Downtown Mitchell First UMC
310 North Rowley, Mitchell, SD 57301
Rev. Keith Nelson, Lead Pastor
keith@downtownfirstumc.com
When you stop to think about the course of your day, is there anything that stands out to you? Are there any repeating patterns that make up your life? For many of us there’s the pattern of climbing out of bed, going to work, coming home from work, and then climbing back in bed. Of course, there’s a lot more crammed into the day than what I just described, but for many, work is a big part of the rhythm of our lives.
I guess we all could point out the pattern of eating in our lives. I’m guessing many of us eat roughly three meals a day…and then there’s the snacks and such. Eating is another big part of our day. I’m not even going to go into talking about the pattern in our lives with our smart phones, technology, and social media. Studies are showing this is a much bigger pattern or rhythm than many of us realize or would be willing to admit. So then, what are some of the rhythms of our life?
As one reads through the Gospels, (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) the four books at the beginning of the New Testament that tell the story of Jesus’ life and ministry here on earth, it is interesting to notice the things that Jesus spent time doing. Jesus regularly spends time alone with God, he spends time with his disciples and other people around him, and he spends time alone. That is a consistent rhythm that appears over and over as Jesus walked this earth.
What I find so interesting is that when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he had a response that started out with what people expected, but then Jesus added a bit of a surprise. The story is told in Matthew 22. Jesus responds by saying the greatest commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37.) This part was expected and often repeated by the followers of the Jewish faith. But Jesus didn’t stop there. He went on to say, “And a second is like it, combining two commandments into one: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:39) This second part was unexpected and likely caused questions in the hearts and minds of some of the people listening that day so long ago. To be honest, it still causes some questions in the hearts and minds of Jesus followers yet today.
In laying out what the greatest commandment is, in the way he did, I believe Jesus is also setting out a rhythm for following, a rhythm for living, even a rhythm for each day - that of loving God, Others, and Ourselves! And yes, Jesus “new command” that we love one another fits in beautifully with this rhythm of faith. So, an interesting question to ask is this, is there room for this rhythm to be strengthened in my life today?
The past two years have certainly been challenging for us as a world, a nation, a community, and even as a church. The covid-19 pandemic forced us into new ways of behaving. In some cases, it brought about a sense of isolation as people tended to “shelter in place” in order to not be exposed to the virus. Even though it seems that the worst of the virus is behind us, the effects of it continue. Loneliness and depression is at an all-time high in our nation. There is a greater sense of disconnect than has been experienced before. The truth is we all need to build and rebuild connections in our lives.
Jesus gives us a great rhythm for a time such as this. Thus, Connecting with God, Others, and Self is the theme that we will be building on in our Family Ministries area, as well as in our church as a whole in the next year (and years). In the midst of the chaos of the world, in the midst of the despair that many are feeling, in the midst of the uncertainty that seems to threaten us all, one thing we all need is a rhythm to life that helps center us and strengthen us for the journey of faith in this journey of life. We need to strengthen our connections with God, Others, and Self.
It is my hope that all of us in this church family we call Downtown First UMC, will join together on this journey of developing a pattern and rhythm for life that reflects Jesus’ Greatest Commandment…living a life of connection…Connecting with God, Others, and Self!.
Serving Together,
Pastor Keith