2013 Blessing of the Animals

Yesterday we had our first 'Blessing of the Animals' service.  With fall in the air and the humans bundled up, 16 dogs and 1 cat gathered on the front lawn to worship and to receive a blessing.  Below are photos as well as the liturgy from the worship service.  It was a lovely time to be together and to worship alongside those who are our dear companions!

Blessed are you, O God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless these pets. By the power of your love, enable them to live according to your plan. May we always give you thanks for all creation. Blessed are you, O Holy One our God, in all your creatures. Amen.

Kirk Night: Ephesians 4-6

Want to know what you missed last night at Kirk Night?  Here is but a blurb about what was covered, discussed, and prayed.  You can pick up the 'hand outs' here at church.  They are located on one of the tables in the parlor.

We also watched this video that can be found by clicking here.

Some thoughts:

• Our gifts are beautiful.  They aren't ours to keep to ourselves.  Rather, we are to share them with others.  
• Ephesians 4-6 is a much needed down-to-earth practical application of how we can live out our call as the church, using our gifts to build up the church.
• From the beginning of chapter 4 the author wants the church to know of this calling.  The allusion to baptism suggests that this [chapter 4] is an early Christian baptismal credo enshrining the chief elements of a confession of faith made in the rite of initiation.
• Ultimately we each of have a unique calling and yet, are all of the same call from God.  What is important to remember about our call and our gifts is that these gifts are to equip others for ministry and to build up the body until unity and maturity are achieved.
• Paul's use of 'the body' as a metaphor for the church is beautiful in that the community of faith is not complete unless all members are present.  Each body part, each person, is a gift and needed to carry out the ministry and mission of God.
• No longer are we to live 'the old life.'  Rather, we are to live 'the new life,' we are to live as Christ.  This new way in Christ, which is imaged by the metaphor of changing clothes and the image of being marked with  seal, reminds us of the mystery which happens in our baptisms.  Baptism then points us back to the grace of God expressed in Jesus Christ, who died for us and who was raised for us.
• We found the video clip of the pastor to be troublesome.  We discussed the importance of biblical interpretation and knowing context and particularities.
• It was discussed how verse 5.21 is often missing in many translations.  This verse is important because it sets into context how we are to be submissive to one another under Christ's authority.
• What is to be remembered is that all Christians are under Christ's headship and are to 'submit' to one another for Christ's sake.

Kirk Night in October

[Below is the article that will be published in the LINK for October.  You will also find out what schedule of events for each Kirk Night in October below the article.]

Kirk Night:  A Celebration

            Lately my study has been a bit of disarray.  In addition to those spilling out of their temporary box homes, sprawled across my desk and table have been books some of you are familiar with.  These books are filled with pictures:  pages and pages of pictures evidencing how you, as a community of faith, have collectively lived out God’s calling in your lives.  While clothing styles and hair-dos have changed, it is quite clear that the ethos, the spirit, of First Presbyterian Church has not changed.

            While pictures help us put faces and capturing those holy moments of life, they cannot tell our entire story.  Thankfully, a few years ago, the church complied a book closely detailing the history of our church.  This history has become an invaluable resource for me to learn the beautiful story of this congregation.  I’ve enjoyed ‘getting’ to know the former pastors by reading past LINK articles and bulletins, especially Bruce, and by listening to each of you share stories about our pastors from Burns to Blackburn.  Our history is rich, our stories are compelling, and the love of God is noticeably present.

            Gearing up for fall, and inspired by my predecessor’s faithful work, I recently voiced some wonderings about our Wednesday night activities. This conversation went a little something like this.

            “Hey, what is the Wednesday night gathering called?”

“Well, Celebration.  I think.”

Another person chimed in. “No, I thought we changed it to ‘In-Joy.’”

Still another, “I honestly don’t know what the Wednesday night is called.  Probably just Wednesday night.”

I appreciated this honesty, and in fact, welcomed this confusion.

            Our church history book, put together by the History Committee a few years ago, tells us quite a lot about this particular weekly gathering. The first note about a mid-week gathering came during Rev. Salansky’s tenure. In 1977, this Wednesday gathering for children gained the name “Celebration.”  While the structure and content of our Wednesday nights has evolved, the purpose has remained the same.  Education and spiritual formation both lie at the heart of the Wednesday gathering. 

Eventually, this question was turned on me. 

            “What do you think it should be called?”

After some reflection, I considered a term that is as much a part of Presbyterian history as a pitch-in or potluck: “Kirk Night.” 

            As if we needed yet another name, the puzzled face indicated to me that I my pronouncement required some contextual commentary.  In Scottish dialect, the church is called the ‘Kirk.’  Found in the Book of Confessions, part I of the Constitution of the PC (USA) is the Scots Confession.  This confession, written by influential Presbyterian minister John Knox, denotes our connection to the word 'Kirk.’  Thus, Wednesday Nights, a night of Celebration, is called Kirk Night, or, Church Night.

            While the name we use for our gathering is important, nothing is more important than our time together.  We are reminded in scripture that when we gather as a family, even if it is just 2 or 3 of us, Christ is present. 

            And that my friends, is reason enough, to have a celebration.

See you at the Kirk House,

Adam

_________________________________________________________________________________ 

October 2:  Kemmerer Village Night—Adult Mission Night

October 9:  A Hymn Sing

October 16:  Food for Thought:  A Night of Sharing Dishes

October 23:  Our Columbarium and the Hope of Resurrection

October 30:  Celebration Through Story Telling:  A Night of Re-membering

October 2^nd:  In Matthew Jesus says, “What you do to the least of these you do unto me.”  This Kirk Night, we will have the opportunity to explore how Kemmerer Village in Assumption, Illinois is doing just that.  You are invited to learn more about this Presbyterian ministry, and how you can get involved in the upcoming Adult Mission Trip to Kemmerer Village on Saturday, October 19.  (You can learn more about Kemmerer Village by clicking here.]

October 9^th:  Has it been a while since we sang your favorite hymn?  Is there a particular hymn of which you just can’t get enough?  This Kirk Night, we’ll sing our favorite hymns and share stories about why they mean so much to us.  Whether you’re a skilled vocalist or can’t carry a tune in a bucket, come for a night of singing and sharing songs!

October 16^th:  Are you interested in how food relates to justice?  Do you have a favorite recipe for those green beans from your garden? This week at Kirk Night we will give thanks for our food and our church garden, while exploring the importance and impact of ‘food justice,’ both globally AND locally.  We will also discuss the Food Bank, and how they are working to end hunger in Logan County. You are invited to bring a local dish to share for supper.

October 23^rd:  Adam and the Columbarium Committee invite you to Kirk Night as we hear more about the Columbarium Ministry of First Presbyterian Church.  We’ll learn more about our Columbarium located in the Union Chapel here at church, and will have a brief theological discussion of cremation and resurrection. 

October 30^th:  We get to know our friends and neighbors by sharing intentional quality time. This Kirk Night, we’ll extend this practice to our church! Exploring our church photo albums and years of church directories, we will share our stories about First Presbyterian Church, and what we love about this place and one another.  Adam cannot wait to hear about how each of you came to this place, and what this community means to you! Bring your stories, your photos, your memories, and most importantly, yourself!

"Rejoice, There is Joy": A Sermon

Grammatical Caveat: Because sermons are meant to be preached and are therefore prepared with the emphasis on verbal presentation (i.e., are written for the ear), the written accounts occasionally deviate from proper and generally accepted principles of grammar and punctuation. Most often, these deviations are not mistakes per se, but are indicative of an attempt to aid the listener in the delivery of the sermon.

“Rejoice, There is Joy”

Luke 15.1-10

First Presbyterian Church

Sometimes, it feels that we have all but lost hope in our shared humanity.  Simply by turning the TV, the floating heads will only affirm this sense of lost hope as we watch report after report of how the violence of the world is spreading further and further to the east and to the west.  History supports this lack of hope especially on a day like today when on this date 50 years ago, at a Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, 4 little girls lost their lives to a racially charged act by a person who had apparently lost their imagination.  Indeed, hope for peace on earth at times seems like a lost cause.

Then there are the more personal aspects of being lost.  Like the time I managed to slip away from my parents in the souvenir shop at the Royal Gorge in Colorado.  To this day, my mom reminds me of how scared she was when she turned and I wasn’t next to her as we toured what is one giant hole in the ground.  I guess I can see why she go a little nervous.

To be lost is a singularly terrifying experience.  To lose anything produces a large amount of adrenaline that sends the blood pumping.  We have all experienced loss, in one way or another.  In every circumstance, from keys and cell phones and that cooler that is still down in the Christian Ed Building from the Bar-B-Q, to love and life, being confronted with loss forces us to be mindful of our weaknesses, and often exposes our vulnerabilities.  There is nothing worse than when we lose something that means the world to us, something special, of great significance.  Boy or girl, young or old, rich or poor, in whatever state we find ourselves, all of us are intimately familiar with the experience of loss.

Perhaps this is the reason why Jesus tells these two stories about a lost sheep and a lost coin.  After all within his historical context and social location, a person who was “lost” was one who did not and should not re-enter society with those who considered themselves “found.” Jesus uses the experience of loss to create a new model for living; an integrated community of people who could rejoice when those who were “lost” manage to find their way back to their community.

            Within this story, we find Jesus surrounded by a crowd full of both “lost” souls (like sinners and tax collectors) and Jesus’ uncorrupted critics or those who considered themselves found, or the ones who maintain the rules. And it is here, on his way to Jerusalem, as the unruly crowd starts to press in, and as the sinners and tax collectors begin to gather among the disciples and move closer to Jesus, the indictments are audible: “Can you believe it?  This man eats with sinners and tax collectors.  Surely, he has lost his mind.”

            It was this accusation that stops Jesus in his tracks and leads to the first parable about a lost sheep.  Unlike a similar story in Matthew, where a sheep is simply astray, here in Luke, the sheep is lost, as are the sinners who come to hear Jesus, and this lost sheep is sought until it is found. The lost sheep merely frames the introductory question of the larger parable: how do we treat things that are lost?  The answer is self-evident:  A valuable sheep that is lost merits one’s full attention until it is found.  Buried in this explanation is the implied assumption that during the search for the one, the other sheep are left to their own devices and ‘in the wilderness.‘  For those who could afford the 100 sheep, it would have been a risky and unwise business move to go find just one lost sheep.  In light of these realities, it is difficult to imagine that those in the audience would have readily accepted the risk as worth taking to recover even a valuable animal. 

            But what Luke does next and what is so important for us to hear, characterizes not only the lost sheep, but also, the one who is experiencing the loss. Luke elaborates in considerable detail on the joy that follows when one who is lost may become found; rather than being angry or upset, the owner of the sheep gathers it up, places it gently upon his or her shoulders, and returns it to the fold.  Upon this return, the owner summons the community to celebrate this find.  This richly textured description of celebration leaves us to conclude one of two things:  either the shepherd is foolish or the owner loves the lost sheep and will risk everything, including his/her own life, until the sheep is found.[1]  While it might be acceptable to celebrate the return of one who was lost, Jesus puts a significant damper on the evening by taking this story a step further. He explains that there is more joy in this one’s return than is found in the 99 that did what they were supposed to do, and always remained “found.” 

            Remaining controversial by changing gears and changing genders, Jesus tells one more parable to drive home his last point.  Instead of a lost sheep, he narrates a woman’s lost coin.  When this woman realizes she has lost one of her ten coins, she lights an oil lamp—because her house is very dark and the coin is quite small. When she still cannot spot it, she begins to frantically sweep the floor until she hears the coin ring against the floor.  While subjectively different, in this story, like the other about the sheep, the woman experiencing loss doesn’t give up.[2]  Desperately and furiously, she searches until it is found.  Jesus again pushes this story to its limits, asserting that the joy of finding is so abundant that it cannot be contained. One person, alone cannot adequately celebrate: there must be a party to which others are invited.  In this same thematic vein, Jesus invites even his critics to join him and all of heaven in celebration of finding the lost. 

            This is where we are left: with the joy of God after finding the one that has been lost.  Jesus tells these stories to remind us that finding and restoring that which is lost gives pleasure to God as well as all who are about God’s business.  These parables invite us not only to celebrate in the finding of the lost, but to remember to allow ourselves to be found by God as well.  These are stories about God’s desire to be in community with us, and they remind us that no matter what we have done or where we have been, God is seeking us out, searching to find us.  Perhaps this is the contemplative aspect of these stories: the invitation to bask in the love of God who is shepherd, and who risks it all to find us.  This love, which is not cautious nor risk averse, is the scandal of the gospel, and the scandal of the incarnation.

            Albeit comforting to know we are never beyond God’s finding, there is also a call to action in this text.  We must recognize God’s relentless pursuit of us, and think about what that means for our ministries.  If God is not quick to give up on us, why then are we so quick to give up on others, particularly those who we consider uncomfortable or “bad company?”  What makes today’s gospel lesson so uncomfortable and outlandish for me is that Jesus indicates that no sheep, even those deemed unfit, should be permanently branded by and lost even to themselves. That only ensures they remain lost. Lost coins and lost sheep cannot restore themselves: Jesus tells us, through these stories, that in the same way, neither can lost people. Thus, when people are lost, regardless of when and how and why they lost their way, it’s up to the community, not simply to the lost individuals, to go and help them find their way home.

            We all know the searing pain of loss, but we also know the joy that emerges when we find whatever it is we are looking for.  Even more, we all know the sorrow that comes when what has been lost cannot be found as individuals and as a community.  With the knowledge that we are beyond being lost by God, our calling is to ensure that those who feel “lost” among us are never left alone to believe that this is their permanent state. As God finds and celebrates us when we are lost, we also should do this for those who wander, feeling lost among us.  We are to be the hope for what seems like a lost cause.

            Friends in Christ, rejoice, there is joy in being found.  Let us go forth and share this joy with others.  May it be so.  Amen.

---

[1] Luke Timothy Johnson.  “The Gospel of Luke.” In the Sacra Pagina Vol. 3.  Ed. Daniel J. Harrington.  (Collegeville:  The Liturgical Press, 1991), 241.

[2] Fred B. Craddock.  “Luke.” In Interpretation:  A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.  Ed.  James Luther, (Louisville:  John Knox Press, 1990), 185.