Living "as if"

Last night we had a meeting of the Session, those folks who have agreed to serve as leaders of this congregation for a while. One of the most difficult things they have to do each year is to determine how we spend the dollars people entrust to us for ministry.

In 20 years of ordained ministry, (and some pretty serious pre-ordination involvement!) I have been at a lot of these meetings. But never at one quite like this one.

In the last year, we've felt called as a church to take a number of risks: to do major renovation on our campus, to increase what we do in Mission, and to call an associate pastor. In addition, the global financial crisis has taken its toll on any interest income we might have been able to fall back on in previous 'lean years', as well as making people anxious about finances in general.

Pledges from members and friends have been trickling in as the year draws to a close, and many of them are generous, but there are dozens of folks who pledged last year from whom we've not yet heard, and what they might be able to give in '09 is anybody's guess.

And one more thing you should know: Presbyterians tend to be predictable. We tend to like order, deliberateness, level-headed steadiness. We, as a group, tend to be rather risk-averse. It makes us nervous and edgy.

Like I say, I have been at a few of these meetings before, and I know how it goes. The air is typically so tense it vibrates. People tend to say things like: "I know their work is valuable, but I don't see why Nurture needs so much money. Perhaps THEY could volunteer to take a cut in their portion of the budget." and so on. By the end there are often raised voices and hurt feelings. I hate it.

And here is what happened: They looked at this budget that is 85 THOUSAND dollars out of balance (a lot of money by any account, but huge in a 500 thousand dollar total), and they discussed it. One committee chair very graciously suggested how their committee could cut some costs in the coming year.

The discussion continued: thoughtful, theologically sound, reflective, thorough, responsible.
At the end of the conversation, they voted, unanimously, to adopt this budget, because it felt to them like what God was inviting them to do.

There was an astonishing level of balance, of civility, of trust. There was a glaring lack of anxiety, short-sightedness, or competition. They just did it.

At the end of our meeting, as we reflected on where we'd sensed God's presence, our new Associate Pastor Eric said,
"I have NEVER seen a Session adopt a budget this risky. Without fighting. Unanimously."
I nodded vigorously.
"It's as if," he continued, "You really have faith that God is involved here. And that you really trust each other. "

Yep.
It's as if there's something remarkable going on here,
something will are willing to take risks for
something we are willing to sacrifice for.
Something that invites us to trust God and each other,
that calls for the best in us
that promises a remarkable year ahead.

I do not know where all the money will come from, but I believe that this impossible sum is an invitation to rely one the One who calls us.

Lets live "As If. "

Easy Does It

Christian faith is something we DO, not just something we think. "Be Doers of the Word and not hearers only", Paul says.

At the same time, it is NOT something we DO so much as something we receive: "by grace you have been saved, thru faith," scripture says, "and not by works- lest anyone should boast."

For centuries the church has wrestled with this tension and argued about this paradox:
to what degree do we rest in the grace God freely gives us?
to what degree do we strive to do the work of the gospel, to run the race of faith?

This age-old theological tension is now my lived experience, the place where God's Word is being spoken to me day by day.
This week, I have returned to work- sort of.
It is a great joy to re-connect with the work I love so deeply, to see the people I have covenanted with, to sit behind this familiar desk.
And, at the same time, its a bit scary- because I cant keep my familiar pace.

My doctor cleared me to return to work provided that I do so gradually and gently, paying attention to my energy level, which is not yet what it once was.

And so the spiritual task this week is about discernment.
The thing to which I am most inclined is not good for me at the moment.
This propensity to jump in with both feet, to believe that Faster is Better, this notion that I really need to DO more to feel good at the end of the day- will not speed my healing nor serve ths congregation- and so it cannot be what God wants from me.

So I am trying to experiment with Doing Life Differently.
Praying helps. often.
Breathing helps.
Cultivating patience and humility helps.

And each day, as I find the end of my energy or notice my weariness,
I realize that stopping helps most of all.

This 'stopping' requires trust-
a trust that God is in charge of the ministry here, not me.
a trust that I am loved for who I am not just what I accomplish.
a trust in colleagues and friends who will do what I cannot
a trust that my body is a partner and a friend, and that when it tells me I am tired, that is a loving message that helps me know what God expects from me today.

Some of this is not as natural for me as pushing ahead and pressing on-
so I have lots to learn.

But at the same time, I am aware that I don't have to be good at this or know all about it for it to work. I am aware that I am dwelling inside a miracle: a body that day by day is repairing surgical damage done to it, a body that knows how to diminish the size of this scar, a body that knows things I dont know about the mystery of what's inside my skin and how it works.

And so I am aware that I dwell inside a miracle,
and that life is a gift,
and that I am healing day by day
both physically and spiritually.

Amazing.
Amazing Grace.
Amen.

What does a Church look like?

I've been thinking lot this week about what constitutes the Church,
how you know it when you see it
how it makes the presence of God discernible and tangible and real.

Jesus said, "by this they shall know that you are my disciples: If you have love for one another."
He also said, "Love one another as I have loved you. Abide in my love."

Well, that's a clue.

Turns out after a long season of trying to diagnose a problem in my body that has been as frustrating and elusive as the electrical on your car ("no, really, it was doing the weirdest thing just yesterday!")
It turns out, as I say, that I need pretty extensive surgery, and that I will do that on Monday.
The doctor tells me to expect 7 days in the hospital and a month off work. This is lots more than I bargained for, and I am working at accepting this, and trusting, and co-operating with my own healing.

At times I have been very frightened, and I know it has frightened many of the dear members of this family of faith.

Where is the Grace in THAT?!?
Well, I will tell you.

There is grace in each person who has stepped up to take something on: the stewardship campaign, child care, rides, casseroles, comfort, encouragement. There is grace as people take on ministry tasks one after another- finding preachers and teaching new member classes and even organizing the personnel reviews for staf.

The leaders in this congregation make the love of Christ visible because they make this ministry their own- they are not consumers of religious benefits or clients who come weekly for blessings. They are fellow laborers in God's work, and they witness to the fact that this work does not depend on any one person- not even the pastor. They know that THEY are called to make the love of Jesus real in this place, and they are all about doing it. They ARE the church.

This is humbling, but full of joy and freedom, and full of encouragement because it makes itso clear that God is present here, and the Spirit is at work.

I got lots of incredible email this week. Here, too, the Grace is visible: see if you can't see it.

I wish I could do this for you! But, of course, I can't, and you wouldn't let anyone else do it anyway.
So, the two of us will accompany you as best we can, along with all of the"saints" of the church and beyond.
The path is crowded with us, but there is room for more, and by Monday, the path AND THE OPERATING ROOM will be filled with us. Remember Monday, as they bring you into the operating room, to look around you and "see" us!
The surgery staff may not see us, but you will.

And the operating table? NOT! Our hands are holding you up to God!!

This, my friends, is the Church of Jesus Christ- the 'great cloud of witnesses' Hebrews talks about, the people who "bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."

How grateful I am for this vision of how I am surrounded, and upheld in love.
I will be leaning on each of you, my friends, and on the love of the Holy One you represent
As I do what is before me.

Meanwhile, thanks be to God and to you.
Sandy

Walking Together, Hearing the Holy

THIS WEEK AT FIRST PRES 9-25-08
Since the beginning of the year, the Session has been reading a book about various prayer practices by Daniel Wolpert. It’s a lovely book, accessible but not lacking in depth. This month our chapter was on 'walking prayer'.
Generally, we talk about what we have been reading, perhaps we share stories about how this practice has (or has not) been useful for us. This time, I invited them to actually engage in the practice we were discussing. I encouraged them to leave the table and our meeting room, and to go out into the semi-darkness to walk and pray.

I gave them 3 suggestions: they could let the buildings of the church campus guide their prayer, or I suggested they might want to pray for the neighborhood. Or, I said, they could concentrate on being present, and try to notice what it’s like for them to slow down and walk at a measured pace. (I also said that they could trust the Spirit, and do ‘none of the above’ if they wished.) I turned them loose for just over 10 minutes to walk silently.

When they came back, it was so lovely to hear their reflections, to listen to where they had been led and spoken to.

One of them, who is a hard-facts, bottom-line kind of guy, recalled taking his trash out the week before, and being stopped in his tracks by the incredible moon as it hung there in the sky, reminding him of the presence of the Holy.

One of them found herself thinking of all the saints whom she had known in this congregation who were no longer with us, the great cloud of witnesses encouraging us in our ministry.

One of them found herself praying for the neighborhood and its families- and one of them crossed the street before her, children jostling and giggling as happy children do, while grownups shepherded them safely to the other curb. She sensed God’s love for such families.

One of them began by wishing he felt more of God’s presence in prayer, but then remembered God is always present, and ended up praying for awareness- for his ability to recognize and respond to God’s presence.

One of them became aware that this place which is our spiritual home is a gift to the neighborhood just by being here, that our presence (and God’s presence among us) is a gift.

And one of them prayed for the people who lived in the houses across the street. Are we doing enough, he wondered, to invite them to join us? Have we walked across the street to ask them?

I was touched by how connected I felt to these people. We were out there alone, walking independently, not speaking to one another, yet it was clear to me that we were deeply connected as we listened together for the Voice that gives us life and gives meaning to our work as a Session.

Words of beauty and of reassurance, reminders of our heritage and our call.
Words of comfort and of challenge and of discovery.
It was a powerful gift to recognize the voice of God speaking to each of us differently,
And to all of us as a community.

Surely God is in this place.
Holy Ground.

See you on Sunday~

Sandy

Wholeness and Holiness and Healing

There was such a sense of sacred space, such a sense of hope and belonging as we gathered in the chapel. Twenty five of us came for our quarterly healing service. It was easy to sense God’s Spirit in our midst.

It is a tender thing to acknowledge our vulnerability.

It is powerful to recognize God’s intention and ability to heal.

It is a sweet privilege to claim that promise and to pray for one another.

Some of us were there for the first time.

Others are regulars, who love this service.

One by one, those who wish prayers for healing come to one of the stations.

The things that are offered up for prayer are so powerful-

A woman who welcomed her first great-grandchild today asked us to pray for peace in the world.

A woman who has had her share of medical intervention these last 2 years is facing yet another surgery- we prayed with tears.

An elder prayed that we as a congregation would know how to gather around and support one who is critically ill.

A strong and vigorous man facing troubling symptoms and no clear diagnosis asked us to pray for his healing.

And on it went- a litany of beauty, courage, truth, pain, and hope.

And we held each request up, and sensed the presence of the Spirit encouraging us all.

And we sang, and sang, holding one another in the prayerful music, drawing strength from Carol’s beautiful playing and our voices united.

We marked all who wished with the sign of the cross, anointing with oil as a sign of healing and gladness.

One of our number, who had never been baptized as a child, received the sacrament, and was marked as Christ's own forever.

At the end of the service, as I looked out at this small, gathered community, each one looked as if they had been in the Presence of the Holy One. It felt as if we were truly Community- One body in Christ as scripture says it. I wished they could see themselves, radiant and peaceful.

And I felt a wave of gladness and gratitude that I make my home in this place with these people- where such holiness and healing can be found and shared.

We were the Church tonight.

Thanks be to God.

The Power of Presence

Where did I notice the presence of God this week?
I went to the doctor Monday, and my friend went with me.

Going to the doctor, especially if you are worried, is an invitation to know your own vulnerability and frailty, an invitation to realize how small you are. Though I look like a Great Big Grownup, it never fails to make me miss my mom, gone 20 years this fall. It never fails to make me feel small and afraid.

We all have experiences like this- part of what it means to be human and live in an imperfect world. If we're lucky, someone will Accompany us.

My friend drove and parked in the maze of strange streets and lots, she helped navigate the hallways and the questions, listened to answers and possibilities. She steadied me and encouraged me.
All week I've been thinking about what an experience of Grace that was, of how it was, in a concrete way, the presence of Christ.

This is a primary task of Christian community: to Accompany one another. To remind each other by our presence that we are not, in fact, alone. To walk together the roads to Emmaus and the Cross and the next village, just as the disciples did, knowing that Christ is present wherever 2 or 3 of us are gathered in his name.

This church knows something about that: One member spent this week with a friend hundreds of miles away, to be present for her surgery and recovery. Others of you, I know, have made visits and made meatloaf, have brought flowers and brought soup. You have showed up to pray, you have sent the card, you have served as a 12-step sponsor. But you have also sat down to coffee and listened and cared when there was no medical issue. You've helped someone be strong, hang in there, know Grace. You know the power of this, I think.

Our world is starving for this kind of grace. Our culture is full of isolated folks who need a sense of hope and holiness that only Presence can provide. Some of them don't know how to ask. How can we do this?

We do this as a community at our quarterly services for Healing and Wholeness (Thursday, Sept 18, 5:30 pm, chapel) In those intimate gatherings, all who come are accompanied, we are present to one another. We pray by surrounding each other with singing the extended, beautiful chants. We acknowledge our need for healing in body and spirit. We make space for God's Spirit ot come and stand alongside us. Always, it is a gift.

What are things that make you afraid, or make you feel alone?
Who has Accompanied you? Was it easy or difficult for you to let them?
Is there anyone you are being invited to accompany, anyone to whom you are called to be Present this week?

Let us be a community of people who help each other who accompany one another, for surely we will meet the Holy One on the way.

Love to you-
Sandy

Some Trees, a Parade, an Anniversary

Into this imperfect world, sadness comes as a matter of course. The sadness has come these last several days around trees. This campus is green and shady, a spot of growth and beauty in a somewhat dilapidated neighborhood. But our trees, it turns out, are as vulnerable as we are. A couple of the liquidambar in the front parking lot looked unhappy, and so we sent for a tree expert, who pronounced that a couple of them have “bacterial leaf scorch” and that there is no way to save them. Liquidambar are vulnerable to this, it seems, and we have been lucky so far… but we need to think about removing and replacing a couple of trees- and it makes me sad. I was further saddened when our Gardening Service guy pointed out that the birch that overhangs my parking space was half dead. He pointed it out to Mimi as asked if he should trim it- and it looks dreadful and desperate, a lonely white trunk with no leaves. And finally, Alfonso showed me with pride how he had ‘pruned’ the peach tree outside the offices- to prevent peaches falling on the sidewalk and causing a hazard. His intention was good, and his ‘can-do’ spirit is evident, but I am horrified at the state of this poor old tree- and have told him that under no circumstances is he to trim any other trees without approval of Stewardship.

It makes me realize how much I love these green and sheltering friends, these reminders of Creation amid this urban landscape. And I am saddened at the loss. It seems to me this area of our life needs caretakers, stewards, a couple of people who CARE about such things and who care in a different way than someone whose job it is to keep the place tidy, or someone who mows the grass each week. The beauty of this place is part of it hospitality, something we share with everyone who lives in the neighborhood or visits the property or even drives by. Caring for our corner of creation is an important ministry. Anyone feel a call to this?

Spent time this week preparing instructions for our Processional/Parade on Kickoff Sunday (which is this Sunday, the 7th) where we symbolically ‘come home’ from all our vacations and travels and summer wanderings, and begin a new year of growing together as learners and teachers. It has been fun to imagine and to do, fun to think about the color and music and symbols and kids that will help us experience God’s presence with us in a brand new year.

It reminds me that only a year ago we were launching this 2-hour Sunday format for the first time, so that adults could have education classes, so that children could learn to worship as well as to read bible stories and do crafts, and so that those who teach children would not have to miss worship as a consequence of their faithfulness. I am struck by how far we have come- how many interesting classes and conversations have taken place for adults, how many times I’ve been thunderstruck by the number and warmth of the kids who come scampering down the aisle for Time With the Children, how gently and flexibly we have adjusted as a community. We have all had to make changes, and no one likes change, but in the main we have been kind to one another, and we have tried some new things. This speaks to me of the strength of this community, and of the Spirits ability to make us able to do more than we are capable of on our own.
I am grateful for the Nurture Committee, some of whom have worked tirelessly to make this happen, and for their sense of mission and their positive spirit.
I am thankful to all the adults who have tried something new, and have taken the time to tell me of a conversation that was meaningful, a person they have come to love & admire, or a new idea that they received as a gift.
I am grateful for parents who have done the hard work of bringing kids into worship and sitting with them, and
I am so PROUD of the many kids who can sing the liturgical music by heart, and who are getting pretty good at some hymns, and who brighten the gift we offer to God each week by their presence and wholeheartedness and beauty.
It was fun to be reminded of all these things, and to be prompted to give thanks.
Hope you have something to give thanks for as well this week.
See you Sunday,
Sandy

8-28-08 This Week at First Pres

Labor Day Weekend, and the summer, which I always wait for and always revel in, is drawing to its unofficial close. As a kid who grew up with public school teacher parents, I am especially wistful as the transition draws near- the long, light days and the time to share them are my favorite.

At the same time, the arrival of Fall and the fresh start it represents never fails to grab my imagination. Though the new beginning no longer includes a back-to-school outfit, still there is much to anticipate.

First of all, there’s Kickoff Sunday, when we’ll pledge once again to share in life together: especially the learning and sharing of our faith. We will bless our learners and our teachers, and ask for God’s help to grow in grace in this new year. We’ll be helped in that endeavor by a full-on party: Lighthouse Bluegrass Band of San Diego will be with us to bring sparkle, energy, and joy to our ‘homecoming’. Band member Rev. Wayne Rice (author of several books, Presbyterian pastor, co-founder of Youth Specialties organization) will be our preacher, and after being fed by the Word, we’ll be fed by the Mariners who will sponsor a Hoe-down with BBQ sandwiches and plenty to eat. It will be a colorful, joyful, wonderful day- a terrific new beginning. How could I not be excited?

I’m also excited because this Fall we will welcome an Associate Pastor to our staff. Letters went out this week to a congregation in New York to let them know that their pastor, the Rev Eric Ledermann, has been offered an opportunity (in his words) that he cannot pass up. We elected him unanimously (Really?!? Yes! Really!!) and as he begins the slow process of his transition to this coast, there is great enthusiasm about what the Spirit will do in our midst when he arrives at the end of October. That’s still 8 weeks away, but the beginning of Fall signals that his arrival is just around the corner.

Mostly, as the season turns, I am excited that we are continuing to be who we are. Last night the Session met, and though we had lots to discuss and decide, there was such a spirit of warmth and care and gladness, that I went home grateful to be here sharing this work. Dr. Beth Liebert asked us last Sunday to work at noticing where God is present in our midst- last night’s meeting was full of signs of Grace.

Perhaps the best part was when Jim and Dawn brought their baby to present him for baptism. Their 4 year old is a veteran, having been baptized 3 years ago, and having gathered with other children at the base of the font several times since. He was able to tell me what I do when we baptize a baby, and some of what it means. A great tenderness welled up in us as we remembered that God loves us, and the community pledges its love and care for us, before we are able to understand it or earn it. As we thought about the many ways our lives are knit together: that this baby’s father was baptized here a few decades ago, that everyone present remembered Aidan’s baptism, that each of us around the table had ourselves received this grace- we found ourselves both smiling and tearful.

Grass withers, flowers fade, seasons change. God’s love endures forever. Thanks be to God that we can dwell in the midst of it. Happy Labor Day!

7-03-08 Death, Discernment, Sabbath

THIS WEEK AT FIRST PRES 7-03-08
It has been quite a week-

On Saturday, many of us gathered at Bobbit Chapel to remember Ken, who died suddenly last week at the age of 41. The grief was deep and profound, as was the care expressed by the community who gathered and filled the room. It is good to know, even in our most painful moments, that we are not alone- that the community of faith gathers around us to hold us up, and that the Spirit of God accompanies us in the loneliest of landscapes. We continue to pray for Jim and Sheila as they grieve and heal, knowing that grief is not the end.

On Sunday, we celebrated our Leonard Scholars, and prayed with them for their preparation for lives of Christian service in all kinds of ways. They are in the process of discerning how to live out their sense of Call, how to honor God in their studies, their relationships, and their professional lives. It is a joy to be part of that process with them, and to know that God is using us to help shape the lives and futures of these college students.

This weekend, our APNC met with a candidate for the Associate Pastor position, and it has been exciting to think about this long-anticipated leap for our congregation in terms of a ‘real person’: what would it be like to have this person here? Would they like this area? Could they love this congregation? What kind of a leader or pastor or friend might they be? If this is The Person, how will we know?

Discernment is an art, and there are no ‘3 easy steps to certainty’ in our walk with Christ. We are invited to use our minds, our hearts, our intuition, our body wisdom, our trusted community, and our experiences and what we know of scripture to help us notice where God seems to be present and where the Spirit seems to be leading us. Our rep from the Committee on Ministry said to me yesterday, “Your committee has really done their homework- and not only that, they have done their Prayer work as well. They have taken the work of prayer and discernment seriously.” It made me proud of who they are, and of who we aim to be as a church.

Today the Personnel Committee will do my annual review. The discernment task as we sit together will be to try to come to consensus on where God has been at work in the ministry we share, and where my work has been clear and pointing us toward the Holy One; also where we sense direction being given for the year ahead: what might be adjusted or changed? How might goals be set or priorities shifted? What might I need to let go of? It is a precious thing to have companions willing to reflect on such things, and help me grow into who God dreams I might be at my best.

Tomorrow my family and I head off for 3 weeks in the forest, under the redwood trees that surround our (somewhat decrepit) old family cabin in Camp Meeker, California. I am not sure I have ever been so ready for a Sabbath season. From the time of Norma’s death last fall it seems like the pace has never slowed, as we moved to a 2-hour format, welcomed new members, paved and painted, and moved through Advent-Christmas-Lent-Easter-Pentecost and the string of deaths this spring has brought to us. My body and spirit are weary, and I am eager to be in a familiar place with shade and books and coastline and trees.

I know from experience, however, that shortly after I arrive, my heart will be filled with longing for this place and for you- for this is Home, and I carry you all with me wherever I go.

I will post a reflection or two from the cabin porch, and I will be back at the end of the month. Take care of one another while I am gone, love each other with the love of Christ.

Peace,
Sandy

This week my mom and I are at general assembly in San Jose. We have met so many people who share the same beliefs as us. I had lots of fun watching the moderator election. We didn't get to see all of the election but we found out the next day the Bruce Reyes-Chow is the new moderator.He has 3 daughter which I think is very cool because it means he is very aware of youth views.
Bruce is 38 years old( which is younger than my mom! ) and a pastor at a new church development in San Francisco. He shared with the assembly that he is a blogger on his own church website and is always looking for new material.
My mom and I have also seen many family friends like Sheila Denton, Elizabeth Norquist, and even people from our own church like Larry and Melodee Kistner and Susan Skoglund. People have flown in from all over the country to be here.
I have enjoyed my experience at GA because it has taught me alot about our religion and the people who practice it.

This week 6-12-08

Today we bid farewell to a lion, to one whose heart and faith have touched many of us.

Bill Leonard’s memorial service is today, and we will weep and laugh as we release him into the care of the God he trusted and loved.

The stories about him are sweet and funny and inspiring, stories of friendship in spite of disagreement, of generosity and loyalty, of his enormous heart. One of the great joys of his life was mentoring others, encouraging them, helping them along.

I know that I am different because of his support: more confident, more sure of myself. I know that I was more readily received by a congregation that had never in its 137 years had a woman pastor because of Bill’s unqualified support and love than I would have been otherwise. He gave advice when asked, he gave support always, and he was funny and loved to laugh. I miss him like crazy.

Last Sunday we welcomed in 7 confirmation students (Confirmands) into full membership in the church, and we baptized an 8 year old who asked her mother to arrange it- she wanted to be baptized. This church is a place where children thrive, where they find their voices, where they discover a faith that they can live. And this church is that way, in part because Bill Leonard (and others like him) have made darn sure that people of all ages care about such things. As I look at the row of these bright, thoughtful students, standing on the chancel with their sponsors behind them, I am grateful to be part of their lives, and in awe of what God may have in mind for them. It seems to me they shine like the sun.

I am deeply grateful and full of sadness today.

It is on days like this that I am most thankful for the promises of scripture,that do not depend on how I am ‘feeling’ or on my circumstances in order to be hopeful. The eternal God is our resting place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Come to me, Jesus says, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

What a good idea. Rest. And rest in the presence of the One who loves us best.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

THIS WEEK AT FIRST PRES

6-5-08

“He touched people we don’t even know about, he made a difference in the lives of people we don’t even know.”

These were the words spoken by Duke’s son, as he reflected on his father’s life as we prepared the memorial service. His dad was a member of this church for over 40 years, sang something like 1600 anthems with our choir, and gave of himself in numerous ways. He was a leader, whose life bespoke service and patience and also childlike playfulness and curiosity. He died of complications after an auto accident. We miss him terrifically, and will likely miss him more as days go by.

His son is right of course. Not only about his dad, but about each of us: God gives us the capacity to use our lives to bless others and change the world. We will, like it or not, touch others whose names we don’t even know.

C.S. Lewis once said that every person we meet will one day be a creature so twisted that we will no longer be able to recognize their humanness; or else a creature of such indescribable beauty and holiness that we will be tempted to fall down in worship. This is the destiny of each of us.

And every interaction we have, he said, with everyone we meet, moves them a step closer to one of those destinies or the other.

Our kindnesses, our gestures of mercy or love make a difference. Similarly, our abruptness, our mean-spiritedness, and our thoughtlessness also matter. They touch and change us, and they touch and change others.

Kevin came in today to talk about the ability to see and love beauty that was still present in his mother, even 2 days before her death from cancer. He spoke of her capacity to see, cherish, and acknowledge small kindnesses; that a lifetime of training her eyes to see goodness and beauty held her in good stead as her life neared its close.

And in my conversation with our executive presbyter this afternoon, he said, “I am convinced that there are miracles going on all around us- but we walk as if we have blinders on!”

God is at work, my friends:

using our words and actions to touch others,

Offering us small miracles of grace and beauty,

Showing us that the Spirit is present.

This Sunday, we will baptize a young child and promise to raise her to see the gifts God is continually offering, to help her recognize the miracles, to help her know about following Jesus so that her life may touch others for good.

Also this Sunday, we will bless our graduates and give thanks for their presence in our midst as they have grown up. We will pray for how their lives will go on to touch others.

And we will confirm 7 young people who feel ready to choose discipleship and unite with this community of faith to join us on the journey.

It is a sacred journey we share, my friends. “In life and death we belong to God, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. ..” May we live as people who treasure the gift of life, who know the power of our actions, who have eyes to see the miracles of grace. Amen.

P.S.- when you show up on Sunday, look carefully at the sanctuary we call home: it has a gorgeous coat of fresh paint, and looks brand-new and beautiful! a small miracle we helped make happen!

This Week 5-29-08

Well, it was quite a weekend!

In spite of wildly unseasonable weather (snow?! Who has snow on Memorial Day ???) about 80 of us gathered to celebrate being Family, and to celebrate God’s presence with us.

Kids threw slushballs at each other with glee, adults sipped coffee and had spacious conversations. We made T-shirts and tiaras and beeswax candles and journals and friendship bracelets, we prayed together in morning watch and at vespers.

Stevie Earp played his guitar until we were done singing, (I am amazed his fingers didn’t fall off) and we had races and balloon games and all manner of silliness.

We were conscious of things that had changed since last year- folk like Paul and Bill who were no longer with us- and were grateful for the gift of life and togetherness.

One of the things I love best about family camp is the way we create worship together- taking responsibility for acting out scripture or making the sermon visible, the way that we sing and share in the prayers, the way children and adults together take leadership in bringing us before the Holy. Celebrating communion in such an informal setting is full of tenderness and genuineness, an affirmation that we come as we are, and Jesus welcomes us and sends us out as his own. “No longer do I call you servants, but I call you friends...”

This weekend I am the retreat speaker for the women of Upland Pres, and their candidate for ministry Lee Ireland will preach at FPCSB. I will miss you.

Peace-
Sandy

p.s.- the great photos above are courtesy of Dale Showman!

This Week

5-22-08 This Week At First Pres

They stood before us, full of life and purpose, singing “God, don’t give up on us...”

The witness of our students on Sunday demonstrates to me that God has not, in fact, given up on us. Nor on the world God loves. Nor on the future.

Youth Sunday was full of joy, of movement, of music, and of tears. No one in the congregation, regardless of their age, left untouched. It was clear that the Presence was in our midst, that we were witnessing a work of the Spirit.

We were called to care for Creation in all its variety and beauty and wildness.

We heard the scripture in many voices, ‘and it was good’.

We were invited to sing in the style of 50’s pop (“singing doo-wah-ditty-ditty-dum-ditty doo”)

And to move with uncharacteristic energy (“Do you want a Revolution?”)

We were led to pray for justice and for freedom, that all God’s children might live: here, and in Myanmar, and in China.

We were reminded that when you fall, it’s possible to get up, that the path of Christ is ‘awesome’.

We heard about how God is present in the great outdoors, and in cancer treatment and in grief.

We bore witness to how a loss can be a beginning, the start of ‘a new relationship’ between God and us.

I was struck by the way that the teenagers in this congregation trust the adults, and are willing and able to tell the truth- there is a great deficit of such trust in the world.

I was moved by the fact that they seem to think they are more likely to find God in the real stuff of life, even the hard and painful parts, than in a varnished fairy tale of other-worldly spirituality. This is a pretty valuable faith-lesson for our seniors to know as they prepare to launch. Where is Jesus when their whole world changes? Right beside them, no matter where they find themselves.

Days later, I am touched by the privilege of walking the road of discipleship with them.

This weekend we head for Family Camp. Polly, whose dad died suddenly a couple of weeks ago, said to me with great passion that she treasures the years she spent there, that they have become a deep part of who she is as an adult, she recalls them with ‘huge joy’. Her baby is due in a few weeks. Maybe, she says, next year, she will come again, and sing around the campfire with the rest of us. Until then, she wishes us well.

Let us, then, remember that each day is a gift from God. Let’s share the gift, and savor it. See you in the mountains-

5-16-08 This Week at First Pres

'In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit….' Acts 2:17-18

It is the season of Pentecost, and all around I am seeing signs of God's Spirit poured out on this people! In a flurry of wind chimes and crepe paper and the flutter of wings we celebrated Pentecost Sunday with abandon, I am still grinning as I remember the amount of laughter and depth we shared in worship (and the amount of crepe-paper there was to clean up!)

- This morning, daily bread has been given to twelve dozen families in our community. They have been blessed by the hands and hearts of volunteers led by the Spirit, who are doing discipleship together.

- I couldn't help noticing the crisp look of the fresh white paint, blue trim, and power-washed brick of our sanctuary. The stewardship committee has made that happen (especially Dale), and the project was paid for by gifts to the campaign we called 'A Lot of Work'. I think we meant that there was a lot of deferred maintenance to do, but today I think "We need fresh paint and a safe parking lot- we have a lot of work to do, and we need welcoming space in which to do it!"

- The Spirit has been poured out on our youth, and the young men and daughters of this congregation are ready to lead us in creative and energetic worship on Youth Sunday! I can hardly wait!

- And look! We have a new website!!! The Spirit has been poured out on the multi-talented Jennifer Butler, who has created this beautiful resource to keep us connected and to invite new friends in.

I am particularly moved by all of this, since I was under the weather and missed a couple of days of work this week. But look! The Spirit never falters, the Body of Christ is Creative, and the work of ministry springs up all around!

Remember to pray for our 7 confirmation students: Trevor, Jacob, Matt, Zane, Christian, Grant, and Bethany. They begin writing their statements of faith Sunday, trying to wrap words around what they believe, who they want to follow, and how they want to live. Pray that the Spirit of God will be poured out on them, that they will see visions and dream dreams- and be empowered to make them come true.

See you on Sunday~

Sandy