Bryant's Weekly Thoughts

Bryant's Weekly Thoughts for February 2008

On most Fridays, Rev. Bryant M. Oskvig sends out his e-Pistle - thoughts, comments, and expressions of what's on his mind.

To read other e-Pistles by month, please use button below.

Friday, February 22, 2008

We today again face the challenges with which the winter presents us. These days when all things cancel are a blessing of Divine interruption in our lives filled with so much human scheduling, a gift of Sabbath in the midst of the week, day of preventive interruption, a day of personal reckoning, a day of cleansing health – a day of grace within the one Day of God. The struggle of ice being scraped from cars, the challenge of our commute, and the slow manner all things that happen this day are a preventive grace of God that says, “You are not God.” God knows, we need prevenient interruption. Otherwise, we think too much of our own doing, and too little of God.

This week we as a congregation have also found ourselves interrupted by the demands of hospitality. Throughout the week, we have hosted over a dozen people in our Fellowship Hall as they escape the cold of winter that creates our snow days. These have enjoyed the comfort of heat and the fellowship of our volunteers who gave of their time to provide transportation, provide meals, and be present through the night. We also hosted these guests despite the further interruption of safety concerns being raised with regard to the kitchen and the decision of our Trustees to turn off the stove until the concerns are adequately addressed. We may live with this interruption for awhile, and many ministries of the church are making new plans for their upcoming events. We will continue to feast on the word of God together each time we gather; we will just need to be more creative as to how we prepare for the meals we enjoy as we share that feast.

The Finance Committee of this congregation continued its good and diligent work this week in marshalling the gifts of this congregation to provide for the feast of grace we share as a community through all our ministries. This fiscal year has been interrupted by escalating expenses and flat giving which has put a significant financial strain on the church. The committee continues to evaluate the situation as they make difficult decisions to provide for the ongoing ministry of the church. While this interruption is a great challenge to the community, by God’s preventative grace it requires us to listen for where God is leading us as a community to develop disciples for Christ and to focus our resources to respond to that call.

So, in the midst of the interruptions of our human striving, we are reminded that we do not preach ourselves – what we might do, what we might be, what we might accomplish – we preach Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

What counts in life is the love of God.

What matters in existence is the grace of God.

What needs doing most, God has already done.

What costs most, God has given.

What we can trust, God has offered.

In Grace and Hope,

Bryant

Friday, February 29, 2008

The power of the experience of Jesus Christ is that our lives have been made sacred by the Divine, our whole lives! In Christ, God lived our lives, knew our fears, experienced our despairs, and through Christ all of life has been made holy. The power of the Christian witness is then that the line between sacred and profane blurs as we live out our Christian discipleship, and all of our living becomes a witness to the love of God and an experience of grace.Holy then are the joys we celebrate (the birthdays, the weddings, and the successes) and Holy are the challenges and disappointments we face (the losses, the trials, and the failures). The challenge for a people of faith is finding the Hoy when confronted with the despairs of life, and the scriptures give us Thomas and Job to name that moment.

We strive now as a community of faith to keep Holy our financial struggles of this congregation. Over the last few years, our expenses have exceeded our income, and we have been spending beyond our current means. We have supported this spending by eroding our cash balance, which threatens available resources for ministries and projects for which people have made specific contributions. At our current giving level and if the expenses continue at the rate they have for the first six months of this fiscal year, the congregation will run out of money in June.

To this moment, we have been called to be a Holy people and name grace and hope in the midst of this challenge. The finance committee is working carefully on the expense side of the situation. Some cost savings have been identified, some projects put on hold, and some careful decisions have been made. There will probably be more work over the next months to monitor the situation and respond to continued struggles.

We also have the call and opportunity to respond to this challenge, to name hope and promise through our giving. We have the occasion to observe and give from our abundance to the ministries of this congregation. We do not give because of what the church has done for us; we give because of what the church does for another. Here a mourning family finds comfort, a couple finds the promise of commitment, children know that they are loved by God, and the lonely find a community. Grace is shared at Linden-Linthicum everyday, and it is shared through of your gifts. Now is the time to think about how you might be that experience of grace by your giving as the congregation faces this challenge. Step out in faith and help share the love of God.

I am confident that all will respond in as much a way as they can for our beloved congregation. There is hope and holiness in this challenge, and I know this to be true each time I gather with the committees and groups of this church and struggle with this situation. And in that struggle and the hope I experience therein, I am reminded of the words of John Wesley, “Best of all, God is with us!”

What counts in life is the love of God.

What matters in existence is the grace of God.

What needs doing most, God has already done.

What costs most, God has given.

What we can trust, God has offered.

In Grace and Hope,

Bryant

For more information:
Linden-Linthicum UMC
12101 Linden Linthicum Lane
Clarksville, MD 21029 US
Email: llumc@l-lumc.org

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