Working with the UMW, the theme for this year’s Children’s Sabbath Sunday is the idea of Unless. I think we all could come to some agreement that the world is struggling with some issues around caring for the environment; systemic racism; inequalities with health care and education, hunger, and homelessness; and the COVID-19 pandemic; along with many other issues that keep us from the world of love, peace, justice, and mercy that God desires for us.
Throughout my time as a youth pastor, here and with previous congregations, I look forward to confirmation every year. For two years, our soon-to-be freshman have gathered together to study the Bible, learn Methodist theology and history, and grapple with their relationship with the Church and with God. This Sunday, they choose to be confirmed. They choose to commit themselves to growing in relationship with Christ and with our congregation.
One of the great tasks of our life is to be strong enough to follow our God centered heart when we feel like doing so may not be enough to get us where we want to be. I like the stories that tell of how those who were once chastised or made fun of for following their heart and doing what they felt was their calling, and following the path that gave them purpose in their life; who ended up overcoming those early days of emotional trauma and seemingly doomed journeys to finally achieve their life’s goal. In the end, they were fine with how it turned out, hard knocks and all.
The Bible reading for Sunday comes from Matthew 14:13-21. It tells of Jesus feeding a huge number of people who had gathered to be healed of their sicknesses. Jesus was hit hard emotionally. He had been rejected by the people of his hometown of Nazareth when he taught and preached the gospel to them. Then he was told about his cousin, John the Baptizer, being beheaded because of an insidious prank played on Herod Antipas by his wife's daughter, Herodias.
What do you do when it feels like the whole world has slowed down? Some have lost their jobs, others are still working, and yet it seems to take longer to do just about everything. Many activities we typically participated in are altered or cancelled altogether in hopes of not contributing to the spread of coronavirus. So what to do?