Centuries ago, the prophet Samuel was sent by God to find and anoint
the person whom God had picked to be the next king of Israel. Samuel
obeyed; but in his mental baggage, he carried along his preconceived
ideas of what a king would look like. When he was led to Jesse’s eight
sons, Samuel naturally figured the oldest and strongest would be the one
God would tell him to anoint.
What a surprise was
in store for Samuel! One by one God rejected them -- son after son --
till the strong, older ones were all passed by. Samuel had counted to
seven with no future-king chosen by God. When Samuel asked if there
were more sons, Jesse told him: “There remains the youngest, but he is
keeping the sheep.” And Samuel asked to see that young shepherd,
David. Amazed, Samuel was instructed by God to anoint David!
Recently, a teenager explained a high-school writing assignment to me.
The class was taken to a public place, where people were walking,
drinking coffee, waiting for buses and conversing. The teacher asked
each student to choose one of those people to observe. Without talking,
they recorded their person’s distinguishing physical characteristics:
gender, height, approximate age, body type, hair style and color, skin
color, body art, piercings, and clothing.
Then they
returned to their classroom for the assignment. Using the written
description, each student was to write a story about the individual’s
life and personality. Based solely on the brief observation or external
traits, the writer was to decide whether he or she was a business
person, an artist, a student, a criminal, an addict, good or not, rich
or not, humble or conceited. The person’s life story was to be based on
the physical traits the student observed for a few short moments.
I asked the teenager what she supposed the teacher had hoped the
students would learn from this assignment. The teenager concluded that
the students would realize that it’s dearly-held stereotypes that shape
our rapidly-formed judgments. That superficial characteristics are not
measures of a person’s merit.
The Lord does not see
as mortals see. It’s easy to see clothing, hairstyles, tattoos, and
bodily characteristics, and use them as a way to categorize people.
Looking deeper – to compassion, faithfulness and generosity of spirit –
will bring us closer to the way God measures beauty and worth. God told
Samuel: “Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature,
because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see;
they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
(1 Samuel 16: 7)
Throughout Biblical history, God
has made a point of selecting whoever meets her qualifications for
extraordinary work; and sometimes the people were not ones we would have
chosen. For instance, the teenage girl whom God chose to be the mother
of Jesus was not born into a family of royalty. And Jesus himself chose
ordinary fishermen to be his first disciples. Remember what matters to
God: “the Lord looks on the heart.” This is great news for us; God’s
good work is waiting for each of us.
Susan Fast
Texts For Sunday Worship:
From the Hebrew Bible 1 Samuel 17: 1a, 3-11, 19-26, 32-50
From the Gospels Mark 4: 35-41
Friday, June 19, 2015
Friday, June 12, 2015
Celebration!
What a fantastic year it was
for everyone participating in the Children and Youth Ministry Team! And
we all get to celebrate their growth and say thank you this very
Sunday!
I really, really hope you can be here as our children and youth lead worship, provide music, read scripture, usher, sing, and enact the Gospel of God’s love in a delightful skit.
I once was the interim pastor in a church with a sorta sad tendency for many members to undervalue the end-of-the-year finale for the Sunday School because it was after the last Sunday the choir sang and it was just the children’s pageant, and so it wasn’t “really church.” So lots of people took “kids’ Sunday” off.
Bzzzzzt!
I am so glad this congregation really supports our children and youth and joyously shares the children and youth Celebration with them. It is a fun chance for them to demonstrate what they have learned over the past semesters of classwork and mission projects and discoveries and accomplishments. It is amazing to see how each age group has grown, how each child has grown, as the Bible says, “in wisdom and stature and God’s favor.” Contemporary Christian Education has gone way past memorizing scripture passages or the stories of Jesus, or coloring and cutting activity sheets. Our students are far more open to the needs and contributions of people all over the world, far more engaged in mission, and far more concerned about others-- involved in things like Linus’ Blankets at the younger ages and going on the Habitat for Humanity work trip in July for the older youth. Sunday School seeks to connect the Bible and our personal faith with how we live in this world and help others and celebrate God’s love for all. There is as big a change in the how and why we develop our rising generation’s spiritual formation as there is between their classroom videos and use of tablets and computers from the old flannelgraphs of the past.
Sunday we will also marvel in the musical gifts of so many of our young people, not just in the songs the Sunday School sings but the junior handbell choir and the youth band. We will also delight (seriously, I’ve listened to the rehearsals, it’s delightful) in the skit they will present. Even this preacher thinks their way of recounting the Gospel of God’s love is a lot more appealing than listening to some guy talk. As a wonderful moment this year, we celebrate the faith of four folks in the confirmation class, including one being baptized.
I close with my huge appreciation for the involvement of not just the youth and children and their parents and grandparents who help them get here, but also the faithful and creative Children and Ministry Youth Team who not only plan and support so much but do it while folding themselves into those little chairs in the upstairs classroom for their meetings. Many souls have taught and helped, and we will say thank you to them, too. And I have been amazed all year by our CYMT staff, Diane Beckwith and Stacy Wilder. Thank you all.
First Congregational has a fantastic knack for growing thoughtful and compassionate young Christians, and this is the week we celebrate that ministry. See you Sunday!
In Christ,
David
Texts For Sunday Worship:
I really, really hope you can be here as our children and youth lead worship, provide music, read scripture, usher, sing, and enact the Gospel of God’s love in a delightful skit.
I once was the interim pastor in a church with a sorta sad tendency for many members to undervalue the end-of-the-year finale for the Sunday School because it was after the last Sunday the choir sang and it was just the children’s pageant, and so it wasn’t “really church.” So lots of people took “kids’ Sunday” off.
Bzzzzzt!
I am so glad this congregation really supports our children and youth and joyously shares the children and youth Celebration with them. It is a fun chance for them to demonstrate what they have learned over the past semesters of classwork and mission projects and discoveries and accomplishments. It is amazing to see how each age group has grown, how each child has grown, as the Bible says, “in wisdom and stature and God’s favor.” Contemporary Christian Education has gone way past memorizing scripture passages or the stories of Jesus, or coloring and cutting activity sheets. Our students are far more open to the needs and contributions of people all over the world, far more engaged in mission, and far more concerned about others-- involved in things like Linus’ Blankets at the younger ages and going on the Habitat for Humanity work trip in July for the older youth. Sunday School seeks to connect the Bible and our personal faith with how we live in this world and help others and celebrate God’s love for all. There is as big a change in the how and why we develop our rising generation’s spiritual formation as there is between their classroom videos and use of tablets and computers from the old flannelgraphs of the past.
Sunday we will also marvel in the musical gifts of so many of our young people, not just in the songs the Sunday School sings but the junior handbell choir and the youth band. We will also delight (seriously, I’ve listened to the rehearsals, it’s delightful) in the skit they will present. Even this preacher thinks their way of recounting the Gospel of God’s love is a lot more appealing than listening to some guy talk. As a wonderful moment this year, we celebrate the faith of four folks in the confirmation class, including one being baptized.
I close with my huge appreciation for the involvement of not just the youth and children and their parents and grandparents who help them get here, but also the faithful and creative Children and Ministry Youth Team who not only plan and support so much but do it while folding themselves into those little chairs in the upstairs classroom for their meetings. Many souls have taught and helped, and we will say thank you to them, too. And I have been amazed all year by our CYMT staff, Diane Beckwith and Stacy Wilder. Thank you all.
First Congregational has a fantastic knack for growing thoughtful and compassionate young Christians, and this is the week we celebrate that ministry. See you Sunday!
In Christ,
David
Texts For Sunday Worship:
Friday, June 5, 2015
Lanes
Traffic in Ithaca is idiosyncratic.
Not particularly bad or busy, but idiosyncratic. And there are moments
when it really, really reflects the temperament of the community.
Take Route 13 during the bridgework, for instance. Now, I have been in construction zones where two or more lanes are mashed down to one, usually with lots of warning and hundreds of cones and dozens of signs and a few flashing arrows. Inevitably (in “normal” places) some number of cars race down the narrowing lane to get as far ahead as they can, then duck into the long line just as the cones choke the lane down. And most of us just mutter something uncharitable under our breath as the driver in the expensive sports car or hulking four-wheel drive cuts in.
But not in Ithaca!
More than once on my way home from the mall I’ve seen an odd parable of Ithaca’s community mores. Just down the Cayuga Heights hill, just as you can see the traffic start to slow up about Stewart Park and can see the marching orange markers narrow the road, most drivers start to fade left and get in line. I’ve been struck by how soon folks merge into the single line, often before the Route 34 exit, letting the vehicles entering from there fold themselves into the line. What has amazed me is how well-mannered Ithaca drivers are, demonstrating great consideration for others so everyone is minimally inconvenienced by the lane closure. It’s an interesting reflection of how community-minded the population is; it takes a village to have a construction zone. The thing that really amazed me was one day when a couple of cars scooted down the closed lane to get ahead only to encounter a running pick by three vehicles who quickly straddled the line so they couldn’t squeeze in! They stacked up in blocking formation right up to the last yards so the impatient drivers couldn’t unduly benefit. It was an aggressive lesson to reinforce the communal values of fair play and sharing and being considerate of others.
Only in Ithaca, as they say.
Only in Ithaca could there be a spontaneous effort to enforce good community behavior in such a harsh manner! It was a little example of reinforcing politeness by being physically impolite.
Except it is not really only in Ithaca. Social pressure to conform to community values can be every bit as stringent in a church context. Getting out of line is met with a sliding scale of disapproval, from the arched eyebrow or cleared throat to the withering glare to being summoned to a meeting and being reminded, “that’s not how we do it around here.” It can happen across the theological spectrum, although we probably enjoy pointing it out when conservative sorts do it more than when progressive congregations hip-check someone. Still, the subtle exercise by a community or community of faith to promote its values is an important function. Mostly we can do it by getting into the correct lane well in advance and thus model good behavior, but sometimes we are more overt.
Our end of the UCC spectrum values inclusiveness, diversity, openness, sharing, generosity, service to the world, and other traits we believe build a resilient and kind community. But just as mostly mild-mannered drivers in hybrids can aggressively block the road “for the good of everyone,” sometimes we have to draw firm lines and mark what is out-of-bounds. Several UCC congregations have been in the news for stances against hate speech and discrimination and injustice. FCCI might well edge certain behavior or speech we deem incompatible with God’s witness in Christ Jesus over to the off-ramp; we have not often been tested, mercifully, but such reinforcing the deeply-held values of our community sometimes requires boundaries. The good news is that even then, the Gospel of a loving God guides the way we teach our communal values and always welcomes others into the community to live and worship and work with us.
And as a “completely different” and totally unrelated final paragraph that is too funny for me to resist: Religion News Service reporter Cathy Lynn Grossman has a great line in a recent article on the changing religious landscape and how most people actually have a pretty favorable view of religion in general and Christianity in particular. Her summary: “Many view church like they view an ice cream parlor: ‘When I’m in the mood, I can go.’” So maybe I will suggest that once in a while when you feel like going out for ice cream, you match that with inviting someone you know to join you at church the next Sunday. (Just sayin’)
In Christ,
David
Take Route 13 during the bridgework, for instance. Now, I have been in construction zones where two or more lanes are mashed down to one, usually with lots of warning and hundreds of cones and dozens of signs and a few flashing arrows. Inevitably (in “normal” places) some number of cars race down the narrowing lane to get as far ahead as they can, then duck into the long line just as the cones choke the lane down. And most of us just mutter something uncharitable under our breath as the driver in the expensive sports car or hulking four-wheel drive cuts in.
But not in Ithaca!
More than once on my way home from the mall I’ve seen an odd parable of Ithaca’s community mores. Just down the Cayuga Heights hill, just as you can see the traffic start to slow up about Stewart Park and can see the marching orange markers narrow the road, most drivers start to fade left and get in line. I’ve been struck by how soon folks merge into the single line, often before the Route 34 exit, letting the vehicles entering from there fold themselves into the line. What has amazed me is how well-mannered Ithaca drivers are, demonstrating great consideration for others so everyone is minimally inconvenienced by the lane closure. It’s an interesting reflection of how community-minded the population is; it takes a village to have a construction zone. The thing that really amazed me was one day when a couple of cars scooted down the closed lane to get ahead only to encounter a running pick by three vehicles who quickly straddled the line so they couldn’t squeeze in! They stacked up in blocking formation right up to the last yards so the impatient drivers couldn’t unduly benefit. It was an aggressive lesson to reinforce the communal values of fair play and sharing and being considerate of others.
Only in Ithaca, as they say.
Only in Ithaca could there be a spontaneous effort to enforce good community behavior in such a harsh manner! It was a little example of reinforcing politeness by being physically impolite.
Except it is not really only in Ithaca. Social pressure to conform to community values can be every bit as stringent in a church context. Getting out of line is met with a sliding scale of disapproval, from the arched eyebrow or cleared throat to the withering glare to being summoned to a meeting and being reminded, “that’s not how we do it around here.” It can happen across the theological spectrum, although we probably enjoy pointing it out when conservative sorts do it more than when progressive congregations hip-check someone. Still, the subtle exercise by a community or community of faith to promote its values is an important function. Mostly we can do it by getting into the correct lane well in advance and thus model good behavior, but sometimes we are more overt.
Our end of the UCC spectrum values inclusiveness, diversity, openness, sharing, generosity, service to the world, and other traits we believe build a resilient and kind community. But just as mostly mild-mannered drivers in hybrids can aggressively block the road “for the good of everyone,” sometimes we have to draw firm lines and mark what is out-of-bounds. Several UCC congregations have been in the news for stances against hate speech and discrimination and injustice. FCCI might well edge certain behavior or speech we deem incompatible with God’s witness in Christ Jesus over to the off-ramp; we have not often been tested, mercifully, but such reinforcing the deeply-held values of our community sometimes requires boundaries. The good news is that even then, the Gospel of a loving God guides the way we teach our communal values and always welcomes others into the community to live and worship and work with us.
And as a “completely different” and totally unrelated final paragraph that is too funny for me to resist: Religion News Service reporter Cathy Lynn Grossman has a great line in a recent article on the changing religious landscape and how most people actually have a pretty favorable view of religion in general and Christianity in particular. Her summary: “Many view church like they view an ice cream parlor: ‘When I’m in the mood, I can go.’” So maybe I will suggest that once in a while when you feel like going out for ice cream, you match that with inviting someone you know to join you at church the next Sunday. (Just sayin’)
In Christ,
David
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)