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Mar
01

I Found Hope Between Minefields

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I recently visited the Jordan River with members of our church. The river separates Israel from the country of Jordan, and the road leading to the river has minefields on both sides. Standing in the water between the minefields I found a spot of hope.

mines_sign_portrait

Our group visited a site on the Jordan River where John the Baptist may have baptized Jesus. Rev. April Johnson Bristow from our church and I climbed into the water and helped a few brave souls remember their baptism by submerging them in the 50 degree water. Incidentally, April is tough. She spent the whole time in the water without a wetsuit!

remember_baptism

Baptism gives hope, reminding us of our identity as children of God, and baptism in the Jordan has particular symbolic significance. The water in the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea where nothing can live and serves as a metaphor for God’s forgiveness “washing away” our sins.

jordan_worship

About a week after we returned from Israel, our tour guide posted a photo from where we had been that gave me another image of hope from the Jordan River. On the day of his photo Christians on both sides of the river gathered for a joint worship service. Mines lay everywhere else along the bank, but here at this spot faith in Christ brought people from both countries together for a common purpose.

Faith in Christ has the power to transcend so many differences, to bring people together in peace, and to give hope. May my faith and yours be that kind of faith.

See you Sunday!
Rich

Rich Rindfuss
Rev. Rich Rindfuss
Access Pastor
First United Methodist Church Richardson

Mar
01

Surprising Memorials to Temptation and Failure

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When I went to the Holy Land I expected to find many churches and monuments celebrating significant events in Biblical history. However, I didn’t expect to find a church and other buildings celebrating temptation and failure.

We all have memorials to temptation and failure. Empty boxes of candy, fast food wrappers, and beer bottles bear witness to lost battles with temptation. Old stationary, e-mails, and bills represent the once-routine presence of jobs and relationships that later failed. Most of these memorials remain around due to lack of attention rather than to a desire to keep them, so it surprised me a great deal to find elaborate structures in Israel built to memorialize temptation and failure.

temptation restaurant

Mount of Temptation Restaurant (and gift shop)

Outside of Jericho we found the “Temptation Restaurant” (and connected gift shop). At the time I thought the name was surprisingly honest; however, I later noticed that it was the “Mt. of Temptation Restaurant” (and gift shop). The Mount of Temptation lies a short distance away and contains ruins of a Crusader-era memorial to the temptation of Jesus.

crusdaer memorial

Crusader memorial to the temptation of Jesus

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu sits in Jerusalem. Gallicantu means “cock crow” in Latin, and the church memorializes the place where Jesus’ disciple, Peter, denied knowing Jesus as a cock crowed in the background. Under the church lies a bare-rock holding cell where Jesus likely spent the pre-dawn hours alone, his disciples having abandoned him.

gallicantu

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu

I left those structures with two ideas for how grand (and simple) memorials to temptation and failure might strengthen my faith. First, I can use them to remind me of my need for God and God’s forgiveness. Second, I can use them to remind me of God’s faithfulness in the face of my failures. Just as Jesus offered forgiveness to Peter, he offers it to you and me.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

Join me Sunday at Access for the final worship service in our Focus series. We’ll learn and practice a 4-part model for prayer that helps us find words to speak to God, and we’ll even make reverent use of M&Ms

Feb
17

Made to Feel Known and Valued – Natalie and Wes’s Story

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Our family began attending Access soon after it first began. We had already fallen in love with FUMCR and liked attending the traditional services.  But, we were curious about the different format and, frankly, the evening time slot was appealing during the summer. We attended Access more often than the morning services that summer, and, more than anything, that had to do with Rich. We really appreciated his academic but approachable teaching of the scriptures and his incredible approach to hands-on community service. We liked his silly sense of humor.  And we really liked that our pastor at our big church knew us by name.

I think that is why we return to Access.  We love going to the traditional service, and we love how comfortable we feel even in a large congregation. We love all of the opportunities that a large church can offer for community and involvement. But on those Sundays when we go to Access, we know that there will be people who call us by name and ask how Wes’s work and our kids are doing. And they trust us to help in their growth and ministry. Being made to feel known and valued is why we will continue to support Access.

Wes & Natalie Hendrix, FUMCR members and ACCESS attendees