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A PUBLICATION OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
THEWINDOW 1411 BROADWAY | LUBBOCK, TX 79401 | 806.763.4607 | FUMC.COM |APRIL 2022
What’s Inside Page 03 Tenebrae
Page 04 Missions
Page 05 Director of Contemporary Worship
Page 07 Memorials & Honorariums
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH•LUBBOCK
FIRSTLBK
MOVED BY JESUS. LOVING PEOPLE. SERVING ALL.
Our mission is to create a grace-filled environment in which Christ transforms lives.
DO IT AGAIN DADDY, DO IT AGAIN! Most pastors that I know are full of stories… and I suppose I’m no exception! Illustrations, metaphors, and object lesson recollections are simply a part of the toolkit that you learn to carry around with you. I can’t SENIOR PASTOR tell you how many times Todd Salzwedel I’ve had a conversation with someone needing guidance or encouragement only to recall the perfect story thirty minutes after we part ways! But there are some that seem to stay with me always. In fact, I’m pretty sure I mentioned this particular illustration it last Easter. It goes something like this: A father wanted to share a special memory with his daughter, so he woke her early one morning, bundled her up and placed her gently in the car. He packed blankets and other items for the trip, and they began the trip up into the mountains near their home. The little girl slept for most of the trip and was a little grumpy to have been taken from her warm bed for this early morning surprise. After a while, the father stopped the vehicle and gathered the blankets and other items he packed and walked to a high mountain peak, holding his daughter’s hand. As they stood in the darkness overlooking a vast valley below, the daughter became impatient as to what they were doing there. Her father encouraged her to just continue watching, and it could become clear. After a few minutes, the sun began to rise over the horizon and the young girl watched in awe as the whole valley
sprung to life! The dew on the grass, the gentle breeze in the trees and the wildlife below seemed to magically appear before her! As wonder filled her heart, she turned with tears in her eyes towards her father and said, “do it again daddy… do it again!” This Lenten season, we have explored in depth the final week of Jesus’ life as found in the Apostle John’s gospel. We’ve discovered that John adds a theological insight to the life and teachings of Jesus unlike any of the other gospel writers. John had the benefit of hindsight to inform his recollection of the stories he felt necessary to record for the edification of future recipients of his letter, and his commentary of people’s motives (i.e. Judas Iscariot) help to give context and meaning to the narratives that are a part of our biblical heritage and present day personal story. I’ve found myself as of late looking over letters and articles I’ve written for past newsletters, essays for groups I have been a part of, and notes I’ve compiled bout events I’ve witnessed and/or been a part of for the past twenty years of so. If, like John, I were to write about those events today, there is much that I would add in the way of commentary that would fill in so many of the questions those earlier writings asked but could not answer at the time. Over the past month, several questions have been raised regarding the future of the UMC, the Northwest Texas Conference and even our own beloved First UMC. At this time, I don’t have all the answers I would like. To be truthful, I sometimes have difficulty distinguishing whether the questions I am asking have more to do with the church itself on page APRIL 2022 |(continued THE WINDOW 1 2)