It is good that we begin a new year every year about this time, don’t you think?
As strange as it might seem, the new year did not always begin on January 1!
To be sure, there almost always has been a celebration of the beginning of the new year, but it used to begin March 25. Yep, going back to the ancient Babylonians, some 4000 years ago, and for long periods of time since then, folks celebrated the new year in conjunction with Spring – marking the end of winter and the beginning of new growth.
In fact, it wasn’t until 1752 that England decreed that January 1 would mark the beginning of the new year there and in the colonies.
But, still, the fact is that most people in the world do not mark the beginning of the new year on January 1.
Jews the world over mark the beginning of the new year in September or October.
Hindus in different parts of India celebrate the new year on various dates.
Muslims use a calendar that has 354 days in most years so their new year falls on different dates as well.
The Chinese New Year begins between January 21 and February 19.
The Thai New Year is celebrated in April 13 to April 15.
The Vietnamese New Year is the Têt Nguyen Dan and is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year.
But, we take time just after the darkest time of the year, just as the days get longer, as things change, as more and more light illumines our lives,
to remember where we’ve been,
to remember what we’ve done,
to remember what has happened,
perhaps to evaluate our experiences,
perhaps to celebrate the moments of epiphany,
perhaps to grieve at what has been lost,
and then to look ahead to the days to come.
It is in the looking ahead that our faith gets expressed.
One study has concluded that on average each American makes 1.8 New Year’s resolutions each year.
Well, I know some don’t make any resolutions, because they don’t need the guilt attached to failed expectations.
But, resolutions can be powerful tools for behavior and attitudinal change.
I have seen it work time and time again.
Resolutions can be powerful tools if you write them down.
Resolutions can be powerful tools if you display them prominently on the refrigerator door or the bedroom mirror.
Resolutions can be powerful tools if you refer to them daily,
if you say them out loud,
if you include them in your prayers.
New Year’s Day may be the most active-minded holiday, because it is the one where people evaluate their lives and plan and resolve to take some kind of action.
It is no accident that the ancient Romans named this month January – after Janus, the god of gates, doors, and beginnings.
Janus is always depicted as having two faces, one looking forward and one looking backward.
And, that’s what we do, isn’t it?
We look back on the days past.
And we look forward to the days to come.
As we look forward to the days to come, let us remember that the Psalmist reminds us that each of our days are God-given. What we do with them is up to us. How we spend them is up to us. How we get through them is up to us.
Frets and anxieties and regrets have a way of festering and infecting our lives with unhealthiness. Let’s rid ourselves of them. Misplaced allegiances and unrecognized debts foster unhappiness, unpleasantness and, ultimately, an unfulfilled life.
Let us follow the clue left by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.
Because, that’s what we believe, isn’t it?
That’s what we hear and say each Sunday in church.
He or she is rich who owns the day,
and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.
Finish every day and be done with it.
Some blunders and absurdities
no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can;
tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely,
with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
The new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.
Yes! Yes! Yes! With its hopes and invitations, the new day is too dear to waste a moment on the yesterdays.
This is a call to each of us.
This is a call to our church.
Resolve to pray for your church each day in 2011.
Resolve to pray for all who worship here in 2011.
Resolve to pray for those who need to hear the message we proclaim in 2011.
See you in Church,
Clyde
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
This Christmas: Experience the Holy
First Sunday of Advent. Look for the messengers. Hear about it here.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
We are celebrating All Saints Day this Sunday
We are celebrating All Saints Day this Sunday.
It seems clear that we all need time and ritual for remembering those who have gone before us.
There seems to be a common universal urge to remember.
We need to remember.
For centuries, the church has known this –
and on All Saints Sunday we remember those persons who have influenced our faith development,
whose presence is still felt in our lives even thought they now rest from their labors.
All Saints Sunday is the church's Memorial Day, a time to remember and give thanks to God for those who have died in the faith.
All Saints Day is a day on which we remember special people,
people who now dwell with God.
people whom the scriptures and the church call saints.
John Irwin begins A Prayer for Owen Meany with these words:
"I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice –
not because of his voice,
or because he was the smallest person I ever knew...
but because he is the reason I believe in God;
I am a Christian because of Owen Meany."
Connect with All Saints Day today by taking time to remember the Owen Meanys of your life.
We all believe in God because of someone.
We are all here today because of someone.
Today, think about who that is for you - and come worship with us this Sunday.
Christ Presbyterian Church is a place where you are welcome - no matter what.
In fact, you are expected.
See you Sunday.
It seems clear that we all need time and ritual for remembering those who have gone before us.
There seems to be a common universal urge to remember.
We need to remember.
For centuries, the church has known this –
and on All Saints Sunday we remember those persons who have influenced our faith development,
whose presence is still felt in our lives even thought they now rest from their labors.
All Saints Sunday is the church's Memorial Day, a time to remember and give thanks to God for those who have died in the faith.
All Saints Day is a day on which we remember special people,
people who now dwell with God.
people whom the scriptures and the church call saints.
John Irwin begins A Prayer for Owen Meany with these words:
"I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice –
not because of his voice,
or because he was the smallest person I ever knew...
but because he is the reason I believe in God;
I am a Christian because of Owen Meany."
Connect with All Saints Day today by taking time to remember the Owen Meanys of your life.
We all believe in God because of someone.
We are all here today because of someone.
Today, think about who that is for you - and come worship with us this Sunday.
Christ Presbyterian Church is a place where you are welcome - no matter what.
In fact, you are expected.
See you Sunday.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Rescue Conversation
Was the live-streaming of the mine rescue the most significant global spiritual conversation that has ever taken place on earth? http://www.tinyurl.com/2akj5hw
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Getting Through Times of Trouble
These are the times that try men’s souls, was the cry of a previous generation; but, it could be our cry as well.
I have been doing a great deal of thinking about the hard times most of us are experiencing – personally,
with loved ones,
and even with our church –
and of what our faith says about surviving hard times.
In our sacred writings we are reminded that it is our faith that provides the power to survive and overcome whatever life brings – including hard times like these.
(I John 5:4)
This statement has provided the underpinnings for additional reflection of what our faith may be saying as to how to survive specific hard times such as those most of us face at one time or another.
Last year at this time I took a clue from the popular TV show, Survivor, and devised a series of sermons on the topic of Surviving Hard Times.
This year, we are still in troubled times. And so, I am preparing a whole series of sermons about Getting Through Times of Trouble – when there’s no money,
when there’s no work,
when there’s no one who cares,
and so on.
With all of the scientific evidence being accumulated these days that confirm the positive benefits of faithful living, actually taking the “leap of faith” is a far more rational decision than it ever was in the past.
Over and over again, studies reveal that people of faith –
people who regularly participate in a community of faith, like our church – actually have a better life than those who don’t.
People of faith actually survive hard times in a way that others don’t.
The faith that is proclaimed here at Christ Church helps people overcome whatever life brings –
like I John says:
Pity those who don’t have faith.
It is our faith that provides the power to survive.
What is of particular interest to me is that study after study shows that we don’t even have to believe that the conclusions may be true.
What is convincingly revealed is that something happens to people who are part of a faith community.
Something happens to people who worship regularly together.
Something happens to people who meet together to praise the Creator and to seek guidance and wisdom for living life in these days.
They become different from those who don’t.
They are able to survive during times when others succumb.
Values change.
The way we look at the world changes.
The way we look at each other changes.
Our demeanor changes.
Our attitude changes.
Our brain changes.
And, miracles happen.
We are able to overcome whatever life brings our way.
We are able to survive when bad things happen – survive and even thrive.
Let no one think differently,
what we do here at Christ Church is important stuff.
There is power in this faith we profess.
What we do now and in the days ahead will reflect our understanding of how we are to channel our resources and energies to promote and enable others to know what we know.
You may want to seek out the messages of Getting Through Times of Trouble.
I have been doing a great deal of thinking about the hard times most of us are experiencing – personally,
with loved ones,
and even with our church –
and of what our faith says about surviving hard times.
In our sacred writings we are reminded that it is our faith that provides the power to survive and overcome whatever life brings – including hard times like these.
(I John 5:4)
This statement has provided the underpinnings for additional reflection of what our faith may be saying as to how to survive specific hard times such as those most of us face at one time or another.
Last year at this time I took a clue from the popular TV show, Survivor, and devised a series of sermons on the topic of Surviving Hard Times.
This year, we are still in troubled times. And so, I am preparing a whole series of sermons about Getting Through Times of Trouble – when there’s no money,
when there’s no work,
when there’s no one who cares,
and so on.
With all of the scientific evidence being accumulated these days that confirm the positive benefits of faithful living, actually taking the “leap of faith” is a far more rational decision than it ever was in the past.
Over and over again, studies reveal that people of faith –
people who regularly participate in a community of faith, like our church – actually have a better life than those who don’t.
People of faith actually survive hard times in a way that others don’t.
The faith that is proclaimed here at Christ Church helps people overcome whatever life brings –
like I John says:
Pity those who don’t have faith.
It is our faith that provides the power to survive.
What is of particular interest to me is that study after study shows that we don’t even have to believe that the conclusions may be true.
What is convincingly revealed is that something happens to people who are part of a faith community.
Something happens to people who worship regularly together.
Something happens to people who meet together to praise the Creator and to seek guidance and wisdom for living life in these days.
They become different from those who don’t.
They are able to survive during times when others succumb.
Values change.
The way we look at the world changes.
The way we look at each other changes.
Our demeanor changes.
Our attitude changes.
Our brain changes.
And, miracles happen.
We are able to overcome whatever life brings our way.
We are able to survive when bad things happen – survive and even thrive.
Let no one think differently,
what we do here at Christ Church is important stuff.
There is power in this faith we profess.
What we do now and in the days ahead will reflect our understanding of how we are to channel our resources and energies to promote and enable others to know what we know.
You may want to seek out the messages of Getting Through Times of Trouble.
Monday, October 11, 2010
God in America PBS Tonight
Since the days when the Puritan "city on a hill" beckoned on the horizon of the New World, religious faith and belief have forged America’s ideals, molded its identity and shaped its sense of mission at home and abroad.
Beginning tonight on PBS, for the first time on television, God in America explores the tumultuous 400-year history of the intersection of religion and public life in America, from the first European settlements to the 2008 presidential election.
Check it out: http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/
Beginning tonight on PBS, for the first time on television, God in America explores the tumultuous 400-year history of the intersection of religion and public life in America, from the first European settlements to the 2008 presidential election.
Check it out: http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/
Thursday, October 7, 2010
A Compassion-less Christianity is an Oxymoron - Proclaimed by Morons
The "fire department did the right and Christian thing,” professed the American Family Association's Brian Fischer in the aftermath of the South Fulton Fire Department’s refusal to respond to the call of a fire at the residence of the Cranick family in Obion, TN.
I am sorry, sir, but your idea of a “right and Christian thing” has absolutely nothing in common with the Christian faith I have professed and taught for over 40 years, and is far off the mark of the faith Jesus of Nazareth professed and what the church has taught over the centuries.
A compassion-less Christianity is an oxymoron – claimed by obviously ignorant morons.
To try to say that the Kingdom of God is not based upon compassion is to totally misread or intentionally misstate the entire Christian message of the New Testament.
Reread again the parable of the Good Samaritan and explain again exactly how standing by watching a family in pain and DOING NOTHING when it is within your power to alleviate the pain is a “right and Christian thing.”
If you do nothing else, listen to what Jesus says about that
I am sorry, sir, but your idea of a “right and Christian thing” has absolutely nothing in common with the Christian faith I have professed and taught for over 40 years, and is far off the mark of the faith Jesus of Nazareth professed and what the church has taught over the centuries.
A compassion-less Christianity is an oxymoron – claimed by obviously ignorant morons.
To try to say that the Kingdom of God is not based upon compassion is to totally misread or intentionally misstate the entire Christian message of the New Testament.
Reread again the parable of the Good Samaritan and explain again exactly how standing by watching a family in pain and DOING NOTHING when it is within your power to alleviate the pain is a “right and Christian thing.”
If you do nothing else, listen to what Jesus says about that
Remembering the Life and Legacy of David Bailey
When diagnosed with brain cancer at age 30, and given 6 months to live, David struggled with the usual and understandable feelings that focused on "why me?" -- young husband and father to two young children. David's uniqueness came to the fore when after months of pity-partying, the phrase "why not me?" began to govern his life.
David began a witness to the experience of many "terminally ill" patients who "find their calling."
A talented musician, he focused on writing and preforming his music for anyone who would listen. His concerts always featured a witness to the faith that propelled him and gave him the strength to do what he did. David celebrated the ground of his being and spent another 14 years living life to the fullest -- witnessing to and teaching all who listened and observed.
Thanks David for being you and doing what you did.
You, your life, and your music are an inspiration to many.
http://tinyurl.com/22vjqxy
David began a witness to the experience of many "terminally ill" patients who "find their calling."
A talented musician, he focused on writing and preforming his music for anyone who would listen. His concerts always featured a witness to the faith that propelled him and gave him the strength to do what he did. David celebrated the ground of his being and spent another 14 years living life to the fullest -- witnessing to and teaching all who listened and observed.
Thanks David for being you and doing what you did.
You, your life, and your music are an inspiration to many.
http://tinyurl.com/22vjqxy
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Faith is not a political issue
We urge public officials, faith leaders, and the media to offer no further support or airtime to those who misrepresent and call into question the President’s Christian faith.
As Christian leaders— whose primary responsibility is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with our congregations, our communities, and our world— we are deeply troubled by the recent questioning of President Obama’s faith.
We understand that these are contentious times, but the personal faith of our leaders should not be up for public debate.
President Obama has been unwavering in confessing Christ as Lord and has spoken often about the importance of his Christian faith.
Many of the signees on this letter have prayed and worshipped with this President.
We believe that questioning, and especially misrepresenting, the faith of a confessing believer goes too far.
This is not a political issue.
The signers of this letter come from different political and ideological backgrounds, but we are unified in our belief in Jesus Christ.
As Christian pastors and leaders, we believe that fellow Christians need to be an encouragement to those who call Christ their savior, not question the veracity of their faith.
Therefore, we urge public officials, faith leaders, and the media to offer no further support or airtime to those who misrepresent and call into question the President’s Christian faith.
And we join with the President in praying that God will continue to bless the United States of America.
Signed,
Bishop T.D. Jakes
Pastor and CEO
Potters House
Ronald J. Sider
President
Evangelicals for Social Action
Rev. Sam Rodriguez
President
National Hispanic Leadership Conference
Dr. Joel Hunter
Senior Pastor, Northland: A Church Distributed
Jim Wallis
President and CEO
Sojourners
Luis Cortes
President
Esperanza
Stephen Monsma
Paul Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics
Calvin College
Miroslav Volf
Director, Center for Faith and Culture
Yale Divinity School
Donald Miller
Author
Brian McLaren
Author/Pastor
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie
Thirteenth Episcopal District
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Kirbyjon Caldwell
Senior Pastor
Windsor Village United Methodist Church
Wesley Granberg-Michaelson
General Secretary
Reformed Church in America
Rev. Peg Chemberlin
President
National Council of Churches
Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Dr. David P. Gushee
Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics
Director, Center for Theology and Public Life
Mercer University
Dr. William Shaw
President
National Baptist Convention USA
Dr. Richard Hamm
Executive Director
Christian Churches Together in the USA
Cynthia Bolbach
Moderator, 219th General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk?
Office of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Linda Valentine
Executive Director
General Assembly Mission Council
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Dr. James C. Perkins
First Vice President
The Progressive National Baptist Convention
Rev. Gabriel A. Salguero
Lead Pastor, The Lamb’s Church of the Nazarene
Executive, The Latino Leadership Circle
Noel Castellanos
CEO, Christian Community Development Association
Vincent J. Miller
Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture
Department of Religious Studies
University of Dayton
Terrence W. Tilley
Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Professor of Catholic Theology
Chair, Theology Department
Fordham University, Bronx NY
Nicholas P. Cafardi
Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law
Duquesne University School of Law
T. Michael McNulty, SJ
Justice and Peace Director
Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM)
Steve Schneck
Director
Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies
The Catholic University of America
David Baak
United Church of Wayland, MI
George B. Telford
Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rev. Chuck Currie
Rev. Jeff Johnston
As Christian leaders— whose primary responsibility is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with our congregations, our communities, and our world— we are deeply troubled by the recent questioning of President Obama’s faith.
We understand that these are contentious times, but the personal faith of our leaders should not be up for public debate.
President Obama has been unwavering in confessing Christ as Lord and has spoken often about the importance of his Christian faith.
Many of the signees on this letter have prayed and worshipped with this President.
We believe that questioning, and especially misrepresenting, the faith of a confessing believer goes too far.
This is not a political issue.
The signers of this letter come from different political and ideological backgrounds, but we are unified in our belief in Jesus Christ.
As Christian pastors and leaders, we believe that fellow Christians need to be an encouragement to those who call Christ their savior, not question the veracity of their faith.
Therefore, we urge public officials, faith leaders, and the media to offer no further support or airtime to those who misrepresent and call into question the President’s Christian faith.
And we join with the President in praying that God will continue to bless the United States of America.
Signed,
Bishop T.D. Jakes
Pastor and CEO
Potters House
Ronald J. Sider
President
Evangelicals for Social Action
Rev. Sam Rodriguez
President
National Hispanic Leadership Conference
Dr. Joel Hunter
Senior Pastor, Northland: A Church Distributed
Jim Wallis
President and CEO
Sojourners
Luis Cortes
President
Esperanza
Stephen Monsma
Paul Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics
Calvin College
Miroslav Volf
Director, Center for Faith and Culture
Yale Divinity School
Donald Miller
Author
Brian McLaren
Author/Pastor
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie
Thirteenth Episcopal District
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Kirbyjon Caldwell
Senior Pastor
Windsor Village United Methodist Church
Wesley Granberg-Michaelson
General Secretary
Reformed Church in America
Rev. Peg Chemberlin
President
National Council of Churches
Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Dr. David P. Gushee
Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics
Director, Center for Theology and Public Life
Mercer University
Dr. William Shaw
President
National Baptist Convention USA
Dr. Richard Hamm
Executive Director
Christian Churches Together in the USA
Cynthia Bolbach
Moderator, 219th General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk?
Office of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Linda Valentine
Executive Director
General Assembly Mission Council
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Dr. James C. Perkins
First Vice President
The Progressive National Baptist Convention
Rev. Gabriel A. Salguero
Lead Pastor, The Lamb’s Church of the Nazarene
Executive, The Latino Leadership Circle
Noel Castellanos
CEO, Christian Community Development Association
Vincent J. Miller
Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture
Department of Religious Studies
University of Dayton
Terrence W. Tilley
Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Professor of Catholic Theology
Chair, Theology Department
Fordham University, Bronx NY
Nicholas P. Cafardi
Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law
Duquesne University School of Law
T. Michael McNulty, SJ
Justice and Peace Director
Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM)
Steve Schneck
Director
Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies
The Catholic University of America
David Baak
United Church of Wayland, MI
George B. Telford
Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rev. Chuck Currie
Rev. Jeff Johnston
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Jaculatory Prayer:
short, extemporaneous, prayer "darted" to God - as per 1656 New English dictionary.
I like this. What do you think?
Can my congregation with their learned Presbyterian behaviors handle this teaching?
Comments please.
I like this. What do you think?
Can my congregation with their learned Presbyterian behaviors handle this teaching?
Comments please.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Bib Changes Are Underway!
We’re finally seeing some results of our daring action nearly a year ago to sell the church building.
Beluah Tabernacle is moving in.
It will be good to see so many people using the building again.
And, we will have to learn how to live together as we continue to downsize the space we use in the building.
While title has not yet been transferred, we have entered into an arrangement with
Beluah Tabernacle to lease all of space in the entire building we are not using until settlement.
The lease is beneficial to both parties giving them a place to worship and carry on their ministries,
as well as providing us with an income closely approximating what we will have once the sale goes through.
Once again Christ Church is at the forefront of innovation –
having spawned the use of broadcasting services and lessons directly into the homes of shut-ins through the facilities of the telephone system,
as well as the well-known meals-on-wheels program,
just to name a couple of past innovations started here.
The sale of the church building with accompanying lease-back of space for continuing ministry has not often been tried.
But, we have a building that accommodates such a proposal – and we have a buyer that is agreeable to the arrangement.
It promises to be a win-win situation for everybody.
Now, it will take some adjustment and will require changes in how we do things as we learn to live together sharing the building with Beluah Tabernacle.
Stay tuned for further announcements.
Once things settle down and new routines are developed, we will begin exploring what our church and ministry may look like in the years to come.
For now, patience and hospitality are virtues to be practiced.
In the near future, inspired dreams and visions will be encouraged as our new ministry emerges.
Please continue to remember in prayer your church and those who are working so hard to enable this move to provide for the continuation of our ministry at Christ Church.
Meanwhile, plan to be here Easter Sunday – and invite a friend – or two – or three.
During the past year, the top priority was to maintain the Sunday morning worship services –
and this will remain a top priority in the year to come as well.
Our services during Holy Week will continue to be special.
We will remember and celebrate the parade as Jesus entered Jerusalem on
Palm Sunday March 28, 10:00 am.
Our Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service of communion and lights will be April 1 at 7:30 pm.
And, of course, the highlight of the year, our Easter Service will be April 4 at 10:00 am.
Let’s fill the chapel wall to wall, shoulder to shoulder, to celebrate the birthday of whole new world.
See you in church –
and bring someone with you.
Beluah Tabernacle is moving in.
It will be good to see so many people using the building again.
And, we will have to learn how to live together as we continue to downsize the space we use in the building.
While title has not yet been transferred, we have entered into an arrangement with
Beluah Tabernacle to lease all of space in the entire building we are not using until settlement.
The lease is beneficial to both parties giving them a place to worship and carry on their ministries,
as well as providing us with an income closely approximating what we will have once the sale goes through.
Once again Christ Church is at the forefront of innovation –
having spawned the use of broadcasting services and lessons directly into the homes of shut-ins through the facilities of the telephone system,
as well as the well-known meals-on-wheels program,
just to name a couple of past innovations started here.
The sale of the church building with accompanying lease-back of space for continuing ministry has not often been tried.
But, we have a building that accommodates such a proposal – and we have a buyer that is agreeable to the arrangement.
It promises to be a win-win situation for everybody.
Now, it will take some adjustment and will require changes in how we do things as we learn to live together sharing the building with Beluah Tabernacle.
Stay tuned for further announcements.
Once things settle down and new routines are developed, we will begin exploring what our church and ministry may look like in the years to come.
For now, patience and hospitality are virtues to be practiced.
In the near future, inspired dreams and visions will be encouraged as our new ministry emerges.
Please continue to remember in prayer your church and those who are working so hard to enable this move to provide for the continuation of our ministry at Christ Church.
Meanwhile, plan to be here Easter Sunday – and invite a friend – or two – or three.
During the past year, the top priority was to maintain the Sunday morning worship services –
and this will remain a top priority in the year to come as well.
Our services during Holy Week will continue to be special.
We will remember and celebrate the parade as Jesus entered Jerusalem on
Palm Sunday March 28, 10:00 am.
Our Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service of communion and lights will be April 1 at 7:30 pm.
And, of course, the highlight of the year, our Easter Service will be April 4 at 10:00 am.
Let’s fill the chapel wall to wall, shoulder to shoulder, to celebrate the birthday of whole new world.
See you in church –
and bring someone with you.
Friday, February 26, 2010
In the name of God . . . I am tired of the wrangling around health-care reform
I really like this article by Susan K. Smith in today's Washington Post. I like her use of language and placing the "controversy" straight away as a theological / moral issue. Check it out.
Senior pastor, Advent United Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio|
February 25, 2010; 8:55 AM ET
God looking down on health-care summit
In the name of God who -- I was taught -- loves all of us and wants none of us to suffer unduly, I am tired of the wrangling around health-care reform.
I listened to a Republican lawmaker vow that this country would not have socialized medicine, not under any circumstances. I listened to yet another who said that the Republicans want to work on paring down costs for people who already have health insurance, not necessarily make health insurance available to all who do not now have it.
Of course not. That would make it "socialized medicine," right?
I cannot understand how we as a God-fearing nation, as we claim, can be all right with so many people not having access to health care. It baffles me how people we elected can be all right when some children are dying of things as simple, if treated, as a tooth abscess, or how they can be all right when some people cannot get the medicine they need to treat illnesses, like diabetes or hypertension, which, if left untreated, evolve into serious illnesses requiring thousands of dollars to treat.
It is sheer poppycock, or maybe brazen ignorance, to profess belief in God and not care about the people in this nation who cannot get health care. Sure, costs for those of us fortunate enough to have health care are high, but at least we can get the care we need.
God cannot be happy as we turn away from people in need.
I keep coming back to the accusation that wanting health care for everyone is socialism, or sets up a system of socialized medicine. When those two words are said, people prone to being afraid of ideologies step right into their fear and think of Cuba. God forbid we become like them.
But what if one was to think of Australia instead? I talked to a man and woman from Australia last month who said everyone has health care. He explained the system to me, and I didn't fully understand everything, but what I did understand is that the Australian government seems to "get it" that a healthy nation, a nation that cares about people's health ...is a good thing.
All this name calling and divisiveness at the expense of the people has jostled my spirit. I wonder how many people are sitting at home in pain because our Congress cannot get past partisanship and pass a bill?
This nation demands that even the poorest of people pay taxes. Those same "poorest" of people then deserve health care. Having health care is a right; it is an issue of human rights, as a matter of fact. How in the world can we fight for the rights of people in Iraq when we ignore the cries of our own?
By now I have heard as many horror stories as I can stomach from or about people who suffered unduly or who died because they did not have access to health care. Many to most were working, so that debunks the generalization that those opposed to health care that only those too lazy to work are without health care.
I have advised members of my own congregation to try to get a family doctor instead of using the emergency room for health care, but they cannot because doctors will not see them if they do not have health insurance.
The insurance companies pull the reins of this sled, and they are concerned about one thing: their profits. To hell with the people! Poor people cannot bring them money, they only cost, and so Big Insurance is refereeing this race and is making calls on the side of themselves.
I keep asking myself what God would think, this God who created us all and who loves us all. I keep wondering when our Congress will man (and woman) up and start taking risks, political risks, on behalf of the people who elected them?
We religious types like to point out "abominations," and go the Bible to justify our judgments, yet we ignore the Bible as it says, over and over, that we are to be a people who seek justice; we are to take care of each other, and that we cannot serve "God and mammon."
Republicans say trash the bill that's there and start over. Get real. Offer what you have to the existing bill, and stop playing with the lives of people who are in need. Some Democrats are holding back because of ideology and political aspiration as well. Maybe God put you in place for such a time as this, to help pass a bill that will help God's people. Maybe God doesn't want you to serve as long as did Jesse Helms or others.
And if that is the case, this same God will open other doors for you that will feed your passion to serve...if that is in fact what your passion is.
In 1 Chronicles, David tells his son Solomon to "be strong and do the work." David wanted to build God a new temple but God didn't want him to do that; he was a warrior and had blood on his hands. No, the temple would be built by Solomon.
And so David began to advise his son of the difficulty before him ...but he said several times, "Be strong and do the work."
In the name of God, Congress, I ask you as well to "be strong and do the work." The Bible also says for us to be steadfast and immovable...and to know that our work is not in vain.
Surely, getting health-care reform passed would not be an effort done in vain. Surely, though there are costs involved, God will take care of those who have taken care of each other.
Please. Be strong and do the work already. Enough is enough
Senior pastor, Advent United Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio|
February 25, 2010; 8:55 AM ET
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
TBIYtC
Do you believe TBIYtC?
I truly hope so.
Because TBIYtC is such a basic part of our Christian faith.
I want to paint TBIYtC in big bold letters.
I do believe that this is my all time favorite acronym.
You can have your Y2K and 9/11 and RSVP and ASAP and PDQ and FYI and LOL and TGIF and WWJD –
I want to paint TBIYtC in big bold letters on our church wall someplace.
TBIYtC : The Best Is Yet to Come
As we celebrate the 83rd anniversary of Christ Church, I recall the story of the two pastors sailing up the Delaware River some 257 years ago after six weeks at sea from their home in Scotland.
One of the young men came as a loan – he would serve a term of one year and return home.
The other, Alexander Gellatly, came to stay.
From all I can see, he firmly believed TBIYtC!
Presbyterians were all over Chester County and had been petitioning for pastoral leadership for several years. Finally, their pleas were being acted upon.
Alexander Gellatly was 33 years old and full of energy and ideas.
Within a very few years several congregations were organized and most of these churches continue their ministry to this day.
Alexander Gellatly never looked back.
For him, from day one, TBIYtC!
For 172 years, one the congregations he started conducted a vital and crucial witness for the cause of the faith.
After 172 years the Oxford United Presbyterian Church discontinued its ministry – but, not before arranging for a new work to be begun in the newly created suburb of Drexel Hill.
For all their history, for all their ministry, for all of their witness,
they believed TBIYtC.
For certain, when the Presbytery purchased property in 1926 at the corner of State Road and Turner Avenue from funds generated by the sale of the Oxford Church, they believed TBIYtC.
When the folks began to gather in Drexel Hill in 1927 to form a new church, for sure they believed TBIYtC.
When the stock market crashed and the years of the Great Depression came upon our country and our community and the new church, the folks of the new church just knew TBIYtC.
When the war broke out and construction on the new sanctuary stalled, the congregation believed TBIYtC as ways were found to continue the work so the men would have a place to come back to once the war was over.
I have come to believe that one of the deadliest things in the life of an individual – and in the life of a church – is to stop believing TBIYtC.
When we stop believing TBIYtC we stagnate, we become sour, we start decomposing, we start dying.
In 1989, the Elders looked at all of the financial records – church bank accounts, the levels of giving from the members, the pledges, the projected expenses, the obligations – and concluded there were enough resources on hand, and anticipated, to let the church continue for about six months.
Instead of “cashing in” at that time, there was a feeling among some that TBIYtC.
So, what about you?
Do you believe TBIYtC?
I truly hope so.
Because TBIYtC is such a basic part of our Christian faith.
TBIYtC propelled Jesus’ ministry and enabled him to face the ultimate trials and tribulations on that final week of his life.
TBIYtC is what I see expressed by so many of our members as they faced their own deaths in the last several months.
TBIYtC is the only way we can face the year to come as a church that seeks to be viable and true to our mission and witness.
As we celebrate the anniversary of the founding of our church, let us not get caught up in nostalgia.
Look around and realize that many of the folks attending our church simply were not a part of it twenty years ago.
They don’t remember “the glory days”.
For them TBIYtC.
For so many of us TBIYtC.
And I say, unequivocally, for you, personally, as well as for our church TBIYtC.
Believe it!
Resolve this year to pray for our church, for our ministry, and for our witness.
Let the word go out TBIYtC!
Anyone who seeks a center of faith that empowers and enables a more complete life, a fuller life, will find it here.
TBIYtC – let the word go out that we are family – and all are welcome here.
Let the word go out that God is alive and the spirit is afoot here at Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, and TBIYtC!
I truly hope so.
Because TBIYtC is such a basic part of our Christian faith.
I want to paint TBIYtC in big bold letters.
I do believe that this is my all time favorite acronym.
You can have your Y2K and 9/11 and RSVP and ASAP and PDQ and FYI and LOL and TGIF and WWJD –
I want to paint TBIYtC in big bold letters on our church wall someplace.
TBIYtC : The Best Is Yet to Come
As we celebrate the 83rd anniversary of Christ Church, I recall the story of the two pastors sailing up the Delaware River some 257 years ago after six weeks at sea from their home in Scotland.
One of the young men came as a loan – he would serve a term of one year and return home.
The other, Alexander Gellatly, came to stay.
From all I can see, he firmly believed TBIYtC!
Presbyterians were all over Chester County and had been petitioning for pastoral leadership for several years. Finally, their pleas were being acted upon.
Alexander Gellatly was 33 years old and full of energy and ideas.
Within a very few years several congregations were organized and most of these churches continue their ministry to this day.
Alexander Gellatly never looked back.
For him, from day one, TBIYtC!
For 172 years, one the congregations he started conducted a vital and crucial witness for the cause of the faith.
After 172 years the Oxford United Presbyterian Church discontinued its ministry – but, not before arranging for a new work to be begun in the newly created suburb of Drexel Hill.
For all their history, for all their ministry, for all of their witness,
they believed TBIYtC.
For certain, when the Presbytery purchased property in 1926 at the corner of State Road and Turner Avenue from funds generated by the sale of the Oxford Church, they believed TBIYtC.
When the folks began to gather in Drexel Hill in 1927 to form a new church, for sure they believed TBIYtC.
When the stock market crashed and the years of the Great Depression came upon our country and our community and the new church, the folks of the new church just knew TBIYtC.
When the war broke out and construction on the new sanctuary stalled, the congregation believed TBIYtC as ways were found to continue the work so the men would have a place to come back to once the war was over.
I have come to believe that one of the deadliest things in the life of an individual – and in the life of a church – is to stop believing TBIYtC.
When we stop believing TBIYtC we stagnate, we become sour, we start decomposing, we start dying.
In 1989, the Elders looked at all of the financial records – church bank accounts, the levels of giving from the members, the pledges, the projected expenses, the obligations – and concluded there were enough resources on hand, and anticipated, to let the church continue for about six months.
Instead of “cashing in” at that time, there was a feeling among some that TBIYtC.
So, what about you?
Do you believe TBIYtC?
I truly hope so.
Because TBIYtC is such a basic part of our Christian faith.
TBIYtC propelled Jesus’ ministry and enabled him to face the ultimate trials and tribulations on that final week of his life.
TBIYtC is what I see expressed by so many of our members as they faced their own deaths in the last several months.
TBIYtC is the only way we can face the year to come as a church that seeks to be viable and true to our mission and witness.
As we celebrate the anniversary of the founding of our church, let us not get caught up in nostalgia.
Look around and realize that many of the folks attending our church simply were not a part of it twenty years ago.
They don’t remember “the glory days”.
For them TBIYtC.
For so many of us TBIYtC.
And I say, unequivocally, for you, personally, as well as for our church TBIYtC.
Believe it!
Resolve this year to pray for our church, for our ministry, and for our witness.
Let the word go out TBIYtC!
Anyone who seeks a center of faith that empowers and enables a more complete life, a fuller life, will find it here.
TBIYtC – let the word go out that we are family – and all are welcome here.
Let the word go out that God is alive and the spirit is afoot here at Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, and TBIYtC!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
3 Kings or Many Magicians?
Notice that those strange and mysterious visitors to Mary and Joseph and the new baby, are nowhere referred to as kings.
Nowhere is it specified that there were three royal visitors to the Christ child.
Though the Revised Standard Version of the Bible translates the Greek as wise men,
the word is magi – the same Greek word that we use for magician – and magic.
And again, it's plural, to be sure, but we just don't know how many of them there were;
one ancient source puts their number at twelve – another at 120.
And the group might easily have included women.
(Only hundreds of years after the fact have we come to imagine three kings beside the manger. )
Nowhere is it specified that there were three royal visitors to the Christ child.
Though the Revised Standard Version of the Bible translates the Greek as wise men,
the word is magi – the same Greek word that we use for magician – and magic.
And again, it's plural, to be sure, but we just don't know how many of them there were;
one ancient source puts their number at twelve – another at 120.
And the group might easily have included women.
(Only hundreds of years after the fact have we come to imagine three kings beside the manger. )
Happy Epiphany
The church recognizes the Day of Epiphany as being tomorrow – the first day after the twelve days of Christmas.
It may surprise you to know that many cultures of the world make more to do over the twelve days of Christmas and Epiphany than they do over Christmas day itself.
In fact, Epiphany is one of the oldest days of celebration recognized by the church – they celebrated the Day of Epiphany for several hundred years before anyone thought of celebrating the day of the birth of the baby Jesus.
Truth be told, I think we in the US of A should do far more with the twelve days of Christmas and Epiphany than we do.
It may surprise you to know that many cultures of the world make more to do over the twelve days of Christmas and Epiphany than they do over Christmas day itself.
In fact, Epiphany is one of the oldest days of celebration recognized by the church – they celebrated the Day of Epiphany for several hundred years before anyone thought of celebrating the day of the birth of the baby Jesus.
Truth be told, I think we in the US of A should do far more with the twelve days of Christmas and Epiphany than we do.
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