|
"Maybe a change will do you good...."
One of those well known quick oil change companies has been airing commercials depicting the benefits of regularly changing the oil in your car while Sheryl Crow sings "A Change (will do you good)" in the background. It's a great commercial. And, I'm sure that every car engine will agree that "a change will do you good." But, I wonder if we can share the same enthusiasm in our own lives. The fact is that change is probably the most difficult aspect of those lives. We, after all, are creatures of habit. And as one trained in the discipline of engineering, I can attest to this wholeheartedly. In this noble profession, we live by a simple but all encompassing rule, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Makes sense, right? Well, maybe there is just a little more to this change thing than meets the eye. "A change" might just be a good thing from time to time.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh once wrote the following words, "Only in growth, reform, and change, paradoxically enough, is true security to be found." A decade ago, I may have taken those words to be little more than eloquent rhetoric, but at this stage of my life, they have taken on a new and more profound meaning. Perhaps it stems back to that awe-inspiring notion that we are created in the image of God, part of the marvel of a creation which is in a constant state of change and renewal. A creation which is unfolding to "new heavens and a new earth where the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind," as we read in the book of the prophet Isaiah. Perhaps we can see the unfolding of this new creation in each of our lives as we recognize the gentle whispers which call us to new horizons and ways of life which we never thought would include us. I have come to know that the future has not been written yet, and, as God dips the pen which fills those pages into the well of our hearts, there is no limit or constraint to the story those chapters will reveal.
In 1993, I was a Sunday School teacher and lay speaker in a local United Methodist Church when I felt a calling to take another step. The guidance and encouragement of that local congregation and district leadership provided the means for realizing that calling. It has been a long road since then and there have been many changes along the way. To be honest, some have been painful and hard to accept while some have revealed a glimpse of a shining future worth striving for. The last few months have been host to the culmination of many of those changes. As I graduated from Wesley Theological Seminary and, a month later, entered the National Cathedral to be ordained, I could see that "a change" had been a good thing.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, the congregation of Middletown United Methodist Church, for your continued support and encouragement through these years. I thank my wife, Jenny, and our sons, Joe, Jason, and Jeremy, for their patience and continued love throughout a difficult time for them as well. And, most of all, I thank God for the calling and for the opportunity to be in ministry, serving God's people. My family and I are happy to be here at MUMC, and I am honored to serve as your associate pastor in these times to come. May we work together to grow, to build, and, yes, to change for the better as we advance God's kingdom in this world.
Grace and peace,
Joe
|
Questions
about Middletown United Methodist Church should be sent to the Church Office. |
|
7108 Fern Circle · Middletown, MD 21769
voice: (301) 371-5550 · fax: (301) 473-8090
TTY: (301) 473-9892 |
|
