Preferences? Time for reflection/greeting?

At the beginning of our 11 a.m. service on July 10, Kim Heindel offered as a prelude Marcel Dupré's "Cortège and Litany." He played this seldom heard piece to the glory of God and in memory of Jim Edgy, a friend who devoted his life to the arts. Jim's partner and sister attended the service, so prior to the prelude I invited us to suspend our conversations and enter a time of prayer. Gail held a sign to let those who entered the sanctuary later know why we were not conversing as usual.

I enjoy the ways we receive guests and each other with warm hospitality. Yet, I confess that I found the relative quiet before that service refreshing. As I allowed the music to speak to God, my pulse slowed, I set aside thoughts of how to lead the service faithfully, and the Spirit embraced and fed me. I usually have such quiet moments in the office before entering the sanctuary to meet and greet. Having them in our beautiful worship space along with our congregation blessed me.

So I'm torn. I want guests to know that their presence honors us and we want to make them feel at home. When we greet saints we have not seen for a while, we assure them that we miss them when they're away. As we catch up with each other, introduce ourselves to those whose names we've yet to learn, and share signs and words of friendship, it feels like a mini Pentecost and the Spirit moves in our midst. Yet, I deeply appreciate time for reflection as worship begins and consider that good for our souls. As we savor a few moments of quiet, allow music to guide our thoughts to God, and keep silent and know that God is God, that same Spirit moves in ways just as profound. Besides, it seems insensitive to "talk over" an offering musicians have labored to prepare. We do that at dinner parties and other social gatherings; but the music there seems to have quite another purpose.

I am not calling for a change at this point, but I'd like to hear the preferences of folks who usually worship in our traditional service. Old habits are hard to break and it would take considerable effort to embrace the discipline of stopping our conversations when the prelude or voluntary begins. Would we like to do that periodically - perhaps, for example, during the season of Lent? Would we like to suspend conversations during the prelude for services in which we celebrate Holy Communion? Or are we happy as we are? Enter your thoughts on our blog, send me an email, or chat about that with family and friends. Again, I'm not calling for change at this point. That responsibility lies with our Celebrate Ministry Team. But I'd like some insight into how best to feed our varied spiritual hungers.

Grace and Peace,

LP

Vacation Bible School

It is time to celebrate. We promised our kids that sharing God's love would bring a summer of fun. I think we have kept our promise. Throughout the summer we have had music, games, food, and fun, all surrounding the centerpiece of God's love in our lives.

Our Vacation Bible School curriculum, Shake It Up Café, gave our children the chance to celebrate the biblical festivals from both the Old and New Testaments. Our children have had the opportunity to discover how events that happened thousands of years ago can impact their lives today. In the Old Testament God commanded festivals in celebration of the many blessings that had been bestowed upon the Israelites- freedom from Egypt and slavery, the first fruits of the harvest, and the bountiful crops that followed. God required celebration of God - a constant awareness that God turns slavery into freedom and hopelessness into hope.

From the past, what did our children learn? As they studied Passover, they learned that the children of Israel prayed to God for deliverance from their oppressive life in Egypt. God heard their prayers and made a plan for their departure. They learned to be strong and ready for God. In the festival celebrations of harvest, the lesson was to thank God through giving and sharing the bounty. As the children listened to the story of Jesus celebrating Passover, they learned a new way that Jesus created the Passover meal as a way to remember his life and teachings.

It has been said that Christianity is a continuous festival - a continuous celebration of the life we have in Christ. The common denominators of festival living are all around us - celebration of worship, joyful thanksgiving, helping those in need by sharing our bounty, communal feasting at the Lord's Table and the experience of kinship as we journey together.

It is time to celebrate: in the pew as we sing and worship, at the Pantry Shelf stacking canned goods, at the Super Wednesday dinner table, or wherever we gather in God's name!

Blessings,

Kandy Stone

Director of Children & Family Ministry

It's All in the Small Things

When I was in the first or second grade we did a section on how to count money. My mom thought it would be a great idea if I could apply this practice in real life. She went with me to the store and told me to buy some gum by myself. It was my first time purchasing anything alone and I had been given money specifically to buy gum. So I got the gum and walked up to the register. The clerk rang in the item and asked for payment.  I was 10 cents short. I felt pretty embarrassed and there were three or four people behind me waiting to make purchases. My mom was about 20 feet away, so I told the clerk I would go and get the extra money if she could wait a bit. However, I didn't have to because a gentleman gave me the extra dime I needed. I paid for the gum, said thank you to the gentleman, and walked to my mom and told her what had happened. She thanked him too and we headed home.

I don't remember the faces or what store we were in, but I remember that small act of kindness. I remember a feeling of disbelief and gratitude that someone would do something so kind for a stranger.  It was an act of grace before I knew what grace was. He showed a side of the human condition I didn't know existed. As a relatively spoiled child, I expected to receive things from people I knew; presents at Christmas and birthdays and money for small things like gum. But, from a stranger it was a different experience all together.  That small act still sticks with me to this day and is a reminder to me of the kindness we can offer to one another.

Sometimes the small things we do can have the biggest impact on someone we may not even know. Contributions to the Backpack Drive and our Hunger Ministry can go a long way to reassuring a stranger that someone is there and cares for them. Going to the grocery store and picking out one food item or a donation for the Pantry Shelf can mean a world of difference for someone in need of assistance. We may never know who we are helping, but they may always remember those times when help came at its most needed.

It's probably unlikely that the man who gave me the dime remembers that moment at all. It was probably just another part of his day. But I will always remember the feeling of that moment and the way it has shaped my view of the best the world can offer. All he did was give me a dime.

Peace,

Raymund Ocampo

Director of Music Ministry

Confession is good for the soul and for community

Nancy and I have been staining our deck. It is hot work, but I enjoy looking at the finished product and seeing what we've done. As I stained the stairs, the roller slipped and I left a streak of stain on a concrete wall. I tried to clean it, but for the next several years I will see that mistake every time I use the stairs. Others may not see it; but I will.

While doing some visiting this week I watched workers paint a crosswalk and the arrows in a turning lane. I had to watch because they had the road blocked. They did the job well, but if they had made a mistake, the paint would have remained in the wrong place on the road for a long time and many people would have noticed.

Assuming that a mistake made when painting a crosswalk did not make it more dangerous for pedestrians, is a mistake that everyone sees more significant than one that no one notices? Many elected leaders and public figures seem to think so. They do not confess a mistake until it becomes public knowledge and even then they seem more disturbed by being caught than by what they did wrong. They don't get it. Confession is not good for the soul only when forced on us. Confession, with repentance and forgiveness, helps to prepare us to begin again.

I'm talking about more than paint. When my sin remains hidden and I try to ignore it, I can convince myself that other sins will also remain hidden and that there was no real harm done. Both of those paths lead in dangerous directions. Honest confession and genuine repentance pave the way to forgiveness and new beginnings. Along that path we discover not only the harm done by our sin but also the wonder of forgiveness and renewal. When practiced in healthy ways, confession liberates us. It cannot and does not erase all of the harm done, but it points to the good that has been and can be. The less we have to hide from those we love, the more energy we have for living and loving.

Our tradition calls for a prayer of confession in every worship service. We do that formally during our traditional services, but depend on the person praying to lead us in confessing during ConnXions, Daybreak, and Morning Glory services. I suspect that many of us prefer the latter because we would prefer not to confess. Some even complain, "Our prayer of confession does not name my sins." The Prayers of the People may not mention our specific concerns either, but that does not mean we cannot and should not offer them while we pray. The purpose of a prayer of confession is for us to recognize how we add to the brokenness of the world to offer ourselves humbly to God. The words of forgiveness remind us of God's call to repentance and renewal. The words are not magical, but they point to the grace on which we all depend.

I'll never be good enough with a brush or roller to keep from splashing paint or stain where it does not belong. That is not required of me. I'm called to do the best I can, be honest with myself, God, and others, and move past my mistakes into renewed life. Confession is good for the soul and for community. It helps to draw us into the light of open relationships. From time to time that becomes messy, but it has far more to offer than life in the shadows.

Grace and Peace,

LP