December 8, 2024 Second Sunday of Advent

December comes inevitably, and yet it always seems like a surprise.  I’ve been planning, at home and at church, for a rich season of Advent leading into Christmas, and I’ve fleshed out those plans with different people, and yet I still feel a little anxious as the days approach.  Part of it, I suspect, is because even though it happens every year, Advent is always new, always different.  There are all kinds of expectations and traditions around it, but we also always need a little shift in perspective, so that we see all of the things that we think we know in a new way, reminding us that God is always bigger than our understanding. 

With that in mind, I’ve asked the Rev. Dr. Steven Tuell, newly retired professor of Old Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, to join us for our Advent series, so that we can talk about some of our Old Testament scriptures for the month.  We’re meeting tonight and for two more Wednesdays in the fellowship hall. 

December 1, 2024 First Sunday of Advent

As I write this, most of us are in the middle of some kind of anticipation or preparation for Thanksgiving.  Although it can get lost in the to-do list and sometimes (unfortunately) in the family tension, it’s a good practice every year to pause and remember to give thanks.  God is with us, and every gift we have has come from God’s own storehouse.  Even our ability to earn and to do and to create comes from God, so even when we see results from our labor, it is still always appropriate to pause and give thanks.  I hope that the holiday is a happy one for you, and that even if you’re missing someone, you’ll know that you are God’s own beloved. 

Next, we are very much looking forward to Advent, that time of preparation and anticipation for Christmas.  Historically advent is a penitential season, like Lent, but that can be difficult to practice with the world around us concentrating on being merry, so let’s just call it a time to remember what we anticipate:  the coming of the Christ child, showing us that our God so wanted to be with us that God chose to be born into a human body and live a human life.  Even before Jesus addressed what theologians call “the sin problem,” Jesus came to the world in a way that demonstrated his love for us. 

This Advent we will have the Rev. Dr. Steven Tuell, professor emeritus of Old Testament from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, joining us for three Wednesday evenings. 

November 17, 2024

I have had the privilege these past two days of taking part in a clergy retreat, during which pastors from a variety of traditions talked about the Advent scriptures for this year, and about different Advent practices (and I’m very grateful for the Lilly grant that paid for my trip!). The retreat center is run by clergy of yet another tradition, and yet we’ve all come together in this place of peace, knowing that whatever our differences, we worship the same God, and we all care deeply about pastoring God’s people.

November 10, 2024 Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

As we come into the beginning of harvest season, let us give thanks for the current health of our budget, as well as for well-maintained buildings!  We are blessed to have a facility in good repair, to be debt-free, knowing that our bills are paid out of our income, and to be able to come together for worship each week in financial security.  This is the traditional time of year for stewardship season, and stewardship is a part of harvest season for a reason:  we see actual, literal fruits of someone’s labor, time and energy and likely prayer come to ripeness, and it is a time of thanksgiving.  As you give thanks for your blessings, I invite you to remember from Whom they come. 

 And we process election results, whether or not we are happy with the way things turned out, I also invite you to remember Whose you are.  As the people of God, we need to let our faith influence our behavior, not only because our faith teaches us how to live in relation to other people, but also because our behavior is our witness.  And finally, our faith also calls us to humility—we know that we have all fallen, and that in that we are no different from our neighbors.  As C.S. Lewis wrote, “There are three images in my mind I must continually forsake and replace by better ones:  the false image of God, the false image of my neighbors, and the false image of myself.”  Let us keep this in mind as we think about elections, and let us be reminded that Jesus came for all of us, even the annoying neighbor whose political opinions are so different from our own, and who does not seem to see the things that we see. 

On another note, I am happy to report that the Mark study has steady attendance.

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.