A Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - July 6, 2023

Have you ever noticed that there is a difference between listening and hearing? When a sound happens near me, I hear it. Listening involves being active in searching to find the meaning in what I am hearing.  To truly listen you must give your undivided attention and set your own needs and agenda aside.

On Sunday we had the opportunity to spend some time together with the members of First Vietnamese United Methodist Church at the Albany Park Ministry Center. This provided time to hear each other’s’ stories. The space still has much work to be done, but I continue to work to listen to what God is calling from us at this time.

This week we will worship at Chicago Methodist Senior Services where we will continue our sermon series, “Drawn In.” We will be contemplating how God listens with us, and sharing with our friends there the fact that they are listened to and loved by God.

Peace,

Matthew

 An Exercise in Creativity: Listening Walk

This week I invite you to go to a nearby park with a camera sketchpad or journal. Pray for eyes to see and ears to hear God’s good news. Then, don’t rush things, just wait for something to catch your eye.

Once you see it, walk around and look for the proper perspective. Sit or lean near that thing. Notice its shape, the color, the smell in the air, the textures, the lighting, even the sounds around you. Take three deep breaths and thank God for the beauty of creation unfolding before you. Once you have settled in, use your camera, or your pencil to capture one image or phrase that grabbed your attention.

Then breath some more, pack up your things, and enjoy the rest of your walk.

A Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - June 29, 2023

This Sunday I begin my fourth year as the pastor at Berry United Methodist Church. The time has both gone so fast, and taken so long. Over these years Berry has been in the midst of many transitions. Whether it was maneuvering through the different phases of a pandemic, leaving the building that had housed our church for over one hundred years or worshipping at Borelli’s, things have been in flux. The coming weeks will continue to offer flux, but with an eye toward our future together.

This Sunday we will be worshipping in Albany Park. The space there is not completely renovated, and it is prepared for worship. We will be worshipping at the same time that First Vietnamese United Methodist Church worships. We will then have some shared fellowship together. This will be an opportunity to feel out the space. An opportunity to continue to discern how God is calling us to be at work in the world.

I invite you join us. When you do so, please carry some softness in your gaze. Imagine with us what could be. Dream with us.

We continue our worship series “Drawn In” where we examine how God is calling us to be cocreators in our world. I pray that you will choose to join us in the creative adventures that are ahead.

Peace,

Matthew

Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - June 22, 2023

Creativity

One of my favorite teachers was Mike Yaconelli. Mike was the founder of Youth Specialties. Although he passed away suddenly in 2003, his perspective on life and ministry has stuck with me. Particularly his perspective on creativity.

Mike pointed out that when you walk up to a four-year-old and ask them if they are an artist, almost all of them will say yes. If you ask them what they can draw, they will reply that they can draw anything. You want a tiger; they can draw a tiger. You want a self-portrait; they draw a self-portrait.

If you ask a four-year-old if they are a singer, almost all of them will say yes. If you ask them what they can sing, they will say that they can sing anything. It is this way for theater and music and art. Really anything that takes creativity.

In his experience the older a child gets, the less likely they are to say that they can do these creative things. For most of us, by the time we were teenagers we had narrowed our focus to a few things we were willing to offer the world. Many adults I know would not be comfortable doing any of these things for an audience, and most would not call themselves artists.

The thing is, you were made to be creative. You are made in the image of God, and God is the first and ultimate creator. When we live out our creativity, we live out who God made us to be.

Join us this Sunday at Borelli’s as we live into the dream that God has for us in the world.

Peace,

Matthew

An Opportunity For Creativity: Sketching God’s Long View

Clear a desk or table, grab some crayons or colored pencils and paper. Read the following passages and depict what is happening in them. Draw your own neighborhood or city or an international city you have visited as the modern context for these three scriptures describing God’s long view: Jeremiah 29:4-14, John 4:7-30, Isaiah 43:16-21. Don’t worry about being an artist, just make stick figures and symbols on paper when it helps. Have fun with it.

A Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - June 15, 2023

“You are a beloved child of God.”

It is the statement that we make each week that we lead dementia friendly worship at Chicago Methodist Senior Services. A statement that is rooted in the idea that every person on this earth was made in the image of God. Each of us was created with love and caring. Even when we feel we are not enough, we can know that God loves us and there is nothing we can do about it.

The next few weeks offer much to be excited about. We will continue out work of discernment around whether partnering together in Albany Park will allow us to do the ministry God calls us to do. This conversation will go on over a number of weeks in a number of venues. I hope you will be a part of those conversations.

Additionally, we are beginning a new worship series, “Drawn In.” We all spend so much time being driven rather than drawn in. The worship series that we begin this Sunday is based around our own creativity. Each of us is made in God’s image, yet we spend so much time being “driven” rather than “drawn in.” We focus on what we “should” do rather than what we feel excited and compelled to do in our lives. Friends, we are called to connect to our inherent creativity and nurture the foundational aspects of being human. When done authentically we can be filled with renewed energy for passionate work, delightful play, and creative problem solving to make this world a better place.

Please join us on the journey ahead of us. There is much to be drawn into.

Peace,

Matthew

Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - June 1, 2023

Yesterday Amundsen High School held its commencement ceremony. As I was walking my dog, I heard one of the graduates giving a speech. It reminded me of my own high school graduation. It was a time when I experienced many unknowns, yet so much hope for the future. 

I couldn’t help but wonder, what would I say to that eighteen-year-old me? Would I give warnings? Would I give advice or share aphorisms? 

Well, none of us has the opportunity to actually talk to our eighteen-year-old self. We do have the option of taking the advice that we would give ourselves and listening to it now. 

Although you may not be at the same crossroads of life that those students are at, take a moment to reflect on where you have been and where you hope to go. Take a moment to offer prayers of gratitude for the past. Take a moment to dream and offer prayers for the future. Possibly even take a moment to pray for those new graduates; that God will guide their feet on the journey ahead.

Peace,

Matthew

Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - May 25, 2023

The final moment of metamorphosis for a butterfly is when it launches into its new environment. It has reached that point where it is what it was always meant to be. Nothing can hold it back.

For followers of Jesus, the story of Pentecost is similar. It marks the transformation from scared disciples to bold proclaimers of what Jesus has done. It marks the transformation to a way of life that seeks to reach all of the world. It marks a metamorphosis of this faith into a cosmic movement for all.  

In the midst of this celebration, we find ourselves in a nation where state governments are clamping down on the rights of trans people to express themselves, gain access to life-affirming healthcare and offer care for their children. We find ourselves at the anniversary of a terrible school shooting, and in the midst of a worldwide refugee and migrant crisis. 

I bring these things up, not to state that we are to turn to despair, but to point out that in the midst of a faith of resurrection and transformation we are called to continue to reach out in love and service to our neighbors. We are called to continue to affect policy changes that reflect God’s love for all those around us. 

Join us this Sunday as we step into who we are meant to be while celebrating Pentecost and all of the ways that God continues to call us into service in this world. 

Peace,

Matthew

Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - May 18, 2023

“How is it with your soul?” This is the question that John Wesley used to guide conversations in the small groups that began the Methodist movement. The hoped for answer is not, “good” or “fine.” Instead, we are asked to share the struggles that we are experiencing, and to testify to our faith.

During the last few years, we have experienced a time of deep unease. Between the ongoing pandemic and the ongoing struggles to dismantle white supremacy almost every aspect of our lives has been affected. This simple question, “How is it with your soul?” is one that carries with it the opportunity to share from our hearts. 

At our most recent church conference, Berry adopted a single board structure for leadership. As a way to increase communication we will be holding quarterly congregational meetings. This Sunday will be the first of those meetings. 

A primary purpose of the leadership of the church is to walk with people on their own path as disciples of Jesus Christ. The question, “How is it with your soul?” has become a central element of our time together. 

I hope that you can join us on Sunday as we share with one another authentically and from the heart.

Peace,

Matthew  

Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - May 11, 2023

The scene is set

Flowers are arranged

Friends are guided to their seats

Beloved children of God

Singing

Reading

Prayer

Sharing from who we are

A blessing

A goodbye

This is the scene on the second Sunday of the month at Chicago Methodist Senior Services. During our time together change occurs. God is at work both in those from Berry and in those from CMSS as we worship together. 

Metamorphosis is an interesting metaphor for our faith. Each of us goes through our own times of changing; our own times of emerging from our cocoons. Every one of us has a different experience of metamorphosis. A different way that God acts in us and through us in the world.

It is my hope that the opportunity to engage in a worship experience that is meaningful and generous allows each of us to form a connection with those around us, and with the ever-present God with us. 

Peace,

Matthew

Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - May 4, 2023

“How does one become a butterfly?” she asked pensively.

“You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

Hope For the Flowers

Looking at a caterpillar on a plant it is hard to imagine that it will soon be a butterfly. How does a being that resembles something closer to a worm become something that floats through the air? 

Our journey of faith is one that carries with it many changes. It would be far easier to stay the same, to continue to crawl, but what if we are willing to take the chance to create that place where change can happen? What if we have the faith to then emerge from our own cocoons?

This week we will hear about Lazarus, the person who Jesus raised from the dead and his waking, rolling away the stone and unwrapping what will be. I hope that you can join us as we continue our series “Emerge: A Metamorphosis Moment.”

Peace,

Matthew

Message from Rev. Matthew Krings - April 13, 2023

Butterflies have always caught my attention. There is something about the way that they seem to float effortlessly through the air that is inspiring. Whether it was in a classroom with a caterpillar that we fed or at home with one that we found in the yard, the drive that these tiny insects have to create a cocoon and emerge changed is encouraging. 

There are times that creation itself provides the most inspirational metaphors for our faith. In this season of Easter, we will examine the emerging that is found in our own stories of faith. Like caterpillars it can be hard to imagine the new life that is in store for us. It can feel safer to stay enclosed in our cocoons, but we are told again and again that new life, abundant life, is here for us today.

I hope that you can join us.

Peace,

Matthew