The rest of our everyday world rushes to celebrate Christmas, but here in the church we are observing Advent.  Advent is a time of anticipation, yes, but it’s also a time of waiting.  It is a time of being aware of how badly our world needs saving. 

We can certainly see that need crying out this year, as we have a vivid awareness of desperation and death and destruction in Israel and Palestine.  We have hungry here in Pittsburgh, too, and homeless people—and people whose homes are warm enough but still broken.  We help as we can, and yet.  There is still so much need.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Many of us are anticipating a day of family time, football, and delicious food.  Some of us are buckling up for some intensive cooking, if we haven’t already started.  Others are buckling up for a day of encountering people who never fail to express strong opinions on topics that—they’ve already been told—aren’t a part of the day.  And some of us are thinking wistfully of other days, when someone was still present, or when the kids didn’t live too far away to come home for the holiday, or when the family was unbroken. 

Wherever you are and however you’re feeling that day, you’re in my prayers.  If it’s a lonely or difficult day, I wish you peace.  I hope that you can take a breath and allow yourself to feel, and that the day still offers some small blessing to you.  If you’re finding a way to celebrate despite a difficult year, I wish you kindness and sensitivity from those around you. 

We’re continuing our practice of gratitude this week, and I’m asking you to remember to share some of the things you notice that you’re grateful for, either on the tear-off sheet in the bulletin or via email, so that we might include them on our bulletin board as we participate together in thanking God for the gifts in our lives. 

It’s worth saying that practicing gratitude does not deny that life can be difficult—even very difficult.  It’s more of a both/and:  life is difficult AND we give thanks, because God is good.  Our lives are often stressful, and yesterday I got a call from a good friend.  I was late for an appointment, and my dog was overjoyed to see me at the end of the day.  It’s a practice that notices that God is at work in our lives even so.  It’s not denial to be thankful when life is stressful; it’s simply a practice that emphasizes that God is still good, and that life is many things, all at once. 

In fact, gratitude is especially important when life is stressful. 

As we move toward Thanksgiving and then into Advent, let’s take this opportunity to do a gratitude practice together as a community.  Just as we did with our Bible reading and putting verses and passages on the bulletin board in the front entry, let’s share the things we are grateful for.  This can be a daily practice, if you like, or weekly—either will be a way of strengthening our attention to God’s gifts. 

This practice can help us to live our lives with more attention to the blessings that we’ve been given, but in a way, this is a particular kind of prayer as well, as we specifically offer God thanks for these gifts.

Last night was Halloween, and I hope it was a great evening for everyone.  It’s about human encounter, and it’s also about play:  who can I be, for just one night?   But I love that Halloween is also about neighbors and neighborhoods and strangers handing out free gifts to anyone who comes to their door.  It’s not about exchange and markets—just openness and sharing. 

Today, the day after Halloween, is All Saints’ Day, when we Methodists join many other Christians in celebrating the ones who have gone before us.  We don’t necessarily mean the ones who reached perfection, or the people who are canonized in other traditions.  In the words of my friend Eric Park, on this day Methodists take time remember “friends, colleagues, mentors, and family members who, over the course of the journey, have consistently shown us what it means to love God, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and to live the kind of life that shines brightly with integrity.” 

On Sunday we’ll be celebrating the saints of this particular church, specifically the ones who have died in this life this year. 

As we continue to see photos and hear about what’s happening overseas, I find myself sobered by the fragility of our lives.  Just as Covid did, the bombs and the rockets and the terror all remind us that our modern confidence—that we can always shoulder along happily enough toward progress—might be overly optimistic, based more on helpful technology than on real human optimism and steadfast cooperation. 

I find myself voicing my fear and my anger and frustration in my prayers—that all of this happened, that it keeps happening, that it doesn’t seem likely to stop anytime soon—and I’m protesting to God, and voicing my grief.  Like the Psalmists do:  “Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary” (Ps 28:2). 

Greetings in this beautiful October!  And let me make a point here of thanking all of you who came together so that we could have a wonderful Harvest Dinner this past Sunday, especially the M&M’s group who spearheaded the effort.  Delicious food and good company, all gathered together in the name of the one who calls us—what better way could there be to spend a Sunday afternoon and evening? 

It is part of my usual daily practice to sit for 10 minutes, either outside or looking out the window, and simply to “Be still and know that I am God.”  It’s a practice I started in seminary, and a reminder that I am not God.  God is God.  I look outside and see the leaves moving the breeze—or watch the color changes in this time of year—and I see the birds and squirrels and various other wildlife, or maybe the rain, and I remember not only my place in the universe, but the God who loves and seeks me even in the midst of the unimaginably complex work of caring for all the rest of creation. 

Greetings—I’m back and well-rested after a week off, and I’m looking forward to seeing you all in church on Sunday!  And I’m happy to remind you that our Harvest Dinner is coming up this Sunday, and it’s shaping up to be a good time of excellent food and wonderful fellowship.  As we shift into the busyness of our various fall chores and preparations, like raking leaves and—for the more organized among us—making Christmas lists and checking them off, the harvest dinner will be an excellent reminder to also pause and savor and give thanks. 

Today it almost feels like summer, but I read just this morning that we’re about to see a sudden drop in temperatures—a brisker fall is just around the corner.  With fall’s arrival we have the return of a McKnight tradition:  the annual Harvest Dinner.  We’re looking forward to an excellent time of food and fellowship hosted by the M&M’s—they’ll provide the turkey and we’ll bring the sides.  Please look in this newsletter for more specific details. 

Halloween is also coming, and while we all know that the holiday has religious roots, I think it’s safe to say that for most of us, it’s a purely secular holiday.  But it’s a good one:  what other holiday is so much about neighbors and neighborhoods, not to mention make-believe?  We’d like to start up Trunk or Treat again, with a few cars parked up by the gate (which will be open), so that we can hand out candy on behalf of the church.  I’ve got one volunteer lined up already—who else can join us?  It’ll be fun, and it’ll also be a good opportunity for the church to interact with the neighborhood.

Rev. Erik Hoeke is a lifelong United Methodist and an ordained elder in the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is currently the communications strategist for Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where he works on a variety of writing and editing projects and assists the Seminary’s Collaborative programs in partnering with and resourcing local churches and religious leaders.

I’ve just gotten back from the Henderson Leadership Conference at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and I’ve hardly begun to absorb all of the things we talked about! A highlight, though, was Bishop Will Willimon’s talk on “Hope for the Many Churches Where Few Gather.”

Bishop Willimon gave a “state of the church” overview, and acknowledged what we already know: that many, many churches are smaller than they used to be, and that many people no longer assume that church “should” be a part of their lives. But he argues that we have lots of reason for hope—because God has always chosen to start with small groups or small individuals.

First, thank you to those of you who have filled out your Scripture reading tear-offs from the bulletin!  It has been helpful to learn what you’re thinking about, and how you encounter God’s word when we’re not already together in worship.  My hope is that you will also be able to ask yourselves, “What have I been reading lately?  Am I giving myself the chance to encounter God in the writings in the Bible?”

Second, I’d just like to say that I’ve truly enjoyed encountering Matthew with you in our services each week. 

Wednesday greetings!

 I want to thank all of you who brought or sent your current Scripture reading, and to encourage those who haven’t had time to do it or who might have read the Scriptures but forgot to write them down.  I’m making a bulletin board in the narthex (Welcome Center) so that we can all get a sense of what we’re looking it.  There won’t be any names attached—this isn’t about putting anyone on the spot.  But it will give us a sense of what people are looking at and thinking about, and it has the extra benefit of being a visual reminder of an important part of our discipleship.  We’ll be talking more about discipleship in the coming months. 

 If you need a starting place, you could think about reading from the book of Matthew, since that’s where the lectionary is taking us right now. 

This September marks a new liturgical season, The Season of Creation, which runs through October 4th.  It’s a large-scale ecumenical emphasis, with many denominations coming together to remember that part of gratitude is an awareness of the natural world, the world that God created and into which we were placed.  And part of that gratitude and awareness is respect for the created world, and for our place within it, among the rest of creation. 

The World Council of Churches nominated members of the committee whose job it was to discern and write and offer resources.  In one of their statements the committee writes, “Each year from September 1 to October 4, the Christian family unites for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home.  As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a common call to care for creation. We are co-creatures and part of all that God has made. Our wellbeing is interwoven with the wellbeing of the Earth.” 

September greetings!

Like many of you, I start my mornings with prayer and devotion, or prayer and study.  My current study book is Pastor:  The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry, by Will Willimon, a retired bishop of the United Methodist Church. 

In this morning’s reading, Willimon writes, “many of our current notions of the ordained ministry rest upon an innovation that occurred within the first two centuries of the church, and which was brought to fulfillment in the first thousand years—the creation of the laity.”  His point is that, although the church has always had leaders, we have somehow managed to forget, in practice if not in theory, the priesthood of all believers. 

I’m happily anticipating our church picnic/BBQ this evening, and if you read this newsletter before it happens, please come, whether or not you were able to RSVP.  Bring a side if you can and don’t if you can’t—we just want to spend some time together.  Because church is more than worship and service—even though those things are vitally important in our Christian life.  We are also a community—a body together.  Tonight, we lean into the community part of church life, and we’d love to see as many of you as possible, whatever the status of your current association/attendance at McKnight UMC. 

I’m going to focus on upcoming events today, because there’s a lot going on!

Our Summer Picnic is upcoming:  On the 23rd of this month, bring yourselves and maybe a blanket or lawnchairs, and we’ll meet outside for a good time of fellowship, along with some of the congregants from Epworth UMC.  Paper goods and desserts and a hot grill will be provided—all you’ll need to bring is a side to share and something to grill.  Let’s celebrate summer together before we move into fall!

On Sept. 9, at St. Paul’s UMC, the Pittsburgh District United Women in Faith will have their annual meeting and *all* are welcome.  The theme is Passion, Purpose, and Well-Being, . . .

Summer’s not yet over, but in the rhythm of things, vacations are coming to a close and people are beginning to organize themselves for another school year, or anticipating the fall rush of sports and yard cleanup and holidays, or even just becoming aware of that instinctive nudge that cooler days are coming.  I got my garden in late this year, so it’s only beginning to produce, but I’m going to have bushels of tomatoes soon (why don’t they ever pace themselves?).  So, it’s both new beginnings and fruition, all at once, and everything coming together at a dizzying pace.   

I hope you’ve had a chance to enjoy your summer, whether you treat it as a time of work or a chance for some relaxation in the sun. And I’m looking forward to coming together with all of you as we all settle in a few weeks into that steadier rhythm of early fall schedules. 

But first, we have a summer barbecue, on Wednesday, August 23, at 6:00 p.m. here at the church, to celebrate these still beautiful sunny days, and to celebrate the fellowship that we have together. 

Now that it has been announced in church, I am delighted to tell you all here, in case you missed it, that Alex Sun has accepted our offer and is our new pianist!  Alex is young, but as you have likely already heard, very gifted, as well as willing and able to improvise, musically speaking.  We are very pleased to have him here at McKnight—he is a delight to listen to, and accompanies our hymns beautifully. 

We continue our efforts to raise funds for our Silent Fund (so called because it is entirely confidential).  So far this year our church has helped 10 different families, mostly with gift cards for grocery cards, and it is our privilege and our honor to represent the love of the church to a needy world.  Craig Fowler set up a whiteboard in our Welcome Center (that front room by the sanctuary) so that we can track our efforts there. 

In addition to studying for the sermon every week, I also try to read widely, in specifically Christian resources and outside of them as well.  This week several articles I read were about church renewal—it’s on everyone’s minds these days.  What are the next steps for the church?  How do we be faithful in the times in which we live?  

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little tired of chasing anxiously after the next “next” step.  The church has a pretty solid model:  we gather, we worship, we study, we turn outward toward the world in love.  Truly, it has stood the test of time—2000 years and still going.  That’s the model currently used in the areas of the world where the church is rapidly expanding, almost explosively, even as we here in the U.S. wonder if the model is why our congregations are aging.