Believe and See the Glory of God!

The 2025 session of the Susquehanna Conference met in Williamsport, PA on May 29-31, 2025, under the theme “Believe and see the glory of God!” rooted in John 1:1-45. This passage is not just about a miraculous resurrection that happened a long time ago. It is a call from the Spirit, for us today, to nurture the kind of faith that opens our spiritual vision so that we can see, claim, live, and share the glory of God in our everyday lives and ministries.

Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez

In this season, God is inviting us to BELIEVE and SEE. God wants to expand our spiritual vision so that we can see, experience, and share God’s glory in our communities. But let us be honest. Believing is not always easy. Trusting God is, many times, difficult. Martha and Mary, filled with grief, struggled to reconcile their sorrow with their faith. Their brother was dead, and Jesus had delayed his coming. Why did He wait? Why did He not prevent their suffering?

In our discipleship and ministries, we often face challenges (and have as of late, right?): declining attendance, disagreements, and divisions. Struggling communities. Socio- political chaos. Personal doubt and struggles. And, like Martha and Mary, we struggle and ask similar questions.

But through this story, Jesus is calling us to lean into our faith! Jesus is calling us beyond doubt, beyond despair, beyond defeat, into a deeper trust, where our believing unveils God’s glory in ways we could never predict. Ways that open our eyes to see that God is still moving, still working, still bringing life where there seems to be none.

In this season, God is calling us to step forward even when the path is uncertain. Martha believed in resurrection. Yet, she hesitated when Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled away. How often do we do the same? We claim belief in the unlimited power of God, but when action is needed from us, we falter. We hesitate.

The raising of Lazarus was not just an isolated event. It is also an invitation for us to trust, to believe, to put our faith into action! Jesus is asking us today, just as He asked, Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

We are standing before the tombs of our time! Tombs that threaten our communities, our ministries, and our witness to the world.

The tomb of decline, as many churches face shrinking resources and growing uncertainty.

The tomb of lingering disappointment and mistrust after years of disagreements and divisions.

The tomb of exhaustion, as many of our leaders wrestle with doubt, frustration, and burnout.

The tomb of isolation, as loneliness, division, addictions, and hopelessness grip many of our neighbors.

The tomb of injustice, as racism, exclusion, and inequity distort God’s vision for creation.

The tomb of oppression, as power is abused, and the rich are prioritized over the poor, the elderly, those with disabilities, people of color, and immigrants – just to name a few.

As we stand before these tombs, what are we going to do? Now more than ever, as followers of Jesus Christ, as servant leaders in Christ’s church, as United Methodists, our faith must move beyond passive belief. Beyond doctrinal assent. Beyond labels that seek to separate us. Beyond rituals and traditions and become a holy living action. An embodiment of the Risen Christ!

As we stand before these tombs, what will we do? We believe. We step forward. We trust that God’s unlimited power will move in our lives in our churches, and through our ministries, bringing new life through the healing, and liberating love of Jesus Christ!

In our churches and ministries, we must do the important, yet difficult work that leads to healing and reconciliation we must protect our unity amid our diversity. And I say, “protect our unity”, because we must understand that, contrary to what some believe, the unity of the Body of Christ it is not a human endeavor. As the Scriptures clarify in Ephesians 4, in Christ, GOD brought us together to fulfill God’s purposes.

The common denominator that brings us here and compels us to be together is our shared faith and love for Jesus Christ! Therefore, this season, God is inviting us to recalibrate our hearts again, to Christ, to recommit to one another as those called by God to journey together, to put aside everything that might be harmful, to forsake anything that may be distracting us, and to take the next faithful steps into God’s vision for our lives and ministries as United Methodists here in the Susquehanna Conference.

In our ministries, we must also stop mourning decline, as if it were inevitable or permanent, holding on to what is, and clinging to nostalgia, and instead, go about living the gospel and embodying God’s love with our neighbors in all places in ways that are meaningful to them, even if it is sometimes uncomfortable for us. We must innovate, experiment, and take risks for the sake of the gospel. We do not fear resource shortages, and instead trust in God’s sufficient provision. We do all this together, so that SO THAT we grow and form disciples of Jesus Christ, develop Christ-like servant leaders, journey in solidarity with the poor and the most vulnerable, and we seek health and wellbeing of all people and creation.

In our leadership, what are we going to do? We step forward in faith. Trusting the One who called us. We care for ourselves and one another, knowing that exhaustion is NOT failure, but a call for renewal. We build community. We embrace collaboration, knowing that the Holy Spirit moves in community, not in isolation, and that we are stronger TOGETHER. We hold each other accountable in love and with grace. We preach the gospel with conviction, boldly proclaiming that through the Holy Spirit, God’s power, in Jesus Christ, still moves stones bringing hope and new life.

In our communities, what will we do? We embody Christ’s love and hope. We refuse to accept brokenness, division, and loneliness as inevitable. We preach God’s grace in Jesus and invite people to embrace God’s boundless love through active discipleship. We build bridges. We reconcile relationships. We offer a place to belong. We reject systems that oppress, lifting the poor, defending the marginalized, and advocating for justice. We speak God’s truth to power, refusing to let the idols of this era distort Christ’s call to love all people without distinctions or favoritism.

In the world, what will we do? We are BOLD in faith! Racism, white supremacy, and Christian nationalism are NOT of God. So, we dismantle them with truth and love. Abusive leadership, greed and exploitation contradict the Gospel. So, we lead with compassion and justice, prioritizing the vulnerable above the powerful, just like Jesus did.

 And in every act of love, service, and prophetic witness: we proclaim the resurrection, not as a distant hope, but as a present reality, that, thanks to Jesus Christ, is available today to all who call on the name of the Lord, alleluia!

Resurrection, new life, is possible. Not in our strengths, but, yes, in the power of the Risen Christ. In our lives, in our servant leadership, in our congregations, and, in our communities. So, let us open our eyes and see the glory of God! Resurrection is happening. Resurrection is OURS, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Resurrection is OURS. Let’s believe it, let’s claim it, let’s live it, AND most importantly, let’s share it freely with as many people as possible.

God did not leave Lazarus in the tomb and God will NOT leave us in the tombs of our times! But faith requires deep trust and obedience. It requires action. It requires rolling away the stones even BEFORE we see the miracles!

United Methodists of the Susquehanna Conference, let’s seek the kind of faith that manifests God’s power that transforms lives and communities. That brings new life through the boundless love of Jesus Christ! Let’s roll away the tombstones. Let’s shed grave clothes. Let’s believe and see what God can do!

AC2024: The Harvest Begins with Seeds

By Liz Lennox, SUSUMC Director of Communications 

In a sermon delivered during the opening worship at the 2024 Susquehanna Annual Conference, Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball inspired the congregation with a message that not only reflected the Annual Conference scripture from Matthew 9:37, but also spoke to the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13:18-23. 

She challenged the common interpretation of this parable, proposing a thought-provoking question: “What if this parable isn’t so much about the soil as it is about the seed and the sower?” She argued that solely focusing on ourselves as the soil and focusing on the condition of the soil can lead to many centering themselves, rather than God. She reminds that in the gospel of Luke, where this story can also be found, Jesus clarifies that the seed is the word of God. 

“The seed is the good treasure that has been entrusted to us,” she said.  “Why? Because the word of God is the only thing that has the power to change the human heart.” 

Bishop Steiner Ball questioned whether excessive programs and activity can obscure the true purpose of the church. “It’s possible to mistake business for godliness, activity for spirituality,” she said. “The church should not be about programs but about ministry.” She underscored the necessity of a word-centered ministry, which alone can cultivate lasting growth and yield a meaningful harvest. She reminded the congregation that while preaching and programs are valuable tools, they are ineffectual without the core message of the Gospel. 

The parable of the sower, as Bishop Steiner Ball emphasized greatly, teaches that the outcome of sowing cannot be predicted— some seeds will fall on rocky ground, others among thorns, and some on fertile land. The key is to sow indiscriminately, for the sower does not know in advance which seeds will flourish. This indiscriminate sowing mirrors the grace of God, who disperses his gifts without regard to the condition of the terrain. 

Bishop Steiner Ball passionately called on all believers, not just clergy, to engage in this act of sowing. Every Christian, she asserted, has a role in spreading the Gospel—through words, actions, and by living out the faith authentically. 

She drew a vivid picture of a sower who, despite the odds, continues to spread the seed, knowing that while not all will take root, some will thrive and produce abundantly. “We can’t know in advance where all will fall- so just sow. Just sow! Sow the good seeds of God’s word and trust God to bring life to the seed we cast!” 

“Cultivate good soil wherever you discover the possibilities,” Bishop urged. “It’s easy for church leaders to be sidetracked into a thousand urgent things, keeping them from engaging in what matters. We’ve been disengaged and sidetracked and distracted for many years now.” 

Acknowledging that while it seems like good soil is hard to find, she once again encouraged all to be the sower that pays little attention to the condition of the soil. “God is the sower,” she proclaimed. “We are made in God’s image and God is reckless with goodness. God tosses life giving word upon the fields of our lives, landing on saint and sinner alike, wildly sowing the seeds of the kingdom without an eye to the condition of the soil.” 

Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball’s sermon serves as a powerful reminder of our potential and responsibility in responding to God’s call. It is a call to sow with generosity and faith, trusting in God to do the rest. She concluded her message with an optimistic entreaty, saying, “I hope and pray that you are sowing God’s word, the good treasure entrusted to us… sowing generously and extravagantly so we can indeed stand up proudly and show the world who we are.” 

Hearkening back to the overall theme of this Annual Conference, she closed with the reminder that “The harvest begins with seed, and there will be a glorious, abundant, and extravagant harvest in God’s time, by God’s grace, and for God’s glory.”

View the Opening Celebration of Annual Conference 2024 here. (Sermon begins at 32:45)

New and Improved

Following is the 2023 Susuquehanna Conference Opening Celebration message from Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi. You can view a video of the service here. The Bishop’s message begins at 1:00:40.

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 NRSV

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we no longer know him in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation...

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

A conditional statement (also called an If-Then Statement) is a statement with a hypothesis followed by a conclusion. Conditional statements often take the form of, “If this happens, then that will happen.” The if clause is the hypothesis. The then clause offers the conclusion. However, a conditional statement does not have to actually use the words if or then. The statement just needs a hypothesis and a resulting conclusion. I am going somewhere with this, so follow me. 

There are four different types of conditional statement. There is a Zero conditional statement, a first conditional sentence, a second conditional sentence, and third conditional sentence. Zero, first, second, and third.

Third conditional sentences are used to explain that present circumstances would be different if something different had happened in the past. If I had known what it was going to be like to be a bishop, I would not have given up my good government job. 

Second conditional sentences express outcomes that are completely unrealistic or will not likely happen in the future. If Tom Salsgiver ever really retires, then we will throw him a big party.

First conditional sentences are used to express situations in which the outcome is likely (but not guaranteed) to happen in the future. If we care for all of our resolutions efficiently, we will be able to adjourn early.

Then there is the zero conditional sentence. This is the one I really want you to hear. Zero conditional sentences express general truths—situations in which one thing always causes another. Somebody knows where I am going with this. In a zero conditional sentence, both clauses—the hypothesis and the conclusion—are in the present tense. In a zero conditional sentence the words if and when are interchangeable because the outcome will be the same anytime the condition is in place. 

In the verse that provides the foundation for this sermon and our theme for this annual conference, Paul, the writer of 2 Corinthians, utilizes a zero conditional sentence. He is expressing a general truth, a situation in which one thing always causes another. He writes, “if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation, everything old has passed away.” And in case the hearers didn’t get it, Paul calls the hearer to attend to the condition, “See, everything has become new!” It’s not in the synoptic gospels, but that there is good news. “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

Is there anyone in here who is in Christ? Is there anyone here who is in Christ? Let me put it another way. Is there anyone here who trusts in Jesus? Is there anyone here who has faith in the Son of the Living God? Is there anyone here who knows Jesus as Savior? Is there anyone here who has ever had an encounter with the Way, the Truth, and the Life? Is there anyone here who knows the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star? Is there anyone here who knows the Alpha and the Omega? Is there anyone here who has ever had a drink from the Living Water? Is there anyone here who knows there is something about that name? Is there anyone here who has ever called on the name of Jesus? Is there anyone here who knows Jesus to be Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace? Is there anyone here who knows he is a way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness? Is there anyone here who is in Christ?

Then you have met the hypothesis. Let me assure you of the conclusion. Beloved, since you are in Christ, then in the present tense, in the here and now you are a new creation. For you, everything old has passed away. See it now, for you everything has become new. Your relationship with God—it is new. Your relationship with your neighbor—it is new. Your spirit has become new. Your ability to love and be loved has become new. Your ability to give and receive grace—it’s new. The hymn writer put it this way, “Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand has provided. Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me.” So, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 

Not everything that is new is better than the old. Does anybody remember the DeLorean Motor Company of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s? Not everything that is new is improved. Does anybody remember the new Coke formula in the mid 1980’s? Not everything that is new is improved? How many of you had a BetaMax video player? Not everything that is new is improved? I actually wish there were more people among us who have no idea of the references I am making. Here’s one for the younger crowd. Remember iPods? Not everything that is new is improved.

Here’s why I know our newness is new and improved. Our growth comes from the soil of the Word of God, fertilized by the blood of Jesus, nurtured by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the verse that follows our sermonic verse, verse 18 of the 5th chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation...”

Our newness is from God. Here this zero conditional sentence. If your newness is from God, it is an improvement. Our newness is made possible because God reconciled us to God’s self through Christ Jesus. The concept of reconciliation that is interesting. Paul uses the Greek term kat-al-las-so which is translated reconciliation. We only find this term in the Bible in Romans and the two letters to the Corinthians. Kat-al-las-so literally means to change, exchange coins for others of equivalent value. It means to reconcile those who at variance, return to favor with, or to receive one into favor. 

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus paid the cost for our reconciliation. Jesus exchanged his sinlessness for our sinfulness. Our sins put us at odds or at variance with God. God used the blood of Jesus to close the variance gap. Jesus stood in the gap for us. God chose to use Jesus to return us to favor with God. Because of Jesus we have been received into the favor of God. Can I get an amen? Maybe your variance gap wasn’t that big. Is there anyone here who loves Jesus. Is there anyone who is in Christ.

New and improved creatures open themselves to self reflection. Out of their love and desire to be in right relationship they make themselves accountable to God and one another. They receive the wisdom, insight, and grace offered by God. And have faith in God’s process of sanctification. 

There are some place and spaces in our annual conference that are valley’s of dry bones. There are places where we have not had new professions of faith in years. There are places where no new ministries been birthed, places no one has received a call and been launched into ministry. There are places where the church has become isolated from the community in which it resides. There are some structures in our annual conference that have supported stagnation and death. There are places where we are so used to being in conflict, we don’t know how to be any other way. There are places where we are so ignorant to our own privilege we believe we are offering radical hospitality when in fact we are not. Truth is some of us thought Disaffiliation would be the death of us. Truth be told some of us are so weary from the cultural and church wars that we feel like dry bones. Some of us are just weary that our bones and our spirits are dry. 

Perhaps God is asking us the ancient question asked of the prophet Ezekiel. “Can these dry bones live? O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.”

When God breathes the breath of life into us, we are not going to be the same old body. The dry bones are going to be a new and improved creation. I hear the word of the Lord.

And when we come to ourselves and arise new and improved. Looked at my hands, my hands looked new. Looked at my feet and they did too. Started to walk, got a brand new walk. Started to talk, got a brand new talk. 

We will live. We will be new and improved.

All of us, all of us gathered here are a part of this new and improved body. All of us who are members of the Susquehanna Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church are new and improved. Everything old has passed away. I need somebody to hear me now. Everything old has passed away. I need somebody to see it. See everything has become new. Can you see it? 

In the new and improved Susquehanna Annual Conference—laser focused on love of God and love of neighbor, when distractions come we say get behind me satan.

In the new and improved Susquehanna Annual Conference—each local church is such an essential part of the communities in which it finds itself that the community cannot exist without the local church and the local church cannot exist without the community

In the new and improved Susquehanna Annual Conference—conference structures and local churches are flexible and nimble so that we all move with the movement of the Holy Spirit and none of us are windbreakers.

In the new and improved Susquehanna Annual Conference—we practice a theology of abundance because we really do believe scripture that says that our God shall supply our every need according to God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

In the new and improved Susquehanna Annual Conference—we offer radical hospitality and build beloved community so that we reflect the racial and economic diverse demographics of our region.

In the new and improved Susquehanna Annual Conference—we know what the Lord requires of us—to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

The new and improved Susquehanna Annual Conference is not going to be smooth sailing. No organization that is truly doing kingdom building work enjoys smooth sailing all the time. Some things will have to end. There will be tears. As we get used to our new feet, there will be times that we will stumble and fall. When the going gets tough, and the road is rough, and the hills are hard to climb, remember what you decided. You decided to make Jesus your choice. Remember that we are together in this because all of us have made Jesus our choice. 

Revelation 21:1-5 NRSV 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”

And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”