Pastor's Corner

“And Are We Yet Alive?”  We often sing this old hymn.  In fact, Methodists have been singing it every year for generations, all the way back to the days of John and Charles Wesley.  “Are we yet alive?”  You can imagine its being a real question in the days of the circuit riders on the frontier.  Young preachers out there on horseback, braving all kinds of hazards, in some cases not seeing family or colleagues for months.  And are we yet alive?  Yes!  By the grace of God!

                 And there is another grace at work as well.  Our theme at one Annual conference was “Faith. Formed. Together.”  One of my favorite images was provided in Bishop Huie’s sermon.  She was talking about clergy and the work of connecting heaven and earth, but she might as well have been talking about all of us.  Her image came from watching rock climbers scaling vertical cliffs, moving up and down, floating, as it were, on unseen ropes, literally moving up and down between heaven and earth.

                 She said there are two things that are absolutely essential for that kind of rock climbing.  To begin, you must be firmly anchored to the rock itself, and just as rock climbers anchor themselves using “pitons,” those little climbers’ pegs, faithful folk must remain anchored to our rock, Jesus Christ.  Our pitons are things like prayer and scripture, worship and singing, acting together in the world to make a difference.  If you’re not anchored to the Rock, you don’t have a chance.

                 And second, we must remain connected to each other.  Climbers learn to trust each other, to rely on each other when they slip or get tired or face something they cannot handle on their own.  They are connected by essential ropes, and they learn to trust those ropes and the people at the other end.  Church folk are no different.   Blest be the “tie that binds!”

                 “And are we yet alive” here at Mission Bend?  You bet!  We are anchored in Jesus Christ, bound together in  “faith forming relationships,” and looking forward to a great future!

                 I am excited to be here with you!  Peace to you, my new friends.