Historic gathering of the United Methodist General Conference has opened in Charlotte, North Carolina. April 23 – May 3, 2024.
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Eden is in the house! So many Eden alumni. Eden Trustee, Matt Miofsky, pastor of The Gathering and conference delegate reflected after day one, “There is a spirit of genuine cooperation and desire to make the church better. I’m hopeful that this conference we will finally make moves towards being a more just, open, and effective church.”
In the opening sermon, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, outgoing president of the UMC Council of Bishops added clarity to the Conference theme “…and Know that I am God” by quoting Eden’s Dr. Clint McCann on Psalm 46. “Be still” in Ps. 46:10 may be best translated as “Stop it,” the ultimate ceasefire.
Bishop Bickerton proclaims that “God is in this place… “Stop it. Just stop it. Stop the nonsense of a war. Stop the violence of yet another mass shooting. Or even just stop the hamster wheel of the way we’ve been going about this work and realize that God is here, available to calm our fears, focus our priorities and guide us into the promised land of a new day.”
Want to go deeper into “Be Still” as “Stop it”? Check out Dr. McCann’s treatment of Psalm 46 in the “The New Interpreter’s Bible” Vol. 4 or in the “Working Preacher” online journal October 28, 2012 www.workingpreacher.org.
An upcoming book “Reading the Psalms Again for the First Time: A Spirituality for Justice-Seekers and Peacemakers” will include a section on Psalm 46. Find more Clint McCann books at the Eden Seminary Bookstore
