Category: Bishop’s Blog
Consider the whole of our history
In our July 4 celebrations, says Bishop David Bard, may we remember the complexities of our history and enlarge our memory so that our future might be better than our past… On June 18, the great baseball player Willie Mays died at age 93. I have long loved baseball, and Willie Mays was one of… Continue Reading Consider the whole of our history
Conferencing as a means of grace
In this conferencing season, says Bishop David Bard, may we strive to become conduits of God’s grace for one another… John Wesley, the cofounder of the Methodist stream of the Christian tradition, identified “Christian conference” as a means of grace along with prayer, searching the Scriptures, the Lord’s Supper, and fasting. Inspired by Colossians 4:6,… Continue Reading Conferencing as a means of grace
‘May we not love alike?’
We are finding new ways to live in the Wesleyan spirit, says Bishop David Bard as he reflects on a General Conference unlike any other he has attended… I write this one day following the adjournment of the postponed 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. General Conference is the highest decision-making body for… Continue Reading ‘May we not love alike?’
Trust in the risen Christ
With the humanitarian crisis in Haiti in mind, Bishop David Bard asks us to live out our resurrection faith and labor for a more peaceful and just world… Just this past Sunday, many of us sang, “Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!” We shouted out, “Christ is risen.” We heard words like, “Death has… Continue Reading Trust in the risen Christ
Awaiting resurrection
Looking toward Easter, Bishop David Bard says evil causes us to yearn for a new world where hunger is a memory and war is ancient history… “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen” (Luke 24:5b, NRSVue). Among the bands whose music I enjoy is the… Continue Reading Awaiting resurrection
Learning and then loving rightly
Reflecting on Black History Month, Bishop David Bard encourages us to do our part in cultivating hearts and souls that love more deeply and intelligently… It seems as if we just turned the calendar to a new year, and the first month of that new year has already passed. January is always a busy month.… Continue Reading Learning and then loving rightly
Making all things new
Bishop David Bard asks how we might see this new year as an opportunity to focus forward and to reaffirm that God is working to make all things new… Looking back over last year, I’ll admit it was difficult and challenging in many ways. War dragged on in Ukraine. The brutal Hamas attack on Israel… Continue Reading Making all things new
Kindness matters this Christmas
In this season of love, Bishop David Bard invites us to let the Holy Spirit enlarge our hearts so they stay a little bigger and kinder… It has now happened twice in the past couple of months. I don’t wear a clerical collar often, but sometimes the occasion calls for it. In the first instance,… Continue Reading Kindness matters this Christmas
Expanding our empathy
In response to ongoing war and violence, Bishop David Alan Bard calls us to rigorous discipleship as we open ourselves to new ideas, deeper acts of care, and fresh initiatives for peace… On November 13, a group of Michigan United Methodists and I were scheduled to travel to the Holy Land. That trip has been… Continue Reading Expanding our empathy
Seeking an antidote to loneliness
Bishop David Alan Bard urges us to cultivate a culture of connection and encourage virtues of kindness and respect as an antidote to the loneliness and meanness we see today… Lonely and mean. No, those are not the results of my most recent psychological inventory or a descriptor of my enneagram type. “Lonely” and “mean”… Continue Reading Seeking an antidote to loneliness