Thankful for Upcoming Renewal

Among the many things I am thankful for this season, I include our Administrative Board and Staff-Parish Relations Committee for their consistent support of my ministry here.

At my request, each group has approved a period of Renewal Leave for me in 2014 – from January 14 through April 5. This Leave, sometimes called sabbatical leave, is authorized by The Book of Discipline for long-serving clergy.  I am completing my 7^th year here at Burke and my 36^th year serving in the Virginia Conference. I’ve always wanted to stay fresh in ministry, and I find myself ready for an intentional period of replenishment and renewal.

There is no crisis driving this.  My personal hopes are to re-set my spiritual and physical disciplines, to travel some, to read more widely, and to gain a new perspective on my life and ministry.  Ronald Heifetz, in Leadership Without Easy Answers, talks about the need for us all to take “balcony time” – to leave the swirling dance floor and go to the balcony, where the patterns and directions of the dance are clearer.  When we’re ready, we can re-join the twirling and spinning with new energy and perspective.

While I’m on Renewal Leave, Rev. Judy Fender will serve as the church’s Executive Leader, making the daily decisions and committee oversight that affect the church as a whole.  Rev. Morgan Guyton will be the Pastoral Leader, being responsible for worship and congregational care details. Jan Williams will continue as our Administrative Leader, anchoring the office with continuity and professionalism. All other staff will be present as usual.

We also have an impressive schedule of preachers for those Sundays.  We will welcome the Revs. Steve Jones and Ed Pruitt, former pastors of BUMC; Rev. Ken Jackson, our District Superintendent; and Dr. Kendall Soulen, Professor of Systematic Theology at Wesley Seminary.  We are also blessed with strong preachers on our staff; you will hear from Morgan Guyton, Katie Webster, Judy Fender, Douggie Royer, Lauren Blitz, and Cheryl Guyton. Worship will be fresh and strong.

On Tuesday, January 14, twenty-six of us will fly to Israel for pilgrimage to the Holy Land. What a perfect way to begin this period of renewal! I will be absent from our return until Sunday, April 6, when I’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper with you.  I’ll look forward to traveling through Holy Week and Easter – and beyond! – with you as well. 

I’m very grateful for my seasoned and creative colleagues here on the staff. They’ve promised not to upend everything in my absence (though I ‘m sure I heard some snickering!). They’ll help our church’s lay leadership to step forward in new ways too. 
 
So I hope this will be a period of renewal for all of us as we begin 2014 together.

Tyler at the Navy Yard

To those of you who heard or read about our son Tyler’s involvement in last Monday’s Navy Yard shooting – thank you so much for your concern and prayers.  As we’re rudely reminded once again of the fragility of life, we’re grateful that he’s alive and well.

Tyler works on the 3^rd floor of Building 197.  He arrived about 8 am and was just emerging from the men’s room when he heard the sound of gunshots and the deafening fire alarm.  He was immediately directed into the stairwell just as the shooter fired bullets down the corridor he’d just left. When he got outside there was a still-locked gate, and people began to panic.  Some were able to scale the 9-foot wall, but many more simply couldn’t.  One very large woman from Tyler’s office began to panic because she knew she wouldn’t get over that height.  But Tyler and two other guys came back and reassured her. “Relax, we’ll get you over,” and they began lifting her, then other people, up to the top of the wall.  Others began to lower people down to the other side.  Before someone finally opened the gate to allow everyone to get out, they’d helped about 15 people over the Navy Yard wall.

Tyler texted us from Nationals Stadium before we knew anything about the event. We never had to worry for his personal safety. But we, like you, stayed riveted to the TV for hours that day and grieved over the horrible sense of “Here we go again” and the tragic loss of life.  And while this again confronts us with the need for some type of gun control, suffice it to say that simple background checks – the type Congress and the NRA squashed earlier this year – would have saved a lot of lives on Monday. Why is that simple step so hard??

Bev and I know that the horror of Monday’s event touched many lives a lot closer than ours.  But knowing that Tyler was in Ashland the day the DC snipers were there; that he was at Virginia Tech in the spring of 2007; and now being in Building 197 – and remembering Garrett was in Japan during their earthquake / tsunami / nuclear crisis – has reminded us of the unique challenges of parenting in the 21^st century!  How grateful we are we don’t have to face those issues alone.

I remembered Psalm 90 that says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Bev remembered the prayer, “We know not what a day will bring forth, only that the hour for serving you is always present.” It’s hard to be so frequently reminded of the fragility of life.  But maybe that’s exactly what we need.  Not the terror of violent death, but the reminder that life is short and uncertain and immeasurably precious.

We don’t need an excuse to hug our loved ones tighter.  Thank God for life!  And pray for one another.

Pastor Larry

Days of Summer ...

Summer is in full swing here at your church!  Hard to believe it’s almost mid-July!  But here’s what’s on tap:

Summer Sermon Series:  Best Places to Live in Burke.  Come and tour the houses of Welcome, Prayer, Generosity & Hope.  Saturdays at 5, Sundays at 9:00 & 10:30

Voices of Youth:   Some of Virginia United Methodist’s best teenaged singers.  Support Tamara Zerbo and her new friends, and welcome a wonderful hour of uplifting, enthusiastic music.  This Saturday at 5:00.

Church Picnic:  Our first in way-too-many years! Wear your Hawaiian shirt and bring some picnic food to share.  This Sunday, July 14, 12 – 3 pm, Burke Lake Park, Shelter C.

Youth Missions:  All the acronyms are scheduled and ready to go (or already gone):  CCC, JP, CRH, and helpers at VBS.  If you don’t know what they mean, ask one of our youth.  Remember to pray for our young people in their acts of Christ-like service to others this summer.

Activities for Children:  Make-Something Mondays, Camp Mission Edge & Vacation Bible School (both August 5-9), Summer Carnival (August 11).

Small Groups for Adults:  Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed; The Life You’ve Always Wanted; Divorce Care; The Voice You Long to Hear; Single & Parenting; Men’s Spirituality.  Information on all of these open groups is available on our website www.burkeumc.org. There’s a chair waiting for you!

I mentioned Sunday that it’s good to be back after a Sunday at Annual Conference and a Sunday in Ireland. There’s no place like home!  You, Burke Church, are a great blessing to our community and the wider world. Come and be a part of the work we’re doing – and the fun we’re having.

PS – Congratulations to our organist Linda Brese, who has earned Colleague Certification by the American Guild of Organists.  This higher-level certification recognizes her ability in a variety of keyboard skills, organ repertoire, and vocal and choral accompaniment. Congratulations, Linda! We’re blessed to have you here.

            Pastor Larry

New Year's Thoughts

As a United Methodist pastor, I mark years at the halfway point.  Calendar years may run January to December, but appointment years run July to June. Our family marks the years by where we’ve lived; when that changes, it’s always the end of June and the start of July. 

So I remember that it was almost 6 years ago that the moving van pulled up at the Wesley Pond parsonage and we began our sojourn in Burke.  It’s a good time, as I begin Year Seven as your pastor, to say again what a joy and a privilege it’s been to serve here. You are a loving, faithful, open, generous, and welcoming church.  The years have gone quickly, and we still have so much more good to accomplish, and so many more blessings to experience.

This month for me also marks the completion of 35 years of full-time active ministry.  I began my first appointment out of Yale Divinity School at Fairlington UMC in Alexandria in the hot summer of 1978. In between Alexandria and Burke we have lived in Herndon, Richmond, Ashland and Arlington – each community full of loyal Christians and good friends. Those years have also gone quickly, and I’m blessed to have had a very fulfilling ministry in each place.

Our Annual Conference begins tomorrow in Hampton. I’m one of our clergy delegates, along with Judy and Morgan; lay delegates are Randy Allen, Nancy Flythe and Jim Hudson; Todd Ringenbach is a District delegate; and Marti Ringenbach will attend to be licensed as a Local Pastor. Morgan will begin his fourth year as our Associate, and Marti her first (at Springfield UMC). And we’ll celebrate our deepening relationship with the Methodists of Cambodia. 

Many of you got to meet our four Cambodian guests this past Monday evening.  Ann Stingle, Judy Fender and I had the privilege of housing and coordinating them in their visit to the D.C. area. Thank you for your attendance at our dinner and program last Monday evening.  We learned so much about the potential to rebuild a nation as well as a church, and you generously contributed $1500 to help make that happen.

Immediately following Conference Bev and I will fly to Ireland for about 10 days. Friends who live there have invited us for so long to come and visit, and we’d always declined.  But in one of those “We’re not getting any younger” epiphanies, we decided we needed to stop saying “Someday.”

(I remember the poster that said, “There is only Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  There is no Someday.”  I learned  that to accomplish anything at all, it has to be planned for one of those seven specific days.  That’s all we’ll ever have.)

So I’ll look forward to seeing you in early July. July will bring us a visit from the Voices of Youth on July 13 and our first-in-a-long-time Church Picnic the following day, July 14.  Much to look forward to!

Oh – and plan to stop by the Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt store in the Giant / BB&T shopping center on Burke Centre Parkway tonight (June 20).  We’ll be sponsoring an Open Mic evening from 7 – 9 pm. Should be great fun.

Taking Sides

I’ve long remembered the story of the elderly woman who was frail, hard of hearing, and nearly deaf.  Despite these obstacles, every Sunday morning she rose early, dressed and did her hair and makeup, and then called a taxi.  The taxi took her to church. After the service she took the taxi home.  This was her regular Sunday routine.

While at church one morning, her pastor said to her, “I know what an effort this is for you.  You know you don’t have to be here each week.  You can listen over the computer, or I can have someone bring you a copy of the service. You don’t have to go to all this trouble. So why do you do this week after week?”

"Because," she replied, “I want people to know which side I’m on.”

It’s easy for people of all ages to find reasons to stay inside, or stay away altogether.  This may be even truer for young people who have an array of digital amusements that older folks could never navigate. There is also less expectation among young people that they will take a stand for the Lord. That’s one reason why Confirmation Sunday is always moving for me.

When we’re so often told that Christianity is always just one generation away from extinction, I’m heartened by young people who step forward to say, “I’m on Jesus’s side.” I’m encouraged by these teenagers who want to be a part of God’s great work in the world, teenagers who cast their lot with the disciples and denominational church and say, “Count me in.” Every year on Confirmation Sunday, a fresh group of adolescents comes forth to make a public profession of faith, to kneel before God, to receive the prayers and the laying on of hands, and to rise into a new life of Christian discipleship.

This Sunday is Confirmation Sunday.  It’s an appropriate Sunday for Marti Ringenbach, our Director of Youth Ministries, to preach the sermon.  She has worked faithfully and diligently in the Confirmation program and is beloved by so many of our youth.  Marti has also responded to the calling of the Holy Spirit in her life -- she's preparing to become the Associate Pastor at Springfield UMC as of July 1. 

So this weekend is a time for celebration and wonder at how the Holy Spirit persists in calling people to take sides and choose the Lord. “Let no one despise your youth,” Paul wrote to young Timothy, “but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

Come to encourage them, to celebrate them, and to show them they’re not alone – that you stand with them on the side of Jesus Christ.  

 

            Pastor Larry

Water on my brain ...

Summertime always means “water” to me.  I was blessed to grow up along a wide branch of the Elizabeth River in Tidewater Virginia.  June meant getting the boat & motor ready and launching it for the summer.  All summer I skied with friends, explored new inlets, crabbed a little, met girls, and skied some more. Summertime also meant sailing, the beach, the local pool, cool showers, water balloon fights, on and on.

Water is on my mind as we approach this first June weekend. I hope you won’t miss Cruise Ship:  The Musical, Burke’s annual musical variety show.  It premieres this Saturday evening at 7:00 pm. The encore performance is Sunday, June 2, at 3:00 pm. It’s funny, it’s upbeat, it’s musical as all get-out – and there’s a great blend of familiar faces and some Hollywood stars too!  We promise it’ll be safe, clean, smooth sailing – and we’ll definitely dock on time!

To fit with the chancel / stage setting, I’m going to talk about Jesus stilling the storm (Mark 4:35-41). You can join us at the 5:00 LifeSign, just prior to the Saturday Cruise Ship premiere, or on Sunday morning. We see in that story how the joyful elements of summer (light breezes, peaceful water) can turn into metaphors for the testing times in life:  heavy winds, roaring seas, dangerous waves.  How can Jesus help us through those anxious moments?  How can we not be overwhelmed?   We’ll find clues in the story – and in our hymns for this weekend, “Stand By Me” and a BUMC favorite, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.”

Later this month our confirmation class will confirm the vows that were spoken at the baptisms. Confirmation Sunday is always a moving service, as we witness a new generation of young people saying Yes to Jesus Christ.  These 8^th graders say Yes to the One born through the birth waters of Mary, the One baptized in the river waters of the Jordan.  They say Yes to the water poured on their own fuzzy heads long ago.  They say Yes to the One who’ll see them through their own storms of life, now and forever.

Can you say Yes to the waters this month?  Yes to the waters that gave you birth?  Yes to the baptism that brought you into God’s fold?   Yes to the path that leads “beside still waters”? Even Yes to the path that leads through stormy seas?  Hear the Word of God:  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you!” (Isaiah 43:2)

All water can carry us closer to the heart of God. This summer and always – let Jesus Christ be your Yes.

            Pastor Larry

Wishing You a Noisy Pentecost

This coming Sunday (May 19) is Pentecost Sunday.  One of the three great festivals of the Christian church (along with Christmas and Easter), it celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit to the gathered followers of Jesus.  It may be because it’s a celebration of a disembodied God – we can more easily envision a newborn infant or a battered man than an invisible spirit – that Pentecost doesn’t have the traction of Christmas and Easter.

Yet Pentecost is the event that establishes the church as an eternal and worldwide fellowship. Christmas and Easter require participants to be “on site.” An embodied God has to be in a singular location in space and time; if Jesus is “there,” he can’t be “here” – at least not until after Pentecost.

Pentecost is, in a sense, the celebration of God’s radical availability to us.  Pentecost shifts us from being observers to participants.

Maybe that’s why Pentecost is the noisy celebration.  The others are quiet.  We get the impression that observing Christmas, for example, is like being a spectator at a golf match.  “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given.” “Silent night, holy night, call is calm, all is bright.” Sshh.

Easter also evokes our awe.  Easter stories include dumbstruck disciples, personal conversations, baffled guards, and maybe the sound of running feet. Eventually we get our religious response ordered into an well-planned concert, with a brass quartet, massed choirs, choreographed dance and harmonized Hallelujahs. All in orchestrated order.

But Pentecost is noisy! What a racket.  All heaven breaks loose – a violent wind, different languages “spreading out like fire,” Galileans babbling in a multitude of languages, widespread bafflement and confusion. “They’re all drunk,” the bystanders jeered. Even the participants who knew better asked “What on earth is going on?”

Isn’t it odd that the public and visible expression of God – the “Word,” Jesus Christ – arrives in silence?  And that what we so often claim to be inward and private – the Spirit of God – breaks forth in such a public and cacophonous way?  God again turns our expectations upside down.

This Sunday we invite you to join the excitement of the Spirited, worldwide fellowship of the church. You will hear languages spoken you have never heard before! You’ll meet new members, and you’ll celebrate the Spirit in fresh ways.  We ask you to wear something RED – the color of fire and energy and passion.

For that matter, join us also the day before. This Saturday morning  (May 18) we will literally Change the World.  We invite you to wear anything Burke UMC-related that you have:  any BUMC T-shirt, nametag, buttons or hats.  We’re welcoming our neighbors from 10 am – 1 pm to “Drop In and Do Good.” Together we’ll package meals, plant a community garden, prepare school and medical kits, sort relief items – and enjoy free food and music too!

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14)  A Burke shirt on Saturday, something RED on Sunday.  God’s love can be raucous and spirited!  Let’s prove it!

Pastor Larry