“What in the world is that?  I’ve heard of ‘Amazing Grace’, but not this!”

       You wouldn’t be alone if you’ve never heard of “prevenijustisanctifiperfecting” grace, because I just made up the term.  It’s a combination of terms Methodist founder John Wesley used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

- Prevenient grace: God’s grace that intervenes by “going before” us in life, leading us to recognize our need for God.

- Justifying grace: what God has done FOR us in Jesus Christ; our sins are forgiven, and we are justified before God.

- Sanctifying grace: what God begins to do IN us when we are born again; the Spirit works to sanctify us (literally “make holy”) as we grow in Christ, making us able to “walk the walk”.

     The goal of God’s grace, Wesley emphasized, was to make us perfect.  Grace does not make us perfect in all knowledge or decisions, but rather fills us with God’s perfect love.

      Sanctifying grace and the goal of perfect love gave the Methodist movement a strong emphasis on letting the love of God be reflected in our relationships with, and treatment of, others.  John Wesley opposed the slave trade, smuggling, and prison conditions, based on his faith.  This emphasis led early Methodists to found schools, hospitals, and prison ministries.  

      In 1908, it led to the creation of a “Social Creed” by the Methodist Episcopal Church.     Created by the General Conference meeting that year, it was unusually forthright statement in that time.

     Among other things, it called for an end to child labor and the “sweating system” (what we would now call “sweat shops”), and called for “the release (from) employment one day in seven”, and for “the recognition of the Golden Rule and the mind of Christ as the supreme law of society and the sure remedy for all social ills.”

     Revised in 1972 by the United Methodist Church, our Social Creed (and related Social Principles) are always discussed at the United Methodist General Conference meetings.  Meeting every four years, the General Conference is made up of representatives from every Annual Conference (like Iowa) in the world.

     This is the only body that can speak for the whole denomination.  While we may or may not agree with the decisions reached, our faith and our Methodist heritage call us to let God’s Spirit be at work in us.  Through grace, may the “same mind… be in (us) that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5), and the Golden Rule guide our actions.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Bob Dean

What a great week!  Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was welcomed by throngs of cheering fans, and the next week was proclaimed king over sin and death. What’s not to like?

Oh, there is always someone who wants to dig up the past, or to delve into areas of hurt.  But as the old saying goes, “Let bygones be bygones”.  Why should we let a couple of tiny blips that happened during that week in Jerusalem nearly 2000 years ruin an otherwise happy story?

Surely we don’t need to concern ourselves with those unpleasant thoughts… unless we want the story of Jesus to have any relevance and real meaning in our lives.

If we only think about the “pleasant” parts of the Easter story – if we skip from Palm Sunday’s triumphant entry straight to the risen Jesus saying “howdy” to his followers – we miss a key part of the resurrection story.

Easter is certainly about triumph, but it is not about an insulated life.  Jesus’ first followers were in shock and fear that first Easter morning.  The women went to the tomb to anoint his body.  The male disciples didn’t even want to go to the tomb.

Yet it was in the midst of their despair that the word of Life came to them: the Risen Lord appeared and brought comfort and courage to them.

Only in hindsight would Jesus’ followers begin to understand all that had happened in those hours of crucifixion.  The atonement for sin was made, as God in Christ was reconciling the world back to himself.  But also, God in Christ was fully identifying with humanity in our despair, our loneliness, and our grief.  The words Jesus cried out from the cross – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – have been cried by countless persons.  We still hear – and cry – those words today.

One part of the message of Easter is that Christ has triumphed over sin and death –and through faith in him, we will share in that blessing.  But another crucial part of the message – the one we don’t always like to think about – is that God is with us in the painful times of life as well. We worship a Savior who himself cried out, “Why have you forsaken me?”  He will always be with us – offering us strength and hope to get us through life’s tough times.

If you are able, join us this week as we remember his life, death, and resurrection.  And may you always know the Hope which is Jesus, the Christ, our Living Savior.

Yours in the Risen Christ,

Pastor Bob Dean

“Lent: a period of 40 days, excluding Sundays, preceding Easter; set aside by Christians for repentance and introspection.”

That’s a dictionary definition of Lent.  But what are your feelings about the church season of Lent, which began this year on February 22^nd?  Is Lent a time of guilt or grace for you?

In the past, Lent was a time of guilt for me: a season of “I should’, when I imagined all the spiritual disciplines I should be doing – but wasn’t.

There is a form of “good guilt” – remorse over sin, which leads to repentance (a change of ways).  But I sometimes found Lent becoming a time of “deceptive guilt” – a sense that no matter what I did, God wanted me to do more.  This was a denial of God’s love.

I was missing the true purpose of Lent.  Lent began in the early church as a time of final preparation for converts, who would be baptized on Easter morning: symbolizing a raising up to new life in Christ.  Later, Lent became a time of self-denial for all Christians ( the practice of “giving something up for Lent”).

However, in the early church, the season of Easter was much more important than Lent.  St. Augustine wrote, “These days after the Lord’s Resurrection are a period, not of labor, but of peace and joy.  That is why there is no fasting and we pray standing, which is a sign of the resurrection.”

Lent can be a time of grace, rather than false guilt.  Giving up something for Lent is not a form of self-punishment, but a means of grace: growth in faith, hope, and love.

The “Three Simple Rules” or guidelines John Wesley gave for the early Methodists, which we are lifting up during Lent this year (do no harm, do good, stay in love with God), also were not meant to be a form of self-punishment, but a means to that same end: growth in faith, hope, and love.

In these days of change and uncertainty, Lent can be a time when we focus on the unchanging grace of God, who is “our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.”

May Lent be a time when our activities (small group study, worship, giving up something) help us grow in faith, hope, and love of God, neighbor, and yes, self.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Bob Dean

“If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18)

On a foggy morning late in 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee stood on a hilltop.   Around him, Lee’s troops were entrenched in their positions.

Then, rather quickly, the sun burned off the fog.  Down below, Union troops were lining up for battle.

Rows of uniformed men marched to the music of military bands, flags and banners waving in the breeze.  Looking on the impressive pageantry, Lee told his staff, “It is good that war is so terrible – else we should grow too fond of it.”

I quoted Gen. Lee in my article for my previous church’s newsletter when the war in Iraq began.  As that conflict began, I (and our whole nation) witnessed some similar sights: men and women in uniform, bands playing, convoys of military vehicles rumbling through our streets and on our highways.

Such scenes brought a strange mixture of emotion.  I noted then “Many of us feel inspired or proud.  But many also feel sadness or fear as well, for we know as General Lee did, that war is indeed terrible.”

Christians, along with our entire nation, have been debating about the best course to take.  Now that our nation is now at war, and with different thoughts about our involvement, we may wonder, “How should we pray?”  I would share the thoughts of two leaders.

Shortly before the war began, President Bush, a United Methodist, stated during a press conference “…My faith sustains me because I pray daily. I pray for guidance and wisdom and strength. If we were to commit our troops, I would pray for their safety, and I would pray for the safety of innocent Iraqi lives, as well. One thing that’s really great about our country is there are thousands of people who pray for me that I’ll never see and be able to thank. But it’s a humbling experience to think that people I will never have met have lifted me and my family up in prayer.”  The President ended by saying, “I pray for peace. ” (Source: www.presidentialprayerteam.org).

The morning following the first air attacks in Iraq, then-Iowa Conference Bishop Gregory Palmer released this statement:

“It is truly heart wrenching that this conflict has escalated to this level. It has always been my prayer that an alternative to violence could have been achieved. At this juncture, it is my deep hope and prayer that this war will end quickly with a minimum of casualty and bloodshed for all involved.

“My heart goes out to families and our military troops. I pray for safety for them and peaceful hearts for our leaders. May the Prince of Peace be with us all during this trying time and may we all find solace in God’s love and everlasting care.”

After ten years of struggle and remendous cost in human life and in resources, that war has ended.  As we sang “Let There Be Peace on Earth” in worship on January 1^st, I am sure many of us felt another mixture of emotions: joy for those headed home, sorrow for lives lost, and perhaps hope and apprehension for the future of the nation of Iraq.

We will continue to pray: for those who serve our nation anywhere in the world, but especially those in Afghanistan, and their families; civilian contractors in areas of conflict; the families who have lost loved ones; the people of Afghanistan and Iraq; for our leaders in government and military.  May “Let There Be Peace on Earth” continue to be the song of our hearts.  We will pray-sing it every first Sunday in worship, when we share communion, until troops are home from Afghanistan as well.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Bob Dean