Why we serve

I have so many thoughts in regards to the following passages:
Isaiah 58:6-10

⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
       to loose the chains of injustice
       and untie the cords of the yoke,
       to set the oppressed free
       and break every yoke?
 ⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
       and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
       when you see the naked, to clothe him,
       and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
 ⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
       and your healing will quickly appear;
       then your righteousness ^[a] will go before you,
       and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
 ⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
       you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
       "If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
       with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
 ¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
       and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
       then your light will rise in the darkness,
       and your night will become like the noonday.


and the ever popular Matthew 25: 41-46

⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
 ⁴⁴"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
 ⁴⁵"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
 ⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."


There are many oppressed, hurting, poor, suffering, and hungry people out there.  1 out of every 6 people in the world goes hungry.  Unacceptable.  The bible specifically speaks to us about those who are less fortunate imploring those of us with more to give, to help, to serve.  My question is why?  For our own salvation such as the parable of Matthew 25 refers?  I thought that our salvation was from the grace of God and not tied to any of our actions.  


Just a random thought of mine.  Really I believe that as Christians we should do all we can to relieve the suffering of others and I live my life this way.  Our ministry is to make disciples for Christ and spread the good news of God's love.  To love others is to help them, especially if they are in need.  But like all things I need to have a clear understanding of why I do something.  


I serve because I want to spread God's love.  I know that there is nothing I can do to earn God's grace and that none of my actions can even come close to paying the debt for my salvation.  But the passage in Matthew makes me think twice about that.  I want to be a sheep and be saved.  I think we all do, but I don't serve the poor, the hungry, the sick, a stranger, or a prisoner because I want to be saved and I don't believe that serving others will earn our salvation.  So what do we make of the passage?  


Would love any insights.  I'm not saying don't serve the needy - I'm just asking what is the underlying purpose behind it, for isn't that the key?  

Blurry...

I love to read - to gain new ideas, new thoughts.  Yet I have many in my head already.  Beliefs that were instilled by my parents at a young age, things society has taught me, facts and conclusions I have reached on my own through experience and study.  However they always change and evolve.

I can't help it that I analyze and think.  Over the years I have come to accept it as the way I am "wired".  God gave me this mind, so rather that go crazy, I must write, talk, share.  Sometimes this is pleasant, and sometimes not.  But it is me, and I will go forth.

My head is currently so very blurry.  I have been blog surfing tonight and there are so many different thoughts I don't know where to go.  Have you ever experienced that?  When your beliefs are being questioned and you wonder if you got it wrong somewhere?  Like the bee and the flowers, are there parts of the picture out of focus for me?

With religion there is also so much emotion.  In church a few weeks ago we discussed that many christians are still eating proverbial "baby food".  A thought that I question is, have we as Christians, fallen away from our most basic beliefs?  Now I would not describe myself as conservative, but I would disagree with the statement that "all faiths lead to heaven".

I struggle with biblical statements such as Jesus saying "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  i did not come to bring peace, but a sword."  Matthew 10:34.  Yet Psalm 34:14 advises "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."  There is much I struggle with in the bible.  In the old testament God's wrath condemning so many or encouraging the genocide of a people.  In the new testament, Paul's teaching in Romans 2:6-7 "God will give to each person according to what he has done.  To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life."

Quite a different belief from my understanding that "God is love" from Paul in 1 John 4, 13-16.  "We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him".  

That is the faith I identify with.  Yet is it true?  Is it real?  Or is it just a piece of the puzzle with the rest blurry???  I understand that many are nervous about the fate, or path, they have seen the church take recently.  I don't know what is right.  I hope to gain more insight and knowledge through study, prayer, and reflection with God as well as with others.

Through all of it I hope to share the gospel as I understand it.  Jesus Christ came to earth as the son of God.  Fully human and fully divine (don't ask me!).  He preached and served all who would listen about the kingdom of God.  It was not just an easy path of love and happiness, but it brings eternal life and is for anyone who is willing to accept God.  We must all continue to study and pray to keep walking a Christian life.  And through it all we will never be alone, because the creator of the universe loves us.  Loves me.  Limited sight and knowledge and all.

"Dear Lord, please help me to see the world through your eyes.  To serve the needy, love justice, and worship you.  Help me to see evil and avoid following it's tempting ways.  Enlighten my mind with your wisdom concerning how to live a life you are proud of.  Keep me on your path, and strengthen me to fight those who may call me wrong.  Be with all those I know and have yet to meet who are hurting and suffering.  Hold them close and let them know that you will never abandon them.  Amen"

No challenge = no growth

This passage has always troubled me a bit -

Jeremiah 29

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity.

Jeremiah has always been my favorite prophet for lots of reasons, and the beginning of this passage is very familiar and commercialized. However I always got tripped up on the "I will be found my you when you seek me with all your heart". It is pretty clear passage... so why, I ask myself, has it been so hard to find God? Am I not seeking hard enough?

Yet I look at the context - God wasn't talking to me, he was talking to the Jewish people who were upset at being exiled to Babylon. They just got kicked out of their holy land and are trying to understand why God would do this to them. Yet he promises - there is a plan. Live your lives, prosper, and trust in me! I am here and will be with you. But you have to go through this.

Now, I'm not going through an exile (as much as I tease friends and family for being out of the loop), however I have learned that unless I challenge myself to meet God - our relationship will not grow.

Here is me challenging myself to eat something new:

and... well... I lived!

but didn't really love it.

however, since I've gotten better at trying new foods.

Here is another picture (not me) trying something new at work:

This is a pamper pole, about 22 feet tall.

you climb that telephone pole, stand up on the platform (about the size of a medium pizza box)

and jump off towards the trapeze!! (ah!!)

p.s. not so easy with little legs!

but I challenged myself, and I did it.

I teach kids daily that there is no growth in your comfort zone. You have to step out into your challenge zone. I have been trying this more and more in my life. So why not with my faith?

In peace,

your sister in Christ~

Erin

Calm

Funny how moods can be. It can be so easy to be in a mood and stuck there. Sometimes I find myself almost getting caught up in other peoples moods - or at least watching their facial expressions as we are talking and trying to read how they are and all that. It's really obnoxious to me when I can't read someone's mood! It's just another way I check in on people.

Today I found myself down. Upset, jittery... just all over the place. So I took some time and went shopping. Didn't buy much, but people watched. I love watching happy people and seeing how different people react to things. The grocery store is really fun for that sometimes.

After church choir my entire mood was flipped upside down and I was just peachy. I love how music can do that to me. Singing particularly... and just something special about church choir. =)

The other thing that can really pull me up is meditation. Beginning with a mantra from Jesus calming his disciples "Be still my love, know that I am God".

Really it is the presence of my lord that calms me, and brings me peace. Ah.

your sister in Christ,

Erin

Calling

Next step: Send the district superintendent a statement of calling.

So here is draft 1~

Statement of Call to Ministry

My great uncle baptized me at the United Methodist church my mother grew up in where every wedding and baptism in our family has taken place for decades. Yet even before this God and the people of the United Methodist church seemed to have claimed me as their own.

I was born on December 2^nd, 1986 in Iron Mountain MI and the following Sunday a single rose was placed on an alter of a small United Methodist church in honor of me. My parents had visited the church once before. To this day we are not really sure who found out I had been born and bought the flower. This is the first of many times when the people of the United Methodist church have shown me God’s love.

My church family in Mayville has been a significant part of my spiritual formation. I have wonderful memories of Sunday school classes marching around the room singing about Zacheus. Praise Band and church choir rehearsals. Preaching to a full sanctuary with people standing for my classes’ confirmation. Leading midnight worship for youth lock-ins. And so many more. However, they have not only taught me bible stories, songs, and doctrine – they have truly shown me God’s love in every way. The people there have become family to me - role models, mentors, and life long friends. From the days where I needed to be watched as my mother was playing organ to supporting me know in my candidacy process.

My second year of confirmation class was an important turning point in my faith. Our interim pastor, the third pastor for our class, challenged us to not think of Jesus as a character in a story, but as someone who had a real influence on my life. This man was also the person who first introduced me to the conference by taking us to Jr. High Convo. By the end of the event I was on the design team for the next year, had backed into someone only to find my 1^st cousin, and had really begun to explore who God was actively in my life.

The years that followed were filled with local church and conference events that strengthened and challenged my faith. I have always been an extrovert as well as a leader and begun to feel a tugging at my heart to serve others through the church. With friends at my church we began a praise band and started having “Youth Sundays” when the youth did the entire service. I have always loved worship services and discovered I also loved leading worship. Many of the events I lead I focused on empowering and encouraging others to share their gifts and stories, which in turn was an even greater gift to me. In a youth discipleship class, my friends shared with me that they felt I have the spiritual gifts of administration, prophecy, teaching, and exhortation.

With the encouragement of a mentor I attended Exploration, an event for young people to assist in exploring their call, as well as Faith Passage, a 3 week summer academy and 3 weekend retreats through Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. These experiences led me to working as a counselor at summer camps ministering to campers for 5 years. During my college years I attended UW- La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point for 2 years each. I began seeking a degree in Music Education and graduated with a degree in Youth Programming and Camp Management. At both of these colleges I participated in several campus ministries and local churches. Often I was involved in music ministries, children’s and youth ministries, as well as creating a place for college students to call home.

While I have been involved in many ministries for many years, the reason I do it never changes. God loves me and has showed it through the ministry of those in my local church and conference. I can never repay him for the grace and love he has shown me however one thing I can do is to share his love with others. When I am serving others is when I feel the closest to God. My heart cries to hear stories of those hurting, oppressed, or experiencing injustice. I am drawn to those who are helpless – especially the very young. God calls the church to serve those who are vulnerable and helpless. We are to care for the orphans and the widows. While churches offer sanctuary and renewal, we must never forget to walk outside of our buildings every day and serve the world in which we live. Not because they deserve it, but because God loves them just as he loves me.

Right now I don’t know exactly where God wants me. My passions include children and youth, worshiping God, the outdoors, music, adventure, peace, and people. I love meeting new people and learning their stories. My friends question my compassion and hospitality wondering how I do it. The answer is easy. I love them because God loves them. I will show that love in whatever it seems like they need from a card, dinner, a camping trip, or ball in the mail. It seems to me that Jesus always met people where they were. I strive to do the same while relying on God for my guide and my strength.

These are the reasons why I feel called to serve as a deacon in the United Methodist Church. I am looking forward to many years of ministry and a deeper connection with my God throughout the candidacy process. May God be with you and bless you in your ministry.

Peace

Your sister in Christ,

Erin Kruger

Fundamentals

First of all, I love hearing the pastor preach at my church here in Wilmington. He always says clever things which are simple and true. Today he shared a story from a magazine columnist. His wife and young daughter, 3, were in the car when a story came on about a boy who had killed his parents. The little girl asked unbelieving, "killed his parents?!?!" To which the mother quickly replied, "yes, he was a very naughty boy." Funny how much of a parents job is to teach children the fundamentals, the author writes. Wear clothes, no biting, and don't kill your parents.

There are also fundamentals of being a christian - worship God, love and serve others, and have faith in Jesus Christ. Of course there are more, and along the way they can get very complex. However I believe we get too wrapped up sometimes in the details and lose focus of the basics. I know I complicate things often. I can't help it always... it's how my mind works. For me, it is important to organize these thoughts and ideas in my mind as to importance.

This is the same reason why organizations have mission statements and visions. Goals and objectives. Churches and ministries have these too. Typically going out and making disciples or something of that.

Lots to think about...

How to remember to focus on the basics?

The best thing I've ever had suggested is to be in the word and praying every day.

God Bless

your sister in Christ,

~Erin