From the Pastor’s Heart

Annual Conference 2008 focused on love. Our bishop, Bishop Thomas Bickerton chose the theme, Building on a Foundation of Love. It tied in the UM Habitat house blitz-build that brought more than 300 volunteers to the area to help complete a home in Mercer; the efforts to show love to others throughout the world by collecting UMCOR kits, receiving a special offering for flood relief in Iowa, and passing a Conference budget for 2009 of $10.8 million, a 9 percent increase over the current year’s budget. All evidence of our Christian love.

The Believe Again plan for ministry defines our CORE VALUE: “Our core value is love: We love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and our neighbors as ourselves. This value is commanded by Jesus, inspired by our Wesleyan heritage including to spread scriptural holiness over the land, and witnessed through our integrity, accountability and inclusiveness.”

“Although it is a no-brainer that Christians should have love at the core of their being, it takes quite a lot of brains and heart to maintain love at the center of who we are,” said Bishop Bickerton.

Bishop Bickerton also stated: “Our core value is, in one sense, quite simple. Yet, on the other hand, it is unbelievably complex and difficult to accomplish.”

I pondered bishop Tom’s words: unbelievably complex and difficult to accomplish. No one ever said Christian love would be easy; but it is commanded.

We should never underestimate the power of Christina love. Christian love can make all the difference in the world as evidenced in the following story….

As she stood in the front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said, “I love you all the same.”

But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant!

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X’s and check marks and then putting a big red F at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s past records and she put Teddy’s off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote: “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and had good manners. He is a joy to be around.”

His second grade teacher wrote: “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother had a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.”

His third grade teacher wrote: “His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn’t show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps are not taken.

Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote: “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.”

Mrs. Thompson was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper…except for Teddy’s. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy brown paper from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children’s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my mom used to.”

After the children left, Mrs. Thompson cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children—all children. In addition to teaching she learned how to love…how to love all children, even the difficult ones.

Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. A she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him the faster he responded.

By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one her favorite students.

A year later she found a note under her door from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note form Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school third in his class and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that she got another letter saying that while things had been tough at times he had stayed at school, had stuck with it and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. He also told her he was going to continue his education.

Several years went by and once again Mrs. Thompson received a note form Teddy asking her for a favor. He had met a wonderful young woman and they were to be married and since he credited Mrs. Thompson with his success because of her loving him and believing in him; he wondered if she would come to the wedding and sit in the seat of honor for the groom’s mother. This time he signed his letter…Teddy Stoddard MD.

Mrs. Thompson was touched. The day of the wedding came and Mrs. Thompson got ready and before leaving she dabbed a little of the perfume on her wrists that Teddy had given her all those years ago. She very carefully placed the rhinestone bracelet that he had given her on her wrist. She thought by doing so she would honor Teddy as well as his mother.

When she arrived at the church Teddy again thanked her for loving him and believing in him. Mrs. Thompson said it was she who needed to offer the thanks to him for it was because of Teddy that she learned to love all children and as a result she was the one who was blessed.

Bishop Bickerton is correct when he states: “Love is unbelievably complex and difficult to accomplish.” But loving is not a choice, it is a command given by our Lord. The choice to love can make a world of difference in an individual’s life, especially our own, for we are the ones who are blessed for loving.

In Christian Love,

Pastor Russel