Charles Town Presbyterian Church

My favorite section in the book of Psalms is the “Songs of Ascent.” Psalms 120-134 are a collection of songs sung by Israelites who were traveling to Jerusalem for one of the three annual pilgrimage feasts (worship celebrations that were held in Jerusalem).

Psalm 124 opens with these words:

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone the raging waters.

This psalm by David is using metaphorical language to make its point. Have you ever felt like life is going to swallow you up, that a flood and raging waters might sweep you away? Even though West Virginia has fared decently during the pandemic, local mental health experts have indicated that there is a nearly forty percent increase in clients seeking help.

The pandemic has changed us. There is economic insecurity, general anxiety, exhaustion from doing everything in a different way, and a great deal of isolation from others. The cumulative effect is devastating.

For people of faith, one of the most important things we can do is stay connected to God. Prayer, scripture study, and engaging with other Christians when possible can do wonders for our spirit. A strong connection with God is precisely why David ends Psalm 124 with these words:
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Connect with God. Connect with others. And if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, connect with people who can help you work through this time that all of us find challenging!

Blessings,

Pastor John

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