Searching

            Diogenes, they say, wandered around ancient Athens with a lamp in daylight, saying when asked that he was searching for an honest man.  Whereas Diogenes was originally making a disparaging commentary on the state of his society, we’ve taken to using him as an example of a long, fruitless search for the right person.

            Over the years, I’ve heard more than a few people on pastoral Search Committees tell me that they felt like Diogenes, wandering, wandering, yet not finding the perfect candidate to be their next pastor.  Some have been quite discouraged when they compared themselves to the wandering philosopher, but, I assure you, they each, in time, found a candidate to call.

            As this congregation will be moving into the “active” search for the next pastor here in the next months, it may be helpful to sketch out the next steps down the road.  The Council has just asked for suggestions of active members for them to consider.  The Council will take those suggestions, look at the many factors that go into balanced and representative group that will be able to work together effectively and spiritually, and then present a slate, probably at a congregational meeting in late March or early April.  At that time, the broad outlines of the search process will be reviewed with the congregation as well.

            The newly-elected Search Committee will meet with someone from the Conference to be oriented to their task and familiarized with the process of the wider expressions of the UCC and the mysteries of computer matching local church profiles with candidate profiles.  The Search Committee will arrange its leadership and internal processes.

            The first half of the Search Committee’s responsibility is to prepare the congregational Profile.  We have a head start on some of this, using the material and learnings we developed together during the congregation-wide self-study.  However, the Search Committee might host some small-group opportunities for members to talk informally to them about the vision of the church for the next few years and what characteristics we want in the next pastor.  We anticipate that the Search Committee will share preliminary drafts of the profile with the congregation for comments while they are writing it, and when complete, have the congregation approve it.

            In contrast to the openness of the profile writing phase, when the Search Committee begins its second responsibility, they go into a quiet, confidential mode.  Great care must be taken to preserve the confidentiality of the interviewing process.  Since most candidates have not revealed that they are considering another call to their current congregation, it is potentially devastating for the names of persons under consideration to get out.  The downside is that members here will feel somewhat in the dark while the committee is out scouring the countryside for the next pastor.  We hope to alleviate that a bit with ongoing updates from the committee on their progress in general terms.

            Like Diogenes, who carried his lamp symbolizing knowledge even in daylight, the search process has a couple of lamps to guide them.  First, I suppose, is the light of Scripture helping them move toward Christ’s vision of hope and peace and justice and community service for this congregation and for the overall characteristics of church leadership.  More pragmatically, the United Church of Christ has a whole stack of documents and resources which can tutor the Search Committee, and there are lots of wise people who can offer advice and direction and contacts.

            But the main support upon which the Search Committee will rely is the support and encouragement of the congregation.  They will need to feel that we are behind them, praying for them, helping them, supporting them.  The Committee will feel enough stress to find someone sooner rather than later without us getting impatient or getting on their case!  The Council and the Committees, leaders, and this interim pastor will keep the mission and ministry and spirit of the congregation alive and moving forward so the Search Committee can do their work in peace and with all the diligence and care and patience it may take to find the strongest candidate who will be the best fit for this church (and not to settle for someone who is just “OK” in order to find someone, anyone!).

            So, as the larger congregation, I’d encourage you to support the preparatory work of the Search Committee, and to trust them and the leading of the Holy Spirit as they search for the one God is calling here next, no matter how long it may seem to take!  When you are tempted to say, “So, are you getting close to finding someone?” say instead, “I’ve been thinking about you.  You’re in my prayers.”  If the Search Committee has the trust and support and patience of the congregation, those are ’way better than Diogenes’ lamp!

                                                                                 In Christ,
                                                                               
                                                                                    David


Texts For Sunday Worship:

      From the Hebrew Bible        Exodus 24:12-18
      From the Epistles                2 Peter 1:16-21
      From the Gospels               Matthew 17:1-9

Marching the talk

     There seems to be more and better theology of compassion and justice on Facebook than in many Christian churches these days.  No wonder people aren’t interested in church these days.  Seriously?  Between Westboro Baptist, which may have single-handedly damaged the Christian “brand” for decades to come, misconduct and abuse and coverup, bills introduced to require Christian prayers in schools, the church’s gigantic history of intolerance, racism, and providing theological cover for ugly human behavior, and such off-the-wall weirdness as this week’s headlines that a snake-handling celebrity pastor died of a rattlesnake bite, what is anyone under 40 supposed to think about the church?  It’s hard to overcome that kind of self-inflicted damage to our reputation.

     However, over the millennia, despite ourselves sometimes, the thing that keeps the faith going has been the care and compassion most Christians have for others.  At our best it is care and compassion for everyone in the world, not a subset.  If you are not locked into that care and compassion only occurring through the institutional church but welcome any expression of the Spirit of Christ by any other name, there is cause for hope.

     In the last month or two, there has been an upswelling of words and actions decrying and working against racial violence, against sexual violence, supporting workers’ wellbeing, addressing income disparity, against predatory lending practices, seeking a healthy relationship between faith and science, encouraging better behavior from governments for their own citizens, for human rights of all sorts, for tolerance, and for a genuine improvement in everyone’s lives. I’ve seen a Sojourners article discussing our American tendency to read the Bible from a more self-centered, often self-serving social darwinism perspective instead of reading its clear call to justice, equity, and compassion for all.

     Then there was David Brooks’ New York Times opinion piece about how we are so often like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son, self-righteous and dismissive.  He likens much of our public policy as self-righteously lecturing the poor instead of looking out for them as siblings in society.  Mind you, he was talking about public policy.  Using one of Jesus’ parables.  Breaking it out of its church captivity as if it shed light on our decisions and attitudes right now.  Which, for Christians, it certainly should.

     Other outside-the-church reminders of our wider obligations include a really great t-shirt with “Love your neighbor.  Thy Homeless Neighbor. Thy Muslim Neighbor. Thy Black Neighbor. Thy Gay Neighbor. Thy White Neighbor. Thy Jewish Neighbor. Thy Christian Neighbor. Thy Atheist Neighbor. Thy Racist Neighbor. Thy Addicted Neighbor.”  The list of neighbors fills the back of the shirt.  A longer— much longer— list should fill our hearts.  And our churches.  And the world.

     The UCC is suggesting we “March Forth on March 4th” for justice, whether through advocacy at the local or neighborhood or the national level or by actually doing something to improve the world.  Obviously, you could go to http://www.ucc.org/marchforth/ and check it out, or you can just march following your own lights in the middle of what you normally do.  But the point is to go beyond talking to doing something.  And March 4th seems like a good starting point!

     Finally, here’s a quote from author Sue Fitzmaurice: “Stop being offended by what someone said to you, that Facebook post, by a piece of art, by people displaying their affection.  Be offended by war, poverty, injustice.”  That’s good advice for people in and out of “the church.”  Be compassionate.  Care.  March.  Love.


                                                                                 In Christ,
                                                                               
                                                                                    David

 A quick reminder that we are leading worship this Sunday afternoon at Longview at 2 pm.  I’m encouraging as many of you as possible to join us at our “adjunct worship” there!


Texts For Sunday Worship: 
      From the Hebrew Bible     Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
      From the Epistles            1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23
      From the Gospels            Matthew 5:38-48

Hearts

             February is “Heart Month” (it’s the month with Valentine’s Day and all the heart-shaped valentines and all.  A bit cutesy, but easy to remember!) .   Obviously, I have a somewhat different perspective on it after my cardiac bypass surgery in 2007.  (Have you seen your doctor recently? Watching your diet?  Exercising at least 30-45 minutes three or four times a week?)  Still, all the publicity about “Heart Month” got me to thinking about what is at the heart of a congregation.  Sharing the Gospel of God’s love is the central core of a church.  Everything arises from it and everything should serve it.  

 

Worship is often the first thing we think of, from the reading and preaching of the gospel message of hope, life, salvation, justice, and peace through the music and singing and the prayers, all clearly devoted to expressing our commitment to the Good News of God’s love.  But the other things we do serve the gospel, too.  Our Christian Education program both shares the gospel with our children and youth and helps them grow up to be able to share it themselves.  The ministries of care for members and of care and service to the community reflect our calling to share the gospel with love and compassion in tangible ways as well.  This congregation is deeply involved in ministries to alleviate hunger from supporting Kitchen Cupboard and Feed My Starving Children and the Weekend Backpack program and on to Heifer International, taking very seriously Jesus’ call to feed the hungry.  Our choir, choir director, and liturgists can direct our hearts to God from quiet contemplation to heart-thrilling glory.  Even the Building and Grounds committee demonstrate the gospel by making our building available to outside groups and community organizations.  Everything we do should rejoice in the good news and share it.  It’s the heart of the matter.

      Today is Valentine’s Day, which “ain’t all hearts and flowers,” as most of us know, being ostensibly based on a 3rd century martyr.  But the romantic overtones really got going in Chaucer’s time and was big for Shakespeare; the custom of exchanging messages with your loved one was popular in 17th century England and came to the American Colonies.  The first mass-produced valentines were in 1840.  A certain Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, MO first printed valentines in 1913. The massive merchandising and headlong rush to extravagant gifts naturally followed!    I sometimes think it would be nice if all the money that went to Jared went to Jesus’ least sisters and brothers.

      Let me suggest that you take a moment today or this weekend to wrest the heart of the matter back from the chocolate and pressed-sugar hearts and red foil and white lace and back to reminding the people around you that real love takes the other person seriously and hopefully, and that we are to care about and rejoice in everyone, not just the ones we feel warm and sentimental toward.  Come up with something that might truly show someone— even someone you don’t know very well— that you, we, and God loves them.  For real.  For life-changing real.  Put some heart into it, some Christian heart.  Be the way God says “I LUV U” to someone who needs it.

                                                                                    In Christ,
                                                                              
                                                                                    David



Texts For Sunday Worship: 
      From the Hebrew Bible          Deuteronomy 30:15-20
      From the Epistles                  1 Corinthians 3:1-19
      From the Gospels                  Matthew 5:21-37

Words on a mountain

      Achoo!  Bless you…

      There are not very many ways we refer to the act of blessing these days.  Sure, we understand very well what it means to have something happen or be given to us such that we “count our blessings.”  But passing on a special, deep, nearly physical, spiritual blessing is not really part of what we do much.  About the closest thing is the quaint asking the parents of your intended if they will “give their blessing” to your marriage.  Sometimes we joke that we want a committee’s “blessing” to start a new project.  We tend to think of that as both a permission to go ahead and as an expression of support, psychologically and sometimes practically.

      Biblically and in olden times, there was a significant transfer of power and authorization and a passing of autonomy to the blessed person from the blessor.  Think of Jacob diverting Isaac’s blessing from Esau.  Jacob became the primary inheritor of Isaac’s possessions and power instead of the firstborn.  To be blessed was to have a piece of the blessor detached, as it were, to you and your use, almost a living inheritance.

      This Sunday we encounter Matthew’s account of Jesus’ preaching on the mountain to the crowds, focusing on what we call the Beatitudes.  “Blessed are the….”  Jesus’ spin is his selection of unlikely recipients for God’s blessing.  Then as now, people call the shining examples, the sports heroes, the titans of business, the entertainment stars the blessed of society.  Jesus elevates the meek, the poor, the hungry, the persecuted, the least of society.  Those are the ones singled out for God’s special blessing.  This fits Jesus’ prophecies of the coming divine inversion of top and bottom.  Those now well-off will get knocked down a peg while the down-and-out will be elevated, will be blessed by God.  (Luke 6 has corresponding “Woes” to emphasize this point.) For many of us in the progressive mainline traditions, this leads to outreach, service, assistance, and advocacy for the least of our neighbors as we seek to be the hands of God touching and blessing those Jesus calls blest.  If you look at the annual report, you can see how by personal involvement, church programming, and contributions, we take this very, very seriously at First Congregational.  We are the conduits for Jesus blessing the poor, the mourning, the meek, the hungering and thirsting (for righteousness, but also truly hungering and thirsting through Feed My Starving Children and the Kitchen Cupboard and through Agua Clara water projects).

      And, we pray, by sharing blessings with others, we, too, will receive God’s secondary blessing.  Pass blessings along!

                                                                                    In Christ,

                                                                                
                                                                                    David


This is “Scouting Sunday,” and while I’m not as familiar with your way of celebrating Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting, I’ve always encouraged everyone who participates or has participated in some form of scouting to show off scouting “stuff,” whether from the US or other nationality.  Maybe your old uniform doesn’t fit, but if you have something you can bring to show our children, that would be cool!  Or bring an emblem, pin, or other jewelry.  I’d love it if you could bring a sash— even if the badges are hot-glued on instead of sewn.  Scouting is an important blessing to many in this congregation; let’s celebrate!
                                                                                                                                                  
Texts For Sunday Worship:
      From the Hebrew Bible           Micah 6:1-8
      From the Epistles                  1 Corinthians 1:18-31
      From the Gospels                  Matthew 5:1-12

fishin

      It’s a well-loved scripture passage, and certainly often preached, Jesus’ invitation to the two pairs of brothers in their fishing boats to follow him and become fishers for people.  The most important piece is that following Christ is about helping Christ attract new followers.  Jesus calls Andrew and Simon and James and John to pull more into the boat, not to sit in the boat relaxing now that they are disciples.  Being Christian is not a final product, it is a calling to serve God.  The church is a working fishing boat, not a cruise ship.

      Certainly, it’s not as easy in our modern context to share the gospel with the vast variety of people around us.  It’s a lot harder getting them in the boat!  Much as been written, and lots has been said (some by me!) about what appeals to our neighbors, friends, and family to interest them in trying out the church.  And beyond that, trying out this congregation.  Some fish are caught in huge nets by industrial trawlers.  Some fish are caught on baited lines.  I’m intentionally leaving out recreational fishing (sorry to all my fly-fishing friends!) because the point there is enjoying oneself or challenging oneself, and so the focus is on the fisher’s experience, not a big catch as in commercial fishing.  Some churches (mostly big evangelical congregations) use a big net and try to scoop up whatever is out there, not so far from what the Zebedee brothers were doing in Galilee and what Jesus was repurposing them to make a wide appeal to the Galilean population.  Others use specific bait for specific species, which may be more appropriate for First Congregational.

      I will confess that at a certain point I have a problem with Jesus’ fishing metaphor.  I think he probably was using a deft turn of phrase for those particular four men that particular day to hook them.  He might have riffed on healing souls with Luke for all I know.  But like many metaphors it can go awry.  That the fish get netted and pulled in to the boat is ok, if you think of pulling new believers into the church.  I have problems about the fish then dying and getting eaten.  Not so edifying.  So, tender-hearted me likes to modernize the parable to catch-and-release.

      If we catch a soul with our example of the gospel and help the soul and maybe tag it to identify it as Christian and release it back into the stream, it can go live a productive life in its natural environment, swimming along with others who might get caught, too.  (Yeah, I can force a metaphor past the breaking point.)

      Yet the big point remains.  Jesus calls us to call others, multiplying his voice and his love.  And he calls us to do and be what we know already, to take our God-given skills and use them for this additional purpose: to witness to God’s love and invite them to share God’s embrace in ways comfortable and effective for us.  Doesn’t matter what we do; we just do it for God and others now.

      Longer ago than I like to admit, we had a new church development pastor in Geneva Presbytery.  Colin was fond of saying to the people in the start-up, “Be sure to invite your family and friends and neighbors to worship with us.  Heck, even invite people you don’t like very much.  It’ll be good for everyone!”  Use your God-given fishing talents to share that God loves them, too.  Here.  Now.

  And maybe bring them with you Sunday?

                                                                           In Christ,

                                                                      
                                                                                David


The Ithaca Area Jewish Community Invites you to a staged reading of the Israeli play, ‘Oh, God’ by Anat Gov, directed by Guy Ben-Aharon.  Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. at Emerson Suites at Ithaca College and Monday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Risley Theater at Cornell.  Suggested donation $10, supporting Lunch and Learn, an afterschool tutoring program for Israeli children at risk, will be requested on 1/26.


Texts For Sunday Worship:
      From the Hebrew Bible         Isaiah 9:1-4
      From the Epistles                 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
      From the Gospels                Matthew 4:12-23

whatcha lookin’ for

    One of my primary purposes on the planet has appeared to be, for years, finding things for my disorganized ADHD son, and to a lesser extent, my overloaded wife.  I’m pretty good at it.  My wife and her secretary (even more overloaded than Marylee) are constantly losing track of one report or another as they are interrupted in the middle of things and put it down to respond to someone’s latest emergency.  You may remember from my New Year’s sermon that a UK research project estimated that people spend approximately six months of their lifetime looking for lost objects.

     So I admit, Jesus’ question to two of John the Baptizer’s disciples, “What are you looking for?” suckers me in instantly!

    Andrew and his brother Simon were “looking for the Messiah,” and met him on the road.  They followed Jesus for the rest of their lives and beyond.

    We cannot forget that is the same thing many people around us, today, in zip code 14850, are looking.  Looking pretty much for the same thing, albeit they rarely use that kind of religious language.  They are looking for their messiah, their hope, their direction, their spiritual community.  And such life-helping answers are still in the gospel of Christ Jesus as preserved and lived in the community of faith which is the church.  The community of faith which is First Congregational, Ithaca.  Our job is to help our family, neighbors, coworkers, and friends find what works for them, what they are looking for.  Whatever “it” is.

    But we know the catch: people are not asking the same questions many churches have familiar stock answers to.  The answers of the past are between irrelevant and dumb to folks around us.  Honestly, they don’t work for most of us in the congregation, either!  What does work is honesty about others’ searches and honesty about what we have found when we looked ourselves.

    But the tough part of that honesty is that few souls now are looking for institutional, religious answers, the stuff churches have been so good at in the past.  Real community knitting people together, expansive welcomes, intellectual curiosity, worship touching heart and soul and mind yet propelling us out into the world, hugs and caring instead of platitudes when life gets tough, and a bright view of heaven and the landscape and people around us here on earth, those are living answers to what folks are looking for.

    Be listening to what people you love and know are looking for, and, like the scripture lesson says, “Come and see!”  And maybe bring them with you Sunday?

                                                                           In Christ,

                                                                      
                                                                                David

Be sure to come Sunday yourself as we unpack the results of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey we took in November during our all-church congregational self-study after worship and lunch on the 19th.  Hope to see you there!


Texts For Sunday Worship:
      From the Hebrew Bible         Isaiah 49:1-7
      From the Epistles                 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
      From the Gospels                John 1:29-42

"…from afar… and nearby”

I’m still having a hard time visualizing it.

Even when I was being interviewed, I’ve been hearing about “The Kings.”

Each time followed by a description tumbling out of the speaker’s mouth about their size and that they are so tall and that they need so many puppeteers and pages and they walk all the way around and there’s a star on a fifteen-foot pole and and and…

But despite seeing some pictures, I can’t quite wrap my head around them.  They kind of defy my imagination.

I do kind of get the feeling of anticipation about the wonderful transit of the magi which must have rippled along each town they traveled through.  Just wait until you see them!  Just wait!  There are not many things in this modern world which inspire that sort of wonder and expectancy, so I’m enjoying this tiny moment of “ooh, ooh! This is cool!  You have got to see this!”

Although Matthew makes a big thing about the distance the magi travel, we need to remember that meeting the Child is just as big a deal for folks right around here, too.  Many people have “heard of” God’s love in Christ, but only intellectually or from afar, not nearby and personally.  They know that the Bible says Jesus loves them, but it’s impersonal data, sort of like Albany is the capital of New York State or Bethlehem is the capital of Judea.  True enough, but so what?  They need to experience the effect for themselves, to have the interaction and the connection, to meet Jesus like the magi did two-thousand-plus years ago in Bethlehem.  And that happens in this day and age best of all in the context of church community, our church community.  Folks nearby meet Jesus best through us.  You know that old line, “I guess you kind of had to be there?”  Well, you kind of have to be here!  So I really encourage you to start the year out offering gentle invitations to the people you love to come to First Congregational to encounter the God who loves them… wherever they, like the magi, are on their journey.

So help me out this week: I want to “get” it, if you will show me the marvel of the magi.  But still, I hope you mark our Epiphany Sunday celebration of Jesus’ first guests by inviting a bunch of guests from nearby to come with you.  Or even non-guests who haven’t attended recently.  Help everyone follow the light of Christ!

                                                          In the ongoing light of Christmas,

                                                                      
                                                                                David

And a last note to thank all of you deeply for your Christmas generosity to my family this year.  I admit that I got cards and notes separated from some of the gifts of cookies and breads and treats, but whoever baked whatever: they were all delicious.  Thank you.  I think I will take your likewise generous monetary gift and treat myself to some local products from local vendors and to pick up some music from local bands.  Ten square miles of generosity!  Many thanks and our best wishes for 2014.


Texts For Sunday Worship:
      From the Prophets                 Isaiah 60:1-6
      From the Gospels                  Matthew 2:1-12