All Saints

I find deep meaning in All Saints Day, as Christians throughout the history of the Church have.  When Martin Luther decided to go public with his 95 Theses to reform the Church he decided to do it on the Eve of All Saints, October 31.  He knew a large crowd would gather for All Saints and his proposals would be viewed by a large crowd.  Hence October 31 is not just Halloween, or “All Hallow’s Eve,” it is also Reformation Day.

Today (November 1) is All Saints Day, but we will celebrate it this coming Sunday in worship.  We will remember our saints, those who loved us, supported us, and most importantly pointed us to Jesus.  We will have a slideshow with photographs of our saints: parents, siblings, children, and friends who have gone on to be with the Lord, and we will name and remember the saints of May Memorial Baptist Church who entered the Church Triumphant since the last All Saints Day.  These are:

Matt Bennett

Dee Carter

Bob Cosby

Rick Gallier

Fran O’Donnell

Jim Pinkley

Frances Tilman

Frances Winall

Earl Worsham

We will remember these before God, grateful for their lives, their examples, and their faith.

We live in a culture which often only finds value and meaning in the present moment.  A culture that is quick to dismiss the past, and when this is done we grow myopic and limited in our perspective.  Remembering the saints of the church is a way for us to see ourselves in perspective, to remember that we did’t get here on our own, and that we are a part of a story that started long before us and will continue long after we have joined the Church Triumphant.

I often have a tear in my eye on All Saints Day, I probably will this year as well.  But mostly what I feel is gratitude for those in our church and in my family who have blessed me and offered their lives for others.

Join us this Sunday in worship, it will be a meaningful day of worship.  And as always, when you come to worship, God will meet you here.

Sleeping with a Mosquito

Last Wednesday night we had a community ministry focus night, an engaging evening with representatives from agencies that meet needs of individuals and families when they find themselves in difficult circumstances.  We heard about Caritas, The Free Clinic, The Coalition of Churches, and Department of Social Services.  It was encouraging to hear of the good work that each of these groups participate in, and to know that May Memorial partners with these is a reminder of how God works through our church is many different ways.

Caritas, based in Richmond, is a huge agency that provides space, support, education, and training for those who are experiencing homelessness.  Caritas has renovated a massive warehouse that once belonged to Phillip Morris, and now that building is made up of dozens of spaces where folks can live while they get back on their feet.  Caritas also provides long term rehab for those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.  It is an amazing work that touches thousands of lives each year.

After Clara Stokes completed her presentation about Caritas, we all were speechless at the size and scope of their work.  The next presenter was Patsy Goodwyn, and as she started, she made a comment about the size of the Coalition’s work compared to that of Caritas.  And there is a vast difference.  Caritas is huge, the Coalition of Powhatan Churches' work is much more limited.

I have thought about this difference in size and scope since last week.  The huge reach of an agency like Caritas, and the more limited work of a local agency like the COPC.  This difference exists in churches as well.  I think of a church of another denomination in Richmond that I have become familiar with this year, and even with the pandemic their yearly budget still exceeds two million dollars.  Large churches, agencies, and small churches, small agencies.

I saw a quote a few weeks ago by the Dalai Lama:  “Those who think they’re too small to make a difference have never slept with a mosquito in the room.”

Over the past few years as I have become more involved with the COPC I have heard and seen how people’s lives have been deeply affected by the work they do.  People who would not have food, children who needed a physical in order to stay in school, families who would have their electricity turned off, parents and children who found housing after sleeping in their car in the Wal-Mart parking lot.  For all of these and many more, the COPC, supported by churches like May Memorial, have made a difference in these lives.  There have not been a huge number of families (compared to Caritas), but for the families who have had their needs met, the impact has been huge.

Small things in God’s hands make a huge difference in our world.  And this is important for us to remember.  Yesterday our children collected our three cents a meal offering.  Except for two cents, or one cent, you can’t get any smaller than three cents.  And yet we bring that offering every fourth Sunday, and God has honored our commitment to this giving work.  God has used this small thing to touch lives in our community, to restore hope when it was almost gone.

Let us never grow skeptical of small things.  Small things make big differences.  And remember, those who think they’re too small to make a difference should try sleeping with a mosquito in the room.

Patience and Grace in McDonalds

It was 85 degrees and sunny when we arrived at Busch Gardens this past Saturday, within two hours it was raining and in the low 60’s.  We have always loved Howl-O-Scream, and I was excited for this year’s trip.  But it turned out, in a word, miserable.  I thought that the rain and cold would drive the crowd away, resulting in short lines, but that didn’t happen either.  

About 7:30 I had all I could take, and so did the rest of our group.  So the seven of us started making our way back to the Scotland parking lot, which is the lot used for overflow parking when the park is packed with people.  We then made our way down to the road to McDonalds for dinner.  Once inside, the seven of us ordered at one of the digital kiosks because no one was working the register.  I always prefer to order with a person, it seems to help with the accuracy of my order, but we were forced to order on the screen.  The night wasn’t getting any better.  We then went to our table and started waiting.  We waited, waited, and then waited a little more.  Finally, I walked up to the counter to investigate the status of our order.  I told the woman behind the counter that I was uncertain about my order, because I had not gotten a receipt.  “The kiosks don’t give receipts” she replied, and didn’t say anything else.

By this time Beverley had joined me at the counter.  We stood there wondering about our food, she knew I was frustrated, not just with our order but with our whole evening.  And then she finally said, “well you know, that one man there is the only one preparing food.”  And she was right.  Then she pointed out the other two workers who were trying their best to keep the drive-through moving.  “It looks like they are extremely understaffed” she said, and again, she was right.  I was frustrated as I waited, but the three employees were working as hard as they could.  And then standing there in McDonald’s I realized, what I needed more than my chicken sandwich meal was patience and grace.

Our culture seems to be on edge with each other these days.  Read the news, watch a School Board meeting on YouTube, bring up the topic of masks or vaccines or any number of front page stories, you will see it.  Just broach any one of the questions concerning sexuality, LGBTQ rights, or the phenomena of choosing pronouns or a restroom, and you will see it.  Ask a handful of people about the evils of racism and how it should be addressed, and you will see it.  People are frustrated and angry.  And even those of us who have made the decision to follow The Prince of Peace find ourselves sucked into this exhausting and joyless narrative of anxiety, stress, anger, and division.

We need a lot of things right now, but as much as anything we need to be people who offer grace and patience with one another.  We have all been affected by a historically trying twenty months.  We have been bruised and battered, divided and pulled apart, and our community (and our world) needs to have patience with one another.  We have a calling from God to demonstrate grace to other Christians, to our neighbors, and even to our “enemies.”

While this time has been trying and no one would have wished the hardships we have faced, we find in it a wonderful opportunity to clearly demonstrate what life in the Kingdom is like.  We have the chance to show what lives will look like when God’s “kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.”  We have the chance to recognize that God’s invitation doesn’t come just in our sanctuary, but in the real world, standing cold and wet in McDonalds.