Author: ctpressADMIN

This weekend, we celebrate Independence Day. July 4, 1776 was the day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted by representatives of the thirteen colonies. It is essentially the birthday of our nation, and since 1941, July 4 has been a federal holiday.

I cannot remember a time in my lifetime when our nation has been more divided. We have let response to Coronavirus divide us. As a result of the virus, there has been unprecedented unemployment, and the changes to our lives brought on by the virus are exhausting. We are also grappling with racial inequality, which has always divided us. It is an issue that creates great discomfort, and therefore the anxiety of that issue is feeding into other anxieties that were previously present. In the background, we have the 2020 presidential election, something almost every adult has an opinion on.

I want to suggest an idea that is not new but seems to be forgotten: What unites us is far greater than what divides us. It is so easy to be divided, to be angry, to point fingers. It takes a great deal more work to pursue unity. To be united does not mean someone wins and someone loses. It means that we can learn from one another, we can listen to each other, and we can come up with beneficial solutions together. It also means that when we don’t agree, we should be able to disagree agreeably. Sometimes, though, it seems we’ve lost this.

Christians understand that concept of unity in a profound way. We don’t always agree (who does?), but we stick it out, and over time, we learn that our love for Christ and one another is more important than any single issue. At times, we struggle to be united, but we almost always find a way.

On this Independence weekend, I want to encourage us to pursue unity. I think it begins with recognizing that we can have differing opinions and still be together. We can still love one another and disagree. We do this as Church. We can do this as a nation, too.

Blessings,
Pastor John

This Sunday, I am preaching on Philippians 3:12-4:1. This section contains some of my favorite verses:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ
Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider
myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (3:12-14)

Over the course of the last few months, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say, “I’ll be glad when we get back to the way it was!”

I get it. I’ve written a few times in my newsletter space about how exhausting everything is because of the coronavirus. I think, though, that we are setting ourselves up for massive disappointment if we think that everything will return to “normal.”

I don’t think we will ever get back to the way things used to be, but I’m also not convinced that is a bad thing. The most important thing we can do during this virus – and really, at any point in our lives, is to find Jesus amid our difficult times.

Notice how Paul describes his process: I’m not there yet…I press on…I’m a work in progress…I forget what’s past…I strain.

Paul is a describing a holy tension that fills all believers. We’re not yet where we are going. We are not yet like Christ in every way. Yet, we continue onward. We continue focused on him.
It would be so easy, during all the chaos of our current situation, to throw up our hands and give up. Or to blame God for all that’s wrong in the world. Instead, we need to seek Jesus. We must let the difficulty of the present tem-per us for the future. This is what will bring us closer to Jesus, which ought to always be our goal.

I am reminded of these words from Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging…
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth”
(vv. 1-3,10)

Blessings,

Pastor John

Dear Church Family,

I have two important pieces of information to share with the congregation this week.

Church Opening
Normally, there is a list of decisions made by the session that I share with the congregation this time each month. This past week, we made only one decision (other than routine decisions like reception of minutes, adoption of docket, etc.). We made the decision to wait yet another month to address when to resume in-person worship services.

This decision was made for one reason: the safety of the congregation. Several factors were considered in making that decision. Most of our congregation is older, and in the high-risk group for the virus. Our state has only been “open” for a few weeks. Our state made national news this week with spikes in churches throughout the state. Neighboring states are only just beginning to open, and people are beginning to commute back to work. Now that our casino/racetrack is open, we have many visitors from areas hit harder by the virus, which could lead to a local spike. Every day it seems like Jefferson County is adding a couple of cases, which is not the direction we want to see. Waiting until July will give the session almost two months of trends and statistics that will profoundly affect how we understand the situation. We will be in a better position to make a more-informed situation in the best interest of the congregation and the community. Until such a time as we are able to open safely, all groups and committees will not meet at the church, with the exception of Meals on Wheels and homeless dinners.

READ Book
Earlier this year, a group from church began meeting and discussing the book, Waking Up White. And though we only met twice (once recently through Zoom), the group has decided that they are able to move on. The group will now be called READ (Racial Equality and Discipleship) Group. Our next book will be White Fragility by Robin Diangelo. It is an immensely popular book and hard to find. You can order from Amazon here. The READ Group will meet Saturday, August 1st, at 10am (hopefully at church). Anyone committed to studying the issues in the book in a positive way is welcome to join the READ group. When we get closer to the date, we will determine what we need to read for our first meeting.

Peace,

Pastor John

P.S. Virtual Coffee Hour!
Following worship this Sunday, please join us as we meet for a time of virtual fellowship. No agenda, no plan, just grab a coffee, tea or whatever you like! The meeting is scheduled for 11:30am, but we may be running late. Be patient, Pastor John will start the meeting as soon as he is able. Hope to see you there!

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 942 3691 1242 Password: 212879

I think we all need some good news. This article is a little bit overdue, but given the nature of recent events, I had to put it aside for a little while. And even though we face some uncertainties at the moment, a little bit of good news is welcome.

Last fall, my son Alex approached the session and asked if he could make some improvements to the playground as an Eagle Scout project. His specific project would add a weed barrier, rake out the dead growth, lay down some additional mulch, and install two benches. The session heartily agreed to this project, and Alex got to work. Over the winter, Alex put his project together, got the necessary approvals from his scout leaders, and was hoping to have the project finished by Easter. Then COVID-19 happened. The date was pushed back numerous times. Finally, in early May, Alex got the green light to begin the work. The raking, installation of the weed barrier took a day. About ten days later, the holes for the benches were dug, then concrete was mixed and poured, and a couple days later the benches were assembled and installed. Even before the benches were installed, the cleaned-up playground and new mulch made for a more inviting experience. Just days after the mulch was finished, people from the community started using the playground. It was obvious that this project was a win!

Alex had to raise money for this project. Generous persons from our congre-gation gave $1250 for the project. With the church willing to foot the bill for the mulch, if needed, the project came in right around the cost projection.

I’ve attached some photos below so you can see the result. When you get a chance, as things begin to open up, be sure to come by and have a look at the playground. I’m proud of Alex, of his troop, and of our congregation’s support for the project.

Some good news, indeed!

Blessings, Pastor John

I have avoided discussing race until very recently. As many of you know, during my sabbatical last year I stumbled into the issue by means of a book, Waking Up White. I ended up reading six books on the issue, and I am still continuing that journey.

We have always had a race problem in America. We don’t like to acknowledge this, and it makes us very uncomfortable. We’d rather not have the conversation, but we have used that very tactic, and look where it has gotten us.

The Church has been silently complicit. In the nineteenth century the Pres-byterians and the Baptists recognized that slavery was a very divisive issue, and their solution was to stay silent, to not talk about it. I’m sure you can see how we still do this.

Not talking about slavery, race, etc., has allowed us to avoid taking responsi-bility and it enables us to remain in a powerful position. If we don’t acknowledge a problem, we don’t have to change.

The time for silence on these issues is over. I’m not suggesting we suddenly become a bunch of activists. But doing nothing, ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away won’t work anymore.

As the instability and anger continues to unfold, we do well to remember that Jesus dealt with racism. Numerous times people were shocked when Jesus talked to Gentiles. One of the great issues in the beginning of the Church had to do with race—Jewish believers in Christ insisted that Gentile believers obey particular parts of the Old Testament Law. This led to the first great council of the Church which we read about in Acts 15. The controversy also lead the Apostle Paul to pen these words:

There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male or female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

We face an historic moment. Working through it will demand our attention, our prayers, and our participation. What it does not need is our silence.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Next week, we flip the calendar into June. Can you believe it?

June marks the unofficial start of summer. But already, we can see that Summer 2020, is going to be different. Many beaches and tourist destinations remain closed or have strict rules about reopening. Pools and parks all over the country have announced closures or limitations. Camps have canceled. It is going to be a vastly different summer for all of us.

But is that a bad thing? When the quarantine started, and we all stayed home, we responded to that by baking sourdough bread, making Tik Tok videos with our kids, undertaking long-ignored projects in our home, and so on. We spent more time relaxing and enjoying our families than we had in quite a while. And yes, we got stir crazy being cooped up for so long. But we also figured out ways to connect, to worship, and to just…be.

I always find seasonal changes to be great times to step back and evaluate what is happening in my life. So, as we make our way into the summer months, I want to propose a few questions to ponder:

• What was the biggest surprise in your life during the quarantine?
• What don’t you miss about your life before the pandemic?
• How do you think the pandemic has changed you?
• What do you think you will do differently now, as a result of the coronavirus?

Evaluation like this is important for one simple reason: It helps us remember our blessings. To be sure, the coronavirus has been a difficult, challenging, and frightening time. But it has been so much more than those negative things. When we look back on this one day, we will realize that though it has been hard, and there are difficult days ahead, we will be better for this.

Especially if we pause and reflect.

Blessings,
Pastor John