NEWTONVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - Word from the Pastor

December 29th, 2020

12/29/2020

“There are no mere theatergoers present, for each listener will be looking into his own heart. The stage is eternity, and the listener…stands before God during the talk. But the main concern is earnestness: that the listeners by themselves, with themselves, and to themselves, in the silence before God, may speak with the help of this address.” – Soren Kierkegaard

As the calendar turns and we bid farewell to 2020, we unfortunately return to virtual-only worship. Hopefully this will only be a (relatively) short time, as we allow COVID rates to diminish and it becomes safer to once again gather in person. We will keep the worship format the same as it has been, including the use of worship assistants, so that we will be able to resume quickly and easily once the opportunity is available.

One thing about virtual worship is that it does require more of us. Of course, those who hadn’t yet returned to in-person are all too aware of that. For the rest of us it will be a reminder. Something teachers have faced with their shift to virtual learning is that students are used to being passively entertained or informed when viewing a screen. Schooling however, like worship, isn’t passive – it’s participatory.

Philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard reminds us that there are no passive participants in worship. It’s not theater, film, or television show. Live or viewed later as a recording, what we see is not, in and of itself, worship. What makes it such is that we bring to it, what we do with it, whether we are active participants or simply bystanders, whether we allow ourselves to into God’s presence.

In order to help you participate more fully in the liturgy and prayers we post each week a printable bulletin. Whether you print it out or view it on another electronic device, it’s a way for you to involve yourself more fully in worship, speak the prayer responses aloud, look up the scripture for yourself in your Bible. This is your performance for God, where you become the actor, offering your heart, mind, and soul in worship.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Real Power

12/16/2020

“Politicians compete for the highest offices. Business tycoons scramble for a bigger and bigger piece of the pie. Armies march and scientists study and philosophers philosophize and preachers preach and laborers sweat. But in that silent baby, lying in that humble manger, there pulses more potential power and wisdom and grace and aliveness than all the rest of us can imagine.” -Brian D. McLaren

While always an undercurrent of sorts, power is particularly noteworthy in election years. The positioning for political power at the highest levels of government subsequently underscores the existence and exercise of power in business, international relations, and mass media. Academics and pundits offer their insights and wisdom, preachers endeavor to speak truth, and society struggles to find meaning in the midst of survival.

Power is also something we relate in our everyday living to light. In recent months, power outages were fairly commonplace here in the Newtonville neighborhood. Once for more than a day, several times for hours, occasionally for minutes, we found ourselves without electricity and therefore without light. It’s quite easy to take for granted when you flip the switch (or ask Alexa to do it for you) that illumination will result.

Images of light and darkness, day and night, are a regular and common part of scripture, and particularly poignant to the Advent and Christmas seasons. Images of power are also central, though we too often gloss over the prophetic witnesses of Isaiah and Mary in our longing for beautiful simplicity. What we find, however, is that the challenges to worldly powers and the humble plainness Jesus’ birth go hand in hand.

When the author of John’s Gospel tells us, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.” (John 1:5 CEB), he’s telling us what real power looks like. When Mary proclaims, “He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed," (Luke 1:52-53 CEB) she’s teaching where real power comes from.

We discover in the Christ-child that real power is political, and economic, and academic. But real power is also gentle, and righteous, and wise. Real power flows forth with holiness, and meaning, and truth. Real power brings forth mercy, and justice, and peace. Real power shatters the darkness of despair and heals God’s people. Real power pulses through creation is the simplicity of a child, lying humbly in a manger, God-with-us, Emmanuel.

Peace for the journey,

Pastor Steve

Troubled in Soul

12/3/2020

“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We have spent the past nine months waiting. First we waited to see if the virus we were hearing about in China would make it to our shores, then to see if it could be contained once it did. We waited at home – participating in school, work, and church online. We waited through Holy Week and Easter, through graduations and birthdays and anniversaries, through canceled vacations and scaled-back weddings. We’ve seen glimpses of hope in reduced summer spread and some degree of normalcy, only to have those hopes dashed as we’ve changed our Thanksgiving plans and are wondering what Christmas will bring.

Still we wait – for a vaccine, for more effective treatments, for a sliver of assurance that life will be better and that we will return to people and activities we cherish. If ever there was a time when we are troubled in soul and looking forward for something greater to come, this is it. In the spring we spoke of the Lentiest of Lents. This, now, is an Advent to beat all Advents. This, now, is a time when all we can do is wait. All we can do it hope. All we can do is care for one another, look to God for the promise of something better, place our trust in Christ, as we are more aware than ever of our human poverty and imperfections.

We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but that recognition and understanding is what Advent is all about. This moment in time is like no other, but that experience and opportunity is what Advent is all about. There is only so much we can do, but that acceptance and truth are what Advent is all about. In the midst of darkness, God became light. In the midst of brokenness, God became healing. In the midst of conflict, God became peace. In the midst of sorrow, God became joy. In the midst of sin, God became grace. In the midst of Advent we find hope, because in the midst of humanity, God became human in Jesus, the Christ.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Thanksgiving, Peacemaking, Worldhealing

11/25/2020

“And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also…fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.” –Abraham Lincoln

Feasts of Thanksgiving have long been a part of human history, celebrating harvests and offering gratitude for the sustenance of our Creator. In American history there are many traditions and legends surrounding Thanksgiving. While some of these are dubious, there is no doubt that the last Thursday of November was first set aside as a national day of Thanksgiving by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War.

While we’re certainly not in such a time as that, we are undoubtedly in a time of great national stress and division. Tensions are running high, while many suffer and misinformation runs rampant. Institutional trust is lacking – in governments, in community organizations, in the media, and in the church. The strains we’re enduring as a nation, and throughout the global community, have amplified human differences that had until now been more negotiable.

In the midst of all that, I find the invitation of Lincoln to Americans in that autumn of 1863 especially poignant – to fervently (passionately, zealously, fanatically) implore the imposition of God’s hand to heal the wounds of our nation, and to restore it, ASAP, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union. The idea of restoring harmony and union may seem overwhelming to us, but it’s not overwhelming for God to work in and through us.

We are called in this moment, I believe, to be peacemakers, community-builders, restorers of relationships. That begins with an act of Thanksgiving for all that is good, recalling for us in the process all that we value, so that we might remind the world what goodness looks like. We, then, must recommit ourselves to God’s work of reconciliation, to actively living lives of thankfulness, humility, and grace. God’s good work of healing will come alive in you.

My prayer for you is a blessed season of Thanksgiving. My invitation to you is to fervently implore God to help us in this time of strain, that our wounds might be healed, our divisions relieved, our community restored. This is our call, and our purpose, as disciples of Jesus.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Christians, this is your call...

10/28/2020

Our faith is stronger than death, our philosophy is firmer than flesh, and the spread of the Kingdom of God upon the earth is more sublime and more compelling. -Dorothy Day

When Jesus is asked what he understands to be the greatest of the commandments, he responds from the Shema Yisrael (“Hear, O Israel) prayer with a verse from Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength,” followed with a paraphrase of Leviticus 19:18, “You must not take revenge nor hold a grudge against any of your people; instead, you must love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.” He links these two together, saying that the second is like the first. They are, essentially, one and the same.

The legal experts of Jesus’ time and context might have argued whether Sabbath-keeping, or circumcision, or sacrifices, were most central, or important, to being faithful to God. In the midst of that debate they test him with the question, “Which is the greatest commandment.” Within our time and context we separate secular and religious legal arguments, yet neither is any less contentious. Whether the question under consideration is access to firearms or access to ordination, there is a fundamental question of our guiding principles, the core beliefs which shape our views.

For disciples of Jesus, however, there can ultimately be only one ethic: love God and love neighbor, because these are one and the same. Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic worker movement quoted above, held that it often wasn’t possible to be both a good American and a good Christian. For her the call of the Gospel – to stand in solidarity with the poor and marginalized, to live communally with the least in our midst, to see Christ in each person we meet - had to come first. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength and being, and love your neighbor as yourself.

As we move through this pandemic, as we make choices at the polls, as we listen for God’s call and watch for ministry needs in our midst, may we live into Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

R-e-s-p-e-c-t

10/1/2020

“If we lose love and respect for each other, this is how we finally die.” -Maya Angelou

I was recently in the church parking lot with Caleb (who’s now 22) in the passenger’s seat, and needed to ask a question of Art Bowen who was walking past on Caleb’s side. I rolled down his window, and said to Caleb, “Get Mr. Bowen’s attention for me.” When Caleb paused I said, “Just say ‘hey Art,’” to which Caleb replied, “I can’t do that. He’s Mr. Bowen.” I imagine many of us recall that difficult transition to adulthood where the elders we respect become fellow adults. In fact, there are still people at my home church who are Mr. or Mrs. [last name] to me.

Respect, however, is increasingly lacking in our society, and I’m not talking about the ways that norms evolve or people are just sometimes thoughtless. This is different. While in some ways the current reality has brought of the best of people, in other ways it has brought out the worst. Too often we seem to have lost our sense of a common humanity, remembering that each person is a precious child of God. We can differ, we can disagree, and still respect one another. Not only can we, we must. It’s a Biblical imperative that we honor and care for one another.

“Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home. Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them. Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying. Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. Don’t think that you’re so smart. Don’t pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good.” –Romans 12:9-17 (CEB)

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Courage to Care

8/31/2020

“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
-Jesus the Christ (according to John 13:34-35)
“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” -Paul of Tarsus (according to Philippians 2:3-4)

A member of our congregation recently shared an article with me comparing face covering usage in Asian countries and the U.S. While, several factors influence willingness to mask (for example, those with a higher trust in government are more likely to comply), there is a cultural distinction between emphasis on the person and emphasis on the society, rugged American individualism versus cultures with a different sense of communal responsibility.

The author explains that in Japan, it relates to the concept of giri, or duties toward others. Koreans refer to inhwa, the social value of cultural harmony. It was striking to the person who shared the article with me that these historically non-Christian or Christian minority cultures have a clear sense of the values espoused in the above scriptures. Placing the interests of others alongside, or even above, the interests of self was a core practice of the early church.

If you’re a person of extraordinary empathy it can be overwhelming to experience, process and understand all that is happening in our world. Many of the issues and events affecting our daily lives are about care for the other. Throughout the scriptures there are calls, again and again, to care for one another. And as we live into that call in this moment by limiting our personal freedoms for the common good, we will hone that skill and better live into being the church.

Loving with the love of Jesus is tough. It’s about empathy and humility, and it requires sacrifice. It’s about a sense of duty to others and a value of social cooperation. Those are all things of which our world is desperately in need right now, things Jesus not only teaches but embodies, things that we are called to as disciples. I’ve seen it at work in our congregation, so I trust that in the days ahead we can muster the faithful courage to care for others all the more.

Peace for the journey,

Pastor Steve

What Will It Be Like?

8/6/2020

Using New York State and Upper New York Conference guidelines, the Reopening Task Force offers this glimpse of what in-person sanctuary worship will look like when the time comes:

If you don’t need the elevator, you will enter the rear of sanctuary from the Loudon Road doors. Those using the elevator will enter downstairs and after exiting the elevator proceed to the front of the sanctuary through the lounge. Only members of the same household may ride the elevator together.

At both entrances you’ll wait at 6 foot intervals to be directed to a pew by the ushers. Seating will be assigned to maximize the limited capacity and maintain distancing, and only those from the same household may sit together. Masks covering the mouth and nose must be worn in the building at all times, including during the worship service. There will be hand sanitizer stations at every entrance.

Everyone must remain in their seats unless needing to use the restroom, the use of which will be limited to one person (or one person with caregiver) at a time. Worship will begin precisely at 10 for those joining by live stream. The service will include instrumental music and solos, but no congregational singing. At the end of worship you will be asked to remain in your seat until directed to leave by an usher. You will then proceed to an exit and depart the building.

We are still looking at options for overflow, or possibly utilizing a reservation system as some churches are doing. At the outset we won’t be offering nursery care or in-person Faith Village (although we will be offering something for children online).

Our greatest concern is to maintain everyone's safety and well-being during this challenging time.

Lifelong Learning

7/30/2020

“The path of spiritual growth is a path of lifelong learning.” — M. Scott Peck

Just because we’re not together in-person doesn’t mean people haven’t been gathering to learn. A total of 16 people participated by Zoom in our recent conversations and study on racism, including people joining us from Florida and Massachusetts. We will continue that study on August 5 and 12 (Wednesday) at 7 pm by looking at Racism and the Bible. The Zoom link and handouts for each session are available on the “Anti-Racism Resources” section of our website. You don’t have to have participated in the first study to join us for this one.

Because we haven’t been able to offer Sunday school for our children, we’re also putting together a series of Vacation Bible School videos that will be uploaded to YouTube daily from August 3 to August 7. These can be watched any time, and will include a Bible lesson and story, songs, and an activity, all led by members of our congregation. The theme is Empathy and Kindness, traits much needed as our society navigates the challenges of a pandemic, seeks ways to overcome racism, and faces ongoing economic struggles for many people.

In the coming months you’ll see more opportunities for us to learn and grow together, including a Disciple Bible Study, an online Faith Village for younger children, Zoom meetings for older elementary children and youth, and hopefully some small group discussions for grownups. It’s more important than ever that we are intentional about our spiritual, intellectual, and emotional care and development. We’re learning, however, that this is also a time of opportunity, as we’ve seen with participation in the recent racism study.

John Wesley is quoted as having said, "The first priority of my life is to be holy, and the second goal of my life is to be a scholar." While I haven’t been able to confirm the source of that statement it certainly sounds like who he was – a person with a firm commitment to both personal and social holiness, grounded in and shaped by a devotion to spiritual growth through lifelong learning.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Grand Illusion

7/23/2020

“The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.” – Anne Lamott

I’ve commented more than once in the past few months that I feel much like I did when I graduated from seminary and first began in pastoral ministry – I don’t really know what I’m doing, or even sometimes what I’m supposed to be doing, but everyone is looking to me so I keep up the appearance that I do. In reality, despite the confusing times in which we live and the every-changing landscape I do, in my heart, know what I’m doing; I’m putting my full trust in God, and spending more time that ever in prayer. In other words, I’m practicing my faith.

Even though in simpler times we like to think we know things – who we are and what we’re doing, what to expect and how things will go – we don’t really. We may find our way more easily, rising to more familiar challenges and engaging more confidently in daily living along terrain to which we’re more accustomed, but when it comes down to it noting is certain except, perhaps uncertainty. That’s where real faith comes into play, where for lack of a better term our faith is tested, when we are challenged to put our trust in God and embrace ambiguity.

There’s a song by the band Styx with a line that says, “So if you think your life is complete confusion because your neighbor’s got it made, just remember that it's a grand illusion and deep inside we're all the same.” As we move through the coming days – days of uncertainty, days of abnormality, days of doubt – keep in minds that there isn’t really every any certainty, that normality is a matter of perception, and that our moments of doubt are moments of opportunity for us to practice our faith. Nothing is certain; it never was. Nothing, but God.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve