Pastor Paul's PostsA United Methodist minister for the last 24 years, this page contains journal posts beginning in 2017.
I hope to post pastoral comments here in the future as opportunities arise. |
Baby it's cold outside! No, I won't use the song lyrics here. It is enough to say that while Texas Hill Country winter 2022 is not yet what we experienced in 2021, it is still cold. It seems we have had more mornings consistently in the low 20s this year. I really do not mind as long as everyone here not trained in how to drive in sleet and ice stays off the highways. Stay warm friends! Stay well. Pastor Paul Along the Way
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A few years ago while staying in Ruidoso with family, I awakened to an early morning of worry. “Might as well get up and do something productive,” I remember saying (and hearing most my life). Then it happened. With coffee of course.
As a I peered out around the porch railing facing East, a series of images filled my head and heart with a very clear message. Word pictures really. Majesty. Faithfulness. Trustworthiness. Loving Creator. Never-ending promise. All those thoughts and feelings that came with that first Light of dawn overwhelmed me in grace. God’s grace. As Dad and I sit here this morning drinking coffee and loosening our grips on worry, the Lord is at it again. A bit foggy but still happening, a new day arises. We watch Mom vanish in plain sight. The days and weeks come too quickly now. And yet. Faithfulness. Majesty. Trustworthiness. Loving Redeemer. All those things we know to be the truth of God’s relationships remind me (and Dad too) that Mom’s place here is transforming in a new day, a fresh Light. Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Live in us again today. And bless my mother in peace, I pray. Paul Along the Way It seems to me that the world needs A Blessing.
God Bless You friends. And keep reading. For the world is in a state of disarray. Pandemic, social and cultural division, world wide migration of families seeking a better life, border issues, and the list goes on... As a pastor without answers, I often rely on God's Holy Spirit to speak divine words of promise in the midst of my own human frailty. I pray daily for guidance in the words to verbalize in a world experiencing disarray. I need words to share with you today about how we are to love God and our neighbor in these days. Mark 12:28-34 is a standard scripture that I can point to for clarity. When Jesus is questioned by the religious leaders and those responsible for interpreting the Torah, he is asked, "What is the Greatest Commandment?" Jesus responds with familiar words in the Hebrew culture. Basically to love God above all else and to practice life-living with God's love in mind. Jesus adds the other part of his answer with a question: to emphasize that loving God is most often practiced by loving one's neighbor. And if you search the scriptures for a definition of neighbor, you find that in the Judea-Christian teaching A NEIGHBOR OFTEN INCLUDES A STRANGER. Loving God, Following Jesus, and Building Community is a phrase I often use with my parishioners to simply express my faith and my understanding of my call to discipleship. And to further explain that simple statement in times such as these, I turn toward the act of giving blessings. When I say this I am speaking about a verbal blessing with words of encouragement, direction, affirmation, power, and so on. In Christian terms, I mean speaking in the life-affirming ways of Jesus. In the book, "The Power of Spoken Blessings" by Bill Gothard, the author defines his understanding of a Spoken Blessing. He says that it should be modeled in the way that YHWH blessed Abram saying, "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:2-3) "The Lord bless thee..." Gothard explains that four distinct aspects make up the blessing. First, the divine blessing comes when the human recipient bends the knee in prayer. Kneeling to be blessed comes from the Hebrew word barak meaning to kneel, to praise, to pray to, to greet, to bless, or be blessed. In the letter of James, chapter 4, verse 6, we hear "God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble." A divine blessing begins when humans submit to God and ask in humility for a blessing. Second, Gothard uses the old Germanic root of the word bless in the word blood. "To consecrate with blood, sprinkle with blood" is the action related to this meaning. Redemption is the gift of grace we Christians know in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The blessing I speak of today involves God's gift of grace and mercy. It shares the notion that God has redeemed and is redeeming humankind with the blood of Jesus, the Son of God. Third, a blessing involves a covenant, a promise. From the Hebrew word beriyth meaning to cut covenant, blessing involves the promise of God in the life of a human recipient or group when that person or group of persons experiences the promise of God in their daily love of God and neighbor. In other words, to be blessed with a divine promise is a gift and that gift is best expressed in humanity through mutual sacrifice and love for one another. To be blessed involves blessing others. Fourth, the Greek word for bless is eulogeo. It means to speak well of another. Together its parts mean good or well and word. Good Word. This root of this same word addresses how good words are shared in the Good News of Jesus, in the proclamation of the gospel. SO to receive a divine blessing is to share a human blessing in the promise of divine love - the Good News of Jesus. There is much more of this explanation of BLESSING and I recommend the Gothard book as a resource. I also find John O'Donohue's writing of blessings to be very helpful. Look for "Bendictus: A Book of Blessings." I think the world is in need of a blessing. I invite you to join me today in kneeling before God, asking for words to share, words of healing and grace. And I hope to see you Sunday October 3 for World Communion Sunday. We will be wrapping up our sermon series in the Letter of James with a conversation about Healing Prayer (James 5:13-20). May you receive the blessing of grace and peace this day. Pastor Paul Harris Along the Way SAVE THE DATE - November 7th
You are Invited! We have so much to celebrate! Come and join us! During the pandemic last year we missed our church's 75th anniversary, so THIS YEAR we will celebrate on November 7, 2021. A team is planning a grand celebration chocked full of Re-Connecting Memories in the form of digital images, table displays, and Live speakers giving a brief talk each Sunday beginning September 12th. The plan includes having two worship services on November 7th. At 8:15 am and 11:15 am that day we will celebrate All Saints Sunday and remember all those who have gone before in the birth and life of this congregation. In between, we will have a community meal and celebration of our church anniversary in the Fellowship Hall. We look forward to hearing from our own church members Re-Tell the Story of Hunt United Methodist Church. In worship at both services, speakers will be sharing segments of the church's growth and life in this community. It begins on September 12th as Geoff Gannaway plays the role of first pastor Clem Lewis. Stay tuned for more information... Blessings of grace and peace, Pastor Paul Harris Students, teachers, and administrators are going Back to School across the Land. In our area, Hunt ISD and Ingram ISD soon resume their in-person school activities. I ask you to join me in prayer for families in our area with school-aged children, for teachers and their families, and for school administrators and their families. Back to School blessings are being shared at Hunt United Methodist Church this Sunday, August 15th. Teachers and Administrators begin their In-Service preparation week on the 16th. Our Tuesday Women's Bible Study group is sponsoring a meal at noon that day for our friends at Hunt ISD. All in the natural rhythm of things around here. And then we add in the continuing pandemic, Delta variant surge in cases and hospitalizations, wearing or not wearing a mask, vaccinations and whether or not children will be eligible... Whew! That's a bunch. Let us now commit to pray for our school systems and the relationships we share in our communities. May God Bless our Schools and may learning continue! With grace and peace, Pastor Paul Harris
Little Pigeon River, Great Smokey Mountains NP
This photo always reminds me of something new. While on a hike along the Little Pigeon River in the Great Smokey Mountains, Laura and I stopped here for a rest break. The panoramic setting on the I-phone of that era captured a light ray shining down through the trees into the river. Greenery along side and tumbling rocks moved over time reminded us of something continuous about the natural world. It was a great hike. Almost timeless. I look at this photo now and dive into it once again with memory and anticipation. It was a great trip with family. WOW! I can't wait for a trip like this again. It has been a year since COVID-19 shut down travel, and so many other things. But sooner than later, gatherings with extended family and outings such as this requiring interstate travel will be possible. Just a bit longer. After the rest break, we headed upstream and followed the trail uphill about 1700 feet. Working muscles and gathering breath, we traversed the river multiple times as it became smaller and smaller. Water cascades, little pools, streams coalescing, and finally a spring. New! Water! Life! The hike now sets in mind the walk we have made this past year during pandemic. Just a bit further now to the newness that awaits us. This Spring Break we will once again be riverside. With a couple of the closest friends possible. Rest! Newness! Once again the stories from Along the Way shall be shared. And we will look forward to so much more. Along the Way Pastor Paul Celebration of All Saints Sunday This Sunday we observe All Saints Sunday at Hunt United Methodist Church. It is a holy celebration of remembrance. We worship on the morrow of thin space in which the memory of dear ones fills the present. We give thanks for the mentors and friends who taught us of Jesus and guided us toward a greater love of God and neighbor. Join us at 8:30 or 11:00 am this Sunday, November 1st for in-person or online worship. We continue to have safe distance seating in our sanctuary with an online presence via Facebook Livestream. See our church website for more information - www.huntumc.org Along the Way Pastor Paul Hi friends
Laura Ogle Harris and I appreciate you for travel prayers, for anniversary and birthday wishes, and for making the road trip with us as we logged many a mile in the last 14 days. As we work from the car today on the final miles back to Hunt, TX, we realize that so much is going on with you as well. Some of you are hospitalized, or have family facing surgery today. Some of you have lost loved ones during these days of pandemic. Many of you, like us, wonder about our nation and this election cycle. Many of you continue to work essentially in an effort to continue life and family economies. Know this: Laura and I and our family gives thanks for each of you and your families. We love you! We are honored to call you friend. We pray for you and wish for you the abundance of Grace and peace we know in Christ Jesus. For schools, students, teachers, administrators- in person or remote - blessings to you today. For the journey, and for today, we pray. Pastor Paul and Laura Harris Back in March, as we began the Stay-at-Home campaign to “flatten the curve” and reduce the rate of coronavirus spread, I asked myself ‘How Long?’ Well, it’s early July and we are in a more severe condition of viral spread and increased hospitalizations.
’How Long?’ It seems now that question is not the correct question for our situation. Maybe instead, I should be asking another question. The problem is I do not have a clue what question to ask. I am in uncharted territory as you are friends. Maybe for today, we can agree that this thing called pandemic is here for longer than any of us would choose. And maybe we can agree that grace and peace are most cherished blessings to receive. Pastor Paul Harris |
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Author: Paul E HarrisJournal posts from a pastor and spiritual friend Archives
October 2023
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