One of my favorite hymns is We Are the Church by Richard Avery and Donald Marsh: “I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together. All who follow Jesus all around the world, yes we’re the church together!” What does it mean to follow Jesus? It means to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength . . .and love your neighbor as yourself”– Mark 12:30-31.
The hymn We Are the Church reminds us that the church isn’t a place, but a people. Church isn’t only Sunday morning, but all the time. Church is when the people of God are a being a blessing for others. Our newsletter offers glimpses into who we are as the church.
A friend recently shared this quote from Mother Teresa, “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.” What a wonderful way to see oneself as a means of God’s grace for others. And taking this image further, the church is a box of colored pencils, a diverse group brought together through love of God and love for others, sending love letters to the world.
This news letter offers a glimpse into ways we are “sending a love letter to the world” by living out our mission to be “an inclusive, diverse and caring Christian community:worshiping, praying, witnessing, reaching out to all people on the island and beyond, daring to grow and change as God calls us.” - BMUMC Mission Statement
Your sister on the journey,
Pastor Desi
April 2010
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
“Let the sunshine in!” As the days lengthen and the sun rises higher in the sky, it’s hard not to rejoice and sing. The light transforms gloomy rooms and offices into more cheery places. It transforms the spaces we live in, as well as our spirits. Light changes everything. When we’re in the dark, even the smallest glimmer of light gives us hope. During Lent, on the journey to Easter, Christians practice repentance and humility, embrace spiritual disciplines, and seek ways to intentionally open ourselves to God’s light. The prophet Isaiah writes, “Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light.” Isaiah 60:20. Let’s seek to be open to opportunities for us to study, worship, and reflect on ways to make space for God in our lives. As God’s light and grace fill us, then we become light and grace to the world, “Jesus said of His followers: "'You are the light of the world… let your light shine before everyone, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.'" Matthew 5:14,16. As we draw near to Holy Week, the Easter Season, and beyond, I pray that we may turn toward Christ, the Son of God, the Light of the World, and “Let the Son shine in!”
