This morning before Sunday School, I went to the labyrinth in the bqck of the property at Burks UMC. I took a few deep breaths at the entrance and began my journey. I found myself in the center, more quickly than I had expected. Thoughts of letting things go and different scenarios had made the path go quickly. Surgeries for friends, grief over issues, and ongoing healing were some of the things that accompanied me on the path. Gratitude. Another companion this morning. As I stand in the center I hear birds chirping and singing. I hear a woodpecker. It’s cold again here, after some days of 70s weather. 34 degrees Fahrenheit this morning as I type. I have my coffee and a coat for warmth. Gloves keep the hands warm, but not while typing. As I prepare to leave the center, I breathe in this new day. It's the first Sunday in Lent, a season for reflection. I noticed the flowers as I walked out, a sign of hope. Peace and calm filled me as I finished my prayer walk. I am thankful for time with the One who created me and knows me best.
Below you can read today's sermon I gave at Burks UMC. Since I added something to what was already written, I did go add it to the script. Not everything I said today is in the written portion. I mentioned a special lady named Maxine during the section about "hope and encouragement". Maxine always speaks hope and encouragement. She works the cash register at Food City and recently earned employee of the month. We can all learn from Maxine. Another person I mentioned was Mitch. He and I talked about tie-dye a few weeks ago and he challenged me to wear a tie-dye stole the next time I preached. I happen to have one. Today, I wore my "joy" stole to start with and then changed out the stole, mentioning the story behind both of them.
Glow sticks were given out as part of the sermon, thus the photo of my glow sticks. :)
All the music today, from Roy Treiyer, the choir, Bradley Bee, and the praise band, added to the service. It always does. But, today, there was a particular sense that I can't name.
“Be Salty and Bright” Matthew 5:13-20 (CEB) February 8, 2026 Burks UMC 5th Sunday after the Epiphany
Good
morning! Before we jump into the sermon this morning, will you pray with me?
"God, open our hearts and minds so we can fully receive the Truth we need to hear today. Kindle your Truth in our hearts so others would see it revealed through our lives. Following Christ we pray. AMEN." (Prayer for Illumination)
In the first part of today's passage, Jesus teaches on salt and light. As followers, disciples, of Christ, we are salt and light, we are salty and bright.... Or at least we are supposed to be. What does that mean for us?
Anytime
we hear or read Jesus’ teachings, we are challenged to live into the teachings.
It can be overwhelming for us to consider all the ways we are to grow, to
change, to be the difference, to be the salt and light, to be salty and bright.
However,
if we consider just a few practical action steps, maybe one of them will
resonate with us and we can go from there.
PRACTICAL ACTION STEPS:
1.Show
unconditional love and grace to ourselves and others. How? Spend more time
listening. Listen to God. Listen to others, ask questions. Allow wonder and
curiosity to guide your conversations. The phrase: “Tell me more.”, 3 simple
words, allow the other person to share. People desire to be heard, to be seen,
to belong. By listening to others, asking questions and having a genuine desire
to learn, we get to know others. That is one way to show love and grace.
2.Speak
hope and encouragement. Whether it is a spoken word or word through text,
email, a card or letter…. Speak hope and encouragement. Everyone can use hope
and encouragement. Speak it to yourself and to others. Be intentional in
seeking opportunities that allow you to offer hope and encouragement. Think
through your daily routine… where can you insert hope and encouragement? Think
through your friends and family… the people you see at the grocery store
checkout, your pharmacist, your hairdresser, ETC. Who might benefit from a word
of hope and encouragement? Write the name down. Reach out this week.
3.Live
out the Micah passage (Micah 6:8) we heard last week from Amanda: act justly/do
justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God. What are practical ways to do this?
When you see or hear something that is unjust, speak up. Allow yourself the space to grow in your
relationship with God, Creator, Divine Mystery. Our lights will burn out if we
don’t make time to refill, refresh, restore… we do that through rest, study, worship,
prayer, and other spiritual disciplines/practices. Amanda mentioned the labyrinth
here at Burks last week. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s at the back of
the parking lot. Praying the labyrinth is one of my spiritual practices that
helps me grow as a follower of Christ.
I
invite you to start with these three or at least one of them.
If
you want to go beyond these three practical steps to live into being salt and
light, I won’t discourage that. If you’re not sure what a next step would be,
let’s chat. Or have a chat with Pastor Amanda.
[I
shared writing by a colleague here, titled “Reflection”. Sharon Kay Cochran
gave permission for any of us to use what she wrote. To me, her words spoke to
how the church can be salt and light. I invited the congregation to hear her
words and think about how it connected.]
“I don’t go to church
because it’s not meeting my needs.” That sentence fascinates me—not because
it’s wrong, but because it reveals what we think church is for.
Some people come to
church expecting it to function like a spiritual customer service desk:
• meet my emotional
needs • meet my social needs • meet my family’s
needs • meet my
entertainment needs • meet my preferences • meet my expectations
And when those needs
aren’t met, they assume the church has failed.
But here’s the truth
I’ve lived:
There was a season
when I did go to church because I was in abject poverty and needed help. I
needed food, dignity, and a place where someone would look me in the eye and
see a human being. And the church did that for me. That was grace.
But now? Now I go to church to
see what I can give, not what I can get. I don’t expect my
church to fill every emotional gap or solve every problem. I expect it to be a
place where I can worship, wrestle with theology, and feel safe in my faith.
That’s enough.
Everything
else—community, belonging, purpose, connection—those are things you have to
bring with you. If you’re looking for
a church to magically supply what you refuse to cultivate, you will always be
disappointed.
Church is not a
vending machine. It’s a body. And bodies only
function when every part shows up ready to contribute.
If you want a church
that feels alive, bring your life. If you want a church
that feels welcoming, bring your welcome. If you want a church
that feels loving, bring your love. If you want a church
that feels like home, bring your presence, your work, your willingness to be
part of something bigger than yourself.
The church can hold
you, teach you, and walk with you.
I
don’t know about you, but music has a way of reaching deeper into my being,
teaching me, and helping me grow.
In
talking about light today, I wonder how many of you thought about the song “This
Little Light of Mine”? We consider that to be a children’s song, but the lyrics
really can relate to any of us a children of God, right?
There
is a song by Jason Gray that came out in 2015. It resonated with me. The title
is “Glow in the Dark”. I invite you to look it up and listen to it. Here is one
of the verses from the song:
“Don't be ashamed of your past If you're shattered like a piece of glass The more broke you are the more the light gets
through Show your wounds and your flaws Show them why you still need the cross Let them see the work He's doing in you”
Shining a light doesn’t always mean things are cheery and bright. Even
through the difficult times, even through the pain and mess, we can still shine
the light within us. I know this from personal experience. But I also know this
from glowsticks. Yes, that’s correct. You know what I like most about them? You
have to bend and break the gel inside them in order to get the light to shine,
to glow.
As
the band makes their way, I want to mention that the glowsticks today are to
remind us that we can be bright and shine our lights. If you don’t want it for
yourself, maybe there’s a kid or grandkid in your life. You can take a stick
and a connector and make a bracelet out of it.
If we are honest with ourselves and God and others, we have all
experienced broken places within us. I want you to be encouraged. The light can
and will shine in you and through you, through those places.
May
your light shine in and through the darkness. May your light join with the
light of others to shine more brightly. Remember, as followers of Christ, be salty and
bright.
I took a walk, or a wandering today at Big Soddy Creek Gulf. Because of my side trails, I only went to the waterfall and back. I stopped several times to write. The temperature was mid 50s degrees Fahrenheit.
Here are my reflections. My photos follow.
"I came to the woods, the creek today for some sunshine, fresh air, and a walk. The clear blue skies hold a few white wispy clouds. The sound of the water soothes my soul. I breathe deeply. Over the roar of the water, I hear a bird or two in the woods behind me as I sit on a bench where the cabin used to be. I wandered, taking side paths several times. At times the wind blew lightly. There were a few bursts that caused remaining leaves to fly through the air and leaves on the ground to move around in a blustery fashion. The wind through the trees made noise, almost matching the sound of the water.
To feel the breeze, to hear the water, to see the sky, to feel the sun. This is what my soul, mind, and body needed today.
Silence. Solitude. Soul care."
It was a good time in creation!
Debra
(The pics loaded in reverse. Start at the bottom for correct order. )
Today is the day after Christmas, or the "2nd Day of Christmas". The Advent season is gone, but the Christmas season remains until January 6, Epiphany.
I was able to walk and pray the labyrinth at Burks UMC on Christmas Eve day in the morning.
The Advent journey begins with hope and ends with love.
Burks UMC labyrinth
It was 59 degrees Fahrenheit when I walked and prayed the labyrinth on Wednesday morning. There was lots of birdsong-- chirping and singing. Unlike last week, there was no dog barking from the nearby houses. That was a reprieve.
As I walked to the center, various people and situations came to mind. I lifted them up in prayer. The statement from Sunday's sermon was part of my journey: "Where God guides, God provides." Though I don't know if that was generic or specific, it was something that came to mind as I wandered the labyrinth path.
As I walked and prayed, I reflected on the week's theme of love. What IS love? Love is many things, to many people, in many situations. What came to mind on Christmas Eve day is that love is "letting go". Letting go of what exactly? Maybe people, situations, circumstances, things, etc. Love is serving others, listening to others, caring for others, spending time with others, doing things for others.
Because the greatest commandment is 'love God and others as yourself', love is also doing those same things for God and self.
Only as I grow in loving myself can I adequately love God and others. It's a life-long learning process. It involves self care and soul care.
My Advent practice of walking and praying the labyrinth was one way for me to live into self care and soul care.
Hopefully the end of Advent won't end my labyrinth practice. Truthfully, it is sporadic. Unless I have a specific goal (like walking and praying for Advent or Lent), my labyrinth time tends to be random. It would be a great spiritual practice to include more often. We will see.
Whether you joined my Advent adventure for one week or more (or not at all), I hope your Advent season was full of hope, peace, joy, and love.
Rev. Deb
from the center looking toward the back
from a bench looking to the front of the labyrinth
The Advent season has continued to pass by more quickly than anticipated. But that's how it is every year. It seems to start off slowly and then it's almost over. That's why it's important to me to be intentional with my practices, to make the most of the season, to ensure that I slow down at least a little bit so I can reflect.
Here is the devotional material for week 4:
WEEK 4—Love
SCRIPTURE:
1 John 4:7-8 (CEB) “7Dear
friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who
loves is born from God and knows God. 8The
person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love.”
QUOTE:
“I want to be more loving in my heart! It is often easy to
see it with my mind, and give assent to the thought of being loving. But I want
to be more loving in my heart! So I must ease the tension in my heart that
ejects the sharp barb, the stinging word. I want to be more loving in my heart
so that, through both unconscious awareness and deliberate intent, I shall be a
kind, gracious human being. I want to be more loving in my heart.” ~Howard
Thurman
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Love is the theme for this week, the fourth and final week
in Advent. As you reflect on love, here are some questions for reflection:
What brings you love?
How do you share love with others?
What symbolizes love for you?
How does love shape your perspective on
life?
Love can mean different things at different times. It can
also depend on the situation and relationship. As we enter this fourth week of
Advent, the love we are referring to is the love God has shown us and the love
we are to show God, others, and ourselves. Mark 12:28-31 (CEB)—28One
of the legal experts heard their dispute and saw how well Jesus answered them. He
came over and asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29Jesus
replied, “The most important one is Israel,
listen! Our God is the one Lord,30and
you must love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your being, with
all your mind, and with all your strength. 31The second is this,
You will love your neighbor as yourself.
No other commandment is greater than these.”
Walking/Praying the
labyrinth
During this fourth week of Advent, I invite you to walk and
pray the labyrinth with the theme of love. You might try the following
suggestions or you might create your own love journey. (If you need a refresher
on one way to walk/pray the labyrinth, you can go back to the explanation in
week 1 for “hope”.)
Take a copy of the Scripture verse and/or
quote and read them as you walk, reflecting on what comes to mind. Ask
yourself where you have love these days, where you see love. Reflect on
these things. Ask yourself what might show you love or how you might show
love to others. Reflect on these things.
Take the verse and/or the quote with you. Notice
where and how you sense love as you go to the center. Remain in the center
for a moment to reflect on love. As you head back out of the labyrinth,
what is your focus? What do you notice?
Additional practices:
Contemplative
Photography. Take a photo of something that signifies “love” to you.
Research.
What other Scripture verses or quotes can you find on “love”?
Write
a prayer on peace. What might a
prayer on love look like for you?
Journal.
Consider writing about your labyrinth experiences.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In my preparation of the material for week 4, I came across a "new-to-me" song entitled "Mercy in a Manger" by Evan Craft, 2022.
I invite you to listen to the song: (lyrics are included in the video)
Peace as you continue the Advent adventure! Here's a quote for reflection that brings together the entire Advent journey:
"The Advent journey: Hope becomes peace. Peace becomes joy. Joy becomes love. Love becomes Christ." ~Bobby Schuller
May Advent hope, peace, joy, and love be yours as you journey to the birth of the Christ child.
Week 3 of Advent has flown by for me. Has it for you? How is your Advent season going (besides it going by quickly)?How are you celebrating Advent? Are you able to make time to slow down, to focus on the waiting, the preparation, and the expectation that Advent offers us? If so, that's great. If not, then know that there is no condemnation. Truly there are no expectations for Advent other than the coming of the Christ child.
I was able to go walk and pray a labyrinth today. I went to the Burks UMC labyrinth this afternoon before the sun starting going down. It was turning a bit cooler again, but the sunshine and fresh air felt great.
I took this week's word into the labyrinth with me-- "joy". I also took a small bottle of bubbles. Bubbles give me joy. Yes, you read that correctly. It bears repeating. Bubbles give me joy. I blew some bubbles as I started the journey, but found that it was becoming colder by the minute. I was having difficulty blowing the bubbles.
I put the bubbles away and focused on the path.
As I rounded the turn on the outside portion of the labyrinth, I was very glad that my eyes were on the path and I was aware of my surroundings. Because of that, I was able to avoid a horrible misstep into a pile of poop. Yes, you read that correctly. There was a pile of poop on the path.
Oddly enough (or maybe not), that caused me to reflect on life's path and how there is poop along it. When we are aware of our surroundings and keep our eyes open, we are more likely to avoid the poop, whatever that might be.
When I arrived in the center, I spent some time blowing bubbles and found that I had to modify how I was getting air to the bubble wand. Who knew that cold lips could prevent good bubble blowing.
There were other things that came to mind that bring me joy: friends, family, community, serving others, the outdoors... it's interesting how reflecting on joy and the things that bring us joy can bring us joy in the moment. It's difficult to not have joy when our focus and perspective is on such things.
Choosing joy doesn't necessarily mean everything is going to be all "bubbly". However, it's a perspective that will guide us. Much like that deep peace that passes all understanding, joy can run deep. It has roots that spread out and can sustain us through much of life's situations.
Joy is a response. It's a way of being. It's a gift. Joy is something that we can offer others and receive from others.
May joy be a part of your daily journey, as well as your Advent adventure.
Advent is going by a bit faster than I expected or hoped for. The weeks seems to start slowly, yet somehow speed up. The third week of Advent is upon us, the week of joy.
Here is the devotional material for Week 3:
WEEK 3—Joy
SCRIPTURE:
Philippians 4:4 (NET-- New English Translation)--"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!"
QUOTES:
"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day." --Henri Nouwen
"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy." --Rumi
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Joy is the theme for this week, the third week in Advent. If
we were lighting an advent candle during our practice, it would be the pink
(rose) candle on the Advent wreath. The third Sunday in Advent is known as
Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is a Latin
term meaning “rejoice”.
As you reflect on joy, what brings you joy? How do you share
joy with others?
When I consider “joy”, there is a song that pops into my
memory. The first verse goes like this:
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart Where? Down in my heart! Where? Down in my heart! I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart Down in my heart to stay
Walking/Praying the
labyrinth
During this third week of Advent, I invite you to walk and
pray the labyrinth with the theme of joy. You might try the following
suggestions or you might create your own joy journey. (If you need a refresher
on one way to walk/pray the labyrinth, you can go back to the explanation in
week 1 for “hope”.
As you walk and pray the labyrinth, consider
doing something that brings you joy, such as singing a song that brings you joy
or blowing bubbles. Yes, you read that correctly. Bubbles bring joy. They do.
If you haven’t blown bubbles recently, I invite you to do so. Blowing bubbles
is a way to breathe in and out deeply, to allow your focus to be on the bubbles
floating away through the air.
Take a copy of the Scripture verse and/or
quote and read them as you walk, reflecting on what comes to mind. Ask
yourself where you have joy these days, where you see joy. Reflect on
these things. Ask yourself what might bring you joy. Reflect on these
things.
Take one or both of the verses with you,
the quotes, or the song into the labyrinth as part of your journey. Notice
where and how you sense joy as you go to the center. Remain in the center
for a moment to reflect on joy. As you head back out of the labyrinth,
what is your focus? What do you notice?
Additional practices:
Contemplative
Photography. Take a photo of something that signifies “joy” to you.
Research.
What other Scripture verses or quotes can you find on “joy”?
Write
a prayer on joy. What might a
prayer on joy look like for you?
Journal.
Consider writing about your labyrinth experiences.
