Lord, teach me. . . .

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird; it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. –C. S. Lewis The Easter season in the church year has been all about change . Jesus was crucified—but now he’s alive! He walked among us, left, returned—but then ascended to the Father, leaving behind only his promise. Faithful followers denied him—then believed and glorified his name. In seemingly the blink of an eye, everything changed for the Twelve—and for us, too. And now summer is coming, and the change gets personal (again) as we change the hour of worship and head downstairs to the Great Hall for worship (10:00 a.m. beginning June 15). But it’s different this year, isn’t it? While we are downstairs, Big Changes will be happening in our beautiful Sanctuary, changes that will make sharing the Good News and extending a welcome to everyone eve...

On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it.  –Jules Renard We use some really exciting language when we talk about the Church in the Circle. We reach out to welcome all. We sing about drawing the circle wider still. But as we use this outward-looking language, we need to pause now and then to reflect: what does this mean for us—on the inside? When people visit UCUMC for the first or second time, they’re likely looking for a place where they feel they can belong. Is there room for them? What kind of “picture” are we creating in our little corner of the Kingdom? Good question. And one that every house of worship and family of faith should ask itself regularly. Here’s what I think: Our church family is like a beautiful mosaic, made up of pieces of many sizes and shapes. Some bits catch the eye with their color and shine; others may appear more subdued, but are just as important to the Big Picture. And while each of the many pieces has value and worth, i...

Now I believe in laughter. There is no better passport through the world than a smile and a laugh. –Munro Leaf Every now and again, it happens. Something happens—maybe only a little thing, like a text or email from someone we were thinking about— and all at once we feel so much joy it can hardly be contained. It may begin as a soft smile that spreads from ear to ear, finally erupting into a full-blown “happy dance” reminiscent of Snoopy and friends, complete with jumps and twirls and outstretched arms. Like King David before the Lord, we can barely hold back our enthusiasm (even when our friends might wish we would). Sheer, unadulterated gladness over simply being alive. (The world could use more of this.) It’s been three weeks now since we celebrated Resurrection Sunday. We sang, “Oh Happy Day” and, “Hallelujah!” We heard readings from John and Luke: about Mary racing breathless to share the good news; about Thomas, unbelieving at first, then confessing Christ; of the...

Our humanity is diminished when we have no mission bigger than ourselves. –Bono (This week's prayer is personal to my church home, University Circle UMC. I bet you can find ways it relates to your church home, as well. Please pray for us as we move forward in faith.) Finally! After what must seem to some like an eternity, we are about to embark, at long last, on The Big Project, the chancel renovation, that will physically represent and present to the community the One Thing God is doing in this place, University Circle United Methodist Church. When the vision was cast five years ago to unite the former First and Epworth-Euclid churches as one church family, a commitment was made and, along the way, overwhelmingly approved to create a unique worship space that was reflective of this new Body of Christ committed to drawing the circle wider to include all . And now, the Chancel Renovation Project is about to begin. God’s Timing and our human planning seem to be align...