Eugene Peterson makes a case for a challenging journey of faith in his book:  A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.  He begins by naming two Biblical terms for those who make the journey of faith: disciples and pilgrims.  A disciple, he says, is one who is apprenticed to Jesus Christ in the same way a learner is apprenticed to a master crafts person.  A pilgrim is one who is going somewhere, going toward God and using the way or path of Jesus Christ.
 
From John 14:
Master, we have no idea where you are going.  How do you expect us to know the road?  Jesus replies: I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life.
 
In the weeks leading up to Easter, our congregation will be on a journey in worship and in our community life.  Individually and in small groups for prayer and Bible study, we will follow a path of prayer, Bible reading, accountability and service.  You may join a Bible study or prayer group, or use a weekly Bible reading guide at home.
 
You may attend the special services of the Lent and Holy Week season or be part of our Easter Prayer vigil.  You may feel called to step forward to some new form of service.  We will all be praying for our Mission team who will be serving in Biloxi, Mississippi during three weeks in Lent.
 
We are going to journey in Spirit and action because we are God’s pilgrim people.  We are people of the Methodist movement who believe that faith is not about staying the same, but about growing in spirit and in truth.  We are on a journey this Lent because Jesus, the Way, invites us to follow.
 
Whether you are sitting on the side lines, or a long term pilgrim, whether you are discouraged on your journey, or unsure of the next step, join the journey.  We are traveling together toward God’s own heart.  We are on a journey to our true home.
 
On the road with you,
Pastor J. Lynn Pier-Fitzgerald
P.S. Lent and this part of the journey begins with the Ash Wednesday service on February 21 at 7 p.m.
 
 

  I am thankful that I worship a God with a sense of humor.  This playful God recently visited our Church Council meeting in the winds of the Holy Spirit prompting us to remember the brave words we said to each other in our fall Stewardship Campaign.
 
In early fall, 2006, the Stewardship Team took on an out-of-the-box theme for its annual commitment drive.  After much prayer and discussion, the Team agreed upon the theme: Giving with Reckless Abandon.  The theme was enriched by a graphic which pictured a group of people, arms raised, plunging down a steep incline on a roller coaster.  Both the words and the image captured the vision of the Team: Stewardship is about the joy of letting go and trusting in being safely carried by God to the end of the journey.
 
The Stewardship Campaign did not meet all of its goals in terms of numbers of commitments and the total amount of money committed.  In addition, the proposed church budget for 2007 rose with the inclusion of a commitment to pay 100% of our United Methodist Ministry Shares.  The gap of the proposed budget and anticipated income prompted a special appeal to the congregation and the calling of a special Church Council to resolve the matter.  The congregation responded generously to the appeal with $49,000 in new or re-directed commitments.  Further revisions of the budget brought reductions.  However, a gap of over $60,000 still existed between the budget and anticipated income.
 
It was at the December 14 Council meeting that I began to see God’s playful hand at work.  The meeting was somber because the only apparent way to close the budget gap was with reductions related to staff; salaries, benefits, hours or even positions.  Then those Spirit Winds began to blow.  One voice asked: “Aren’t we willing to trust in God to provide for our church’s ministry?”  Another said: “We asked people to give with reckless abandon, are we not willing to ‘let go’ as church leaders and trust God?”  In the end, the Council decided to go forward in faith with the full budget as proposed trusting in the faithfulness of our giving and the faithfulness of God.
 
The Stewardship Team took a risk and invited individuals to trust God and give with joyful reckless abandon.  Our playful God, then, invites us to take another risk together in stewardship and faith.  The invitation is to entrust our corporate life with its financial obligations into God’s care.  We will not be reckless in the use of God’s money; we will be good stewards.  But we will also learn the joy and challenge of trusting God to carry our church and its ministry on this journey.
 
The Stewardship posters are still on the doors of the church.  I noticed this week, that part of the power of the image is that there is a group of people, together, on the roller coaster ‘taking the plunge.’  So it is with us, the people of God at First UMC of Holland. 
 
I am thankful that I worship a God with a sense of humor.
 
A blessed New Year to you.