Message from the Pastor

Maturity means giving up control. It’s a lesson I couldn’t have learned without experience, without admitting to the neurotic agony of trying to control other people—what they do, what they think, how they feel. As a young person, my culture taught me to seek the approval of others (which is a form of control), and so I got attached to this craving. Pastoral work can feed such an ego-trip: I want people to like me. Forget about God!

We are now entering the Christian season of Lent, the month and a half before Easter, during which we set a more somber tone to worship, and we contemplate the path Jesus took to his death on a cross. The 40 days of Lent echo the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness, before his ministry began. He fasted and prayed, and we’re called to do the same. He was tempted by the devil—we’ll read the story on the first Sunday of March—and we are invited to be honest about our own temptations. Jesus is tempted to serve himself, draw attention to himself, and gain power for himself. The devil dangles luxury, fame, and control in front of him like a glittering jewel. Jesus, of course, resists. He is focused on God, not on himself. We, however, aren’t usually as strong. An addiction to luxury, attention, and control are part of our daily lives. We may not even feel tempted anymore, because we’ve said “Yes” over and over again!

The season of Lent invites Christians—and Christians-in-training (which is all of us!)—to draw upon the spiritual power of Christ to resist the devil’s temptations. The way we do this is by giving, praying, and fasting. In giving more generously, we don’t just dedicate more of our money for holy purposes, we dedicate more of our time and energy to God’s work. On March 5th, St. Luke members will provide nachos for Parks Elementary students who have had perfect attendance in February. Can you dedicate more time to serving others this month?

In prayer, we’re invited to talk to God as our Father, as a family member, creator, and mentor who knows us well. We don’t have to pray for a long time for God to hear us. We can pray a prayer as brief as the Lord’s prayer, which Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew chapter 6. We don’t have to give God every detail of our lives, because God knows us better than we know ourselves. We can jump right in, like when talking to a close friend. Intimacy with our God—the God that Jesus knew as his father—is perhaps the greatest gift we’ve been given. What are you doing with that gift this month?

Fasting is giving up something we usually eat or drink. Traditionally, Christians gave up animal products like meat, butter, eggs, milk, and cheese. We would all surely be healthier if we cut back on our consumption of these foods! But God is not only concerned with our physical health—though an incarnational God is most certainly concerned with our flesh!—God is concerned with our spiritual health. And our spiritual health is nurtured when we exercise self-control, refraining from indulgence and addictive foods. If you’re anything like me, you know the foods that you need to cut back on. Lent is a time to pray for God’s strength and commit to giving up a particular food or drink for 40 days. Fasting in private is a way to draw closer to God, for it teaches us to rely on God’s strength. Our self-control is actually letting our Self be controlled by the Spirit. (Our selves cannot really control themselves. We need an outside Lord and Master over us.) Furthermore, by learning to control what goes into our mouths, we can gain better control over what comes out of our mouths. Jesus said, “It’s not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person.” The book of James has strong words to say about our words: “The tongue is a small flame of fire, a world of evil at work in us. It contaminates our entire lives… It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we both bless the Lord and Father and curse human beings made in God’s likeness. Blessing and cursing come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it just shouldn’t be this way!”

As we fast from a food or drink, the more challenging fast is giving up judgmental words and put-downs. Sometimes we insult ourselves more than we insult others! Scripture reminds us that we are made in God’s image and likeness. To put down others and ourselves is to insult a creation of God. We are invited to be more humble. We can learn to critique others less, when we admit that we cannot and should not control them. Our job is to love others (and ourselves), giving them attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection (proper to our relationships), and allowance (that they can be who God is calling them to be, without us trying to control them). Such love contributes to the foundation that people—all of us—need to grow into the mature people God is creating us to be.

Amen.

Pastor Brad

Lectionary Readings for March

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

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG

United Methodist Men will meet Tuesday, March 10, at 6:00 in the Fellowship Hall of 1st UMC for supper and a program.

UMW GRACE CIRCLE will gather Tuesday, March 3, at 10 a.m. in the church library. Jackie Pennington will begin the mission study, Women United for Change: 150 Years in Mission. Ellen Blue, author of the text, says that when she talks with women’s groups today they are astonished at the things that local laywomen and deaconesses accomplished during the past 150 years. They are amazed and delighted to hear what their predecessors have done, and having learned a bit about how those women did it, they, too, become energized about their own ability to make an impact in their communities. Hopefully, by engaging in this study we will be filled with hope that the Holy One still has work for United Methodist Women to do and still bestows the courage, creativity, and persistence to accomplish it.

All of the St. Luke family who are free during the time of the meeting are invited to participate in the study.

MISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE UMW Spiritual Growth Event will be held Friday & Saturday, March 6-7 at Camp Wesley Pines. Sally Rogers, Melba Washington, Mary Dalton and Jackie Pennington will participate. The theme for the retreat is “Women of Purpose – Ready for Action! We look forward to the leadership of Latoya Redd Thompson, Mississippi Conference Lay Leader, renewing friendships from across the Conference and a time of spiritual renewal.

UMW LUNCH BUNCH will not meet during March and early April. Members are encouraged to attend the Lenten Luncheons at First UMC. Lunch Bunch will resume on April 22.

LOOKING AHEAD – UMW Crosstie Bake Sale is April 18. Be thinking about what you can bake for our sale. We need your help.

It is through the contributions of the whole church to our two annual bake sales that we are able to support a number of local and Conference mission projects. I have given you general information about the types of projects supported, but throughout this year I am going to share more specific information about one project each month.

For 2020 we have budgeted $124 for the Frances Perry Scholarship Fund which is administered by United Methodist Women of the Mississippi Conference. The fund was established in 1978 by Mr. E. V. Perry to honor his late wife, Mrs. Frances Perry of Rolling Fork. United Methodist Women are asked to give to the fund annually. Scholarships up to $1500 are available for women and men in the junior, senior, and graduate years of college who are interested in working in projects or institutions of the United Methodist Church. The scholarship is renewable for four additional years if a grade point of 3 is maintained at an approved institution. Students receiving the scholarship must plan to pursue a full-time professional ministry in the United Methodist Church.

If you know of someone who might qualify, contact Jackie Pennington and she will connect you with the chairperson of the Frances Perry Scholarship Fund.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELIEVE

Lenten Luncheons are planned for Wednesdays, March 4 through April 1. The luncheons, held at 1st UMC, will begin with a light lunch served at 11:45 and a program at 12:15. The cost is $5, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Helping Hands Food Pantry. The schedule follows:

The Young Adult Sunday School class will take part in a Lenten study beginning March 1 and concluding on Easter Sunday. The book, 24 Hours That Changed the World, by Adam Hamilton, is available in the church office for $10 per copy. All are welcome to join us for this special study.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES

There will be a Greenwood District Leadership Training event Sunday, March 1, beginning at 1:30 at Indianola 1st UMC. Please see the flyer on the bulletin board outside the choir room for more information and let Pastor Brad know if you are planning to attend.

We will be serving supper to the Wesley students on Wednesday, March 18, at 6:30. Please let Kay Daves know if you can make a dessert (brownies or similar). Additional servers are not needed for this meal.

It will be our turn to serve the Lenten Luncheon on Wednesday, March 25. If you can prepare food and/or serve, please contact Kay Daves.

St. Luke youth are spearheading a book drive for Parks Elementary. Please consider purchasing a NEW book and depositing it in the bin in the narthex. These books will be given as rewards to students completing the Accelerated Reader program each nine weeks. Soon the youth will be sharing their plans for a fund-raiser to provide resources for Parks School to purchase books.

There is another Kairos Outside weekend coming up, March 20-22. If you wish to help, the deadline is March 16 to sign up, to drop off donated items, or to make monetary donations. For more information, please see the church bulletin or contact Melba Washington or Debra Cole.

Larry Young, the director of Helping Hands, has let us know that his church collects clothing for people in the community. The only type of clothing they are requesting at this time is men’s clothing. If you have men’s clothing to donate, please either take it to Helping Hands on Wednesday or Friday from 9:00 to noon, or contact Susannah Wessel and she will arrange to get it from you and deliver it.

Don’t forget that the second Sunday of every month is our opportunity to help stock the Helping Hands food pantry. Bring a bag of apples, a big jar of peanut butter, and/or canned goods and put them in the collection basket in the narthex. A volunteer will deliver them to Helping Hands. Also make sure you have a few bills handy for our Dollar Sunday supplemental offering, also taking place on the second Sunday. The money you deposit in the basket as you leave church goes into our Compassion Fund, which is used to meet emergency needs in our community.

UMCOR Sunday

Did you know how UMCOR was created? Eighty years ago, World War II was raging. Millions of people, displaced from their homes, sought refuge and hope. The church responded by creating the Methodist Committee on Overseas Relief (MCOR) and supporting MCOR through an annual offering called “One Great Hour of Sharing.”

The 2016 United Methodist General Conference changed the name to UMCOR Sunday to reflect the important work accomplished by the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

UMCOR Sunday calls the church to share the goodness of life with those who hurt. UMCOR Sunday reaches children, families and communities who have experienced devastation in the wake of disaster.

At St Luke, you may give to UMCOR Sunday any time during the month of March. We hope the Holy Spirit will inspire you to give generously and ask you to pray for those who serve — and are served. Through United Methodist sharing, vulnerable people affected by crisis or chronic need witness the love of Jesus Christ. We pray that you will give wholeheartedly.