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The Balance Beam of Righteousness - March 25, 2016 (Meditation 1)
In 1989, the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference sponsored a tour to what was then the Soviet Union. At that time the USSR was just beginning to open up to the West, in what was called glasnost. After years of oppression of any religion, it was loosening its grip.
I went on that trip, along with a family from Moscow, Idaho – an older couple named C & IP and their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. When I came here I had forgotten that a family from Moscow had been on that trip, but I. remembered me and we often discussed the trip.
As part of the tour we visited a Russian Orthodox seminary and worshiped at a couple of Orthodox churches. With glasnost, people who had long nurtured seeds of faith underground came out openly. As the priest we talked to at the seminary put it, "My phone is boiling."
Read more: The Balance Beam of Righteousness - March 25, 2016 (Meditation 1)
Thirst - March 25, 2016 (Meditation 2)
Jesus had thirsted before. Early on in his ministry he had stayed by a well in Samaria while the disciples had gone into town to buy lunch. The noonday sun was hot and Jesus was thirsty but he had no bucket with which to draw water.
Unlike Jesus that day, unlike people in developing nations who every day walk miles to get water, unlike people in Flint, Michigan, whose tap water has been tainted with lead, when I get thirsty I simply reach for the glass of water that sits on my desk. Sure, I've known thirst; hiking a dusty trail on a hot day, the middle of the night cotton mouth, my desire for a long drink after a rich meal. Yes, I've been thirsty, and it's always been easy enough to satisfy.
Jesus was thirsty enough that day by the well to cross all sorts of social barriers when a woman
It Is Enough - March 20, 2016
"Hosanna!" we sang at the start of our worship this morning as the children passed out the palm branches. "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" people chanted when Jesus rode in triumph into Jerusalem. We wave palms, but in Luke's gospel they placed their cloaks on the road before Jesus. Imagine what a sacrifice that must have been for people who didn't have a closet full of coats. After all, the hooves of even a donkey's colt weren't going to do a cloak many favors. Not to mention a dusty road and whatever else a donkey might leave behind.
Our worship then moved from palms to passion. Jesus anticipates the opposition he will face as he tells his disciples, "the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one." Another sacrifice of a cloak, though in a very different way. Jesus will then pray in the Garden of Gethsemane that the cup of suffering might pass from him, and yet, "Not my will but yours be done."
Sure enough, a gang of soldiers from the high priest shows up, led by Jesus' buddy, Judas, who kisses
The Best Resume - March 13, 2016
How many of you have ever applied for some sort of scholarship? Some of you may be in the process of that right now, while others of us are more likely to be the ones who read those applications. This is when a student tries to present him or herself in the best possible light: not only your GPA but also the hardest classes you have taken, athletics and Scouts and music. "See what a great person I am," you say.
Job applications and resumes do much the same thing; they list a person's education and previous work experience, papers you have published, awards you've been given, and even volunteer activities. "Here is why you should hire me," you say to prospective employers.
In our reading today from Philippians, the Apostle Paul lists his credentials; "If anyone else has reason
The Ministry of Reconciliation - March 6, 2016
In case you hadn't noticed, our country is in the middle of an election year. Candidates for President move from state to state as primaries and caucuses are held. The rhetoric becomes more heated as the season progresses. Right now that battle is on within political parties so that people who actually have a lot in common with each other try to distinguish themselves to gain their party's nomination. Sadly, it often leads to negative ads and even name calling.
Along the way the two major parties also criticize each other, implying or even stating outright that the other party's policies are leading this country to doom.
As the rest of us listen to the various candidates, we too can get caught up in heated debates with each other. Family members and good friends who have different opinions can become estranged. It
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Sunday morning parking at the church is available in the high school parking lot on Third Street across from the church and in the city lots west of the church. These lots are available only on Sunday mornings. A small lot for handicapped parking is available just off of Adams Street on the north side of the church, with an accessible entrance directly into the sanctuary. A lift operates between the Fellowship Hall (3rd Street level) and the Sanctuary. William Sound System Receivers and Headsets are available to assist with hearing problems.
322 East Third Street
Moscow, ID 83843
Church Mission
The First United Methodist Church of Moscow, Idaho takes as our mission to be the body of Jesus Christ, ministering to a community which draws strength from its diversity. Our mission centers on the worship of God, expressed through varied forms of prayer, preaching, music, and ritual. See more...