The Drawn Curtain: An “End of Year” Worship Series

For the next four Sundays, we are counting down to one of the most exciting times of the Christian year. Advent begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving with our annual Hanging of the Greens service. As we draw closer to this sacred season, I hold before you a distinct image as our guide for this ‘end of year’ series of preparation.

Historically, venues with a stage where performances occur had large curtains operated by unseen ropes and hidden backstage workers. The signals that the ‘show’ was starting were typically the dimming of the lights and the curtains pulled away from each other to reveal the set and players behind them. The curtains coming back together meant it was time for an intermission or the end of the show.

Worship is not a performance or a show. It is not theater, and it doesn’t take place on a stage. However, when we come together to worship the Holy Trinity, this curtain is an excellent metaphor for us as we approach God’s presence. The drawn curtain can’t help but make us wonder, “What’s on the other side?” There is a mystery to the curtain that draws us closer to anticipate what is to come.

God is always calling us to take a next step of faith, even if we can’t see what is ahead. I hope you will make plans to worship with your community of faith as we wait for our God to draw back the curtain and reveal himself to us in new and wonderful ways.

all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian

One Priority for Running and Finishing the Race Well:
A Stewardship Message from Our Lay Leader

As a retired football coach, I truly understand the importance of running the race with a mindset of doing our best. We have truly been blessed here at FUMC West Point. When Joyce and I first started visiting here many years ago, I remember the discussions we had about being so impressed with the people here. What stuck out to us was that this was a group of people who truly wanted to please God.

I had just finished reading a book about David at that time. David was known as a man after God’s own heart. I saw the members of this church as being people after God’s own heart. Years later, Joyce and still see our church as being one after God’s own heart. Though we have been blessed in many ways, I see a great need.

One of our many blessings is that we have an awesome group of youth and a great group of children who need leadership. Even though we have wonderful volunteers that work hard to take care of them, we have an opening for a Youth and Children’s Minister. We need to fill this position with top-notch people who will work tirelessly toward overseeing the spiritual needs of our young people. Meeting the spiritual needs of our young people is a top priority, for they are the future of our church. Just like hiring a coach at our local schools if we want the best possible person to coach our teams, we must be competitive in paying this person. We shouldn’t expect to get the best person possible if we don’t compensate them competitively. My prayer is that God leads a top-notch person to us and that we are prepared to compensate them well. And we will have high expectations of this person.

I would ask that each one of us pray that God will lead this person or people to our church and that we pray that God will provide us with the money to pay them competitively. This is one of the ways we can run this race and finish well.

Freddie Brister, Lay Leader

The Race Is On!

In our worship service on Sunday, Stewardship Chairman George Purnell shared that our stewardship campaign has begun with a theme of, “Running the Race.” You’ll be receiving a letter from George in the weeks to come, as well as your pledge card that we hope you will bring to “Finish Line Sunday” on October 23.

As George and I discussed this campaign, I became aware of how many important goals and dates we have coming up in the next few weeks. It felt appropriate to use this space to share some of those dates with you. I hope you will save this page, put in on your refrigerator, and ask the Lord where you can be involved!

Sunday, October 16
9:15-10:30AM: Youth Breakfast Fundraiser (Fellowship Hall)
2PM: Charge Conference (Fellowship Hall)
All members of Administrative Council attend with vote

Saturday, October 22
7:45AM: Bed Build (The Dream Center)
Please contact Stacy if you’d like to participate or sponsor a bed.

Sunday, October 23
8:45 & 11AM Worship: Finish Line Sunday (Sanctuary)
Bring your pledge card to turn in!
4PM: Fall Festival (Church Parking Lot and Fellowship Hall)
We need your help with Trunk or Treat and the Chili Cookoff. See inside this newsletter for who to contact!

Let’s lace up our running shoes and get started!

all good things to each of you,
Dr Darian

A Charge To Keep

On Sunday, October 16, we will host United Methodist churches from across Clay County for our annual Charge Conference. All members of the Administrative Council are voting members of the Charge Conference, and we hope those of you on this committee will attend at 2PM that day.

If you’re not familiar with this annual meeting, it is a time of celebrating what God has done in the life of our churches. We also tend to important business matters. We will approve the roster of church officers for 2023, which has been approved by the Nominations Committee. We will submit paperwork about our finances, property, and congregational life, which keeps us accountable with an annual examination of all that God has entrusted to our care.

So, why do we call it a ‘charge conference?’ In the early days of Methodist, multiple congregations had to share one pastor, and those congregations served by the same pastor made up a “charge.” We still see this in Methodism where most pastors are serving more than one church. The charge conference brought them together.

Something wonderful happens when churches come together, doesn’t it? Charles Wesley’s hymn, “A Charge to Keep I Have,” comes to mind: “
A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.
To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
Oh, may it all my pow’rs engage
To do my Master’s will!

To glorify, to save, to serve… this is a charge entrusted not to one of us but to all of us! Will you do your part to fulfill what God asks of us?

all good things to each of you,
Dr Darian

Worship In October: Paul’s Last Words to Timothy

I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.

These are perhaps the most familiar words of Second Timothy, the last letter attributed to St. Paul in the New Testament. He writes to the young minister he has mentored and trained in the faith, sharing with him what matters most as he moves forward without Paul.

Paul’s last words to Timothy are not the first time we’ve seen the passing on of wisdom from one leader to another at the end of his life. Jacob famously blessed all of his sons at the end of Genesis. Moses instructed Joshua. Elijah walked with Elisha. Of course, Jesus was constantly sharing “last words” for his disciples as he went to the cross, and again before he ascended to heaven.

When someone nears the end of his or her life, there is a heightened attention given to what is said. The closer a person gets to eternity, and as they glimpse eternity, what a tremendous perspective they offer to the living! During the month of October, we will not only discuss what Paul says to Timothy but why. That familiar verse about finishing the race is at the end of the letter, but what comes before it makes it all the richer. I look forward to what God will reveal to us together!

all good things to each of you,
Dr Darian

What’s Bringing Us Joy in September

Every month I like to take a moment and share what I’ve been reading, watching, or listening to that has brought me joy over the past month. This month I’m sharing not recent releases but rather some gems from years past.

Hell or High Water (movie): One of you church members recommended this 2016 modern western to me a while back, and it had been on my ‘to watch’ list for a while. I finally watched it over the weekend and loved it. It is a bit violent, and language is rough, but what a story about two brothers who are amateur bank robbers and the two rangers in pursuit of them. If you have seen this film, let me know, as it is one I want to talk about at length!

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (book): Published in 2001, I picked up this novel to read on a flight to Minnesota back in 2011. Little did I know that the story was set in Minnesota—in the region I was visiting! This is a slow and quiet story with some of the best writing I’ve ever seen. A friend of mine once said she read the first pages of it in her Easter sermon one year, and I can see why. It is full of hope, resurrection, and miracles.

A Liturgy, A Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band by Rich Mullins (music): Singer-songwriter Rich Mullins, whom I quote all the time, died 25 years ago this week in a car accident. His music is indeed his ‘legacy,’ and this album released in 1993 is the one I’ve been drawn back to recently. The song that is probably best known on it is, “Hold Me Jesus,” and the bridge says this: “Surrender don’t come natural to me. I’d rather fight You for something I don’t really want than to take what you give that I need.” What a prayer, and what a piece of art this is.

I’d love to hear what’s bring you joy this month and in years past!
all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian

Learning to Fall

Years ago, while getting ready to teach a morning yoga class, my elbow grazed the handle of a glass mug in my kitchen. So began its slow descent to a crash. I placed the larger chunks of glass in a paper bag and swept the smaller parts into a dustpan. I got on my hands and knees and scanned the floor, in search of delicate slices of glass.

The yoga class that I’d planned for that day focused on balancing. We built our way into a pose that required standing on one foot at a time, I watched the students shake and waver. I thought of how desperately they were trying not to fall— and how I did not want for them to fall! I reminded them to breathe, noticing the strain on faces.

When we finally reached the time for resting pose, they happily sunk onto their backs, and my thoughts returned to the falling mug. Nobody wants to fall. Nobody wants their favorite things to fall and break. And nobody really wants to start the day by picking a broken cup off the kitchen floor.

Yet falling is part of life — and a large part of the disciple’s life.

I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their lives will lose them, and those who hate their lives in this world will keep them forever. (John 12:24-25, Common English Bible)

Following Jesus sometimes means letting things ‘fall’ away. We often hear the saying, “Let go, and let God.” But I would add to that, “Let it fall.” Let the broken pieces of our lives fall. Let the fight to be in control fall. Let the resentment fall. Let the past fall.

After my yoga students that day fought potential tumbles for an hour, they happily “fell” onto their backs for prayer and meditation. In the falling, we let go. In the falling, we let God. In the falling, we rise with Christ to new heights.

all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian

_ Worship In September
If I Were A Rich Man: The Parables of Luke

Whether or not you have seen the beloved musical, Fiddler on the Roof, you have likely heard some of the songs from it. One of the most played is, “If I Were A Rich Man,” where the lead character of Tevye dances and dreams about what life would be like if he had far more wealth.

Many of us can identify with Tevye. It’s easy to daydream when we begin the thought, “If I had more money.” If we’re not careful we can find ourselves in the pits of greed and dissatisfaction. If we’re careful, though, with those thoughts, we can learn much more about ourselves, life, and the God who is more than enough. We can learn what treasure truly is.

Jesus did not shy away from the topic of riches in his teachings. Luke’s gospel especially highlights some of these stories, and we will spend the month of September learning from these stories about what it truly means to be ‘rich.’

I hope you will take the time to study these passages each week in preparation for our time in worship together. Perhaps read it in more than one translation to get a new take on an old story. I look forward to learning and growing in God’s treasures with you!

September 4: Luke 14:25-33

September 11: Luke 15:1-10

September 18: Luke 16:1-13

September 25: Luke 16:19-31

all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian

What’s Bringing Us Joy In August

Every month I like to take a moment and share what I’ve been reading, watching, or listening to that has brought me joy over the past month. The hope is that in sharing what has lifted my spirit, you will take time to ask God what has lifted your spirit as well.

Kim’s Convenience (TV show): Twenty-one minute episodes? Check. A delightful family that bickers and loves and everything in between? Check. A realistic portrait of a clergywoman as a side character? Sold. I’m late to the game on this gem of a TV show, but there is no deadline to enjoy the Kim family and their fictitious convenience store in Toronto. I’m only halfway through season two and look forward to spending time with them when I wind down in the evenings.

The Edge of Discipleship by Darrell W. Johnson (book): Worship leader Brooke Ligertwood shared in an interview that the songs on her live album, Seven, were birthed from reading this study on the book of Revelation. I loved the album already, and now I’m savoring this revelation on Revelation that Johnson, a Canadian pastor, shares in this in-depth study. I’m taking my time walking through this beautifully complex book that is not nearly as scary as we make it sometimes. I’m also realizing I have a Canadian theme going here…

Interview with Kristene DiMarco on Trevor Talks (podcast/You Tube): Journalist Trevor Tyson, host of Trevor Talks, which is available on his You Tube channel or wherever you get podcasts, interviewed a worship leader whose songs I’ve loved for a while. Kristene DiMarco is a part of Bethel Music, and she sat down with him to talk about her new album, The Field. It is very unusual album with some rich lyrics I have to listen to repeatedly to let them ‘sink in.’ I loved hearing her story of relationship with God and how He has formed her into a worship leader.

I’d love to hear what’s bring you joy this month and all year long!

all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian

Isaac & the Acorn

Years ago, I was on a long, morning walk with Isaac the dog when I noticed he was limping. I stopped, knelt down, and examined his paws. Finding no stickers or scrapes or cuts, I stood and told him to shake it off. He tried. But then he stopped again and lifted his front left paw off of the ground. He looked up and spoke with his eyes: ”The problem is this paw. Look again.”

So I held the paw and carefully looked between each toe. I spread the pads of his paws and scraped away the dirt. And there it was. Tucked into the crevices of his paw was an acorn.

I carefully removed the acorn and placed his paw back on the ground. He hesitantly put his weight back on it. Realizing all four feet were back in working order, he took off with tail wagging, dragging his surgeon behind him. I know that was his bow-wow way of saying, “Thanks.”

Isn’t it amazing how something so small can have such a big impact? Isaac’s whole body was affected by adjustments he was having to make from one, small, unnecessary thing.

James 3 is all about the power of our words. He reminds us that words can be like a rudder that “propels a ship” or a spark that “sets a forest ablaze.” Words can seem as small as acorns, but if we’re not careful with them, they can cause harm.

The good news is that our words can also be a great help! Acorns that are not stuck in a dog’s paw can be a great benefit in their proper place. So it is with our words. How will you steward your speech today? Will you build one another up and sing praise to our God with them?

all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian (and Dog-tor Isaac)