8-1-10
Order of Worship

Dear Friends,

I read recently of a man who had been doing some personal research on caterpillars and butterflies.  Given his grounding in the Christian faith, he was well aware of how the butterfly is a metaphor not only for resurrection but also for transformation in the Christian life.  His reading on the insects led him to make the following testimony about his faith.  He said, “I don’t want to be a better caterpillar.  I want to be a butterfly.”

The purpose of our ministry is not to make better caterpillars.  It is about helping people to become like butterflies.  We believe that in the life of faith transformations happen.  We do not need to live trapped in our sadness or fear or malaise. Following Christ is an ongoing journey that leads us to wholeness in our relationship with God and each other.

The Scripture we turn to this Sunday carries that same message (Colossians 3:1-14). By virtue of our baptisms, Christ has changed us.  In a sense, he has given us new clothes to wear. What we used to use to cover ourselves – anger, wrath, malice, etc – can now be thrown off and discarded.  Christ has given us new clothes that represent our new selves. This spiritual clothing dresses us for the journey to become the people that God intends us to be.

See you Sunday, 

Rev. Martha

7-25-10
Order of Worship  Listen

Dear Friends,

Of all the feel-good stories that we are apt to hear or read about, the most compelling feel-good stories of all are those that highlight the rare personal quality of persistence.  I am often inspired by people who refuse to give up or give in – people who, facing tremendous odds, accomplish their dreams; people who, after years and years of struggle, finally break through the obstacles and find success; or people who, after having been told that their efforts are hopeless or in vain, go on to do great things.  Persistence, while not one of St. Paul’s famous “fruits of the Spirit” (Galatians 5), is an essential Christian characteristic.  It is the ability of the believer to press on in faith, regardless of one’s feelings, toward a purpose or a vision larger than one’s self. 

In a world with so many large, complex, overwhelming issues and problems, it’s easy to grow weary of doing good and following in the footsteps of Jesus.  We do not always see the tangible results of our commitment to live generous, just, merciful lives.  How often do we work earnestly to repair our world, only to see it fall apart all over again?  How often have we reached out to others with help, only to see them fall back in the same patterns or troubles?  Like dishes in the kitchen sink, the problems we seek to fix seem often to reappear, piled higher and higher, so that it rarely feels like we’re making any progress at all.

The disciples had come to Jesus one day, asking him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-13).  Maybe they finally realized that the kingdom work to which Jesus had called them was more difficult than they had originally thought.  Their well of talent and energy and enthusiasm had run dry at last; they were running on fumes.  Meanwhile, there were still demons to cast out and bellies to feed and sins to forgive – day after day after day, with no end in sight.  Perhaps it finally caught up to them and they were desperate.  “Teach us to pray,” they said to Jesus.   I think it was their way of saying, “We need serious help.  We need God to do what we alone cannot do.” 

How else can one persist in the daily practice of faith, if not by prayer?  To do everything we can, at every opportunity, until we have nothing left to give, and then to leave it all at the feet of God, saying, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done….” – this, in the end, is how the world is changed.

See you Sunday,

 Rev. Mark

7/18/10 Listen Watch Video

Order of Worship

07-11-10 Listen Watch Video
Order of Worship

Dear Friends,

One of the great mistakes many Christians make these days is assuming that the goal of following Christ is to become more religious – to think and speak in very spiritual ways, and to associate with spiritual people who think and speak similarly; to possess a faith that is invulnerable to doubt and a lifestyle that is irreproachable; to be preoccupied with matters of God and religion and eternity.  Becoming more “religious,” of course, is not necessarily a bad thing; however, it does not make us necessarily Christian, either. 

Jesus wasn’t much interested in religion – at least not that kind of religion.  Instead, he was interested in relationships – the kind of relationship we have with God, and those we have with others.  More specifically, Jesus concerned himself with the many ways that religion often separated people from God and from one another, by labeling people as good or bad, worthy or unworthy, insiders or outsiders.  He understood how religion can harden hearts just as easily as it can open them to the love of God and neighbor. 

So when he was asked by a religious man about how to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him a story about two very spiritual people who could not bring themselves to help a stranger in need, and one lowly Samaritan who did.  What the religious man wanted was a religious answer, but what Jesus gave him was a holy prescription – get out of your head and into the world.  Walk with your eyes open and your hands outstretched.  Be a neighbor to all.

It turns out that the way to eternal life is a very short journey from the head to the heart.  But it’s often the longest journey we will ever take, because it requires us to reject the assumption that our religion and our answers can save us.  In the end, Jesus prefers to keep it far simpler: love God, love the neighbor – even the stranger.  This is not a footnote to his teaching; this is his teaching.  “Do this and live.”

See you Sunday,

Rev. Mark

7/4/ 2010 Listen Watch Video