Pinch Yourself

Certain expressions, proverbs, and well-worn sayings can be short-hand descriptions of life, and in some instances, deeper truths.  To this day, such words used by my parents continue to flow through my consciousness:  ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’; ‘A day late and a dollar short’; ‘Your actions are speaking so loud I can’t hear a word you’re saying.’ Another expression that my parents used when the experience was just too good to be true was, “Pinch me”.

The good news of the resurrection was truly hard for the disciples of Jesus to fathom. The love and grace they so often heard Jesus talk about were greater than the powers that hung Christ on the cross and the empty tomb that followed.  The disciples were working to keep themselves grounded in reality; they were in need of a pinch.  In the scripture passages which we will consider on the first Sundays in April, there’s a sense that Jesus appeared to the disciples with full knowledge of their need to establish the fact that they were not dreaming.  And as much as they were in need of a pinch, there was also a sense, demonstrated by Thomas, that some of them needed to pinch Jesus as well!

One of Jesus’ appearances takes place on a shore. Some of the disciples had gone fishing.  They had returned to what they knew prior to their decision to follow Jesus.  After a celebration of Easter, it’s easy for us to return to our normal routines, too.  By early Easter Sunday afternoon…..after our spiral cut hams, daffodil bouquets, chocolate bunnies and cream pie…..few of us were probably reflecting on the full impact of the resurrection. We may need to pinch ourselves as a reminder that, as followers of Christ, we are now the physical representation of the resurrected Christ to the world.  We become the reality of the body of Christ on earth.  We have been given the same opportunity Jesus seemed willing to give his original disciples: to not only see but to be able to touch the resurrected reality of which we are a part.

Our pinch may also need to remind us of the faith we claim.  We cannot live in this new reality on our strength alone.  We must recognize and claim the presence and power of Christ within and among us.  “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2 NRSV)  May all our senses be alive to the love of God in our lives, our realities, so we may give others the opportunity to see the risen Christ in unmistakable ways.

Faith - Lent 2013

Advent.  Christmas.  Epiphany.  Lent.  I sense I need a longer time to live with the reality of God coming to earth before thoughts start moving toward the cross.  “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)     If only carols could have echoed in our ears and hearts for a few more weeks, allowing us to dwell longer on the serene setting that the lyrics so often describe.

In the first recorded miracle of Jesus, saving a family’s embarrassment at the wedding they were hosting, we realize that the serene images we hold of the “word as flesh” conflict with the truth of what occurs when the powers of this world encounter God’s presence.  There is a tension that develops.   “He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.”   (John 1:11)

At Christmas, we receive and begin to live with the reality that “a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  (Is. 9:6) And then the tension becomes obvious.  This “child” calls us to follow a path of sacrifice.  To walk the road he walked.  “…if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”  (Matthew 16:24)                      

It is within this tension that we are formed as disciples.  The coming of Christ and his death on the cross are inexplicably tied together to usher us into life…”in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”  (John 1:4-5) We want the glow of Christmas to be what generates light in our lives, but it is the difficult road to the cross that allows us to become reflections of that light.  May we live with the reality of both Jesus’ birth and death as we seek to be formed by the power of the cross and his resurrection.  

Faith

Finding a Seam in 2013

We all feel it no matter our age.  The assault of information we must process on a daily basis does not take a break.  It makes one day seem to flow into the next, our weeks into months, and one year into another without even a pause.  In the midst of the onslaught, we diligently work to handle the essentials and delegate our extra time and energy (if we have any) to worthy causes, with the added expectation that we can be reached, and are available, 24-7.  It makes for a seamless flow of activity.

As we know, many people in the tri-state area had lives completely devastated by ‘Sandy’.  In comparison, I’ve heard multiple references made regarding our local situation as a “minor inconvenience”.   But the inconvenience stopped the flow.  A seam was created.  Many individuals talked about schedule reductions imposed by the lack of electricity. Families reflected on time spent together talking and playing games.  And, an unexpected effect I heard described numerous times, was how well people slept.  Now granted, folks were heading to bed early to find warmth under a tower of blankets but, within the forced respite from the constant bombardment of noise and information, people found some needed rest.

God knows we need rest.  Jesus spoke it:  “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

But doesn’t ‘coming to Jesus’ sound like one more activity that could put us over the edge?  In actuality, taking time to acknowledge the presence of Christ creates that very place we crave, that seam, that place of much needed rest. The moments in which we allow the living presence of God, known in Christ, to cover us like warm blankets we find refreshment that can pause our lives. Rather than the expected load to become even weightier in 2013, life in the ‘seams’ with Christ can bring what we did not anticipate: a calming of our souls, a rediscovery of ways to build relationships, and strength for the continued journey.

Heading into this new year, I pray that we will seek and discover a life in the seams with Christ, those precious minutes – that turn into days, which turn into weeks, and then into months - when we intentionally allow ourselves to come into the presence of Christ. The thought of rest for our souls in the next year should be a big draw!

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