by Steve | Dec 14, 2016 | Magazine, Magazine Articles, Nov-Dec 2016
Survivors of U.S. Airways flight 1549 wait for rescue on the wing. Photo by Associated press.
By Jessica LaGrone-
In January 2009, U.S. Airways flight 1549 took off from New York’s Laguardia airport headed for North Carolina. The passengers settled back in their seats for the takeoff, but they weren’t settled for very long.
Three minutes into the flight the plane struck a flock of geese, and passengers looked out the window to see that one of the engines was on fire. Then both engines shut down and without power the plane quickly began to descend.
What happened next made international news. Captain Chesley Sullenberger, known by his friends and now the world as Sully, made more split second decisions than you and I can even imagine. Realizing he couldn’t make it back to the airport, he called the cabin to brace for impact and then took aim for the Hudson River. He even had the presence of mind to look for an area that was clear but also close to the ferry boats that criss-cross the Hudson, knowing they would need someone to quickly come to their aid.
A few moments later, the plane plummeted into the river, and began to sink.
The iconic image we all remember is that of the plane, half submerged in icy water (it was January in New York – 20 degrees outside) with all 155 passengers and crew standing out across the wings, crowding together as boats raced from all directions toward the sinking plane.
What could have ended very differently ended with everyone safe in their own bed. The news stations called it “The Miracle on the Hudson.” Every single passenger on that flight was saved.
Captain Sully was an immediate hero. You know you’ve reached international hero status of epic proportions when they make a movie about you and you are played by Tom Hanks!
Reunions. Within a couple of months of the accident one of the passengers hosted a reunion at one of their homes for passengers and crew. They called their gatherings: “celebrations of life.” When they met, they called one another by their seat-numbers. As in: “Nice to see you again 22C!”
One young man, Ben Bostic, was 20A. Before the flight, he had spotted a beautiful young woman in the airport with sandy brown hair grabbing a bite to eat. It seemed miraculous that she ended up on his plane – but he couldn’t find the courage to talk to her or ask her out.
Six months later, at a celebration of life gathering, he got up the nerve to approach 17D, whose name was actually Laura. They have been inseparable ever since. The couple now flies around the world together. When asked if they’re afraid of flying, they said that experiencing a miracle made them want to get as much out of life as possible.
Another couple, Karin Rooney and her boyfriend had been on the flight together. They had been struggling with their relationship and were about to break up, but Karen said “when the plane crashed, I just knew on that wing he was the one I wanted to be with.” They married shortly after the crash and have a daughter named Elena.
There are other miracle babies born after that day who would never have been born if things had gone differently. At every reunion, they pass the babies around. Every gathering they hold is a miracle after the miracle – It’s a reunion of the rescued.
WCA. When you told people you were coming to Chicago for some strange new thing called the Wesleyan Covenant Association, it’s likely that you were asked questions: What are we doing here? What is the purpose of the WCA?
Put simply: This is a reunion of the rescued. We are meeting because together we were saved; together we find hope in our shared faith, and so together we stand. We were, all of us, sinking deep in sin, and Jesus rescued us. And while you may never have laid eyes on most of the people in this room before today, we know the deepest thing we have in common is this: when we were going down, Christ reached us and Christ redeemed us.
We meet not just to find a way forward, but to remember how we found The Way, the Truth, and the Life in the first place. And to remember that to fully know life is not just to be rescued from something, but to be rescued for something. To become the rescued and transformed means to be those intent on the rescue and transformation of others.
It’s no secret that United Methodism suffers from a perennial identity crisis. We have to remind ourselves from time to time who we are. It goes much deeper than an experience at Aldersgate when John Wesley’s heart was strangely warmed.
If you want to know why we’re here, you have to go back to the cross – it’s our miracle moment. There can be no unity among United Methodists without the unity of the cross.
Many of us feel that the church we love has been in a free fall of sorts – declining in influence, power, and purpose. And while we have looked for a steady and decisive hand to provide a safe landing, we have witnessed indecision, fear, and dysfunction from many who should be providing leadership. We have wanted someone or some group to say it’s not too late.
The people called Methodist may have a rough landing ahead of them. But we can still make decisions and we can still take actions that will save this great gift of Wesleyan orthodoxy and that will keep safe those who are in our care, and will stir to action those looking for leadership. We are here because we need our own miracle.
Leaders have stepped up and said, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the church of God matter too much to do nothing but wait and hope and see what happens. We must act. We are here to say regardless of what the future may bring, we will stand together. We are brothers and sisters; we are family; and we will never forget or walk away from each other.
That’s why we stand with our friends around the global church. Some of these friends tell me that although in many cases the Western Church brought them the Gospel a long time ago, sometimes it seems to them that we have left the Gospel behind. By the grace of God, however, they have not left the Gospel – and they have not left us.
At the same time, many men and women come from embattled annual conferences where those who hold to traditional United Methodist beliefs and standards are treated like outsiders within the church that ordained them. Even in great times of pain and division in their own context, we want to stand with them. We praise God that they have not left us. And we will not leave them.
Over the years, I’ve attended many United Methodist events and wondered if it had been worth the time. When I return home, I am often asked, “How was that Methodist thing you went to?” Sometimes all I can say is: “Well, at least the fellowship was good.” I’ve grown tired of things with the Methodist name lacking the purpose and drive of the Methodist movement that the Wesleys began.
But there are also times when we can’t even give that answer. Perhaps you’ve been in gatherings where you found yourself attacked and accused of being harmful and hurtful because you stood on the Word of God and chose to uphold the covenant you made in your vows of baptism and ordination – a covenant that holds us together not only with United Methodists but with the historic and orthodox Christian faith throughout time.
Are these our only options? A bland Christian unity where maybe the fellowship is good but we never do anything of purpose, or one long fight with no end in sight?
When people ask you if this was one of those typical Methodist things, you tell them “No!” This, finally, was a celebration of life, not of decline and death. This was a reunion of the rescued. That the cross of Jesus – the narrative in which death is overcome – was not some abstract history but a very present and driving reality pushing us into a new day when the Church, vibrant and alive, acts again as the agent of Christ for the transformation of the world.
It’s a story so old that it becomes new every time someone is rescued again. This is why we have given our lives to Jesus and His church. For the joy of seeing the next person pulled out of the icy water of death, brought to life, and restored to wholeness and joy.
Our churches have sometimes come to resemble ferries, just shuttling the comfortable back and forth across the river on the same predictable path. In reality, we are meant to be a fleet of powerful agents of rescue and restoration.
We are standing within the stream of a movement begun by John Wesley himself. In a season when the Church of England seemed to be heading toward icy waters, Wesley and the Methodists had the audacity to believe they could turn it back toward life. They dared to believe that it was prayer, Scripture, accountability, seeking justice, ending oppression, and serving the poor that would renew the Church.
Five Year Reunion. Even all these years later, The Miracle on the Hudson passengers continue to gather for regular reunions and celebrations. At their five year reunion, the passengers who gathered decided to do something different. They went back to the scene where it all happened. They gathered at the New York Waterway ferry terminal to shake the hands of the ferry boat captains who came to their rescue, those everyday heroes who left their course to rescue people perched precariously, clinging to each other– oddly enough in the shape of a cross – across the body of the plane and its wings.
At this special anniversary, they looked out into the cold and murky water of the Hudson and one passenger remarked: “It still feels like yesterday, every day.” Then they boarded a boat and sailed out to the spot where the plane had gone down, and Captain Sully raised a toast to mark the spot – to mark the spot where they were rescued.
This afternoon, when two United Methodist bishops lift a chalice in an invitation, a reminder of the Body of Christ, I invite you to take a look around at the Body of Christ standing next to you. These are not strangers. This is the Church. And it’s nothing short of a miracle.
We didn’t come here just to fellowship or to fight. We came here to be reminded that there is great power in what is behind us – and still more ahead of us. We’re standing together. Part of a movement. On a mission. Full of the hope of the cross, committed to each other no matter what the future may bring and we will not be sunk.
Jessica LaGrone is the Dean of the Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and a member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association council. This article is adapted from Rev. LaGrone’s address at the Wesleyan Covenant Association gathering in Chicago on October 7, 2016.
by Steve | Dec 14, 2016 | Magazine, Magazine Articles, Nov-Dec 2016
By Jerry Kulah-
Global United Methodism is at a crossroads and has to decide a path to its future. This is the time to carefully evaluate the past, understand the present, and anticipate a future consistent with our call by God to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the holistic transformation of the world.
In spite of the storm of life that may be raging in United Methodism, in spite of the attempt of some to take the church in a direction contrary to the teaching of Scripture, it is my prayer that God keeps The United Methodist Church moving forward and accomplishing God’s purpose for this generation.
Jeremiah 6:16 is an invitation from God through the prophet Jeremiah to the nation of Judah at a time when the nation was in a state of deep spiritual decline. Judah was at a crossroads of numerous choices that would determine her future. The spiritual climate was one characterized by gross disobedience and outright rejection of God’s word. Those leading the rebellion against God were the prophets, priests, judges, political leaders, and the people (Jeremiah 2:8-11; 5:1). We seem to see the church walking a similar path in contemporary society where some now think of the Word of God as being irrelevant, obsolete, and undesirable to govern the life of the people and ministries of the church.
The political and religious leaders at the time had turned their backs on God, and driven the nation into all kinds of perversions. The Word of God had become offensive to the people; everyone was following their own way. Idol worship, immorality, corruption of every kind was widespread. While national leaders were making bad political decisions, the priests and prophets were deceiving the people by offering them false peace and security. It was in the midst of such political and spiritual upheavals that God, in his love for his people, invited them at the crossroads, through the prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 6:16).
The Crossroads. A crossroads is a place of decision making on your life’s journey, where you make critical choices that might impact your life forever. It is a place where you either decide for God or against God; where you choose to follow God or follow your own gratification. A crossroads is a place where leaders guide and guard those they supervise in making the right decision for the common good, and for God’s glory. Crossroads also provide warning signs, make prophetic declarations, and give admonition to those who have drifted away from the path of God. We are all at the crossroads today.
Almighty God, in pursuit of reconciliation with his people, asked them to do four things at the crossroads of life.
1. Stand: To stand means to be spiritually alert, culturally sensitive, socially adaptable, intellectually informed, and to give careful attention to what God is doing in this time and season so that we might become a productive part of it.
The word, “stand” is a command, and it reminds us of a soldier standing on guard in full alertness for action. As soldiers of the Lord’s army, the Apostle Paul enjoins us to “stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Moses used the same expression to encourage the fearful and terrified Israelites, when they were being pursued by the Egyptians to overtake them in the desert. He said to them, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today” (Exodus14:13).
Many United Methodists need this encouragement today to stand firm because the storms of life are raging within the UM Church. Things are falling apart regarding what we should believe about God and the Word. But the good news is that Christ has promised that he will build his Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
Are you standing firm in full alertness at the crossroads, or are you wandering about in every direction, like the Israelites in the wilderness? At the crossroads, it is time to stand for righteousness, to stand upon the truth of God’s infallible Word, to stand in faithfulness, in integrity, and in total submission to the will of God for our lives and for his Church.
2. Look: The word “look” means to observe, to take account of, to perceive, to discern, and to understand. We must have a clear vision for a better tomorrow, as to where God is leading this global Wesleyan community called The United Methodist Church.
As we look at the UM Church from a global perspective, what do we see? Do we see a growing or a declining church? Do we see leadership that is vision-driven and evangelistically-minded in pursuit of the purpose of God? Do we see spiritually healthy and growing pastors and members, or people who are spiritually ill and in need of a ‘balm from Gilead’ to heal their sin-sick souls? Based upon the state of United Methodism within your context, God is calling upon all of us to move forward with God’s agenda for the nations. And that agenda is to be the good news of God’s salvation to a world in need of hope and healing.
3. Ask: At the crossroads, God invites us to ask for the “ancient paths, the good way.” This is the way that leads to rest for our souls; the way that leads to love, peace and reconciliation with God and with one another.
Just as God led the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22), God is ever ready to lead the UM Church if we will ask him. When we ask, we shall receive (Matthew 7:7). Therefore, let us ask the Lord for the ancient path that leads the Church to righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Let us ask the Lord for the way that leads the church to genuine repentance and submission to the will of God; and let us pursue the ancient path that leads us to making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
4. Walk: God invites us to walk upon the ancient path. The ancient path is the holy, undiluted, and infallible Word of God (Psalm. 19:7-11; 119:105; II Timothy 3:16-17). It is the living and active word of God that is sharper than any double-edged sword; it is the Holy Scripture that penetrates the soul and spirit, and judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God provides us guidance and direction into the future. As the Psalmist David points out, “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light onto my path” (Psalm 119:105). God expects us to believe and obey so that we might be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8).
God’s challenge. Corresponding with these four directives, let the Wesleyan Covenant Association do its part to move forward with God’s agenda for the nations.
• Lead: We must lead and move forward with God’s agenda for God’s people (Joshua 1:2a). The way to lead is to serve faithfully and be a godly example to all.
• Be Courageous: We need to be very strong and courageous (1: 6-7), because we may encounter lots of discouragements along the way.
• Depend on God: We need to totally depend upon God to take possession of the land (vv. 2a-4); for victories over the enemies of the church (v. 5a); and for God’s presence and protection throughout the journey (1: 5b).
• Get a clear vision: We must have a clear vision from God as to what he wants the WCA to accomplish. And we must all embrace and pursue that vision. “Vision is the most potent weapon for world change,” says Bill Hybels. It is “the fuel that leaders run on, the energy that creates action; the fire that ignites the passion of followers. It is a clear call that sustains focused effort year after year, decade after decade, as people offer consistent and sacrificial service to God.”
• Christ-centered leadership: We must develop Christ-centered leadership across the jurisdictions and central conferences that are biblically committed to cast visions, set goals, mobilize the body of Christ, and overcome obstacles in order to reach the nations for Christ. In order to succeed in all of our endeavors, we must keep the Scripture primary for our faith and Christian living. And we must maintain a united, global perspective of the church.
• God’s Resources: We must rely upon God’s resources. God has promised to supply all of the resources (human, material, financial) we need for the journey. All we need to do is trust him, demonstrate good stewardship, and move forward with a holistic strategic plan for the WCA.
Final word. The only sustainable path to global unity of the people called United Methodist is total submission and loyalty to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and an exclusive obedience to the Word of God as the primary authority for faith and Christian living. While we live within diverse cultures and religious worldviews, it is important that we love and embrace everyone, but we must continually live within God’s parameter of grace defined by Scripture.
Furthermore, we must endeavor to develop Christ-centered, mission-minded, and Holy Spirit-empowered leaders across our annual conferences, districts, and local churches who commit to making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. When we do these things, not only will we experience a new beginning, but the Holy Spirit of God will birth a season of revival amongst us that will result in the sustainable growth of The United Methodist Church around the world.
Jerry P. Kulah is the General Coordinator of the UMC Africa Initiative of the Central Conferences of Africa, and the dean of the Gbarnga School of Theology, a United Methodist seminary in Liberia. This article is adapted from Dr. Kulah’s address at the Wesleyan Covenant Association gathering in Chicago on October 7, 2016.
by Steve | Dec 14, 2016 | Magazine, Magazine Articles, Nov-Dec 2016
Jim Ramsay
By Jim Ramsay-
“I admire you for what you do. I would never be able to do that!” What missionary has not heard expressions such as this when visiting churches, friends, and support partners while on home assignment? In one church, I recall once being introduced with such incredibly gushing spiritual language that I wanted to sneak out the back. The Lord (and my wife) knew I was being overrated! While things may have tempered on this in recent years, there often still is the assumption that “foreign missionaries” are very high on the spiritual food chain. And the more remote the place they serve and the higher status job they “gave up” to go, the more impressive the spiritual resume.
There are two problems with this “missionary pedestal.” The first is for the missionary. It can generate unhealthy pride. People tend to fall off pedestals – the higher the pedestal, the longer the fall. The second and equal problem is when it is wrongly assumed that only super-spiritual people – those with a dramatic “calling” story or those who seem to “have it all together” – are the only ones who qualify for serving the Lord cross-culturally. Someone may conclude that the only way to do penance for not being enough of a spiritual giant to be a missionary is to get a good job and give financially to someone who is.
Not only is this attitude theologically unacceptable, but in today’s changing world of missions, it is not possible. If some decades ago the profile of a missionary was a theologically trained person prepared to go preach in a church somewhere else in the world, today that actually is the exception. In most of the places with the greatest need for a gospel witness, someone with that “preacher” profile is not likely to obtain a visa. Often a missionary in such a setting may not even be able to attend a local church, but can serve best by encouraging and discipling the local leaders. As a result, increasingly the work of missions requires people with skills that other nations deem helpful in areas that are conducive to building natural, organic relationships with the local people. As I have shared with our board of directors at The Mission Society, the day has come that we will do as well to recruit missionaries from engineering schools as from seminaries.
Joseph and his wife Melissa* felt called to serve in an Asian country that is doing all it can to keep missionaries out. Rather than quit his engineering job and go to seminary, Joseph kept his job when applying to The Mission Society. He and Melissa received the full training we provide to prepare them for cross-cultural service. Then Joseph found an engineering firm that has offices in that country and asked his supervisors if they would be willing to transfer him. Joseph and Melissa now live there where he works as an engineer. They are able to have regular friendships with co-workers and the people in their community.
In today’s global economy, Joseph and Melissa’s route can enable entry into nations and communities that would be very difficult to reach using traditional approaches. There are thousands of people who could be effective witnesses to the gospel in cross-cultural and even unreached settings if they were invited to rethink “what a missionary is.”
In addition to the possibility of moving into a cross-cultural setting in a country far from home, a person can also serve as a cross-cultural witness simply by intentionally locating in a community of recent immigrants to the United States. While occasional visits to such communities can have value, nothing is as effective as the incarnational model of Jesus “moving into the neighborhood” (John 1:14, The Message). Christians with normal, non-religious jobs can have an enormous gospel impact simply by intentionally living among people who are different, sharing life on life, and together seeking the Lord in that setting. I would hasten to add that even for those who serve like this in their “home country,” the need for good training in cross-cultural ministry and being connected for community care and support is still very important.
The era of missions is not over, but it is changing. It is not, nor has it ever been, just for the super spiritual. It simply requires God’s ordinary, fallible people seeing the world through God’s eyes and making themselves, their skills, their passions, and their weaknesses available to Him in whatever context He would place them.
*Pseudonyms used for security reasons.
Jim Ramsay is the vice president for Mission Ministries at The Mission Society (missionsociety.org; 770-446-1481). Jim and his family served 10 years in Kazakhstan.
by Steve | Dec 13, 2016 | Magazine, Magazine Articles, Nov-Dec 2016
B.J. Funk
By B.J. Funk-
An ancient merchant had three lovely daughters. But due to a tragic turn of events, he had lost all hope that his daughters would be able to marry and live a happy life. It was the third century, and this businessman had lost his fortune when pirates pillaged his ship. His beautiful daughters were of marrying age, and without money he could give them no dowry. In those days, young women without a dowry had few options for survival. Many were forced into slavery or prostitution.
The father prayed around the clock that somehow God would grant a miracle for his family. A young Christian bishop discovered the plight of this man and his daughters. This bishop was a wealthy man, having received a large inheritance at the death of his parents. One evening, in the middle of the night, the bishop secretly slipped a sack of gold through a window into the merchant’s house. This timely gift saved the virtue of the man’s oldest daughter.
Later, another sack saved the second daughter. When the third sack came mysteriously in the night, the father was waiting up to see this mystery person. Immediately, he recognized the young bishop and tried to thank him.
The humble minister deflected the praise. “No, all thanks go to God, not to me.” This compassionate bishop believed literally Christ’s injunction that when we give, we should do so in secret, sacrificially in Christ’s name and not our own.
Through his timely gifts, Saint Nicholas helped to restore the hope of this family, and hundreds more in his community. But the ministry of Bishop Nicholas extended beyond giving gifts. History tells us that he was persecuted by the Roman authorities and imprisoned for his faith. Later, when Emperor Constantine made Christianity the state religion, Nicholas was released from prison.
After returning to his post as bishop, Nicholas was called upon to defend Christianity against the heresy of Arianism. A contemporary of Nicholas and an early church theologian, Arius taught that God the Father and God the Son did not exist together eternally. Arius also taught that the pre-incarnate Jesus was a divine being created by (and possibly inferior to) the Father at some point, before which the Son did not exist. Nicholas boldly defended the doctrine of the Trinity at the Council of Nicea. This was the first ecumenical council of the early Christian Church, and it produced the first uniform Christian doctrine – the Nicene Creed.
Throughout his ministry, Bishop Nicholas selflessly poured out his life and his fortune as he served the people in and around his home. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his inheritance to assist the suffering, the sick, and the poor.
Through the centuries St. Nicholas has continued to be venerated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians — and he is honored by Protestant Christians. By his example of generosity to those in need, St. Nicholas is a model of Christ’s call to selfless giving
In January 1809, Washington Irving published the satirical Knickerbocker’s History of New York, which made numerous references to a jolly St. Nicholas character. This was not a saintly European bishop, but rather a Dutch burgher with a clay pipe. The jolly elf image received a big boost in 1823 from a poem destined to become immensely popular, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” — now better known as “The Night Before Christmas.
Beginning in 1863, Nast began a series of annual drawings in Harper’s Weekly that were inspired by the descriptions found in Washington Irving’s work. These drawings established a rotund Santa with flowing beard, fur garments, and a clay pipe. Nast drew his Santa until 1886, and his work had a major influence in creating the modern American Santa Claus.
Though the modern Santa does not resemble the original Saint Nick, history takes us back to a simple Christian bishop who loved God and loved people. Bishop Nicholas displayed his love through the giving of gifts, just as our Heavenly Father gave the gift of His Son to us that first Christmas morning 2000 years ago.
