Conversations

In her article about Methodism’s “vile” practices (ministering to those outside of the church, visiting the imprisoned, and holding authorities accountable for inhumane treatment, to name a few), Dr. Ashley Boggan(general secretary of the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History) suggests that now is the time for the Methodist church to be even more vile. She explains that “Wesleyan viletality is a willingness to look beyond today’s acceptable practices and norms and bend the rules in order to ensure that more people can experience the love of God.”

Read the full article, HERE.

“Mary Magdalene is a prominent figure in the story of Jesus’ life and resurrection. She is one of the few named women who is a follower of Jesus. She has a pivotal role in the Gospels, because she is the first to see him resurrected (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20).

“This Lent, let’s consider using Mary Magdalene as our guide, following Jesus as she did…

“We are invited to listen to his teachings and witness his healing work as described in the Gospels. We are asked to journey with him to Jerusalem and witness his final days and crucifixion. Like Mary Magdalene, we are also beckoned to wake up early on Easter and go to the tomb, only we know that we will find it empty! We are called to share the good news with each other. We are charged with sharing our encounters with the risen Christ.”

This is just the beginning of a devotional written by Rev. Tiffany McDonald. Read Rev. McDonald’s complete devotional, as published in the March 10 issue of UM Now, HERE.

In 2021, the New England Conference offered an online study of the book “Faith After Doubt,” by author Brian D. McLaren. In addition to being a prolific author, McLaren is on the faculty of the Center for Action and Contemplation (cac.org) where he recently introduced the center’s 2025 Daily Meditations theme of “Being Salt and Light.” Sound familiar? See and hear McLaren’s thoughts on the scriptures Pastor Anne addressed in her recent sermons, HERE. If you missed Pastor Anne’s recent sermons on salt and light, you can watch or read them on our website (https://crawfordmethodist.org/sermons/).

“The term ‘spiritual practice’ doesn’t usually refer to hiking or painting, but these activities can strengthen our faith. Here are four practices to try when you are yearning to draw close to God…

…People find a deeper connection with God by spending time in spiritual practices that are best for their unique personality and situation. Spiritual practice exploration is an option any day of the year, but adopting something new during a specific season can be helpful. Consider adding a practice during Lent, the 40 days leading to Easter, or Advent, the four weeks leading to Christmas.”

In an article published on umc.org, author Laura  Buchanan explores how activities such as making art, hiking, meditating, and listening to or making music can help us find a deeper connection with God.  Read the full article HERE.

Know that exhaustion is normal. And to carry on, you must resist turning exhaustion into shame.

This post was originally shared in an email by the Reconciling Ministries Network (see HERE)

After an acute experience of stress, most of our bodies respond by feeling tired. But after prolonged periods of stress, we may experience “adrenal fatigue” – deep exhaustion and lethargy. We borrow against our future energy, and that depletes our future capacity.

Avoiding a fatigued spirit is a group project, not a solo endeavor. Shame will tell you that fatigue is abnormal and a sign that you don’t belong to the community of justice seekers. The Spirit of God will tell you, in contrast, that you were born a beacon of their love.

We can teach our spirits to regulate, and we can co-regulate in community. What a gift – that we retain the child-like ability to come back to ourselves in the presence of others who can bring us there.

Regulating our spirits doesn’t mean accepting increasing dehumanization or cruelty. It means shoring up our relationships and tools so that further cruelty doesn’t blow us off target.

The regime is testing our boundaries now to see who we think is disposable. All our disparate strands of suffering are bound up in one corded whip. So, when they call “red rover, red rover”: hold fast to your neighbor and get low to the earth. We will send no one over!

“The ritual of lighting candles at Advent is not a shallow exercise. It begins the Christian year with a clear reminder that God so loved the world Jesus came to provide the best example of how to find beloved community amid our challenges…It acknowledges, with the lighting of a simple candle once a week, that God is still in our midst, still calling us to be the body of Christ “\’until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.’”

Read Bishop Bickerton’s full Advent letter, HERE.

On Sunday, December 1 – the first Sunday in Advent – we celebrated our annual “Blessing of the Greens.” It’s a fun, family-oriented service during which we learn about how the decorations we use, both inside and out, came to represent our faith. (Yes, even a Christmas Tree, with its Pagan roots.) We lit the first candle on our Advent Wreath, sang a lot of carols, and offered our blessing over it all. (You can watch a recording of the service here, or read the history of our decorations here.)

This Advent season, we will offer a special blessing on a different figure from our home nativity sets. Everyone is encouraged to bring figures from their home to be blessed each week. Sign up for our weekly newsletter, the Messenger, at https://crawfordmethodist.org/subscribe/ to find out which figures will be blessed next!  (Spoiler: We’ll bless the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve.)

The theme for Backyard Blessings this year was  “Soaking in God’s Love” and  it  came from an experience I had a few Sundays ago.

I was dressed and ready for church but it was still early.  It had been a difficult week and I felt the need for some alone time so I decided to drive to Horn Pond and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and take a walk.  The pond is my go to place for exercise, relaxation and enjoying nature.  It is also a place that renews me and fills my soul.

When I arrived there instead of beginning a walk, I saw an empty bench near the water and decided to sit, enjoy the beautiful surroundings and say a prayer.  All the while intending to be on time to worship at Crawford.

In that quiet time I felt such peace.  I felt God presence right next to me on that bench. I sat in silence and soaked up the presence of God.  I was unaware of the time and needless to say I missed church at Crawford.  But I definitely worshipped.

– Sue DiMarzo

The theme of Earth Day,  April 22, 2024, is Planet vs. Plastics.  It seems like a good time, with warmer weather approaching, to remind people to carry reusable containers for water.  If you need to purchase water bottled in plastic, please don’t leave them in a warm place and of course, recycle the used plastic.  I am very grateful that I can still bend down and pick up discarded plastic, but I would be much happier if I didn’t have to.  There are still a lot of discards on the ground. This is Winchester and a river runs through it and that river reaches the ocean eventually.

Now that Earth Day is upon us, maybe we can renew our efforts to recycle, try to use less plastic, walk more and pick up more.  My mother used to say that “every day was mother’s day,” true and it is also true, that every day is Earth Day.  We are so blessed with this gift of God’s good earth.

– Janet Herrmann

Ways to Reduce Use (and Abuse) of Single-Use Plastics

If you have ideas for ways to reduce our use and abuse of plastics, let us know here, and we’ll add them to this list!

Refill shops (also known as zero waste stores)
These usually small, independently owned shops provide items commonly used in most households (dish soap, laundry detergents, shampoo, conditioner, and more). Customers bring their own containers which are weighed before and after filling, so they only pay for the product. I made the switch to my local refill shop’s shampoo and conditioner a couple of years ago, and love the products. Another thing I purchase from my refill shop is foaming hand soap refill tablets. While you can buy a stylish new bottle with a supply of tablets on Amazon, I simply use the refill tablets in my Method foaming hand soap dispenser. If you’re local to Winchester, here are two nearby refill shops to check out:

• Trove Green Provisions on Boston Ave in Medford
• Yes: Your Eco Source on Mass Ave in Arlington

Wherever you are, Google “refill shops near me” to find your local shops.

– Stacey H.