our people, we will be filled with gratitude as St. Andrew’s UMC is rebuilding from the “exile.” Looking to God and celebrating our blessings will be the foundation of bringing life to our church as we reopen our doors. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had three simple rules for life. The first one is do no harm. As we start our in-person worship services this Sunday, this rule is foremost in our minds. Diligent plans and procedures have been well-thought out and prepared to make sure the worship environment is a safe place. There will be a team of volunteers with spray bottles and rags sanitizing the surfaces in the sanctuary. There will also be a variety of safety precautions in place. We want to thank the Relaunch Team who was been meeting every week since the pandemic to discern the timeliness of opening and to ensure a safe facility for regathering. We want to especially express our gratitude to David Carlson for leading this endeavor, Dr. Deborah Humphrey for providing updates on the spread of the virus, and to Jess Adams for all the instructional signage you will see on Sunday. One final item—Jayne will not be in worship this Sunday. As many of you know she lost her mother in June, right before we came to St. Andrew’s. Prior to our plans to reopen the church for in-person worship, she and her two sisters had planned to take their father to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan near Mackinaw City, so he could get away from the distractions of life and spend time with his daughters. They will be enjoying the beauty of a star-filled night out in the country air. Blessings, Pastor Gary #aplaceforgrace

A couple of months back when we were in the very beginnings of this pandemic, I read about a Japanese form of artwork called Kintsugi, which literally means “golden joining.” It essentially is a way to repair broken pottery by creating a new piece of art. The legend is that a 15th century Japanese shogun accidentally broke his favorite ceramic tea bowl and needed to have it repaired. Back then, they would send broken valuable pottery to China to have it repaired. So that is what the shogun did. However, upon its return, the shogun was unhappy to find that it had been mended with unsightly metal staples. So, he turned to a local Japanese craftsman to have it repaired. What this craftsman did to repair it was mix 21 karat gold into the adhesive glue and put the tea bowl back together. The Japanese shogun was overwhelmed. The remade bowl was exponentially more valuable than the original bowl. The bowl become more beautiful after it had been broken and repaired. And the Japanese technique of artwork, Kintsugi was born. It is through brokenness that an ordinary piece is turned into something more valuable and precious. Have you ever considered that one day, when we are on the other side of this virus threat, that we will emerge from this transformed? Stronger, more valuable, more precious in our own unique way than we were before this time. Just like a Kintsugi bowl. Through our suffering we are made stronger. When the virus threat has finally subsided, we will be people who before it, were fearful, in despair, finding little hope in the world, and then afterwards, are transformed to people who are faithful, trusting in the power of God, and radiating the hope that we have through Jesus Christ. When will this threat has subside? When will our suffering end? These are the big questions. Yet, it is remarkable how Scripture written a couple of centuries ago, speaks to us today. Peter in his writing in the book of 1 Peter, is writing to a people who are in despair and finding little hope in their existence. In the very first verse of 1 Peter, the Apostle Peter greets his readers as those exiles of the Dispersion, those who have been scattered across their land—those in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Can we relate to this, those of us who feel dispersed like exiles—exiles of the dispersion, in Brandon, Valrico, Lithia, Riverview, and Tampa? Peter is writing to those who are suffering. And what does he say about their suffering? First, he writes to them as he writes to us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Then he speaks to their suffering. In 1:6 he writes, “even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials.” Our suffering will be for a little while. In our present time, it sure seems like we have been in this for the long run. Yet, all suffering has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And in all things, there is hope. Through this virus threat we may be broken, shattered. We are suffering and struggling through this painful ordeal. Yet we know that suffering can transform us, and we can have hope and new life through the life-giving resurrection of Jesus Christ. I close with these words from 1 Peter 5:9-10, these words that speak to us today in our time, “ Be steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.” Blessings, Gary #aplaceforgrace #hopeinchrist