Wednesday, January 27, 2010

He Would Have Understood

  Pastor's Weekly Devotion
January 27, 2010

Rev. Craig Duke
Rev. Craig Duke
Rev. Duke is the Senior Pastor at Hillside United Methodist Church in Princeton, Indiana.
Hillside United Methodist Church Online
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The Weekly Devotion
Isaiah 40:3-5 (New International Version)

3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD [a] ; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. [b]
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

"He Would Have Understood"
January 18th was the national day of observance for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was established on November 2, 1983 so that the contributions of Dr. King would never be forgotten. Rightfully so. And yet, this year his day was in the shadow of the cataclysmic event that happened on Haiti on January 12, 2010. With the loss of life in the tens and possibly hundreds of thousands, the attention has been on an Island in the Atlantic Ocean called Haiti. But I do not believe that Dr. King would have been offended by this. Instead, I think he would have applauded the focus. After all, what better way to honor a great civil rights leader than to place attention on those who have so little rights...the Haitians. What greater way to honor his cause than to work for the causes and quality of life of others. Dr. King was a man who fought for garbage collectors. He led the nonviolent marches to free the country from the plight of racism and hatred. He worked to shed light on the inequality of humanity that society had imposed upon it. I believe he would have understood why his day took a back seat to the needs of thousands who have so little. I believe that we continue to honor Dr. King by extending the hand of friendship and love to all people and by doing the hard work of recovery and rebuilding against insurmountable odds. Today, pause and remember the life of a great civil rights leader and then honor that life by extending your hand to an unlikely stranger or person in need.

Sharing in Faith,

Rev. Craig W. Duke

Contact Info
Senior Pastor
Rev. Craig Duke
(812) 385-2910
Office Administrator
Brenda Witt
(812) 385-2910
Choir Director
Sandy Nixon
Pianist
Debbie Ford
Preschool Director
Julie Goedde
(812) 385-2910
Worship Coordinator
Linda Duke
(812) 385-2910


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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Foresaken

  Pastor's Weekly Devotion
January 20, 2010

Rev. Craig Duke
Rev. Craig Duke
Rev. Duke is the Senior Pastor at Hillside United Methodist Church in Princeton, Indiana.
Hillside United Methodist Church Online
Hillside Welcome
Meet Our Staff
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The Weekly Devotion
Psalm 22:1-5 (New International Version)

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. [a] 4 In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

"The Forsaken"

I suggest that we spend less of our time as to the why of it all and more time on the solution. It is easy to avoid being a part of the solution by instead micro- analyzing the problem. The fact is that God has not forsaken the people of Haiti. The fact is that people like Pat Robertson, televangelist (and total moron I might add) who suggest this is some kind of judgment from God makes it clear that he has never met the incarnation of God. The antithesis of Robertson is a man named Sam Dixon who was the head of the international United Methodist Committee on Relief. He was in Haiti working on solutions to their poverty when the earthquake hit. He died when his hotel collapsed on him. He had a passion for the Haitians long before this current crisis. I have witnessed God's mighty hand on the people of Haiti. They love God and share the message of Christ with others. Obviously I cannot speak for all 9 million people, but I can say with great certainty that God is present. And that is as much as I understand.

If you finish out the rest of Psalm 22 you will find that the author ends his cries of pain with a cry of passion for God, "I will declare your name to my brothers in the congregation, I will praise you."(verse 22) The people of Haiti are not forsaken by God, they are hurting and dying from and earthquake that has wreaked havoc on their land and homes. As Christ followers we are to wrestle with the plight of the poor and our response to it. Today, I invite you to send up a prayer for the people of Haiti and the world's poor. To be a part of the solution, I invite you to go to www.umcorhaiti.org.

Sharing in Faith,

Rev. Craig W. Duke

Contact Info
Senior Pastor
Rev. Craig Duke
(812) 385-2910
Office Administrator
Brenda Witt
(812) 385-2910
Choir Director
Sandy Nixon
Pianist
Debbie Ford
Preschool Director
Julie Goedde
(812) 385-2910
Worship Coordinator
Linda Duke
(812) 385-2910

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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Power of Snow

  Pastor's Weekly Devotion
January 13, 2010

Rev. Craig Duke
Rev. Craig Duke
Rev. Duke is the Senior Pastor at Hillside United Methodist Church in Princeton, Indiana.
Hillside United Methodist Church Online
Hillside Welcome
Meet Our Staff
Hillside History
Hillside Calendar
Hillside Ministries

The Weekly Devotion
Psalm 51:7 (New International Version)

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

"THE POWER OF SNOW"
As I write today, an incredible thing is taking place outside the window of my study at home....it's snowing! That's right, falling out of the sky flake by flake is the gift of snow. It was predicted last week but living in Southern Indiana I have learned that the weather forecast, in regard to snow, is never a sure thing. The topography of the Ohio Valley tends to screw things up and the snow tends to go north or south of my town. But this time it was right on the money. We woke up this morning with snow and then more fell after we got up. I love watching it snow as it transforms the landscape into a new thing. It makes everything look cleaner and brighter. Although I tried not to get my hopes up I couldn't help it. I love anticipating that which will change routines, stop traffic, shut down school and cause us to stay home for a time. It's as if God says, "Slow down and enjoy my world, my children, the closeness of family and the gift of relaxed time. Contemplate your relationship with me."

The Bible doesn't talk a lot about snow, but it talks a lot about transformation. Jesus was and is the great transformer (not robotic like the Omnibots and Decepticons). He encountered people every day and transformed them from sick to well, dead to living, from the bottom to top, from low estemm to high. His greatest transformation is referenced here, among many other places, in Psalm 51. The Psalmist talks of being made "whiter than snow." This is a metaphor for being made clean again after first being dirty. It is referring to the dirt of our sin/mistakes and the cleanliness of Christ's forgiveness. Jesus' greatest transformation was making our lives eligible and acceptable to God. The Psalmist is longing for a "snow day." There is great power in such "snow." It changes everything. I know that I feel like I have moved from the bottom to the top when I encounter God's unconditional love. I feel accepted, cared for, and elevated. When I woke up this morning and saw the snow I felt as if I could start my life over today. Everything was new including the future possibilities.

Although our weather forecasts may not be sure things, God's love and Christ's forgiveness certainly are. Whether you like snow or not, I invite you to receive its transforming power and enjoy a "snow day" on God. Contemplate God's love for you and God's hope for your future.

Sharing in Faith,

Rev. Craig W. Duke

Contact Info
Senior Pastor
Rev. Craig Duke
(812) 385-2910
Office Administrator
Brenda Witt
(812) 385-2910
Choir Director
Sandy Nixon
Pianist
Debbie Ford
Preschool Director
Julie Goedde
(812) 385-2910
Worship Coordinator
Linda Duke
(812) 385-2910


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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Be The Light

  Pastor's Weekly Devotion
1-6-2010

Rev. Craig Duke
Rev. Craig Duke
Rev. Duke is the Senior Pastor at Hillside United Methodist Church in Princeton, Indiana.
Hillside United Methodist Church Online
Hillside Welcome
Meet Our Staff
Hillside History
Hillside Calendar
Hillside Ministries

The Weekly Devotion
John 1:6-8 (New International Version)

6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

"Be the Light"
Today is the last day that my outdoor Christmas lights will be on. It is the same each year. I leave them shining until Epiphany on January 6th. Epiphany means "manifestation." It refers to the moment when God became flesh. It is celebrated on the Sunday closest to it. It also celebrates the gifts of the Wisemen, magi, 3 kings. The best manifestation for Christ is light. That's why we have candles in the worship center. They represent the the presence of Christ in our midst. What this all boils down to for me is an excuse to leave my Christmas lights on as long as possible. I love 'em. It changes the neighborhood at night. It creates a work of art out of an otherwise very normal corner lot. They are a bright spot in the darkness, and anomaly among the norm. Besides, I think they're cool.

After January 6 all goes dark; on the house I mean. Sure I miss seeing them and enjoying them, but the truth is that they are still there. The bulbs are still on the house because I'm not taking them down until the weather gets warmer. I just don't turn them on. Well, if I get a good snow I just can't help myself because they really look cool in the snow. But just because my lights are off does not mean the light is truly gone. Just because January 6 has passed does not mean the incarnation no longer happens. He lives on.

I think you see where I am going. As we all struggle to get back into a routine after the holidays have officially ended, it is important to remember that there is nothing official to faith. It is not confined to a season or a calendar or the electricity that runs my lights. Faith never ends and neither does the spirit of Christmas or the incarnation of Christ. We, who follow Christ, must carry the light with us wherever we go. We must continue to tell of the incarnation long after Christmas is over and the worship service has ended. It's up to us to be the torchbearers of God's greatest message: "I love you so much that I give you my son." (John 3:16) So be the light, be the message. Happy New Year!

Sharing in Faith,

Rev. Craig W. Duke

Contact Info
Senior Pastor
Rev. Craig Duke
(812) 385-2910
Office Administrator
Brenda Witt
(812) 385-2910
Choir Director
Sandy Nixon
Pianist
Debbie Ford
Preschool Director
Julie Goedde
(812) 385-2910
Worship Coordinator
Linda Duke
(812) 385-2910


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