Appropriate Guilt?

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Appropriate Guilt?

August 16, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 45:1-15                     Matthew 15:10-28                 Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

If I were to ask you what you knew, or what you thought about guilt, what would come into your mind?

As I considered that, there were a range of things that presented themselves from my memory. There is, of course, the caricature of the old school, old-fashioned, Catholic or Jewish mother who used guilt to motivate the people around her, and according to them, everyone should feel guilty for just about everything. I have also heard the church described with similar accusations, that the purpose of the church is to use guilt to consolidate the power that it has over the people who worship there and to manipulate them for its own profit. At the other end of that spectrum are the people that we see on social media, and in some mainline media outlets, who claim that all guilt is fabricated and that no one has any real need to feel guilty for anything. And, while I think that this attitude goes too far, and is frankly, dangerous, there is truth to the idea that we need not feel guilty for everything, even when we sometimes genuinely feel guilty.

But if we agree that there are legitimate things for which we should feel guilt, then somewhere in the middle of that continuum between feeling guilty for everything, and feeling guilty for nothing, there is place where we should, legitimately, feel guilty. But where is that place? And still, the answer to that is complicated and not everyone agrees, but we can learn something from what we find in scripture as we examine the guilt of the people, and in what Jesus, and the writers of scripture, had to say about it. We begin by reading from

Genesis 45:1-15 where our story has skipped several years ahead in telling the tale of Joseph’s slavery in Egypt. Since his brothers sold him to a traveling caravan of merchants, Joseph was sold into slavery, proven himself to be conspicuously honest and faithful, as well as being a skilled manager. He was falsely accused of rape, thrown into prison, but rescued by Pharaoh himself when Joseph was able to interpret the nightmares that had been plaguing Pharaohs dreams. As we rejoin the story, Joseph is now second in authority only to Pharaoh and is overseeing the survival of all Egypt during a seven-year famine. It is then that Joseph’s brothers had come to Egypt to buy food, had not recognized him because by now he looked thoroughly Egyptian, and had been manipulated by Joseph, on an earlier visit, into bringing along Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin, who was born to the same mother. I apologize for the long introduction, but our lectionary skipped forward at least a decade, past nearly the entire story and the background is helpful to our understanding.

45:1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So, there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me… you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise, you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’

12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”

14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

And all of that brings us to what we heard in the first lines of that passage, that once the brothers learned that this powerful Egyptian ruler was actually their brother Joseph, “they were terrified in his presence.” As we heard last week, the brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, fabricated evidence that he had been killed by wild animals, lied to their father about what had happened, and then lived with what they had done for at least a decade or so. With the exception of Benjamin, who wasn’t there, they all knew exactly what they had done, they all realized that Joseph’s dream in which all of the brothers bowed down to him had come true in spectacular fashion, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine what he could do to them now that he had nearly unlimited power over them.

It wasn’t difficult at all to imagine that he would want revenge for what they had done, but instead of being angry, he immediately tells them not to be distressed or even to be angry with themselves for what they had done. Rather than offering his brothers a cold dish of revenge, Joseph instead offers them forgiveness and his understanding that, through their actions, and through his time of slavery, God had sent him ahead of them so that he could save the lives of his family, and tens of thousands others through the preparations that he had directed in the nation of Egypt before the famine struck.

It was obvious to everyone that the brothers had good reason to feel guilty and had need of Joseph’s forgiveness. But what if the circumstances aren’t as clear? How do we know what sorts of things are appropriate for which to carry guilt and require forgiveness? While they do not offer a clear guideline or rule, the stories of Jesus in Matthew 15:10-20-28 do offer us some clarity as he explains why it isn’t a sin for his disciples to eat without washing their hands:

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”

16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So, his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes, it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

First, Jesus calls the people to both listen to his words, and to understand them, which are two separate things. Jesus continues by saying that what we eat, whether that is eaten with washed hands, or implying even suggesting prohibited foods, are not the things that make us guilty, sinful, corrupt, or defiled. What marks us as sinful and defiled are the words and language that come out of our mouths. The Pharisees, who had a great many rules about what observant Jews were, and were not, allowed to eat, were offended by what Jesus had said, but Jesus accuses them of being blind and teaching things about which they had no real knowledge. And then Jesus explains more clearly that food does nothing more than go into your mouth, pass through your stomach, and come out the other end. But that the words that come out of our mouths are the product of what is in our hearts. It is the heart that is the source of evil such as murder, adultery, immorality, theft, perjury, false witness, and slander. These are the things that require forgiveness and should cause appropriate guilt but eating with unwashed hands is not at all in the same category.

In the next story, Jesus is asked to heal a daughter that is demon possessed. We do not know if these were real demons, or if the girl had something that the ancient world blamed on demons but was a sort of disability or disease that we would recognize as something different. In either case, when the woman demonstrates her great faith and understanding to Jesus, knowing that even a healing miracle such as this is just a crumb of the power that he possesses, Jesus heals the girl without ever meeting her. In this case, there is no guilt at all. Jesus does not blame the girl or her mother for her suffering, though some in that culture may well have done so.

But what do we do with what we have learned? And what do we do with the knowledge that we have? In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, in Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32, he says:

11:1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.

29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Paul makes several things clear. God did not reject the Jews. God’s gifts and God’s invitation are permanent and never rescinded. Paul also clarifies that God never compels anyone to disobedience or sin but has declared, as a judge or jury would, that some are guilty so that they might see their need for forgiveness. But an important bit for all of us is that the Jews have now become disobedient so that they might see their need for forgiveness and can receive mercy from God because of God’s mercy to us. What does that mean? It means that because we have received God’s mercy, because we have confessed our guilt and sin, and because we have been forgiven, we can now pass that blessing on to others. The Jews brought about the faith and the nation of Israel, and that in turn brought about the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was then shared with the Gentiles, with us, and now Gentiles are called to share Jesus and his forgiveness with the Jewish people and with everyone who does not yet know him.

There are several things to take away with you today. Yes, there are things for which we should feel guilty, and for which we are in need of forgiveness. But we need not feel guilty for everything. With that said, because we have been forgiven by Jesus, we are called to share that opportunity with others who haven’t yet heard the message of the Gospel.

The question you must answer for yourselves is this: Will the words and actions that come from your heart be ones that require forgiveness, or will they be ones that lead others to Jesus?

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev.  John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

The Chasm Between Theory and Practice

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The Chasm Between Theory and Practice

August 09, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28                        Matthew 14:22-33                 Romans 10:5-15

In my high school marching band, there was a phrase that we used whenever we learned new shows. We would learn the music in the band room or wherever else we practiced, but to learn the movements on the field, our director would have charts that plotted everyone’s movements. Once we were in position, the director, charts in hand, would move from squad to squad and explain how we were to move during the next section of the music. Once everyone knew what we were supposed to do, we would begin playing, or just begin marching, and proceed to follow his instructions. That sounds straightforward, right?

And it was… except when it wasn’t.

You see, the director’s movement charts only mapped the beginning position of each squad and the place where they would end. But sometimes, during the movement from one place to another, there would be a conflict in which two or more squads attempted to move through the same location. When that happened, we would stop, shake out heads, and say, “Well… it worked on paper.” It worked on paper, but not on the field in practice. It wasn’t a huge problem, and we always found a way to work through, or around, it, but you can see how such things can happen. There is always a gap between mapping things on paper and an actual marching band on the field. There is a chasm between theory and practice.

In military circles, there is an often-repeated quote from 19th-century Prussian field marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder that says, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” And this principle is so common that even boxing great Mike Tyson has summarized it by saying, “Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth.”

In other words, there is a chasm between theory and practice.

And we see that gap, that chasm, in scripture as well. We begin this morning with a story about Jacob’s second to youngest son, Joseph that we find in Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28.

37:1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornaterobe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

And here the lectionary skips ahead for brevity, but it is worth noting that in the passages that are skipped, Joseph tells his brothers about a dream in which they all bow down before him, and he is the ruler over them. Obviously, this does not go over too well.

12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied.

14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”

So, Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

28 So, when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekelsof silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

As one might expect when there are ten brothers plotting against the eleventh brother, things get complicated quickly. As a group, they plot to kill Joseph because of his dreams, because he is their father’s favorite, and because he ratted them out and told their father that they had been slacking off in some way. But Reuben, the eldest brother, determines to save Joseph’s life and return him to their father. And, while he manages to save Joseph’s life, before he can rescue Joseph from the bottom of an empty cistern, Judah, the fourth eldest, convinces everyone to sell Joseph into slavery. They then sell Joseph for twenty pieces of silver, about two and a half years wages for a shepherd, and that amount is further divided by ten, so they each end up with about a three-month bonus for selling their own brother. Purely in terms of the raw silver involved, they each take away about $40 at today’s silver prices. No matter how you slice it, it isn’t much for the life of your own brother. In theory, getting rid of a troublemaking, dreamer of a brother sounded good. But there was a chasm between the theory and the reality of actually going home, lying to your father, and living with what they had done.

Although it is a little less dramatic, we see something similar in the story of Jesus, and Peter, walking on water in Matthew 14:22-33, where it says:

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

We’ve all heard this before. Jesus finally gets the chance to be alone and pray, waits until dawn, and then walks on the lake out to his disciples who are still struggling against the wind. The disciples are afraid, Jesus calms them, and Jesus invites Peter to get out of the boat and join him. Peter, to his credit, immediately does so, and he does, incredibly, walk on water with Jesus. But Matthew says, “when he saw the wind, he was afraid.” Peter thought it was a good idea. He asked Jesus to invite him, Jesus did so, and Peter eagerly accepted the invitation, got out of the boat, and physically walked on water. And then reality punched him in the mouth. It sounded like a great idea in theory. If Jesus can do it, and if Jesus invites me to do it, then I can walk on water. And it works… right up until he realizes that he is walking on water, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, during a storm, and he sees the wind and the waves… and he panics because reality was much different than how he imagined it.

There is a chasm between theory and practice.

And this chasm, this separation, is what Paul is pointing to in Romans 10:5-15 when he explains, to the church in Rome, the difference between grand ideas of spirituality and the practical reality of true faith. Paul says:

5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Paul says that righteousness under the law means following all the rules, but righteousness by faith is different. It is not some lofty aspiration to ascend into heaven because of your meditation, or study, or fervent desire, and it is not some grand pilgrimage or crusade like the labors of Hercules. Instead, genuine faith is near you. It lives in your mouth in the way that you speak, it lives in your heart in the way that you live and in the way that you treat others. Believing in Jesus, truly, in your heart, is all that is necessary to be justified before God and that is true for every person on the planet. There are no divisions within the followers of God. There is no separation between Jews, Greeks, Romans, or Gentiles, no separation between nationalities, no division because of race or gender, no classification by class or wealth. ““Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

But once again, we must be careful of the chasm between theory and practice because Paul doesn’t stop with nice thoughts about unity and being together in one family with Jesus. All that is true, and it is all important, but Paul immediately points out what that all means. Paul asks us, that if there is no division between Jews and Gentile, and if everyone from every nation and every race are brothers and sisters, then how will the world call on a Messiah that they do not know? How can the people from every nation, tribe, and race believe in Jesus if no one has told them who he is?

The answer is so obvious that Paul doesn’t even say it. The answer if that if you have faith, if you believe, if you have been made righteous before God by the blood of Jesus Christ, then a part of your calling is to do what you can so that the people of the world can hear the good news.

Faith isn’t just pie in the sky by and by, it is dirty, boots on the ground, evangelism.

There is a chasm between theory and practice.

Theory is easy… until reality punches you in the face.

What will you do so that the world can hear the good news of Jesus Christ?

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev.  John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

When Plans Fail

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When Plans Fail

August 02, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 32:22-31                   Matthew 14:13-21                 Romans 9:1-5

Most of us have seen an abundance of memes on the internet. One that stands out and matches the theme of today’s message is one that simply said, “If I had to describe my life in one sentence, it would be, “Did not go according to plan.” And the meme is funny because that resonates with our lived experience. We missed an interview because of a flat tire, a missed airline connection meant that our cruise ship sailed without us, our late flight meant that we spent the night at the airport so we could catch our connecting flight on the next day, we cancelled our family vacation because we spent the money at the orthodontist, or because one of our children had to stay home to attend summer school, or any one of a thousand other things.

The only rule that seems predictable is that life is not predictable and rarely goes according to plan. I once added an additional year of college because while I had planned to attend a summer class at Ohio Northern after four weeks of training for the Army, when I arrived in Virgina I was told that my orders were incorrect and the class was not four weeks, but six. It was frustrating, but life is like that, and we learn to adapt or we end up bitter and angry about things that we have no power to change. And, as we read our scriptures for today, we are reminded that the people we meet in the Bible had the same sorts of problems that we have experienced. Even God’s prophets, the patriarchs of the Old Testament, the disciples, and Jesus himself were not immune. We begin today by rejoining the story of Jacob and Esau as Jacob hopes to spend the night alone, thinking and planning how he will meet his brother Esau the next morning. But even that does not go according to plan. Reading from Genesis 32:22-31, we hear this:

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

Jacob clearly did not plan to spend the entire night wrestling with a stranger. It is frustrating that scripture tells us nothing about where the stranger came from, or how the two decided to wrestle, but by morning, Jacob had decided that the stranger must have been God himself. If this was indeed God in human flesh, as we noted in another story a month or so ago, this might well be a Christophany, an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament. In any case, rather than spending the evening in thought and meditation before his meeting with Esau, Jacob exhausts himself wrestling with God physically rather than emotionally or spiritually. Worse yet, as he fears his confrontation with Esau, and worries what his brother’s reaction will be to their meeting, after spending decades believing that he had swindled his brother out of his inheritance, or at least believing that Esau believed that he had been swindled, Jacob now arrives at their meeting with a distinct limp and permanent physical disability. Even for Jacob, who was known to manipulate the people and the circumstances around him, life did not go the way that he had planned. Instead, he followed God’s plan, and received not only his father’s blessing, but God’s as well.

And, as we read the introduction to the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand in Matthew 14:13-21, we discover that the entire encounter was an accident.

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus hadn’t planned to preach. He hadn’t planned to gather a crowd. He wasn’t even planning to work. Instead, Jesus was trying to escape the business of his ministry, find a quiet place, pray, and rest. But the crowd had other plans. Since the people on foot could travel faster than the disciples in a boat, they watched Jesus leave the shore, followed the boat as it sailed, or rowed, estimated where Jesus was going, and arrived there before he did. And rather than send them away, Jesus had compassion on them and healed whatever sick persons that they had brought with them.

And because no one had planned to be in the middle of nowhere at dinnertime, no one had planned to feed fifteen or twenty thousand people. And so, one of Jesus’ greatest miracles happened, not because Jesus or his disciples planned it, but simply because life had not gone according to plan. Or at least, not according to the plans of humans, but completely according to God’s plan. But, as we read Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, in Romans 9:1-5, we realize that even when things go according to God’s plan, we may sometimes mourn that things cannot go another way. Here, Paul says:

9:1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Paul says that, if it were up to him, he would accept curses upon himself and give up his salvation in Jesus Christ, if by doing so he could convince the Jewish people to accept Jesus and follow him. Instead, he mourns with great sorrow and anguish because his people had made their own choices and had chosen another path. As much as he wanted a different result, no amount of planning or sacrifice on his part could change the choices that his people had made, or the harvest that they would reap for turning their backs on Jesus.

Our own lived experience has taught us that life often does not go according to plan. Jacob’s meeting did not go according to plan. Even Jesus’ time of quiet and rest did not go according to plan. And we find that though we might sometimes be frustrated when that happens to us, we realize that we rest in God’s hands, and trust that his plans are always better than ours. Like Jacob, God often chooses to bless us through our times of unplanned struggle. But we also find that sometimes, as much as we trust in God’s plan, we may mourn over the choices that our friends, family, and coworkers make for their own lives. No matter how hard we work, we cannot make the choice to follow Jesus for anyone other than ourselves. We cannot rescue another for eternity, no matter how much we love them, by sacrificing ourselves or taking their place. 

And while we may mourn for those who reject Jesus, we are not powerless.

Our strength lies in living a life that follows the teachings of Jesus and in sharing the message of hope, compassion, and rescue that we have found in the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We cannot decide for others, but we can tell the message of Jesus, give them hope, and pray that they will make that choice for themselves.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev.  John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Thirteen

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Subcamp Delta Two now empty at the end of Departure Day

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Thirteen

July 31, 2026

by John Partridge

Our last day began long before dawn. One bus full of scouts had left late last night after the closing stage show and more would begin to arrive at the Ruby Welcome Center when they opened at 5:00 am. That meant that they would arrive in our camp by 5:30 am. I had asked my tent mate, Bob, who was a early riser, to wake me by five, but I woke up when he was getting dressed at 4:00 am and decided I wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep. I got up, got dressed, did the usual morning things, and headed to breakfast. Breakfast, by this point, was wearing a little thin. I was in the Army Reserve for ten years. I know how to doctor up institutional eggs to make them palatable, but the dining hall had run out of hot sauce several days earlier. Moreover, most breakfast foods were the same from day to day, or repeated every few days, and it was all starting to get old, especially when, for no discernible reason, my entire breakfast was served cold for the last few days. Still, it was more than I made for myself at home, so my complaints are really only halfhearted in this regard and I remain enormously grateful for the staff that fed us every day.

After breakfast, I picked out my take away lunch selections and headed back to camp. Once there, I checked in to see if I was needed anywhere, and then began packing up my gear and moving my truck closer to my tent for loading, and for my secondary objective of rescuing food and other useful items from the trash. A little background may be necessary here. As I watched the final day in previous Jamborees, a great many things are left behind. Exactly what is left varies from year to year, particularly as the population of scout troops vary in how they arrived, whether that be by plane, train, bus, car caravan, or whether they brought a troop trailer with them. But no matter how they plan to get home, there are things that just don’t “make the cut” for being worthwhile to take home. Troops that will fly home won’t be able to take much at all with them, those who rented buses can take a little more but are still, by necessity, fairly selective, while troops with their own trailers can take home almost anything that they want. But, at the end of the day, forty seven troops are going to leave behind a lot of stuff. I have seen the contents of that pile of stuff include everything from tents to (lots of) lost water bottles, and always a discouraging amount of food.

And so, for the next several hours, I patrolled between our office tent and the dumpster, picking out discarded things and intercepting scouts with wagons full of perfectly good food. To be fair, you need to understand that during the Jamboree, each morning troops would come to the commissary tent and draw food for the day, but at the end of the day any and all unused food was to be returned to the commissary or turned in at a tent next door for donation to local food pantries. But… there were exceptions. Perishable foods, such as fresh fruits and some meats, could not be returned because they could not be legally accepted by food pantries in West Virginia. Fortunately, I was under no such restraint and so, I redirected as much of this as I could to the back of my pickup truck. On several occasions I meant to get a photo but got busy and forgot each time. Still, by the time the last troop of scouts departed, I had collected a bunch of practically new 2 x 4 boards, five large soup pots, a mostly new plastic bucket from Lowe’s, five or six boxes of oranges, a half a box of apples, several plastic totes of various sizes, a full set (or more) of plastic mixing bowls with lids, a bunch of water bottles, about ten boxes of snacks and lunch items from jerky to chips, to nuts and cereal bars, as well as a couple reams of paper, a stapler, staples, mosquito repellent wrist bands, and a bunch of other stuff.

By noon, Josh and I had repacked and loaded everything in my truck and covered it all with my bungee cargo net, said our goodbyes to the people who had become our Jamboree family, and began our trip home. But first, we drove up the hill to take a photo (above) of our empty camp after our village of two-thousand scouts and scout leaders had departed. After an hour or two on the road we stopped for lunch at Wendy’s rather than eat more of the trail food we’d had for two weeks, filled up on gas, refilled on caffeine, and continued north. Sometime later, we unexpectedly lost a lane to construction (I might have been a little tired) and, while I successfully avoided all of the orange traffic cones, there was, apparently, a sign that stuck out into our lane a bit farther that the cones, and as we passed, it reached out an bit my rear-view mirror. No other damage, but I will need to buy a replacement for that on Ebay this week. In any case, we arrived home safely by dinner time, were welcomed in my driveway by my lovely wife Patti, and the smiling, laughing greeting of our grandson. We sent some oranges home with Josh and his parents and unloaded all of the food before dark to keep neighborhood critters from helping themselves.

After carrying all of my stuff to my room, the remainder of my evening was pleasantly spent sitting in my recliner and babysitting the little guy.

By ten o’clock, our grandson was asleep and, having been awake since 4:00 am, I was completely exhausted and fell into bed.

I think that I may add one more post to this series to fill out a few details and wrap up a few loose ends so stay tuned. Otherwise, you are welcome to hang around because this is where I post my weekly sermons, monthly newsletter articles, and other more occasional writing projects. If that appeals to you, I invite you to hit the subscribe button that appears on this page.

Let’s meet here again soon.

Blessings,

Pastor John.

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Twelve

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Fog rises from Subcamp Delta Two

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Twelve

July 30, 2026

by John Partridge

My morning was ordinary. I was up before 6:30 am, and to breakfast before 7:00 am. After breakfast I read a little and then walked through our camp to check on the Chaplain’s Aides with each troop in my half of our subcamp to see if they had finished the requirements to earn a special Jamboree patch. I found a few, but unfortunately, most of them were already out of camp so, I determined that I would try again in the afternoon when they were back in camp to make dinner and before they all left again to go to the closing show.

When I returned to our headquarters, I was told to be ready for whenever a driver would be available to take be to the far side of camp where my truck was parked so that I could bring it nearby for loading and departure tomorrow. When my ride finally came, it went to the wrong parking lot (a closer one) and asked if they could change vehicles so that we could ride in a regular truck instead of a four-wheeler for such a long trip. I agreed, but needed to go to the final chaplain staff meeting and group photo first. Once that was done, we successfully retrieved my truck, and not long after that I tried once again to find my half of the Chaplain’s Aides. One of our scouts with Down’s Syndrome was very happy, and his leaders (and a parent, I think) took pictures of the presentation. I managed to find most of them and presented the award patch to those few who had completed the requirements. A few more might bring me their completed forms tomorrow morning before they board their buses for home.

Later this evening, we all headed to the main Jamboree stage and amphitheater for the closing show. I stayed for a while, but returned to camp as it started to get dark. With my hearing loss, I really don’t enjoy the shows very much and after sitting for over an hour, I was getting uncomfortable anyway. Instead, I returned to camp and started writing rather than staying up even later to post this.

As I mentioned, the first bus is scheduled to pull out before midnight, and we just saw those buses pulling in now so it will likely be even earlier, as soon as that troop returns from the show and can get loaded. One or two more are scheduled to arrive at the Jamboree welcome center around 5:00 am, a bunch around 8:00 am, ten more at 9:00 am and the scouts should be gone shortly after noon. With any luck, the staff will be mostly loaded and the camp cleaned up shortly after that and we will be released to head home. Some of the troops even chose to pack their tents this evening and sleep under the stars to save a little time in the morning. No matter how much fun we have had, I think all of us are ready to head home and sleep in our own beds.

Navy skydivers bring the American flag

I am still hoping to post one or two more blogs before I wrap up this series so stay tuned.

Hopefully, we will meet here again soon.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Eleven

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Clouds over Subcamp Delta Two

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Eleven

July 29, 2026

by John Partridge

Unlike yesterday, today was filled with activity from end to end.

I was up at the usual time, and headed to breakfast not long after seven, then returned to camp, took a shower, checked my messages, sent a few messages and emails, and then headed for the far side of camp to the Faith and Beliefs area. On the way there, I stopped at several tents and earned patches from the National Park Service, got my scouting belt branded with (part of) the 2026 Jamboree logo, talked to some folks at the Sea Scouts tent, checked out a couple displays, and watched the Jamboree band. At the Faith and Beliefs area, I earned patches (and other things) from several places, including a few extras to give away to friends at the American Legion. At the Jewish tent, I was given the privilege of reading from a copy of the Torah, and by the end of my time in that area I had my “patch sheet” signed by at least seven denominations, which earned me yet another patch for my collection.

At that point, I looked at my watch and realized that I only had 20 or 25 minutes to get back for a meeting (and ice cream) so I speed walked back. Even though I arrived a little late, I still had plenty of time to get in line for ice cream, watch an awards presentation for base camp chiefs (snore), and then stand for a group photo of our Contingent Operations team.

Once I returned from that, I got to sit down for an hour or so before I had to head over to Delta Medical for my shift at the hospital from four to eight. While there I talked with a number of young people who had been injured as well as their friends who found themselves stuck in a waiting room for an hour or two. I also spoke with a few of the hospital staff (what they do isn’t easy) and a couple parents of injured scouts. Once I completed my shift at the hospital, my friend Terry drove me to subcamp Echo where Josh, my Chaplain’s Assistant, was receiving a certificate along with a few other young people designated as “Aides to Chief.” While I arrived towards the end of their meeting, they were appreciative of my being there and of my mentoring of Josh for the last two weeks. Then, before it got too dark, Josh and I hiked back to our home at subcamp Delta Two. Overall, LOTS of miles walked today.

Tomorrow, we will be allowed to bring our vehicles to our subcamp from the faraway parking lots where they have resided since we arrived two weeks ago. In the afternoon there will be more group pictures, and in the evening we will have the big concluding stage show. At least one of our scout troops will leave for home after the final show, others will leave starting around five in the morning and, if all goes well, all of the scouts will be on their way home by lunchtime. Both during and after that, we have equipment that must be packed up, and other things that must be done before the area is declared “clear” and we are given permission to go home.

In any case, that is what we *expect* to happen. It remains to be seen whether it actually will work out that way.

Meet me back here tomorrow, and I’ll let you know.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Ten

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The stage at tonight’s Basecamp Bash

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Ten

July 28, 2026

by John Partridge

Unlike yesterday, today went much as I expected, but that doesn’t mean that I accomplished much.

I had originally thought that I might spend some time today on the other side of the lake checking out the exhibits around the Faith and Beliefs area and around the Summit Center. But the weather forecast was for two inches of rain and strong thunderstorms, so instead I just planned to stay near our camp and be available.

Watching the rain from our pavilion

I did visit a couple troops in their campsites and follow up with some of the folks that I mentioned in earlier posts, but overall I didn’t do much except try to stay out of the rain when it was raining, and try to stay hydrated and in the shade when it wasn’t (because it was hot and humid).

After dinner, I headed down the street to the Delta Basecamp Bash, a concert, but also games (tug-of-war, twister, watermelon seed spitting, an inflatable animal “petting zoo”, and others) along with some free samples of food, but also a few concessions. The chaplains were asked to be a “visible presence” so my friend Doug and I went over for a couple hours and then headed back. Everyone seemed to find something that they liked and was having a good time. Doug and I, both of us being extroverts (him more than me) had fun just stopping periodically to meet new people and chat them up.

I will head for bed soon and, although more rain is expected overnight, tomorrow is supposed to be clear and cooler so, perhaps I will try to go see some things tomorrow before I have meetings and a shift at the hospital tomorrow.

Let’s meet back here again tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Nine

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The moon hides behind the clouds above Subcamp Delta Two

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Nine

July 27, 2026

by John Partridge

Today did not go according to plan.

But doesn’t that hold true for much of our lives?

As a chaplain at the Jamboree, it is common for me to hold my plans loosely. Other than the big stage events and my hospital shifts, plans often change during the course of the day. When the day started, I anticipated that I would meet with the young woman who was struggling with homesickness and take her to the archery range, because that is an activity in which she had expressed an interest. I found her after breakfast, but was called away briefly to talk to a scout leader from the troop that had scouts with disabilities. Some of our subcamp leaders had noticed that after the better part of a week, some of their leaders were starting to fray around the edges and so we offered to find ways that we could give them a break or make some tasks easier. In any case, when I returned, my young friend had disappeared and I didn’t see her again until the end of the day.

A Divine Appointment

However, when I was walking to the far end of our subcamp to talk to the scout leader (noted above), I stopped to pick up some trash, turned around, and was met by a leader from a different troop who had tears streaming down their face. I was immediately identified as a chaplain, and asked to pray for them. They said, “I am nine days sober and struggling.” And so, we prayed, talked, and I offered a hug, which was accepted. I also offered to make a connection to a friend who counsels people in recovery, and we connected on social media in case they choose for me to make a connection to my friend. I really was at the right place at the right time all because I was asked to carry a message.

Not much else happened for the rest of the day…until this evening when a Scoutmaster asked for “someone” to talk to a scout that had a difficult experience with another leader on the other side of the camp and was a bit shaken from the experience. And so, once again, I walked with this leader to his camp and we chatted about his experience, discussed what was likely to happen next (if anything), and what our staff would do to support him.

During the day, I also received a bag full of the Chaplain’s Aide patches to pass out as the scouts serving their troops as chaplain’s aides turn in the completed requirements. I also read the messages on the communication app that is being used by our chaplains and watched as my colleagues dealt with scouts that had broken bones riding (crashing) mountain bikes, a scout whose friend had been killed by a falling tree in a freak accident at scout camp, another whose friend had been killed in an automobile accident, another with a parent in the hospital, and another scout who had been taken from our subcamp to Delta Medical (out MASH hospital) overnight. Out chaplains really do have to be flexible and adapt because every day is different, and like much of life, things rarely go according to plan but it all looks like ministry.

Let’s meet back here tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Morning Fog over Subcamp Delta

Chaplain’s Blog – Supplemental

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Chaplain’s Blog – Supplemental

“I have absolutely no idea where I fit in.”

July 27, 2026

by John Partridge

This is not today’s regular recap of my activities. Instead, I had one more thing that I wanted to share yesterday and ran out of time before I called it quits and went to bed. At worship yesterday (just one of many opportunities for scouts, scouters, and staff), I so appreciated the opening remarks that I approached the young woman, Amanda, afterward and asked her for a copy of her words. I expected an offer of an email, but she immediately pulled her own paper copy from her clipboard and handed it to me.

I wanted to share this because, while not everything will translate to church on Sunday morning, these are words that we should all remember, and say out loud, in our congregations. Also, if any of you know Amanda, or if she sees this herself, please let me know so I can add her last name and give credit where credit is due.

The 120-Second Welcome: “The Open Well”

Hey everyone, welcome! Take a deep breath. Look around.

If you are standing here right now because you looked at the schedule, saw all the different structured services, and thought, ‘I have absolutely no idea where I fit in.’ let me tell you: you are in the exact right place.

Whether you came here with your entire troop, or you wandered in solo – welcome home.

“My name is Amanda, and I’ll let you in on a secret: my own spiritual journey has been anything but a straight line. I’m a Millennial, and throughout my life, I’ve had seasons of deep faith, and I’ve had seasons of big, messy doubts.

But what I’ve discovered by exploring the world is that asking the hard questions, doubting, and being authentically you… isn’t the opposite of faith. It’s actually how we grow. It’s how we make belief our own, rather than just copying someone else’s homework.”

In Scouting, we talk a lot about Duty to God. But what does that actually mean when we all come from different backgrounds – or no religious background at all?

Think of the Scout Oath and Law as building a well. It’s sturdy, it’s reliable, and it’s built by our shared values. But a well is meant to hold water. Today, ‘Duty to God’ is about how we fill that well.

This Open Faith Service is exactly that: an open well. We aren’t here to hand you a bucket of pre-packaged answers or fit you into strict theological box. We are here to create space.

“So, if you have a vibrant faith tradition, we celebrate that with you. If you are questioning, hurting, doubting, or just figuring it out day by day, we celebrate you, too.

There are no requirements here today. No expectations. Just a simple reminder: you are welcome here.

Let’s take a moment to reflect, listen to some music, and explore what Duty to God means on our own unique journeys. Thank you for being here, and let’s fill the well together!”

Good stuff. Thanks Amanda.

As always, I will attempt to post my daily recap this evening.

Until then…

Blessings,

Pastor John

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Eight

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Chaplain’s Blog – Day Eight

July 26, 2026

by John Partridge

Well, today was an easy day… sort of. I was up, as usual, a bit after 6:00 am, showered, shaved, and headed to breakfast. After that, I put on my dress uniform, waited for a while, and then left for church around 9:30 am. I arrived a bit early because even though I wasn’t personally involved in anything up front, I correctly guessed that they would ask the Methodist pastors to participate in serving the communion elements at the end. In preparation for that, I had also asked a couple of the Chaplain’s Aides from our subcamp to be ready to assist as well.

The worship service was nice and the message was good. Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett from the West Virginia Annual Conference presided over communion and I spoke with her briefly both before and afterwards. I was assisted in serving communion by one of the scouts with Down’s Syndrome and he was not only thrilled to help, but did a great job as well. During my conversation with his leaders I found that he had accidentally lost the small form we had passed out at the Chaplain’s Aide meeting a few days prior, and he needed a new copy so that he could earn the special Jamboree Chaplain’s Aide patch. So, later that day, I stopped by their troop campsite and dropped off a new copy for him and a spare for his leaders.

Several conversations happened throughout the day with both our subcamp leadership and with the young woman that I mentioned had been struggling. At least one of those conversations seems to have made a difference and we seem to be moving in a positive direction. I have some plans for tomorrow or the next day that, I hope, will also move us in a positive direction.

Finally, our day concluded with a doozy of a fireworks display that lasted *much* longer than I expected, particularly when they have already notified us that the *big* fireworks display will be after the closing ceremony on Thursday.

In any case, let’s meet here again tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor John