DIX
HILLS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
FROM
DAVID'S DESK
They went through the region of Phyrigia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision; there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. (Acts 16:6-10)
My Sisters and Brothers,
It is sometimes hard for us to imagine the journeys of Paul. Paul started and sustained many of the churches in the Gentile world for the early church. Despite his never meeting Jesus in the flesh, his zeal was driven by his experience of Jesus on the road to Damascus. He even stood up to the wishes of Jesus’ original 11 disciples (12 minus Judas Iscariot)! I’m not sure that I would be so brazen if I had the opportunity to meet the post-resurrection Peter…
Yet in the above passage, we catch a glimpse of what it was like to be Paul. On his first journey, Paul had started several churches in Cicilia, Galatia, and Phyrgia. On this second journey, he widened his circuit and would eventually travel as far as modern day Greece before returning home. In total, this second journey would take Paul about three or four years to complete.
What is fascinating though is the
way in which Paul traveled. Paul had big plans. He wanted to spread the good news about Jesus to everyone in Asia (the Roman district, not the continent) as well. But despite all of Paul’s intentions, the Holy Spirit tells him that he should go around Asia. Paul ends up in Troas, on the coast opposite Macedonia. It is there that Paul has the vision of the Macedonian, pleading with him to come and help.Living so near to the north shore of Long Island, have you ever looked across the LI Sound to Connecticut and wondered just what’s over there? Just what part of Connecticut
is that? Similarly, have you ever looked into the eyes of the homeless or needy, across the great divide of economic class and wondered, "Just what is it that this person really needs?" Paul did. Paul looked across to Macedonia and felt the need of the people there to hear the good news that Paul had to offer them. He knew that despite whatever good the Macedonians had going for them, that Jesus would complete them.This passage helps us to understand
how God used Paul. Paul lived to spread the word of God, and lived out his life in visions and dreams, and was constantly at the beckon of the Holy Spirit. Though he understood his mission to teach people the way of Jesus, he discerned his way through his travels to determine the path that God wanted him to take. Sometimes our desires match those of God; sometimes the Spirit’s prompting calls us across to places we hadn’t expected to be. We often fret over who we should tell about God and when is the right time and what to say or do to show Christ’s love for them. Paul’s example teaches us that, if we allow the Spirit to guide us, these responsibilities don’t really belong to us alone. If we are willing to be guided, God is waiting to reveal to us the course our journey needs to take to be fruitful.During a process of discernment in worship with our congregation on January 11
th, a fascinating thing happened: What I expected to be a discussion on financial growth and stewardship took a turn I didn’t anticipate. Rather than propose new fund raisers or methods of giving, the Spirit took our discussion and revealed to us that our future depended more on recognizing our true identity and God-breathed purpose than it did on getting dollars to fund our programs and pay our staff. God spoke to our community of faith, and showed us that the fruitfulness of our church lies in being faithful to the mission that God will reveal to us.In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul describes the followers of Jesus (a.k.a. the Church) as a human body with all the parts that a body should have. We normally think of this as a way to describe each of us individually contributing our unique spiritual gifts to the overall body. However, what if this passage also refers to entire congregations? Could it be that each congregation has
unique spiritual gifts that it provides to the work of the Church universal?? If so, with what gift of purpose has our congregation been blessed? What is our special contribution to the work? Whom has God called us to serve? In what ways can we best witness to God’s love for us? These questions need answering for us to go forward. During the season of Lent, which starts with Ash Wednesday (see calendar), I invite you to begin 40 days of discerning the answers to these questions. Record your findings and inklings day by day, and share them with your Sisters and Brothers. Before the end of Lent you will have opportunities to reveal what you discover. Let the journey begin!Your Brother,
David Czeisel
, PastorAsk David
Q: Do United Methodists fast or give up something during Lent?
A: Fasting is an ancient prayer practice that goes back to biblical days. It is said that Moses himself fasted: "forty days and nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water." (Deut. 9:9) Accounts of fasting being done by everyone from rulers of kingdoms to the lowliest, everyday person can be found throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Like many others before and after them (including the Pharisees!), fasting was done as a habitual practice by John the Baptist’s followers. While it is true that Jesus’ followers didn’t fast, Jesus said that was only because he was still with them in body (Mt. 9:14-15). In fact, Jesus
himself fasted when his ministry began (Mt. 4:2; Lk. 4:2). It was later practiced by the early church, and has continued to this very day.How does fasting work? Ways of fasting vary from the very simple to the very structured. Some people give something up, and some people do something extra. The reality is that we should probably be doing
both. For example, if you decide to give up swearing for the 40 days of Lent, then every time you remember not to swear (or forget!); you might say a short prayer. Depending on how acquainted you are with prayer, something as simple as, "Lord, help me to put away anger," may be appropriate. Thus, you would take something away, but add prayer. (Substituting sin for God’s grin?)There are also ways of fasting that require a bit more. In contrast to giving up swearing, most biblical methods of fasting involved not eating from sun-up to sun-down. In this way, longer periods of fasting (say, 40 days?) can be achieved without causing anyone to go into the hospital. Lunch that day might be replaced with a time of intense prayer, Bible study, private worship, or any other way that you relate to your Maker. For those of us with glucose disorders such as diabetes, responsible fasting might mean going to a stricter diet than you are used to, or giving up certain flavors you favor.
The reasons for fasting will only become
truly apparent as you try it. However, suffice it to say that through fasting you will discover more about yourself during Lent than you probably have in years. Fasting turns our attention to our relationship with our Creator - especially how we try to circumvent it with all the wrong things. We fast because putting our focus back on God (literally, "repentance" or turning back) helps us to reorient our priorities. We sometimes get mixed up and start thinking that God comes after the world, but the world exists because of God – not the other way around. By giving up something that will be difficult for you to give up, you may discover what really matters to you. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32), and it is in that liberation that we can experience more fully the power of the resurrection on Easter for ourselves
Keep an eye out for February's Newsletter
