I came away not only enthused about mission possibilities but inspired by their faithfulness and spiritual courage.  We have much to learn from our brothers and sisters in Mexico.

One of the great inspirations was hearing about the work of the Holy Spirit at Temple el Buen Pastor.  In 1973 with the church and conference in steep decline, a regular district preachers’ meeting was held.  In the midst of their worship, a powerful intervention of the Spirit happened.  During the sermon people started to confess their sins, pray out loud and seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance.  That event marked the turnaround of the Methodist Church of Mexico.  Today it is a growing church (both the local church and the larger Methodist Church of Mexico) sending missionaries out to others!

Temple el Buen Pastor seats about 150 in worship in a cramped physical facility.  Every time they get up to that amount they start a new church somewhere else in Monclova. They’ve started something like 13 new churches.  The most recent was just this year.  They are reaching out dramatically with ministry to the poor and engaging in deep conversion experiences. They look like what early Methodism sounds like.  I cannot help but wonder if God sent the 3 of us to Monclova to learn what the Lord longs to do for us.

In the meantime, I have been collecting some insights worth reflection in my reading, which I pass to you.  They are episodic but interesting (at least to me).

In a recent research article in Background Data for Mission (put out by the General Board of Global Ministries, http://new.gbgm-umc.org/), Rev. John Southwick, the author, writes lifting up the outstanding ministry of some non-UM churches:  “Some might question why this newsletter, and last month’s, did not feature United Methodist Churches.  There are certainly many of them doing wonderful ministry.  Those highlighted here happen to be those I have personally encountered within a short time prior to writing.  Of more importance, these churches are doing remarkable ministry in places where others have not fared so well.  Seattle and New York are among the least churched cities in the US and yet these ministries have not only done well, they have gone over the top.  The two churches noted last month, City Church in Seattle and Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York, along with Redeemer Presbyterian, are reaching more people, younger people, and more diverse people.  They are doing it with excellent music, strong preaching, an emphasis on evangelism, a love for their context, and a driving sense of vision and purpose.  All churches can strive to improve in these areas and may be pleasantly impressed with the results.”

Catch the emphasis near the close.  It is critically important and bears repeating.  “They are doing it with excellent music, strong preaching, an emphasis on evangelism, a love for their context, and a driving sense of vision and purpose.”

On another subject, many have reported on the United Methodist Church having a positive image among Americans in general.  The following quote is worth reflection.  “(United) Methodists are well liked — and there is great opportunity if (United) Methodist churches will seize the opportunity that this positive perception provides,” said Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research. “If they will show and share the gospel with their neighbors and plant evangelistic churches – they can turn a good reputation into a gospel opportunity.”  I have heard Ed Stetzer speak.  He is graciously ecumenical and often on target.  His writings are worth a look: www.edstetzer.com.

Tomorrow (Saturday, January 28, 2012) I will share with my esteemed colleague and friend Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe in a Memorial Service for his granddaughter Hannah Moran. The tragic death of young girl so full of hope and promise hits us all hard. I ask you to lift up Bishop and Leslie Bledsoe and their entire family in prayers and love. I am deeply grateful for the love and care of the gathered and scattered church at such a time as this. Dr. Tim Bruster and the staff at First UMC, Fort Worth have been especially helpful and grace-filled.

Monday, I will fly to Monterrey, Mexico with Rev. Randy Wild (Executive Director for the Center for Mission Support) and Dawn Phillips (Director of Missions) to meet with the Methodist Bishop of Mexico. Our two conferences have long had a covenantal arrangement of missional support and engagement. We hope to explore how we together might serve Christ and especially our neighbors in need in the future. This is an adventure in service and sharing that I look forward to being a part of!

The following Saturday (February 4, 2012), Jolynn and I will travel back to Dallas for a regular meeting of the South Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops. As we look forward to General Conference, the bishops of the South Central Jurisdiction are exploring together how we lead this great church through our current period of change. We seek to be open to the Holy Spirit and attentive to God’s guidance. We remain committed to the core mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

First United Methodist Church of Brownwood is hosting the “Tell Conference” on February 11-12. “The conference-wide event for clergy and laity is on Saturday, February 11. For those that attended the Needs Based Evangelism Conference [that First UMC Brownwood] held in 2009 that name will sound familiar. Dr Pierson has a new book entitled Tell, and it has quickly become one of the top resources around the world in regard to helping disciples of Jesus Christ to know how to tell their faith story to someone else. On Sunday, February 12, Dr Pierson will lead worship in all three services at Brownwood FUMC. The cost of the conference is $40 a person for those who will be attending from around the Central Texas Conference on Saturday.”

I commend this opportunity for learning and spiritual development greatly!

The change in total CMG (Connectional Mission Giving) in 2011 reflects the deep savings that have resulted from the Exodus Project (moving from 7 geographical Districts to 5 Geographical Districts, reconfiguration of staff, elimination of redundant or obsolete structure, etc.).

The extravagant generosity of the Central Texas Conference did not stop with just Connectional Mission Giving and Conference Ministry Support.  Asking and Fair Share Goals for Laura Edwards, Senior Ministry, Justice for our Neighbors – JFON, Mid-Cities Age Level, Global AIDS Fund, United Community Centers and Metro Board of Missions resulted in an additional $189,860.51 in generosity.  Among the 3 pages of special offerings over and above CMG & Fair Share was an Annual Conference Offering of $43,732.45 which went to Glen Lake Camp, twice the normal amount; UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) offering of $32,015.27 – 1/3 more than ever before; Imagine No Malaria offering of $121,980.56; $13,761.84 for Wildfire Relief in our area, with many churches giving directly to those in need; $49,914.38 in relief for spring storms in Joplin and parts of Oklahoma; and a special Pacific Emergency offering for victims of the Tsunami and related disasters in Japan of $119,106.2!.

Our response has been nothing short of phenomenal.  It represents a true movement of the Holy Spirit among us.  Well done thou good and faithful servants!

Just prior to Christmas, I had the joy and privilege to visit the Project 44 Farm.  Many of you know about Project 44 which began as a ministry to refurbish donated cars and give them to those in need.  That wonderful ministry continues to grow.  Not content to rest on one ministry outreach, the folks at Project 44 have expanded to new fields of ministry (subtle pun intended).  They have begun a farm to feed those struggling to find food!

The Farm sits on a 50 acre piece of land in Granbury, Texas. Project-44.org has currently cultivated 2.5 acres of outdoor crop space on this property for planting and has erected a 4500 square foot greenhouse on the property for year-round planting. It was cold day when I went, but the enthusiasm and commitment warmed my heart.  Over the past year the Project 44 Farm folks estimate that they have produced over 15,000 pounds of produce with countless volunteer support to provide food for hungry families all over Hood County. They are partnering with 4 local non-profit organizations to distribute food throughout Hood County including Rancho Brazos, an extension mission ministry of Acton UMC, as well as local charity Rose’s Place and Christian Service Center. They believe the land they currently have cultivated for use could potentially produce over 30,000 pounds of produce under the right conditions and with adequate volunteer support.  They do need more volunteers.  If interested, contact Kyle Roberson, Administrative Director of Project-44, at 214.215.0033 or kyle@project-44.org.

They showed me a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house on the property they have been given permission to use.  I shared my vision of starting a “new abbey” here in the Central Texas Conference in line with the emerging new monasticism movement.  I can imagine an appointed pastor in some multi-assignment capacity (maybe tent-making or a combination of part-time assignments) as well some seminarians in an internship capacity.  The establishment of an Abbey would facilitate not only a place of work and worship but also a place where worship, prayer, and labor could come together as a manifestation of a faith community.

I realize all of this is a distant vision but I am also convinced that we need to “attempt great things for God and expect great things from God” (William Carey). We need to dream dreams and see visions (Joel 2:28 & Acts 2:17). Who knows where the Lord will lead us.

What draws my reflection is the morning after – Christmas Day, a Sabbath Day for Christians – the Son’s Day or Resurrection Day.  After multiple Christmas Eve services (including one at 11:00 p.m.), Arborlawn (my wife’s church) held one worship at 10 a.m. on Christmas Day (instead of the usual 3).  We went (and yes, I was late).  They ran out of bulletins!  Far more people showed up than were expected.

Christmas Day afternoon we drove to Oklahoma to have Christmas dinner with my mother-in-law.  Her United Methodist Church held a Christmas Eve service but no service on Sunday – the Christian Sabbath day! – Christmas Day.  My mother-in-law and her friends were disappointed (if not disgusted) by the lack of a Christmas Day (Sunday) service.  Politely but pointedly she noted that worshipping God on Sunday, especially a Christmas Day Sunday, was a part of keeping the commandment to honor the Sabbath.  The lack of worship on Christmas Day seemed unfaithful.

I can’t help but wonder in all this if the lay people are telling us (the clergy) something critical to faithfulness.  These laity appear to take the commandment to “honor the Sabbath and keep it holy” as more important than the clergy.  In the case of Arborlawn (where the clergy leadership was clearly faithful and provided excellent worship leadership), the laity were telling us (the clergy) about the importance of such worship.  The commandment to honor the Sabbath still applies; even … no make that especially, on Christmas Day.

And yet, among those who are Christ followers, it is not adequate or even accurate.  To be a Christ follower is live the conviction that this is the year of our Lord – Anno Domini – 2012.

The Christmas story isn’t over.  It is barely beginning.  As Adam Hamilton states in The Journey, “Something astounding had begun in the cave in Bethlehem – yet something that would not be completed until this child walked out of another cave thirty-three years later, following his crucifixion” (p. 118).

My new year opens in Austin with the other active bishops of the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church.  Our TMF bishops group (called “The Conclave”) gathers traditionally the first week of the New Year. Together we are wrestling with issues of leadership and direction facing us and the church in this new year of our Lord.

More significantly (far more significantly!), January 6^th is Epiphany Day.  In search of the real spirit of Christmas, the Holy Spirit of God, we are led not just to Christmas but into the new year.  Like the wise persons of old, what we must embrace is the importance of the continuing search for Christ in our lives.  With those gentile pagans, we are led to embrace the great truth that God is for all!  Ephipany Day (the light to the gentiles) focuses us on the gift and its surprising nature.

Notice I said gift not gifts.  So often we focus on the material gifts the wise men bring – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  These were stupendous gifts, no doubt about it.  But, they were not the gift.  The Bible tells us, “On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).  “The greatest gift they brought was their devotion: their willingness to endure whatever it took and to look as long as it took to find what God had promised them through the sign.  Their physical gifts paled in comparison. . . . What greater gift can we bring to Christ than our commitment to find Him no matter what the cost, and when we have found Him, to worship Him?” (Dan Schaeffer, In Search of the Real Spirit of Christmas, pp. 162, 163).

The search for the real spirit of Christmas will always find its conclusion in such homage, such worship.  Here lies the “epiphany” of God: 1) To seek Christ constantly in all our living, 2) to embrace Christ who embraces all in sharing His love, and 3) to offer Him our unstinting worship.

Gazing at the stars, truly wise men beckon us on a journey of faith that experiences the joy of worshiping Christ, offering Him our treasure, and sharing His love who those who do not yet have the privilege of knowing Him.

May such a blessing be yours in this year of the Lord, 2012.

A Blessing for Heroes in Green

Still dark and cold outside, but already the “good guys in green” shuffle in for another 12-hour day.  These are the men and women who work in surgery at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth.  Ahead of them is a day of relieving suffering and saving lives of people whom they may never have a conversation.  These dedicated professionals will again walk the thin line between moving as quickly as possible and working as close to perfection as they can.  They perform this feat on a daily basis without a net.  They will do it on this particular Tuesday in December and again on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, early in the morning and in the deepest hours of night.

But for just a few moments, they will pause to receive a blessing, a blessing of the hands.  This is a ritual provided to employees throughout the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospitals by your appointed Chaplains.  Warm water representing the Source of life and healing, the loving God, is poured over each staff member’s hands.  A prayer is spoken, asking God to bless these hands in their important work of caring for the sick and wounded, asking God to fill these hearts with compassion and purpose.  The Chaplains offer words of encouragement.  They share the appreciative words of post-operative patients that these caregivers rarely get to hear.

Twenty-five heroes in green silently await their turns.  Their hands are large and small, calloused and smooth.  Most respond with a quiet, “Thank you.”  A few tears are shed.  Each of them exits the room and walks into another busy day doing their very best to restore people to health.  They will do so with blessed hands.

Chaplain Timothy Madison
December 13, 2011

 The amazing truth of Christmas is the Lord’s coming is our homecoming.  The author, poet and Christian theologian G. K. Chesterton caught this truth in his classic poem, “The House of Christmas.”

“To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town thanRome;
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.”

May this Christmas be for you a true home-coming.  Luther is said to have remarked, “The Gospel is not so much miracle as a marvel.”  The God of the universe has made a home among us.  Truly, we have seen God’s glory, full of grace and truth.  May your Christmas be merry in the bright light that is the natal star.