Road Construction 09.05.2025

This has been a frustrating summer!!  Not because of weather or canceled travel plans or anything like that.  No, the frustration has mainly been caused by all the road construction in our area.  Between trying to get around different parts of Mitchell, going to Sioux Falls, to even driving to Parkston there has often been road construction to deal with.  On one of my journeys to make a visit to a parishioner in the country, I discovered the road I had intended to take was totally closed off.  I had to backtrack and figure out a different way to get to my destination.  AHHHHHH

We all understand the reality of road construction here in South Dakota.  We’ve all heard the joke, there are only two seasons in our fine state, winter and road construction.  Our weather does limit the time frame for many road construction projects.   

But the truth is, we also understand the need for road construction.  Over time roadways begin to break up, the concrete or asphalt fails.  Potholes develop and deepen, etc.  Sometimes the road construction isn’t about the road as much as what lies beneath the road, so the concrete or asphalt has to be torn up in order to fix the problem below.  

We all rejoice when the road construction signs and barriers come down and the roadway is opened up again allowing traffic to flow freely.  And usually, we can see or maybe feel the benefit of the work that was done.  Often, it’s then that we realize the road construction, the work was necessary, even though it was frustrating and made life challenging for a while.

So, the question I want to ask today is, “Where is the road construction in your life?”   Where are you experiencing disruptions, delays, even detours in your life or in your spirit?  Have some potholes developed in your soul?  Is a sewer line plugged up or other updates needing to be made in your faith? Maybe God is at work in your life doing some repair or rebuilding to help you become the person that God sees you to be.  Or maybe God is at work preparing you for something that you can’t even see or imagine yet.  

I don’t know about you, but I can sure see that in my own life and faith journey.  So often the struggles and the things that I learned at one stage in my life helped prepare me or have been useful for dealing with situations in my future.  It’s true, I never enjoyed the disruption and detours that came along, but later in life I was able to see the benefit of those difficult or challenging experiences.  

With the beginning of the school year, it means that the fall season is kicking off in our church too.  Sunday School begins this weekend.  Dave Mitchell’s adult class has met all summer, they continue to meet. Natalie’s Wednesday evening study group is starting up, Youth Group is beginning again.  These opportunities, and so much more, allow our lives to be touched, shaped, and molded by our creator God who is continually at work in our lives.  May the coming “school year” be a time for all of us, even those of us who aren’t officially in school, to learn and grow.  And may God continue to do the “construction” work that needs caring for in order for each of us to follow Jesus more closely and faithfully.  

Pastor Keith

Saddened Today... 08.29.2025

I am saddened today…because once again, just a couple days ago, gunfire interrupted a school day.  

I am saddened today…because once again lives were lost, and families are forever changed because of the consequences of a shooter and the gunfire that took place at the school/church in Minneapolis.  

I am saddened today…because several families will not be able hug their children, and instead the parents are doing the unthinkable…planning a funeral for their young children.

I am saddened today…because close to 20 other children and adults were injured, some critically, by the gunfire.

I am saddened today…because once again after a tragedy takes place it seems that many are more interested in pointing fingers and blaming others rather than saying, enough is enough…what are we going to do about this persistent evil.

I am saddened today…because once again we are all reminded of the brokenness of this world we live in.  And even as sophisticated and advanced as we believe we are as human beings today, the brokenness continues to be evident.  

I am saddened today…because an individual felt so much fear or anger or was experiencing such a twisted state within their mind and soul, they felt compelled to take up a weapon and use it upon innocent people.

I am saddened today…because once again this tragedy will be seen by some, as a reason to abandon faith in God.  “Why would God allow such a horrible thing to happen, especially to these children and adults who were participating in a worship service in their school day?”

I am saddened today…because right now many people are asking the question, “Why?”  And the truth is I am too!

I am saddened today…because it seems as a society we are paralyzed in these situations and have come to the point of simply shrugging our shoulders as if to say, “There’s not much we can do about it.”

I am saddened today…to hear how older children actually used their bodies to protect younger children from harm.  That is such a beautiful act of self-sacrifice. But my sadness is that these children found themselves in that situation.

I am saddened today…to see the parents and neighbors having to hold and support each other in the midst of their shock, grief, and tears.  And yet I am reminded that is exactly where Jesus calls us, the Body of Christ, to be in times of tragedy, doing what we can to express the love and presence of Jesus.  

Yes, there is sadness in my soul over this senseless school/church shooting.  But I also know it is in those kinds of moments that Jesus was there with those children and adults, and with the parents, weeping, and saying… “I’m here with you.” 

May we hug our own children and grandchildren a little more closely today…and may we go forth into this world to live, act, think, and speak in such a way that the peace of Christ becomes more and more evident.  After all…the real change begins with each of us!!

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

Rest 08.01.2025

I know we don’t like to hear it, but “rest” is “blessed.”  I realize we all have busy schedules, and we keep trying to fit more into it.  There’s more to do, more to accomplish, we all have a bit of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).  So, we go, go, go.  I remember a little sign that my dad kept on his dresser.  It said, “The hurrier I go the behinder I get.”  There is great wisdom in that statement.  

Where I’m getting the idea that “Rest is Blessed” is from the creation story in Genesis 1 & 2.  The actual “hands on” part of the story told in Genesis 1 tells of the six days of creation and the order that God brings to the chaos that was upon the face of the earth.  Genesis 2 begins with a wrap up saying that on the 6th day God completed all the work of creation that needed doing.  Then a really important statement is made.  “On the seventh day God rested from all the work of creation.”  We are then told that God blessed the 7th day and made it holy.  In other words, God blessed the “rest” and declared that there is even something holy about rest or at least the time of rest.  

In other words, God built into the order of creation and the organization of the world the importance and even the necessity of rest.  Certainly, God wasn’t tuckered out from working hard for six days.  The Bible also tells us that God doesn’t grow weary.  Rather, God was establishing a healthy pattern that would be a model for us human beings to follow of how our lives should look too.  Yes, there should be work, activity, and relationships…but the part that we tend to overlook is there should also be rest, and more than just a good night’s rest. (Though that too is important.)  The rest that God models for us is a rest in which the “busyness” of life is stopped – it ceases, and we simply pause to rest, recharge, and also to recognize God’s presence in the world and in our lives.

I’m writing today about resting because I am going to be taking some time off to simply rest.  This past year has been packed so full with many things, both personally and professionally.  I simply need to rest and renew for a bit and reconnect with God too.  I’ll be here this Sunday for Worship at the Corn Palace, but then Sunday afternoon Nancy and I will leave for the lake in Minnesota to camp, where we’ll stay for a week.  I will be taking some time away, two weeks, from the pulpit and most of my pastoral duties, upon our return from camping.  There will be several guest preachers to fill in on the Sunday’s I’m away and the church staff will keep things moving forward here at the church office.  

I hope that each of you are also finding some time to rest, to let go of the busyness of life and to reconnect with yourself and also with God our creator.  Rest is GOOD.  Rest is NECESSARY.  Rest is LIFE GIVING.  And I believe what Genesis is telling us is that Rest is BLESSED!!  May you be blessed in this summer season.

Life's Storms 07.25.2025

It seems we’ve had a few storms blow through our area lately.  But, not just here in the Mitchell region, but all across our nation there have been significant storms.  From Texas to North Dakota, New Mexico to New York, storms have had an impact on people’s property and lives have even been lost, we especially think of all the children from that church camp in Texas that were swept away in a flash flood due to a rain storm.  

It was just about a week ago our neighbor to the north, Woonsocket, was hit by a windstorm that caused significant damage to businesses and homes in the town.  Fortunately, no lives were lost but there was plenty of property damage. One of my neighbors is the pastor of Spirit of Faith Church in Woonsocket, their church was spared any damage for which they are thankful so they are able to focus on helping others.  There were also farmers who lost crops because of high winds, hail, etc. in other parts of our region.  

I’ve just described one kind of storm…a weather-related storm.  I also remember experiencing another type of severe storm when I was around 14 years old.  A friend and neighbor boy my age was killed in a tragic motor vehicle accident.  That was a storm that really shook my world!

Storms are nothing new.  They’ve been around throughout human history.  There are even storms mentioned in the Bible, with several involving Jesus.  One storm in particular is told of in Mark’s story of Jesus’ life.  Jesus and the disciples are in a boat crossing the sea of Galilee.  Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat.  A sudden storm blows in, and the boat is taking on water.  The disciples are terrified.  One of the disciples wakes up Jesus saying, “Master, don’t you care that we are perishing?”  Jesus wakes up and calms the storm.  The disciples are amazed and awestruck at the power Jesus displays.  “Who is this man?!” they wonder.

You know, there have been many times in my life journey where I’ve experienced storms.  I have felt very much alone in many of those situations, and I too have asked the same question,  “Jesus, don’t you care that I’m overwhelmed…that I feel like I’m drowning?”  In those questions what I’m really saying is, Jesus I feel like you don’t care about me!!  I may feel the aloneness in the moment, but in each of those situations I have later realized Jesus was there.  I may not have heard an actual voice, but in those situations what I have found is that somehow, I gained the strength to keep on going or someone come along at just the right time and put an arm around my shoulders and asked how I was doing.  In each case that was Jesus’ calming the storm, helping me make it through, and letting me know he was there.  Jesus did/does care!!

One of the great things about our more rural community is that people step in to help when storms appear.  I’ve already seen people provide assistance for those damaged by the storm in Woonsocket.  That is a beautiful thing.  These are moments in which we all can be the hands and feet of Jesus helping others out.  Yes, Jesus is there…he appears in many forms – in part through each of us.

Is there a storm in your life?  Jesus isn’t silent.  His presence, strength, and calm might be there in a form you simply aren’t expecting. In the midst of the storm, don’t jump ship because Jesus is there in the boat with you!

The Return of Pastor's Reflection 07.18.2025

We’ve all heard the saying, “How do you eat an elephant?”  And the answer is…one bite at a time!  I guess you could say, at the beginning of this week I finished eating the elephant!!  You see, it was a year ago that I started the Practical Church Leadership program through Dakota Wesleyan University.  As a part of making time in my schedule for the “homework” and classes involved with the PCL program, I had to stop doing a few other things - writing the Friday reflection was one of those activities I let go of.  Thus the reason why there hasn’t been a Friday Reflection for almost a year.  

Anyway, it was a year ago that the PCL class began.  I read through the syllabus and was excited by the opportunity to learn some new things, after all that was why I applied to the program because I sensed I needed to refresh some of my thinking, skills and abilities.  So, I was excited to jump into the process, but I was also quite nervous, after all, it had been 39 years since I graduated from seminary.  Could I handle this new adventure?  You see, I was going to have to decide upon a project, run with and manage the project throughout the year, and then have a final presentation to my peers about what was accomplished through my project.  Seems simple enough…right??!!  Oh, and did I mention the vast majority of the classes and assignment work is done through the use of technology.  

As the classes started and the assignments began to come due, I soon found myself becoming rather overwhelmed by it all.  In fact, there was a time or two when I even kicked myself for having signed up for the program.  WHAT WAS I THINKING!!  But with the help of my staff, church leadership, the prayers of you my church family, and the encouragement of my dear wife I pushed ahead.  And one assignment at a time…I made it through.  

So, on Tuesday afternoon, July 15, I received my certificate stating that I had successfully completed all the requirements of the Practical Church Leadership Program.  No, there was no cap and gown, no pomp and circumstance, yes, there were pictures taken and the applause of our peers as our name was read and yes, I did get my picture taken with the President of DWU, Dr. Dan Kittle.  

Many of you reading this will recognize the name Bill Houk.  Bill taught for many years here in Mitchell, including at DWU.  Bill was a little bit irritated with me when I went to Sioux Falls College instead of DWU for my undergraduate classes.  Well Bill, I can now say that I am truly an alumni of DWU!!  I’m sure he’s smiling from the heavens above.  

It has been quite the journey of a year.  It has been a good journey.  At times it was a challenging journey.  I have learned some new things that will help me in life and ministry that is before me.  Thank you to all of you for your prayers, for taking the survey and the other ways you helped me with my homework.  I couldn’t have done it without you.  We did it!!!  So, now I’m wondering…what is the next elephant??  Whatever it is, it will be dealt with one step, one bite at a time!

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

He is Risen Indeed! 04.25.2025

I never thought I’d say this, but I miss Easter grass.  You know, that green plastic shredded stuff that is used for fill in Easter baskets.  Yep, that stuff.  I kind of miss it.  You see, my children are grown and no longer at home and my grandchildren are four hours away, so I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like, and they weren’t at our home this year for Easter.  So, there was no Easter grass at our house.  

The thing about Easter grass is that it never stays put.  It always tends to leak out of the Easter Baskets, and it ends up getting all over the place.  In fact, weeks and months later after Easter is long passed, I have found Easter grass lurking around our house, under furniture, back in a corner, sometimes even under a cushion on a chair.  I’ve even found a few strands in one of my slippers months after Easter Sunday.   When you least expect it…there it is, Easter grass.  

The reason I miss Easter grass is in part because it means there aren’t little ones running around my house to share the special day with.  But the main reason is that finding Easter grass at various times and places is a great reminder that Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, isn’t just a one-day event that gets put back in the closet (like Easter grass) until next year.  No, Easter, the day, the celebration, the recognition of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, is a day that impacts our lives every day of the year, not just on the Sunday marked Easter on the calendar.  

For those of us who are Jesus followers, Easter is about recognizing that death is not the final victor, God’s love and life is.  Easter is about recognizing that what appears to be the worst thing in life (Good Friday) is never the last thing, for those that claim faith in Christ.  Easter is about realizing there is always hope and that God is always at work, even when we don’t necessarily realize it.  

You see, for me, finding Easter grass throughout the year is a wonderful reminder of what the true meaning of Easter is all about.  It’s not about chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, and jellybeans, it’s about a risen Lord and recognizing that Jesus is alive and with us always. Jesus is alive and that gives us hope that we too can have life in God’s love that continues beyond this world and beyond death and the grave.  The Lord is Risen! He is risen indeed!!!!

Gratitude 09.06.2024

To say that the last 3-4 weeks have been quite a journey is an understatement.  It was quite a rollercoaster ride.  Doctor appointments, tests and more tests, helping mom with difficult decisions, hospital admission, nursing home, hospice, waiting, family gathering, saying goodbye, death, arrangement making, more family gathering…  This list could go on and on.  Many of you have been there.  You’ve had this very same experience with your own loved ones.  You know what I’m talking about.  It truly becomes an emotional roller coaster.  
As I write these words it was just a week ago that we were gathering here at the church to have the service to celebrate mom’s life and faith.  Hard to believe a week has passed.  So much has taken place in just the past seven days.  Sorting, cleaning, and moving things out of mom’s apartment.  Starting to deal with the legalities that are always present when a person dies.  Tears have been shed, stories shared, hugs given and received.   My sisters have returned to their respective homes.  Life is beginning to get back into its normal routines… or at least what will be the new normal.  

As I pause for a moment to reflect on all that has happened, in the midst of a lot of different emotions, there is the feeling of gratitude.  Yes, you read right…gratitude.  

• I’m grateful for church staff and church family that allowed me a lot of grace and flexibility to do what I needed to do and be where I needed to be during mom’s health decline.

• I’m grateful for those who stepped in, sort of at the last minute to help out with worship so I didn’t have to be there that first Sunday.

• I’m grateful for having been able to share the last seven or so years of life with mom here in Mitchell.  (Mom always joked that I didn’t know what I was getting into when I invited her to come live in Mitchell after I was appointed to the church here.  I always wanted to tell her that maybe I didn’t know all the details…but I sort of did know what I was getting into…and I’m glad I was here for it.)

• I’m grateful for having shared a moment of feeding mom some Zesto Chocolate Malt on one of her last days.  It struck me that she was the one who cared for and fed me on my first days of life…and how honoring it was for me to do the same thing on one of her final days here on earth.  

• I’m grateful for the church member who saw me cross the street to enter the church, as they were driving by, and they quickly pulled over so they could pray for me.  

• I’m grateful for all the signs of love and support that I’ve received from all of you, my friends and church family.  

• I’m grateful for a neighbor who offered their cement parking pad between their house and mine, for my sister to park her camper on… “For as long as you need.”  

• I’m grateful that my sisters and I were all together for a week or two helping mom, and that we were all with mom as she drew her last breath.  

• I’m grateful for a spouse that stood with me and let me do what I needed to do.

• I’m grateful for a God who was with mom on her journey…and that same God is with me too.

• I’m grateful that we have a hope of life lived in God’s joy and love beyond death and the grave.

  I could keep going…but it is interesting that in the midst of sadness and loss, yet there can be such a good feeling of gratitude for so much.  Now I’m going to wipe my eyes…give thanks again…and keep on moving forward living this life that God, my mom, and my dad gave to me.

Serving Together…

Pastor Keith

Dear Church Family. 

Some of you know, others of you may not...my mom, Maxine, has experienced a health crisis in the past two weeks.  Much of this past week has been spent helping her with this need.  On Wednesday mom was transferred to Firesteel Care Center and was also placed in hospice care.  Mom continues to get weaker and weaker. 

I appreciate all of your prayers!!  I also appreciate the grace of my staff and the leadership of this church allowing me flexibility in my schedule in this difficult time.  As John Wesley said as he was dying, "Best of all...God is with us!"  Those words are still true yet today!  Best of all...God is with us!!

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

P.S. Below is my reflection.  It is actually from a few years ago but its message is still true yet today.

It Is A Beautiful Day 08.23.2024

There’s a little jingle I remember from when my children were young.  The words go like this; “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor.  Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?”  OK Everybody, Sing Along!!!  It’s the theme song to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.  The song ends with these words; “So, let’s make the most of this beautiful day.  Since we’re together we might as well say; Would you be mine?  Could you be mine? Please won’t you be my neighbor?”  
This song was sung at the beginning of the show, and then what followed was Mr. Rogers would tell stories and introduce people that showed how we all can be neighbors in our communities and in this world that we live in.  We are all connected…or at least we can be.

An unfortunate reality of our world is that we tend to get to know the people in our own little realm of the world and we humans tend to not look much further.  We know who we know, we like who we know, and we tend to leave it at that.  This is part of the human reality that Mr. Rogers was trying to overcome with his show.  He was trying to show that different people, different races, different cultures and traditions all had something of beauty to offer the rest of the world.  

Yet, Mr. Rogers was also trying to show that as much as we all may be different, in so many ways we’re all the same, in that we want to be loved, cared for, and to be valued.  So, Mr. Rogers kept introducing the viewers to new people, new situations, new experiences and singing that same song; “Would you be mine? Could you be mine?  Please won’t you be my neighbor.”  You see, what Mr. Rogers kept reminding us, over and over again, is that to be a good neighbor we have to get to know and value our neighbors.  

Do you realize that our church building has been at the same location for over 110 years?  There have been a lot of neighbors that have come and gone over those years.  In fact, many long-term residents of the area would say our neighborhood has changed a lot in the past 50 years.  So, a good question to ask, do we know our neighbors?  If we as a church believe that God has placed us in our downtown location to make a difference in this neighborhood, do we know our neighbors well enough to build relationships with them, to understand their concerns and what they value in life, so that we can share the journey of life and faith with them?   All too often the answer is “no, we really don’t know our neighbors.”

Thus, a key component of ministry and being the church is that of getting to know our neighbors.  This is the community that God has placed us in to do the work of Kingdom Building.  My challenge for myself and each one of us is that we would take some time during the last half of this year to get to know our neighbors.  Take the time to visit with them, learn about them, be interested in them, build a relationship with them, and if the opportunity arises and you think they’d be open to it, invite them to join you for worship, or a serving opportunity, or for fellowship.  Our getting to know our neighbors isn’t just about getting members or a hidden evangelism motive, it’s really about sharing something wonderful we have that we want others to experience too…the love and grace of God and the community of a church family.  Let’s be good neighbors.  After all, it is a beautiful day in our neighborhood.

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

Fresh Fruit 08.16.2024

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”  Galatians 5:22-23 

One of the things I love about this time of year is the fresh fruit; strawberries, melons, peaches…the list could go on.  Several years ago, while in Alaska, I ate blueberries that I picked from the bush out in the wild.  They were incredible – and I’m usually not much of a blueberry fan!  There’s just something special about eating in-season, naturally ripened fruit.  My wish is that I could have fresh fruit all year round, but the reality is…I can’t.  So, in this season I’ll be making some trips to the Larson Melon Stand!!

Come to think of it, I can have fresh fruit year round.  In fact, the goal is that I would be producing fresh fruit year round.  No, I don’t have a garden or a greenhouse in the backyard of my home, but I do have a garden in the soil of my heart.  

Paul, in writing to the Christians in the church of Galatia, a church that he helped plant, talks about fruit – fruit that was to be a characteristic of a Spirit led / Spirit filled follower of Jesus.  The verse giving the fruit is at the very beginning of this reflection.  “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Paul is explaining that these are the qualities that are to become more and more evident in our lives as we follow Jesus.  

I have to admit that my heart breaks each time I hear of the incredible violence that so often fills our world; Gaza, Ukraine, places right here at home in the USA.  It is especially disturbing when those involved in the violence do so in the name of their god or out of some sense of religious belief.  That is not the “fruit’ that Paul speaks of.  In fact, just before this passage in Galatians which lists the fruit, Paul gives another list.  This list Paul labels as the “works of the flesh,” which includes such things as “enmities (hate or hostility), strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissentions, factions…”

Yes, it seems that in many cases what gets reported in the news or talked about in social media, is the violence, the anger, the divisions, hostility, etc…it all breaks my heart. I recognize that I am not perfect in my life or in how I live out my faith and hope in Jesus.  But what I do know is that more and more, I am striving to spend less time involved with the “works of the flesh” and am spending more time working in the fruit garden of my heart and soul.  I hope that all of you will join me in nurturing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  This is fruit that I can enjoy year round.  This is fruit that our world desperately needs more of.  You know what…our church, Downtown Mitchell First UMC is to be a fruit stand.  We’re a year round fruit stand in which the fruit of the Spirit is always in season.  Let’s work together to produce and give away love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  This is truly the sweetest fruit there is.  

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

Outdo Others! 07.26.2024

Downtown Mitchell First UMC

310 North Rowley, Mitchell, SD 57301

Rev. Keith Nelson, Pastor

keith@downtownfirstumc.com

So, here we are at the beginning of another Summer Olympic Games. Of course, the Olympic Games is the gathering of athletes from all around the world, every four years, in which they compete for the prized gold medal in that particular sport. There are such events as track and field, cycling, gymnastics, swimming, fencing, wrestling, basketball, volleyball, and many others. This year they’ve even added a few new sports, such as breakdancing, surfing, skateboarding, and a few others.

What these events all have in common is that the athletes compete to outdo one another. The desire is to come out on top, to show how one is the best, or simply to take home the gold. Of course, they realize they can’t all take home the gold, but that would be the secret dream of each athlete, to some way, somehow outdo the other competitors and take home the gold.

I remember what it was like to compete. When I was in high school and competing in track, there was the rush of the games, the hopefulness of winning, the thrill of competing against other athletes. At White Lake we had some good teams in those years. We set records and won our share of gold medals. Yet, there were other times that I simply had to marvel at the gifts and abilities of other competitors as they broke records and took home the gold. It did challenge me at times to train harder and to consider what I needed to do to up my game, so to speak. May we all be praying for a safe, friendly, and uniting Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, this idea of “outdoing one another” isn’t just confined to the area of sports and such contests. Sometimes we see it in the work environment and it is certainly apparent in politics these days. We see it in the realm of social media and people seeking to outdo others in the number of likes or the outrageous stunts they can post. We see it in the various forms of news media in our day. There is just something about the competitive spirit within us.

But how about in our faith? How about in living out being a follower of Jesus? The Apostle Paul does give us some direction in this. The sporting games were big in Paul’s day. In several of his letters he uses imagery from the sports world; running the race, buffeting or training his body, etc.

In fact, I wonder if “The Games” were underway or coming up when Paul wrote something in his letter to the church at Rome – the New Testament book we call Romans. In Romans 12:10 Paul writes, “…love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” Paul is writing about the true marks of living out the Christian Faith. This complete section is Romans 12:9-21. Take a moment to look that up and read it. Paul packs a lot into those few verses. But some of what he says is; “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Bless those who persecute you, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with others, don’t be arrogant, live peaceably with all, don’t repay evil for evil, etc. This is the list that we are supposed to outdo one another in.

What if the political candidates running for office this year strove to outdo the other in showing honor to the other? How would it change our society if we truly turned away from evil and held fast to what is good? What if we all let go of arrogance and took on a spirit of humbleness? What if we chose to feed and care for our enemies instead of plotting our revenge? I know, I know, I can hear people saying, “But that isn’t how our world works!” But I think Paul, and even Jesus would reply, “But what if it did?”

So where does this all begin? It begins in each of our lives and figuring out how best we can “outdo” others in living out God’s Kingdom Values in our lives and in our world today. The athletes at the Olympic Games would say it took years of training and dedication to become the competitors they are today. In our faith journey, we too can say it takes years of training and dedication to become the Jesus followers that live into Paul’s words. But it all begins with that simple decision to go for the gold. May we all be in training for the gold, the prize that Paul speaks of…living into and living out the Kingdom of God!

Pastor Keith