Message from the Pastor

How can you prepare yourself to serve others? What kind of disposition do you need to cultivate? What kind of skills do you need to learn?

Jesus answers theses questions in his first sermon in the New Testament, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7. To be a follower of Jesus is to serve others in ways that improve their lives, encourage them, and empower them to participate in a community. Jesus trained his disciples to serve others in such a way, and in his opening sermon, he lays the groundwork for their ministry (and our own).

“God bless people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Jesus’s first and foremost attention is on the poor and distressed, downtrodden, and discouraged. The community he is creating is made up of these brokenhearted people. The kingdom of God is for their benefit. Jesus’s community of concrete love-in-action is their tangible blessing. As the kingdom of Jesus becomes a reality, God is blessing the hopeless and hurting.

“God bless people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” This first line in Jesus’s sermon provides his (and our) direction in mission and ministry.

To prepare yourself to serve others, you’ll need a mission, and you’ll need to embrace it. Otherwise, you won’t have the grounding to keep you going as you face obstacles and puzzles.

“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Jesus tells us the disposition and personality we’ll need to cultivate in order to serve others: We’ll need to love them, even if they don’t show love to us. To make a difference in the world, you’ll have to rise above the give-and-take market mentality. You’ll need to serve those who can’t (or won’t) serve you in the same way. Instead of judging people with a reward-and-punishment scheme, you will encourage and empower people who haven’t done anything for you. Such love is a gift, an act of Grace. We all are given many good things in life that we didn’t earn. These are gifts of Grace, gifts from God (the force behind all good gifts). To improve the world like God improves the world, we act like God, helping all people, regardless of what they’ve done to improve our own personal lives. “Just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.”

[Interestingly, in this sermon, Jesus also shows us how to interpret and engage our scriptures. Notice that he is not a biblically literalist! “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you that you must not oppose those who want to hurt you.”]

In the rest of this sermon, Jesus teaches his disciples models of humble generosity, prayer, and fasting. He teaches us to stop worrying, “stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth,” and stop judging others. Perhaps the most famous line of all is known as the Golden Rule: “You should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Many of Jesus’s words in this sermon are familiar to us, but have we treated this sermon as a set of skills and dispositions that we need to learn, to become effective followers of Christ? In my experience, Christians have avoided using the Sermon on the Mount as a set of goals to reach, when in truth, these are the most essential components of Christ-like ministry.

Your goal as a Christian (or just as a mature human) is to learn these skills that Jesus sets forth: The skills of showing love to those who don’t love you, not worrying, not judging, not collecting products for ourselves, forgiveness, fasting, humble generosity, and prayer. What a challenge! These skills don’t come naturally! When we are honest with ourselves, we know the many ways in which we can improve in these areas.

As your pastor, my job is to help you improve your disposition and skills for Christian ministry. Thankfully, Jesus has given us the blueprint. As you practice thinking and acting like Jesus, you will become more like him, and you will make a positive difference in the lives of others, as he did. Practice will make perfect.

Peace be with you on this journey,
Pastor Brad

Lectionary Readings for February

The Mission of St. Luke UMC is to be a Place to Belong, Believe, & Become Disciples of Christ

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG

Everyone is invited to an Organ Dedication and Recital by Randolph Blakeman in our sanctuary on Sunday, February 9, at 3:00. Randolph very generously donated a refurbished organ to St. Luke in memory of his late wife, Elspeth. Your attendance will honor both her and him. Light refreshments will be served following the recital.

United Methodist Men will meet Tuesday, February 11, at 1st UMC at 6:00 for supper and a program.

UMW Lunch Bunch meets February 12 & 26 at noon in the Fellowship Hall for a light lunch and brief devotional. All women of the church are welcome. A major part of the UMW purpose is to be a supportive community. We want you to be a supportive community. We want you to be a part of our supportive community.

UMW Grace Circle meets Tuesday, February 4, in the church library at 10:00. Melba Washington will lead the Call to Prayer and Self-Denial Service. The title for the program is We Rise: Meeting God’s Call to Transform Communities. The program will highlight the many ways members of United Methodist Women have changed the lives of women, children and youth on the margins through their gifts to A Call to Prayer and Self-Denial. Our giving also transforms us as we grow in love of God and neighbor. The offering will support the work of 90-plus National Mission Institutions, International Partners and Regional Missionaries. Projects funded from this offering include child development and after-school programs, GED and ESL programs, job readiness, life skills and livelihood training, scholarships and micro-enterprise projects.

A Pancake Mardi Gras Party is scheduled for Sunday, February 23, immediately following worship service. Mark your calendars and invite your friends to join us for some yummy pancakes and fun fellowship!

OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES

We would like to welcome Mrs. Danita Richardson-Reed to our Church Family as the Nursey Coordinator starting this Sunday. She is a graduate of Cleveland High School and Hinds Community College. Danita is currently doing her Student Teaching at Tiny Tots Daycare in Cleveland as she pursues her Child and Family Studies Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Please stop by the Nursery and say hello.

United Methodist Women of the Greenwood District invite you to attend a Social Action Event on Saturday, February 22, in the St. Luke Fellowship Hall. “Paid Family Leave” will be led by Rev. Carol Burnett, executive director of Moore Community House in Biloxi which is a national mission institution related to United Methodist Women. The UMW Living Wage for All Campaign has joined with Family Values at Work to promote paid family leave. Join us for a discussion about why families need this policy, what resources UMW has available for us to learn about this issue, and actions you can take to support this important policy for families. This event is open to all who are interested in the topic—United Methodist Women, clergy and UM men and women. Registration opens at 9:30 and the meeting will end by 12:30. Registration fee is $5.

The mission project for this event is to provide items for the Moore Community House Early Childhood Education program which serves 104 children less than three years of age from low-income families or the Women in Construction program which trains women to hold jobs in construction. Any of the St. Luke family wishing to contribute to this project may pick up the Moore Community House Wish List in the narthex. Purchase an item or items from the list and get them to Jackie Pennington or the church office by February 21. For more information pick up a flyer on the desk in the narthex.

UMW recognized members of our congregation for their service on Sunday, January 26. Those honored with a Special Mission Recognition pin and certificate were Beverly Card, Bob Card, Charles McAdams, Carol Tatum and Sean Wessel. A $40 gift for the mission work of United Methodist Women on behalf of women, children and youth was given in honor of each person.

Please consider signing up to help provide altar arrangements for our chancel area. Only one arrangement is needed and you may choose to have a fresh arrangement from a florist, flowers from your garden, artificial flowers or greenery, or a potted plant. You may join with another person or family to help manage the expenses. Many arrangements will last for a week if stored in the "flower refrigerator" in the old kitchen, so please consider signing up for two Sundays in a row and plan to recycle! The new Flower Calendar is available on the bulletin board across from the choir room. Please look it over and choose a date. You can contact Sandi Melton, Flower Steward, or the church office for more information.

The new list of Committee Members for 2020 is available in the church office. Please stop by and pick up a copy.

When you are cleaning out your closets, please remember that you have an opportunity to support your church. If you take unwanted items to Consign for a Cause, located on South Street next to South Street Pharmacy, you can designate that a portion of the proceeds from their sale go to St. Luke.