Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. - Romans 8:1-2 NIV When speaking of the guilt of our sins, I believe that there are two kinds of people. One type is totally consumed, burdened down when they do wrong. Overcome with remorse and guilt. Martin Luther, the 15th century theologian, the father of the Reformation would fall in this category. Luther was a man consumed by guilt for the sins he had committed. He was constantly in confessional, worried that he would die with unconfessed sin lingering. As soon as he finished his confessional who would remember something else he had done and back to the confessional he turned. Then there is another group of people that are on the opposite spectrum in dealing with the guilt of their sins. And this group you could say is unhealthier than the overly remorseful group. These are the ones that soon forget about the wrongs that do. They seem to get over the guilt very quickly. They shrug it off. We excuse away our guilt, justify it, “it couldn’t be helped.” God’s grace will cover everything. There is no need to feel remorse. Why be burdened by guilt? Life is too stressful anyway. For those who too easily write off our sins we should look back to the Old Testament and what the Hebrew people had to do to receive forgiveness of their sins. What if we had to do the same? If every time we sinned, we had to go to the temple and sacrifice one of our livestock, maybe we would pause to consider what damage these sins are causing, before we do them again. We are causing damage to our relationship with God. I say this, not so that you will be overcome with guilt and remorse. But I say this to show you how extravagant, how compelling is the forgiveness that Christ offers us through His death on the cross. We are not worthy of such mercy. We have not earned it. But God offers it to us anyway, through Jesus Christ. And brings us into a new life, a new freedom through the one who was raised from the dead. You cannot make amends on your own. But only through Christ are we forgiven, redeemed through his dying on the cross. Looking through these eyes can we try to grasp and understand the extreme sacrifice Jesus suffered for us – that we might be dead to sin so that we can be set free. #Lent #repentance #forgiveness #love #grace

Holy Week is almost upon us. As a United Methodist, I love this week. I did not practice Lent growing up. Only the Catholics in our neighborhood gave up sweets for Lent and meat on Fridays. Now it is one of my favorite times of the year as it properly prepares me for Easter morning. On Thursday, April 17, we will sing, have a devotion by David Moscrip and celebrate the communion just as Jesus broke bread with his disciple’s. On Friday, April 18, we will have the Service of Darkness with beautiful music and the pageantry of the youth stripping the altar. I had someone recently tell me they did not like Holy Week because it was too painful. Good Friday service was overwhelmingly sad. I had never thought about that before. They are not wrong. Then I got to remember what I was taught as a Chaplin for Advent Health. People don’t want to feel their feelings. Sure, we all love joy and happiness, but it is normal to avoid the hard emotions. In my devotion by Kate Bowler today she reminded us that Jesus fully understood what was coming when he entered Jerusalem on a donkey the last week of his life. Sure, it started out with the waving of branches, but Jesus knew what was coming and still moved towards what is hard. That is what love does, it moves towards what is hard. Love stretches us way past what we think we can handle, and it always asks more of us than we want to give. Still, we do the hard thing, and we give all that we have. That is what Jesus teaches us during Holy Week. To love Him means that sometimes we must move towards the hard thing. In the moment, it never feels worth it, and it often feels unfair. I quickly move to anger when I am trying to do the hard thing. You may respond with sadness or even despair. We are all different, but we all hate the hard parts of life. Yet we must remember, it never stops there. Jesus’ week ends with an empty tomb. Even the hard parts of life will eventually come to an end. Take time this weekend to read Matthew 21:1-11 to get ready for Palm Sunday.

“Laying the Foundation for Lifelong Learning” “Teach children how they should live, they will remember it all their life.” Proverbs 22:6 Have you heard? St. Andrew’s has one of THE BEST preschools in town! We know this not only from our school families’ feedback, but our licensing and accrediting agencies and inspectors all agree that our program is of the highest quality. The Preschool Board has approved changing our name to St. Andrew’s Academy which will be reflected on the new sign. Why? We are adding a Kindergarten program, so as we grow beyond “preschool” we want our name to reflect this growth. The Academy also created a new logo depicting the beautiful signature arches of St. Andrew’s campus. We are in conversations with Trustees about the long-term viability of our facility. As the need for quality faith-based schools in the community increases, we have expanded into more classrooms in the Children’s Center. As growth dovetails with facility needs, we have begun to seriously consider a building plan for the future. This shall be done with prayers for God’s guidance and blessing. All of this exciting growth brings great opportunities for St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church’s strong presence in the community. Next year our school will serve 101 young families every day of the week. We strive to find ways to connect them with our wonderful church and its ministries. You will be part of this journey, so we ask for your prayers and support as we move ahead. Sincerely, Kathy Grant Director, St. Andrew's Academy #StAndrew'sAcademy #school

“Don’t even begin to think that I have come to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I haven’t come to do away with them but to fulfill them. I say to you very seriously that as long as heaven and earth exist, neither the smallest letter nor even the smallest stroke of a pen will be erased from the Law until everything there becomes a reality." Matthew 5:17-18 CEB As we journey through this season of Lent, we are challenged to look at our lives. Yet if we were to truly look at our lives in the light of Jesus, it should be more like a glaring light that makes us squirm. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Chapters 5-7 of the Gospel of Matthew, a section known as the Sermon on the Mount, that we studied last week in my “Mondays at Two” group. They are challenging words. If you truly sit down and absorb these words, you are going to be mad, or you feel shamed, or you may just think that Jesus didn’t really mean what he is saying. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus goes against the grain of our prevailing way of life. It shakes us up. And that is the whole aim of the sermon. Much of what Jesus is referring to are the laws that were handed down from the Old Testament. Jesus didn’t change the laws of the Old Testament. In fact, he put them on a higher level. They are more stringent than we first thought. The true test is not whether we commit acts outwardly, the true test is if we commit the crime inwardly, in our thoughts and our hearts. There is no difference in doing the crime and thinking about doing the crime. Are you squirming yet? If you are looking for a nice, comfortable religion that doesn't call for too many demands on your life and makes you feel better when you're down then you probably shouldn't try to be one of Jesus' disciples. He is demanding. He has the crazy notion that his followers should serve others rather than themselves. He expects them to show integrity when no one is looking. And he expects them to love. Even those people that stir our anger. Jesus expects us to love our enemies. With discomfort brings change. For Jesus is challenging us not so that we can feel bad about ourselves. The intent of these teachings is to spur us on for transformation. Don't follow Jesus unless you're ready to experience some discomfort. And change. #Lent #grace #discipleship

"The Lord is for me—I won’t be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” Psalm 118:6 CEB Today I am happy. It is interesting what makes us happy at different times in our lives. When I was young, Fridays always made me happy. Anticipating the weekend, what fun adventure I might have. Fridays still make me happy but for different reasons. On Friday I work from home, writing a sermon and doing laundry. It is a relaxing day, and I enjoy writing sermons. This Friday I am also in Michigan, staying with my dad while my sister heads out to a conference this weekend. My dad had a stroke a couple of weeks ago and still cannot drive. Being here in this house makes me happy because this is where I feel closest to my mom who died 5 years ago. This makes me happy. I also just heard from my oldest daughter that we are finally going to meet the boy she has been dating since fall. That makes me overly happy. Yet it is not realistic to be happy every day. Some days are hard and thankless. Somedays we long for a change or an end to something that is dreadful. Scripture does not promise us endless happy days. So, what do you do with bad Fridays? Psalm 118 is a chapter that talks about God’s faithfulness to His people. Verse 6 speaks to me personally. “The Lord is for me[a]—I won’t be afraid. What can anyone do to me? (Psalm 118:6.) My favorite part of this verse is the beginning. The Lord is for me. That is all we need to know. We serve a God who has our back. He is a God who wants the very best for us and our lives. He is not a God who is waiting for us to mess up so He can judge us. The opposite. He is a parent who crosses oceans for His Kids. He is a parent who can’t wait to hear from them when they pray. He is a God who delights in us and will help us endlessly. While I may still have really bad days, it does give me peace to know that God has my back, and peace leads to something better than happy. Peace leads to joy. Whatever you are feeling on this Friday today, just remember that God is for us. That is worth a smile right there. #Lent #joy #peace #grace #unconditionallove

‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Luke 18:10-13 Lent is the forty days before Easter, which is the time where we seriously examine our lives. It is intended to be a special time for prayer and reflection, a time for spiritual growth and discipline. Historically, Lent was a time for penance for those who have committed grave sins who had applied for reinstatement into the church. Because it became a season where one dwelt on and lamented over their sins, the season of Lent sometimes takes on a somber and dismal mood. It goes against the grain of everything we seek in our world, and we find ourselves almost screaming out “Don’t go there.” Why dwell on the things that bring us down. Focus on those things that build us up. Everyone needs to have a healthy self-esteem by focusing on the good points, practicing positive reinforcements, and combating that critical inner voice. There is power in positive thinking, not negative thinking. Nothing good can come out of facing our mortality and our sin. Why must we focus on the bad things in our lives? Besides, we find ourselves saying, OK, I’m not perfect; I have some things I need to work on. Well, I’m not as bad as that guy. Isn’t that what the Pharisee was saying in the story from Luke? Even the most despicable of persons can find someone who is more despicable than they are. So, I’m not the one who needs to examine myself, it’s that other guy. Yet the whole motive for dwelling on our faults and our sin that we are to be focused on during the season of Lent is not to make us feel so miserable and so worthless but is to allow us to be freed from the things that hinder our relationship with God. To be conformed to the image of Christ, who is himself “the image of the invisible God” by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is to remind us that God is not with us simply to console, affirm, heal and love us yet is with us to challenge our illusions and confront our personal idolatries. God is in the business of remodeling and is constantly calling us to reorient ourselves. “Return to me with all your heart” the Lord says according to the prophet Joel. Lent is a time to return to God with all your heart. Lent is a time to remind us that we are not God, yet mortals. The world does not revolve around us. It is a time to say to the Lord God, "I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence"(Psalm 51:3-4) God knows exactly what you've done, even after years of running and hiding. Even when every impulse we have says “don’t go there.” It’s OK to “go there.” God is big enough to handle it, even though we may not be. For God's not interested in locking you up. No, God wants only to free you up. Free you through forgiveness. #Lent #repentance #forgiveness #grace #unconditionallove

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 1 Corinthians 9:23 NIV In this passage, the Apostle Paul makes the point that he is becoming all things to all people. Right before this passage, he writes “To those under the law I became like one under the law…to win those under the law. To those without the law I became like one without the law…to win those without the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.” Paul was not abandoning his faith or beliefs but understanding and implementing different ways to reach people within the contexts in which he found himself. To meet people where they were, walk with them, and minister the Gospel of Christ to them. This required him to be intentional about looking at the environment and paying attention to people: what are their struggles, pains, comforts and joys, their questions and concerns of the day, etc. How could Paul bring Christ's love and light to meet them where they are? This is the world that we live in today as well. Some of you may have noticed that St. Andrew’s UMC has a new look in its communications. A new look in our email newsletters, marketing, and on social media. Included with this is a new “branding.” It’s a new symbol that identifies us as St. Andrew’s UMC. Branding is widespread in our society today. For example, below is an example of branding. Most everyone would recognize this as the retail store outlet, Target. But nowhere on that brand does it say “Target” or any indication that it is a retail outlet. We just know that it is Target from the image. This is the same idea for the new branding symbol for our church (see below) Nowhere in this symbol (the circle) does it identify us as a church, or a UM church. The aim is to flood our communications with this symbol so when your average Joe and Mary see it, they will say, “Hey that is that welcoming church with all those great ministries at the corner of Bloomingdale and Bryan.” We are a society that is more immediately attracted to visuals. Especially the younger generation whom we are trying to attract who rely more on social media for their communication. This does not mean we are separating ourselves from The Cross and Flame logo of the UMC or replacing it with this emblem. Or that St. Andrew’s is steering away from the denomination. NO WAY. Just look at the huge cross and flame on the side of your church building. The new digital sign (which should be up by the end of March) will still say “St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church.” Our branding symbol will be on the sign, but the Cross and Flame will be prominent on the digital screen. And on our Web site. In fact, there are many United Methodist Churches, including some in The Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, who use The Cross and Flame AND a symbol to brand the unique ways in which they serve the communities in which they are located. The new branding symbol is a modern look that identifies us as St. Andrew’s UMC and can be considered our missional branding in the specific ways that we "Reach. Create. Serve." our surrounding community, which coincides with the UMC brand "Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors." It differentiates us from other churches. The symbolism within the brand identifies our three missional aims, to REACH people with Christ's love (Open hearts.), CREATE Christian community (Open minds.), and SERVE others as followers of Jesus Christ (Open doors.). Exploring the symbolism further (see graphic below): The circle emblem represents unity, commitment, love, and community. The dark blue gray demi circle represents Reach: reaching and meeting people where they are. The light blue gray demi circle represents Create: creating safe community to learn and grown in Christ with each other. The darker white space in the center appears to be the smallest portion but fills the entire circle of unity underneath. It represents the open space of God’s grace and the collective body’s open heart. The orange half circle represents our greatest missional call to Serve others and love our neighbor. We don’t expect everyone to pick up on the symbolism, but we do hope that when one sees the brand, they recognize it as that missional church, St. Andrew’s UMC. We are committed to our United Methodist ideas, as identified by The Cross and Flame, for those who recognize its significance. And we are uniquely identified as this church, among a slew of other churches, by our new modern brand. We are not changing our beliefs or who we are as United Methodists. We are just reaching out to a diverse community that we live in “to be all things for all people.” #TheUnitedMethodistFamily #ThepeopleofTheUnitedMethodistChurch # Openhearts.Openminds.Open doors. #St.AndrewsUMC #Reach.Create.Serve.

There is story in the Book of John that talks about two women whose brother has died. Jesus comes to them, but not in enough time to save their brother. They are sad and frustrated that Jesus was delayed in coming. Jesus goes out to the cave where the brother’s body has been placed, and a stone now covers the entrance.  “   Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.”  (John 11:39)  I have always wondered about Martha’s response. She has seen Jesus do miraculous things in His ministry and now He appears to want to see her brother and she is most worried about the smell. It is an odd bit of information to include in the story when so many biblical stories are lacking details. If it is there, I always think we should not ignore it. The stone is rolled away and Jesus brings her brother back from the dead after he has been gone for four days.  That is truly amazing. What if Jesus would have listened to her and not raised her brother because of the smell. Was avoiding the embarrassment of a smelly body more important than the possibility of new life? How often do we avoid true healing because we are afraid the process might be embarrassing like a smelly decaying body. How often do we avoid hard conversations because we are worried about the awkwardness or the hurt feelings when we tell the truth. How often do we simply say nothing and essentially leave the stone in front of the cave blocking any chance of maturity and growth.   It is important to note that Jesus did not accidently arrive late to the home of the sisters. In fact, before he arrived his said this to His disciples, Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died.    For your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there so that you can believe. Let’s go to him.” (John 11:14-15). I think we often forget that Jesus is in the business of bringing new life to us. That should always be our expectation.  Jesus wants to heal us. Yet we must be willing to roll back the stone even if we are worried that the process of healing will embarrass us.    #unconditionallove #healing #grace

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,  it keeps no record of wrongs.   1 Corinthians 4-5 NIV   Today is Valentine’s Day. The history behind this day is shrouded in mystery, but the legend is that in third century Rome, Emperor Claudius II banned marriages because he believed single men made better soldiers. A priest named Valentine defied this decree and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. While in prison, Valentine fell in love with the jailor's daughter, who visited him during his confinement. Before his execution, he is said to have written her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression still in use today on this special day. Over time, the day became associated with romantic love, celebrated worldwide with the exchange of cards, flowers, and chocolates. Love is an interesting word in the English language because it has a multitude of meanings in different contexts.  For example, I would use the same word to describe my love of pizza as I would to describe my love for my wife. The Greeks had four different words for love: philio , which is love for a friend; storge , which is love for your family; eros,  which is romantic love; and finally, the highest form of love, agape .  Interestingly, the word philio appears in the New Testament 32 times, storge , only   2 times, and eros , zero times.  Agape is seen 262 times in the New Testament.  It is the kind of love that we should strive toward. Unconditional love. Sacrificial love.  It is selfless care for others. It is the love that God has for us. When Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is patient and kind. It doesn’t boast, it isn’t proud.  He is talking about agape. It is wanting the best for others. And many times, that is a decision. If we were truly honest about it, there are people in our lives that we don’t actually want what’s best for them. It makes no earthly sense to agape  an enemy. We can certainly agape our family, a friend, a colleague.  But an enemy? This throws a whole new light on love.  It is not just a warm, fuzzy feeling for another person. But it takes intentionality.  It’s a decision to make, every day, all day.   God’s love, agape , can be difficult for us to produce ourselves.  However, it is not for us to create in us.  We must be open to allow God to cultivate  agape in us.  It’s no accident that love is the first one of the fruits of the spirit that we read in Galatians 5:22-23.  For fruit is not something that we can create on our own.  But must be planted and grown in us. God’s love within us so that we can share God’s love through us. Happy Valentine’s Day to all, with agape. #agape #UnconditionalLove#GodisLove #Valentine'sDay

“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