An Anchor in Hard Times

I am not an economist. I am not particularly brilliant on governmental affairs. But I do have a sense that something is taking place that involves more than economics and runs deeper than politics (however blasphemous that might sound this close to an election). What we face is a crisis of confidence, and the crisis is not necessarily a loss of confidence but a growing awareness that our confidence has been misplaced. Gradually or not so gradually we have come to trust in the wrong things which led us to seek the wrong things. We have now found that trust to be misguided, and that which we sought has brought with it some very high costs for almost everyone.

At its very heart this is a theological issue, the issue of what we have chosen to trust. What you finally trust is your god, and it seems that some have chosen to trust power and some have chosen to trust accumulation of wealth and some have chosen both. In order to reach those ends, some choices have been made and attitudes adopted which have harmed our life together.

We have lost sight of the charge to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as our self. Instead too many have adopted the attitude of Cain in the creation story, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” and our answer has been “no.”

So what is called for? What is called for is a reorientation of our lives, what the scriptures call “repentance.” When my friend Norman Roe was preaching at Danny Young’s funeral, he talked about repentance in terms of rethinking. We need to rethink our priorities as individuals and as a nation. We need to rethink the things we have chosen to trust. The things we have been focusing on have led us stray.

Faces New and Old

Fara and I have become bird watchers. Oh, we don’t go out looking for them, and we don’t keep a log book---at least not yet. Rather we just put out food and delight in sitting on the porch in the early morning and seeing who shows up.

This last summer and fall there have been some new additions. A flock of white-winged dove have settled in along with some beautiful birds that it took some of you to help me identify as being Lesser Gold Finches. (If these are the lesser, the greater finches must be something indeed.) On any given morning there will be all sorts of species all gathering together taking turns at the various feeders and water supply.

Sitting there and watching, it is not that much of a stretch to think about our church on any given Sunday or Wednesday. The doors open, nourishment is offered, and all sorts of people show up to be fed. There are those who have been coming for some time, and there are also new people there seeking the same nourishment although probably a bit more tentatively because of their unfamiliarity with the surroundings. The love of God is there for all, and just as it is a joy to watch our feathered friends come to share the seed we have offered, so is it a joy to be a part of sharing that love of God which through Christ Jesus has been shared with us.

Ike Considered

Sometimes the world brings tragedy up close. We have become accustomed to seeing scenes of destruction from other places, but somehow it is different to see similar scenes in downtown Houston or to know that places you had visited on High Island are simply gone. It is a different thing to see the picture of the destruction on Galveston Island because we have been to Galveston Island. On Sunday mornings we have met people in our services who are here waiting for the power to come back on and/or the water to recede. Our family has relatives who have made their way to Austin and to our place at Canyon Lake to await the possibility of return.

The enormity of it all seems to dwarf efforts to help, but we do what we can. Coincidently the mission emphasis for the month of September for our congregation is disaster relief. The response to that request has been heartening. Mobil Loaves and Fishes of which we are a part sent several trucks loaded with supplies to the areas hardest hit. Our Tweeners put together 80 “manna bags” and took them to a shelter here in Austin where refugees from the Coast were staying. These and so many other efforts continue. We reach out to help God’s people because they are God’s people. Such moments bind us together in a special and more intense way because we realize the stakes.

Thank you for all that you have done and will do as we continue to help people rebuild their lives after Ike. Remember them in your prayers for they have great need of knowing God’s presence near.

Getting Ready

It was an incredibly busy week leading up to the funeral of my dear friend Danny Young. I was doing my own things getting ready for the funeral, but meanwhile behind the scenes a large number of people were working to make ready for what we all knew was going to be a large event. The sanctuary was made ready. Extra chairs were put out. Greeters were recruited to help the many people not familiar with our facilities to get around. Extra parking was arranged with helpful neighbors. An alternate sound system was set up. All that and more was completed and in place before Tuesday afternoon when so many of us said our goodbyes to, and celebrated the life of, Danny Roy Young.

This congregation because of its unique location and makeup has served as a place of public worship for Austin and the surrounding area. There have been prayer services at inaugurations. There have been funerals of public figures. There have been other community worship services. Because we are First United Methodist Church of Austin, located right across from the state capital, we have had many opportunities to serve our community. What makes that possible is a committed staff and volunteers willing to go beyond the call to make ready and to greet those who come our way for these special occasions.

On Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning of last week I watched it all come together, and once again I was grateful to be part of such a place that not only can but will eagerly serve in such a capacity.