Reformation Sunday

Message: Rev. Dr. Mark A. Fowler

"Nailed"

Text:  Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

Music: Chancel Choir, Handbell Choir

 

Worship: 9 a.m. & 10:30 a.m., Sanctuary

Coffee Fellowship: 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

In a highly contentious and bruising election cycle it is easy to become ensnared in the rhetoric of division, apocalyptic scenarios and brutal condemnations. Reports of a majority of surveyed citizens finding this election cycle deeply disturbing to their personal psyche and spirit are well over 50%. Tina and I have sought to provide a pastoral space for those who desire a place of conversation and care. Rev. Paul Melrose has agreed to convene the conversation in the Chapel at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 30. We are grateful for his partnership in this ministry.

 

At the same time, I would invite us to be mindful of the great moment an election presents us.  My sermon on Sunday will be rooted in the dramatic shift in both religious life and political expectations that stem from the Reformation. The idea of the salvation of God "by faith alone through scripture alone" flowered in civil society as self-governance. It can be argued that a government "by the people" is a fruit of the seed of Reformation. Methodism in the United States was formed in 1784, the first denomination of the new country. To this day, embedded in our church's Articles of Religion is a declaration that "The President, the Congress, the General Assemblies, the governors and the councils of state, as the delegates of the people are the rulers of the United States of America according to the division of power made to them by the Constitution..."

 

In the fragile beginnings of this democracy, the Methodists were foundational supporters of this experiment in self-government. To this day The United Methodist Church has recognized in its Social Principles that "the strength of a political system depends on the full and willing participation of its citizens...determined by exercise of the right to vote guaranteed to all adult citizens."

 

We are blessed to utilize the freedom we are given by God and exercised in our civil participation!

If you are concerned about the divisive tone of the current political climate, this forum will provide a space for sharing your feelings and listening to others who may have similar or different points of view and/or experience. Rev. Paul Melrose will facilitate the discussion and will offer suggestions of ways to cope.