Month: July 2026

The following meditation was written by Rev. Dr. Michael B. Brown, Pastor of Blowing Rock Methodist Church in North Carolina.

“‘Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.’” John 20:29 (Common English Bible)

United Methodist preacher, Anita Taylor, says that Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances in a locked room where the disciples were hiding are more multi-layered than we often interpret them to be.[1] Ten disciples (not including Thomas, who was out at the time) were present on the first occasion when Jesus appeared. Later, they reported with excitement, “We’ve seen the Lord!” (John 20:25b) So, faith was present in them, and, via their testimony to Thomas later when he showed up, faith was also expressed through them. However, they were still hiding behind locked doors, still afraid that those who had crucified Jesus would come for them. So, we find both faith and fear in the story. Presumably, Simon Peter was present both times. That introduces yet another emotional dynamic: guilt. He had been the last possible witness for the defense on the night of Jesus’ illegal trial before Caiaphas. But when the heat was on, three times Peter denied even knowing Jesus. Clearly afterward, he carried with him the guilt of having failed his Lord.

Then, of course, the account talks about Thomas, whom we call “the doubter” (yet another emotion in the mix). When the other disciples reported Christ’s first appearance to them, Thomas basically accused them of group hysteria brought on by the toxic mix of grief (from losing Jesus) and terror (that they, too, would be arrested). So, Thomas told them he couldn’t possibly believe such a wild story unless he saw it with his own eyes. Obviously, of course, joy would also have existed within the group gathered in that room. And surprise. And renewed belief. Thomas fell before Jesus and worshiped him. (John 20:19-29) Anita Taylor was correct in her assessment that this biblical lesson from John is multi-layered. She was also clearly on target when she concluded that the story teaches a truth of deep value: “Jesus meets us where we are.”[2]

“I am struggling with guilt from something I said or did that I cannot unsay or undo.” Jesus comes to you there, offering the gift of grace. He meets you where you are.

“I am heartbroken by grief. There’s a hole inside me with someone’s name on it, and no other person can fill that space.” Jesus comes to you there with comfort sufficient to fill whatever space is empty. He meets you where you are.

“I am struggling with temptation, and sometimes it is so strong I don’t know if I can continue to resist.” Jesus comes to you there with understanding and without judgment, providing moral strength to rise above whatever Isle of Sirens[3] is calling. He meets you where you are.

“I believe, but not with the same sense of assurance or certainty that many others seem to possess. I feel a lot like Thomas, who was plagued by doubts.” Jesus comes to you there, accepting and affirming whatever level of personal faith you may have at the moment and promising to lead you gently and gradually into deeper waters at your own pace. He meets you where you are.

“I am angry,” or “depressed,” or “frightened,” or “fatigued,” or “lonely.” Whatever the description of your life or emotional landscape may be, Jesus comes to you there. He loves you as you are. He meets you where you are. That’s part of what we mean when we speak of our faith as “good news.” We are not judged or rejected. Instead, we are loved and accompanied. He meets us where we are.

Joy,

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[1] Taylor, Anita, from a sermon entitled Locked Doors, April 19, 2026 (https://vimeo.com/1182394144)

[2] Op. Cit., Taylor

[3] Homer, The Odyssey, trans. Robert Fagles (New York: Penguin Classics, 1996), Book 12; the “Isle of Sirens” refers to the legendary location in Greek mythology where the Sirens lured sailors to their destruction with enchanting song

The following meditation was written by Rev. Dr. Michael B. Brown, Pastor of Blowing Rock Methodist Church in North Carolina.

“I have other sheep that don’t belong to this sheep pen . . .” John 10:16a (Common English Bible)

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14 (New International Version Bible)

Earlier today my wife and I walked our dogs through Old Salem (a historic village in our city that still exists as it did in the late 1700s—a Moravian version of Williamsburg). Tourists were ambling around. The coffee shop, bakery, and cafes were bustling with people. Students from Salem College were packing their cars to return home for summer break. Other students from Salem Academy (high school) were making their way to and from class. There were village workers all about, dressed as if they had just stepped out of a time warp from two and a half centuries ago. And everywhere you looked were children from various elementary schools, gleefully following (or running ahead of) their teachers on Friday field trips.

As we passed one of the groups of elementary school children, a little girl (maybe seven or eight years old) asked if she could pet our dogs. We have two Cavaliers. The child was sweet and gentle with our pets. When she stood up all smiles from having showered them with affection, she said to me: “We have a dog exactly like yours. Except it’s a different breed.” Exactly like . . . except different. Maybe she was referring to a similarity of size. Or color. Or markings. Or simply the fact that her dog, like ours, enjoys having its ears scratched.

Exactly alike despite differences. “Breed” is a word that, aside from distinguishing types of dogs or cats, has been sorely and hurtfully misused across the years. “Mixed breed.” “Half-breed.” “Ill-bred.” In every case, it is a slur, a vocalized bias indicating that someone considers someone else to be “less than.” To a group of Pharisees who felt morally and ethnically superior to pretty much everyone else, Jesus said, “I have other sheep that don’t belong to this sheep pen . . . They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock, with one shepherd.” (John 10:16) In other words, to paraphrase that school child, all people are alike, equally valued, whatever breed/flock/group they may come from.

 If you ever feel unworthy or inadequate, especially when contrasted to someone else you think has or is more, remember what the Bible says about your life: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Ps 139:14 NIV) You are God’s creation, God’s handiwork. You have been carefully fashioned (“wonderfully made”). There is no one else in all the world quite like you, meaning that you are literally one of a kind. In the arena of art, something like that would be called “a masterpiece.” So, you are God’s masterpiece.

 And if we are ever inclined to judge or dismiss someone else because he or she is different from us, we should not forget that masterpieces come in all shapes and shades and sizes. “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold.” (John 10:16 NKJV) Just as lovely. Just as important. And just as valued by the Shepherd.

Over half a century ago the recording artist, Ray Stevens, soared to the very top of the Hot 100 record charts with a song entitled Everything is Beautiful. An occasional phrase in it reminds listeners of how many years have passed since the song was written (e.g., not many folks worry any longer about the length of someone’s hair). But, its sentiment remains sound and biblical. Among the lyrics are these:

Everything is beautiful
In its own way
Like a starry summer night
Or a snow covered winter's day

And everybody's beautiful
In their own way
Under God's heaven
The world's gonna find a way

There is none so blind
As he who will not see
We must not close our minds
We must let our thoughts be free

We shouldn't care about the length of his hair
Of the color of his skin
Don't worry about what shows from without
But the love that lives within

Everybody's beautiful
In their own way

Stevens, Ray. Everything is Beautiful (Ahab Music Publishers, Barnaby Records, 1970)

We are all “wonderfully made.” Never think less than that about yourself . . . or about anyone else. God’s fingerprint is on our lives.

Joy,

The following meditation was written by Rev. Dr. Michael B. Brown, Pastor of Blowing Rock Methodist Church in North Carolina.

“Peter said, ‘I don’t have any money, but I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise up and walk!’” Acts 3:6 (Common English Bible)

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”[1] Those words of Frederick Buechner speak about the happy marriage between personal joy and sacred purpose.

I sometimes ask the students in my university classes to share aloud something they enjoy doing. The answers are as wide and varied as one would expect. “I enjoy playing the guitar.” “I enjoy hiking.” “I enjoy reading.” “I enjoy gardening.” “I enjoy tennis.” “I enjoy just hanging out with my friends.” “I enjoy going to the gym.” I keep waiting for some student to respond someday, “I enjoy taking this class.”

After they have given their answers to the first question, I return to each student and ask a second one: “How can what you said you love doing be of service to the world?” Usually, the answers to that question come more slowly. Some will just shrug their shoulders and reply, “Beats me!” But others will respond thoughtfully. The one who loves playing the guitar will ponder and, at last, begin to imagine accompanying singers in a worship service or entertaining residents in a nursing care facility. The one who enjoys reading will reply that she could tutor elementary school children or volunteer in a library. The one who loves working out at the gym begins to talk of volunteering at a rehab center to assist people going through PT. The one who enjoys just hanging out with friends confesses that he could be a more supportive companion or a more empathic listener. Where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.

Peter and John were going into the Temple in Jerusalem at 3:00 in the afternoon. At the Gate called Beautiful, they encountered a man who had been crippled since birth. He had been carried to the Temple, presumably by friends or family, in order to ask worshipers for financial assistance. When Peter and John were walking through the gate, the man called out for a gift. Peter replied with words that we clergy have been using ever since: “I don’t have any money!” (Apologies – I just couldn’t resist.) “I don’t have any money,” Peter said, “but I will give you what I do have.” Thereupon, he dove headlong into his deepest passion, which was telling others about Jesus. “At once his (the lame beggar’s) feet and ankles became strong. Jumping up, he began to walk around. He entered the Temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God.” (Acts 3:1-10) The source of deep gladness for the disciples met the deep hunger of the crippled man, and joy and praise were the results.

Happiness (in the broad sense of the word, i.e., discovering meaning and fulfillment) comes from an experience of accomplishing a noble or sacred purpose. There are things I enjoy doing that also meet the needs of others. Connect the dots. It’s a simple and foolproof prescription for happiness. Such as I have, I give. What I enjoy, I share with others. And when that enhances their lives, all parties find reason for “walking, leaping, and praising God.” (Acts 3:9)

Sit with my students for a moment. Listen to the questions and ponder: “What do you enjoy doing?” “How can that be of service to the world?”

Joy,

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[1] Buechner, Frederick. Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC (New York: Harper & Row, 1973), p. 95.

The following meditation was written by Rev. Dr. Michael B. Brown, Pastor of Blowing Rock Methodist Church in North Carolina.

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil because you are with me.” Psalm 23:4 (Common English Bible)

“He was everything to me.” You hear her words choked out while she wipes away tears. “I am absolutely lost without him.” Of course she is. They were high school sweethearts or college classmates. They spent their entire adult lives together. Houses, children, a stint in the military, and a family business—all combined efforts. Always “we,” never just “me.” Perfect examples of the biblical words “a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife, and they become one flesh.”(Gen 2:24) Suddenly, half of her very self is gone. “I am absolutely lost without him.”

An aged woman sits at her kitchen table, her eyes clouded with grief. She has just returned from the memorial service for her son, a man who died in his late sixties. His mother is in her early nineties. But her words are the same that young mothers use when they lose a small child: “A parent should not outlive their children. It’s unnatural. How do I survive this?”

In his mid-50s, a man walks away from his business for the last time. He had invested everything in making it successful—his time, his energy, his long days and weeks and years, his financial resources. For a while, the business had carved out a meaningful niche and served the needs of a loyal clientele. But a large chain store opened nearby, selling the same goods at reduced prices. Online competition made shopping easier and more economical. COVID changed the marketplace. At last, the ice was too thin, and the business he loved so much went under. “I have bills to pay and responsibilities to meet,” he says. “I’m too young not to work, but too old, tired, and heartbroken to start over.”

“For years I hated my parents,” a student confesses, “because dad changed jobs at the close of my junior year in high school. We moved to a town where I knew nobody and felt like a nobody. I thought he could have said no to the job offer. I thought my mom should have intervened. Instead, I walked away from everything and everyone that I had cherished my entire life.”

All those are voices of grief. You know the stories. Perhaps you have lived the stories. Loss is one of life’s inescapable realities. And the pain that follows is severe and often indescribable. After the losses he experienced, Job asserted that it would have been better for him not to have been born at all. (Job 10:19) Those who suffer deep losses know what Job was talking about.

So, what is the response of faith when grief has you in its cold grip? David’s words in Psalm 23:4 say it well: “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil because you are with me.” That single verse provides two suggestions for coping with and resolving grief.

[1] “Even though I walk through . . .” We are not abandoned in the valley of the shadow, to dwell and hurt there forever. Grief is for a season, but not for a lifetime. We are designed eventually to make it through. The journey may be long and difficult, but grief is not a permanent parking place. Through.

[2] “You are with me . . .” The journey of grief is not one we have to make alone. That was the final promise Jesus made to his disciples before ascending into heaven. “Look, I myself will be with you every day . . .” (Matt 28:20) Wherever we go, whatever we face, however burdened we may feel, we are not condemned to carry life’s weight alone. Jesus did not promise to magically make all our pains and tears vanish. But he did promise to journey beside us “through the darkest valley” until the sunlight shines again. With.

Grief is an undeniable reality of living and loving. Thankfully, an undeniable reality of faith is that Christ will carry us through grief and will be with us every step along the way. In his caring presence, we discover sufficient strength to survive and sufficient power to move forward.

Joy,

The following meditation was written by Rev. Dr. Michael B. Brown, Pastor of Blowing Rock Methodist Church in North Carolina.

“My little children, I’m going through labor pains again until Christ is formed in you.” Galatians 4:19 (Common English Bible)

The wonderful author, Anne Lamott, wrote in Traveling Mercies:

“Carolyn Myss, the medical intuitive who writes and lectures about why people don’t heal, flew to Russia a few years ago to give some lectures. Everything that could go wrong did; flights were canceled or overbooked, connections missed, her reserved room at the hotel given to someone else. She kept trying to be a good sport, but finally, two mornings later, on the train to her conference on healing, she began to whine at the man sitting beside her about how infuriating her journey had been that far. It turned out that this man worked for the Dalai Lama. And he said—gently—that they believe when a lot of things start going wrong all at once, it is to protect something big and lovely that is trying to get itself born.”[1]

Paul told the Galatians, “I’m going through labor pains again until Christ is formed in you.” Immediate struggles hinted at joy or victory that was on the way. And isn’t that often the case in life? As the psalmist observed: “Weeping may stay all night, but by morning, joy!” (Ps 30:5) Hardship frequently precedes happiness and is often part of the recipe that produces it.

Think of valuable life lessons you have learned that were born of disappointment or discomfort. Betrayal by a friend or a romantic partner you believed in taught you crucial lessons about how fully, how quickly, and how wisely you would surrender yourself to someone in the future. The pain gave birth to a healthier understanding of trust. An accident that could have been tragic, but fortunately was not, taught you lessons about concentrating when behind the wheel. The pain gave birth to a healthier understanding of carefulness. A poor grade in an academic course affected your GPA and perhaps put in danger your plans for attending a specific grad school. The pain gave birth to a healthier commitment to scholarship. A lie thoughtlessly told was found out. You were embarrassed (and possibly even chastised by close acquaintances). The pain gave birth to a new commitment to Integrity. Even in the grief that followed the loss of a loved one, the pain gave birth to a deeper appreciation of friends and family members who are still with you. According to Paul, deeper understandings of Christian faith, and its claims upon our lives, are likewise born of the pain of acknowledging the gap that exists between what we profess and what we practice. “I’m going through labor pains again until Christ is formed in you.”

So, what are you facing at this moment in your life? What trial or temptation? What hardship or heartache? What loneliness or loss? What fear of fatigue? What are you going through that is painful? A wise coping mechanism is to evaluate whatever the issue may be by asking the question, “What good could eventually come of this?” “What can I learn from this situation?” “Will I allow it to make me bitter or better?” “How can I use this experience to equip me for the living that is yet to come?” Pain is wasted on those who refuse to learn. But for those who trust in God’s sustaining and mentoring presence, every struggle may be a birth pain of something beautiful yet to come. “I’m going through labor pains again until Christ is formed in you.”

Joy,

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[1] Lamott, Anne. Traveling Mercies (New York, Anchor Books, 1999), p. 107