Don't Curb Your Enthusiasm...

Friends,

I want to lift my voice today in support of enthusiasm. I know. Cynics and alleged realists among you are rolling their eyes. Enthusiasm? Really? Can you not see?  Well, yes. I CAN see. I see that, in fact, things are moving forward. In 1971 there were more than 1000 political bombings in the United States. in 2015? A few.  In spite of the heated rhetoric and outright lies coming out of the mouths of certain politicians,  crime is at an all time low in this country. And income, for the first time since the "Great Recession" is going up across the board.    Our commitment to healing our environment is expanding.   Forty years ago some rivers were so polluted in the United States that they were actually catching on fire.   That's no so today.   

In the Church, we are bringing in some excellent, powerful new clergy leaders. Alleluia! Our lay folk are claiming new hope and leadership as well and the proof is in the excellent teams we have leading the ministry we share in the District where I am privileged to serve as a Superintendent.   We are collaborating as a broad community in new and exciting ways!   We are planting new Churches and encouraging experimentation in new kinds of outreach and ministry.

Are there challenges? Absolutely. Do we have struggles, the song says, "within and without?" You bet we do.    But we will not over come them if we assume a negative end. We will not find the creativity and energy to embrace an unknown future if we imagine defeat before we step into the battle.     I know.   Some of us are kind of addicted to our cynical, allegedly cool sense of detachment.  Well, it's time to kick the negativity habit and go cold turkey on complaining and nay saying.    It's time, today, to reach for an unreasonable, crazy and joyful enthusiasm.

Remember, the victory is already ours in what happened for us all on the cross.   It's been done!   Our call is to live into that victory with enthusiasm, with joy and with child-like wonder.

So when you set your alarm for tomorrow's rising. Know that someone else has already risen and calls us forward in joy.

My hope and my challenge to us all is that we will reclaim a criticism that was once leveled at us in the Wesleyan movement. We were told we were too enthusiastic and people went around saying, "Beware those singing Methodists...."

So I ask, what piece of the victory will you claim in your day tomorrow? What hope will you share? What joy will you spread? What healing will you offer? And who will you cause to smile because of your humor, your openness and your....enthusiasm?

In a very real way we create the future by the way we embrace this moment.   So, let us be co-creators of a joyful and brilliant tomorrow as we embrace this moment with joyful....enthusiasm.