Pastor Brian's Blog

Starting January 13, we will start a new series called “Treat Yourself: Spirituality in the New Year.”   It’s a series about spiritual practices that help us connect to our true selves and nurture our relationship with God.   Each week, we will explore various spiritual practices within a different theme.   The story behind the series title is kind of fun.   I looked at headlines from last January ’s Better Homes and Gardens magazine for inspiration.   The cover, featuring thick syrup streaming over a stack of pancakes, said: “It’s time to treat yourself.”   Ray and I thought the phrase “treat yourself” resonated with our understanding of spiritual practices.   They are treats, not tasks.   The goal is to indulge in grace, not to feel inundated with guilt.   Ray connected “treat yourself” with a scene from the show “Parks and Recreation.”   Tom Haverford (played by Aziz Ansari) explains that once a year he and Do...

  A new year is a great time to take stock of what is important in our lives.   Perhaps you’re reviewing what you want to accomplish this year or how you want your life to change. In that spirit, John Wesley saw the beginning of the year as a time to renew our relationship with God.   He believed in the biblical view that we are bound with God in a two-sided covenant that God has established with us.   On one side of the covenant is God’s promise “to fulfill in and through us all that God declared in Christ Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.” 1 On the other side of the covenant is our promise to live for God and not ourselves.   Wesley says that we are called to serve God to fulfill the purpose of Christ’s coming. 2 Renewing our faith in God is more significant than more traditional New Year’s goals like losing weight or monitoring our spending.   In the first line of Wesley’s Covenant Prayer, we shift the focus from o...

In December, we will start a new series called “O Come” inspired by the beloved Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”  After hymn № 211 in the United Methodist Hymnal , you can find the seven great ‘O’ antiphons of the Medieval era.  These antiphons were used in monasteries as early as the ninth century for Advent vespers.  The text of the antiphons, however, dates to the fifth century. The ‘O’ antiphons incorporate seven prophetic titles for Jesus that help us to prepare for the one who is coming.  Each title also has a corresponding symbol which gives the titles more theological depth and texture.  “O Emmanuel” is a star.  “O Wisdom” is a menorah.  “O Lord” is a burning bush.  “O Root of Jesse” is a budding flower.  “O Key of David” is a key.  “O Dayspring” is a rising sun.  “O King of Nations” is a crown. During the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle, we will explore the significance of these ancient titles and ...