St. John members Art and Marilyn Carpenter, with assistance from their grandchildren, share their perspective in this devotional video.
Gifts - a poem by Erynne DeVore
I wonder if you have thought about
The poems that I spout
I think you are learning the lessons
And I know you’re asking good questions
But today my poem is about something new
And that’s the gifts God gave to YOU
And the reasons I choose to teach in poems
Is because words are how I solve my problems
Writing is my gift from God
And I get to share it with my squad
One of the reasons God gives us talents
Is because helping other’s is one of Jesus’ follower’s assignments
We can share God’s love
When we share parts of ourselves, the best of
So yes sharing our gifts is one important thing
But I think joy is another reason we have gifts to bring
While we don’t want to forget that we can use our gifts to teach
I don’t think gifts are alone for us to preach
I think we can enjoy hobbies, gifts, and talents
Because God would want God’s children
To enjoy life’s fun and amusements
So I’m here today asking all of you
Children, Teenagers, and adults too!
What interests and gifts were you given
From God in Heaven?
It is ok if you don’t know
It can take some time to try new things and grow
Mistakes happen and not everything is your deal
But I promise there is something special inside of you just waiting to reveal
If you know what that special gift might be
Will you share it with us with glee?
Maybe you sing, dance, garden, or paint!
Maybe you give the world’s best hugs or can count to one million and eighty-eight!
Whatever it is that brings you joy
And helps the ones around you learn and enjoy
Could be that thing you share with your church friends
And we could watch all of your gifts on a video with no end!
In the coming weeks we will hear
About how some of you use your gifts in ways most sincere
And God surrounds us in comfort and love and joy and grace
And together in life we rejoice in God’s gifted embrace!
A Reflection on Indigenous People's Day
“Those who hide their sins won’t succeed, but those who confess and give them up will receive mercy.” - Proverbs 28:13
Over the last four months of intentional learning, reflection, and advocacy on racial justice with the St. John Anti-Racism book group, I’ve been struck over and over again by how different people recount history differently. I’ve discovered that nearly all of the history that I know and tell has been taught to me almost entirely from the white perspective. It’s clear we’ve worked hard to ignore and forget the perspective of others. We've hidden the unfavorable parts of our story that reveal injustice and oppression of people of color and indigenous communities across our country and across our state.
Like many of you, I grew up referring to this federal holiday in October as Columbus Day, a day we often had off from work or school in commemoration of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. We often referenced this “discovery” of America as reason to celebrate. However this celebration is not shared by all. Indigenous people lived on this land far before Columbus landed, and live here still today. They do not believe that Columbus discovered America, they clearly already lived here! Their experience of Columbus and the European settlers was largely not one of joy and abundance, but one of violence and genocide.
That’s why I acknowledge today as Indigenous People’s Day. A day where I set aside time to learn more about the history and culture of indigenous people. It’s an opportunity to participate in de-colonization, as I acknowledge the harm done, and seek to understand the history, culture, and gifts of indigenous people. And I believe it’s the work God has called us to do. As we live out our baptismal calls to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves, we somberly confess the sins of the past and look forward to the hope of communion for all people through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
On this Indigenous People’s Day, let us lift our voices in prayer:
O Great Spirit, God of every people and every tribe,
we come to you as your many children,
to ask for your forgiveness and guidance.
Forgive us for the colonialism that stains our past,
the ignorance that allowed us to think
that we could claim another’s home for our own.
Heal us of this history.
Remind us that none of us were discovered
since none of us were lost,
but that we are all gathered within the sacred circle of your community.
Guide us through your wisdom to restore the truth of our heritage.
Help us to confront the racism that divides us
as we confess the pain it has caused to the human family.
Call us to kinship.
Mend the hoop of our hearts
and let us live in justice and peace.
Through Jesus Christ, the One who came
that all people might live in dignity.
Amen.
(From the Episcopal Church: Resources on the Doctrine of Discovery)
If you would like to learn more about Indigenous perspectives, I highly recommend checking out these resources from Native Movement, an organization based out of Fairbanks: https://www.nativemovement.org/resources
There are a number articles, books, podcasts, and films listed here that can increase our knowledge and broaden our perspective on Native issues in Alaska and in our country.
Peace,
Pastor Emily
Family Devotional Acts 2:38-47
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: Acts 2:38-47. 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. Discussion Questions (as always, pick and choose which questions you’d like to discuss!):
When is a time you felt “united” with other people? (Other words/phrases to use for younger children: connected, close to, unified, held together.)
What did you have in common with the people you were connected to?
Do you have to have a lot in common to be connected to someone else?
What or who do you think can unify a large group of people?
How do you think it would feel to feel peace and connection with all of your friends and neighbors, even if you had different ideas and beliefs?
3. Close in Prayer: Dear God, thank you for Your Holy Spirit. She connects us all, and we are so grateful for being unified through You. When things get hard, help us remember You are there, and Your Spirit is like a warm wind or cozy blanket, helping us feel better. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
~ Erynne DeVore, director of Children’s Ministry
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.