Wednesday, 24 November 2010
DPC
This article is printed in the December Tidings.
One of the things that always seems to happen from Thanksgiving forward is we think about persons in need. Certainly our call as Christians is to be aware of and minister year-round to individuals Jesus once described as “the least of these who are my brothers and sisters,” but our awareness of human need often seems to become more focused in these weeks. Groups at school and work collect items to share with the less-fortunate. DPC provides extra opportunities for giving that support retired church workers or others in communities far and near who lack the ability to pay for the basic necessities of life. The out-pouring to such appeals is always generous and oftentimes after it is over I will hear persons say “Wouldn’t it be great if we could help like this year-round?” Let me tell of one way your gifts are about to do that.
Many of you recall that we included a mission component as part of our “Bridging the Generations” capital campaign. Our Session designated 15% of all undesignated gifts to the campaign for mission projects with the first effort being a complete renovation of the kitchen at Broad Street Ministry. That Presbyterian-founded effort is located in Center City Philadelphia across the street from the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Since its creation five years ago BSM has focused on the hurting ones in the city and a key part of its ministry is providing meals. Each week, they serve between 750 and 1000 persons from a kitchen that was built in the early 20th century. Broad Street’s dream of re-vitalizing that space and our goal of providing a mission response which helps in an ongoing way met perfectly in that project and soon will be realized.
In a few days, a new walk-in freezer and refrigerator will be installed at BSM in what used to be the pastor’s office so that donated and purchased food can remain fresh for a longer time. Work begins soon thereafter on the rest of the kitchen renovation effort and should be finished by late winter. Stop by the bulletin board in the Celtic Cross Room and read the article from Bill Golderer, Broad Street’s Convening Minister, as he talks about their new kitchen and our part in helping it occur. When that project finishes, not only will there be a great celebration at which I hope many of us can be present, but that essential part of BSM’s work will be strengthened. As a result human hardship will be eased in ways and to a degree we can only begin to imagine.
If you want to see their kitchen work underway now, stop by BSM (located at 315 South Broad Street) or check the DPC website where soon you will find a video link showing the kitchen area before the work began and as it unfolds. In either case, know that because of your gifts a basic human need will soon be addressed year-round and for years to come; an appropriate response in our ongoing call to follow the one who was “born to save.”
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
DPC
This article is printed in the November Tidings.
In a few days, our congregation will gather for Commitment Sunday. As part of both worship services on November 7, we will have a moment when members and friends come forward and place in a sealed envelope on the communion table their best estimate of what they will give back to God financially during the coming year. In anticipation of that moment, I’d like to reflect on the theme for our 2011 Stewardship Campaign as each phrase speaks to how we might best prepare for that morning and the decision we will make.
“Grow…”
God wants us to grow. No matter what our age or how long we’ve been on this journey of faith there are still ways we can deepen our understanding and response. We can grow in our study of and reliance upon Scripture. We can grow in trusting God more fully as we navigate the challenges of our days. We can grow in our willingness to risk on behalf of our Savior. We can grow in our readiness to forgive and accept that gift when extended to us. And, we can grow…
“as Stewards…”
A steward is one who takes care of what has been entrusted to her or him. The Bible tells us the first task God entrusted to humankind was the care of creation. That responsibility is still ours, but it is not the only part of our mandate. We are also called to be good stewards of our time and health, of our children and neighbors, of our community and world. And we are called to be good stewards of our financial resources since all that we have has been entrusted to us by our Creator. As such, we are invited to grow in that part of our life, too, because…
“of God’s Grace”
Grace is something that is freely offered and oftentimes in an unexpected way. A surprise hug from your grandchild is a moment of grace. A sincere word of appreciation from someone you didn’t even know was listening is a moment of grace. A cup of water extended by a stranger as you run a first marathon is a moment of grace. A driveway cleared by your neighbor after an overnight snowstorm is a moment of grace, too. Grace occurs all around us yet as people of faith, it is the relentless, freely offered, and generous love of God to which we are privileged to respond. One of those ways is by making a financial commitment which reflects the gratitude we hold for all that God has shared with us.
As you prepare for November 7 th, consider the many ways you have experienced the grace of God, ponder all that has been entrusted to you, pray about how you might grow in your financial giving and then join us as this family of faith dedicates its collective response. I look forward to sharing in that time with you and discovering how collectively we have chosen to “Grow as Stewards of God’s Grace.”
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
DPC
This article is printed in the October Tidings.
In recent weeks, as I have been out in the community for various activities, persons will ask me, “How is the construction going?” In meeting people for the first time, upon learning that I am a pastor at DPC they will frequently say “Your church is the one building that bridge isn’t it?” (Sometimes they will refer to it as a “skywalk,” but I keep trying to discourage that term!) In visiting with members in the hospital I have heard them turn to family members in the room or to their nurse and say “You should see what is happening at our church!” All of that conversation, of course, grows out of the renovation effort that is occurring all around us. It can be hard to keep up with all that is happening in that regard, so let me offer a few places to begin.
Ask any of the children in Club 456 what it was like to walk deep inside the excavated area alongside Church and Mechanics Streets and look up at the work above them. Take notice of the wonderful Noah’s ark mural emerging just outside of the former nursery. Bring your painted and prayed-over stones to the church soon as we anticipate their becoming part of the foundation in a couple of weeks. Log onto our website or stop by the Celtic Cross Room bulletin board to get the latest update and photos. Go inside my former study and gaze down at the work occurring just outside the windows, or peer into the new restrooms taking shape on the lower floors of Andrews Hall. There is much to discover.
Even as all of that activity continues, your staff, the Session and its committees are working diligently on the fullness of our life. A new Church School year is underway with another talented group of faithful and caring teachers. Our youth ministry, elemen†, is off to a wonderful start as well. All of the musical groups and choirs have resumed rehearsals, once again strengthening our worship life. Your officers have created task forces to explore how we might add a third service of a different style, further strengthen our life with small groups, and re-visit the vision statement of DPC to see if it still best describes our calling. While all of those things are happening, we remain engaged in acts of pastoral care and welcoming the stranger, serving persons in need and sharing our fellowship, answering your e-mails and preparing bulletins, offering our prayers, teaching the faith, and keeping the building clean so that we might gather here week after week to praise and serve God.
During this time of construction, be assured that we will continue to be the church in all that the term means because we know DPC is more than a building and that our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ is broader, too. For signs of faithfulness all around us and for the One who is forever bringing it to life, I continue to give thanks.
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Monday, 30 August 2010
DPC
This article is printed in the September Tidings.
Jesus was the consummate teacher.
During his three years on earth, Jesus used a variety of ways to communicate the truth about God. He gave sermons with memorable instructions such as “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” He would contrast teachings of his day with his own instruction such as the time he proclaimed “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love you neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” He would give direct instruction, too, such as “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven…” Yet one of his most enduring legacies as a teacher came in his use of parables.
Beginning September 5 and continuing through early November, all of the sermons at DPC will be based upon one of his parables. One-third of all Jesus’ teaching moments in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are in the form of a parable and each Sunday this fall, one of your pastors will draw from one of those stories as the focus of our worship. I suspect that some of the parables you hear will be comforting while others make you squirm. Some will offer you clear insight into what God is saying and others leave you confused. All of those reactions occurred in those who first heard them, too.
Wherever possible, we will try to understand the perspective of a first century Palestinian who first heard those stories, too. Jesus used images and actions from everyday life to make his point and not all of those pieces are easily translatable to 21st century life. Yet even though our culture has changed, the timeless nature of his message has not and in exploring how his stories might have first been heard, we can better explore the enduring truths the parables proclaim still.
That isn’t to say that there is only one faithful way to hear them. As is true of all Scripture so do the parables speak to us in diverse ways. In reflecting upon the Parable of the Lost Son, for instance (and we will give that one two Sundays to allow its narrative to come alive more fully), I would imagine some of you will resonate with the older brother who felt as if his reckless sibling got off too easily. Others will likely identify with the prodigal, recognizing times of wandering away from your roots for a time and of the blessing of a grace-filled return. Others yet will empathize with the father who felt only joy as he saw a son he feared lost come home. A good story allows for diverse interpretations and Jesus’ parables lend themselves to multiple meanings.
I hope you can join us as we share in this time of reflection together, seeking once more to discern what it is that the Good Teacher would have us know and do.
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
DPC
This article is printed in the August Tidings.
Later this month, I reach a professional milestone as I deliver my 1000th sermon. If you count the homilies I prepared as a seminary student, or my message as a high school senior on Youth Sunday or even the very first sermon I gave to my family in our living room when I was about seven years old (the topic was “Jonah and the Whale”), the total is closer to 1025 lifetime messages. Still, I am using my ordination date as the starting point for this official count.
That kind of event got me thinking and led me to pull out my calculator. If you assume each of those sermons averaged 15 minutes (and some have certainly been shorter or longer), that means I have spoken for 15,000 minutes as a minister of Word and Sacrament which results in 250 hours or nearly 10 and one-half days of talking non-stop. The total is actually higher still for 681 of the sermons were delivered twice on the same day or night, 37 offered three times on the same date, and one Christmas Eve when I was the only pastor at DPC, I preached the same sermon four times. By my tally, that means I have sought to share insights from God’s Word on 1796 occasions. However you measure it, that’s a lot of talking!
I also looked at the book where I record every sermon of mine by date, title, Scripture lesson, and location to see what kinds of patterns emerged. 593 of my sermons have been based upon a New Testament text alone, 284 on an Old Testament passage and 123 drawn from lessons found in both portions of the Bible. The most frequent source for a sermon is Luke’s gospel which has served as the basis for 147 messages with Matthew a close second at 138. Among Old Testament books, Genesis has provided a sermon text 48 times with Exodus next at 32. I have preached from 56 different books of the Bible which means that ten books have never been the source of a sermon for me so don’t be surprised if one Sunday in the coming months you arrive in church and hear me preaching from Song of Solomon or Lamentations, Obadiah or Philemon.
The settings for my sermons have varied, too as I have preached in twelve different congregations representing five denominations, seven retirement communities, one synagogue, one lakeside setting and one outdoor park. The vast majority of my sermons have been delivered as part of Sunday worship, but there have been 28 that occurred as part of an afternoon vespers service, eight at a community service such as Thanksgiving Eve, Easter sunrise, or Labor Day, two at Presbytery events and two more at the installation of a new pastor. As I look back on those numbers, I am guessing one member of DPC has heard about 950 of those messages and some of them more than once. Truly I am blessed with such a patient partner in life and ministry!
Even with that sermon total, you should know I continue to count it a privilege to stand in a pulpit and share a word with you that God might use. I continue to be amazed by the ways God can take the thoughts and stories and dialect of this former North Carolinian and bring the written Word to life in ways that others can hear it. And I continue to be humbled by those occasions when the Spirit’s work through me allows others to experience the grace, love and power found in those holy pages as persons hear and take away a message I often did not know they needed.
While there are no favorite texts above all the Scripture lessons I have interpreted in a sermon, there is one passage which speaks to my ongoing conviction about the source for all preaching. It comes toward the end of his second letter to a young man in ministry when Paul writes these words: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (1Timothy 3:16-17) Words that not only describe my trust in God’s living Word, but suggest I better start pondering sermon number 1001, too!
--John
This article is printed in the July Tidings.
It was an unexpectedly grace-filled moment.
Some of you heard the news last month about the perfect game that wasn’t. For those of you who aren’t baseball fans, a perfect game means the pitcher retires all 27 batters of the opposing team without one of them reaching base—no hits, no walks, no errors. It is such a rare event that in the 131-year history of Major League Baseball, there have been only twenty perfect games ever pitched and two of them occurred earlier this season.
On June 2, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was one out away from pitching a perfect game as well. The batter for the opposing team hit a ground ball which was fielded by the Tigers first baseman and then thrown to Galarraga covering the base. The ball was caught and the pitcher’s foot touched the base before the runner arrived. It should have been an out, thus ensuring the perfect game was completed. The pitcher, his teammates, and the fans were ready to cheer the historic moment, but for some reason the umpire Jim Joyce called the runner safe. Teammates and the manager ran over to Joyce and argued the call, but Galarraga did not. He looked puzzled and then smiled in a way that seemed to say “Oh, well!” Once the argument ended, he got the next batter out which meant that the game officially ended with one hit.
Part of baseball’s culture is an acceptance that mistakes are part of the game and the umpire has the final word. Other than times when a home run is questioned, Major League Baseball doesn’t allow for rulings on the field to be over-turned through the use of instant-replay technology either. So the most remarkable part of that drama for me was what the two key participants did next. Joyce went to look at a videotape of the play. Upon seeing that he had made a
mistake, he immediately sought out the pitcher and apologized with tears in his eyes. Joyce told the media “I just cost the kid a perfect game. I thought [the runner] beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw until I saw the replay. It was the biggest call of my career.”
For his part, Galarraga told reporters that after the apology he felt worse for Joyce than himself. “You don’t see an umpire after the game come out and say, ‘Hey, let me tell you I’m sorry’” the pitcher said. “He felt really bad. We all make mistakes. None of us is perfect.” (Noonan, Peggy. ”Nobody’s Perfect, But They Were Good,” The Wall Street Journal, June5-6, 2010, p. A15.)
While not all of us are baseball fans, each one of us encounters moments when we miss the call in countless other settings, reacting to something we thought we saw or heard which turned out to be untrue, hurting someone else as a result. We all have times, too, when we are bruised by the actions of others; deeds whether intentional or not cause us to miss out on a wonderful celebration, fail to receive an honor we’ve earned, or worse. Yet whatever part we play in such occasions—the one who made the mistake or the one hurt by it—we have the opportunity to choose if we will extend grace or accept it, forgive or hold onto resentment.
I hope over the course of this summer you experience and model the kind of unexpected choice by one baseball umpire and pitcher in June. Chances are your decision will not cause you to be credited with a perfect game, but it can allow you to experience once more the surprising and unmerited grace that set each one of us on this playing field in the first place.
John
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