Renewing our Baptism: Renewing our Faith, Renewing our Passion
“John went ... calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins.”
Advent marks the beginning of the new Christian year. Last week, Rebecca preached from Luke 21 where Jesus says, "Take care that your hearts aren't dulled by drinking parties, drunkenness and the anxieties of day-to-day life" (Luke 21:34). 2024 has been a year and like you, I am ready to turn a page. So, in a twist from our rhythm and the liturgical calendar, we will hold a renewal of baptism this Sunday, Dec. 8 at both services.
The timing is perfect. I will be preaching on the text above (Luke 3:3) where John comes with a passion to find and baptize people who have a passion to turn away from their sin and instead walk with God. For those baptized by John, it was a new beginning of their lives – lives intended by God to be lived anew with Christ. Renewing our baptism with Christ gives us opportunity to give to God the sin that has clung too tightly this past year and receive again the faithful joy – the faithful passion – of our salvation, JUST in time for this blessed Christmas season.
During this Sunday’s service, you will have opportunity to touch the waters of baptism, touch your forehead or palm, and then clasp your hands in prayer at the kneeling rail. Stay as long as you want to find the forgiveness you need and that God is ready to grant. Your pastors will be available to you for prayer then or after the service, whichever is helpful to you. This Sunday receive from God the passion – the joy of your salvation again – just as those disciples did by way of John the Baptist in the Jordan River.
There is a lot of preparation we all do for Christmas, but I can think of none more important than being on our knees this Sunday in worship. I hope you will make every effort to attend; it will be memorable.
Grace and much peace,
Conferencing
It is often news to people when they hear that the basic unit of the United Methodist Church is not the local church but the conference. From our origins with John Wesley, we have always believed and structured ourselves to support the notion that we are stronger together as the body of Christ when we are yoked in covenant with other churches and denominations. Wesley was always seeking those alliances and common ground.
On September 28, our North Texas Conference unified with the Central Texas Conference and the Northwest Texas Conference to be become the Horizon Texas Conference – a covenant of over 400 UM churches spanning from east Texas to Amarillo to Waco and Round Rock. Last Sunday, ten of those from our area met at FUMC McKinney for our annual Charge Conference where we worshipped together, shared communion together, and voted together on the work we are doing in our individual churches. Our own Tim Hopson, who is our District Lay Leader, assisted. We voted in a new slate of leadership for each of our churches. We voted to approve 2025 Budgets for several churches (we will do ours in February). We voted to affirm all those who had been baptized and joined our churches and recognized those who had died or been removed from our rolls. All of this occurred under the auspice of our Metro North District Superintendent, Rev. Debra Hobbs Mason, whose District Office is in our building. She in turn represents Bishop Reuben Saenz, Jr., who oversees our Horizon Texas Conference and pastors it for health and growth, just as I do at the local church level. Our collective efforts in our local churches translates to the success of our conference in making disciples for Jesus.
I struck up a conversation with a layperson – Sung Lang – from Fairview Korean UMC on Hwy 5 north of Allen. Cammy and I attended that church a year ago for the memorial of that that church's pastor Kwang-Bae Park. He was a colleague with whom I served for five years on the Board of Ordained Ministry, vetting candidates to become pastors. Kwang-Bae was a husband, father, honorable, generous, faithful … and someone I would never have known without our conferencing – without our connection. Our children and youth know of this experience when they talk about their "camp friends" from Bridgeport. Our conferencing as United Methodists makes this all possible.
I am ever so thankful for FUMC Plano, my local church. But in this season I am also thankful for our United Methodist Church and the conferencing that makes our world bigger, richer, and more effective for Christ's work on earth; thanks be to God
A Sign of God's Steadfastness?
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Walking our dog the other day in our neighborhood, I noticed that few leaves have dropped. In fact, all of the leaves are still essentially green, and it is November 14. I have never experienced that before in my life.
Part of that realization makes me sad, reminded again that our climate is changing and that we are a major contributor to that reality, so different than what many of us knew in an earlier time. But on that walk, I saw something else. In all seasons, God is creating and sustaining life, regardless of what goes on around us. God is behind the scenes, consistent in God's active love for us and all of creation. We can trust that, even when the evidence seems contrary.
Eventually, we will get air cold enough to color and drop leaves and enable us to see our breath. Winter will come. But God's steadfast love will live forever.
Amen.
A message of gratitude from Erika Rivera!
On the Sunday after Erika Rivera’s accident, she received a Special Mission Recognition award by United Women in Faith. She accepted it in the hospital with her children Lindsey and Shawn.
Dear FUMC Plano Family,
Thank you!! What do you say when thank you isn't enough?
As many of you know, I was in a terrible car accident on September 3, 2024, where I was severely injured. I broke my right femur bone in half, broke my back, had a large laceration down my forehead and several lacerations on my left leg. All devastating injuries to me as I am a person who is mobility challenged.
The 20 days in the hospital were somewhat of a blur, but I do remember the many people who came to visit which lifted my spirit and gave me the confidence to go on. I was transferred to a skilled nursing facility and stayed 31 days. The day I arrived I could only sit on the edge of the bed. The work ahead of me was very painful and infested itself in me not only physically but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I began to lose hope that I would ever walk or be able to independently care for myself again. Darkness set in and I found myself very depressed, angry, and irritable. Why did this happen? Where is God? How do I even possibly navigate life from here?
Well, I know exactly where God was. He was in YOU! I received so many cards, phone calls, visits, and most importantly lots of prayers from my family and you – my brothers and sisters in Christ, who found me at one of my darkest hours and lovingly helped me back up and gave me the courage and strength to move onward.
With a lot of hard work and determination I became strong enough to transfer to an acute rehab where they are able to build on my progress and teach me new skills, techniques, and exercises. After two months and three days, I am now preparing to go HOME!
Life looks different now, but that's okay. I have received the gift of peace. No matter how hard, no matter the outcome, I am peace, and I know it's going to be okay.
I want everyone to know that YOU ARE the hands and feet of Jesus! We belong to such an awesome church full of like-minded loving Christians who are being led by example by our outstanding staff. You have taught me the power of prayer is real. You are bringing me through this journey, each person individually and collectively. I am so blessed to be a part of seeing God's hands at work.
The best way I know to say thank you for all you've done for me is to pay it forward by lifting people in prayer, listening to others, and loving on each one just where they are. Just know, FUMC Plano, that YOU have demonstrated your unwavering faith. You are the hands and feet of Jesus and I am so blessed to be a part of that community.
I miss you all beyond measure and can't wait to see you again soon - back at the Welcome Center!!
Love to all,
Erika
God is Bigger
Disclaimer: This column was coming regardless of the elections’ outcomes.
To the relief of everyone, the 2024 election season is over. For some that spells elation, for others dejection; for everyone, relief.
Followers of Jesus Christ always look for the bigger picture, regardless. In the bigger picture, God is bigger: bigger than our greatest joys and bigger than our most stinging setbacks and pain. The Cross reminds us that there is a much larger drama unfolding in creation and the billions of years with God’s hand on its continuing unfolding. The crucifixion and the resurrection raise our sight lines above the temporal sadness and joys of our world. They remind us that God is redeeming ALL of God’s creation “in life, in death, in life beyond death,” as the liturgy says. We can trust that.
As the writer of Hebrews says, “Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see” (Hebrews 11:1). God has always been steadfast in doing a new thing in our lives and the life of this planet. So, heads up everyone, and let’s get behind THAT agenda. See you tonight at our Service of Peace and Healing at 7 p.m. in our Chapel and on Sunday morning for worship in the Sanctuary.
Breathe peace,
Vote. It’s an Act of Love
When Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s,” those are usually two different things. That is not the case when it comes to voting.
In a democracy, our right to vote is our power to love on a broad and social scale. With it we have the opportunity to join with others in “doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.” In this case, it is how we would have our representative government “do unto us” and all those we join in serving in the name of love. It is only the government that can do good on such a large scale. For that to work well, it must be made up of people who have a similar conviction to love and to serve with integrity. This makes every one of our votes essential.
I mentioned Sunday that after voting early, I realized that I had voted for about 50% Democratic candidates and 50% Republican candidates. This is because in each instance, and with research, I believed that it was those individuals who best represented the virtues that I think are essential for governing on our behalf: character, competence, and compassion. These are the virtues of Jesus who is my starting point for everything in my life, and they exist in candidates in both parties. Studying to find those takes a bit of work, and this, too, is an act of love. The winners will be making decisions that will affect us and the world for years to come. Our act of faith and of love is to elect the very best of us to make those decisions. Yes, I am giving to Caeser with my vote, but I am giving to God and God’s world first with my vote.
Separate Note: The season and the election have been exhausting and feelings will be charged and mixed after November 5. So, on November 7, we will hold a Service of Peace and Healing in our Chapel at 7 p.m. This will be a quiet, musical time of meditation and reflection on our God who is bigger than any election and outcome. Pastors will be available for prayer. It is open to all who seek a safe and healing place in an anxious time. As John Wesley said, “The best of all is God is with us.”
See you on Sunday for our All Saints Remembrance.
United Methodists: “stick-to-ative” for as long as it takes
One does not have to look far within and outside our own congregation to see how our love is “sticky,” as in “stick-to-ative.” Our football coach would say this to the defensive backs meaning that they had to stay right with – stay close to – the opposing receiver going out for a pass until the play was over. Sometimes plays became extended. The defensive back was to “stick” to the man he was covering for as long as it took.
Through our Stephen Ministry, our people, our partner organizations, and our staff, we dedicate ourselves as a church to sticking with people in need for as long as they are in need. Several people have asked me why we are not doing more in relief for the people in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. My response has been, “Stay tuned.” So far, we have taken in some $2000 for our national United Methodist Committee on Relief. That is a modest sum, and only the beginning.
In disaster relief, there actually is an order in which the various Christian groups provide aid. The Texas Baptist Men get headlines because of the excellent job they do in arriving with meal trucks and volunteers within days of a natural disaster, providing immediate and much needed food, water, and comfort. However, various kinds of aid are needed long after the disaster has left the 24-hour news cycle. Our senior high youth traveled this summer to help people in Louisiana rebuild the interior of their homes still damaged by … Hurricane Katrina. That was 2005. Fortunately for those folks and the folks in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, the United Methodist Church will be there long after the world has moved on to the next headline.
Soon, you will see orange buckets lined up along the Grand Hallway. We will fill these flood buckets with cleaning supplies that will be shipped to replenish the Sager-Brown Warehouse in Louisiana, now depleted because of the thousands already sent to people who need them most. FUMC Plano will be a local storage depot for buckets from area UMCs before taken to Louisiana. The offering from our Christmas Pops Concert will be dedicated to UMCOR’s long-term hurricane relief efforts in the southeast. Our Mission Committee is discussing trips to the southeast to assist people in their rebuilding. Of course, you can always donate to UMCOR’s hurricane response efforts knowing that 100% of your gift goes directly to aid.
“Sticky.” It’s what love is – “stick-to-ative” to people in need – not just today, but for as long as it takes.
See you in worship this Sunday.
P.S. As a supporter of FUMC Plano and its future, be sure to bring or send in your Estimate of Giving Card for 2025; we need everyone to keep moving forward. THANK YOU!
Humility: A Common Ground for Us All
My dad was big, and bigger than life to me, his only son. I knew he had all the answers, especially to the big questions in life. Consequently, I felt like I needed to learn and know all the answers. It caught me off guard then, when in a casual moment I said to him around college graduation time, “Dad, I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.” His response caught me off guard still more: “Neither do I.”
It was an unexpected and deeply reassuring moment of humility on both our parts I think; it certainly was for me. There was suddenly permission to NOT have, or HAVE to have, “all the answers” when I thought and felt like I had to. There was acceptance of the idea that OTHER people could have answers I DON’T have and that I could learn from them.
Humility. It’s a virtue our country and culture would benefit from having more. I have been listening to various political debates and interviews, trying to get a sense of the candidates’ character, competence, and kindness. It has consistently frustrated me that no candidate of either party answers the interviewers’ direct question directly, even after being asked twice and sometimes three times. Just once I would like to hear a candidate say, “Yes, I said that,” or “Yes, I voted that way,” and then go on to say, “In hindsight, I think that was a mistake” or, “I have learned more since that decision, and I would vote differently now because I now understand that issue differently.” It would require humility and great courage and, I think, it would be the right thing to do. It would say honestly that we are all growing, that none of us have all the answers, and that we need to work together to fashion better answers for everyone’s benefit.
This Sunday I will be speaking on humility, knowing full well – all these years later – that I still don’t have all the answers. However, I believe that with a spirit of kindness and respect, we will together fashion better answers to help EVERYone move forward.
See you in worship!
P.S. As a supporter of FUMC Plano and its future, be sure to bring or send in your Estimate of Giving Card for 2025; we need everyone to keep moving forward. THANK YOU!
Simple Points of Kindness: Burgers & Dogs
I have been encouraged by several folks who have appreciated the hand-out, “30 Acts of Kindness.” These are not new ideas but helpful, it seems, to our mindset in these fractious times.
Similarly, we are again including relaxed variations of “passing the peace” during worship in the Sanctuary. Somehow, in these anxious and uncertain times, the simple act of shaking a hand and greeting a neighbor with a smile and the peace of Christ seems fresh and … well, nice!
It encouraged me to ask church members and my down-the-street neighbor Mik Ichiba if we would again assist me in hosting our end-of-the-street cookout and games gathering for our neighbors, several of whom have moved in since our first one last October. We have games for the kids, music, name tags and, of course, burgers and hot dogs. But that’s just the baseline.
Our neighborhood is a miniature United Nations, so we invite everyone to bring their favorite cultural dish and describe it to everyone. It was so much fun. Mik brought a Japanese delicacy. Tien, my next-door Vietnamese friend, brought an incredible dish. Anjay brought an Afghan casserole. Jessica and James brought a Polish dessert. The kids played cornhole and hopscotch while the adults lingered, laughed, and breathed more easily with the shared kindness and new acquaintances. Phone numbers were exchanged, and offers were made to look after one another’s house during vacation.
Small, shared acts of kindness leave lasting ripples of goodness. It’s who the church is at its best. It’s who our country is at its best. It’s who Jesus is as he has given ALL our neighbors to be with us. As I write this, I am prayerful for our neighbors in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina (my best friend in college lives in Asheville), as Hurricane Milton follows in the footsteps of Hurricane Helene. It is hard to comprehend the extent of the damage and loss of life. I confirmed with my friend, Rev. Jeremy Bassett, who heads up Emergency Preparedness for our Horizon Texas Conference, that our greatest point of kindness at this point for our neighbors there is to donate to the United Methodist Committee on Relief. 100% of your dollars go to direct relief. The overhead costs are covered by the apportionments paid by all United Methodist Churches. I am proud to be one of those; I am proud that FUMC Plano is a good neighbor with so many points of kindness.
Breathe peace,
PS: One easy act of kindness for your church and its ministry is to return your Estimate of Giving card if you have not already done so; you can do it HERE. Thank you!
Hurricane Helene has devastated parts of the southeastern U.S., bringing catastrophic wind, rain and flash flooding to many states and communities. In response, UMCOR is coordinating with affected annual conferences and supporting their local relief efforts. So far, UMCOR has awarded solidarity grants to the North Georgia, South Georgia, Western North Carolina and Holston annual conferences. Additionally, UMCOR-trained Early Response Teams (ERTs) are coordinating efforts to support the removal of debris, tarping of roofs, and cleaning out of homes in hard-hit areas. To support this and other U.S. disaster response efforts, give here.
Good News(and a little math) Begets Good News
“Beget” – a funny and archaic work found in older Bible translations meaning, “to cause or create.” There’s been a lot of “begetting” in the last week at FUMC.
First, we had some 80 members volunteer under the expert leadership of Randy Jennings to park cars for four days for the Plano Balloon Festival. We raised $25,000 for missions in the community.
Then, two days later, we held our largest missions golf tournament under the leadership of Keith Landau, David Boatfield, David Keene, and Jennifer Pittman. With another host of volunteers, we enjoyed a record 102 golfers participating – again with all proceeds going to missions. We will reveal that total and our grand total this Sunday during our Consecration Service. Good news tends to beget good news. This is the nature of grace and the gospel. Just how great will be up to the Holy Spirit and all of us. Here is some data:
The average household income in Plano is $145,448.
The median household income in Plano is $105,679.
Let’s use the lower number.
We have 1,051 member families at FUMC, not all of whom are active (this does not include about 100 constituent/guest families who engage regularly).
Let’s use 900 to be conservative.
The United States charitable giving rate of all people – Christian and non-Christian – is about 2% of income – the lowest level since 1995.
Let’s use 2%.
$105,679 X 900 X .02 = $1,902,222.
This amount is close to what we are tracking to receive in 2024 for FUMC’s ministry.
Now if we choose to be above average by even just 1%,
then $105,679 X 900 X .03 = $2,853,333.
This would beget an approximately $700,000 surplus in 2025 for FUMC’s ministry.
Small changes can make an enormous difference. We have figured out in this month of Enough that, for most of us, generosity and joy can increase by moving money over from things that do not last, to things that bring lasting contentment. Send or bring your Estimate of Giving card this Sunday; the children will be here to receive them. For all the good news we will have to report, we have the opportunity to beget still more!
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,