Rev. Andrew's Adventures

Community UMC, Quincy Virtual Worship Meditation  March 29, 2020 Rev. Andrew Davis Psalm 130 Ezekiel 37: 1-14 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,     and in his word I hope; 6  my soul waits for the Lord     more than those who watch for the morning,     more than those who watch for the morning. – Psalm 130: 5-6 (NRSV) Thus says the Lord   God : I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.   13  And you shall know that I am the   Lord , when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.   14  I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the   Lord , have spoken and will act, says the   Lord .” – Ezekiel 37: 12-14 (NRSV) As I’m learning to adapt and find new ways of doing church during this time of social distancing and isolation, I have decided to discontinue “Gifts of the Dark Wood

Community UMC, Quincy “ Gifts of the Dark Wood: The Gift of Being Thunderstruck” Rev. Andrew Davis March 22, 2020 Job 37: 2-5 John 11: 1-45          I love a good thunderstorm, although I know that thunderstorms can be a bit unsettling for some.  Growing up in the Sacramento area, thunderstorms are not that common, although this is the time of year we would get some.  During my first few weeks in Washington, DC at Wesley Theological Seminary, one of the student organizations on campus, Wesley Fellowship sponsored a moonlight walk around the monuments, starting at the Washington Monument, then working our way to the Jefferson Memorial.  During my first year, the usual date had to be postponed because of thunderstorms.  When we did venture out a week later, little did we know what it would be like to be thunderstruck.  About halfway between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, a group of us got caught up in a thunderstorm and in the pouring rain, finding refuge in

Community UMC, Quincy “Gifts of the Dark Wood: The Gift of Emptiness” Rev. Andrew Davis March 15, 2020 Numbers 12: 1-9 Proverbs 9: 1-12             As we begin our third week of the Lenten Journey, we continue exploring Rev. Dr. Eric Elnes’ book,  Gifts of the Dark Wood.   As we journey with Jesus through the valley, dark wood, or wilderness to the cross, we are thinking about how to be fully human and live wholeheartedly.  At the same time, the gifts of the Dark Wood might feel more like curses, yet it’s about seeing things from a different angle.  Today, we come to the gift of emptiness and in the opening words of this week’s chapter, Eric Elnes mentions a similar scene to encountering a clearing, which brings to mind the words of the mystic Sufi poet, Rumi:                    Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,                   There is a field.  I’ll meet you there.                     When the soul lies down in that grass,                   The w

March 10, 2020 Dear Members & Friends of Community UMC Quincy,             Grace, Mercy, & Peace to you as we journey with Jesus during Lent.  I am writing this pastoral letter to all of you regarding the Coronavirus (COVID 19) and to keep you in the loop of some of the protocols and precautions we can take as a congregation.  These are certainly alarming times and I know that seeing this daily in the news can bring about a great deal of anxiety and stress for all of us.  Although Plumas County has not had a confirmed case of Coronavirus yet, it does not mean that we can let our guard down and that we cannot be too careful.               As you may have noticed this past Sunday, we will not be sharing the passing of the peace for the time being as a precaution.  While I know the passing of the peace is an important practice since the days of the early church and important spiritual need for some, the less physical contact we have with each other for the time being, the b

Community UMC, Quincy “ Gifts of the Dark Wood: The Gift of Uncertainty” Rev. Andrew Davis March 8, 2020 John 5: 1-15          This has been one of those super-busy weeks with our administrative meetings Monday, a trip to Sacramento on Tuesday for my ordination assessment, JAM and Lent formation group Wednesday, Housing First training on Thursday, then celebrating the life of Rose Marie Heater yesterday afternoon.  Leading up to this week has seen its share of uncertainty, especially while preparing for Tuesday ’ s assessment for ordination, not knowing how I would answer several questions, or what follow-up questions I would face, or if I would be approved for ordination by my assessment team.  Thankfully, everything came together and the Holy Spirit was moving, as I was able to answer everything to the team ’ s satisfaction, leading the way to ordination as an elder in full connection in the UMC at Annual Conference in June by Bishop Minerva Carcaño.  It ’ s not entirely