Early in the Morning

Early in the Morning

Early in the Morning

Early in the Morning

Early in the Morning at the break of day the stone was rolled away

The above words are from a song I learned my Senior Year in the high school when I was a member of the Youth Choir at Stevensville United Methodist Church in Stevensville, Michigan. This song was swimming in my head as I was preparing to preach at the ecumenical Easter Sunrise Service in Nome, Alaska.

I preached on the Resurrection of Jesus according to the Gospel of John - John 20:1-18. I want to share with you what I shared with those present at the Easter Sunrise Service in Nome, Alaska on April 4, 2010 at 7:30 am.

When I was in high school I was in the Youth Choir at Stevensville United Methodist Church in Stevensville, Michigan. Each year we would practice and perform musicals. Two of those years, we performed musicals that took us through the whole liturgical year – Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and into Ordinary time. While I did not have much confidence at all in my voice back then, I wanted to be part of the Youth Choir because it was a way for my sisters and I to get involved when we first moved to Stevensville. Also, we heard that the Youth Choir went on Choir Tours to places like Chicago!! Exciting!

The words to the songs I learned 15 plus years ago still stick with me. It’s amazing the lasting impact that something from your youth has on you later in life. Even others who were in the Youth Choir when I was, remember that song. “Early in the Morning” was one of those songs that has stuck with me and reminds me of the hope we have because Christ overcame death.

Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb where Jesus was laid after his death. It was a tomb given for him by Joseph of Arimathea. Mary saw that the stone had been rolled away. So she ran to the disciples to tell them. Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved (tradition tells us John) raced each other to the grave like two silly children who could barely contain themselves with curiosity. The beloved disciple gets there first, but Peter is the first one to enter the tomb. They see that Jesus’ body was gone. Then they run back to where the others were gathered. Mary Magdalene remains at the tomb weeping. She looked inside the tomb and saw two angels – one at where Jesus’ head would have been and one where Jesus’ feet would have been. They ask her why she is weeping and she tells them that “they” have taken my Lord away and she does not know where they have laid him. She then turns around and sees a man whom she presumes to be a gardener. The “gardener” asks her the same thing the angels asked her. Her reply is much the same, though because she thinks he is the gardener, she asks him where he has laid him if he took him away.

Then Jesus says her name, “Mary.” She turns to him and says, “Rabbouni! Teacher!” He instructs her not to hold on to him, but to go and tell the disciples that He is ascending to the Father, to God. Mary went right away and told the other disciples, “I have seen the Lord.”

Early in the morning at the break of day the stone was rolled away. Here we are early in the morning on Easter Sunday gathered to encounter the Risen Christ with other Christians from around the community. We encounter the Risen Christ through music. We encounter the Risen Christ through prayer. We encounter the Risen Christ through scripture. We encounter the Risen Christ through the presence of others. We encounter the Risen Christ in a variety of ways. Like Mary Magdalene did that first Easter Morning we come to this place, expecting one thing and perhaps finding another. Perhaps it is a tradition for us to wake up early and come to this service every year. Celebrating Easter for us becomes a tradition - a body memory as we celebrate this miracle each and every year. Some of us only attend Church on Easter assuming that encountering Christ in the midst of community once a year is all we need for our spiritual well-being. Not so much.

Early that first Easter morning, Mary encountered the Risen Christ. She did not recognize him as such because she was so overcome with grief that she thought he was the gardener. Her eyes opened when Jesus called her by name. As the Great Shepherd, Jesus knows each of us by name and claims each of us as children of God. By calling us by name Jesus seeks to have a relationship with each of us and draw us close to God. Even when we turn away from this invitation again and again, Jesus reaches out to us revealing himself and revealing God. Jesus never give up on us.

Early that first Easter morning, Jesus had a mission for Mary to share the good news of his resurrection and his ascension that would take place soon. After Mary has seen Jesus, she goes and tells the disciple that she had seen the Risen Lord and delivered the message that Jesus was going to be ascended to the Father. Though John 20 does not say this, we could imagine that Mary Magdalene would have run joyously and as fast as she could with the message that she had seen the Lord. Jesus sent her on a mission and she took it seriously. She was excited that she had seen the Lord and wanted to tell others.

The other day I got my hair cut several inches and was so excited about it that I not only wanted to share it with my husband, David, but I wanted to share it with the world. So, I took a photo of myself and posted it on Facebook right away. As soon as I posted the photo of my new hairdo, I got lots of positive comments from my friends. Even the woman who cut my hair responded that I was fast in my posting. I replied that I when I am excited about something I cannot wait to share it with the world!!

What would it be like if we were as excited about the resurrection of Jesus as we are about the superficial transformations in our lives? What would it be like if we were as excited about something eternal as we are about those things that are temporal? Those of us with Facebook pages could share the Good News of the Resurrection of Jesus on our status reports. When we encounter someone on the street, we may get weird looks, but we could say, “Christ is Risen!” Maybe they would respond by saying, “Christ is Risen Indeed!” We could make someone's day with such a statement!

While writing and saying the words “Christ is Risen” to others is one way to shared the Good News, living our lives in such a way that expresses that message is also powerful. In the midst of adversity, we can choose to put our whole faith and trust in God that God would sustain us and see us through the difficult time. Even through our hard times, we can be a witness for God.

I, and others in the Youth Choir at Stevensville United Methodist Church, encountered the Risen Christ through the learning of songs and performing them for others. These songs continue to stick with us years later as something in our world reminds us of the songs we learned. Not only were we sharing the Good News with people in our congregation and people in churches and nursing homes across Chicago, but God was impressing upon us the Good News so that we could truly experience it for ourselves. Throughout our lives those songs have stuck with those of us who were called to be in the Youth Choir at Stevensville UMC over the years. What a blessing to be able to embody these words and encounter the Risen Christ, not just one time a year, but throughout our whole lives. Encountering the Risen Christ is a journey - a lifelong and worthwhile journey.

Thanks be to God, Amen.

* The empty grave photo is borrowed from the following website and was found through Google Images: suemartist.com.

The Journey of Lent

My last sugary dessert before giving them

up for Lent. This is a Dole Whip from

the Dole Plantation in Hawaii.

David and I actually shared this!

David and I after officiating our first wedding

together. This was my first wedding to officiate.

Well, here it is again. We find ourselves in the Church Season called Lent. Some of us give up things for Lent while others add something meaningful to their lives. The intention is that either way, giving up or adding, will allow each individual to grow closer to God. This Lent, I am giving up sugary desserts. This means that when I am stressed and want to eat every piece of candy or cookie in sight, I will reach for a piece of fruit and think again about why I am reaching to fulfill that hunger that can only really be satiated with time spent with God. I often wish that I did not stress out about certain things, but I do see this as an opportunity to get closer to God and God's purposes for me. God called me here in this time and this place, so God will equip me with all that I need to serve God's people where I am now. Why sweat the small stuff when God has already gone before and worked them out? Why is that so easy to forget? Why is that so hard to live into?

Recently, my husband and I officiated our first wedding together. Not only was this our first wedding to officiate together, but it was the first wedding I ever officiated. The coolest part for me was that my first wedding was on a beach...in Hawaii!!! How many people can say that? Life's journey certainly takes unexpected turns at times! It was a beautiful day with a beautiful couple and beautiful guests. What was amazing to me was the imagery the bride and groom selected in the first part of the service - hands. When the bride's sister gave her to be married to the groom, the sister took the bride's hand and placed it in the groom's hand. Hand in hand this couple will journey through the rest of their lives together. Not only that, but God will be holding them in God's hands. When things get tough, God will offer an outstretched hand, perhaps in the form of a hand of one of the guests at the wedding or one of the many loved ones who absolutely love this couple. Accepting an outstretched hand does not mean giving up, but is an act of faith to journey through the most difficult times and become stronger and closer to God and each other as a result.

Where are the outstretched hands during this season of Lent? Where did Jesus find an outstretched hand when he was tempted by the Devil in Luke 4:1-13? The outstretched hand was consistently scripture. However, by the third time the Devil tried to tempt Jesus, the Devil recited some scripture. Jesus saw through the Devil's misuse of the scripture and still did not give into the Devil's temptation. Even when we are tempted by something that at first seems good and righteous, we must be careful that we do not get carried away. Fortunately for us, when Jesus was tested and/or tempted, he remained strong and did not give in.

This Lenten season, as I look to what God is trying to say to me, my hope is to deepen my understanding of scripture - to really live into them as a servant of God and disciple of Jesus. Sugary desserts, though very delicious and enticing, do cause some of us to gain weight that affects our health in some negative ways. Also, I have come to depend on these sugary delights when I have become overly stressed. I am depending or relying on these desserts to give me the comfort that can only really come from God. Instead of reaching for sugary desserts, I should be reaching for God and God's Word more than I have recently. My hope is that during this Lenten season you would grow in your relationship and understanding of God and scripture as well. May God bless you as you journey. Let us journey together with God.

Story Corps

This afternoon I shared a few slices of my life with two women in my community who are serving the community of Nome through the United Methodist Church as well. Story Corps provided this particular opportunity for sharing. Ever since the Story Corps interviewer came to town in October 2008, she has been encouraging me to tell my story. It has taken me six months to figure out a) who is going to be my conversation partner? and b) which of my stories am I going to tell? I chose these two young ladies who are not only my neighbors, but also current young adult missionaries through the UMC. I was once a young adult missionary through the UMC as well, US-2 in fact. As I told my story, I started with experiences from my childhood and then the ladies asked me questions as they came to their minds.

This afternoon as I told my story, I relived memories of moving to and living in the Cote D'Ivoire and my experiences of being the only white girl in my class and learning to speak French by immersion. I also talked about moving to Iowa, then to Vermont, and then to Michigan as a child. In the midst of telling my story, I realized that I consistently found acceptance in each of the churches I attended throughout my life. Even when I did not always feel accepted by my peers at school, I did feel accepted at church.

From an early age, I was singing in the choir, going to Sunday School (or Sabbath School in Cote D'Ivoire), and attending worship regularly. In Vermont, I even took part in the leadership of worship on Children's Sunday. Throughout my life, I have had mentors on my journey who have given me opportunties to be in church and worship leadership. My roles have varied from having a role in a play to reading scripture and from leading prayers to preaching. I thank God for those who have been with me along my journey at various times, ultimately pointing me to where God was leading me. If it were not for my mentors, I would never have worked with Junior Highers, served as a Time for God volunteer in England, served as a US-2 in Alaska, gone to seminary, or become a United Methodist Pastor. One sister in the ministry called me a brave woman on twitter yesterday - I consider her a mentor as well. Many of all ages have inspired me.

As a result of this Story Corps experience today, the questions I am reflecting on are as follows:

"How are we as the Church mentoring young people today and empowering them for leadership within the church?"

"What am I personally doing to empower young people within the church?"

"What else could we be doing to develop our young leaders within the church?"

If we think that our children and youth are our leaders of the future, we are wrong - they are our leaders NOW!

I invite others to reflect with me on these questions. Happy Reflecting!

Reving Up For Winter Outdoor Activities

For the last two weeks, snow has been falling off and on in Nome and we have a nice 4-5 inch layer of snow on the ground. David got the 26 year-old snow-blower fixed up and running just in time for the increasing snow. I am always amazed at what David does in ministry with his engineering mind & background. Nome is so beautiful, but slippery. I am working on picking out some snowshoes to order so that I can get out in the deep snow and really get some good outdoor exercise with the dogs.

In the meantime, I am working on a lifelong journey of trying to get in good physical shape. I have been going to the Nome Rec Center with David (when I can motivate him to get out of bed before 6:00 am) and Fawn (my favorite neighbor). They are good accountability partners - we are all in the Step by Step Program together - being intentional about exercise, working toward good health by trying to get in at least 10,000 steps each day. I have also been going to the local pool in an attempt to get in shape. I like to go to water aerobics on Saturdays - perhaps in the new year I will go on Mondays & Wednesdays as well. Being in relatively good shape helps when one all of a sudden finds themselves slipping on the ice. This happened to me last week, in fact. Luckily, every time I find myself falling, I have slipped in the most graceful ways. Amazing!

Our dogs seem to be enjoying the snow and stay out longer than I would expect. Gracie wears her coat because her hair is really too short to adequately keep her warm. Sere loves rolling around in the snow. The kids in the neighborhood continue to want to play with Sere & Gracie in the yard when they can. Sere & Gracie have been good evangelists - attracting kids to church. There is something to be said for using all of the resources you have for ministry. Sere & Gracie have been blessings to us in so many ways. They brought David & I together and now they are attracting kids to church. The Spirit moves and it's amazing to see this wonder!

The Spirit is Moving

Again, it has been a long time since my last post. I have been enjoying my time as Co-Pastor of Nome Community United Methodist Church with my husband, David. We continue to work out how best we can be a clergy team serving in the same church and at the same United Methodist related agency. We do enjoy working together and combining our gifts and talents.

We feel that the Holy Spirit is definitely moving in Nome. Over that last three weeks, God has lead 25-30 different kids in Kindergarten through Sixth Grade to Nome CUMC for Tuesday School. God has also led several adults in the church to be involved as teachers, song leaders, planners, cooks, craft leaders, etc. It has been an amazing experience thus far. We are singing Jesus Loves Me in English & Inupiaq. Our dogs, Sere & Gracie, are great ministers as well. They attract the curious kids from the church's playground and allow the kids to pet them, give them treats, and brush them. The girls really like the attention and are such great sports.

Prayers for the ministry here are much appreciated. Let me know if you would like to receive our quarterly newsletter by posting a comment.

The Nome Journey has Begun

I have recently realized that it has been a couple months since I wrote on my blog meaning that I have not written since I arrived in Nome to be Co-Pastor with my husband.

Today is a beautiful day in Nome, much like the day that David & I arrived in Nome. On Thursday, July 3, David & I landed in Nome and as we landed, the pilot told us that it was sunny and 80 degrees in Nome. I thought he was joking since I never experienced that type of warmth when I lived in Nome before. How wonderful it was to know that it was really this warm! I felt as if we were truly being welcomed! After that warm spell, we quickly dropped to 40 & 50 degree ranges and actually had to turn on the heat in the parsonage! Now 7 weeks later, we are enjoying some great weather again!

This journey to Nome to serve as Co-Pastor with David for the next four years has been a wonderful experience as well as an adjustment. On our first trip to the grocery store, we experienced "sticker shock" when we saw the prices of milk and other foods. Wow! Things were pricier now then when I lived here before, but not this much! $6 for a half gallon of milk?? Needless to say, we got ONLY what we needed and found our moods drop slightly. This meant no junk food! This is good for our budget and our waistlines! Now we are used to the prices, though one of our strategies is to buy items mostly when they are on sale. In addition, we ordered food in bulk from a barge company with some of our friends. We had to order a minimum of 25 cases which is why we went in together with another couple. This order should arrive sometime in September. Another thing we are doing is ordering organic vegetables from a company based in Washington State - several people in Nome do this and it is pretty reasonable. We pick up our order every other Wednesday so it is like Christmas when a new box arrives of 14 different fruits and vegetables. We are learning to prepare veggies such as kale and beets. Not only is this saving us a little money, but it is expanding our horizons as well.

On the ministry front, David & I are getting a sense of working together. For the first three Sunday we were here, we did what we call tag-team sermons. We divided up the thought blocks of our sermon and took turns speaking. It was kind of neat. Now we are dividing up the Sundays and at the moment preaching alternating weeks. We enjoy pastoring together, even amidst the growing edges. We have also visited people in our church together and visited the local nursing home today once last week and once this week already. David led worship at the nursing home today. We have met with the committee that is in charge of supervising us to begin working on a vision for the church. We have asked the committee to name some of their expectations of us and in turn have shared what we feel needs the most attention immediately. We would ask for your prayers as we seek to re-establish a children's ministry in this church. We have been getting to know the children who come to our playground. Our dogs have been great helpers in this endeavor. Part of the fencing around our yard where the dogs play shares a boundary with the church's playground. Many of the children are curious and want to play with our dogs. I have invited children to come into the fenced yard and sit on the front steps of the parsonage with me as they play with the dogs. Some of these children came to our recent Vacation Bible School led by our Volunteers in Mission Team from Pennsylvania. We want to build on these relationships and have a program for kids once a week in the evening. Again, please keep us in your prayers as the church begins this program.

One of my favorite things about living in Nome before was berry picking! It is now the time of year when the blueberries are ripe and more are getting ripe by the day! Woo-hoo! I can even see blueberries when I sleep. About a week ago, I went out with some awesome and totally amazing women from the church and found some cranberries! All week, I have been feeling like I am truly in the Kingdom of God! I love picking berries and being out in the fresh air. Something about it just energizes me! I have told a few people that I do indeed feel like I am in the already, but not yet Kingdom of God. I am "already" there in the sense that I am experiencing God's provision of some great berries to pick and put away for the rest of the year. Even though fuel and food prices are escalating, God is still providing for our needs through the plentiful berries on the tundra - free of charge - all we need to do is pick them and put them in our freezer! The "not yet" part is the fact that a bear could be lurking about since berries are part of their diet as well. Since I am afraid of the bears, I cannot experience the full Kingdom of God. Do we live in a perfect world??

God is also providing through David's fishing pink and silver salmon. We were not even in Nome 24 hours when David went fishing with someone from church. He caught 8 pink salmon and the other man caught 7. This generous man gave us all of his as well. David bought a fishing license and is now going out fishing every chance he gets. Thursdays evenings and Sunday evenings have been his typical fishing nights. The time he goes all depends on when high tide hits.

Throughout this part of the journey, I am learning that God certainly does provide. In fact, this is a message that I preached a couple weeks ago when I preached on the Matthew passage where Jesus asks Peter to walk on water. When we get distracted by our doubts, it is hard to keep our eyes on Jesus, on God. One of the things that worries and distracts many is the rising cost of heating fuel. God will provide for our heating bill in one way or another - maybe that means that each of us has to give a little more in the offering plate and maybe there will be some United Methodist Churches outside of Nome who will want to partner with us and provide some financial support as well. God will provide. In the meantime, we need to be faithful to what God is calling us to do with the resources we have - we have a building that is conducive to having children's programs and a beautiful worship space. We need to teach the children about Jesus and show them that because God loves and cares for them, we love and care for them as well.

Well, this is certainly enough for now. I hope to post more soon. Thank you for being on this journey with me.

Beignets....Mmmm

David & I decided to make a trip to Louisiana before going north to Alaska. We have enjoyed visiting friends and meeting new friends along the way. What joy and blessing - following God's path for each of us has been an adventure and blessing and we are confident that the journey will be just that - an adventure and blessing.

Last night after visiting several people, David & I went to Morning Call to experience some delicious beignets with our cafe au lait. My cafe au lait was frozen while David's was nice and hot. The waiters and waitresses were amazing with their systematic approach to creating the perfect cafe au lait. They took two pitchers from the counter - one containing coffee and the other milk. When we received our beignets, I took one onto my plate and sprinkled a thin layer of powdered sugar over the top. David then took the shaker and showed me how beignets should really look - completely covered with a thick layer of powdered sugar. Mmm. I was on vacation so I decided I needed to live a little and experience the culture in its true form and have all the sugar expected of a beignet. Oh what a hubby I have - always looking out for me and making sure that I have a good time.

I have really enjoyed each of my visits to New Orleans area over the last couple years since I have been in relationship with David. What an adventure, what a joy! More adventure awaits in Louisiana in the years ahead.