Note from the Pastor                                                        2/04/10

Grace is an AWESOME thing to have! 

All of the various Christian denominations have something that makes them stand out from others.  The Lutherans hold Scripture above all things, which is fantastic.  The Baptists, by name, hold the gift of the sacraments in very high regard.  The Catholic and Episcopalian faiths appreciate church order and the discipline of the church.  As for us Methodists, we have our Grace.  It isn’t that we don’t hold any of these other things in little regard, but for us, God’s Grace is the foundation of ANY discussion.  As Methodists, we hold fast to every aspect of God’s AMAZING and undying love for us.  We believe that, through all things, God will NEVER stop loving us and we will forever be acceptable to our God because of God’s Grace.

Knowing this, I feel compelled to ask- how do we show this belief in our day to day lives as believers in Grace?  As Methodists, we believe EVERYTHING is possible and is a result of God’s Love and Forgiveness…  so how does that play out in OUR choices?  How do we show others that we believe this principal in our daily lives? 

Grandpa always said, ‘The proof of the pudding is in the tasting.’  This saying comes from the time of cooked pudding- so I can’t use this illustration with kids today.  Grandpa was a cook- and he knew that sometimes a pudding didn’t look burnt, or smell burnt- but when you tasted it – you found out it most certainly WAS burnt.   I have found, very often, that the best way to see if someone really believes something, is to watch how they LIVE a principal of their life.  There is a parent (outside of our congregation) that I am working with right now (story used with permission) who is looking for some behavior modification with her child who is using some very bad language.  The daughter  curses constantly, and the mom wants her to stop.  Unfortunately, the MOM uses bad language CONSTANTLY!  Obviously, the mom has to make some tough choices in her own behavior if she wants to prove to the girl that she is telling the truth, that cursing so frequently is not good for her.  The mom needs to prove her belief in clean language…  otherwise she is just trying to serve bad pudding!

We believe in Grace.   Forgiveness.  Love.  Compassion.  If we can’t, or won’t exemplify and demonstrate that belief with our lives, then we are just blowing smoke!  If we can’t PROOVE to the world that these principals and beliefs have impacted our daily lives, then we are just proving that these beliefs are a LIE!  IF- we truly believe in Grace and forgiveness and compassion and love- then these principals will be demonstrated in our lives and our actions.  Pray about this.  Pray about what kind of pudding that you choose to serve.  Is it burnt?  Do YOU feel burnt?  Then maybe you need some Grace?

Peace be with you all,

Pastor Bob