TRANSFORMED BY FAITH TODAY by Rev. Jennifer Fenner of Epworth United Methodist Church of Gaithersburg Maryland 

LENT: Looking at the Cross

Episode 3 March 2021

Have you ever showed encouragement, compassion, and generosity to another person and found you changed as much as those around you?

Jesús was counter cultural

And in Philippians 2:1-3 we are invite to live differently in the details

Sometimes it’s radical to

Show compassion

To put others before yourself

To point out hope in another’s circumstances

Philippians 2:1-8

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was[a] in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God,

TRANSFORMED BY FAITH TODAY by Rev. Jennifer Fenner of Epworth United Methodist Church in Gaithersburg MD

LENT: Looking at the Cross

Episode 1 March 2021

Have you ever needed motivation to just keep going?

I have. And many days during this past year.....

Today's scripture comes from Hebrews 12:1-3. In verse 2 we are reminded to run with perseverance the race set before us.

If all you can do is keep going....keep going!

We are reminded that we get further if we look to God who goes before us - as a pioneer opening the way and as one who is perfecting us, forming us, molding us in a faith that grows in the challenges of real life.

Hebrews 12:2-3 says  we fix our eyes - and don't let go - on Jesus - AND we seek Joy.

For the sake of Joy - we endure the things like the cross - the injustice, the struggle, the suffering, the pain, knowing that there is more beyond the hardest moments.

Living faithfully and well, pressing on when we want to give up, facing the real realities of sin and death are not easy - but for the sake of JOY we push forward, believing that the cost of following the WAY really is worth the journey and worth the struggle.

Be encouraged today

TRANSFORMED BY FAITH TODAY by Rev. Jennifer Fenner of Epworth United Methodist Church 

Lent: Looking at Bread

Episode: 24 February 2021

Do you know what it means to cast your bread upon the waters?

Ecclesiastes 11:1 says Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will get it back.

Are you willing to give generously without knowing when or if  you will get it back?

Are you willing to give freely today without knowing what the future holds?

God's economy is full of bounty -

Give you will receive

Trust a little and it will be multiplied.

Give God of yourself and God will receive it and use it!

Even today when it feels like the future is uncertain and your supply of bread limited, cast your bread upon the waters and allow in faith for it to come back in God's way and time.

Transformed by faith today by Rev. Yolanda Pupo Ortiz of Epworth United Methodist Church of Gaithersburg Maryland 

Lent: Looking at bread

Episode 23 February 2021

Have you ever asked for a little and received a lot?

Have you ever persisted, even beyond others prejudices and judgements, to receive the abundance of God?

In Mark 7 a Greek woman asks Jesus to  heal her daughter.

Jesus imitates the judgement of his community with a derogatory reference to her outsider status. But this woman insists......even dogs eat bread that falls form the table. Just give me a little, she asks. And Jesus does!

The only way Jesus' actions make sense to me is to read them as an exercise in revelation.  By pushing to expose the prejudice she faces - Jesus also exposes her deep faith, her persistence. and God's provision beyond the worlds injustice.

Ultimately the story becomes a show of God's blessing upon the outcast and the persistent in faith.

Sometimes bread is easily given to us and we are grateful.

Sometimes we must preserver.

In both instances God provides.

Take courage and PUSH THROUGH today. God indeed sees and ultimately responds with abundance.

Take a listen at Epworth United Methodist Church Gaithersburg Maryland

Mark 7: 24-30

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

TRANSFORMED BY FAITH TODAY by Rev. Jennifer Fenner of Epworth United Methodist Church in Gaithersburg Maryland 

LENT: Looking at Bread

Episode 22 February 2021

Like waves that wash and wane, God provides what we need in rhythm with our daily life; one day at a time!

The bread God gave the Israelites in the wilderness was enough for one day and came each day.

Have you ever questioned why it’s just light for the next step or bread for this day? Why not more or for longer?

The Israelites even tried to save mana for more than one day but it rotted!

Mana could only be collected  on the day God provided and the next day’s sabbath once a week.

Does God not want us to consider the future?

To look ahead?

I don’t think that’s it

Scripture says we should not worry about tomorrow - today has enough trouble of it’s own.

Today we will trust God

I confess to wrestling and becoming restless when I can’t see beyond today.

But God must know today is all I need, all I can handle, and full of enough to keep me full!

Here’s to today’s daily bread

Exodus 16:2-7

2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him.

TRANSFORMED BY FAITH TODAY by Rev. Jennifer Fenner of Epworth United Methodist Church of Gaithersburg MD 

LENT: Looking at Dust

Episode 19 February 2021

Does your heart feel the pain of others in a deeper way, once you have been in the dust of suffering yourself?

Hannah's heart certainly did.

Or does your current joy blind you to the pain of others?

is looking at "Lent in Plain Sight' following the devotional by Jill Duffield. And this week we are looking at Dust as seen in scriptureEpworth United Methodist Church Gaithersburg Maryland

Today we meet Hannah, mother to the prophet Samuel. Hannah prayed to God for years to have a son, and spent years accused, pushed away, and diminished because of her suffering.

When God answered and she conceived Samuel, her heart rejoiced and she ultimately dedicated Samuel to God - under the teaching of Eli the prophet.

But Hannah's joy never blinded her to the pain of others.

To the contrary - because Hannah knew what it was like to be in the ash heap of suffering she was acutely aware of the needs of others and the power of God. Her time in the dust made her ever aware of walking with others from the ashes to their own song of rejoicing. And like many after her,  Hannah's experience with her own dust  made her aware of God's strength and power beyond any judgement or impossibility imposed by others.

May our own mortality, need, struggle open us to God's call to walk with others in compassion and grace.

We as a people seem to have lost the capacity to feel another's suffering. And what is the gospel if not a call to the shared journey of redemption?

1 Samuel 2: 1-10

Then Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

in the Lord my horn[a] is lifted high.

My mouth boasts over my enemies,

for I delight in your deliverance.

2 “There is no one holy like the Lord;

there is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

3 “Do not keep talking so proudly

or let your mouth speak such arrogance,

for the Lord is a God who knows,

and by him deeds are weighed.

4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,

but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,

but those who were hungry are hungry no more.

She who was barren has borne seven children,

but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive;

he brings down to the grave and raises up.

7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth;

he humbles and he exalts.

8 He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes

and has them inherit a throne of honor.

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TRANSFORMED BY FAITH TODAY

DUST: FINDING THE MEANING IN LENT AND EASTER

Episode 18 February 2021

Have you ever felt like your feet turned  to dust under so much pressure?

Have you held on just to the tiniest bit of faith in the face of what felt like God’s silence?

Listen as Bona Bourlier of Epworth reflects on Job’s experience of dust, still pointing us to honest engaged wrestling faith in God!

Hear Job's lament as part of his honest walk with God:

Job 30:16-23

16 “And now my life ebbs away;

days of suffering grip me.

17 Night pierces my bones;

my gnawing pains never rest.

18 In his great power God becomes like clothing to me;

he binds me like the neck of my garment.

19 He throws me into the mud,

and I am reduced to dust and ashes.

20 “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer;

I stand up, but you merely look at me.

It's ok to share our feelings with God  - even our anger and self pity and pain - but in our sharing may we draw closer to God and not allow the enemy to use them to separate our heart from the ONE who holds us, heals us, saves us.

TRANSFORMED BY FAITH TODAY by Rev. Jennifer Fenner of Epworth United Methodist Church of Gaithersburg Maryland. 

LENT: The meaning of the cross and the resurrection

Episode 17 February 2021

Have your own limitations ever scared you?

Have you ever cried out like the writer of Psalm 119:25 - My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word.

Have you ever absolutely known you needed strength and life beyond what you had?

Have you ever let go enough to watch God provide?

Ash Wednesday is the start of lent and the day in which Christians mark themselves with the sign of the cross made from ashes.

ASHES? Why ashes? Pastors painting with ash often say - from dust you have come and to dust you will return.

But why?

Who wants to be reminded that we start as dust and our bodies return to dust?

Maybe there is freedom in dust, when we can name our need and declare that STILL there is One who gives us life, strength, worth, call, purpose beyond our deepest fears......REVIVE us GOD. We are only dust without you.

There can be deep freedom in our frailty.

What if you served in the freedom that God did not depend on you?

What if you lived like you knew you were temporary?

What if you loved knowing that every breath you take is a gift of life, not an entitlement?

What if you breathed knowing you don't create the breath only relax enough to let it flow?

Genesis 2:7 reminds us that Then the Lord God formed a person  from the dust of the ground and breathed into nostrils the breath of life, and the person became a living being.

If God is the source of our breath and our life, God can revive us again....and again....and again.....

Our bodies are made of dust. And our bodies return to dust.

But the breath in our lungs, given from the BREATH of GOD, gives us life - and makes us living.

And when we breath our last, the SPIRIT of GOD invites us to eternal life beyond any an all frailties of sin and brokenness, and tiredness.

Today embrace your frailty as the beginning of your Strength in God

TRANSFORMED BY FAITH TODAY by Rev. Jennifer Fenner of Epworth United Methodist Church of Gaithersburg Maryland 

REST AND RENEWAL IN THE WORD OF THE LORD

Episode 26 January 2021

Can you find a place to just sit and listen today, even if for a few minutes?

For me, I hear best on the shores of Lake Michigan - the place - in my grandmother's presence - where I would just go to BE and TO LISTEN. Most of us have a place where we can more easily hear God. Sometimes we have a person whose quiet supportive presence helps us hear better. (I miss you Nan!)

Priscilla Shirer suggests that God always has a word - tailor made - for each of us. But hearing OUR WORD requires us to make space. to listen. We often try to hear through every other means - pastors, podcasts, studies, the opinion of our friends. But God is always ready to pour directly into our soul, if we sit still long enough to be filled.

Luke 10 tells the story of Mary and Martha.

Martha readies the house for Jesus' visit.

Mary sits at Jesus feet and LISTENS.

Martha complains to Jesus that Mary is not doing her share.

Jesus suggests that this quiet listening of Mary is rest that CAN NOT BE TAKEN AWAY.

Time resting and listening to God can not be erased or replaced by anything.

Perhaps more than before I was struck by Martha's insistence that Mary's rest at Jesus' feet was not ok. How often do we criticize when others finally take a moment to rest and listen to God alone?

The peace that passes understanding....

The strength that lifts us on eagles wings.....

The joy of the Lord are gifts we find - tailor made - when we sit in God's presence.

Resting any other way is not the same.

Vacations end.

Problems return.

Massages cost money and need to be repeated.

But resting and listening to God offers rest that can not be taken from us!

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

TRANSFORMED BY FAITH TODAY

REST AND RENEWAL IN THE WORD OF THE LORD

Episode 25 January  2021

Do you go to sleep in peace, content with what  you have?

Can you see the light in the night sky or are you blinded by all your restless searching?

Gratefulness for what is and contentment with where we are- are fundamental to living in peace.

Proverbs 23:4-5 offers the following counsel:

Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

do not trust your own cleverness.

5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,

for they will surely sprout wings

and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

I believe deeply in setting goals, in growing in faith, and in striving to live more deeply into our calling - but living discontented, chasing after wealth and what we do not have, using our cleverness to seek what is temporary will not grant us peace, will not fill our hearts with gratitude, and will most certainly not get us closer to where God calls us to go.

Contentment and daily gratitude - even while standing against injustice and continually asking God to search our hearts - will give us the peace and footing to grow into so much more in God.