by Crawford UMC | Jun 18, 2021 | Conversations
Nature is important to me and I believe that we are all part of nature and you can see God and talk with God in the natural world. I’ve written about this before.
As I think about my father with Father’s Day approaching, I can picture walking in the woods with him when I was young and him pointing out all there was to be taken in…the singing birds, scurrying squirrels, blossoming flowers, majestic trees…each intricate leaf and even the dirt under our feet. We would walk in silence after a while, then he would sing this song…more say it than sing it. He sang like I do, best suited for solitude in the woods and not within hearing distance of other people. But he “sang” anyway. As I got older I didn’t walk in the woods so much and the words of the song faded but, thanks to him, I never lost my appreciation for nature, for God’s world and our place in it.
The natural world is an overwhelming gift if you just stop to think about it…and appreciate it…and be a part of it. God gave it to all of us. It’s our job to take care of it.
As I was thinking about my dad, this song from so long ago popped into my mind and jogged my memory of those walks in the woods. I didn’t remember the words but now I “sing” a line or two as I walk, again not so anyone can hear and I promise I won’t sing it to you…but I do want to share it with you.
– Brian Rogers
Watch and Listen
by Crawford UMC | Jun 13, 2021 | Sermons
Most of the characters in the book of Job, including Job himself, are questioning why bad things happen to good people. As a result, we tend to read it thinking that’s the question the book is trying to answer. We then come away mad that it doesn’t answer the question, and frequently upset at the nature of God it presents.
And what is Satan doing at God’s staff meeting anyway? I think we have misunderstood the question behind the story of Job’s misfortune as well as the type of literature we’re dealing with. Join us Sunday for a different take on both the question and the book.
Watch or Read
After you’ve watched, be sure to subscribe to our channel!
by Crawford UMC | Jun 6, 2021 | Sermons
The full question submitted for this week was actually, “Why don’t we have prophets and prophecy now? Someone said it was because Jesus was the ‘ultimate’ prophet.” I believe we do have prophets and prophecy now, but because we frequently misunderstand the role of the prophet, we often don’t recognize them.
So in addition to celebrating Holy Communion on Sunday, we’ll take a look at the role of prophets in the Bible and see if we can get better at spotting the prophets in our midst. Who knows, you might be one of them!
Watch or Read
After you’ve watched, be sure to subscribe to our channel!
by Crawford UMC | Jun 4, 2021 | Conversations, Music Meditations
This week’s Musical Meditation will be the final installment before taking a break for the summer. With late, warm evenings upon us, I’m thinking of Sure On This Shining Night by the quintessential and vastly underrated American composer, Samuel Barber.
The text, by James Agee, invites us to turn our gaze upward and reflect on what we have endured. It is my sincere prayer that these long, warm summer evenings find you with the late year behind you, healed and in good health.
– Logan Henke, Music Minister
Watch and Listen
by Crawford UMC | May 30, 2021 | Sermons
This week’s question has been asked many times in many settings. What is the Christian doctrine of the Trinity supposed to mean? How do we understand it? Where did it come from? How important is it?
The Christian calendar follows the celebration of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost with Trinity Sunday. In honor of the occasion, we’ll take up this doctrine of the Church that everyone insists on but no one seems to be able to explain clearly. Maybe trying to explain clearly is part of the problem?
Watch or Read
After you’ve watched, be sure to subscribe to our channel!
