Pastor Don’s Corner .
. .
Next Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, the
last Sunday before Ash Wednesday. It is the day in the church calendar
when the lectionary readings take us up the mountain with Jesus, Peter,
James and John to experience, again, that moment when Jesus stands with
Moses and Elijah in the presence of God. It is the day when we stand with
Jesus between the law and the faith, between the way the faith is to be
ordered and the spirit in which the faith is to be lived, between being
bound to the earth and raised to the heavens. It is a day and moment of
profound import: it is the day when Jesus turns his face towards Jerusalem
and the events that await him there on our behalf.
Peter,
James and John could not have understood what they saw, but they could not
forget it either. How is it that they knew the identities of those who
stood with Jesus? Was it in seeing them in the brilliance of Christ
himself that they knew without having to be told? Did they remember the
stories of Moses’ face as he came down from another mountain, not so far
away? How his face shown brightly after having been in the presence of
God? Did they perceive the difference . . . that Jesus was/is the
brilliance, it wasn’t just seen on his face? Or, is that why they just
told the story rather than try to explain it? Maybe each generation has to
go up the mountain for themselves to see.
And,
most certainly, we must come down the mountain with Jesus, too. Faith and
religious experience aren’t meant to be kept high on the mountain,
veiled in the clouds, hidden from sight. That’s why Jesus was born.
That’s why He walked the earth. That’s why He bore the cross.
The
very presence of God, the brilliance of complete, unconditional love must
be in the midst of creation, dwelling in the holy habitation of humanity,
transfiguring the profanity of the ordinary into the sacredness of
divinity by the sacred touch, the very breath of God’s own Word. There
is no other place that Jesus can be without forfeiting His own identity.
And, by extension as His disciples, neither can we. Neither can we.
God,
forgive me, I love the mountaintop, it’s the valley that troubles me. I
love theologizing, it’s the disciple thing that bothers me. I love
building booths to contain the glory, it’s sharing the glory I find
difficult. I love telling the story of what I have seen, it’s coming
down the mountain, the coming out of the sanctuary and actually touching
the people that causes me to stumble. I love the fact that you chose me to
go up the mountain with you, it’s the notion that you also choose me to
come down the mountain with you that worries me.
I
wonder if I will have the words to speak in the way that You speak. I
wonder if I will have the ability to heal as You heal, to comfort as You
comfort, to strengthen and guide as You strengthen and guide, to welcome
as You welcome . . . to die as You die.
I wonder if that is what You call me to do.
I
do know, though, I am restless to go down the mountain with you. Though I
cherish what I have seen with You, I cherish more what I see in You. I treasure the way You look at people, at me, when we come to
You. I value with all my heart the peace that comes in serving with You,
even as the starkness and unwillingness of my faith stands naked in your
gaze. I know You will not let me go and I will not walk in the valley
alone.
There
is no Jerusalem so imposing, no crowd so overwhelming, no trial so fierce,
no Via Dolorosa so long, that You will not walk it with me. That is not to
say the chaos of the city will go away, nor will the expectations of those
in need diminish, nor will the powerful cease their abuse, nor will those
who do not understand such faith disappear, but . . . You, You will not
forget your own. The empty tomb speaks that truth.
So,
give me this Sunday, O God, this day of bright Son-shine, and transfigure
my fear as well as my faith. Teach me to listen to your Son, to follow in
His way, that I may walk as willingly in the valley as I do towards the
mountaintop. Lead us all towards Easter by teaching us to value Lent,
thereby giving You the glory forever in our trust and obedience.
CELEBRATING THE LORD’S SUPPER EVERY WEEK
+ A topic of discussion for the Annual Congregational Meeting +
Three
weeks ago, the In-Betweeners Sunday School class spent the hour discussing
the Emmaus Road story from the gospel of Luke (Luke 24:13-35). This is the
text that tells of one post-resurrection appearance of Jesus, one very
powerful encounter between two men traveling between Jerusalem and Emmaus
following the crucifixion. Jesus appears to them ‘as a stranger’ on
the road and listens to their mournful story, then reveals to them the
fullness of the scripture concerning himself as they walked towards
Emmaus. It was near evening as they arrived in Emmaus and the two invited
Jesus to stay with them. At their table, Jesus took bread, blessed it,
broke it and gave it to them, “ . . . and their eyes were opened, and
they recognized him”.
The
course of the discussion in the class revealed that many in the class had
a strong desire to participate at the Table every week in worship. There
is a strong sense of ‘need’: to live towards the oneness of family
gathered around the Table; to be fed in the strength and compassion of
Christ’s own body; and to move continually from Table to world in faith
and service. There is a yearning to celebrate Christ’s sacrifice for our
lives and to participate in the spirituality that comes with breaking
bread and pouring wine. There is a strong desire to see and know Jesus on
the road.
The
question was asked as to when the St. Paul U.C.C. family moved to
celebrating communion once-a-month (and all high holy days) from the
traditional four times a year of the old Evangelical congregation . . .
and no-one in the room knew. Additionally, the question was asked as to
‘why’ the tradition was changed, “What changed in the heart of the
people then that they felt the necessity to be at Table more than once a
quarter?” No-one knew, and maybe it really doesn’t matter. What does
matter, though, is that God’s Spirit is moving the hearts of some in our
faith family to participate more deeply in their faith, to eat of God’s
grace and drink deeply of God’s mercy on a weekly basis.
The
In-Betweeners decided to bring this request to the Church Council at their
February meeting. After a long and thoughtful discussion it was decided to
recommend weekly communion to the congregation for your consideration. It
was the decision of the Council that this is such important statement of
faith, sacramental understanding, and identity that the entire
congregation should have a voice in what direction we choose to go. So . .
. it comes before the congregation on Sunday, March 25 in the Annual
Congregational Meeting.
Prayerfully
consider what it is you believe about the sacrament of Holy Communion and
why. Then, be present to discuss your belief. This is a family matter: as
surely as the sacrament itself shapes our community so, too, does the
frequency with which we go to the Table. Come, share your insights.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONCERNING
THE FINANCIAL REPORT IN THE CALLER . . .
As per the request of the congregation our
Treasurer, Ron Carbello, has included a summary of the January financial
report in the Caller. Each month that document will be updated as the
congregation finds it helpful. Please take time to read it over carefully:
it is a statement of faith and belief of this congregation; it reveals
what we believe in our relationship to God and each other; and it speaks
of our understanding of stewardship of all God’s creation.
If
you find it all confusing . . . well, then maybe that says something, too.
But don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek out explanations.
The
good news is that the St. Paul United Church of Christ faith family
continues to grow in service to the Lord. The facts and figures on the
balance sheet don’t reflect the spirit and presence of the countless
people and hours that are stewarded in doing God’s work. The good news
is that we are growing in the giving of our hearts to the Will of God.
Like the woman at the Temple, more and more we are giving all. The good
news is that we understand ourselves to be called and committed to
ministry, not to the institution. The Good News is Christ among us, within
us, above us, below us, around us. Share the Good News!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE OF THE CONSTITUTION
The Church Council of the St. Paul U.C.C.
family has appointed a task force to work on a recommendation for updating
the St. Paul United Church of Christ Constitution and Bylaws. If you would
like to help with this project, contact Pastor Don or the members of the
task force: David Harrison, Cheryl Dias, and Tim Meeker.
LENTEN
DAILY CALENDAR
For
UNI-PRES KINDERCOTTAGE
Lent 2001
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
