On the Oregon Trail
I fly to Portland on Monday to look in on the UMC General Conference. Having been a delegate to these quadrennial events every time since 1980, I’ve enjoyed looking in online this time without doing all the homework or enduring the sometimes endless debates over details of parliamentary procedure. It will be good to visit with friends from around the world and to see how the Spirit is moving among “the people called Methodist.”
General Conference is an utterly-unique, globally-diverse, spiritually-uplifting, legislatively-tedious, linguistically-challenging, organizationally-dysfunctional and physically-exhausting experience in denominational life that could fit Winston Churchill’s description of democracy as being the worst form of government except for everything else. With all of its strengths and weaknesses, it’s a living body that represents who we are as a global church family. Tom Berlin offered an accurate description of it in his blog.
The Poet of Pentecost
Providentially, this Sunday mid-way through the Conference is Pentecost, the day on which the Holy Spirit descended like flames of fire on the first disciples and the Church was born (Acts 2:1-21). It’s worth hoping that just as people from all around the world were gathered in Jerusalem that day, that the global family gathered in Portland will once again experience the fire of the Spirit energizing us to passionately and powerfully fulfill our mission to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
The Pentecost story reminded me of these lines from T.S. Eliot. They are worth reading several times.
The dove descending breaks the air
With flame of incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre-
To be redeemed from fire by fire.
Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
We only live, only suspire
Consumed by either fire or fire.
Both in the church and in the world, these are critical days to be reminded that we will be “consumed by either fire or fire.”
I take that to mean that we get to choose the fires of selfishness, anger, hostility, division, meanness, envy and greed, or the fire of the Holy Spirit which the New Testament defines as “love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:16-25) Our only hope lies in the choice “to be redeemed from fire by fire.”
May God’s people everywhere experience a fiery Pentecost.
Grace and peace,
Jim
Jim Harnish 
Did You noticeâ¦did they sing âAnd Are We Yet Aliveâ in the opening worship service? I didnât watch it, and I am including reference to it in my sermon
Yes. It was basically a solo, to a new tune, worked into the flow of the music.
Safe Travels Jim. I assume you heard about the Bishop’s fall out there?
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Hi Jim,
Thank you so much for your translation of TSE’s poem into an inspiring Pentecost message.
I’m glad you will be in Portland for Gen. Conference. (Kay and Bill Hutchinson are there. I hope you will have an opportunity to see them.) I hope that you, with the Holy Spirit, will be able to give guidance to the delegates as they vote on the difficult issues.
Please tell Ken Carter we are praying for a full and speedy recovery from his injury this week.
Have a wonderful time in Portland, and have a safe and comfortable trip home.
Our love to you and Martha.
Grace and peace, Tom >
Jim, thank you for the relevant and inspiring Pentecost message. Novie
Now that you’ve arrived in Portland, listened to the proceedings, and now have learned of the vote to delay, revisit, review…, what do you think? Your opinion always means a great deal to me.
Marcia
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Judy might have sent this to you, but just in case….great time with Frank, Rona, Cassie and her Brandon. Now we will have two Brandons in the family.