In it for the Long Haul

“If I say, ‘I will not mention God’s word, or speak anymore in God’s name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jer. 20:9).

Every year at Annual Conference (a gathering of United Methodist clergy and lay leaders) we honor those pastors who are retiring.  I am always amazed at the number of retirees who have served 40+ years in active ministry.  That’s 50% longer than my lifetime (to date)!  In a day and age where the average person changes careers three times, it’s remarkable to recognize those who have stuck with something for four decades.

If our ministry is a race, then God is calling us to be
the tortoise, not the hare.

Jeremiah’s ministry as a prophet also lasted forty years (627-587 BC).  He first began speaking God’s Word as a young teenager.  Over the next forty years he would continue to speak God’s Word through some of the most tumultuous and challenging days in the history of Israel.  In Jeremiah’s lifetime he witnessed the demise and fall of the holy city of Jerusalem – a demise rooted in the reckless faithlessness of the people of God.

Imagine how difficult it was for Jeremiah to stick to it – to get up every morning with a willingness to be faithful to God’s message, even though it seemed few were willing to listen.  How did he do it?  How did Jeremiah make it forty years in such a difficult vocation?

The answer is that Jeremiah was deeply connected to God.  Hardly a page goes by in the book of Jeremiah where we don’t find the prophet on his knees in prayer, asking God to clarify his purpose, free him from suffering, give him strength to carry on.  Jeremiah’s heart was so passionately devoted to God’s purpose for him, that he found he couldn't quit.  There was a fire in his bones.

As we begin our fourth year together in min

istry at Faith UMC, I am reminded that we have just begun.  God has called us to be in ministry with our community and world.  It is a calling that includes welcoming all people to worship God with passion, grow deeply in Christian faith, and serve Christ in community.  And while God has begun some good work among us in these past years, we have barely started on the journey God has for us.  We have not been called to a short-term ministry, but to a lifetime of ministry.  And what we learn from Jeremiah is that if we want our ministry to last a lifetime, then we must be deeply and passionately connected to God.

Do you have the kind of faith that gets you out of the bed in the morning ready to serve Christ?  Are you passionately devoted to God’s Word, seeking to know and live out the scriptures?  Do you regularly connect with God through prayer and worship?  Does your connection to Christ enable you to be in ministry for the long haul?   

Get Ready to Get Wet!

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus left his followers (including us!) with the one last command: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).  This Sunday, we have a very special opportunity to do just that.

It’s been nearly a year since Jeff Vasalech first joined us in worship.  He moved to the Pittsburgh area from Monterey, CA seeking a fresh start in life.  Over the past year, it has been my joy to journey with Jeff as Jesus has given him the fresh start he was looking for.  In our conversations together, Jeff and I have read the scriptures closely, prayed for God’s transforming grace to be at work in his life, and marveled at how Jesus has made Jeff a new person. 

Now, convinced that he is called to follow Jesus all his days, Jeff is ready to be baptized.  Baptism is an act of God’s grace, in which water symbolizes the cleansing power of God’s forgiveness, and our acceptance into God’s eternal family.

Jeff’s desire from the beginning has been to experience a deep water, full immersion baptism.  This Sunday at 2 p.m., we will hold a special baptism service for Jeff at Campbell Lake.  The lake is owned by owned by a local family and is close to the church.  Out of respect for the family, I will not publish their address on the world wide web, but you can call the c

hurch office (412.963.8155) or email me (pastortom@faithfoxchapel.org) to get the address.

I want to invite you to come and share in this special service.  Baptism is an act of the church, and so it is important that as many of us as possible be present for the service, to witness God’s grace at work in Jeff’s life and to remember our own baptism. 

Following Jeff’s baptism, you will have the opportunity to remember your baptism.  You will be invited to enter the water in whatever way you choose (you can simply dip your feet in, or fully immerse yourself) and I will offer a short prayer over you, asking God to remind you of your place in God’s family.  Feel free to wear your swimsuit and a t-shirt and bring along a towel should you wish to wade deep into the water.

Words can hardly express how excited, honored, and humbled I am to have the opportunity to share in this special service.  I hope to see you there.

The Prophetic Power of Tears

“Oh, my anguish, my anguish!  I writhe in pain.  Oh the agony of my heart!  My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent” (Jeremiah 4:19).

“Is there no balm in Gilead?  Is there no physician there?  Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?  Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears!  I would weep day and night for the slain of my people” (Jeremiah 8:22-9:1).

There are a lot of tears in the book of Jeremiah.  So many, in fact, that we could easily call Jeremiah the crying prophet.  Tears are a crucial part of Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry.  His tears convey the deep ache in God’s heart over the brokenness of the world. 

Jeremiah lived in a time of great uncertainty and grave sin.  The people of Israel had strayed so far from God that it seemed they were doomed to die in a foreign land.  Seeing clearly the fragility of the situation, Jeremiah cried.  His tears spoke the powerful message that something is deeply wrong – things are not as they are supposed to be.

While Jeremiah’s tears express his agony and grief over his personal sufferings, they also express the ache of God’s heart.  God takes no pleasure in the suffering of Israel.  The wound of their sin is self inflicted, and God weeps for them as a parent weeps over the loss of a child.  Jeremiah’s tears are also God’s tears.

If we’re honest, you and I aren’t comfortable with tears.  When someone cries, we’re quick to wipe their tears away and say “there, there, don’t cry, it will be alright.”  When we read the book of Jeremiah, we’d prefer to skip past the tears and get on to the more hope-filled passages, where God’s promise of restored life is the focus.

But tears play such an important role in God’s work of salvation.  There is no salvation without tears, for weeping permits newness.  It’s why Jesus wept before raising Lazarus from the grave (John 11:35).  It’s why he wept in the garden of Gethsemane before being crucified and raised (Mark 14:34).  Tears are the prelude of resurrection!

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4).  Those who shed tears of grief are blessed because they are the ones who see clearly that we need the salvation Jesus brings.  In our lives, when we shed tears over the death of a loved one, the suffering of a child, or the loss of a relationship, our tears are our acknowledgement that we need to be saved – we need God’s help.  Our tears open us to the possibility that God has something more for us – that we need new life.

What makes you weep?  How have your tears unveiled your need for God’s grace?  How can God work through your tears to bring you new life?