Divine Street United Methodist Church
​400 West Divine Street
​Dunn, North Carolina  28334​ 
(910) 892-2339   office
(910) 892-2814   fax
​dsumc@nc.rr.com
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Desert Daffodils

2/28/2020

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Have you looked outside this week? Technically, we are still in the winter season, but evidence of the coming spring is apparent in the tiny pops of color that are dotting the landscape. Even as the snow fell last week, new buds and blossoms continued to make their way into our days. Most vibrant in my neighborhood is the cheerful yellow of daffodils. You only have to look one block south of our church to be dazzled by their brilliance in the sunlight.

Today being three days into Lent, I’m drawn into the narrative of Jesus in the wilderness. We will talk about this account of Jesus’ temptations on Sunday as we visit Matthew 4. More than the focus on temptations, though, today the physical terrain calls to me. We have just left Jesus’ baptism. He has been nourished by the Holy Spirit in the Jordan waters; life is cultivated through the dazzling breath of God. The very air is fed with excitement and brilliance. Then, without time to glance around the neighborhood for any vibrancy, Jesus moves into inhospitable territory where pops of color are missing and cheerfulness fades. Against a backdrop of barren desert, the rough country of Jesus’ journey fills my thoughts with scorched struggles and parched strength. I don’t immediately feel dazzled by color in this story.
 
During the forty days of Lent, I’m hoping to reconnect with my Lord and Savior in simplistic ways that bring me into a focused joy and deeply personal replenishment. With days of multi-tasking pulling me into chaos, I’m working hard to re-order and rally. I need encouragement; I need uncomplicated! I want beauty and radiance! In the desert of my days, where is the hope I always expect? Where is the spring? Where is the color?!
 
Turning to the prophet Isaiah, I found the brilliance I was lacking. “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19) There it is! The hope, the spring, the color! Just a few verses earlier, the prophet has mentioned the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt, and here he is promising deliverance from their Babylonian captivity. For me, as I look through the lens of the Resurrection, I hear the promise of God that didn’t stop with the Israelites. God’s promise of deliverance continues. I realize that this “new thing” God is about to do is more glorious than the cheerful yellow of daffodils, more dazzling than the brilliance of sunshine, and more hopeful than buds and blossoms on a snowy day.
 
Through scripture, through prayer, through fasting, this “new thing” will be like a path opening in the wilderness, like rivers running through the desert. How can I not perceive it? God will make a way!
 
Lenten blessings,
Pastor Beth
​
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Sounds of Life

2/27/2020

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​Beep, swish, jingle, click.
Chime, rattle, ring.
Swoosh, clang, jangle, tick.
Buzz, clatter, ding.
 
The sounds of my life are reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss rhyming book. Swish, a text message draws my attention. Beep, someone is waiting on the second phone line while I attend to the first. Ding, a new email beckons me to answer. Clang, my calendar reminds me of an appointment. Buzz, the second line left a voice mail instead of waiting. When did my days become a cacophony of ring tones?
 
In the silence of my morning devotion, I am diverted by a familiar chirp. Oh, that’s why they call it Twitter. These are the incessant squeaks of a culture that needs to sing out on every topic. The tweets bring to mind the peeping of a songbird in the stillness of a peaceful morning. The bird is oblivious to my need for stillness just as the electronic noise imposes on my concentration. The difference, in my worship space, is that one warbles clear joy while the other resonates muddled distraction.
 
The solution, of course, is to turn it off. Silence the phone as I calm my mind. Shush the interruptions as I commit to the quiet. Step away from the computer, iPad, smart watch, radio, and TV. Move my mind away from the dependence of alerts and alarms long enough to fully immerse myself in scripture. For a time each day, surrender my addiction to worldly information so that my soul is fed and my heart is informed by the still small voice of God.
 
Certainly the world teaches a different way, but Romans 12:2 brings me back closer to my best. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” That’s a two-part plan, and declining the world’s way is only part one. This Lent, I want to be secure in pursuing that second part to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. I think that’s the part that can only be done when God and I are together in the stillness of prayer, study and fasting.
 
Maybe today I will go outside and listen to that bird. I’ll be sure to take along my Bible… and maybe a good Dr. Seuss book.
 
May your day be blessed as you pursue what is good, acceptable and perfect.
 
Grace and peace,
Pastor Beth
 
 
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Quick and Uncomfortable

2/26/2020

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     I awoke this morning ready to take care of my typical morning routines and be at the church for Chapel Time with the preschoolers. I checked my emails and answered the more urgent ones, made a few pressing phone calls, and went over my calendar and schedule. With the Ash Wednesday service coming this evening, there would be many pieces to coordinate in preparation for worship. This is going to be a busy day, I thought, but I still had plenty of time to enjoy a hot shower before settling in to the first morning of my Lenten devotion.
     As I turned on the water for my shower, I realized that the dog had not yet been outside. I left the water to run and heat up while I quickly walked to the door to let the dog out. Once I made it to the kitchen, I felt that familiar hunger pang and grabbed a quick bite immediately noticing that the fish in our aquarium had not been fed. I do love watching those fish during their feeding frenzy so I took care of their morning needs and then headed back to the door for the dog who was waiting to come inside. Walking back through the den, I stopped to put the couch cushions back in order and picked up some stray shoes that needed to be put away.
     About that time, I became aware of a soft roar coming from the back of the house. I paused for a moment wondering what the sound was, and after a few seconds of listening I recognized the familiar gush of running water… long past the hot stage. I was no longer looking forward to a leisurely shower. This would be quick and uncomfortable. If that weren’t bad enough, I had not read my devotion and getting to Chapel on time was looking uncertain. I had allowed my morning to be interrupted by so many distractions that I had missed out on the best of my plans.
     That’s when I began to wonder: How many times do I allow my day to get in the way of God’s best plans for me? Colossians 3:2 came to mind: “Think about the things above and not things on earth.” Ouch. That hit home… and it was quick and uncomfortable.
     During the Lenten season, we focus on simple living, prayer and fasting in order to grow closer to God. We often work to give up something as a way to re-focus our lives on Jesus Christ. Perhaps, rather than a token riddance of chocolate or soft drinks, this year I will work to eliminate distraction. I will be intentional to think about the things above and not things on earth.
     May your day be blessed and your Lent be faithfully fruitful.


Grace and peace,
Pastor Beth
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    Pastor Beth

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