News - Beechfield United Methodist Church Baltimore, MD

Good News - Week of 9/16/2018

9/18/2018

PRAYER OF THE WEEK
Change our hearts, O God, so that we may delight in Your Word and meditate upon it day and night. Amen.

Picture of African Jesus in an African village welcoming children.

Jesus welcomes the children

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Proverbs 31:10-31: A good wife is to be valued because she cares for her family and her servants, she provides for her household, she brings honor to her husband and she is hard working and resourceful.

Psalm 1: Righteous people are blessed because they do not follow the ways of the wicked, but love God’s instruction. They are like trees planted by streams, bearing fruit and always succeeding. The wicked, however, are destroyed.

James 3:13-4:3-8: Wise followers of Christ should live a humble life. Jealousy and selfish ambition are not wise, but cause evil, conflict, murder and struggle. Therefore God’s people should resist evil, submit to God, draw near to God, and seek to be cleansed.

Mark 9:30-37: Jesus predicts his death and resurrection, and then challenges the disciples for arguing about which of them is greatest. Then he teaches them that the greatest in God’s Reign must be the slave of all, and that whoever welcomes a child, welcomes Jesus, and the One who sent him.

Reflections
It is a tough choice to give up personal power and self-interest in favor of the common good, but this is the way of Christ – the way of peace, service, grace and love. In every community there are those who seek to “work the system” to benefit themselves. Sometimes this is done maliciously, but often it is done with simple ignorance or neglect of the needs of the weak, poor, voiceless and defenseless. The truth is that we are all oppressed and we are all oppressor at some point in our lives, and we all need to learn to turn away from our worst selves. Taking up the cross of Christ means that we give up our quest to be the greatest, come alongside those who suffer and are persecuted, and support them, defend them and work with them for their upliftment, while ensuring that the wealthy and powerful do not benefit at their expense. Who are the ones who need this kind of support and protection in your community or church?

Good News - Week of 9/9/2018

9/10/2018

PRAYER OF THE WEEK
Forgive me when I speak what harms, O God, and teach me to speak only what heals. Amen.

silhouette of man speaking; feathers flying out of his mouth

Guarding words and actions

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Proverbs 1:20-33: Wisdom cries out in public for the crowd to turn away from their foolishness, but, in spite of the invitation, the people have refused to listen. So, they will receive no help when disaster comes, but those who obey will be protected.

Psalm 19: Creation proclaims God’s glory, and the Psalmist celebrates God’s law that brings life, refreshes the soul, gives insight and wisdom, and corrects him when he goes astray.

James 3:1-12: The tongue is a small thing, but it has tremendous power for good or ill. Although human beings have tamed all sorts of animals, we struggle to tame the tongue. But, for God’s people, blessing and curses should not come out of the same mouth.

Mark 8:27-38: Jesus asks his disciples who the people say he is, and then who they say he is. Peter replies that he is the Christ. Then Jesus predicts his coming death and resurrection, but Peter tries to correct him. Jesus responds by rebuking Peter, and then teaching that all who seek to follow him must take up their crosses, and not be ashamed of him.

Reflections
The call for integrity may seem naïve in a world in which corruption, expediency and power games appear to be the order of the day. It is not uncommon to hear political, business, community and religious leaders say one thing and then discover that their actions are completely different. It can be painful to watch as self-protection, self-aggrandisement and power-grabbing become the norm, especially among those who are leaders. Unfortunately, when integrity gets lost, so too does justice. It becomes very hard to get aid to those who need it, when leaders siphon off money and resources for themselves. It can be tough to get laws changed when corporate lobbies invest millions in maintaining an unjust legal advantage. It can be disheartening to work on behalf of the marginalised and vulnerable, when legal and financial systems are biased against them. It can become very tempting to sacrifice our integrity just to get things done. But, to do this is to lose faith in the Gospel, and to violate the justice and integrity of God’s Reign. As hard as it can sometimes be to hold on to our integrity, in the end, it’s the only thing that can bring about authentic transformation in our world. When the integrity of Christ is manifest in our lives, it will rub off on others, and slowly systems and people will change. Certainly the signs that integrity is becoming increasingly important to the people of the world are all there – in the exposés of corrupt and immoral behaviour among leaders, in the call for more just systems through various protest movements, and in the growing power in online and other forms of citizen activism. As followers of Christ, let’s celebrate integrity wherever we find it, and let’s seek to maintain integrity as one of our highest values.

WHAT'S HAPPENING
This week marks the 17th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. In remembrance we post this video of John Williams' "Hymn to the Fallen". As you listen, pray that God's peace would reign and that we would cease from killing and destruction.

Good News - Week of 7/15/2018

7/18/2018

PRAYER OF THE WEEK
May our worship draw us into God’s household and form us together into a temple of God’s Spirit so that the world may know the grace and compassion of the Good Shepherd who has called us and who loves us with an eternal, unquenchable love. Amen.

Painting of a lost sheep and a shepherd bending down to comfort it.

Ovejas Sin Pastor (Sheep Without a Shepherd)

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

2 Samuel 7:1-14a: David decides that he wants to build a temple (house) for God, but God, through the prophet Nathan, refuses him, and tells him that he is not the one to build a temple, and that God has never needed a temple. But, God promises David that his dynasty (house) will be established forever and that God will raise up a descendant of David to sit on his throne.

Psalm 89:20-37: God has called and anointed David to be God’s chosen king, and God has promised him a dynasty that will last forever. If David’s descendants abandon God’s ways, God will discipline them, but never withdraw God’s love, ensuring that David’s dynasty is established forever.

Ephesians 2:11-22: Jews and Gentiles together have been reconciled to God in Christ and brought into one community in which the lines of division have been removed by God through Christ’s cross. Now both are part of God’s household, and are built into a temple for God’s Spirit.

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56: When the disciples return from their mission, they tell Jesus about all they have done, and he calls them to rest. But, as they try to withdraw to a quiet place, the crowds follow them and Jesus has compassion on them because they are like sheep without a shepherd. Then, wherever he goes, the people bring the sick to him for healing.

Reflections
The House of God and the Good Shepherd – these are the two ideas that combine to challenge and inspire us in this week’s lectionary. In a world where so many of us seek to domesticate God to our own agendas, the Scriptures reveal a God who will not be tamed, and who calls us into a diverse, inclusive community in which people are cared for, protected and filled with God’s Spirit in order to live in the world as caring shepherds to all.

Good News - Week of 6/3/2018

6/6/2018

PRAYER OF THE WEEK
Fill my eyes and my heart with your true Self, O God. Amen.

Binding the Strong Man

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

1 Samuel 8:4-20: The people of Israel demand a king and God concedes, instructing Samuel to tell them how hard it will be to have a king ruling over them. Then Saul is appointed as king.

Psalm 138: Praise and thanksgiving for God’s unfailing love, God’s promises, God’s answers to prayer, and God’s protection.

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1: Paul explains his hope and faith in God that compels him to preach, for as God raised Christ, so God will raise all who believe in Christ. This gives us hope and perseverance in the face of the troubles we must deal with in this life.

Mark 3:20-35: In response to the religious teachers who claim that Jesus is possessed by a demon, Jesus teaches that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, and that Satan cannot fight against Satan. Then, when his mother and brothers come asking for him, Jesus declares that all who do God’s will are his siblings and parents.

Reflections
Each day brings with it myriad challenges to our allegiance to God’s Reign. In our relationships, we are constantly challenged to abandon our commitments to integrity, fidelity, and mutual submission in favor of “no-strings-attached”, instant gratification of our own desires and urges. In our homes we are tempted to give up our quest for intimacy and mutual support, care and interest in favor of the passive and seemingly easy alternative of “entertainment” or completely independent activities. In our neighborhoods, it is tempting to avoid the struggles of learning to understand and listen to each other by grouping together with those who think like us, look like us and hold the same values, while separating ourselves from those who are different. Even in our faith communities, we easily turn away from the tough inclusivity and love that the Gospel demands in favor of exclusivity, legalism, hypocrisy and judgment of others. Ultimately all of these challenges to our allegiance to God’s Reign appear to promise life, pleasure and/or security, while, in fact, they rob us of life and move us further away from the life-giving activity and presence of God. This week we face the call to examine our hearts, get honest about where we place our allegiance, and ensure that we turn soundly back to God in any and every area where our allegiance may be faltering. Such self-examination (personal and communal) can be painful, but it is also the only way to remain connected with God’s life-giving Spirit.

Good News - Week of 5/27/2018

5/30/2018

PRAYER OF THE WEEK
I praise you, O God, for your infinite grace and unending love, and for the joy they bring to me. Amen.

A close-up of some grains on their stalks.

Mark 2:23 - 3:6

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20): The child, Samuel, who is serving God with the Eli the priest, hears God’s voice in the night. He mistakenly thinks it is Eli, but then Eli explains it is God, and instructs him to say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Then God gives Samuel a message of judgement against Eli’s family because of his corrupt sons. In the morning Samuel tells Eli the prophecy.

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18: The Psalmist celebrates the God who has searched him and knows him, who sees him in all the parts of his life, and who goes before and follows him. This God created all the intricate parts of his body – wonderfully – and formed him in his mother’s womb, recording all the days of his life in God’s book.

2 Corinthians 4:5-12: God’s apostles don’t preach themselves but Christ crucified. The light of Christ shines in their hearts, but they are like fragile clay jars to show that the power is from God. They endure many different kinds of suffering and persecution, but the life of Christ is at work within them even as their bodies are dying. Our present struggles are nothing compared to the glory that awaits and that lasts forever.

Mark 2:23-3:6: Jesus’ disciples pick grain to eat as they are walking along, and the Pharisees challenge Jesus on this, because it was the Sabbath. But Jesus points them to David eating the sacred bread from the temple. Then he tells them that the sabbath was created for people, not people for the Sabbath, and he is Lord of the Sabbath. Then Jesus heals a man with a damaged hand and challenges the critics who want to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. But they do not respond.

Reflections
The overarching theme this week is that God values and dignifies human beings immensely. In the old Testament reading we see the dignity God gives to the boy Samuel by speaking to him and through him. God’s word through Samuel confronts the corruption in Eli’s sons, and that speaks to God’s commitment to preserve and fight for the dignity and freedom of all people. In the Deuteronomy reading, the Sabbath command is rooted in God’s liberation of God’s people, and in the call to respect the dignity of all people. The Psalms both speak to this dignity and love that God gives humanity in the celebration of God’s deep knowing of us, and in the all ton praise God for God’s liberation. In the Corinthians reading the apostle reminds his readers of the glory that God has placed within then fragile clay jars of our physicality. Finally, in the Gospel, Jesus performs miracles that bring healing and dignity to people, disregarding the law that prohibits him from doing that on the Sabbath. The message this week is one of hope and inspiration as we are reminded of God’s deep love for humanity, and God’s determination to move humanity, and the whole cosmos, to a place of dignity, justice, mutual care, and deep interconnectedness.

Good News - Week of 5/20/2018

5/22/2018

PRAYER OF THE WEEK
God of glory and majesty, I honor you and praise your glory. Amen.

Painting of the Holy Trinity. The primary colors are orange, read-orange, yellow and pink. Abstract renderings of the faces of the Father and the Son are present. There is also a dove representing the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Trinity

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Isaiah 6:1-8: Isaiah receives a vision of God in God’s glory in the Temple, and he hears the seraphim singing “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Then, after he has confessed and been cleansed, he hears God asking for someone whom God can send, and he volunteers.

Psalm 29: A psalm in praise of God’s glory, the power and majesty of God’s voice, and acknowledging God as the eternal ruler over creation, the heavenly beings and all people.

Romans 8:12-17: By the power of God’s Spirit, we are heirs with Christ of God’s glory, we are adopted as children of God, and we are able to live according to the Spirit’s leading, not following our sinful nature.

John 3:1-17: Jesus teaches Nicodemus that, in order to see God’s Reign, he must be born of the Spirit. For whoever believes in Jesus, sent by God into the world to save the world, receives God’s eternal life.

Reflections
The obvious focus of the readings this week is the celebration of the Trinity. The uniquely doctrinal nature of this theme can make it a tough week to prepare for, but the specific focus of the readings for Year B offers some helpful practical possibilities. Isaiah’s vision, with the triple “holy” of the seraphs, reveals how powerfully transforming a true encounter with the triune God can be. The psalm supports this with its celebration of God as king over all, including the heavenly beings. In the letter to the Romans, Paul reveals how the triune God works in our hearts and lives to make us, both in identity and action, true Spirit-led children of God. Finally, in John’s Gospel, Jesus makes the same point in his call for seekers of God to be born again – transformed, by God’s Spirit, into believers in, and practitioners, of the values and purposes of God’s Reign, that was revealed, taught and demonstrated by Jesus. God is revealed, then, as the King and Creator, who seeks an intimate relationship, as of parent and child, with human beings, and all of creation. Then, God is also revealed in Christ as the one who shows the true nature of God’s kingship, and who invites us to be participants in God’s work in the world, by giving us an example, and by opening doors to God’s life through his death and resurrection. Finally, the empowerment we need to enter this relationship with God, and live as kingdom people, is God’s Spirit who is given to us and through whom we are born from above. The key for this week, then, is how God encounters us, in God’s Triune nature, and transforms us into Christ-like, kingdom living, children of God. The Trinitarian celebration is not just a fascinating theological exercise, but a moment of opening ourselves, in worship, to this transforming encounter with our majestic and mysterious God.

Good News - Week of May 13, 2018

5/16/2018

Drawn picture of white dove over red, orange flames.

The Holy Spirit Descended Upon Them

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Acts 2:1-21: The believers are filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and they start to praise God in various languages.

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b: The world and all its creatures depend on God for provision and breath – which leads the Psalmist to commit to praise God.

Romans 8:22-27: All of creation, and we, hope for the day when God’s children receive their “full rights.” In the meantime, when we are weak, the Holy Spirit helps us by praying for us in groans beyond words.

John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15: Jesus tells his disciples that he is going away, and that this is a good thing, because then he can send the Holy Spirit to be their advocate, to convict of sin and to lead people into truth.

Good News - Week of 5/6/2018

5/8/2018

PRAYER OF THE WEEK
May your kingdom come in and through me, I pray, in Jesus’ name.

A mural of some of the world's greatest teachers with Jesus over all of them.

World of Life Mural

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26: Peter suggests that the disciples should find a replacement for Judas, so they select two candidates and draw lots, and Matthias is added as an apostle to join the other eleven.

Psalm 1: Those who love God’s instruction and refuse to join in the company and works of the wicked are truly happy and bear fruit, while the wicked are ultimately destroyed.

1 John 5:9-13: God has testified about Jesus that life is in him, and whoever has God’s Son has life eternal, so if we believe God’s testimony, we have this life.

John 17:6-19: Jesus prays for his followers, the ones to whom he has revealed God’s name and God’s word which is truth. He prays that God would keep them safe, would make them one as he and the Father are one, and would make them holy in the truth.

Reflections
It’s tragic that holiness has so often been defined, especially in Christian circles, as separation from – from other people, from particular ideas, from religions or groups that are different from us. I’m not sure where we got this idea, since Jesus, who we all agree was the epitome of holiness, was a connector, bringing together people of vastly different ideological, religious, theological, political, and economic positions. In addition, Jesus calls us to follow him – to do as he did – which should mean that, as we seek to be “righteous” or holy, we should also be seeking to share life with others in whatever way we can. The call of the lectionary this week, and of the Gospel, then, is not to separate ourselves, but to connect ourselves, to take the risk of reaching out to others and welcoming them into our circle – as the apostles did with Matthias. Ironically, it is through this obsession with connection rather than division that we cease to be “of” the world. We live in the world, but we are oriented toward God’s unifying love and life, rather than toward the divisiveness which characterizes so much of the agendas of those who ignore God’s life. The question we might want to ask in our worship this week is this: how do we become people who foster Christlike connectedness?

Good News - Week of 4/29/2018

5/1/2018

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Acts 10:44-48: As Peter preaches to the Gentile believers in Cornelius’ house, the Holy Spirit comes on them and they begin to speak with other tongues. Peter then baptises them confirming that God’s salvation is for the Gentiles as well as for the Jews.

Psalm 98: An exhortation to all creation to praise God for the wonderful works God has done, revealing God’s righteousness to all nations and bringing God’s justice into the world among all people.

1 John 5:1-6: When we love God and keep God’s commandments, we love God’s children. It is by this love that we know that we are born of God, and it is this faith that overcomes the world.

John 15:9-17: Jesus calls his followers to love one another just as he has loved them. There is no greater than to lay down one’s life, as Jesus does, for one’s friends. Through this obedience to Jesus’ command to love we bear fruit that lasts.

Reflection
The global call to love described above can only really be expressed and lived locally – but it is here where the real power of love can make a lasting impact on the world. It starts in our homes as we begin to learn to lay down our lives for our parents, children, and spouses. Then, as our love expands, we begin to learn to lay down our lives for our faith community, loving our Christian sisters and brothers as Christ loves us – embracing worship styles that may not be meaningful for us, giving up our agendas for the sake of others who need God’s love revealed to them, treating one another with grace and kindness instead of criticism and judgment. Then, inevitably, as our love grows, it will expand beyond the walls of our churches into our neighborhoods, to touch those who are lonely, impoverished, hungry, abused, homeless, and displaced. As this happens, our love becomes like a pebble dropped into a pond, raising ripples that expand ever outward to make the world a more just and gracious and peaceful place. All it takes is the daily decision to lay our lives down for one another, and allowing that “one another” to continue to grow as God brings new people into our circle of influence. St. Francis’ prayer is, perhaps, the best way to think of living this life of love that Jesus calls us to.

THE PEACE PRAYER

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

Good News - Week of 4/22/2018

4/24/2018

The Vineyard Keeper

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Acts 8:26-40: Philip is instructed to go to a certain road where he encounters an Ethiopian eunuch on his way home after worshiping in Jerusalem. Philip finds him reading Isaiah’s scroll, and explains what the Scriptures say about Jesus. Then he baptizes the eunuch

Psalm 22:25-31: A psalm of praise and commitment in which God is celebrated for God’s provision and authority, and all people are challenged to worship God, to fulfill promises to God, and to proclaim God’s righteousness to unborn generations.

1 John 4:7-21: An exhortation to love one another, because God is love. If we cannot love our brothers and sisters whom we have seen, we cannot love God whom we do not see, but, as God has loved us, inspiring love for God in our hearts, so too, we should love one another. Such love drives out fear.

John 15:1-8: Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. God desires us to bear fruit, and to do so we must remain in Christ.

Reflection
On a local and personal level, Philip’s example is a good one for us to follow as we seek to love God and others, and bear fruit for Christ. A number of factors stand out in this “fruit-bearing” moment of Philip’s. He was willing to be driven out of his way by his love for and obedience to God. He was willing to engage someone who was very different from him, and who would usually have been marginalised by his people. The eunuch was a foreigner, a Gentile and a man who had been castrated and was therefore, in one sense, unclean. He was also willing to meet the man where he was, beginning the conversation from the questions and reading of the eunuch. He did not impose his own agenda on the man, but listened and responded graciously and gently. Finally, he welcomed the eunuch into the community of faith by baptising him without question. All of these loving acts are the ones Jesus calls all his followers to perform in order to bear fruit. Our love for God is truly revealed as we act in these loving ways toward one another, and to the “outsiders” we encounter. And, as we welcome, listen to, serve, and love others, the impact of that on their lives can have healing, transforming, and empowering effects that can flow out to touch others and make a real difference in the world. To change the world, and manifest God’s Reign we don’t need to do “great” or dramatic things. We simply need to love the people God sends across our path genuinely, humbly and sacrificially.

Ubi Caritas (Where love is)