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Mar 1 2017

Two hawks in my neighborhood have chosen, of all things, the cross at the top of a steeple as their base of operations for preying. No, not praying. Preying.

Whether neighborhood birds or terrorists in Belgium, predators have no qualms about using tools of faith to further violence. On this Friday before Easter, however, we remember that Jesus turned the tables. He used a notorious tool of violence, the cross, to further faith. Jesus prayed from the cross. He prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” That action represented a pattern in Jesus’ life that can give us hope and direction in a world still filled with violence.

Throughout his life Jesus created pockets of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. Jesus never brought an end to violence, and he seemed ok with that. Right before his death he said, “it is finished,” as if creating pockets of good in the midst of evil was enough to fulfill God’s purposes.

Through the hindsight of history we can see that it was enough. What he did – even though incomplete – has encouraged and guided people for millennia and transformed the cross from an image of violence and fear to an image of peace and hope.

The Bible promises that one day Jesus will return and bring a final end to violence. Until then we can and should do our best to end violence. But when we fail and violence breaks out, we don’t have to despair. God doesn’t expect more from us than Jesus accomplished. Wherever we can create even small pockets of peace, we further Jesus’ work. I encourage you to look for ways to do this in the coming days.

I also invite you to join me tonight at 7:00 for a special worship service recalling Jesus’ crucifixion and on Sunday at 5:00 pm for our Access Easter celebration!

See you then!
Rich

Rich Rindfuss
Access Pastor
First United Methodist Church Richardson

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Mar 1 2017

In the book of Exodus Moses investigates a burning bush and hears the voice of God say, “the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). I went to Israel hoping I’d have a holy-ground moment. I did, but I didn’t expect that the most significant spiritual moment of my trip would take place on the holy ground of my hotel room.

I went to Israel knowing that I’d walk on ground where the most significant moments of Christian history took place. I had done some research and pre-selected two places I thought I was most likely to have a deeply spiritual, holy-ground kind of moment.

I thought it might happen at the Western Wall. It’s part of the Jerusalem temple complex and is the holiest prayer site in Judaism. Parts of it date to the time of Jesus, and I would be praying there, touching its stones, and placing a few written prayers in the cracks of the wall. If I didn’t experience the holiest moment of my trip there, one other spot seemed even more likely.

In view of the temple and across the Kidron valley lies the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus liked to come to this grove of olive trees and was praying here on the night he was arrested before his crucifixion. I knew that in modern times visitors can see a 2000-year-old olive tree that may have been there when Jesus was. I had packed a list of the names of everyone that subscribes to my weekly e-mail (i.e. you), and I planned to get as close to that tree as I could and lift up the names of each of those people to God in prayer. On the day I did that it was a very meaningful moment, but it wasn’t the deepest spiritual moment of my trip.

The most spiritually significant, holy-ground kind of moment of my trip to Israel took place the night before I visited the Western Wall and the Garden of Gethsemane. I sat at a small desk in our hotel room writing prayers on tiny pieces of paper that I would place in the cracks of the Western Wall and gathering the pages of your names that I would take to the Garden of Gethsemane. As I did this I kept recalling the times we’ve shared with each other. I remembered the struggles we’ve prayed about, the celebrations we’ve shared, the places and ways you’ve volunteered, the leaps of faith you’ve taken making financial commitments to the church, the times we’ve spent in Group Life groups, the moments we’ve shared in worship, and more. My recollections became prayers as I recognized God’s presence in all these memories. That time became the most deeply spiritual moment of my entire trip, and my hotel room, the holiest ground in Israel.

I strongly suspect that the holiness of ground has nothing to do with geography and everything to do with the presence of God. A burning bush or a historical site can be holy ground, but so can any place where our connections with each other and our connection with God come together.

This Sunday begins Holy Week. Most every day our church will offer some kind of experience to help you discover holy ground and holy moments as we build up to the celebration of Easter. You can check out the possibilities at fumcr.com/lent, and I hope you’ll also join us at Access!

See you Sunday!
Rich

Rich Rindfuss
Access Pastor
First United Methodist Church Richardson

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Mar 1 2017

In northern Israel you can visit Armageddon, the site of the final battle of good against evil. After arriving there last month, one of our group threw up – probably a fitting response to any situation that feels like the end of the world. But what do you do next When things are falling apart, what guidance does our faith give us for how to respond?

On the top of Mt. Megiddo or “Har Megiddo” in Hebrew (which gets transliterated into English as Ar-megiddo or Armageddon) sit ruins from fortified cities going back thousands of years. Throughout history armies have fought to control this high ground and the valley it overlooks.

On the day we visited, we went into a deep hole within the ancient city walls that inhabitants had dug by hand through solid rock to reach a spring, so that the city would have access to water in times of siege. Unfortunately for one of our group, days of travel, jet lag, different foods, and a long descent down a stairway led to “leaving lunch” at the bottom of the hole.

After we left I thought about how appropriate it was to throw up at an end-of-the-world site. When I feel like everything is falling apart and the world as I know it is coming to an end, I often feel sick to my stomach. However, that’s not the whole story either at Megiddo or at any other place that feels like the end of the world.

Our tour guide pointed out that from the top of Mt. Megiddo, you can see other nearby mountains. To the far left in the photo above you can see Mt. Carmel. To the far right is Mt. Tabor. And to the left of Mt. Tabor on the hillside is the city of Nazareth. When you find yourself at the end-of-the-world site of Armageddon around you are Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, the hill where Jesus was transfigured and revealed as the Son of God, Mt. Tabor, and the mountain where the prophet Elijah battled an overwhelming number of enemies and emerged victorious, Mt. Carmel.

The geography of this area mimics the spiritual reality wherever we are. Even when things are falling apart and it seems like the end of the world, that’s not the whole spiritual landscape. God is also nearby doing good things: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28 NIV). Sometimes we just have to look around. And sometimes we need to be the tour guide that helps others to look around and see the good that’s in view.

See you Sunday!
Rich

Rich Rindfuss
Access Pastor
First United Methodist Church Richardson