Blog: Random Thoughts on Sunday's Sermon

Below are some random thoughts on this coming Sunday's message. We hope they create a little time in your day to reflect on the journey of faith and life. If they spur any thoughts, quotes, or experiences, please share them. God moves among us as we share with each other.

Spoiler Alert

I already know what’s going to be said in Sunday’s sermon—I’m not the one preaching—and you won’t want to miss it! Preaching this Sunday is Terrence Moore, a member of West End and a senior in high school. This is a part of Youth Sunday in which our children and youth lead the entire service.

The theme will be how God helps us face everyday challenges. Who wouldn’t want this?! The trouble is that we often experience a “disconnect” between our faith and the reality of life. This Sunday, Terrence shares an inspiring approach on how faith and life can come together in a way that the presence of God helps us overcome obstacles.

In Isaiah it says, “do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God” (41:10). May we all know these words to be true in how we live.

Posted by Rev Michael Bos, Monday, March 4, 2013

Discovering All That We Are Capable Of?

I’ve been reading and thinking about Mozart these days in preparation for our performance of his Requiem on Palm Sunday, March 24th. When I think of Mozart I think of incredible genius, playfulness, creativity -- a free spirit. What about his genius intrigues me most?

For one thing, Mozart could see his compositions as completed pieces even before he began writing them down. What kind of genius is that? How could ordinary mortals do this?

Every so often, someone comes along to show us the extraordinary possibilities that lie within each of us. Jesus even said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.”

I wonder what would happen if we allowed room for discovering all that we are capable of?

Posted by Cynthia Powell, Friday, March 1, 2013

This Is the Day That God Has Made

I recently read this as my personal devotion and thought this is too good not to share. I had the privilege of working with Pastor Rob Bell in Michigan and I think these words ring true to our community here:

“this is the day that God has made.” [psalm 118]

really-this day? the one with wars and poverty and divorce and addiction and betrayal? this one?

yes, this one.

this one because there’s a difference between analysis and awareness.

analysis pulls things apart, looks for cracks in logic, points out the inconsistencies.

analysis needs things to make sense.

there’s nothing wrong with analysis, of course, it’s often vital to our survival and thriving. but if we stay there, in that mode and that mode only, we can easily find ourselves stepping back with arms folded, pointing out all that’s wrong with this day and all the ways it falls short and all of the evidence for why this particular day doesn’t appear to be the kind of day that God would make-all while this day passes us by.

(this is very easy to do, by the way. it’s why cynicism is so popular. it’s easy.)

but in this psalm-the one that says that this is the day that God has made- this psalm isn’t first and foremost about analysis, it’s about awareness.

and the difference is massive.

awareness doesn’t ignore or gloss over the very real questions and pains of this day, it transcends all of that analysis with the very straight forward acknowledgement that whatever this day is, it’s a gift to be embraced and engaged and maybe even enjoyed.

this day maybe be rough and bloody and heartbreaking but it is here and it is now and it is bursting with untold potential and possibility and our response to it is of utmost, urgent importance.

we may, it’s important to note, not get another one. my friend’s brother was recently killed in a car accident, another friend’s father just died, and the mother of another goes in for another round of chemo this week. you know exactly what i’m talking about-whatever this is, we’re all acutely aware that is very, very fragile.

so yes, this is the day. - rob bell

Posted by Rev. Jes Kast-Keat, Thursday, February 28, 2013

Overcoming Our Negativity Bias

This past Sunday we read one of my favorite scripture texts: “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

While some may view “thinking about these things” as something good Christians should do, it is actually something everyone should do if they want to be happier in life.

Dr. Martin Seligman, a researcher in human flourishing, did an experiment related to this. For one week he had a group write down three good things that happened each day and why people thought they happened. In a one-month follow up, he found the participants were happier and less depressed than they had been before. Surprisingly, the effect remained after a six months!

The “three good things” (or three blessings) approach is now taught as a way to help people overcome negativity and focus on the positive, making them much happier in life. The Apostle Paul taught this same thing nearly two thousand years ago. The only difference is that he didn’t cap it at three!

Beginning this week, make the practice of Philippians 4:8 a part of your routine. Before you go to bed or when you’re sitting around the dinner table with the family, ask yourself and one another about three good things that happened and why you think each good thing happened. This simple approach can make us happier, more positive people!

Posted by Rev Michael Bos, Monday, February 25, 2013

Spiritual vs. Religious

As I write this I’m vacationing in the Florida Keys, and I happened by a sign in Key West that said that John Dewey, the great educator, lived at this spot and was one of the first “snowbirds” (he spent January through April in Key West). This was news to me, though his book, “A Common Faith” had a profound effect on me some years ago.

Dewey differentiated between two kinds of religion - capital “R” Religion and small “r” religion. He postulated that capital “R” religion was the one that says you must do this and that in order to be a spiritual person, whereas small “r” religion was the feeling of connectedness with all of life (“religion” is from the word “religio” which means to be connected - think of the word ‘ligament’). A light bulb went off for me when I first read this. It gave me a new meaning of the word “religion”.

It’s common to hear people say nowadays “I consider myself spiritual, but not religious.” I suspect many of us at West End Collegiate would likely resonate to a statement such as this. What people may mean is that they feel connected to matters of spirit, but they are uninterested in following the ‘letter of the law’, i.e., doing proscribed things like attending church regularly, or believing in creeds, or feeling they must perform certain duties in order to be in favor with The Almighty.

Rather, I feel that through our connectedness with one another, our appreciation of one another, our honoring of one another, that there is God. Here’s to small ‘r’ religion!

Posted by Cynthia Powell, Friday, February 22, 2013

The Beauty of Vulnerability

Lately I’ve been reading Brené Brown’s work and watching her TED talks. Have you heard of her? Brown is a research professor who began her research to avoid vulnerability. The irony of Brown’s work is that when being vulnerable emerged from her data as absolutely essential to wholehearted living she had a breakdown. The very thing she was attempting to avoid was the very thing the research said that was needed for a flourishing life.

When we think of being vulnerable ourselves we often think we are being weak but when we watch someone else being vulnerable we notice the great courage it took and feel a sense of connection with that person. Why do we hide ourselves so often? Why are we scared of vulnerability? These questions I ask myself just as much as I offer them here. It takes a lot of work for me to choose vulnerability. I find it to be scary because I think “What if they don’t like me when they find this out about me? What if they completely change their mind about how they want to be in relationship with me?”

Brown says, “Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.” I am growing in the idea that vulnerability is beautiful. What I find interesting is that God chooses to be vulnerable with us. God chooses to reveal God’s self to us daily and just like I wonder if people will reject me in my vulnerability, I wonder if God ever thinks that same thing?

There is something beautifully powerful in being vulnerable. May we be gracious with each other as we learn the journey of vulnerability, together.

Posted by Rev. Jes Kast-Keat, Thursday, February 21, 2013

In the Eye of the Beholder

This Saturday I will be taking a group of young girls to the MOMA to experience modern art from the perspective that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Our perception of beauty is shaped by our culture, by our families, by our experiences, but none of us has the same definition for what is beautiful. This truth is essential for a young person, as she is coming into her own identity and learning to appreciate who God has made her to be. I am very excited about the potential for rich discussion following this adventure.

Pastor Jes will be picking up the theme of beauty this Sunday morning for worship hour. We will focus on finding God in beauty, both within and without of designated sacred spaces. This is a difficult concept to translate for small children. For the Children’s Message, I will be reading a poem from the great Shel Silverstein. My emphasis will be upon the idea that we all see God as a reflection of ourselves, of our own beauty.

Take a moment and enjoy this poem. If you have children, introduce them to this poem and get a head start on Sunday!

Description by Shel Silverstein

                George said, “God is short and fat.”
                Nick said, “No, He’s tall and lean.”
                Len said, “With a long white beard.”
                “No,” said John, “He’s shaven clean.”
                Will said, “He’s black,” Bob said, “He’s white.”
                Rhonda Rose said, “He’s a She.”
                I smiled but never showed ‘em all
                The autographed photograph God sent to me.

Posted by Mandy Meisenheimer, Wednesday, February 20, 2013

When You Don’t Know How to Pray

There are some people who are very comfortable with prayer. Then there are the rest of us. We know that we should pray. We know that people find great comfort and strength in prayer. Yet when it comes time to pray, we don’t know where to begin. This Lent, try using the Jesus Prayer each morning. It is a short prayer that has been used in a variety of forms for centuries. Let these simple words be the beginning of your prayer life.

Lord Jesus Christ,
Have mercy on me.
Make haste to help me.
Rescue me and save me.
Do Your will in my life. Amen.

Posted by Rev Michael Bos, Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Black History Month Pt 3 - H.T. Burleigh meets J.P. Morgan

As promised, and continuing on the theme of last week, here is the story of how the African-American singer Harry T. Burleigh became one of the most famous church singers in New York. (See blog of February 8, 2013)

Burleigh had a beautiful baritone voice. In 1894, he tried out for the professional soloist position at St. George's Episcopal Church on Stuyvesant Square in NYC. The way it worked in those days was to have the singer audition for a committee behind a screen, so as to remove any possibility of favoritism toward auditioning singers. Everyone on the committee loved Burleigh’s voice, but when he emerged from behind the screen, the committee members gasped! Here was a black man.

They decided to hire him, in spite of other white New York Episcopal churches forbidding black people in worship. When Burleigh sang his first Sunday, a number of parishioners got up and walked out. The famous financier J. P. Morgan, senior warden of St. George's, immediately got up, went to the front door and took the names of those who left. He then announced that he would match their pledges dollar-for-dollar.

Harry T. Burleigh remained at St. George’s as bass soloist for 50 years!

_{Harry T. Burleigh}

I had the privilege of conducting St. George's Choral Society in Dvorak's Te Deum and several spirituals of Burleigh. And speaking of connections, Ken Dake, the Minister of Music at Marble Collegiate, was formerly the organist/choirmaster at St. George's. I love these synchronicities!

Posted by Cynthia Powell, Friday, February 15, 2013

Someone Has to Wait: A Lenten Meditation

Psalm 91 can be a hopeful passage for us during the season of Lent. But it can also be infuriating. There is no time limit on “trouble” and there is no deadline for “rescue”.

So we wait.

Those who love me, I will deliver;   I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;    I will be with them in trouble,   I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,   and show them my salvation.

I am no stranger to waiting. My husband and I waited a total of seven years for our two children to complete our family. Adoption is a master course in waiting. We waited through paperwork, we waited through red tape, and we waited through government shutdowns, overhauls, and holidays. We waited to be accepted, then we waited for a referral, then we waited for a visa, then we waited for a court date, then we waited to meet our children for the first time. Nothing happened within the timeframes we expected.

On a September day in 2010 our agency sent us a package of pictures and documents. Our referral of a daughter had finally arrived! We pored over the documents and examined each picture, crying, laughing, thrilled that the wait to be matched was finally over. Then we got the call from the agency.

“Andy and Mandy, this baby’s case is complicated.” Our caseworker informed us that this baby had already been matched once with a family. After waiting for over a year, this family decided to release her to the next family and take on a new referral.

We reeled. We had already been waiting for over two years to be matched. Would this baby come home as a baby? Would we end up adopting a ten-year-old? Should we let this one go and wait for an “easier” kid? I understood that family who let this baby go. The wait is tremendous. There is a special kind of agony that is waiting for a child that is languishing in an orphanage. Unable to touch, feel, hold, nurture, but rather receiving pictures every month of a child in a crib. It is miserable.

But my husband and I looked at each other and we knew. I said, “Someone has to wait for this baby. Even if she comes home at 18 years old. Someone has to wait for her.”

And we did.

Our daughter came home to us nine months later.