“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37 NIV Something I used to hear quite a bit growing up, especially from my grandmother, was the phrase, “Now don’t get all riled up about it.” I guess it is a Midwestern slang because I don’t hear it too much here in Florida. I’m the type of person that I don’t get riled up too easily. I haven’t decided whether that is a blessing or a curse. But I do have my moments. Moments that my wife would be happy to relate. Are there pressing or significant things that get you riled up? What as Christians should we get riled up about? Compassion for others should be one. When we talk about compassion, it really has two elements to it. The dictionary definition of compassion says that it is a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it. But the other component of compassion is that it does something to relieve that pain, that suffering – it does something to provide for that need. The Story of The Good Samaritan is one that most of us are familiar with. Two deeply religious men passed by a man on the road who had been attacked by robbers and left for dead. Yet a Samaritan, a person who was despised by the Jews, came upon the man and ministered to him. He bandaged his wounds and took him to an inn, where he could be taken care of, paying for all expenses out of his pocket. The Samaritan saw the man who had been beaten by the robbers, and “was moved to compassion” – a compassion that led to action. The word compassion comes from the Latin and it literally means “to suffer with.” Compassion is truly being with someone, empathizing, suffering with, even if that just means sitting and listening. Isn’t that what Jesus Himself wanted on the night before he was taken away to die on the cross, when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane? He just wanted the disciples to be with Him. What would it take to rile us up to the point that we as individuals respond in compassion to help relieve the pain of others who are struggling? What would it take for us to rile us up to the point that we can be seen as someone who has compassion enough that one could come to us to share their pain and hurts? And what would it take to “rile us up” enough for us to act, when we see someone who is struggling, so that we can be a channel of God’s grace and love? For it is only through the grace and love of Jesus Christ, that one can find the healing, sustaining, comfort, hope, reconciliation and salvation that we all need in life so that we indeed can live the abundant life that Christ came to offer us. #compassion #loveyourneighbors #serveothers

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging… Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:1-3, 10 NIV We were all horrified when we woke up Thursday morning to hear of the tragic accident at Ronald Reagan Airport involving a crash between an American Airlines regional aircraft and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter. As I am writing this, no survivors among the 64 on the aircraft or the 3 aboard the helicopter have been found. It is so tragic because we just assume these days that when we board a plane, which we all do, some of us frequently - that it will get us there safely. Many of us have wandered the terminal of that airport, without any trepidation other than trying to get to our gate on time. Plane crashes, especially aboard commercial aircraft, are so rare these days. The last one was 16 years ago. One never knows when tragedy will strike. That is what makes life so fragile. Our hearts go out to the families of those who perished in the crash. As well as our prayers. We cannot imagine what they are going through. It’s sobering to think about. The question that is on everyone’s mind today is “why?” And why did it have to happen to those on these two aircraft? I heard on one of the news reports that Russian and American figure skaters were on the plane. Those who have trained and sacrificed years to hone their abilities. Now all gone in an instant. We may eventually find out what caused that crash. But it may not give much comfort to those who have lost loved ones. The question that remains is “Why?” Why do things like this happen that take away the lives of innocent people? The “Why” question is something we ask a lot in life, not just in times of death, but in times of challenges; physical, emotional, spiritual, or challenges that cause us pain. In our families. In our work environment. In our churches. In our world. A study of the book of Job that I remember, had this simple statement, “We don’t know why, but we do know who.” There are many mysteries in life for which we do not know the reason for their happening. We don’t know why God allows such tragedies. But we do know who God is, what God is like. We know that God cares for us when we are hurting, we know that God is with us when we are suffering. When life does not make sense. Looking at the passage from Psalm 46, we are assured that we may not know why, but we do know who. #lament #prayer

As of Monday, we have a new president.  Unfortunately, we continue to be a deeply divided country. I had the opportunity to hear a devotion by our Bishop Tom Berlin this week. He was reminding us of an important truth. Regardless of our differing politics, what we as Christians can agree on is that Jesus is Lord.  While that may not feel like a fix for all our division, it should make us pause. If you have the perspective that the new presidency is not good for our country, you may be feeling discouraged or even fear or despair. Yet if you believe that Jesus is Lord, you should never lose hope. If Jesus is Lord, then your hope is in His goodness and grace, not in a human leader. If Jesus is Lord, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us through dark days and to remind us we are loved and cherished by Him. No human leader can do that.  If you are excited and hopeful by the new presidency, you too should still be focused on Jesus as Lord. That is because there is no human leader who is without sin and in need of the redemption of Jesus. That includes your pastors at St. Andrew's. You too should be putting your ultimate hope not in a human leader but in Jesus as the one who knows what is best for us and who understand us and still loves us with a deep and abiding love. Our understanding of Jesus as Lord should be first and foremost to all of us, regardless of our political perspective. We belong to God, and we are a part of His family first and foremost over any political party.  So, what do we do about our political differences? Jesus always understood that we would struggle to understand each other. He knew we would not agree, and we would sometimes even fight. Thankfully, Jesus left us instructions on how to get along.   “   Above all, show sincere love to each other, because love brings about the forgiveness of many sins. Open your homes to each other without complaining. And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God’s diverse gifts.   Whoever speaks should do so as those who speak God’s word. Whoever serves should do so from the strength that God furnishes. Do this so that in everything God may be honored through Jesus Christ. To him be honor and power forever and always. Amen.” -1 Peter 4:8-11 #JesusIsLord #unity

“…weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5 NIV The year of 2024 was a tough year for many. Three hurricanes which caused major damage to our state. A contentious election year. A divisive General Conference within the United Methodist Church. And 2025 has started as a continuation of debilitating challenges with the rampant wildfires in the Los Angeles area causing acres of damage and homes burnt to the ground. Wasn’t this new year to be a time for a new start? 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. He proclaims, “But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.” Amos 5:24. He is comforted by the words of Psalm 30:5 “…weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” We dream of a day when 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.” #DrMartinLutherKing #PropheticCall #Justice

When his parents saw him they were shocked. His mother said, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Listen! Your father and I have been worried. We’ve been looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:41-52 CEB This story in the Gospel of Luke is not one that Mary and Joseph should be proud of. They were departing from Jerusalem after the celebration of the Passover, heading back home to Nazareth, when they suddenly realized “where is our son, Jesus? He is not with us.” They immediately returned back to Jerusalem, desperately looking for their son. They found him in the temple. And what was the young Jesus doing in the temple? He was seeking, searching. He was asking questions of the chief priests and listening to what they had to say. Jesus knew that the ultimate goal of Passover was to draw one closer into a relationship with God. So that was why Jesus stayed back in the temple. Going about the Father’s business, instead of going on with business-as-usual. The start of the New Year, with its opportunities for a dawn of a new lease on life – a transformation from the old same-old-same-old, a time to put the past behind and move in a more healthy, upright direction, is an appropriate time to consider, to challenge ourselves to break away from the business-as-usual routine of our lives. A time to look deep inside ourselves and take an honest look of who we really are. And what we believe and stand for. Seeking God, searching for answers, deepening a relationship with Christ, letting God provide meaning in our lives, learning of God’s promises, experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, impacting others with the love of God through our acts of compassion and mercy. These are the things of going about the Father’s business. Directing our passions to God is what kept Jesus back at the temple, instead of hitting the road back to Nazareth as soon as the Passover was over. I pray that all of us individually and together as a church will find in our hearts the desire to be transformed by going about the Father’s business. To be committed to the one that is committed to us. For the one who is so committed to us that he holds back nothing – not even his son to show us how He cares for us. Through deepening our relationship with God, we can allow ourselves to be transformed, to be enriched, to be rid and cleansed of our sins. And in so doing we can help the love of Christ in transforming the world. We have something valuable in Christ, something that needs to be stirred up in us, to renew or to discover for the first time, a passion for knowing and possessing. A fresh New Year lies unblemished before us. How will you resolve to cultivate that passion for this year? #newyear #2025 #faith #purpose

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of The United States of America Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8 President Jimmy Carter died this past Sunday, Dec. 29th. He is the only ex-president to make it to the ripe age of 100, making him the longest living president in history. Yet that is by far not the only legacy he has left behind. He was a man of great faith that lived out the morals and principles that he was raised with, even when they were not popular politically. He brokered a peace between Israel and Egypt with his dogged determinism that would not let him give up, until an agreement was made. He amassed an historic environmental record when very few were advocating for it. He set a new global standard for human rights and stood up to dictators and rulers who balked at his initiatives. He established formal ties with China and worked for peace with the Soviet Union by signing a series of arms limitation treaties and testing bans. After his presidency he established the Carter Center which worked for peace in various parts of the world, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. How did this man who grew up in Depression-era rural Georgia, barefoot and poor, get to be President of the United States? In fact, some of his relatives lived a down-right sordid life. His great-grandfather shot and killed a man who he accused of stealing some of his property. Even though he claimed it was self-defense and was acquitted by a jury, nevertheless he left town and moved his family to what became the hometown of the Carter family, Plains, Georgia. President Carter’s grandfather met a violent death when he was shot and killed by one of his former tenants as they disputed the ownership of a desk. Not what you would call a noble bloodline that produced our 39th President. Yet, it was his faith that kept him overcoming obstacles. He was the first US President I ever voted for, when I became of voting age. So, he has a special place in my heart. And political affiliations aside, I admired in him as a person and a faithful Christian. And why we need to honor and respect his legacy. It was Carter himself who said, “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Let us honor him by living our lives with the same passion. #faith #honor #integrity #PresidentJimmyCarter

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 The theme for the fourth Sunday of Advent, this Sunday the 22nd is “Peace.” In our service on Sunday, we will light the fourth and final candle which is the candle of peace. Many see peace as being an absence of conflict. When nations are no longer warring, we say that we are at peace. The peace that is the peace of Christ is not the same. It is not the absence of conflict but attaining a state of being “whole.” The Hebrew word is Shalom. It is a greater peace than we can fathom here on earth. Or as Philippians 4:7 states, it is a peace that comes from God that, “surpasses all understanding.” This peace is a peace that is hard to describe, for it is way beyond anything that our human experience can fathom. It seems that peace is something that is in short supply in our day and age. Something we desire so deeply, especially after this tumultuous year. Not only does it appear that peace is absent in our world today, but that even during the season of Advent we cannot seem to find peace. We have turned the Christmas season into a stressful time of the year. So, we are tired and exhausted. We need peace and we need it now. Multiples times in Scripture, the name of Jesus is linked with peace. The words of Isaiah 9:7, which are well-known in this season of Advent, foretell the coming of the Messiah. He will be named, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” In Luke 2, the angels came to the shepherds tending their flock by night to give them the good news of the birth of Jesus. They announce, ““Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” Right before Christ is taken up on the cross, he repeats the words from the Scripture above “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” As we focus this time of the year on the birth of the Christ child, we fast forward to the ending of Christ’s earthly journey to remember the reason he came to earth. And as he is leaving the earth, he gives to us, in a way, his last will and testament. He leaves someone for us, each of us. Something that will be meaningful and significant for us. Peace. Think of all that he could have left for us as his final words on earth. But he willed to us “peace.” A lasting and enduring peace that can only come from God. Peace – something we spend so much of our earthly time, effort, and anxiety trying to find. And eventually we are disappointed and stressed all over again. Because it is a worldly peace that we are seeking. Which is short-lived. But Christ offers to us a peace that is lasting and fulfilling. The peace of Christ is truly what we are getting for Christmas. “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” #Advent #preparetheway #peace

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way… a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” Mark 1:1-3 This is the start of the Gospel of Mark. And what is surprising is that Mark skips over the whole narrative of the birth of Jesus. No manger. No shepherds watching over their flock. No wise men. Mark starts his gospel with a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah, and then jumps right into telling about John the Baptist who proceeds to baptize Jesus in the river Jordan. The words he quotes from the prophet Isaiah, foretell of the coming of the Lord. I believe that Mark is telling us, as John the Baptist tells the people of his time, we each have a responsibility. In Biblical times when an ancient monarch intended to pay a royal visit to his far-flung subjects he would send out, months ahead of time, a corps of royal engineers to prepare the roads on which he is to travel. They clear away fallen rocks and trees. They fill in ruts and potholes, and smooth over the rough spots. So, in essence Mark is saying to turn away from all the ugliness in our lives and turn toward the righteousness of God. Let the divine corps of engineers do its work in our lives, to take away all the ruts and potholes, the rough places. Why? Because the Good News is that the Lord is coming and we each need to offer Him a straight path to our being, our heart, our soul, our lives. What are those rough places, those ruts, those potholes that we need to clear out – to turn away from? We need to take action, start straightening and smoothing that road. Whether it be an apology to someone you’ve hurt, or a habit that you need to change, or an attitude of selfishness that you need to be rid of, or setting different priorities or goals in your life? In this Advent Season, we can rush through this time, not stopping to be “on watch.” Not stopping to brush away the rocks along our path that cause us to stumble. Not stopping to comfort those who are in dire straights, to help those who are in need. Advent is a time where each year we need to be reminded again to prepare, to get ready, to straighten out the roads in our lives so that we can more fully let Christ enter, for the Lord has come to be with us, to live right beside us, so that we can live more fully. And to Mark, to us, that is Good News! #Advent #preparetheway #GoodNews

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.” Luke 1:46-49 Much of the birth narrative we know and retell each Advent season comes from the gospel of Luke. Luke’s gospel is filled with individuals, people on the periphery of life, not too important, not too significant. People that many would say weren’t even worth the ink and papyrus that was used on them. But Jesus sees their worth. And Luke loved to tell their story. If we want to truly look at someone who lived on the periphery of the rich and famous, there is Mary. We know that she was a descendent of King David, yet we know that her and her husband were exceedingly poor. One can say that there was something about this Mary that God saw in her. She was homesick. She was homesick for a better place, a time when she would know that she was indeed blessed and that God’s presence was with her. A place where the lowliest of lows, the humble, the righteous, the faithful would be raised up and honored. A place for which they would no longer live in despair, without hope, that they would have a foundation to rest upon in their lives. Her homesickness could only be satisfied by a Savior, one from God, who would make things whole again, to set right the world. She had a longing; she was homesick for a kingdom not of this world. A longing for a Savior. Maybe it wasn’t that God chose the humble and the poor, rather it was the humble and poor who were the only ones who listened and obeyed. The ones that were homesick for a place that they never been to but knew was there and was coming. Coming home, that’s probably the best way to describe salvation. When we come home to God, we come home to ourselves; to be the image of God for which we were created. When we come home to God, we begin to sense that maybe this is really who I am. This realization breaks out into the mundane and routine circumstances of our lives. And when we realize that it brings great joy, great excitement, passions of delight that causes us to break out into song and praise. Just as Mary did. #Advent #faith #grace

As I write my Friday Connection article this evening, I am loving traditions. This is only the second year for this tradition, but one of my daughters came home early for Thanksgiving to help me decorate for Christmas. Yes, I decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving unapologetically. We drank coffee, ate Monkey Bread, listened to Christmas music and decorated the whole house today. One of the things I have learned in life is to value traditions but never hold on to them too tightly. For now, I love this chance to be with one of my girls, but I also know there will be a day when she will be busy with her own family, and I will have to adjust my expectations. I often think one of the hardest things to do as a Christian is to practice contentment like the Apostle Paul who says in Philippians 4, “I’m not saying this because I need anything, for I have learned how to be content in any circumstance.” (Philippians 4:11-13). Learning to be content is a growing edge for me. I am often not content, but I know it is important, and I often pray for it. I was thinking about this early this morning and I decided I would just enjoy the day and not worry about how many more years my daughter and I will practice this new tradition. For many years my mom and I went to the movies on Christmas night. I was single for a long time and my dad never wanted to go out on Christmas night, but we had the best time while it lasted. I loved that tradition with my mom for many years. Gary and I will head to my sisters-in-law’s house for Thanksgiving and that is another of my favorite traditions. I don’t know how long it will last, but for now I will enjoy this coming Thursday on the beach. That is the thing about life and traditions. They constantly change. People move, kids grow up, loved ones die, people divorce, and life just keeps moving forward. I think that is why Paul’s admonition is so important. We cannot depend on life always staying the same or traditions never changing. So, the best practice is to be grateful for the traditions you have today, for the people around you this week, and the goodness you enjoy now. Maybe that is the key to contentment, gratitude and thanksgiving. Let’s intentionally practice it this week and thank God for His continual blessings. #contentment #faith #gratitude

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. Luke 11:34 One story tells of a mother and son who lived in a forest. One day when they were out a tornado surprised them. The mother clung to a tree and tried to hold her son. But the swirling winds carried him into the sky. He was gone. The woman began to weep and pray: "Please, O Lord, bring back my boy! He's all I have. I'd do anything not to lose him. If you'll bring him back, I'll serve you all my days." Suddenly the boy toppled from the sky, right at her feet a bit mussed up, but safe and sound. His mother joyfully brushed him off. Then she stopped for a moment, looked to the sky, and said, "He had a hat, Lord." This is the season for Thanksgiving, a time for which we are to be grateful for all the blessings that we have in our lives. Yet we realize that for some, being grateful does not come easy for various reasons. This has been a tough year. Yes, there are circumstances where it is difficult to be in a grateful spirit, a Thanksgiving mood. But how much of our feelings of gratitude are weighed down, tainted, colored, by our situation and how much of it is influenced by our attitude. That causes us to mistrust. To make us wonder why we are not getting what we deserve. Our attitudes are like lenses of the mind that are always at work. Sometimes they shrink, sometimes they magnify, sometimes they color, sometimes they obscure. They’re always at work. “The eye is the lamp of the body”, Jesus says. It’s all about that word, “assumptions.” If your assumptions about life are bad, then your whole body will be filled with darkness, with emptiness, fear, negativity, mistrust that distort everything you see around you. That distorts our lives. If the eye is not sound, darkness will roll in. Just look around you and there is a lot of evidence that this life is not a conspiracy to mistrust. It’s a creation to enjoy. It’s a continuation of the story of who God is, a God who is self-giving, pouring out His grace. Looking at life through the eyes of gratitude. That will transform us to truly knowing that all of life is a gift to receive and truly rejoice. It is not insignificant that the first prayers we learned are prayers of thanks, “God is great, God is good let us thank Him for this food, for health and strength and daily food, we give you thanks O God. For this food, may it be blessed to our use and to your service. Amen.” May you have a blessed Thanksgiving. #grace #faith #gratitude

In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:19 NIV As we approach the end of 2024, it is a time when we look back at where we have been and look forward to a promising future. We always want to start a new chapter in our lives on a solid footing. The Bible stresses many times that our lives need to be grounded. To be on a solid foundation. As we look at 2024, in a way, it has been a challenging year, three hurricanes of varying strength. And maybe another one on the way. The year has been marked by a contentious election filled with negative political ads that had us turning on one another. Our mother church, the United Methodist Church, went through an unpleasant split and we lost some church families that we loved. Yet, at St. Andrew’s UMC, we have much to be thankful for. We are happy to announce that we have added 40 new members to our church through our new member classes this year and more on the way with our current class. Plus, we have celebrated 26 baptisms in our worship services this year! Giving has been up since last year. And through all the adversity, our worship service attendances, in-person and online have remained steady. We look forward to 2025 as we launch new initiatives as part of our theme, "Following God in a Changing World." Yet we cannot exactly say that the church is on a solid foundation going into the new year. Expenses that were unexpectedly higher than we budgeted, such as property insurance and utilities, have put the church in a deficit that could be around $30,000 at the end of 2024. We want to go into the new year on a solid foundation so that the growth of the church and the flourishing of ministries can continue to advance in reaching others with Christ’s love. Everyone is struggling financially. However, if you could give a bit extra at the end of the year, it would be greatly appreciated. It would ensure that we enter the new year on solid ground so that St. Andrew’s can increase in its growth in faith and its outreach into our community. Thank you, and God’s blessings to you. #seedforsowing #faith #harvest