Change

“Oh, I HATE change!” she said.

And she shook her head and she closed her eyes and shuddered again. “Hate it!”

“Really?” I said, “Because change sure loves you.”

Change loves you. Look at how change is always present in your life, swirling around you and taking you in new directions. Change wants you to notice what’s happening right now. Change points out the infinite possibilities in each new moment.

Change wants to keep you from dwelling in the past (which is a dream) and from fretting about the future (also a dream) and keep you right here, in the gift of the present moment.

And the present moment is our one big chance to create something new. Our ability to make something out of apparent nothingness is miraculous. But it is only possible thanks to change. And change is so forgiving. If we miss our chance to change a minute ago, here change is again, fresh as ever.

Sometimes change shows off with a fabulous sunset or a look from a stranger across a crowded room or a big, unmistakable transition like a birth or a death, but mostly change just dwells right here with us in each heartbeat.

Feel that? Each breath is change. Each meal, each step, each smile – we are ever-transforming. Things may feel the same, but it’s an illusion, like gazing at a stream or a waterfall, which appears static but is actually nothing but movement.

So:

with us all the time…    located in the present moment…

contains infinite possibilities…       forgiving…           eternal…

generative…       creative…           omnipresent…

Change is not just good: change is God.

Let me say that another way –

Change is not just good: change is the presence of the Divine.

Now, I don’t believe that the Divine cares how you feel about It. The Divine just keeps being the Divine whether you believe or don’t believe, notice or don’t notice, call It by one name or another name or don’t call on It at all.

But I find my life goes more smoothly when I cooperate and when I quit trying to have control over that which I clearly have no control. Much like arguing with gravity, hating change is rather a futile effort. Better, maybe, to allow the laws of gravity to support you, and to allow the laws of change to enlighten you and to reveal more love to you, so that you may be in closer relationship with the Divinity of every beautiful, fleeting moment.

Samantha Bennett

United Methodism 101

Worship on Sunday, January 31^st at 10:00 am will feature familiar scripture from 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, read by Doug Reed, describing love as patient, kind and never-ending. Rev. Cheryl Meachen will lead a discussion on “United Methodism 101” with special emphasis on itinerancy and ordination. The Children’s Message is “The Chocolate Chips in Our Cookies” also based on 1 Corinthians 13 and will teach about the essential ingredient. Kevin Mills will play the organ. The church is located at 18 Town Crier Drive off Putney Road and is handicap-accessible. Contact us via e-mail fumcob@gmail.com or phone 802-254-4218. All are welcome!

John: The Gospel of Light and Life

Please join us for a Lenten study on Monday mornings in the church parlor from 10:30-noon beginning February 15th.

The Gospel of John is the most deeply spiritual of the four gospels. This writing is filled with rich images and profound truths, but John notes that his aim in writing the gospel is that readers will not only believe in Jesus Christ, but that they “may have life in his name.”  This Lent, you can experience a season of spiritual growth and life-changing renewal in Adam Hamilton’s six-week, DVD-series, John: The Gospel of Light and Life. You’ll follow the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus through the Gospel of John and understand the context of some of the best-known verses in the New Testament.

Anointed

Worship on Sunday, January 24^th at 10:00 am will feature scripture from Luke 4:14-21, read by Betty Stacy, telling the story of Jesus reading from the Hebrew scripture and proclaiming that in him it was fulfilled. Rev. Cheryl Meachen’s sermon titled “Anointed” will explore the reading as Jesus’ inaugural address, laying out plans for his ministry. The Children’s Message is “Just What the Doctor Ordered” also based on Luke 4 and will teach that God provides just what is needed, when it is needed. Kevin Mills will play the organ. The church is located at 18 Town Crier Drive off Putney Road and is handicap-accessible. Contact us via e-mail fumcob@gmail.com or phone 802-254-4218. All are welcome!

Ordinary Miracles

Worship on Sunday, January 17^th at 10:00 am will feature scripture from John 2:1-11, read by Jane Clarke, telling the story of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding. Rev. Cheryl Meachen’s sermon titled “Ordinary Miracles” will explore the miraculous presence of God in the midst of everyday lives. The Children’s Message is “Saving the Best for Last” based on John 2:9-10 and will teach that God’s goodness is lavished first, last and always. Kevin Mills will play the organ. The church is located at 18 Town Crier Drive off Putney Road and is handicap-accessible. Contact us via e-mail fumcob@gmail.com or phone 802-254-4218. All are welcome!

Another Way

Worship on Sunday, January 10^th at 10:00 am will celebrate Epiphany and will feature scripture from Matthew 2:1-12, read by Leslie Kramsky, telling the story of the magi led by a star to where the Christ child was. Rev. Cheryl Meachen’s sermon titled “Another Way” will explore the egregious acts of Herod in the killing of the innocents contrasted with the peace brought by the Messiah and the ways in which that informs the church of today and the way its members behave toward one another. The Children’s Message is “Jesus, the One and Only” based on Luke 3:22b and will explore the unique son-ship of Jesus Christ. The choir will sing and Kevin Mills will play the organ. The church is located at 18 Town Crier Drive off Putney Road and is handicap-accessible. Contact us via e-mail fumcob@gmail.com or phone 802-254-4218. Find more information at fumcob.wordpress.com. All are welcome!