Advent

When our lives are turned upside down – or in the past few weeks in the US Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions - blown in many different directions, we tend to do some inventory control.  What is the status of the water supply, basic food stuffs, warm shelter, vehicle/generator fuel, etc.?   A sense of uneasiness often prevails if status reports provide details that reserves are low.

A young couple on a special journey was thrust into the position of needing to take inventory.  They quickly assessed their situation and knew an immediate need would be warm shelter.  Like others, when pushed in unanticipated ways, the need also arises to be creative.  For this young couple it would mean alternative lodging.  A stable?  Creative, but definitely unsettling for the location of an impending birth.

And so, the incarnate God entered our world in the midst of some upheaval.  But if we step back and take inventory from an even broader perspective, uncertainty and upheaval are common descriptions of much of the human condition.  This sweeping glance, however, can also help us in our understanding that this God-in-the-flesh is, according to the writer of Hebrews, the same yesterday, today and forever.

God Incarnate knew human upheaval from birth.  This God intimately understands the human uncertainties we face and becomes for us the very rock on which we can stand in the midst of those uncertainties.  As we enter Advent, take time to inventory your level of peace that is available through your relationship with the Prince of Peace.  The reserves are endless.

Ann and I pray that your Christmas is a joyous celebration of the consistent status report which we receive in the good news of Jesus Christ.  May you seek and find peace that is ours yesterday, today and forever. 

Ministry

From the opening page of the PCM website:

Two words will give you a quick introduction to this congregation – fresh traditional.

We are a historic church, part of a historic denomination, and we celebrate this
history while exploring ways to bring passion and freshness to all components of
our congregational life.  Explore the website to learn more about our Morristown
campus and consider joining us in creating this new/old way of being the Church

Some thoughts (and more to come) on fresh traditional worship as we continue to create/discover/explore this way of worshiping together:

    "We gather from many places to practice traditions that have carried meaning for centuries and create a setting for sacred worship.  We proclaim beliefs in this space that ground our lives and nurture Christ-likeness in our relationships and service."

Lists

Are you a list maker?  How many lists do you have at this moment in your kitchen, at the office, with your calendar?  Do you make notations on lists to guarantee that you update your lists?  Are your lists kept electronically or with pen and paper?  If the main repository of your “to do” list was lost, would you become paralyzed by the anxiety of not knowing what to do next?  I know I have been accused of forgetting my brain when my “to do” list/calendar is not immediately accessible.    

Fortunately, summer seems to bring a partial reprieve to our need for lists.  But now that fall is approaching, it is a given that activities and responsibilities – our “to-do’s” at home, church, work and school - will increase.  This annual influx can bring on a type of paralysis, also: how do I choose from all the options before me? 

Can you name some events in your life that transcend the need to be added to a list?  When presented certain opportunities, there is no need for us to think twice.  We know we will be there regardless of what else may be taking place.  Depending on the individual, it may be time with a grandchild, a concert or theater performance, a sporting event, shopping, or a round of golf.   You get the idea.  There is no need to write some things down. 

When you consider gathering with others in the community known as the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, do those activities transcend your lists?  We gather by the inspiration of the Spirit, for the worship of God, known to us through Christ.   The apostle Paul shared the centrality of this message in four words to the church in Philippi: “To live is Christ…..” (Phil. 1:21) We exist as the church solely because of our shared profession of this message.  And yet sometimes it’s just easier to add it to the list. 

My prayer is that this ‘given’ can be carved into the very rhythms of our lives, like the beating of our hearts, and generate a calm from which we move into the world; a clarity of purpose which focuses our energies from what we profess to be to the way we truly want to live; and peace as we determine what to do next.  “Now may the God of peace…make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever.  Amen.”  (Hebrews 13:20a-21)

Joint Worship Services on the Green

A line in a song written and performed by the group, Chicago, went as follows:  “Saturday in the park, I think it was the Fourth of July.”   A new line is being created for Morristown this summer:  “Sunday, on the Green, I know it is the fifteenth of July.”   

This summer we are trying something new in our combined worship with our Methodist friends.  The service on July 15 (and again on August 19) will be held on the Green, a neutral location, convenient for both congregations.  We’re trusting that mid-morning on the Green may even be a bit cooler than mid-morning in our sanctuary.  And on only his second Sunday with us, we will be putting our new Director of Music, Matthew Webb, to the test!

At the beginning of 2012, the elders adopted a new vision statement for The Presbyterian Church in Morristown:  Creating Pathways to Discover New Connections in Christ.  Various committees have begun to align their efforts with this statement and the Session is continuing its work to develop measurable goals which will guide our ministry into the future.  Bringing the worship service outside the walls of our sanctuary, into the heart of Morristown, is a tangible way to create pathways for some who may not venture into a church building for a worship experience.  Many of the pathways that will be created may not be this obvious, but what a wonderful opportunity for our whole congregation to endorse that which the Session believes God is calling us to do for the next season of our life together.

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”  Psalm 25:4

Receiving a letter

When was the last time you wrote a letter?  Not a few lines on a note card but a letter.  At least one – possibly even two or three - sheets of stationery on which you penned your thoughts.  

The impact of a handwritten letter has undergone a major transformation among current generations.  A letter, for a majority of baby-boomers and beyond, afforded thoughtful intention in communicating with another. But what was once a primary means of interpersonal connection is now on its way to becoming extinct.  

I knew a woman who, until her recent death in her late-80’s, still shared a close relationship with four other women who had all attended the same kindergarten class.   This group’s primary means of communication was a progressive letter they had perpetuated for 60 some years.  At least once a month one of the women would receive the letter, include her own updated page or two, and send it on to the next person.  This generation’s internet entrepreneur, Mark Zuckerburg, calls that Facebook!

 
But I would contend that there is a fairly significant difference between the two.  A letter takes intention and time.   Writing a few paragraphs allows a deeper sharing of the nuances of one’s life.  (I know, I know.  In 2012, we call that a blog.)  But a letter one can hold, specifically written for or received from another, can be, in a sense, holding another’s heart. 

During worship in June, we will hold some letters together in our hands.  These letters were written from the heart of a man named Paul to individuals trying to live by faith in a world that seemed to careen more vicariously on a daily basis. Together we will listen to lines that can provide hope to our ‘letter-starved’ souls.

 
June 3 – “You Are an Heir!”
June 10 – “Renewal Notice”
June 17 – “The Deposit is Guaranteed”

Sometimes letters can get hidden in the midst of all the junk mail we receive.  Together we will work to uncover the letters from Paul that may have been buried in our homes and left unopened for a long time!

In Christ,

Dave

Take a Hard Look

If a person wants to achieve a goal, especially a goal that stretches well beyond current capabilities, it takes hard work.  One may perennially hear a parent’s or teacher’s reminder to work hard if one hopes to accomplish much in life.  In his book, Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell presents a rather interesting theory. Examine the lives of those you consider to be near genius level, gifted in business, technology or the arts.  Look closely. There will be evidence of a life of hard work.  In fact, Gladwell referenced what he calls the 10,000 hour rule: to do the exceptional takes 10,000 hours of work/practice.

When drawn to be part of the body of Christ, we seek communion with God and others. Yet given our propensity to place ourselves in the center of our personal universes, the realities of discipleship are a challenge.  “It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”  (Matthew 20:26-28  NRSV)  To be Christ-like is going to take some work, some hard work and practice.

And this is the stuff of Lent: an individual and corporate focus to do the hard work of examining our lives and being moved to confession.  When we combine the work of repentance with the practice of the presence of resurrection power, we begin to more deeply comprehend and experience communion with Christ and others.  

On Lenten Sundays, starting February 26, we will see Christ at work, doing some hard work, and will consider how the call to do the hard work in our lives can create an internal environment that acknowledges the presence of the living Christ.  The following passages and sermons will serve as our “work-out” guide:

February 26    “Hard to Imagine”- Mark 1:9-15    (40 days in the wilderness)
March 4          “Hard to Hear”- Mark 8:31-38     (great suffering in the future)
March 11        “Hard to Envision”- John 2:13-22  (clearing the temple)
March 18        “Hard to Understand”- John 3:14-21  (and the judgment…)

As we journey together, may we remain committed to the hard work of Lent to grasp more fully the good news of the resurrection.

A Front Row Seat

It is one thing to have a pretty decent view; being in the front row is a whole different world.  You feel as if you are part of the action.  Your attention is not diverted by any number of competing distractions that are present when you are in the second row from the back wall at the theatre or stadium.  You sense that you could almost reach out and touch those that are unfolding the drama that all have come to observe.

In the first Chapter of Mark a leper experiences what it is like to be "front row" to the unfolding reality of the presence of God's powerful love and grace.  In fact he is touched by Jesus.  An incredible thought when we try desperately to have a view, angle in close on the latest....the creator has allowed us the opportunity for this kind of a close encounter. 

The theme for our sevices this Sunday at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown...The Power of a Touch.

From a giant warrior to a giant fish

This Sunday at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown our children will present a Musical - Oh, Jonah!  The children do an amazing job.  It is also amazing how biblical themes can hit home through a very different Sunday service experience.  

Thinking about Jonah and his initial unwillingness to follow God's call I was surprised to find in a worship resource (Call to Worship Volume 39.1 2005-2006) the below prayer of confession for the lectionary passages on Sunday (2/5) - but not intended for Jonah.  Yet the relationship can not be missed - much like a giant fish.

"Gracious God, in Jesus Christ you have taken our human existence, to redeem us from the brokenness of our sin.  Yet we hide from your light; we resist your rule.  We fail to proclaim the good news of your love.  Even when we strive to fulfill you will, we fall too easily back into disobedience.

Grant us your mercy, God of grace.  Do for us what we cannot do for ourselves:  establish in us the righteousness you desire.  Give us your Spirit, to lead us in the life of Jesus Christ, to the glory of your holy name.

AMEN

Faced off with any giants lately?

This Sunday I will be recalling David's encounter with a giant.  What can we learn as we confront so many 'giants' in our daily lives.

While most us believe ourselves overmatched in the presence of "giants", there are those who live lives of impact despite daunting opposition.  They stand out from a crowd paralyzed with fear. 

The contemporary world is replete with huge and daunting challenges.  To move apart from the paralyzed crowd will require nothing less from us than firm convictions founded on the presence of God in our lives and sustained passion to put our convictions into motion.  The result can be a force of impact in the foreseeable future that is unparalleled in our personal history.

Adult Seminar

I look forward to another opportunity to lead the Adult Seminar at PCM this Sunday, January 22.  I will be sharing an overview of the last section of the book Life Momentum.  I believe this is very appropriate as many already feel as if their lives are stalling only three weeks into the new year.  An excerpt:

Without an awareness of various forms of resistance that create friction, even convictions of substance placed in motion can fall short of their destinations.  Momentum is lost.  These universal forms of friction are expressed uniquely in our lives and are in addition to present day challenges. 

Looking forward to consistent sharing on how we keep our lives moving forward while living on such a chaotic, friction filled, landscape.