Altered Reality, by Pastor Daniel Hofmann
The Old Testament book of Ezekiel has held a fascination for me for as long as I remember. Ezekiel served in his dual role as priest and as prophet during the devastating period of the Babylonian Exile of Israel, roughly 593-571 BCE. Ezekiel witnessed things that completely shattered his understanding and beliefs on how the world operated. And God said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great detestable sins that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater detestable sins” (Ezekiel 8:6). There are days and moments when the world I live in simply doesn’t make all that much sense anymore. It feels at times as if I had been placed in some altered reality game, or an especially mindboggling science fiction novel, desperately trying to find meaning and purpose in what I hear and see and experience. How about your own perception of the present state of the world we live in? Does it feel overwhelming at times to filter through the incessant flow of news stories that flash across our screens or reach our ears? What keeps you up during an odd hour of the night? What brings you peace and joy day in and day out? The thing that fascinates me perhaps the most with Ezekiel is his unshakeable faith that God would intervene in history to his people and set straight and correct all that is presently upside down and crooked. I gladly refer you to chapter 47 of his book to give you just a glimpse of what I mean by Ezekiel’s deep sense of God’s unfailing love and grace. I get that same sense from the apostle Paul when he writes in his second letter to the church in Corinth: So we do not lose heart/hope. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). My constant prayer is that God will give me the strength needed every day to offer up hope and encouragement to God’s people in a vastly altered reality of the world around us, just as the priest and prophet Ezekiel did in his own day and time long ago. I feel a strong sense of being in the presence of a kindred spirit as I spend time with this prophet. Will you let me know how I may assist you on your journey with Christ? What brings you joy in your daily living, and what fears keep you up at night? I am grateful you and I can share this stretch of our path together for the time being. May God continue to bless us and keep us encouraged and radiant and hopeful.
Altered Reality, Part 2, by Pastor Daniel Hofmann
In last month’s column I wrote about the Altered Reality we experience in our world and our society at present. An altered reality refers to a state of perception or experience that differs from the conventional or shared understanding of reality. In this month’s column I want to write about how we perceive the church, both universally and locally. The church, and specifically the United Methodist Church of which we are a part, has changed significantly over the past decade. Like our society at large, we as United Methodists have seen our denomination and our local congregations “sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping; their cry goes up, ‘How Long?’” as we sing in one of our hymns (The Church’s One Foundation, Number 545). We talk about church life in terms of pre-Covid 19 and post-Pandemic these days, and there are definite differences between now and then. Before the Covid 19 pandemic, we saw our sanctuaries filled with worshipers of all ages, and the services enhanced with choirs and special music. PostPandemic we generally have twice as many people attend our Sunday services remotely, that is, online, instead of filling our sanctuaries. As the Michigan Conference and the Central Bay District, we have diminished in size due to disaffiliations of sister congregations over the past few years. Fewer pastors choose to be ordained as Elders, which puts added responsibilities and duties beyond the local congregations the remaining Ordained Elders (as your current pastor is) are serving. This is neither fair to the congregation nor to the pastors but is currently part of the reality. Many of our local congregations struggle attracting families with children, and in many congregations we bemoan the lack of youths and young adults. What is a local congregation like Reed City United Methodist to do? Well, one way in which we can alter the current reality is by learning to work together as local congregations. Reed City and Hersey UMCs held their Vacation Bible School together. In what other areas might we combine our efforts and become stronger and more effective in reaching the world for Christ when we choose to work together? In Osceola County we have eight (8) United Methodist congregations, all of them grieving the past, and wondering what tomorrow will bring. What if Reed City made the first step and invited the other 7 congregations to dream, plan, and brainstorm ways whereby we could strengthen and encourage each other, and find solutions to reaching our communities for Christ? I know I have dusted off my thinking cap and am thinking and planning and working towards that end of joining our forces together. What are your thoughts on this? What ideas, dreams, and hopes do you bring to the table? Will you share them with me, either by emailing me, or by calling me, or better yet, drop by and visit together? May God continue to bless us and keep us encouraged and radiant and hopeful. In HIS service we stand together!