November 3, 2024 All Saints Sunday

It was a delight to start this year’s stewardship season with the excellent news that we have a surplus in our budget—thanks be to God!  We are still being careful, of course, but it is worth noting that we have that surplus even as we continue to hold our giving commitments to several local organizations, such as the Millville Food Pantry.  It is always appropriate to have an emphasis on stewardship as we lead up to Thanksgiving, because one of the core ideas of our faith is that all that we have comes from God, and this year we have an “extra” thanksgiving to offer for a renewed sense of congregational health and resiliency. 

I leave the financial part of this season to the very capable hands of our laypeople, and want instead to remember here that stewardship is never only about money:  we have many gifts and resources to manage, including time, skills and service, the witness of our lives, and our ability to pray and imagine, to venture into new possibilities, asking always for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Our care for our families is one kind of stewardship.  Volunteering at the Food Pantry is another kind.  Caring for the environment in which we live is yet another kind of stewardship—and the possibilities continue.  Because stewardship is about how we live our lives, and how we manage the gifts that we have been given, whether inside the church or outside of it. 

Writer Mary Sue Drier states that “Rethinking stewardship is not for the sake of bringing money into the church, but for the sake of the very mission of the church to participate faithfully in God's mission in the world.” 

October 27, 2024 Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost

Sometimes in my reading I find a passage that really makes me stop and think.  This was one recent gem:  Bryan Stone writes that evangelism “is a matter of being present in the world in a distinctive way such that the alluring and ‘useless’ beauty of holiness can be touched, tasted, and tried.”  Everyone is afraid of evangelism, picturing high pressure talks that attempt to persuade an unwilling person to join the church.  That kind of evangelism scares me too, and I don’t think it’s usually effective. 

Evangelism, as Stone tells us, can actually be much simpler.  Evangelism can be simply being who we are.  I was in a social group once where it took quite a while to gain people’s trust, because none of them were then Christian and some of them had been hurt by the church, and they knew that I was willingly a member.  I gained trust in some cases simply by agreeing that some things were wrong, such as racism, by having “normal” political opinions, by simply being “normal.”  People who aren’t part of the church can often have a skewed idea of what church people look like. 

But while it’s true that we are “normal,” it’s also true that we Christians are different.  People need to see that too—that we care as we are called to do, and that we have trust in a love that will (and has!) done everything to save us. 

October 20, 2024 Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost/Laity Sunday

One of my favorite seminary professors just published a new book:  Jesus and His Promised Second Coming: Jewish Eschatology and Christian Origins.  While it’s pretty much a tome, and likely similarly dense in material, I’m very much looking forward to reading it, because Dr. Ferda has a gift for considering a wide range of evidence and coming to good, clear conclusions, while still acknowledge that there is much left to discuss or to answer.  He teaches his class in the same way:  "Taking Bible classes at Pittsburgh Seminary isn’t about getting the answer key to the Bible . . . it's about starting a process that hopefully goes on.”

That process that goes on—that’s what we do in church, and in our personal study—myself included.  We come together for worship, or for Bible study, and we look again at the Scriptures, looking for both the familiar and the new.

October 13, 2024 Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost

Good morning (or evening, depending on when you read this) on a beautiful October day!  We are lucky to have some beautiful clear days after all of that rain.  Savor the gift—because it is a gift—and also keep in prayer all of the people in Florida as Milton hits, and those still recovering from flooding in North Carolina.  It’s a weather version of our time of prayer each Sunday:  we celebrate and give thanks for the gifts, and we raise our concerns to God as well. 

I’ve been reading a book on grief, evidently a classic:  A Grace Disguised:  How the Soul Grows Through Loss, by Jerry Sitter.  The title worried me—it sounded entirely too “look for the bright side,” but it was recommended by someone I trust, so I decided to read it.  Sitter is a professor of theology who lost people from three generations of his family in a single car accident:  his mother, his wife, and one of their daughters.  He knows viscerally what real loss is, then, and he still carries the pain of the loss with him—he doesn’t minimize any of that.  His book is an exploration of what it means—to him—to be a person of faith and hope who also grieves a painful reality. 

Sitter writes of being in this “between” or “both”:  “We are already redeemed through his [Jesus’] work on the cross and in the resurrection, and we are in the process of being redeemed by the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in our lives.  Both are true—the being and the becoming, the position and the process, the already and the not yet.”  This is very like our conversation on Sunday:  we also spoke about this reality—the already and the not yet—when we talked about the gift of sustenance for the journey. 

So we Christians know something about being between, or being both:  being already saved, and yet still on a sometimes very difficult journey to the Father’s kingdom. 

October 6, 2024 Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost

As you read this, I will be finishing a long day of training for my ordination process.  I hope that you will also have had good, constructive days, whatever your goal, be it relaxation and rest or chores and projects accomplished!

Those of us who were able to go to the Mission Barn on Saturday both did a lot and learned a lot.  The Mission Barn manages its resources very carefully, and the site is well organized.  There was lots of work with lumber for some of us, preparing for use in handicapped ramps, and for others there were kits to pack: hygiene kits, menstrual kits, and of course flood buckets.  All of the kits are packed once and then verified and packed again before shipment.  Supplies are carefully chosen to be appropriate and helpful, and to pack well.  Even the weight in ounces is checked, both to be sure everyone gets enough and to be sure that the trucks that deliver the supplies are not fined for being overweight.  It was a lot of work and a great learning experience—not to mention a time of fellowship—and we’re hoping to go again soon!

 

Bible Study continues in Mark, and we are covering a lot of ground.  I am so happy to get to spend time thinking about this gospel with you.  (Bible Study is Tuesday nights at 7:00 at McKnight, or, if it’s better for you, 10:00 a.m. at Epworth, also on Tuesdays.)

 Finally, this Sunday is World Communion Sunday! 

September 29, 2024 Nineteenth Day After Pentecost

As I write we have a beautiful steady rain falling outside—perfect for thirsty lawns and gardens!  Take a moment if you can, and give thanks for the gift of rain, knowing that it adds not only beauty and life to our gardens, but waters the crops that will feed us. 

I’m happy to report that our first pastoral Bible study (since I’ve been here!) has been launched successfully.  We’re talking about Mark, and especially what makes Mark a unique witness to the gospel.  If you can join us, even now and then, we would love to have you with us as we explore the Scriptures and talk about history as well as the questions we might have.  We meet here at McKnight at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, with a Zoom option available. If a daytime option works best for you, you are welcome to join us at Epworth at our 10:00 a.m. study (also on Tuesdays)—we will be discussing the same material.  Both are good times of fellowship and discipleship together. 

On Saturday those of us who can make it will be having a different kind of fellowship and discipleship together:  we’ll be serving together at the Mission Barn. 

September 22, 2024 Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

I’ve been listening to Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water recently, and loving it.  It’s a rich narrative set in a world I know very little about:  India, at the beginning of last century.  There’s much to recommend and much I could discuss about the book, but I have been especially struck by a few lines, one of which is this:  “God’s gift is time, however much or little of it.” 

I have tended to think of time as escaping me, almost an enemy, “never enough time,” “hurry, hurry.”  Time feels so finite and by definition something that’s finite has limits.  And I do like to keep busy and I have many interests, so sometimes I’m frustrated by that finitude. 

But if I think instead about time as God’s gift, it’s a very different feeling:  “look, here’s a full evening, to spend as I choose.  A gift.” 

September 15, 2024 Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

It was such a delight to welcome our newest church member, Cindy, last Sunday!  And boy, did you all show up for that—you went all out with the cookies and snacks and even fresh flowers.  You know how to welcome someone with love and celebration! It was a great way to begin a new season in church. 

And speaking of new seasons and new beginnings, I’ve been asked to shift the new Bible study to Tuesday nights so that more people can come.  I will be there on Thursday night this week as planned, but unless I hear from anyone that Tuesday is also problematic, we’ll shift to Tuesday starting next week.  We’re studying Mark and noting some of the ways that he tells the Gospel story.  (Ever hear of a Markan sandwich?)

September 8, 2024 Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost

September Greetings!

 

As I write I’m listening to a fresh class of preschoolers playing outside—all kinds of happiness is happening outside!  And as we begin to get back to regular activities after the summer, I’d like to invite you to our Bible Study.  We’ll be starting on September 17th, and we’ll meet every Thursday at 7:00 p.m.  You can join either in person or via Zoom.  I need to apologize for a misprint—it’s my mistake:  we will be studying Mark rather than Matthew.  I’m looking forward to giving you some background and helping you notice what makes Mark unique as a gospel, and I am very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts as we encounter the Scriptures together.  I will be doing the same study at Epworth on Tuesdays at 1:00 if for any reason a midday time slot works better for you. 

As Advent is a little further away, we will keep the Advent poll open one more week—please let us know what you are thinking.

September 1, 2024 Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

I’ve had the pleasure, Monday and today, of opening the preschool orientations with prayer. There’s so much hope and optimism in that room, even alongside some obvious nerves for the first-timers, and it’s exciting. I invite you to keep the preschool in prayer as they start a new year, alongside all the other students and teachers who are about to start the school year or who already have.  

In the next week or so, we’ll start a new bulletin board in the front entry. Once again we’ll be thinking about reading our scriptures both together and separately, but this time around there will be a variation. Since Scripture is so central to our faith, we’ll be trying to read the entire Bible together this year—but don’t get discouraged! We’ll take it in parts: one person will read Genesis, another Psalms, and another 1 Thessalonians. As we come together we will show which books have been read, and which books are waiting for a reader, and together we will have read the entire Bible!   

Finally, we’re including a couple of polls in the newsletter this week.

August 11, 2024 Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

You may or may not already know that on July 12th it was announced that Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi will shortly finish her term here in the Western Pennsylvania Conference, and that Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball has been appointed as our new bishop.  We are so grateful for Bishop Moore-Koikoi’s work here in Western Pennsylvania, knowing that much of it was during the difficult times of Covid and of disaffiliation.  We pray that her new appointment will bring rich rewards both to her and to her new conference. 

And we pray for Bishop Steiner Ball as she prepares for her new appointment as well, here in Western Pennsylvania with us. 

August 4, 2024 Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

Blessings to you on this beautiful summer day!

As we gear up for Vacation Bible School on the week of August 5th, I thought I would share with you why I chose this particular project.  I know that people in this church very much want to reach out to families and to young children, especially as many people in that generation no longer choose to go to church, either regularly or even at all—so first of all, I wanted to respond to your concern.  Historically, VBS doesn’t necessarily bring a lot of people in for regular attendance, but in some ways that only makes outreach even more necessary.  These are seeds we are planting: that church people care, that church is a loving place to be, and that God is still speaking to a beloved creation.  And if the kids’ families don’t come back on a regular basis afterwards, this may be one of the few exposures kids have to church, and we can make it a good one. 

July 21, 2024 Ninth Sunday After Penecost

It has been a week, hasn’t it?  Rising Covid numbers (in spite of it being summer), some pretty extreme weather, and a shooting—an assassination attempt—in our own backyard.  

We can point to some human problems here, obviously, and maybe a few things beyond human control as well, but regardless, we have good reason to be sobered by the events of the week.  I ask that you join me in prayer for our nation and for our world. 

And in the meantime, let us remember who—and whose—we are.

July 7, 2024 Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

Summer greetings! 

I was asked recently about why I always include the passing of the peace in our services, and I think it’s worth some time here, especially because I do understand that, especially for those of us who are introverts (as I am!), it can sometimes feel awkward. 

I think it’s important for several reasons. First, there is a biblical command: “greet [each other] with a holy kiss” (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; or “kiss of love,” 1 Peter 5:14). We don’t actually emphasize the kiss part, but rather the greeting. It is an acknowledgement of our common community—that we are one instance of the body of Christ coming together, and that we come together in His name, and not as individuals in a consumer situation (in which the customer always gets their way and they can choose whether or not to participate or consume). Our greeting to each other within the worship service foregrounds the importance of our community and the reason that we gather—to worship together as the body of Christ. 

Passing the peace of Christ among ourselves also acknowledges that we are doing this together.  Not just that we come together to be the body, as in “assemble,” but doing this thing called worship together—worship as a verb. In our individualistic society it’s easy to forget that community actions matter. 

June 30, 2024 Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

I am delighted to tell you (drumroll please!) that we have reached our Flood Bucket goal of $2000!  Thanks to the generosity of this congregation, we will be funding 70 flood buckets, a first response to disaster that’s available through our conference Mission Barn.  Buckets include practical items that help affected people to clean their homes and salvage as much as possible after a flood.  The items include things like gloves (kitchen and work gloves), clotheslines for hanging items to air and dry, scrub brushes, cleansers, and even insect repellant.  This is a good work that you have come together to do, and because of you, 70+ families will not have to scramble for supplies just when everything seems to be falling apart.  Thank you for being the church to our wider community!

 Our date for visiting the Mission Barn to assemble flood buckets is September 28th. 

June 23, 2024

Friends, we need to have a celebration:  as of today we have come together to the tune of $1850 toward our $2000 goal for flood buckets for the Mission Barn!  The people of God are serving our neighbors in the name of our Lord—and as Paul says so often in his letters, “I give thanks for you!” 

While we are very grateful for the gifts of this community, please note that our summer celebration of volunteers, hosted by the Fowlers, has been delayed for safety due to the high heat.  We will post new dates when we have them—we’re looking forward to seeing everyone and celebrating this community of faith!

And finally, a personal thank you to the many who have offered help in our third day of no power at home.  I’m especially thankful because I know this community well enough to know that you have offered to your neighbors as well.  God is good, and God’s people here at McKnight are faithful.  Once again, I give thanks for you. 

Looking forward to Sunday worship with you—

Becky

June 16, 2024 Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

As I was doing my study time this morning—I’m currently reading Pastor by UMC Bishop Will Willimon—I came across this quote:  “Evangelization is not only of the nature of the church evoked by the work of the Trinity; the church is also the object of this work.”  There’s a lot packed into that sentence, but the part that really struck me was that we, the church, are always also the object of evangelization. 

We tend to think of evangelization as something we do, to outsiders, but we Methodists, alongside several other communities, believe in something officially called “sanctification”—simply put, we believe that God’s work in us continues after we come to believe.  God continues the work of evangelization by calling all of the parts of us that remain unconverted, or unaligned with God.  God continues to woo us, to teach us, and to steadily ask us to become more of who we were created to be. 

June 9, 2024 Third Sunday After Pentecost

As you already know, for me, one of the pleasures of being a pastor is continuing study, seeking ideas and inspiration to shape and inform what we do together in work and in worship.  This week I was reading a Diana Butler Bass book this week, since she’s a pretty big name in theological schools right now, and I’d never gotten around to any of her books, and this quotation struck me: 

 “It comforted me that half of the Christian year is called ‘ordinary time,’ a season of prayers and readings in which not much seems to happen, where holiness is marked by the seasons of nature—summer’s growth and fall’s harvest.  No time of expectant wonder, no miraculous birth, no piercing light, no deep lament, no Resurrection triumph.  Instead, these are the weeks when the church reads stories of Jesus teaching, healing, and eating, all that is familiar and familial—the motherly presence of Christ—just ordinary time.”

 Ordinary time is where (or rather “when”) we are right now:  no festivals or holidays, simply weeks of real life and real worship. 

June 2, 2024 Second Sunday After Pentecost

Greetings!

If you haven’t seen the Facebook post yet, there’s another Chapter-a-Day community reading from UMC Discipleship.  This summer we’re doing the book of Acts.  Reading Scripture is an important part of our Christian lives and formation, and this program makes it extraordinarily easy to participate:  a chapter will show up in your inbox each day.  Here’s a link:https://newsletters.umcdiscipleship.org/read-a-chapter-a-day-signup?.

 I spoke briefly from the pulpit about how UMCOR has received a top rating from Charitywatch, so we can know that all of our donations, including our current collection for flood buckets, goes to excellent use.  If you’re interested, here’s a link to the article.  https://umcmission.org/press-release/umcor-receives-top-rating-from-charitywatch/.

 And finally, I ask that all of you keep our Annual Conference in prayer.