Believing is seeing

    This Sunday we have another of the extensive readings from the Gospel of John about one of Jesus’ encounters with people on his travels, including religious authorities and scholars.  Sunday’s readings from John 9:1-41 are about a man born blind whom Jesus healed.
Clearly John means this to be an impressive healing, since someone blind since birth is a very difficult case; this is not about recovering sight but giving it where it never existed.  So Jesus is showing some pretty impressive skills on this one, raising him well above the typical wonder-working prophet.  In fact, creating vision in the man has resonance with God’s creation out of nothingness.  We, the readers, recognize that implication even if the participants don’t.

      Jesus then deftly deflects the objections of the religious powers-that-be and begins an extensive riff on spiritual blindness taking off from the physical blindness.  Not being able to recognize… or even see… how God is at work in the world is the worst sort of blindness to John, and Jesus is really, really sarcastic toward the leaders who are willfully blind to God’s new things.  Clearly, if one is unwilling to believe that God is breaking into human life in Jesus, you just can’t… or just won’t be able to grasp the good news.  In this case, you have to be willing to believe in order to see what’s in front of you.  Another problem with the authorities is how they get all upset over Jesus healing the man on the Sabbath, not imagining that their insistence on following the fixed, narrow rules might be blocking them from a new revelation of God’s ongoing grace.  They obsess over the details and don’t get the wider picture.

      In my usual search for connecting the weekly lessons to the ongoing overall life of the congregation, I’m intrigued at this context for electing the Search Committee this Sunday.  In fact, much of the Search Committee’s first work will be trying to discern, trying to see ahead to where God is going with this congregation.  If a Search Committee takes its task merely as finding a qualified applicant for a position description without also seeking to discern the overall direction and vision for a congregation, rooted in God’s call to that congregation, it will have, a least, poor eyesight, if not downright blindness to God’s light.  But it will take some time for our Search Committee to pull all the data from our congregational self-study into focus, to see God’s calling.  Firstly, give the Committee lots of time to do that work.  And to do it right!  Help them by working with them if they ask the congregation for more of your thoughts or want to bounce their developing ideas off you.  Be good partners in the process.  Secondly, don’t crowd them as they crystallize the vision.  Don’t be on their case like the Pharisees were on the man’s case!  When you are feeling impatient, take a deep breath and instead of asking what’s taking so long, pray for their vision and efforts.  Believe that when they figure out what they are seeing, they will help you see it too.

      And believe that somewhere, in due time, someone will see what the Search Committee sees about this church and will want to join you in your walk forward into God’s future.  Believing is seeing.

                                                                          In Christ,
                                                                   
                                                                           David            

Please attend the congregational meeting this Sunday after worship to elect our Search Committee.  And stay for the luncheon sponsored by the Women’s Ministry after that!

Texts For Sunday Worship:

      From the Epistles              Ephesians 5:8-14
      From the Gospels             John 9:1-41

 

It was an hour, actually.

      On Saturday, March 26, 1949 at 10 pm, there was a radio broadcast sponsored by the major protestant denominations, called “One Great Hour,” to aid postwar recovery and rebuilding in Europe.  Notables like Gregory Peck and Ida Lupino and President Truman participated. The broadcast closed with a request that listeners attend their local church the following morning and make contributions.  It was the culmination of an idea by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in 1946 when there was a goal of a million dollars for the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief.  On radio he challenged to raise “one million dollars in one hour.”  It worked.  American churchgoers responded.  They shared.

      As important as the money was, it was just as amazing that many major mainlines participated, and the united effort set the groundwork for much mission giving since.  A distinctive feature is that the relief work of the separate denominations is supported under the overall umbrella of One Great Hour of Sharing.  The ecumenical banner, theme, interpretation, and, well, “branding,” provide a unified invitation, despite denominations’ separate agencies delivering the aid.  Much of the coordination is with Church World Service, the relief, development, and refugee assistance arm of the National Council of the Churches.  OGHS works with the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Relief Fund and the Jewish Passover Appeal.

      As an example, the same campaign will nourish the UCC’s Neighbors in Need offering and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.  Even more, when Superstorm Sandy hit NYC, NJ, and Long Island, both the UCC and PDA responded in partnership.  After the Sandy Hook school shooting, the UCC Churches called on PDA’s response teams who had expertise in community traumas because such assistance was not available through UCC in the area.  There are amazing stories of other inter-denominational relief response beyond the two I am most familiar with.  It is a far deeper and richer meaning for “sharing” than merely sharing offering money; it is sharing help and hope.

      Like many congregations, First Congregational has a deep and faithful history of sharing through OGHS, and I will simply remind you of the good works done through this offering over the years and encourage you to be generous yet again this year.

      I’m also going to suggest that you take an hour (see what I did there?!?) to explore http://onegreathourofsharing.org and http://www.ucc.org/oghs/ (of course, I love the background from onegreathourofsharing.org/the-history-of-one-great-hour-of-sharing/) and learn about all the ways people all over in difficult situations have been helped through OGHS.  And, obviously, I hope that inspires you share more generously in March to FCC’s offering.  Use the envelopes in the pews or mail it to the church office.  Sharing is incredibly powerful.  Share.

      Let’s have a great month of sharing!
                                                                                   
                                                                          In Christ,
                                                                   
                                                                           David            



Texts For Sunday Worship:

      From the Hebrew Bible         Exodus 17:1-7
      From the Epistles                 Romans 5:1-11
      From the Gospels                John 4:5-42

Moving on

      Nicodemus has the odd distinction of being most Christians’ favorite Pharisee.  We also like Joseph of Arimathea, who provided the burial tomb for Jesus, but in general we are not fond of Pharisees!  They come off kinda badly in the Gospels, but that may, in fact, be something of a sibling squabble.  The Jesus-followers and the Torah-followers were very similar in ethical teachings, and both had the theological underpinnings which could carry past the Roman’s destruction of the Temple.  Christianity (especially as further developed by Paul) and Pharisaical Judaism, from which most contemporary Judaism descended, are both “portable” religions.  Neither depends on a particular holy place, such as the Temple in Jerusalem, which, when it fell, pretty much ended the Sadducees, who no longer had the Holy of Holies.  If you had a scroll of Torah and a quorum, you could have a synagogue.  If you have the New Testament and two or three gathered together, you have a church.  We are both people of the book, trying to apply the holy writ to our daily lives.

      Incidentally, our first lesson this week is the story of Abraham responding to God’s summons to go to a new land, which connects us to the third great people of the book, Muslims, as the three “Abrahamic Faiths.”

      Because of the theological similarities, Nicodemus is well on his way to grasping Jesus’ point when he shows up that night, although he does seem a bit dense about the whole being born anew thing.  Honestly, if any of us had (before the events of Holy Week revealed the width of Jesus’ being) been trying to puzzle out the birth and rebirth imagery, we would be just as baffled.  But Nicodemus got the gist, that what Jesus was offering, what Jesus was calling people toward was a new reality, one somehow superimposed on what we normally experience, but not totally dissimilar.  But dissimilar enough to strip Nicodemus’ faith gears!  And Jesus is deep into simile territory here with birth and wind and all.  This is still a passage to get theologians and preachers all tangled up, even now, so I’m willing to allow Nicodemus a lot of slack as he grew into appreciating Jesus parabolic invitation.

      Jesus’ consistent point in his conversation with Nicodemus is that there is something else going on with faith above, beyond, through, in, because of, yet different from the ordinary, whether he uses the “born anew” phrase or the effects of the invisible wind or the sly dig that there is another way of knowing and thinking than Nicodemus’ beloved book-learning.  God’s Spirit may move within all those things, but it is not confined to familiar things.  It’s jarring.  But it is connected.  But it’s jarring.  It is under and through everything.  It’s always fresh.  It’s always moving.

      Lent is not about standing still.  It picks up on the forty years in the wilderness, which though not direct, was time of movement and growth and learning.  Lent leads up to Holy Week; it is a time of preparation and looking forward.  That’s a good spirit to be in as we gather a search committee and as we look forward to the next phases of First Congregational’s life.  The Spirit blows where it will.  Let’s move with it!

                                                                          In Christ,
                                                                   
                                                                           David            


Texts For Sunday Worship:

      From the Hebrew Bible      Genesis 12:1-4a
      From the Epistles               Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
      From the Gospels              John 3:1-17

Changing Clocks; Changing Souls

This is the first Sunday in Lent.  It is also the weekend when we change our clocks ahead.

Beginning with this week’s scriptures about Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness, Lent is the church season of penance and preparation before Holy Week.  It is a time of reflection and repentance for our failures, failings, and shortfalling in faith.  It is also a time to sort of “clean house” in our spirits, to sweep out the cobwebs of our souls and air our spirits out in preparation for the springtime of Easter.  Many people undertake Lenten disciplines partly because it is an historical tradition but also because Lent’s forty days are long enough to develop a new habit or try out a new devotional or faith practice or to become involved in some sort of service to neighbors.  Many people test drive journaling or a morning prayer or Bible reading time in Lent and find it worth continuing afterward.  Give something like that a try.

Much Roman Catholic Lenten discipline has been about “giving something up for Lent,” although many more people are changing that to “giving something for Lent” and helping with community needs or donating time or money to missional projects.  I rather like giving to others as a healthy Lenten practice.  The Outreach Committee and a quick internet search for area opportunities can get you hooked up with something both helpful and spiritually renewing.

Most people don’t like the self-reflection and introspection Lent; it sort of messes with our internal stasis.  In a way, it’s the Church (and God) telling us, “It’s time to get resynched to the holy.  It may be jarring, but it’s good for you!”  The switch to daylight saving time is likewise jarring (at least physically for most of us!), and it’s the industrial world saying, “Getting your clocks reset is good for you!”  It takes a while to rebalance and assimilate internally to the change of the clocks and of the spiritual discipline, a couple of days for time changes, but perhaps a couple of weeks to internalize the reflective nature of Lent.  But we do get used to it and get recalibrated to what is really important— the love of God dwelling among us in the life, death, resurrection of Jesus.  And we are then prepared for the trajectory toward Holy Week.  Winter will pass; spring will arrive.  Death will pass; life will triumph.  Lent gets us ready for Easter.  Take some time to get synched up with God this Lent.

Spring ahead!

                                                                          In Christ,
                                                                   
                                                                           David
            

A special encouragement this week to attend worship: Cornell music professors Judy Kellock (soprano) and Mike Compitello (percussion) will perform a piece for voice and handbells by the late Sir John Tavener, who just died late last year, called “Lament, Last Prayer and Exaltation.”  It comprises three haunting prayers by women of faith from different periods of church history.






Texts For Sunday Worship:
      From the Hebrew Bible         Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
      From the Epistles                 Romans 5:12-19
      From the Gospels                 Matthew 4:1-11

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