Through Stained Glass: Abiding as a Vital Congregation

“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated.
We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tired into a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Abiding.

Sometimes the profundity of the Triune God overwhelms me.

Maybe overwhelm isn't the best or right word. 

Astounds me?

No, that doesn't quite capture what I feel either. 

Let me come at it this way. 

Sunday, we read these words from the Gospel of John:

[Jesus says] "Abide in me as I abide in you."

God the Parent abides in the Son who abides in God the Parent. We abide in the Son by the Spirit who abides in the Parent and Son. The Spirit draws us into the Trinity—in the Holy Community, we have our being.

We make our home in the heart of the Triune God. 

Abide means to be at home—a rough translation. 

We are at home in the Trinity's vineyard. God, the Vine Grower, wants to tend to us. God attends to us so that we may bear fruit. Growth is not the desired outcome. Plants can grow wild, but the fruit might suffer. Thoughtful and intimate attention to the plants is how growth and fruit-bearing occur. 

The church is a human community. The Spirit brings us to life as Christ's body, and we become the new Incarnation—a new Creation. To abide in Christ is to let Christ's words reside in us—make a dwelling in us. We are inseparable from Christ. We are a living, dynamic community.

Words like the ones we will hear this Sunday:

"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love."

Sunday, my sermon will touch base on what it means to be a Matthew 25 church in the PCUSA. A church committed to being a Matthew 25 community seeks to be a vital congregation. 

What is a vital congregation? 

It takes the reality of its abiding in Christ seriously. It is a church that contemplates the intertwining relationship of the Trinity to bear the fruit of Love and give it freely, without restrictions or conditions, to the world. It is a church that openly discusses topics that challenge the status quo—and moves towards the liberating love of God already bearing fruit in and through the people and places in our neighborhoods, without pretense or prejudice. A vital congregation welcomes the disruptive and reforming movement of the Spirit. A vital congregation seeks to prune as God does and endeavors to cultivate the hidden life in all people!

The hidden life is Christ in us. The emerging fruit is Love.

A vital congregation who abides in Christ the branch, which is cared for by God the Vine grower, is a church that makes their home in the Trinity. We are a vital congregation—one that has "already been cleansed by the word that [Christ] [has] spoken to [us]." We abide in God's love, Christ's words abide in us, and the Spirit draws us into the life of God.

Our life is in God. 

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. 

If that doesn't astound you, I'm not sure what will!

Abide—make your home in God. 

Through Stained Glass: The Praying Community: Joys & Concerns

“Prayer does not blind us to the world, but it transforms our vision of the world, and makes us see it, all [people], and all the history of [hu]mankind, in the light of God. To pray 'in spirit and in truth' enables us to enter into contact with that infinite love, that inscrutable freedom which is at work behind the complexities and the intricacies of human existence." ~Thomas Merton

 As a people of faith, we pray. We respond to God's grace through the gift of prayer. Recently I was asked why I pray. My response was simple, "I pray as a way of opening myself to God." I pray, and I suspect you do, too, because we long to be in communion with the Triune God. We connect with the Holy Community through personal prayer and communal prayer. Personal prayer may take a variety of forms, such as conscious conversation with God; attentive and expectant silence; meditating on Scripture; the use of prayer books, devotional aids, and visual arts; and singing, dancing, or other movements. 

 Communal prayer can take a variety of forms, too. For the sake of this post, I'm specifically speaking of prayer in worship. In response to the word, we pray for the world God so loves—joining Christ's ministry of intercession and the sighs of the Spirit, too deep for words. Or, to put it another way, we pray to embody our faith. These prayers are not the work of a single leader but an act of the whole congregation as Christ's royal priesthood. We affirm our participation in the prayer through our "amen" and other responses. 

 One of my favorite practices of our church is the way we communicate our joys and concerns. Before the pandemic, we would pass the microphone through the pews, and we would share those graces that gift us with joy, as well as those burdens that concern our hearts. In our current season, we are suspending this practice until we can be together without restrictions. Our new approach for in-person worship is to invite those in attendance to fill out the green prayer cards [photo above] and place them in the offering plate. During the doxology, the usher will bring the offering and the prayer request forward, which will allow me to have them as I lead us through the people's prayers. The prayer card indicates whether your request is a joy or a concern and if you'd like to add it to the bulletin. It isn't the same as we used to do it, but it'll be a good way of keeping us connected in our prayers for where we are now. 

 Another challenge we face is getting the joys and concerns from social media to me during the worship hour. Our associate of technological ministry, Zack, will compile those he sees online and get them to me during service. If you would like to assist Zack in this endeavor on Sundays, let me know, and we will connect you all! 

 Prayer is what brings us into the life of the Trinity. The Spirit brings us into the Holy Community, where we are invited to the table to rest, listen, share, and receive hope. We pray for ourselves, yes, and those in need—especially the weak and vulnerable. Through prayer for the world, the church, creation, country and community, and First Presbyterian Church, we enter into solidarity with our neighbors, especially those suffering. We pray because it leads to action. For prayer to be prayer, we must embody what it is we pray for and what God hopes for us as a people. 

 Honestly, that's reason enough to pray and share my joys and concerns with you!

Through Stained Glass: Mental Health Month

 

“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day.
It's about the choice to show up and be real.
The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
― Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. is committed to pruning back the stigma around mental health. As a way to do this, all PCUSA congregations are eligible to apply for one-time 'seed' grants to initiate projects that will help educate, equip, and empower churches to reach out to people with mental health concerns and their loved ones. Our denomination is committed to seeing that we live a healthy, integrated life as children of God. 

 At First Presbyterian Church, we are committed to doing our part in normalizing mental health and wellbeing. A few years ago, the Hoffert family gifted First Presbyterian Church in becoming an advocate for mental health with financial resources to establish the FPC Wellness Fund. The fund is set aside for members of First Presbyterian Church seeking assistance with regards to their mental health. Thus far, the funds have been used for parishioners to visit with a licensed therapist, pastoral counselors, and spiritual directors. The Wellness Fund is available for all First Presbyterian Church members. 

 Throughout Jesus's ministry, he confronted the tendency to rank and sort people into systems that elevate some and diminish others as if all were not equally loved and precious in the eyes of God. At FPC we want to prevent this from happening around mental health. We do so by encouraging open dialogue about our mental health and equating it with our physical wellbeing. We also provide educational resources and opportunities to erase the stigma of mental illness in our community. The best way to destigmatize mental health is to share stories about how we care for our personal mental health. Finally, as a community of faith, we encourage each other to lean into the love God has for us in our journey towards wholeness and wellbeing. 

 Scripture calls us to love God with our heart, mind, soul, and strength. In the Incarnation of Jesus, we see God affirming all of creation—but especially our bodies, and all that comes with being human. Our goal is to be a place where people can come be themselves. Mental health ministry happens in communities that nurture authenticity, know how to respond when someone is in crisis or pain, and develop the capacity to 'walk alongside' with healthy boundaries, recognizing our shared human frailty and individual gifts, whatever our mental health status. Our Wellness Fund and the opportunities that flow from it is one more way we live into genuinely being a place where "all are welcome!" 

The Session, our Ministry Teams, and Adam are wanting to apply for the PCUSA grant. If you are interested in working with Adam, let him know. Also, if you would like to contribute to the FPC Wellness Fund, let Chris know, and she can make it happen. Finally, if you need someone to talk to or have questions about mental health, do not hesitate to reach out to Adam. He's more than happy to listen and learn from your questions and stories.