Devotional 9.23.20 Rick Meidel

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: 8-9 (ESV)

The story is told of a Sculptor. He found this stone. A very special stone. He dragged it home and he worked over that stone for a very long time, until he was finally finished. When he was ready, he showed the finished product to his friends. His friends declared that he had created a great masterpiece! But, humbly, the Sculptor said he hadn't created anything at all. The statue was always there. He just chipped away the rough edges.

Chip chip chip. Polish polish polish.

Perhaps some of you have seen the statue, Christ The Redeemer, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I’ve seen it; and it’s impressive, even from a distance. It’s a masterpiece! I wonder how long it took to chip the basic image. I wonder how long it took to polish it into the final product. Chipping or polishing. Which do you suppose takes longer?

I’m going to bluntly set the stage. I don’t like words or insinuations that I’m a White Supremacist. I’ve told our pastors the same. Learning that we’re now using a more "modern" definition, learned through a popular book, doesn’t make me feel any better. I’ve tried to be transparent to you, my fellow congregants, about my personal journey - an intensive journey in fact - to become the best "me" I can be. I’ve shared with you how I grew up. I’ve shared my adventures during my international travels that helped open my eyes and expand my cultural understanding. I’ve shared stories of my experiences mentoring at-risk youth, of all races, in ethnically diverse neighborhoods, trying to provide encouragement while sharing a sense of hope. I value diversity at work and I build diverse teams built upon respect. I’ve come a long way from the small-town boy who grew up in an all-white town. I know what comes to my mind when I hear the words, White Supremacist. Hatred. Hatred that spurs action against another race. Blatantly declaring one’s perceived superiority based solely on race. I’m sorry; but there is nothing in the woven fabric that is my very being that justifies being placed in a circle with those people. No. A new definition in a book doesn’t change my view. And yet, as staunchly as I’ve resisted such descriptors, I’ve humbly admitted that my personal journey is showing me areas where I can be better; areas where I have, or may have, demonstrated bias. My journey has me begging for forgiveness.

There’s a stone representing systemic racism that must be shaped into a masterpiece; perhaps a statue representing a broad embrace of all mankind. Picture it, won’t you? Moving from stone to masterpiece will take a lot of chipping. And it will take a lot of polishing. The chipping seems like the hardest part. What can companies do differently? What policies need written or revised to help us turn the tide? How must we teach our children? What cultural norms, values, morals and practices need chipped away - by all races - to help us move forward together? There’s a lot of work to be done. Some serious chipping to do. Someone better get started.

Along with the chipping, there’s polishing that needs to get underway. I’ve mentioned before, I’m being polished - by the church, by the media, and by my own hand as part of this personal journey. Though humbling, I like where I’m going. Still, I can’t help but wonder whether polishing the "me" that I am, into the "me" that I can be, is really the means to the end of systemic racism. That chipping that I mentioned above seems like it will take a lot longer than any polishing that I need to accomplish. And, that chipping mentioned above will be more impactful, more visible. I think I see some nodding heads! Am I right?

But then, I consider the polishing responsibilities that I have put on my plate. Here are a few of my latest thoughts:

• I have friends that comprise different races. But having lived in so many different places and having traveled the world extensively, I’m wondering why I don’t have more non-white friends. I can tell you that this is perhaps my most difficult question on my personal journey. Ask yourself the same question, without defense.

• I love music. Over the years, I’ve evolved through many genres of music: disco, pop, classic rock, country & western, back to classic rock, and now, almost exclusively, Christian. With two musicians in the house, I’ve even come to appreciate classical. My high school and college friends are rolling their eyes! I don’t like rap. At all. The other day, listening to my Christian station, I found myself tapping my foot to a new TobyMac song. I love that guy. Just two years younger than me, still cranking out the hits and putting on a show! He’s married to a woman from Jamaica. Back to his song, it took me a few seconds to realize it was rap. I didn’t expect it. And I liked it. Perhaps not uncommon, I even think the word rap and I conjure up images of "gangstas," profanity-laced lyrics and violent proclamations against police or authority. Yes - there’s certainly some of that; and not liking that doesn’t make me a racist. My view though, is that I’ve missed out on something over the years that I might have enjoyed; I’ve missed out because of a potential bias that I applied to any song within that genre.

• I’m starting to travel again. In later August, I boarded an airplane for the first time in five months. I was more observant as I traversed the airport. As I passed the bookstore, I thought of the many books I’ve read to pass the time on long flights. I’ve read a lot of business books in my adult life! Through my personal journey, I’ve been trying to recall books that I’ve read by Black authors. Funny, I can’t think of many. Or any. I’m bothered that I may have passed over Black authors, with no known malice in my heart, perhaps because of a bias that led me to believe there wasn’t anything I could learn from those books.

I have a tear in my eye as I write this devotional. I want to live a good, purposeful life. I’ve tried. I’ve made myself vulnerable to try to lead a better, more purposeful life. And, yet, there seems to be so much left to do. Now that I see it, how did I miss it? So much polishing left to do. And so I ask, is it harder to chip or to polish? Our views may be different as we answer. But let me assure you that neither is easy. If we ever want to see that stone transformed into a masterpiece, we better not wait for one to begin before starting the other. I invite you to be more vulnerable. Be less defensive. If you must, pat yourself on the back that, as a good Christian, you have no major chipping to be done in your life. But also acknowledge that all of us are in need of polishing. Perhaps a lot of polishing. And polishing takes a long time. Getting started is the hardest part; it’s messy. John tells us that we deceive ourselves when we say (or think) we are without sin. Vulnerability. It’s a tough road; let’s journey it together. It gets easier, if we can only get started. Chip chip chip plus polish polish polish equals progress!

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." Jude 1: 24-25 (ESV). Dear Lord, let us be a Sculptor. Your Sculptor. Chipping and polishing until the masterpiece is finished. Amen.

Rick Meidel, his wife Natalie and daughter Sarah have attended St. John UMC since 2018. Rick can be reached at meidy@me.com or 832-418-9200.

Family Devotional Matthew 20:1-16

For families with little ones (preschool age), this could be a 3-5 minute talk! It doesn’t have to be much. For older children, you can opt in for more of these options to extend your study time together. I recommend doing this with (especially little) children over a meal – whichever meal is the least chaotic in your home (for my family right now, that’s lunch), or saving the questions for while you’re on a walk or playing outside together. Have fun!

1. Read the scripture together: Matthew 20:1-16. The important thing is that you’re reading scripture together! If you’re looking for different ways to engage your children while reading, here are some fun ways to read scripture as a family

• Every Reader takes a verse

• Ask each child to pick two words they don’t understand to talk about after you read it. (For longer scriptures and younger children, you may need to split up the reading in order to do this.)

• Draw a picture of what you read

• Act it out as a family (And please send documentation of this to children.sjumc@gmail.com because we could all use a laugh right now!)

• Sing it!

• Use Legos or dolls to tell the story

2. Tell your kids that this scripture about people who showed up at the end of a work day receiving the same pay as someone who showed up in the morning and worked all day. This parable is meant to teach us that “the first will be last and the last will be first.” Jesus wants us to learn that God takes care of those of us who aren’t the fastest, or come first, or “the best” at everything. God wants us to take care of those people, too.

3. Discussion Questions (as always, pick and choose which questions you’d like to discuss!):

• Imagine this: You get to school or church early for something you are excited about, and you were first in line. Maybe it’s a lesson, to watch a movie, for a piece of candy, or to join a sports team., You waited patiently. Other kids lined up behind you. Some kids didn’t come until after the activity started! When the teacher started handing out items, they started with … the people who came late! Not you! After you waited so long! They got the same candy as you, and they got it first!

• How would you feel? How do you think the kids in the back of the line would feel?

• Why do you think the kids were late? Is it because they didn’t work as hard as you? Maybe. Maybe there are some other reasons kids might be late to something exciting. Can you think of some? (Their parents had to work, they had to do school work, they had to wait for a ride and the driver was running late, etc.)

• How do you feel when you’re running late for something you’re excited and/or nervous about? How do you feel when you show up to work on a project and don’t feel like you’re able to do as much as some of the other kids?

• Can you think of a time that at first something didn’t seem fair, but was also the right thing to do?  

• What is a way you can help  others who might be “last in line” or not have as much as you?

4. Close in Prayer: Dear God, thank you for teaching us that sometimes Your way may not seem fair at first, but it is the best way. Thank you for taking care of all of us, loving all of us, wanting the best for all of us – no matter if we are first or last or somewhere in between. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

~ Erynne DeVore, director of Children’s Ministry

The End of the Line - A Poem by Erynne DeVore

Can you think of a time

You were the quickest at that mountain climb

If you started at the bottom of the mountain

Right after breakfast

Does the view from the top change

For someone who wasn’t the fastest?

What about when the person at the back of the line

Gets the same as you

Do you whine?

What do you think as the line leader?

Should they have been more like you, the speeder?

It is tough to work more or harder

And get the same reward

As someone who worked less or shorter

But have you ever stopped to wonder

Why that classmate of yours might be late

Or if they too, had someone for who they had to wait?

Maybe they had more to do 

or more worries to care for

Maybe it wasn’t that they didn’t work hard 

or they were just a bore

The point is

We don’t know their story

We only know ours

And we shouldn’t be so accusatory 

I wonder if you can guess

Who might know the truth of it all

Of course you’re right

It’s God who has the insight

God knows you and me

From first to last and large to small 

And God tells us that the first will be last

And the last will be first

Which can be hard for us to grasp

If you’re holding onto first place with a clasp

Sometimes worrying about who is in first place may not seem fair

It is not our burden to bear

God wants to care for all of us

But some of us need different things than others

And there is no need to make such a fuss

If you receive less than your sisters or brothers

It doesn’t mean those at the end of the line

Are any better than those who started at nine

It just means God will care for us all

Especially when you lose your place and fall 

~ Erynne Devore, director of Children’s Ministry

Family Devotional Matthew 18:21-35

For families with little ones (preschool age), this could be a 3-5 minute talk! It doesn’t have to be much. For older children, you can opt in for more of these options to extend your study time together. I recommend doing this with (especially little) children over a meal – whichever meal is the least chaotic in your home (for my family right now, that’s lunch), or saving the questions for while you’re on a walk or playing outside together. Have fun!

1. Read the scripture together: Matthew 18:21-35. The important thing is that you’re reading scripture together! If you’re looking for different ways to engage your children while reading, here are some fun ways to read scripture as a family

• Every Reader takes a verse

• Ask each child to pick two words they don’t understand to talk about after you read it. (For longer scriptures and younger children, you may need to split up the reading in order to do this.)

• Draw a picture of what you read

• Act it out as a family (And please send documentation of this to children.sjumc@gmail.com because we could all use a laugh right now!)

• Sing it!

• Use Legos or dolls to tell the story

2. Tell your kids that this scripture is about forgiveness. Jesus says we should forgive others seventy times seven times. Calculate how much this is with your kids, and tell them that God doesn’t mean we should forgive people exactly this number of times. He is using a large number to say we should always work on forgiveness, lots and lots of times.

3. Discussion Questions (as always, pick and choose which questions you’d like to discuss!):

• What do you think it means to forgive?

• Does someone have to say sorry and change their behavior to be forgiven?

• When is a time you have forgiven someone? When is a time you have been forgiven?

• How did you feel after you forgave someone else? How did you feel after someone forgave you?

• Are trust and forgiveness the same thing? (Hint: No. It is the person who hurts you who needs to work on earning trust back, and if they don’t, it is not your job to try to trust them again. Forgiveness is different – it means letting go of the anger, with God’s help, when you’re ready, and not wishing for bad things for the other person. It means peace for you. Forgiving over and over or seventy times seven does not mean staying friends with someone who hurts you over and over. This would be a good time to talk about age appropriate boundaries with your children.)

4. Close in Prayer: Dear God, thank you for forgiving us, when we do something wrong. Thank you for helping us learn from our mistakes. Please help us forgive others when they’ve hurt us. Please help us learn more about forgiveness and what it means, and how to honor You and ourselves in our forgiveness practice. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

~ Erynne DeVore, director of Children’s Ministry

Devotional 9.10.20 Rick Meidel

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” - Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

Those who know me aren’t surprised to hear me say that I’m “detailed oriented.” I pay attention to things. I pay attention to situations. I pay attention to people. I’m that way at work; and I’m that way at home. We like to walk our neighborhood every evening. With that, we probably visit every street of our neighborhood at least once every week. I wave at every car. I acknowledge everyone I pass by. I haven’t socialized with many of my neighbors but I know who they are. I know what they look like.

We were driving out of the neighborhood the other evening. A younger man was walking down the hill on one of the gated side streets. Nothing unusual. Except for the bag. The man was carrying an oversized and colorful shopping bag. We live on the Hillside. Walking the hills is difficult enough without your hands full! You certainly don’t carry loaded shopping bags up and down the hills if you can help it! I nodded to the individual, noted it, and continued our journey to town.

The next day, I was working outside on my gutters. I was in an area where I could not be seen, except for my dangling feet on a somewhat rickety ladder. I heard a male voice ask me whether I was the homeowner. I said yes. And I descended down the ladder. The polite young man, holding that same colorful shopping bag I had noticed the night before, told me he wanted to talk to me about Ballot Measure 1. He handed me a flyer. I took it and glanced at it. I told him I was already aligned with the position he was promoting. He had my vote! We exchanged pleasantries. I wished him well.

The man was Black.

For the past few days, I’ve been thinking about that encounter. I thought back to my first sight of him. I hadn’t seen him before and I had made a mental note of that detail, the same as I do for others I do not recognize. I don’t believe my mind questioned whether he “belonged” in our neighborhood. I wonder whether that was because I am more aware now of any bias I might possess. And then I thought about our encounter at home. I wondered, had I been inside, whether I would have opened the door at the sound of his knock. Maybe I would have just waved him off, through the window, as being uninterested in whatever it was he might be peddling, the same as I do for others I do not recognize. I’m glad to have been outside. It was a brief, but pleasant exchange. It was a pleasure to meet the young man.

Over the past few weeks, related to our Back-To-School Mission, I’ve been to a few homes where I would otherwise be unknown. I have a routine. I ring the doorbell and take a few steps back. I don’t want to make someone uncomfortable by standing too close to the door. I want the owners to have full view of me from their eyepiece in the door. The door usually opens, I introduce myself and I communicate my business.

Here’s the thought I can’t get out of my head these past few days. What must it be like for a Black person to come to the door to conduct business in my, or any other, neighborhood? I wonder if they are nervous. What might he/she encounter as they approach a doorway? What might they expect when they knock on the door? Will they be waved away? Will the door be opened, only partially and with skepticism, to understand the reason for the visit? Will there be conversation? Will there be debate? How might you respond to such a knock on the door today? How have you responded in the past? And, peeling the onion further, would our response to the knock on the door be different if it was, say, a police officer at the door? Or if the knock on the door was from a person of a different, but non-Black, race?

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20 (NIV). It is said that this verse in Revelation is the most misused verse in the Bible! At first read, and with a picture in our head like that in this devotional, we might think it’s a call to sinners: open the door when you hear the knock and let Jesus into your heart. But in the proper context, Jesus is knocking at the door of Christians and the Church. In the context of this section of Revelation, these specific Christians had become lazy and nonchalant. Jesus was trying to get their attention.

Knocking at the door is one way to get someone’s attention. Jesus is trying to get my attention. I can feel it. I can tell by the reminders, some of which I spoke about in a prior devotional. I also can’t keep thoughts from popping into my head right now. More devotionals! I’m being pulled to spend more time with Jesus by reading the Bible and by listening to/studying the words of others who help me interpret the message that’s being conveyed. And that’s probably the point Jesus is making to me with these reminders! For others, maybe Jesus is trying to get your attention through feelings of conviction. Or perhaps he’s giving you challenging situations to work through. Or maybe something else. Do you feel it?

There’s a wakeup call in Revelation 3:20. I might feel like I’m doing everything just right. By the book in fact! But, maybe it’s just a book that I wrote myself, or maybe with help from others, to which I’ve grown comfortable. It’s not God’s book. I have read that we may be letting ourselves become so self-absorbed and self-sufficient that Jesus is, essentially, no longer needed. Complacent Christians. That’s why Jesus was knocking at the door in Revelation! He wanted to be back in their lives! 

As Christians, Jesus was, and is, knocking at the door of our eyes and ears as well as our heart. I ask you: Are we seeing and are we listening? Let’s reflect on how we might answer the knock on the door. It’s Jesus. And he wants our attention. Let him come in and be with us!

Heavenly Father, help us to hear the knock on the door. Help us to be unassuming as we interpret why there’s a knock on the door. Open our minds as we reflect on reminders, convictions and challenges. We are not lazy; but we may be comfortable! Be persistent with us! In Your Son’s name, Amen.

Rick Meidel, his wife Natalie and daughter Sarah have attended St. John UMC since 2018. Rick can be reached at meidy@me.com or 832-418-9200.