pastor john's Weblog

Sarah McQueen was ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church on Monday night. Right before the service she was celebrating at a local restaurant with family and friends...not only her ordination, but her birthday, which was Monday as well. One of the gifts she received was a stole which she is modeling at the dinner (this is one that Gina got for her). As she was standing there with the stole on I was thinking how lucky not only Warrenton United Methodist Church was in having her on staff, but how lucky the United Methodist Church in general was to have her as a full time Elder.
Sarah's gifts for ministry are abundant and growing, and it is a delight for me to be working with her. This Sunday we will celebrate her ordination, and I know that you too will want to greet Sarah and congratulate her on this signal accomplishment.

On Memorial Day Beth and I went with mom to the Dallas arboretum and saw this very interesting plant. On the outside it was forbidding, prickly and harsh, but on the inside, when it bloomed, it was breathtakingly beautiful. Spines on the outside, but gentle, flowing, slender, and startlingly blue on the inside.
I think that there are a lot of people like that. They present themselves as hard, spiny and dangerous, but really it is all a front to protect what is beautiful on the inside.
The good news about the church is that you can take the risk to open up and be your true self. As brothers and sisters in Christ we do not have to be so guarded and suspicious. We accept each other, love each other, and care for each other because of Jesus who first loved and cared for us.
So, if you are feeling hard and guarded, come to the one place in this world where you can let your true self shine!