West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

The God Who Sees – In our summer look at psalms, today we are considering Psalm 94, and we read it as a call-and-response reading with the congregation. In some ways it is a shocking psalm, crying out for God's judgment on the wicked, those who oppress God's people, but it is certainly appropriate for us to read for Justice Sunday. Carol begins her sermon by considering the separation of church and state, citing times in history when church support for a particular king or group was injurious, when people of faith want to be in power. But there have also been significant times when the church has held leaders accountable and have advocated for the oppressed. Throughout the Bible, beginning with the Ten Commandments, we are called on to care for the widow and the orphan. Jesus was the prime example, spending time with those who were outcasts. Psalm 94 cries out to God because the leaders of the people are unjust and there are many who are suffering. We are called to look at our society through the lens of God's heart. The writer of Psalm 94 turns toward God's justice. What might we do as a church together to forward God's desire for justice, love, and hope?

The One (and Only One) We Worship – In our summer look at psalms, today we are focusing on the very familiar Psalm 100. It is a short psalm that is all about worship. Carol describes Sundays for most of us, parts of our worship, then asks why we go through all the trouble to get ready and come to Sunday worship. It is God who gives us life, who accepts us, who loves us, and our response is that God is worthy of our devotion. There are many people and things we can worship, but only God is worthy of our worship, and the psalmist gives some examples of how we can worship, entering with thanksgiving and praise. But sometimes we come into worship with anger, frustration, confusion from things in our lives such as the deaths of the children in the Texas floods this week. But the psalmist tells us to come into the presence of God with praise and singing, and doing so can be healing. As we worship God, we, ourselves, can become more in God's fold and behave more in God's spirit.

On the Road with God – In our summer look at psalms, today we are focusing on Psalm 121. Instead of reading this psalm in the scripture section of our service it is being sung with a sung response from the congregation, reminding us that the psalms were very likely originally sung. This past week was our annual Vacation Bible School for elementary school children, and that is a significant part of the worship service today. The theme for VBS was “Road Trip,” and one of the songs, which they sang today in the Children's Moment, was “On the Road with God.” The sermon begins by noting that much of scripture reflects that theme of journeying. Psalm 121 is in a section of “Psalms of Ascent” in the midst of the Book of Psalms, highlighting psalms that may well have been sung as part of traveling to Jerusalem. Psalm 121 is a blessing for a traveler. The word, “keep” (or “keeper”) referring to God appears six times in this psalm. God as our keeper does not mean we are protected from illness or job loss or such things, but it does mean that God is with us no matter what happens to us. We are not alone. We can see it not only in our own lives but in the lives of those around us. Going forward, what does it mean for us that God is with us? It means that we can step out on our journey with boldness and without fear, joining the throng as individuals joined the throng traveling to Jerusalem.

The One True Shepherd – In our summer look at psalms, today's scripture is the very familiar 23rd Psalm. Senior Minister, the Rev. Dr. Carol Cavin-Dillon begins by talking about the familiarity of this psalm as it has landed in the midst of a time of great conflict. The psalms run the gamut of emotions with some full of praise and joy and others expressing despair. While she leads us through the psalm in her sermon, she invites us to explore our own feelings as we explore it, too. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” is a declaration that reminds us that nobody leads us except “the Lord,” and because of that we lack nothing. The next part of the psalm describes what the Lord provides for us. We are charged with working for justice and the furtherance of God's plan, but we are also invited to re-charge through rest and also through worship together. All are invited to God's table, including those who might be “enemies.” The psalm ends with the assurance that we are not pursued by enemies but by the goodness and lovingkindness of God and the declaration that we will live with the Lord forever.

Trusting Thirst – Today is Trinity Sunday, and, in our summer look at psalms, today's is Psalm 42. The Rev. Will McLeane, Pastor of Spiritual Formation, delivers the sermon. This psalm is full of emotion, pain, and longing as a thirst for God. Thirst is something that connects us to all living beings, and Psalm 42 is based on the desperate thirst for God. Will begins with an article he recently read on how hydration is critical to the players in the French Open tennis tournament. This particular psalm through the centuries has expressed desperation and longing for God. Even the last words of Jesus express such a situation. We often, in times of desperation, reach out to things like food, drink, drugs, but the psalmist reaches out to God. Psalms often say it like it is, and this one remembers how it once was, how it should be, but says that it is not that way now, and it appeals to God to restore things. The generosity of God is the bedrock of faith. Rev. Will gives several current examples of desperation where those suffering are also exemplifying their faith, and his central example is that of Mother Teresa. Even if we can't imagine God's blessing in the midst of our troubles, our courage in faith can bless those around us.

One in the Spirit – Today is Pentecost Sunday, and, in addition to our Summer of Psalms reading from Psalm 133, we hear the Pentecost story from the Book of Acts when, after the crucifixion and resurrection, believers are gathered and, miraculously, see and feel the flames of the Holy Spirit. In her sermon, Carol describes sitting in her office early in the week and hearing an odd sound, then realizing it was a bird at the window, attempting to get in. Not recognizing the type of bird, she consulted her phone app and was struck by the beauty and diversity of the breeds of birds, their features, and their songs. We live in God's creation where the variety of lands, plants, animals, and people is demonstrative of divine creativity and design. In the Pentecost story, one of the features is that people are gathered from many lands and languages, and yet, in the Spirit, they can hear and understand those other tongues. God's mercy and love extend to every culture and land, and God's wish is that we all live together in unity. Psalm 133 is a “Psalm of Ascents,” one of the songs the people sang when going to Jerusalem for festivals, and it emphasizes living together in unity. Today, our world needs to experience the unity of love. (NOTE: The church is in the process of upgrading the lighting and sound systems in the sanctuary, and the quality of the sound for today's service was affected greatly by the upgrades not yet being completed.)

The Wisdom of Trees – This morning we travel our Summer of Psalms by reading Psalm 1. The Communion Meditation is delivered by our Senior Minister, the Rev. Dr. Carol Cavin-Dillon. She notes that there are references to trees throughout the Bible. The Genesis story of the Garden of Eden has stories involving several trees, and in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, there is also a tree of life. Carol lists some other familiar stories of trees in the Bible, and here, in the first Psalm, is an example of a tree as a very positive image for us. As pointed out in the psalm, she examines the characteristics of righteousness versus wickedness, as we do not often classify ourselves in either extreme, but maybe the images aren't extreme. The image of a tree whose roots are deep is a clear example for us, keeping practices of justice and righteousness at the forefront of our lives so we cannot be moved. Trees with deep roots at a stream as depicted in Psalm 1 never stop growing, and that, too, is an example for us so that we, too, continue to be challenged and growing, standing our ground in the deep soil of God's ways. If we are thus grounded, we, too, may bear fruit to feed the world.

Praying in the Dark – Today we begin our summer series of scriptures from the Psalms, this one from part of Psalm 143. Delivering the sermon today is Dr. Tammy Lewis Wilborn, our pastoral intern in Congregational Care. She points out that the psalmist is crying out in deep despair with a tired, troubled soul and a plea to God not to turn away or the psalmist will die. In some ways this is indicative of a need for suicide assessment of the one crying out. But this psalm is also penitent, confessing that the psalmist has hurt a lot of people but knowing that God still loves the psalmist. Dr. Wilborn points out three possible factors that can send us to this deep despair: (1) choices we make and conditions we are enduring (like illness, loss), (2) interpersonal relationships that are crashing, and (3) institutions, much as the world we may find ourselves in currently. Dark times call for desperate measures, and prayer is an SOS in such times. This psalm teaches us that we can always go to God in prayer, that prayer can be open and honest, and that through prayer we can commit to follow the light of Christ as our GPS, bearing no hate for anyone.

Making All Things New – Today's scripture is from Revelation 21, where John of Patmos, the visionary, sees a new heaven and a new earth, a new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, along with an announcement that God will be dwelling with the people and there will be no more tears, sorrow, crying, or pain. It is appropriate for the Easter season when the agony of Good Friday was tossed away by the resurrection of Jesus. The question for us is whether we believe that God is always doing a new thing. In her sermon, Carol gives several personal examples of times when things appeared dismal, but then they turned around. She also cites several places in Biblical prophecy where those kinds of things were heralded by the likes of Isaiah and Jeremiah. She reminds us of the setting for the Book of Revelation, believers who were suffering because of their beliefs in God as ruler rather than the Roman emperor as ruler. Those believers were sometimes even executed for their beliefs, but this word from God through John of Patmos offered them a new Jerusalem, a new hope. If or when we feel like everything is falling apart, it would be good to remember this vision of the new Jerusalem and God's promise to live among us and make all things new.

A Vision with Hope – Often when we need comfort or hope and reach out for a Biblical passage for help, we latch onto things like “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” from Psalm 23, and most of us do not turn to the book of Revelation because of its graphic scenes of destruction. However, this final book of the Bible gives us glimpses of God's kingdom, and those glimpses, as with today's scripture from Revelation 7:9-17, are full of hope and comfort. It helps if we realize that Revelation was written to believers in a period when they were being crushed under Rome for their beliefs and rejection of the Roman emperor as the king. Some believers were even killed for that. This passage is one of the visions in Revelation of God on the throne with the lamb, representing Jesus, there, too, and innumerable people from every nation and language dressed in white, carrying palm branches, and praising God. It is a model for our hopes when things are bad and we need comforting. In the end it is the love of God and the beckoning of Jesus that will solve our problems and leave us comforted and rejoicing. It reminds us of who we are, whose we are, and where we belong.

Feasting and Feeding – Today is Confirmation Sunday and we are confirming/baptizing seven youth who have been through the confirmation process. Today's scripture is the familiar story from the Fourth Gospel of the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to seven of his disciples who are fishing. As part of this story, Jesus fixes them a meal so that when they come ashore he feeds them. After the story of the resurrection in the previous chapter, we might feel like the story of Jesus is over, but this story underscores Jesus's challenge to the disciples to carry on what Jesus had been doing throughout his ministry. First, they are nourished, and then, most especially with the conversation between Simon Peter and Jesus, they are commissioned to go forth. In many ways, it is a model for our own baptism and commissioning, and it is demonstrative for the confirmands who are being baptized and brought into church membership today. The questions and challenges Jesus has for Simon Peter reflect that the basis of nourishment to him, to the other disciples, and to us is the love Jesus gives. Then the direction to “feed my lambs” gives us the mission with which we, like those disciples, are charged.

Today's scripture is a passage from the first chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians, and delivering the sermon is Rea Green, a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School and our Ministry Intern. Rea begins by saying that she recently saw the moon and was struck by its stunning beauty, only to have a friend tell her that it wasn't the moon at all but a streetlight. In this way she introduces us to the fact that she is very much vision impaired. She gives some background and different viewpoints of the author and setting for Ephesians, but says what is clear is that it is written to a people that need assurance and unity, and the letter describes God's love for the “we” and “us” referred to in that letter, and it thus calls for unity under the love of God. And unity does not mean “uniform,” but a coming together in the knowledge that all are loved by God, even through our diversity. In that sense, the letter calls for awareness and recognition of our differences, but it then calls us to move beyond awareness to a call to action to embrace our differences and foster a deep love for all.

Recognizing Resurrection – Today is Easter Sunday. Traditionally, the scripture for Easter Sunday is the story of the empty tomb, but our scripture chosen for today is the familiar story in Luke's gospel of the two men walking to Emmaus and, unknowingly, being joined by the risen Jesus as they walked. One of the reasons to have this story on Easter is that our Lenten theme has been Table Transformations, and this story concerns yet another table, this one hosted by the risen Christ. The two disciples in the story are unknowns to us and not among the twelve, and, having witnessed the crucifixion, they are walking away, paralyzed by their grief. Are we in situations paralyzed by grief and loss? They call him a prophet, but now they have doubts that he was the expected messiah. Their hopes have been dashed. Maybe we, too, have lost hope, and, if so, we are on the road to Emmaus, and, whether we recognize it or not, we are accompanied by Christ. In the story, when they sit down for a meal, the guest becomes the host, lifts the bread, breaks it, and in that act they recognize that this is the risen Christ. Our communion services repeat that – a table with everyone having a seat, and the risen Christ is the host. Let us go forth with our tables open to all, knowing that the risen Christ is our host.

Rev. Will McLeane and Sheyla Soriano lead us in a liturgy and prayer for Good Friday of Holy Week.

Persevering Love – Today is Good Friday, the time of solemn remembrance of Christ's crucifixion. The Rev. Aimee Baxter is delivering the Good Friday Meditation, and the scripture reading is the Fourth Gospel's account of the trial, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus. Rev. Baxter first referred to the series from several years ago, “WandaVision,” that built on the grief Wanda experienced in the death of Vision. Rev. Baxter said that many of us sit in loss and sadness, too, and she pointed out how much of that is demonstrated in the narrative of the trial of Jesus, then his crucifixion. Even Judas grieved his betrayal of Jesus and ended his own life. Peter, who denied even knowing Jesus, reacted in grief and rage in cutting off the ear of a soldier. And well beyond that, we can imagine the grief of the closest disciples of Jesus, and certainly of his mother who stood at the foot of the cross. But throughout the narrative, Jesus asserts the presence of the love of God and demonstrates it in his own acceptance of what he deemed must be. Here we are on Good Friday, participating together in a very solemn and disturbing remembrance, and yet we know that through it all there is God's beckoning love, and Easter is on the horizon. It is persevering love that will support us through our grief.

Pastor Maggie Jarrell and Andrew Breeden lead us thru a liturgy and prayer for the Thursday of Holy Week.

A Table Transformed – Today is Maundy Thursday, and our Lenten theme has been, “Table Transformations,” so certainly this service of remembrance of the Last Supper fits that theme. Rev. Shannon Baxter is delivering the Communion Meditation, and the scripture reading from the Fourth Gospel is the familiar story of that meal and of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. He first recounted a family situation some years ago when he obtained slabs of flooring from flooding in Savannah and planned to use them to build a large dining room table. The project took a long time, but when it was eventually completed it was truly a transformed table. In the story of the Last Supper, as Jesus turns to washing the disciples' feet, taking on the role of a servant, it is, also, a transformation. God comes off the throne to care for creation, which is much like a gardener gives care to the plants in the garden to see them flourish. God wants to see everyone thrive.

Pastor Shannon Baxter and Tammy Lewis-Wilborn lead us in a liturgy and prayer for the Wednesday of Holy Week.

Rev Stacey Harwell-Dye and Beth Bernard lead us thru a liturgy and prayer for the Tuesday of Holy Week.

Join Pastor Carol Cavin-Dillon and Hampton Randall as they lead us thru a liturgy and prayer for the Monday of Holy Week.

Prevenient Grace – Today is Palm Sunday, and in keeping with our Lenten theme, “Table Transformations,” the scripture from Luke is about the deal Judas made with the chief priests and scribes to betray Jesus, and also the subsequent Passover meal Jesus and the twelve shared when he blessed the bread and cup revealing that they represented his body and blood, and then he revealed that one of them was going to betray him. Our ancestor in Methodism, John Wesley, had a concept of three movements of grace, the first being prevenient grace, grace that is offered by God to everyone. Jesus demonstrates prevenient grace in the Lukan story of the Passover meal as he shares the meal, even the symbols of his body and blood, with all of the disciples, knowing that when he would be tried and crucified they would all abandon him in various ways, especially Judas. And yet, his invitation and sharing the meal with them is a demonstration of God's invitation to everyone. Our response to that invitation of prevenient grace is to be open and accepting of God's love and then to share it with others.

Today, the Fifth Sunday in Lent, is Youth Sunday, when our entire service is led by youth from our church. The scripture is the story from Luke of Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha, where Martha was busy with the details of hosting and preparing and serving the meal while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to him. At some point Martha complained that Mary wasn't helping, and Jesus told Martha that she was too distracted and that Mary had “chosen the better part.” Today's sermon was delivered by two youth, the first of whom, Connor Harris, describes his current senior year in high school as stressful and very busy, and sees himself as Martha in this story. He cautions himself and all of us to step back, take a deep breath, and find God, to do our work but take God with us. Margo Jenkins also spoke to us, and she says she has learned from this story that her behavior is Martha-like. There is much value in working hard and helping others, but a prayer life and time for reflection and calm, leaving oneself vulnerable allows us to hear God's voice, and she challenges us to find the time and opportunity to connect with God, to be like Mary and choose “the better part.”

An Interrupting Love – Today is the fourth Sunday in Lent, and our Lenten theme is “Table Transformations.” The scripture is the story from Luke of Jesus having a meal in the home of a Pharisee when a woman comes in, approaches Jesus, and ends up at his feet as she cries and then wipes his feet with her hair then anoints his feet with oil she had brought with her. Rev. Will McLeane delivers the sermon, initially recalling that he was taught from an early age not to interrupt! But in this story, there are many interruptions, and most are major. First, there is her presence as a woman at a dinner where there were only men. Further, as a sinner she is interrupting a dinner of the righteous, those who studied and obeyed the scriptures. The Pharisee host interrupts as he calls her to task, but Jesus then interrupts and holds her up as an example of repentance and forgiveness. Pastor Will points out places in our worship service where, when we are confessing our sins, we are interrupted by the liturgy and words of forgiveness, all reminding us that we need to be repentant and accepting of God's love, and we need to include others around that table.

Table Manners – Today is the third Sunday in Lent, and our Lenten theme is “Table Transformations.” The scripture is the story in Luke 14 about Jesus having been invited to a dinner in the home of a prominent Pharisee, and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely and with suspicion. In that era, who was seated where at the table was important – the friends and business associates of the host were seated at the head table. But upon entering here Jesus offers a proverb saying that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Jesus even goes further to advise the host when hosting a dinner to avoid inviting friends, relatives, rich neighbors intending to be repaid, but, rather, to invite the poor, crippled, lame, and blind who can't repay the host, but that host will be rewarded in the resurrection at the end. It is a matter of intentionally including those who have been excluded, and it is a lesson for us as individuals and as a church and faith community. Such a table can be transformational.

You Give Them Something to Eat – Today is the second Sunday in Lent, and our Lenten theme is “Table Transformations.” The scripture for today is Luke's version of the familiar story of the feeding of the 5,000. Carol first gives some examples of parenting, training one's children, and she says Jesus was constantly training the disciples, and this story is an example. The crowd has gathered to experience the teaching and healing by Jesus, and the text says it is 5,000 men, which means it must have been well more than 5,00 people. The disciples are concerned about those people and how so many can possibly be sustained. Jesus tells those disciples to handle it. They have only a dozen loaves of bread and two fish. Maybe we, too, sometimes feel completely inadequate. But Jesus tells them to have the crowd sit, and then he takes a loaf of bread, lifts and breaks it, and gives thanks and blesses it. In this same way, Christ can take each of us, lift and break us, give thanks and bless us, and we are thus fully equipped to fill the needs of the world around us. It is a process that is repeated in Luke in the Last Supper and again in the Emaus Road dinner. And it is repeated with and for us in each communion service.

Today is the first Sunday in Lent, and our Lenten theme is “Table Transformations.” The scripture for today Luke's version of the familiar story of Jesus's 40 days in the wilderness. A popular tradition among Christians is to give up something for the 40 days of Lent, and one of the features of the story is that Jesus had no food for 40 days. During this time he was repeatedly “tempted by the devil,” and we, too, might have experienced each of those temptations at times, not from an external devil, but from our own internal desires to gain power, achieve, or overcome. Most of us have experienced emptiness, and some people have tried to fill it by eating, taking drugs, plunging into our jobs, and such. Clearly from the story, Jesus rejects the temptation to lift himself up, knowing that God values love not self-success. The lesson Jesus teaches overall is the ultimate in rejecting power and self by humbling himself on the cross. He might have been empty of food and power, but he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and that stands as a model for us through the period of Lent.

The One Who Was, Is, and Is to Come – Today is Transformation Sunday, and the scripture is the story in Luke of Jesus walking up the mountain with Peter, James, and John. They are, at this point, completely worn out from all of the work they've been doing. They know Jesus is the messiah, but with all of his recent talk of suffering to come, they are confused. In this experience of his transformation, however, their belief in Jesus as the messiah is strengthened, and they know that death and evil will not have the final word. Transformation Sunday in the Christian year comes just before Lent to remind us that through the somber period of Lent and through the agony of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, we can have hope, just as Peter, James, and John experienced it through Jesus's transformation.

Notes of Rest – The Proclamation section of this service is led by guests Julian Davis Reid and vocalist Tramaine Parker. Reid refers to various passages of scripture, reading and commenting on them, then he plays the piano while Parker sings and, at points, leads the congregation in singing. The basis of their presentation is the Sabbath and rest, how we are charged to rest, and what God does within our sleep. The pieces of scripture are read, then elucidated and supported by preaching and singing, and at points the congregation is invited to join in the singing. At various points we are called to rest and listen, then Julian invites everyone in the congregation to share with those around us what we heard in the quiet moments. Julian ends with the first 5 verses of I Corinthians where Paul confessed his humility before God in coming before that congregation.

Called to a New Community – This is the last in a series of scriptures and sermons under the theme, “Who is calling you?.” Today's scripture reading is the story in Luke of Jesus calling Levi, the tax collector, to be a disciple. Tax collectors were Jews charged with collecting taxes from the Jewish people and turning over the taxes to the Roman rulers. They also routinely collected more than was required by Rome so that they were enriching themselves. This, of course, made them despised by the people. That Jesus called a tax collector was demonstrative of the nature of the community of God, consisting of people from all populations, all backgrounds, all economic levels. That Levi then hosted a banquet whose guests were other tax collectors incensed some, but it was a demonstration of the open invitation by Jesus and thus by God. We, too, must be aware that God's community is open and beckoning to all, even to some whom we may otherwise have ignored, avoided, or even despised. It is an open community called together in love.

From Failure to Fisher of People – We are in a series of scriptures and sermons under the theme, “Who is calling you?,” that will take us to Lent. Today's scripture reading is the version in Luke of Jesus's enlistment of the first disciples, specifically Simon Peter, when, after a night of catching no fish, Jesus tells him to put out the nets, and the nets started breaking with the abundance of fish. Having been fishing all night with no luck, Simon is reluctant to heed the direction of Jesus. Simon is worn out, frustrated, and his tendency is simply to give up. Yet, under the direction of Jesus, he agrees to try, and with such success Simon begins to realize who Jesus is and confesses he, Simon, is not worthy. Much as many of us do, Simon is carrying the weight of his unworthiness – who am I to be chosen by the Lord? But we can learn from this example and from countless examples of other Biblical figures who look and feel like they're unworthy and incapable, but when called by God they are fully empowered and equipped. We need to hear and heed the voice of Jesus calling us.

Getting on Board with Grace – We are in a series of scriptures and sermons under the theme, “Who is calling you?,” that will take us to Lent. Today's scripture reading is a continuation of last weeks' story in Luke of Jesus in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth having been handed the Isaiah scroll, reading from it the passage that tells of God's mission for Isaiah, and then declaring that today that scripture has been fulfilled today in him. But the people react by taking him out to throw him off a cliff. Carol says their rage may well have been because Jesus was telling them that God's love and mercy extend to all people, including those they considered enemies. If and when we hear often that God loves all of “those people,” we, too, can find ourselves asking, “But what about me?” It is in those times that we need to spend time in prayer, going to God's fountain of love. In practicing gratitude we can hear the invitation to join Jesus in proclaiming and living the “good news.” Our invitation is to get on board with God's grace.

Let Your Life Speak – We are in a series of scriptures and sermons under the theme, “Who is calling you?,” that will take us to Lent. Today's scripture reading is the story in Luke of Jesus in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth having been handed the Isaiah scroll, reading from it the passage that tells of God's mission for Isaiah, and then Jesus declares that today that scripture has been fulfilled today in him. Rev. Shannon Baxter, our Minister of Congregational Connection, delivered the sermon and focused on our finding our own vocation – what role we are meant to play in God's world. This story in Luke comes after the baptism of Jesus and after his wandering in the wilderness. Many of us, too, were baptized as infants and then spent time wandering, searching for our vocational paths. Shannon reminds us that the ritual words of our baptism express our adoption into God's creation, and that with the spirit/breath of God in us we are each called to our role in God's creation from God's voice within ourselves through our spiritual connection. We are, in every case, called to love God and our neighbor.

Discerning and Doing – We are in a series of scriptures and sermons under the theme, “Who is calling you?,” that will take us to Lent. Today's scripture reading from the Fourth Gospel is the story of the wedding at Cana when the supply of wine runs out and, prompted by his mother, Jesus turns water into wine, the first of the “signs” he performs to establish his divinity as reported in John. Carol begins with a personal story in which her mother volunteered Carol to play piano for singing hymns in a Sunday school class when the regular piano player was absent. She wonders whether Jesus was as conflicted by his mother's volunteering him as Carol had been when her mother volunteered her. Jesus is somewhat reluctant and seems not quite ready to begin his ministry when he asks his mother, “Woman, what concern is that to you and me? My hour has not yet come.” But then he does turn the water into wine. This sets an example of his seeing a need and changing his own plan so that he meets that need. It further asks us how we see a need and change our own plans in order to move and meet that need. Among the voices calling us are those in need, and, with Jesus as our example, we need to recognize the need and adjust our own priorities in order to meet that need.

Named and Claimed – We are in a series of scriptures and sermons under the theme, “Who is calling you?,” that will take us to Lent. This is the Baptism of the Lord Sunday when we not only review the story of the baptism of Jesus, but we take opportunity to remember our own baptism and rehearse it in several ways. We have baptized many children in the past year, and we are often delighted with those infants and their baptisms. Yet those words and voice of God in baptism follow us as we grow up and through our adulthood. But do we see ourselves in the midst of our adult lives as having the voice of God in the waters of baptism for us? Much as the words of our scripture today (Isaiah 43.1-7) are from God claiming God's people, no matter where they are, with love and honor, so the waters of baptism flow through the center of our lives, reminding us that we are worthy, loved, named, and claimed by God. Recalling our baptism is a way to recall God's lasting love for us.

We are beginning a series under the theme, “Who is calling you?,” that will take us to Lent, This is Epiphany Sunday when we remember the familiar story of the Magi from the East who follow a new star to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. Although we traditionally think of there being three of them, there's nothing in the story in Matthew that gives the number. These men likely studied the heavens, and when they saw this new star, they knew it was a sign, and they followed it. Herod the Great was, according to the historian Josephus, a brutal ruler, and the story shows that Herod felt threatened and told the Magi to come back and report to him after they had seen the child. But, in response to a revelatory dream, the Magi decided to ignore Herod's directive and travel a different route. There was a declaration among early Christians, “Jesus is Lord!” It was considered treason in the Roman province. But early Christians could attach allegiance either to the Kingdom of God or the kingdoms of the world, and if they, too, declared that “Jesus is Lord,” they were listening to God's call rather than to the call of the world. It presses us as individuals and as a church to declare, against much of the world's clamor, that “Jesus is Lord!”

Smells Like Teen Spirit – The first Sunday after Advent we have Khette Cox as guest preacher. She is a hospice chaplain and a graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School. The scripture is the familiar story in Luke of Mary and Joseph and their young son, Jesus, having gone to Jerusalem, but on the way home the boy's parents discovering he was not with them. When they found him after searching for three days, he was in the Temple, talking with the “teachers.” The story is placed in Luke between the story of the miraculous birth and the story of Jesus' baptism, and as such, it is a literary bridge but also a bridge as Jesus develops into the person he is to be. This story is of Jesus beginning to discover who he is and is to be. At this stage he may not know who he is, and, in her work as a hospice chaplain, Khette has often posed the question, “Who are you?” to patients. It is a question for us, too, perhaps a challenge posed by God, prompting us to discover who we are among the people of God. During the baptisms of infants, we are always introduced as the church community who will surround this child as she/he grows up, helping to form the child into the person God intends them to be. But as we might help the child discover who he/she is and is to be, we, ourselves, are also in our role, developing into the person God wants us to be.

Good Will To All – This traditional Christmas Eve service is one that West End UMC has held for decades. It highlights the reading of the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, read by the minister in the center of the sanctuary, among the worshippers. Our Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. Carol Cavin-Dillon, recounts Christmases growing up when their extended family drew names to give gifts, but sometimes after all the gifts were opened, there was yet another gift under the tree, and the question quickly became “Who is this gift for?” She compares that to the experience of the shepherds where the angel appears and says, “I bring you good news of great joy for all the people.” Later, the group of angels declares, “. . . peace among those whom he favors!” Whom does God favor? Carol presses a grammatical possibility that, with a particular comma, the statement refers to God being pleased with all of the people, not just the rich, or the accomplished, or the Jews, or any other particular group. We as a church hold, as a bedrock belief, that “God loves everyone unconditionally.” And that shapes how we look at everyone. There is a gift waiting for each of us tonight: God's giving of God's self to each of us and to every person we encounter.

This is the fourth Sunday in Advent, and our theme for the season is “Messages of Hope,” during which we are hearing some messages from the ancient prophets. Today's scripture is the passage from Luke wherein a pregnant Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary's response to Elizabeth is what has come to be known as “The Magnificat,” based on the first words of her praise, “My soul magnifies the Lord!” The text of her praise/prayer is the prophetic message for today's message of hope. Prophecy is not so much predicting the future, but telling the truth about the present, and Mary's message is that God is in the midst of turning things upside down with this baby in her womb. Of course, when the baby was later born, Mary (and Joseph) had all the responsibilities of parents of the infant and then as a child. As he grew up she had to let him go and saw him become a controversial figure, and then she suffered through his trials and crucifixion. After that, she was among the people gathered in that room when the Holy Spirit filled those believers at Pentecost. To follow Mary's example, we have to let Jesus “grow up,” and we must have the faith and courage to follow Jesus wherever he leads.

Breath for Dry Bones – This Service of the Longest Night is designed to hold space and a quiet place for those who are suffering loss or other distress. Delivering the sermon is Tammy Lewis Wilborn, our Pastoral Intern, and the text is Ezekiel's well-known vision of the valley of dry bones. She compares much of today's situations to that valley in that we are alive but not living, trying to navigate the loss of a loved one, or a dead relationship (with people or with one's own spirit), or dead dreams where one's dreams are not being fulfilled. In Ezekiel's vision, God asks him whether the dry bones can live, and the prophet replies, “O Sovereign Lord, only you know.” Then God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, and that enlivens them. If we focus our minds on the things that are life-giving, we are accepting God's direction that we have a response-ability to respond to God's plans for us, and through a God-directed word we, too, can enliven what has seemed to be dead. God does what we can't do, but God does not do what we won't do – we have a part in life and the living.

This is the third Sunday in Advent, and our theme for the season is “Messages of Hope,” during which we are hearing some messages from the ancient prophets. Today's message is from Zephaniah. The candle we light today is the pink one, symbolizing joy. In this season we experience a lot of joy with Christmas cards, gifts, and such, but, in contrast, during Advent we are waiting, preparing for the final return of Christ into the world. Through Advent we name the difference between what is and what shall be. Advent is a period of joy, not necessarily happiness. Joy is a gift of God, no matter what is going around us. Pastor Carol gives examples of words from Paul and Jesus who expressed joy in the midst of imprisonment and imminent crucifixion. The book of Zephaniah begins with scorching words of condemnation against the people, but in chapter 3, our text for today, God's word is of forgiveness and hope, showing that God doesn't look on us with condemnation but with presence and grace. A further word from God through the prophet is that God delights in the people: God's joy animates us. The last word from God is for us not to fear and not to let our hands grow weak.

This is the second Sunday in Advent, and our theme for the season is “Messages of Hope,” during which we are hearing some messages from the ancient prophets. Today's message is from Malachi. Our Senior Miniter, Rev. Dr. Carol Cavin-Dillon, cites a book, Brené Brown's Dare to Lead, who says that in the corporate world feedback is important. Carol says that although sometimes feedback is tough for the person receiving the critical input, we all need it, and our response to God's correction is important for our growth in faith. In some ways the book of Malachi is a scene where the people have been complaining through the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem that they are not thriving and God has forsaken them. The prophet is presenting God's case against the people's accusations and thus the feedback. One of the key words is “return,” which can also be translated from the Hebrew, “repent.” Malachi's image of the refiner's fire and the fuller's soap, both of which are harsh for the recipient but are purifying, is a good image for us to receive correction. God loves us, but if that is all we hear, our faith is bland. It is crucial for us to respond and to live our faith.

Our Hope Is Built – This is the first Sunday in Advent, and our theme for the season is “Messages of Hope,” during which we will hear some messages from the ancient prophets. Today we begin with a passage from Jeremiah, who, while in prison and having witnessed Jerusalem destroyed by the Babylonian army, nevertheless offers a promise from God of restoration and a coming “righteous Branch” to lead justice and righteousness in the land. Today marks the return of Senior Minister Carol Cavin-Dillon after a three months sabbatical, and she delivers the Communion Meditation based on this word from Jeremiah, through which she encourages us, no matter our situation as a people or as individuals, to remember, through Jeremiah's prophecy, that God is a builder and is with us. She also reminds us that we must be vigilant for God's presence and willing to participate in the rebuilding. The communion that we share today is a sign and an act of that coming together with each other and with God as we gather around the table without restriction and with each other at the invitation of Jesus.

This is Reign of Christ Sunday, and the scripture reading from John is the encounter between Pilate and Jesus when Pilate asks Jesus if he is king of the Jews. Jesus doesn't deny it, but he says that his kingdom is not of this world. As Americans we understand monarchy knowing our country was founded upon rebellion against such rule, but Jesus demonstrates that his reign is different – there aren't people fighting for him in this conflict. Coincidentally, Reign of Christ Sunday was founded in 1925, a hundred years ago, and in his sermon, the Rev. Will McLeane gives some historical context from 1925, contrasting the Reign of Christ to monarchies in our history. Under the kingship of Jesus, followers aren't enslaved or oppressed but are inspired to claim Jesus as the ultimate authority in their lives. The followers of Jesus do as Jesus did and give themselves in service to others. The bottom line is that we need each other, even in times of division, and that means that the world needs a different kind of follower than those trapped in traditional monarchies.

The scripture for today is from the first chapter of 1 Samuel wherein Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, goes into the shrine at Shiloh to pray to have a child. Not only has she been unable to conceive, but Elkanah's other wife, Peninnah, often makes fun of her “mercilessly.” Our Pastor of Children and Families, the Rev. Maggie Jarrell, delivers the sermon and relates Hannah's frustration and dilemma to some situations we face today. Even when Hannah prays desperately in the presence of the Lord in Shiloh, her tears and moving lips prompt Eli, the priest, to accuse her of being drunk. In the end, though, Eli blesses Hannah, and, certainly, God blesses her as she does conceive and gives birth to Samuel. It is important for us to learn to cope, to live through the rough times, to talk about our issues with God, with family and friends, maybe to cope through exercise, to cope by serving others. Ultimately, however, it is crucial for us to remember to trust God's love and presence. As we say in the last line of our Affirmation of Faith each Sunday, “God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.”

An Open-Handed Future – Today we are following the story of Ruth that we began two Sundays ago when Ruth, leaving her own land, went with Naomi, her mother-in-law, to Naomi's home in Judah. Ruth, an immigrant in the territory of what had been the enemies of her people, was there out of love for mother-in-law, Naomi. Delivering the sermon on the second part of the Ruth story, Rev. Will McLeane, our Pastor of Spiritual Formation, says that, as widows, they were among the poorest of the people, and Ruth had begun gleaning in the fields in an attempt to provide food for them. Naomi encouraged Ruth to establish a relationship with Boaz, in whose fields Ruth was gleaning, and that cultivated a marriage of Ruth with Boaz that resulted in a son who would end up being the father of Jesse who was the father of David. As unlikely as all of this was, it was love that changed the courses of those lives through a radical openness to receive another. And that is the path of Jesus. We can't control or predict where love will lead when we are accepting of others. And when there seems to be no way forward, through love God will make a way.

West End UMC lay and clergy voices join together to offer a morning prayer podcast for the mornings of November 4-6. The liturgy generally follows the “Order for Morning Praise and Prayer”. ...

West End UMC lay and clergy voices join together to offer a morning prayer podcast for the mornings of November 4-6. The liturgy generally follows the “Order for Morning Praise and Prayer”. ...

West End UMC lay and clergy voices join together to offer a morning prayer podcast for the mornings of November 4-6. The liturgy generally follows the “Order for Morning Praise and Prayer”. ...

Today is All Saints Sunday when we remember those who have gone before us, and, specifically, those members of our church who have died in the past year for each of whom we light a candle during the service. It is a communion service using the old Cranmer liturgy, and Rev. Stacey Harwell-Dye delivers the Communion Meditation based on the first part of the Book of Ruth which begins in tragedy, with famine prompting Naomi's family to move from their home in Judah to Moab, which was somewhat enemy territory. There Naomi's husband dies, and her two sons marry Moabite women, and then the sons die. In grief, Naomi decides to head back to Judah. Of the two daughters-in-law, on the advice of Naomi, Orpah decides to stay in Moab, but Ruth sees a way forward for the future and accompanies Naomi to what is, to Ruth, foreign land. Ruth's and Naomi's actions lay a path for us as we face death and bereavement. Living in communion with the saints who have gone before us, we worship God who has defeated death.

What Do You Want Me to Do for You? – In today's reading from Mark, Jesus, his disciples, and a large crowd are about to leave Jericho when they encounter Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who calls out to Jesus. The author of this first gospel tends to be brief and to-the-point, and although this story must certainly have been one of the many encounters Jesus had in Jericho, it is the only one reported in this gospel, which underscores how significant the writer considered it. In Jesus's day, some illness like blindness was often considered to have been the result of some sin of the blind person or of his parents. Thus, for the crowd to try to shush him is not surprising, but for Jesus to respond to him would have been surprising. When Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants Jesus to do for him, that Bartimaeus has the faith and confidence that Jesus can heal his blindness is key. Likewise, our response to the query of Jesus, “What do you want me to do for you?” is a matter of deep faith that Jesus can heal us, and it is also a model for our response to the same question posed to us.

Side by Side – In today's reading from Mark, two of the disciples of Jesus ask to sit at his right and left when Jesus enters his glory. The Rev. Aimee Baxter, our Pastor of Young Adults, delivers the sermon today. She says that the motivation for James and John to ask this is not clear – do they want to be close to Jesus, or is it a power grab? In any case, Jesus realizes they just don't get it – being at the front has nothing to do with prestige and everything to do with humility. The other disciples are angry at the two, perhaps because they, too, want to be first, but Jesus presses a reorientation in which there is nobody at the top. And even though “the last shall be first,” it is a matter of servitude and of a posture of side by side where everyone dances together. Jesus says he came not to be served but to serve, and community as the goal can better be achieved by humility and service.