Pastor's Note
A word from Reverend, Mark Buenafe, Senior Pastor

Ephesians 4:1-6, NRSVUEWWJD 

(What Would Jesus Do?)

Today I'd like to consider WWJD. The answer is not always so simple.

It reminds me of a story of the man who once borrowed a book from an acquaintance. As he read through it, he was intrigued to find parts of the book underlined with the letters YBH written in the margin. When he returned the book to the owner, he asked what YBH meant. The owner replied that the underlined paragraphs were sections of the book that he basically agreed with. They gave him hints on how to improve himself and pointed out truths that he wished to incorporate into his life. However, the letters YBH stood for "Yes, but how?"

When it comes to WWJD, what would Jesus do, there's another question to ask. YBH: Yes, but how? We know how Christians like us should live, and we generally have the best of intentions. And we know we want to live like Jesus. WWJD. But the further issue is YBH: Yes, but how?

As your new pastor effective July 1st, I am thrilled to become a part of the Mariposa United Methodist Church's "Bridge Year" as DS Mary Maaga describes it, where the congregation (under my guidance) takes the time to dig deeper into your:

Goals: Where are we headed?
Reality: Where are we starting from?
Options: How can we get there?
Will: What will it take to there?

This is a lot like WWJD and YBH if you think about it. We will develop a written Mission Action Plan (MAP) to guide the Mariposa church forward into the future. Do I have a lot to learn about your church and you, its people, in the process? Sure! Am I up to the task? God willing, absolutely!

Which brings us back to: What would Jesus do? To me, that's the clincher. I believe we are all called into the kingdom of God, but sometimes to reach unity, to enter into agreements and be in harmony, we've got to hash things out, struggle to listen, and yet also speak the truth, as we understand it. And the Scripture tells us how.

As Paul's letter to the believers in the town of Ephesus instructs: "I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
[Ephesians 4:1-6, NRSVUE, emphasis added.]

Did you catch that? It means that we must act with humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing one another in love, and that includes yours truly. At least we'll give it our best shot! It certainly sounds like a plan to me.

I believe that as United Methodists, we are here to glorify God and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God who is Creator of us all, who is over all, through all and in all, as our Scripture says.  WWJD is the question we hope to ask, and YBH is how we hope to consider the possibilities for implementing it.

There will be opportunities in the coming weeks to meet with me with small groups of parishioners, as I get to know you and the rest of the congregation, and vice versa. Be sure to keep an eye out for scheduled times where you can join us.

And thank you from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity!

Shalom,
Rev. Robin Mathews-Johnson