Message: A Guide for Those Who will Follow

This week I received a box of books from the library of Rev. Jim Burns who recently passed away. Jim was a long-time MCC pastor who spent a large portion of his career serving MCC of the Rockies in Denver, and he was involved in a wide variety of leadership roles throughout his career. He was a wonderful man of faith.

I was surprised and honored to get a call from the executor of his will offering to send a small part of his extensive library to me. Books are sacred to all readers, and I think they hold a special place in the heart of pastors. As I carefully unboxed the books, I immediately felt Jim's presence. Jim was an avid reader...these books were not in his library for nothing...he read his books. And that fact was so immediately obvious. Coffee stained covers and pages, boarding passes that had been recruited as bookmarks, dog-eared pages, highlights and notes...so many signs of the brilliant mind of my colleague whose spirit and heart had lingered over these very pages.

As I picked out which ones I would start reading now and placed others on my shelves for later, I couldn't help but consider the ways that these books might someday end up on the shelves of some other pastor, how someday it will be my highlights, my dog-eared pages, and my boarding passes that will be discovered like a treasure map by a friend after I'm gone. While some people love a new book, I have always enjoyed being the second or third reader...able to follow the trail marks of the previous travelers who left behind signposts for the best parts and personal additions to the text in the margins. The bittersweet thought of someone allowing my highlights to guide them through some of my favorite books really stirred in my heart.

As the Spirit was moving in my heart, I started to remove one of those boarding pass bookmarks from one of Jim's books. I glanced at where he was going when he read this book. Chicago to Hartford. July 13. No year. "Huh," I thought, "never realized they didn't put years on boarding passes." I turned toward my trash can to throw away the make-shift bookmark, and then I thought better of it, "No. This book is Jim's. The boarding pass stays." I thanked God for Jim and then decided that I'll mark my place with his boarding pass, and someday in the distant future, I hope someone else will use it mark theirs as well.

Whether it is the notes and marks you make in your books or the memories you leave in the hearts of your friends, do your best to leave a good trail guide for those who may one day endeavor to find their way in this life by following in your footsteps.

Your Fellow Traveler,

Pastor Wes

Christmas Countdown!

This weekend marks the beginning of the final Christmas countdown both here at the church and for all of us who still have some Christmas shopping to do. I hope that you will take advantage of all the wonderful programs that are coming up in the next 7-10 days. From Christmas Choir Concerts to beautifully sung "Silent Nights" by candlelight, there are going to be some wonderful opportunities to embrace the Spirit of Christmas.

More than just an invitation to a nostalgic or cheerful holiday moment, I want to make sure that you know that these events (and really all our programs throughout the year) are really opportunities to connect with our family of choice and our family of faith.

This season has been one in which several people I know and love from our church and in my personal life have faced serious health diagnoses. These scary words from the mouths of men and women adorned in white coats instantly changed the nature of this holiday season. For each of these folks I am thinking of, every moment deeply matters. I can see this in the way they are moving through this season...taking nothing for granted. 

Really, we should all do the same. Why do we ever hesitate to say, "I love you?" Why do we sometimes let words of thanks and gratitude get caught in the backs of our throats? For some reason, it can be very hard, even at the holidays, to express how we truly feel. Maybe it is because we equate feelings with weakness or maybe we sometimes struggle to know how we are really feeling. Whatever it is, I encourage you to show up for these precious holiday moments by giving the people you love the gift of being fully present. Make this a part of your work gatherings, family gatherings, and family of choice gatherings. Make this a part of your gatherings with the family at MCC for music, Santa, and Christmas services of various types so that we can share in your fully-present Christmas.

I pray blessings on all your holiday gatherings over the next 10 days. May they be blessed by Christ and be a blessing in your life and in the lives of all those you love.

Follow Your Star

This week our Advent Book Study groups were focusing on a story about a young man who lived in a wooded area along the shore. He longed for the day that a boat would come along and sail him away on a great adventure. He would drive others crazy always looking to the horizon, longing to be anywhere but here. Only after years of doing this did he look at the trees and begin to see the hull of a ship right in front of him. His boat had been right there in the trees all along. He had just looked passed it.

This leads me to ask you, what people or things in your life are you missing because you are looking passed them...so distracted by something else? How often are we guilty of getting caught up in our cell phones, iPads, or computers? We can spend an entire evening staring at our devices. Maybe TV is your Achilles heel? Sports? Even reading books can cause some to "check out" and escape into a fantasy world.

Of course these things are not all bad. Cell phones have put the entire internet in our pocket. And who would want to tell someone to stop reading books? We all need the occasional opportunity to escape from the stress of the world around us by indulging in a favorite TV show. But all things in moderation. We can take escaping too far and fail to live our lives. We can miss the blessings that are right in front of us.

During the holiday season, sales and social calendars can start to run us, making us long to simply check out...saying things like, "A few more weeks, and things can just go back to normal." This temptation to check out is an important reason to remember that Advent spiritual practice calls us to slow down intentionally, reflect, and wait for the arrival of the Christ-child. I encourage you to make deliberate effort to strike a good balance this Christmas season. I hope you are able to find time to really enjoy friends and family while also making some space for yourself to quietly sit at home and simply enjoy the twinkle of the lights on the Christmas tree. This is truly a holy season. I pray you are able to see all the opportunities to live it this year.

A Final Word Before I Go...

This Sunday will be my final Sunday day with you and last time in the pulpit until October 8th. I have been spending this week putting all the final touches on everything that I needed to do before heading out for this time of pastoral renewal. As I finish up these last few moments in the office, I have a couple of final thoughts and requests for you.

First, I hope that you are able to take time out of the upcoming holiday weekend to join us for worship on Sunday. I have a special final message and ritual prepared before I go, and I would love to have your participation and see you one last time.

Secondly, I ask that you show me how great of a church we have while I am away. Please prove that this church is much bigger than just the Senior Pastor. Show me that you will have great attendance in worship and strong, stable financial giving even when the Senior Pastor is away. Besides, this church always has been and always will be bigger than any one person...even the pastor!

Third, I pray that you make use of the many options for renewal that our Fall Programming offers. I hope that while I am away seeking God, spending time in quiet isolation and study, that you, too, will find opportunities for rest and renewal. Pastor Lillie and Pastor Katie have given you some great options to choose from, and they are going to be doing some great preaching on the topic, so please take advantage of those programs.

Finally, and most importantly, I want to say a word of thanks. I want to thank the Pastoral Search Committee who agreed to place this time of renewal in my contract nearly four years ago. I want to further thank the current Board of Directors for ensuring and encouraging me that the church was healthy and that it was in all our best interests for me to actually take this time of renewal that was contracted. And finally, I want to thank you. Since we announced this was happening, I have not had one person question it or complain about it. Without exception I have felt your full support and love, knowing that a rested and spiritually strong pastor was good for everyone. I thank you for ministering to me by so generously giving me this time without any sense of shame or judgement. I am deeply grateful and humbled by your kindness and love.

I am blessed to serve this amazing congregation, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday and returning to you on October 3rd.

Lessons Learned

"It is not your fault; it is not my fault; it is not our fault that this is the way things are, but it our responsibility to work for positive change."  -Jamie Washington 

Last week at the People of African Descent Conference, this was just one of many powerful statements that helped me better understand the ways that we, as followers of Christ, can seek positive change in the world without feeling overwhelmed or unsure about what to do.

So many problems in our world today just seem too big. If one focuses on them too much, it feels like any one of them could crush you. This week alone I've been in conversations with folks feeling overwhelmed about racial injustice, immigration, threat of nuclear war, and general fears relating to the state of the world and the fragility of human mortality. 

Any one of those big problems is enough to overwhelm anyone, and so it is no wonder that we are all walking around a bit on edge, carrying extra worry, and seeking some relief from the anxiety we feel. So, I remind you today: It is not your fault that this is the way things are. We are not personally responsible for the problems we may see around us, and no one of us can solve all those problems or save all those whose lives are in harm's way. Instead, we each can simply do our best to face the challenge of each day by seeking to be a positive force for change in our own sphere of influence. 

Another thing we did at the PAD Conference was consider our greatest strengths and commit to doing those things as best as we possibly can. Are you a good listener? Then commit to being a great listener as people are seeking to process their current fears and anxiety. Are you good speaking up and naming hard truths? Then commit to doing a great job of naming the hard truths that current local and global events will force us to face. The good news in this is that you already have every skill you need to help create positive change. You don't need to read a book, go back to school, or sit around simply wishing that there was something you could do. There is something you can do, and you are likely already doing it. Just do it more!

I hope that this lesson I learned over the last week brings you the same hope and encouragement that it brought to me. This is not the first time that the people of faith have lived in trying and even terrifying times, and this will not be the last. Let us simply do our best to play to our strengths and be the best images of Christ we can be in the world.

Rain on a Tent

I grew up spending a lot of time in places that look like this picture. The rolling hills of the Smokey Mountains and a lake. We spent nearly every Saturday at the lake water-skiing and tubing,  and we would usually take a few camping trips where we would stay out at the lake for several days.

This week Kevin was out of town with work, and I was having a bit of trouble falling asleep. I decided to use an app to put on some meditation type sounds to help me fall asleep, and I came across one option that was called "Rain on a Tent." I put that sound on and I was immediately transported back in time. Just like certain smells can sometimes transport us (Grandpa's cigars, Mom's detergent, or a former lover's perfume/cologne), this sound took me back to my teenage years.

It was so specific it was kind of creepy. I could feel the humid summer air by the lake, I could smell the piece of soft pink foam that I always used for a bed mat, and since I was running my ceiling fan, it even seemed like the breeze from the summer rain was gently drifting through the tent. Lying there in the dark with my eyes closed, it was so easy to be transported thousands of miles away and many years back in time. Best of all, it was a beautiful, sweet, and joyful memory that brought me to a place of peace and comfort that put me to sleep in no time. I even woke up the next morning with sound still playing in the room and had to remind myself where I was...I was still transported even in my sleep.

All week I've been thinking about that experience, and the many memories of those times at the lake that came back to me because of it. It has caused me to think of sweet memories with my family and with friends that hadn't come to my mind in years. It has me thinking about the fullness of time in which God lives and where we will all one day reside. What is the "Rain on a Tent" sound in eternity? What sounds or smells cause God to suddenly transport back through time? Does that distinct smell of summer rain transport God back to when the planet was still young? Does the sound of our worship transport God into the heavenly presence of angels? Does the smell of every new baby remind God of Jesus? Does the sound of a hammer striking a nail still send shivers up God's spine? 

I have no idea if eternity contains experiences like these, but I do know that key sounds and smells and tastes are powerful. They are so hard-wired into us that I like the thought of us wistfully being transported to and from the heavenly realm by them. It even makes me wonder if that has something to do with the way that our loved ones can sometimes seem to reach out to us through things that once meant a great deal to them. Who knows? For now, I'm going to enjoy the memories that are coming back to me while being a bit more aware of old friends or dear family members who may try to drop back by from the other side for a brief visit.