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.

Get Your “Shrove” On

To the uninitiated, the practice of Shrove Tuesday may seem a bit odd. Tonight, as part of the celebration, we will gather in the church parlor and eat pancakes and sausage as part of the preparation for Lent. Though this seems to have no spiritual significance, it has the same principle underlying it as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. It is the last chance to take in rich foods before the practice of fasting for Lent.

Interestingly enough, over time we have tended to emphasize the celebration of Shrove Tuesday and Mardi Gras before Lent while forgetting fasting, prayer, and reflection during Lent. In doing so we miss an opportunity for growth and change.

The forty days of Lent are a time to shake up our routines, reflect on our lives, and do things differently. It is a time to assess where we are spiritually and where we would like to be. So I invite you to come and get your “shrove” on tonight, but don’t forget to shake up your spiritual routine during Lent!

Posted by Rev Michael Bos, Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Unguarded

Sometimes I feel like I have a little PR person in my conscience that is constantly asking how what I say or do will appear to others. When I’m shopping for clothes, the little PR person has me wondering if the clothing under consideration will help me blend in—or maybe even impress others. In major meetings, the little PR person has me weighing every word so that when I offer a comment, I appear sharp and “with it.” When I bump into someone on the street, the little PR person reminds me to be upbeat and affable, even if I’m in a funk. Wouldn’t want anyone thinking their pastor isn’t doing well!

We all have a little internal PR person who helps us guard our image. To a certain degree, I guess it can be healthy in that it helps us measure what we say or do. But if there no space or place in which we can give the little PR person a day off, the pressure to keep up appearances is unhealthy and overwhelming.

On Sunday we examined Moses’ place to be unguarded. It was in his time with God. While the practice of the day was for priests to cover their faces when encountering the divine, in Exodus 34 we find that Moses did exactly the opposite. He removed his veil when with God. It was almost as if Moses was saying to us, any place we meet God is a safe place to be ourselves. When we reveal our strengths and frailties, we can be confident that we are met by One who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6).

This week in your prayer and worship, give your little PR person the day off and discover what it’s like to be unguarded with God. Only then do we know what it is like to be embraced by grace.

Posted by Rev Michael Bos, Monday, February 11, 2013

Black History Month Pt 2 - Goin’ Home

I have powerful memories of my childhood listening to music with my family. After dinner, my brother would dig into the LP collection and put on a favorite classical piece, like the Tschaikovsky piano concerto, or Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, or Dvořák’s New World Symphony. I later learned the melody I loved so much in that last work was from an African-American spiritual called “Goin’ Home.”

But Dvořák was Czech - how did he know that melody?

In the 1890’s a young black singer/composer named Harry T. Burleigh won a scholarship to study at the newly opened National Conservatory of Music, near Stuyvesant Square in NYC. To earn extra money he did odd jobs around the school. He sang spirituals as he worked, which caught the ear of Dvořák, the school's director. “Goin’ Home” was the first spiritual ever used in a symphonic work!

H.T. Burleigh later became a renowned arranger and compiler of black spirituals. His arrangements have been sung by the greatest classical singers of our time. Next week I’ll tell you the story of Harry Burleigh’s career as a choral singer in NYC. In the meantime, this weekend may be just the perfect time to take the earbuds out, turn up the volume and listen with family and friends to great music together.

Posted by Cynthia Powell, Friday, February 8, 2013

Lost in the Clouds

--While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. (Luke 9:34)

My first time preaching on The Transfiguration I remember being captivated by the Exodus 34 story, particularly when Moses face was shining. My imagination ran wild as I thought of all the ways one could visually represent this Divine encounter in a room decorated with a million tiny shiny things; I like things/people that shimmer. Fast-forward a few years later and now I'm enamored with the cloud imagery in the Gospel passage. The times I've flown through clouds in the sky, the times when it's cloudy over the Hudson River and I can't see the George Washington Bridge because of the fog, the times when things aren't easy and it's metaphorically cloudy. Being surrounded by clouds can be disorienting.

At times life can be cloudy and it can be a bit terrifying. Instead of panicking, instead of reacting, maybe we can listen closely to the voice in the cloud and sink into our intuitive capacities that remind us to have no fear, Christ is near. I know I need that comforting reminder navigating life, maybe you do too.

I've been meditating on Sufjan Stevens's The Transfiguration in preparation for this Sunday. I think there are many times when things are cloudy and we have a difficult time seeing clearly. It's during these moments we begin to see with the intuition and we begin to listen with the spirit inside that is speaking to us, while we are in a state of confusion, "Have no fear, we draw near, the son of God is here."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JsaE2yZ1Rs

Posted by Rev. Jes Kast-Keat, Thursday, February 7, 2013

A New Way to Study

This week I recited a bit of Psalm 36 as paraphrased by Eugene Peterson in The Message. Some have asked about the poem, so here is the portion I recited:

God’s love is meteoric,
    his loyalty astronomic,
His purpose titanic,
    his verdicts oceanic.
Yet in his largeness
    nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse,
    slips through the cracks.

-The Message, Psalm 36:5-6

The Message paraphrase is a helpful option for seeing scripture in a new way. You can find it online for free at biblegateway.com. This is one of my favorite Bible study resources because I can view multiple versions of one scripture all at once. During God Squad on Sunday, I showed our students a couple of versions of the same text. When we look at different translations of the same Hebrew or Greek words, we can begin to see the subtle nuances of the text. One of my favorite versions is the New International Reader’s Version. Translators have worked hard to simplify the language so that new readers can understand the text. Sometimes the simplest words bring out the greatest meaning. Take a look online as a family!

Biblegateway.com

Posted by Mandy Meisenheimer, Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Sharing Impulse

Recently I’ve noticed that our disposition toward sharing is dictated by the circumstances around which we receive something. For example, if we receive something because we believe we earned it or because of merit, we feel entitled to use it for ourselves. Whether it is a hefty bonus or a candy bar, if we earned it, we deserve it!

But notice the change in disposition if we receive something because of “dumb luck”? Whether we receive free tickets to a concert as part of a promotion or find fifty dollars on the ground, we are more apt to share it because it we didn’t do anything to earn it.

In 1 Peter, it reminds us that our abilities and resources are a gift from God: “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received” (4:10). If we go through life believing that everything we have and everything we achieve is because of us, then we develop a hoarding mentality--our talents and possessions are to serve our purposes. However, if we see our abilities and resources as a gift from God, we develop a sharing impulse that looks for ways to share our blessings with others.

We all know that “it is nice to share.” Perhaps we should begin each day thanking God for the good gifts God has given us, and then watch the sharing impulse grow in our midst!

Posted by Rev Michael Bos, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

God’s Team Wins!

According to a recent poll, 27% of Americans believe that God “plays a role determining which [sporting] team wins.” Further, over half of Americans believe that “God rewards athletes who have faith with good health and success.” This may be why Ray Lewis, a Ravens linebacker, said after a victory en route to the Super Bowl, “God doesn’t make mistakes,” implying the win was from God.

I love that people look for ways to see God present in all of life as a source of help and hope. God does make a difference in our lives through our faith! But I become concerned when faith becomes formulaic: faith in God equals victory and success. There are times when people of faith suffer. There are times when people of no faith succeed. It is part of the mystery of God and life.

If we truly want to see God in all of life, then we also need to seek God in difficult and dark moments—the times when God seems absent. Like the Psalmist, there are times we need to say, “I say to God, my rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me?’” (42:9). Faith doesn’t make these moments disappear. Faith gives us the courage to face difficult times with honesty, trusting God will meet us there.

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

Black History Month in song at West End

February is Black History Month, when we traditionally commemorate the African-American experience by singing spirituals, slave songs, and gospel music. Spirituals often provided comfort and eased the boredom of daily tasks, with strong rhythms and ‘call and response’ style. While many spirituals were work songs and songs of comfort and hope, others were a metaphor for freedom from slavery.

Songs like "Steal Away (to Jesus)", or "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" signaled that the coast was clear and the time to escape had come. The ‘River Jordan’ was code for the Ohio River or the Mississippi River. (taking to the water was a common strategy to throw pursuing bloodhounds off one's trail). "Follow the Drinking Gourd" referred to the Big Dipper, which pointed the way to the North Star and freedom. Here is a link to an excellent, short youtube video about this.

These songs are a testament to the power of music to instill faith and help people through bad times. Some of the spirituals this Sunday include "Ain't Got Time to Die", "Let Us Break Bread Together", and "I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me". What songs have gotten you through difficulties?

Posted by Cynthia Powell, Friday, February 1, 2013

Service that Changes Lives

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

When I was in grade school my mom would make my sack lunch. While the meal itself was delicious my favorite things were the notes she would write to me and tuck in the sandwich bag. They were short notes that usually expressed her love, prayers, and encouragement for the day. One thing was always consistent about her note: at the bottom of each paper she wrote “J.O.Y.”

J.O.Y. was more than a three letter word in our family. It meant that we served Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself third and in doing that you would find joy in you life. There is something beautifully simple about this acronym because it calls us to think about life as service to others rather than simply self-serving.

Sometimes the service we offer is demanding, like when the youth group helped build a house in the Appalachian Mountains last summer. Sometimes the service we offer is thoughtfully small, like writing a note to our loved ones and tucking it in their bag for them to discover later in the day.

There are many different ways we can commitment to service that changes lives. That’s part of what it means to be Christian, we commit to serve those around us, both friend and stranger, and in doing so we find joy!

Posted by Rev. Jes Kast-Keat, Thursday, January 31, 2013

Roots and Wings

Two great things you can give yor children: one is roots, the other is wings. -Hodding Carter

As a parent, I live in this tension of roots and wings.

Run, but don’t fall!
Wear whatever you want, but take your coat!
You can accomplish anything, but go to college first!

We want our children to feel free to flourish into the fullness of their personalities, gifts and talents. We also want our children to be safe, practical, and grounded. Fear can be both our ally and our enemy as we navigate parenthood and every stage of development. Fear is helpful when I am chopping up bites for my 18-month-old to eat. Fear is not so helpful when I am chopping up bites for my 18-year-old.

In the realm of faith and doubt, parents can be very afraid. We bring our children to the house of worship, hoping to instill an inner faith that will remain with our children through adulthood. Or perhaps we hope that our children will learn ethics, a standard of right and wrong. Or perhaps we hope that our children will embrace an ancient tradition of sacrament, regardless of what they believe about God.

For whatever reasons that you bring your children to church, there is the nagging question, what if it doesn’t work?

I long for my children to grow as followers of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit to find their callings in life. But I cannot control that. I remember a beautiful parable told in Matthew 13 about a farmer who scatters seed along the path, the rocky soil, among weeds, and finally in rich, healthy soil. The ground represents the condition of the hearer when he or she hears the good news.

This is a great parallel for families, but only if we make one distinction. Although we desire to share God’s story and God’s love with our children, we are not the sower. Jesus explains that He is the sower. He does the work. His spirit speaks to our souls. Our job as parents and adult influences is not necessarily to provide all the answers. Our role is to help our children cultivate fertile ground for hearing the good news. We tell the stories, we demonstrate love and grace and forgiveness, and we follow Christ in our everyday lives. And we hope that as our children become lovers of truth, good, and beauty, they will be inexplicably drawn to Christ, the sower.

So, if the soil looks rocky, or the path looks barren or the message just doesn’t seem to be sticking these days, don’t panic. The sower never grows weary.

Posted by Mandy Meisenheimer, Wednesday, January 30, 2013