Unity - FPC, HPPC and Me...

I was doing my studying this morning and the question raised some interesting thoughts to me especially in light of Joe Clifford's letter about the situation with Highland Park...

http://www.fpcdallas.org/index.cfm/pageid/2101/index.html

It is not often I will put my thoughts about a situation in writing, but today I wanted to commit them to paper...

Both churches are a part of my past - I was baptized at First Presbyterian Church, Dallas and was raised and confirmed in Highland Park. Both have a hand in who I am today and where I have gone and what I have done, through their commitment in the Baptismal promise to lead and guide me.  It breaks my heart to see the division in the church because of this situation, but it does help me answer the question asked in this morning's lesson

1.     Is the church of Christ united today?  If it is, how does that unity manifest itself? If it is not, how do we pursue that unity that these passages (Ephesians 4:3, 4:12-13) refer to?

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

Eph 4:3 (NLT)

12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Eph 4:12-13 (NLT)

Yes, the church is united today!  No matter what our "political" differences may be, we are all united as born again believers united in God.  We are all equally members of the church, not one above the other, but each one standing side by side, in our agreements and our disagreements.  No matter our beliefs about "earthly" issues, Jesus Christ is still the sole head of our church.

Highland Park was born from the members of First Presbyterian, Dallas.  Their roots are there as well as mine.  Their beginning is there as well as mine.  There is unity in that coming together of roots and heritage, of shared beginnings.  There is the unity in the sending out of members to plant a new church, as a child of those churches sent out to serve God in some pretty interesting places.

I have to wonder, while it is a long, hard, challenging, expensive, heartbreaking experience for HPPC to leave PCUSA, is it Gods will for them to be sent out? How are we to know?  Who are we to decide?  God makes manifest his own plans in his own time.  I have to wonder if the verse I chose as the theme for my mission to South Sudan, doesn't apply here as well.  Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has a plan for each of us, not only as individuals, but I believe as a body of believers as well.  Perhaps it is God's will for them to leave.  I have to have faith, I have to believe that God has a plan in all of this and though we may never see the fruits of that plan, I have to believe it is His plan.

It also answers the second part of the question, "how do we pursue that unity"...

I have been blessed by the unity I have seen in the church as a Presbytery throughout this process, so far.  It has had the opportunity to grow mean and nasty, and I am sure it has, but I have not seen anything like that publicly.  What I have seen publicly, has been a reaching out, a call to pray for our friends and family at HPPC during this time of transition.  That is the true unity in the church that I can see in this situation.  The call for prayer from our top leaders down, to Pastors in the pulpits, to the Bible study groups and individuals.  All joined together as the body of Christ in prayer.

It tells me that in spite of our lack of unity on this one issue, proves there is unity in the church in spite of its division, in spite of the heartbreak, in spite of the challenges facing us all.  We stand together, side by side, hand in hand in prayer for each other under the veil  of the Holy Trinity as God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Mystery

Mission Connections – 2013-10 –  Mystery

I found this quote while “prowling” the web.  I love quotes and this one seemed to stir some of that gypsy blood in me.  I love fall!  It is one of my favorite times of year – never mind – every  season is my favorite for one reason or another.

There is a bit of gypsy blood in me – that endless longing to wander and be a vagabond.  I think that is what this “season of waiting” has been all about – learning to temper that sense of gypsy blood and turn my focus instead inward to what it is God is calling me to do.

This has been a season of prayer and discernment as we all prepare for what is next in the journey that ultimately belongs to God.  I wrote last month about following in God’s footsteps and the many places I have been privileged to go.  This month I have taken time to look forward to what is next.

While I don’t have answers to that question yet, I know, that God is with me, in heart, mind and spirit as I struggle with that gypsy blood and vagabond wanderlust to take time to sit, be still, listen and glory in the presence of God as I wait.

We have been studying “mystery” in my Bible study class and this journey has been somewhat of a mystery, never knowing what is coming next never knowing if I will be packing to move again, well, not if, but when.  Never knowing for sure where I am going to land and for how long.  The mystery for me is why God chose me to be the mission co-worker to be moved and unsettled and unable to do what I thought was his calling for me when I packed my bags and headed for Akobo.

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God”?  The answer is “no”, but I rest certain in the fact that God had and has a plan for me.  It is in this time I waiting that I have found God in ways I never would have if I had not had this time.  There are many reasons for the long time it has taken.   

Communication with South Sudan has not been good, so that makes contacting them about the safety of my return difficult.  We have discussed other options for placement if Akobo is not possible.  I have had to wait – not so patiently – for answers from doctors regarding the malaria issues.  Things are coming together now, but there are still no concrete answers. Yet.

So, as I sit in the chill of this autumn morning, pondering the mystery of what makes the leaves change color and watching their slow descent as they fall to the ground, I am reminded of the mystery that God paints each season of our lives with.  I look forward to the coming seasons of Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas as I look forward to the coming Spring season as it bursts forth with new life.  For I know, that as surely as the seasons come, God will be there, unfolding the mystery when HIS time is right.

For your patience, love and support during this time of waiting, I will be eternally grateful.  I ask your continued prayers for our partners, both in Louisville and South Sudan and for my Regional Liaison, Michael Weller as they all work so hard to unravel the mystery of “what is next”.

Peace be with you all as you discover the mysteries God has in store for you.

Sharon

Following in His Footsteps

Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.”

I opened my computer to this beautiful stained glass image of Jesus’s feet.  Blues, purples and gold’s lit from the sun shining behind and his sandals were the focus.  It made me wish I could hear the stories those feet could tell of the roads traveled, the miracles witnessed, the joy, the laughter, the sorrow, the heartbreak, the sermons they preached and the lessons they taught.  Then it occurred to me, each one of us in our own way has traveled in Jesus footsteps, we’ve walked miles in his shoes and experienced all the same things life has to offer and that God gave the gift of his son so we too could walk in his shoes. 

This has been an interesting journey.  Not one that any of us could have ever predicted.  Not one any of us could have ever imagined and not one that anyone could have ever planned or prepared for.  But along this journey I have been blessed to “walk a mile” in Jesus footsteps and in every one of those steps he has been right there; leading and guiding me in the paths He chose for me to travel.  That has been part of the fun and excitement, the unknown in the adventure and the “where will it take me next.” 

I never planned to be sitting in the US this summer.  I planned to be slugging through the rains and the mud in Akobo, but here I sit.  Getting a house ready to move into that I may only stay in for a few weeks, but that too is part of God’s plan.  Painting is excellent therapy – physical as well as mental.  It is a time for me to relax and reflect and to pray. 

And in the reflection I find the footsteps and have time to look back on the places I have been and to experience the joy in the “now” as I listen to my granddaughter pray every night, “Thank you God for bringing Grandma home”. To answer the phone to my oldest granddaughter say ”Grandma, I have a new idea for your house.  What do you think about this…?” To receiving hugs from the oldest two grandsons, one is in college and the other is a teenager, which make them even more special because of their ages.  I can still hear the laughter of the two middle granddaughters as they had discussions about the best way to paint the porch and shutters of my new “tiny mansion”, as christened by the youngest granddaughter. And to watch the littlest one as he was just learning to stand when I first came home to his full fledged running legs that go barreling through the house and yard.

I am grateful for this time to spend with family and friends as we discern my future in South Sudan.  Several options are being explored and as soon as we have a final answer you will all be the first to know.

I am grateful for the opportunities to go and visit with you and to share the stories of where the footsteps have lead; for the opportunity to visit you and get to know you.  I only wish there was enough time to come and see each and every one so that I could personally thank you.

 I am so very, very grateful for the many emails that tell me you are praying for me and our partners in South Sudan.  Your prayers lift me up.  They sustain me.  They let me know that I am not on this journey alone.  So I would like to take a few minutes and give you a brief glimpse of the places we have traveled…

South Sudan…

Akobo…where life is hard, people work hard, live hard, and pray hard but are determined to make a better life for themselves and their families. I have witnessed great joy, hard work, determination, dedication, great fear, great hope and sorrow and grief, along with a faith in God’s protection and provision that words cannot describe.  I have walked “a mile” with them, witnessed miracles and the joy of celebrating each new day in ways most of us cannot even begin to imagine or understand…

Juba, South Sudan… is rapidly changing and in many ways remaining the same as it has for centuries.  There are signs of the rapid growth in the new buildings going up, and there are signs of life as it has always been as you drive through the streets and see the vacant plots of land where the returnees (people returning from the north and other places)are building their camps out of whatever scraps they can find on whatever vacant piece of land they can find until they are told to move…  It is a land of commitment through the NGO’s (Non-Government Organizations) who come to serve.  I was privileged to work with one of our partners – IMA World Health – to provide relief supplies to the people of Pibor who were displaced. 

 

South Africa is an amazing country of contrasts…from the vast wealth of Cape Town to images of the Apartheid that remind me South Sudan has far to go and great hopes for a future.  I was given glimpses of the amazing beauty and power of God’s magnificent creation…

Ethiopa..I had the opportunity to spend some time in one of the largest cities in Africa – Addis Ababa and in Gambela.  The contrast from modern city to small village is eye opening…

 

Addis Ababa is a clash of cultures from ancient to modern, living and walking side by side…

I had the privilege of spending some time in Gambela, Ethiopia with fellow Mission Co-Worker, Rachel Weller, and learning to live life as she does as she introduced me to this village of joy and laughter, hard work and great beauty…

It is an honor to walk in the footsteps of God as I encounter the people, places and activities that God has put in my path throughout this journey to see and experience his work in this part of the world, to walk hand in hand with the people, to experience their great faith, their determination to not only survive, but thrive in the places and situations where God has placed them. My eyes have been opened by sharing a glimpse of their lives and my faith strengthened as I follow them as they wave their crosses high and rejoice with great songs and prayers of praise.  It is with great joy that I anticipate our next steps together and it is with a very humble heart that I thank you for joining in this journey, for your love, your prayers and your support.

May God bless you and keep you,

Sharon