Building the Kingdom of God...

Building the Kingdom of God...

These five words are used often in seminary, building the kingdom of God.  But what do they really mean?  This has been on my mind lately as I feel excited and more affirmed in my call to build the kingdom of God. 

Building can mean different things.  Most certainly it means reaching out to the marginalized, welcoming those that are different than us to the Body of Christ, showing hospitality and God’s love to all that we meet.  But, what about the everyday folks that are looking for a place to feel accepted and loved?  What about my friend who seems to be searching for a place to grow in her relationship with God but feels uncomfortable just showing up to an event at the Church.  What if I called and invited her?  What if introduced her to a few people?  What if??  I think this is a very important way to build the kingdom of God that sometimes gets forgotten.

I keep pondering and praying about these questions.  I keep thinking about how the simplest of things can make all the difference in the world.  I am going to challenge myself to keep pondering and praying but to also take action.  What if?  The possibilities are endless and that action can help us to truly live into our calling of building the kingdom of God.  It takes all of us, so I challenge you too.

Blessings as the ride continues…  Mary Balfour

The Gift of Grace...

The Gift of Grace…

There are two weeks left of my middler year in seminary.  I can hardly believe it.  I recently looked back on some of my earliest blog posts and thought, how different things feel since the fall of 2011!  I am different, I have changed, I have grown, and most importantly, my relationship with God has flourished.  How can it not, I am surrounded by God everywhere I look, and for that I am thankful.

Life is difficult sometimes though.  Friends get sick, people hurt our feelings, we miss the comforts of home, people we love so much move, and we have to feel all of the emotions but also be open to were God is leading us. 

I have felt a bit of rejection this semester in several aspects of my life.  In the past, I probably would have lost control and thought my life is over.  I am not saying I have not felt hurt by these rejections, but I am learning to search for the grace in them -  God’s grace that is extended to me each and ever day. 

I recently used the following metaphor in a sermon for class.  Several classmates comment on how they really felt it spoke to them when thinking about grace.  I would like to share it with you, the people I care so deeply about.

At my house in Birmingham I have a very large yard with lots of plants and trees. In the summer it needed lots of watering.  I would drag the hose away from the house so that I could get to all my plants and trees that were thirsty and needed a little drink.  I stand there and aim the spray nozzle at the plants and pull the trigger.  Nothing happens.  I go back to make sure the faucet is really turned on so that the water is flowing into the hose. It is. I go back and pick up the nozzle and point it again and pull the trigger. Again, nothing.  What’s wrong?  I finally realize that somewhere in the length of that hose there’s a kink that’s stopping the flow of the water. The fault isn’t with the water pressure; the water is pushing to come out and drench the thirsty plants.  So I go back the length of the hose and find the one or more kinks and work them out.  Then the water that’s already there is free to flow.

Like the water in the hose, the grace of God is not lacking.  It doesn’t need to be boosted.  It’s already turned on by God’s love.  But often it can’t flow in our life because we are blocking God’s grace by our wrong attitudes, habits, or neglect of spiritual discipline.  We have to identify those blocks that stop the flow of God’s grace.  We have to ask God to help us with these things that block His loving grace to us.  This is difficult and we often fall short, but it is essential to grow in grace with God.

Thank you to those that extend me grace each and everyday.  Thank you God for allowing me to understand that showing grace to others is essential to who we are as Christians.  Bottom line, we are children of God and because of that fact we deserve to be loved and shown grace.

Blessings as the ride continues…  Mary Balfour

Holy Week...

Holy Week…

Spring Break has passed, we have 6 weeks of classes left, and we are now embarking of a week of walking with Jesus through Holy Week.  I have come to understand that this is the most important week in the Christian year because we are attempting to understand what our Lord and Savior went through all for us.

As the Rev. Stuart Shelby reminded me yesterday during his Palm Sunday sermon, Jesus was born to die.  He was born to die for our sins.  It seems so simple and I think often as Christians we don’t want to think about that.  But it is actually the greatest gift that was given for you and for me. 

This week we will experience the moments leading up to Jesus’ death, His crucifixion, and finally the joy of Easter - that He is risen.  But that doesn’t happen until next Sunday.  We can’t skip ahead to Easter, we have to embrace every moment, and we have to be a part of the experience.  It’s the least we can do, because He has done so much for us.

I encourage you to embrace this week and walk with Jesus.  My prayer is that together we can understand this amazing gift that Jesus gave us. 

Blessings as the ride continues…  Mary Balfour

Schools Back in Session...

Schools Back in Session…

It has been a while since you have heard from me on this blog.  I was writing so much in Haiti that I thought I would give you all a little break J We are finishing our second full week of the semester here at the Seminary of the Southwest.  It is going to be a great semester-busy, fun, hard!  I am up for the challenge and I am also going to squeeze in as much time as I can with my sweet friends in the senior class who will be leaving me in a few short months for the next adventure in their lives.

I also love the season of Lent. I think it works nicely in that it coincides with the beginning of school.  Lent is about praying, meditating, letting go of those things that take us further away from God.  Well, seminary is certainly deepening my relationship with God, so for me, school and Lent go hand and hand.

I preached my first sermon in Chapel last week (It actually was in our dining hall versus the Chapel as an experiment).  I preached about the first African American Episcopal priest, Absalom Jones.  I really loved researching this sermon and discovering all the wonderful ways that Absalom served as a disciple of Christ.  I was also very appreciative of a few friends who gave me feedback after I preached.  It is wonderful to hear, you did a great job, great sermon.  But, it is more helpful to hear constructive thoughts about how my sermon could be improved.  I really love preaching and I want it to be a strong point of my ministry.  I need feedback for that to happen, so thank you friends for your guidance.

I pray for blessings for you all during this Lenten season.  I hope we can all reflect on how we show our love to our neighbors, give grace to one another, and remember we are loved beyond our understanding by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings as the ride continues…  Mary Balfour

The Christmas Season...

The Christmas Season…

It is the second day of Christmas and I have read lots of posts about people having the after Christmas Day blues.  We still have 10 more days, no reason to have the blues! 

I had the honor of preaching at the Church were my father serves in Murfreesboro, TN yesterday morning.  I guess this is a little tradition that we have started, Christmas Day preaching and on the prologue to John.  I actually really like preaching, I am always up for the practice, and there is something about serving with Daddy that just makes me so excited.  He actually let me set the table yesterday.  In his calm manner, he talked me through the whole process and of course God was worshipped.  This was a really BIG deal to me.  It’s a big deal because I haven’t really done it by myself before but also because it is so significant to me.  Setting the table so that God’s children can come, receive, and be feed.  That’s really an honor to get to do, so I wanted to get it right.  Daddy was patient with me and together we successfully set the table. 

In my sermon, I preached about how the prologue of John gives us a different view on Jesus.  In the Nativity story in Luke we are told what happened.  But in John’s Gospel we are told what the incarnation means.  There aren’t many other characters, the focus is clear.  Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. 

So friends, don’t have the blues.  We have many more days to celebrate the birth of our Savior, not only the next 10 days but also the rest of our lives.  Guess what, even after that we get to celebrate in heaven.  Pretty cool gift Jesus even if it is your birthday- thank you!

Blessings as the ride continues…  Mary Balfour

Half Way Through...

Half Way Through…

As of today, I am half way through my seminary education.  It is a day that seems so long coming, but in other ways seems like it has gotten here so quickly.  I have very mixed emotions about this day.  The thought of being closer to my dream of serving God’s people as a priest is exciting.  The thought of leaving my seminary community in only a year and half seems scary!

I am so grateful for the past year and half of seminary.  I am different now than I was in August of 2011 and I suspect that I will be different than I am now in May 2014 when I leave here.  I think every seminarian says my school is the best and I am no different.  The Seminary of the Southwest is a wonderful place for so many reasons, but mostly because of this incredible community.  In my time here I have been sad, angry, happy, and every emotion in between.  But this amazing community always lifts you up when you need it, lets you be in your grief, and most importantly is ALWAYS, ALWAYS there. 

So this semester, I have become a better preacher, spent almost every Sunday at the altar, dug deep in to the text of the Gospels of John and Mark, learned a little bit about ethics, a little bit more about theology, a lot about reconciliation, and spent every Monday at 1:30 pm making a joyful noise.  It was a HARD semester, but a good one.  I am thankful and better for it.

It’s time to go home.  It is time to spend time with my friends and family.  It is time to rest.  It’s time to enjoy the waiting expectation of celebrating our Lord Jesus Christ’s birth.  I am so grateful for this time.

Blessings as the ride continues…  Mary Balfour