Easter 2009

Good Friday

Most of you have little idea how much pain I suffered on the cross.

The Roman nails were not like the nails you use when you build homes in East Machias—thank you for doing that, by the way. No, Roman nails for crucifixion were six inches long. The nail was pounded into my wrist hitting my median nerve. Terrible pain. The nails didn’t go through my hands as many of you have been taught, but through my wrists. And through my ankles. They turned my legs sideways, placed my feet between a block of wood and the cross, and hammered one nail through the wood. The terrible thing about this Roman torture was the way crucifixion forces one to press against the painful ankle nail in order to breath. Five hours of this. How does one endure such pain?

By the time I was 25 I already knew that my Father was within me—that I had special abilities. I could heal other people, for one thing, and I did everywhere I could. You might say I was a social worker. But then I became more and more aware of large-scale suffering and I felt a calling to move from being a social worker to being a “social activist,” you might say. That kind of change leads to pain. It wasn’t easy accepting that change and its consequences. I accepted the challenge and the risk during my time with Satan in the desert.

The Spirit pushed me into the desert. I was there for forty days and nights—the same amount of time Noah endured rain in his Ark, the same amount of time Moses was on the mountain. This was my trial. I faced Satan. Don’t accept the argument that there is no Satan just because they have seen no red man with horns, they are kidding themselves. Satan knew I was hungry and tempted me to turn rocks into bread. I wanted to make the pain go away. I really did. And I could have done that, I think. But then I remembered the Torah—the Holy Scriptures from Deuteronomy “Man does not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God”. I was able to look Satan in the eye…and tell him “No.” There is a power stronger than pain. I felt it that day. And I felt it on the day of my crucifixion.

We do not live by bread alone, but by God’s great power which sustains us in times of trouble.

Front Porch for Maundy Thursday

One More Country Song!

One more week of country music and then I am free to reset my car radio from country music stations back to my favorite oldies and NPR stations. I have shared with the church that I choose this “discipline” for Lent to help me feel the depth of human suffering. Maybe you’ve heard this joke about country music:

What happens when you play a country record backwards?
You get out of prison.
Your wife comes back to you.
Your pickup truck is returned.
Your dog comes back to life.

That’s country music; the broken human condition, the broken family, the broken road. So I listen, I relate and I understand why I need God in my life. I hope your Lenten discipline has helped you too.

On this Holy Thursday of Lent I was listening to a song by Rascal Flatts and it reminded me of why we are following Jesus

o to the table at Passover Seder (tonight at 6pm)
o to the garden of Gethsemane (Friday at 6am)
o to his trial and sentencing (Friday at 11:30am)
o to his crucifixion (Friday at 7pm)
o and of course ultimately to his resurrection from the tomb (Sunday at 6, 8:15 and 10:45)

The song goes like this:

Tell me 'bout your mama, your daddy, your hometown, show me around
I wanna see it all, don't leave anything out
I wanna know everything about you then
And I wanna go down every road you've been
Where your hopes and dreams and wishes live
Where you keep the rest of your life hid
I wanna know the [one] behind that [loving] stare
Take me thereI wanna roll down Main Street, the back roads
Like you did when you were a kid
What made you who you are
Tell me what your story is
I wanna know everything about you then
And I wanna go down every road you've been
Where your hopes and dreams and wishes live
Where you keep the rest of your life hid
I wanna know the girl behind that pretty stare
Take me there

Rascal is singing about a girl he loves, showing her that her life interests him. Infatuation doesn’t care where a person has been, only what they can do for me in this moment. But true love retraces the steps, it remembers, it cherishes the road that brings two people together.

It is time for us to “go down every road you’ve been” with Jesus.

I’ll see you at the table, at the cross and at the tomb. So will Jesus.
-Pastor Doug

Jesus Provokes Authorities in Jerusalem

Jesus believed that a new day was dawning. He recruited people to spread the message that God’s Heavenly kingdom would soon be present on earth as in heaven. What would it be like? It would start small, like a mustard seed, but then grow, and grow, and grow! Small acts of kindness-- a person healed here, a person forgiven of committing adultery there—compassion would grow. Then social justice would grow—the whole caste system of rich and poor, lower and higher class will end, the empires of this world will no longer burden the common people with oppressive taxes and violence meant frighten people into submission. Compassion, social justice then Jewish Law—a perfect love of God and neighbor becomes the beautiful new law in the new Eden, the new Kingdom of God!

Jesus started that movement. And the empire didn’t like it. As Jesus was teaching and healing in village after village, the Pharisees warned him that Herod, the ruler of the region, heard what he was up to and had set a bounty for Jesus, dead or alive. Jesus did not want the bounty hunters to kill him in a small village where no-one would know about it. And he didn’t want to be dragged into Jerusalem quietly, like a common thief. No. Jesus knew that Jewish people expected a Messiah to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. That would be a sign that God’s reign was beginning—that the Kingdom was beginning. They would sing “Hosanna” to welcome the new era! They would lay palm branches at the foot of the messiah!

Jesus would enter Jerusalem, knowing full well that Jerusalem was the place of the Temple—the seat of power. Like Martin Luther King Jr. marching into Birmingham Alabama, the very seat of racial bigotry. Like Mahatma Gandhi marching to Dandi to defy Salt Laws. Jesus would enter the place with a reputation for killing dissidents. He would march straight into the Temple and expose the corruption there. He told his disciples “Listen carefully. We’re on our way to Jerusalem. Everything written in the prophecies about the Messiah will take place. The Messiah will be handed over to the Romans, jeered at, tortured and they will kill him. In three days, the great Temple of human hands will fall and a new temple—the Kingdom of God will rise up. That will be the beginning of a new era.”

It happened! Jesus entered Jerusalem during the time of Passover. The Temple was corrupt as ever with fat-cat priests taxing peasants and Roman flags and money changers making the once sacred site look like Las Vegas. Jesus marched right into the Temple and shouted:

OUT OF THIS TEMPLE, YOU BUNCH OF SNAKES! YOU HAVE TURNED GOD’S HOME INTO A JUNKYARD! GET OUT!

No, Jesus wouldn’t be killed quietly in some tiny village. They would have to take him down in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of people! But make no mistake about it…they would take him down.

Was Jesus Lonely?

People were standing all around me on the day of my crucifixion, but only at a distance. The days that I wandered from city to city there were crowds of people shouting for me and when I came to Jerusalem this last time, people lined the streets and waved palms. Where did they go? They were like sheep scattered when a wolf arrives. “Every man for himself.” Where was Peter, my Rock?

I kept thinking about the name people called me from the time I was young: “Mamzer.” A mamzer is the name for a child born outside of wedlock. It comes from the Law, from Deuteronomy. It says that any child conceived outside of a recognized marriage is “mamzer” and is prohibited from worshipping in the assembly. I snuck into a Synagogue one day when my parents were at the market in the neighboring town. Those people didn’t know I was a “mamzir”. But everybody in Nazareth knew it. They teased me with the name “mamzer”. I couldn’t even play with them. And the law says that if I ever had children, that they would be “mamzer” too. That is part of the reason I never even thought about getting married and having children. Who would want their children to go through what I did? Before my crucifixion soldiers spit on me and teased me. It was just like I was eight again being called “mamzer.” You may wonder how I endured that feeling of loneliness at the time of my death.

You may not know, because the Gospel writers didn’t write about it, but my dad died when I was a teenager. Joseph, my step-father, was a “tecktoon”—what your scholars have often called a “carpenter”. Really, we were construction workers, not carpenters like the cabinet-makers you sometimes imagine. We didn’t have wood for such things. When I was young dad had to leave family farming and walk five miles to the town of Sepphoris on a construction site started by the local governor Herod Antipas. Huge project. When I was twelve, I left home to work with him. Eventually we just stayed in Sepphoris in a work camp similar to the shacks where your modern day migrant workers stay. Construction work was dangerous. Guys were hurt and killed every day. Dad died when I was seventeen. I didn’t go home. I kept working for my family. So you see I left home when I was very young. I learned how to survive without family when I was pretty young. That is why one day, when my followers came to get me telling me that my mom and brothers were in town I pointed to my friends and said “These are my mother and brothers—however joins me in this mission, these are my family.”

Was I a just a drifter, a loaner? A drifter, yes. A loaner? Not at all. I love people and befriended everyone with whom I came in contact. They became my “family.” So at the time of my death, my heart was so open to people that everyone standing there was my family. Even the Roman guard at the base of my cross. When you are a “mamzer,” an outcast, you make your own family. And of course you know I always experienced God as “My Daddy”. I had a loving Father and hundreds of brothers and sisters! So do you, my brothers and sisters.. In fact you may call me brother! I am your brother! You are in my family!

Was Jesus Afraid?

After my ankles and wrists were nailed to the wood there on the hill outside of Jerusalem, a soldier nailed a plaque above my head. The plaque said “King of the Jews.” It wasn’t some official sign, just something these young soldiers carved right there in front of me. They were young and naïve, they didn’t know what they were doing. But when I saw that word “King” it reminded of a time when this huge mass of people surrounded my followers and me. We taught them. We healed them. And then we fed them. Once we fed them food, the people became a sort of mob. They wanted more and more, pressing us back, back, back toward the water’s edge. Then they began shouting “Our new king! Our new king!” I told my closest followers to get on one of our boats and sale to the other side. They couldn’t wait to leave! “Thank God,” one of them shouted. I just laughed at that. As they sailed away I heard one say, “Jesus is laughing! Isn’t he afraid of all of those people?” Should I be afraid of getting stepped on? Maybe so. It was a lot of people! Or should I be fearful that they might actually make me a “king”, expecting me to dole out food whenever they need it? Expecting me to be a kind of warrior-ruler who would use sheer power to get things done? Well, that is not what I was sent by God to do, so I can see where the “our new king” chant might make a person fearful.

You might be wondering, “Was Jesus ever afraid?” I was human—I felt anger, I felt love, I felt sadness, and yes, I felt fear. But perfect love actually casts out fear. When God enters the very core of who you are, there is much less room for fear. Let me tell you the rest of the story about that day when we fed the crowd.

A storm kicked-up right after my friends set sail. You can imagine how scared they were. I walked out to them and got in the boat with them. Now they were freaked out not only by the storm but because they couldn’t figure out how I got all the way out there to them. I just said “Do not fear, I am.” When these guys talked about it later, they mixed-up what I really said. They reported me saying “Do not fear, it is I.” That’s not what I said. I said “Do not fear, I am”…the Greek words I used were “ego amee”. It was God speaking through me! God was using the same two words—ego amee—on my followers in their fear that God used with Moses in his time of fear…God told Moses “I Am.” At that point, Moses calmed down and was able to listen to God. And after I spoke those words, my followers calmed down too. Be still and know that “I Am”, God says to us all when we are afraid.

So, was I afraid of the mobs, the trials, the torture, the nails…dieing even? Yes, but only for a short while. Perfect love casts out fear. That’s what your Bible will tell you in 1 John 4:18. Peace to you, my new followers!

LENTEN WORSHIP EVALUATION

We received twenty-eight responses to questions about our experiences with Lenten worship at FUMC Hudson! Results are listed below and will be used by the summer worship team (listed below) as they plan for meaningful worship. If you would like to be on the team, please e-mail info@hudsonfumc.com. If you have comments about these questions or results, please feel free to comment below so that others can read you remarks.


What is the best time in the morning for summer worship? 8:15 9 9:30 10 10:45

1. 8:15 (11 votes) 9:30 (11 votes)
2. 9 (6 votes)
3. 10 (3 votes)
4. 10:45 (1 vote)

And the best summer day for worship? Sunday Wednesday Thursday
No votes for Wednesday or Thursday


In the season of Lent we incorporated unique elements meant to foster intimacy with God. Please rate the following on a scale of 1 (not helpful) to 5 (very helpful):

A) Visuals such as the banners, the footpath and potted plants. 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL: 119 out of 140

B) PowerPoint Slides for announcements. 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL: 67 out of 135

C) The “gospel” song “Over My Head” with clapping. 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL: 101 out of 140

D) Sermons on topics like “Pain”, Loneliness” , “Fear” etc. 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL: 122 out of 140

E) The printed program format. 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL: 119 out of 140

F) A song after each concern/prayer petition is shared. 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL: 72 out of 140

G) “Scripture” was a dramatic reading each day. 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL: 103 out of 140

H) Guitar and bass with “God of Wonders” song. 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL: 103 out of 140


What changes might we make to the sanctuary, the schedule or the program that would make worship a richer, fuller experience for you?

Keep worship traditional, reverent and respectfull
More duets and solos
Loved the trumpets, but did not like choir "play" Palm Sunday
Start on time (2 responses)
Love worship as it is (2 responses)
Keep to one hour
Use better mics
Like choir at communion
More contemporary hymns, please


Would like to be part of a team to work on summertime worship plans:

Dennis Sherman
Ron and Connie Banfill
Evelyn Rein
Donella Siktberg
Terry Johnston
Non Okarma
Julie Berard

Pastor's NOTES on data:
Thank you for taking the time to complete this short questionnaire. It obviously omits areas of worship about which we all care deeply--the importance of scripture readings, children's messages, sharing joys and concerns, etc. We can evaluate those at other times. The intention here is to allow the congregation to reflect on a few newer practices that we experienced through the season of Lent. Each category represents what I feel are potential growing edges in our church.

A) The question about visual helps me assess the congregation's interest in the Arts in worship.
The response here was uniformly strong. The congregation likes such things as flowers, potted plants, banners, creative altars and may also enjoy other forms of visual arts in worship.

B) The question about PowerPoint software used to project images for announcements helps me assess the congregations interest in visual cues such as projected hymn lyrics, outlines for sermons, video clips fro sermons and of course slides to announce upcoming events.
The response was uniformly low, suggesting that technology may feel intrusive to most people gathered for worship at FUMC.

C) The question about singing the gospel song "Up Above My Head" and being encouraged to clap helps me assess the congregation's interest in the physical expression of worship such as clapping hands, raising hands, dancing and, to a lesser extent, gives me a clue about how much congregants value participation in worship.
The response was generally positive, but there were three '1' responses (not at all helpful to worship) while there were also eight '5' responses (quite helpful). This is common in churches. Introverts and men tend to really dislike clapping and even standing and singing in worship while extraverts and women tend to enjoy it.

D) The question about sermon themes during Lent was less to help me determine whether or not I am doing a decent job of preaching (that evaluation can come later) and more to help me assess the congregation's interest in thematic preaching as opposed to preaching that follows the lectionary of prescribed readings which carry very different messages from week to week.
The response was was uniformly positive. This was the highest ranking attribute of Lenten worship reminding me that the congregation appreciates messages that apply to real life conditions and suggesting to me that future messages my cluster around themes from time to time.

E) The question about the program helps me evaluate the value of our bulletin or program.
The response was uniformly positive telling me that we do not need to switch to a different format antime soon.

F) The question about the prayer song "Stay With Me" which we sang together after each prayer petition helped me asses the congregation's interest in more ancient Christian practices such as chants.
The response was generally low at 72 with only five people answering '4' or '5'. This tells me that the music somehow detracted from the congregation's ability to be connected with God and perhaps with each other in prayer. Our traditional pattern generally includes sharing joys and concerns and then offering a pastoral prayer with the Lord's prayer afterward.

G) The question about using the narrative "dramatization" of scriptures helps me assess the congregation's openness to voices of wisdom in addition to those shared through the Bible.
The response was generally positive, although there were numerous '3' answers suggesting a good deal of ambivalence about the scripts. I do not know whether this is a response to the way the texts were written or to hearing scripture in worship, in general. People often confide to me that they tend to "tune-out" when the scripture is shared and just wait for the interpretation in the message. The results coupled with private comments lead me to suspect that it may no longer be enough for readers to simply stand in the lecturn and read the scriptures of the day.

H) The question about using bass and guitar to execute "God of Wonders" in worship helps me assess the congregation's interest in contemporary music and instruments in worship.
The response of '103' out of '140' possible suggests a positive feeling about contemporary music in worship. One rated the experience as a '1' (not helpful) and another rated it as a '2', but fifteen rated the song and instrumentation as '4' (nine responses) or '5' (eight responses). This suggests to me that there is an interest in diversifying instrumentation in morning worship and having songs like "God of Wonders" become a more regular part of morning worship.

I realize this was a simple multiple choice questionannire and the results may be filled with numerous personal caveats. For example I do not assume the congregation, because question 'H' received a 103, is ready for a band to play jazz at the 8:15 service nor would I completely rule-out use of POwerPoint in worship juts because responses were mostly negative. Rather, these results, tempered with written responses will be useful for a small group to consider as we consider summer worship.

Summer worship time was also addressed in the questionnaire. We have a quandry here. In 2007 summer worship times were 8:15 and 9:30. I assume the 10:45 time was changed because there was no Sunday School at 9:30 in the summer and because the un-air-conditioned building heats-up through the morning. In 2008 the summer worship combined the two services into one at 9am. This gave us the chance for a fuller congregation (at a time when many people vacation on weekends) and better stewardship of the staff's time. Informal feedback after last summer suggested to me that 9am was too late for 8:15 participants and too early for 10:45 participants. The survey suggests that people still favor the two seperate service times of 2007. Six prefer the 9am time. It is interesting to note that three of the 8:15 participants are more interested in the 9am time than the 8:15 time for the summer.

Thanks, againm for your input. Please feel free to comment below or send requests to be on the summer worship team to info@hudsonfumc.com.