NEWTONVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - Word from the Pastor

Release and Relaunch

6/29/2020

“There is nothing more vulnerable than caring for someone; it means not only giving your energy to that which is not you but also caring for that which is beyond or outside your control…To care is not about letting an object go but holding on to an object by letting oneself go, giving oneself over to something that is not one's own.” -Sara Ahmed

Current events has thrust us into multiple areas of caring. At the onset of COVID isolation we were immediately concerned for those who live alone, especially the elderly. Soon our attention turned to children and teachers, churches and pastors, medical workers and first responders, as systems were dismantled, recreated, and overwhelmed. We came to understand the longer-term economic challenges of the shutdown. And then the violence of racism asserted itself in the midst of these myriad challenges.

Again and again we face new levels of adversity, yet again and again we see people respond with compassion, with courage, with commitment. When were told to isolate, people reached out to maintain connection. When our educational, spiritual, and medical systems were challenged, people sacrificed and adapted. When economic crisis loomed, donations of money and food were shared. And, when the violence of racism arose in the midst of all of this, people joined together to say, “no more.” Having lost control, people are letting go.

As we move forward into relaunching in-person worship, we are being forced to reimagine and recreate the experience of corporate worship and gathered community. That has already been happening as teams meet via Zoom, people gather for study, and we expand the definition of gathering across hundreds, and even thousands, of miles. When we gather it will be different because of our caring for others, our letting go of control, our giving of energy to things beyond ourselves. In our relaunch we will reclaim Christ’s sacrificial love.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Passio Passiva

6/25/2020

“Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his master. Following Christ means passio passiva, suffering because we have to suffer.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Maybe you’re familiar with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, maybe you’ve only heard of him, or maybe you don’t know who he is at all. If either of the latter two are the case, I encourage you to get to know who Bonhoeffer is, and perhaps read his classic work on the role of Christianity in the secular world, The Cost of Discipleship, from which the above quote comes.

Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor in Germany during the rise of Nazism and the Third Reich. He was also a vocal anti-Nazi dissident, and a key founder of the Confessing Church, which resisted efforts by the German government to organize all Protestant Christians into the pro-Nazi “German Evangelical Church.” Bonhoeffer was eventually arrested by the Gestapo and sent to prison and then a concentration camp, where he was finally executed in 1945.

One of the central ideas in Bonhoeffer’s theological writings is an emphasis on both personal and collective piety, and on the idea of imitating Christ. Appalled and disheartened by the compliance of the church with Nazi atrocities, he argued that Christians should be engaged with the world rather than retreating from it, bringing forth justice and accepting divine suffering.

Accepting suffering, however, does not imply passivity, but rather a willingness to engage with it head-on. Accepting suffering does should turn us into by-standers, but instead make us participants with those who suffer – just as Christ suffers with and for us. In the face of racism, LGBTQIA discrimination, poverty, homelessness, hunger, and violence, Bonhoeffer’s life calls to us with his witness to step into suffering by facing it, and enduring it, as Christ does.

Peace for the Journey,
Pastor Steve

Black Lives Matter

6/18/2020

"While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had indeed married a Cushite woman); and they said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it...And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed." Numbers 12:1-2, 9

After he fled Egypt as a young man Moses had settled in a foreign land, worked for a man there, and married his employer's daughter. Upon his return to lead his people to freedom, Moses' brother and sister complained that he had taken a Cushite wife. The people of Cush lived in the region of Ethiopia, and were understood to be descendants of Noah's son Ham. They were people with dark skin.

Noah had cursed Ham and his descendants when Ham had covered him when he was sleeping, naked, and drunk. This curse has often been used to justify racism, especially by American slaveholders and their apologists. God, however, not only rejects Aaron and Miriam's complaint, God punishes Miriam for it. God clearly and firmly says no to racism - both theirs, and ours.

In the book of Acts, Phillip is led by God to offer the Gospel to an Ethiopian eunuch and to baptize the man when he asks. This is a significant event, a radical expansion of the community's understanding of who was acceptable to God. The Ethiopian man - regardless of his nationality, his race, his status as a sexual minority - is every bit a bearer of God's image, very much a part of the body of Christ.

The witness of scripture is more than simply non-racist, however. The witness of scripture is that as long as racism exists we are all poisoned by it. The witness of scripture is that racism is sin. The witness of scripture is that God breaks down walls of racism by sending us, as disciples of Jesus, to overcome racist systems. The witness of scripture is that God is an anti-racist.

It is not sufficient for us to reject racism. As disciples of Jesus we must actively eliminate it. We must, and with God's help we can.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Heedful Caution

6/11/2020

“The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution.” -Sun Tzu

Many of us are anxious to get back to in-person, both because we long for human connection and because we’re seeking form semblance of normalcy. At the recommendation of the Upper New York Conference, and because it just makes good sense, the Church Council has formed a Reopening Taskforce. This team will work through all of the requirements and regulations, and determine how best to apply them here in our worship space at Newtonville.

The members of the Taskforce are: Gail Cotler (Trustee and Custodial Liaison); Pam LaCasio (Lay Leader); Dr. Bryan Goddard (physician); Sandy Stevenson and Penny Tallman (SPRC members); Joan Schneider (school nurse); Kathy Franklin (Finance Secretary and BBQs); and Pastor Steve. The team met by Zoom on June 8, and will continue meeting regularly to develop and review plans for returning to in-person worship.

By now you have likely heard that New York State is allowing churches to resume in-person worship at 25% capacity during phase 2, which we are currently in. While some churches have already returned to their sanctuaries or plan to very soon, our Reopening Taskforce has met and feels that in order to do this well and not put people at unnecessary risk we would be best to hold off a little and resume in-person worship on Sunday, August 2.

We know that this may seem like a long time from now, however the Taskforce needs time to develop policies (required by New York State), work through all of the logistical challenges, and determine best practices for us. The team will also be rehearsing with those who will be in Sunday leadership to make things operate as smoothly as possible. This is a challenging proposition. We appreciate your patience, and we treasure your prayers.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Getting Ready

6/3/2020

“Again, you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; farmers will plant and then enjoy the harvests. The time will come when the watchmen shout from the highlands of Ephraim: ‘Get ready! We’re going up to Zion to the Lord our God!’” –Jeremiah 31:5-6

It is now approaching three months since we’ve gathered together in worship. Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost have come and gone without gathering. Perhaps none of us ever realized just how hard it would be. The Jewish people, our siblings in faith and Jesus’ ancestors, have a long history of being away from home – their wilderness journey, their exile to Babylon, their life in Diaspora – and so we can look to the words of the prophets for hope, for an assurance of God’s presence, for the promise of return.

We are also now receiving signs of that possibility from leaders in our state, although that return will certainly not be all that we would hope for. The Upper New York Annual Conference offers a glimpse in the Reopening Task Force Guidelines: “In order to hold worship services, churches need to consider many factors from continuing online services, refraining members from singing, avoiding printed bulletins, to refraining from using a common offering plate, and not holding a coffee hour.” Our return will be a journey.

Later in that same chapter of Jeremiah the prophet writes, “Set up markers, put up signs; think about the road you have traveled, the path you have taken. Return, virgin Israel; return to these towns of yours.” Our way of setting up those markers and thinking about the road we’re travelling will be through the work of our own Reopening Task Force. This team includes people with medical knowledge, longtime members, and a custodial liaison, so that we can best examine and implement the guidelines and regulations.

In the short term we will work on some other opportunities to gather, like drive-in worship and, if regulations allow, outdoor services. We will also do our best to keep you up to date on where we are, and where we’re going.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Spirit Found

5/27/2020

Pentecost is thus about the reversal of Babel. For the author of Luke-Acts, the coming of Jesus and the continuation of his presence in the power of the Spirit inaugurated a new age in which the fragmentation of humanity was overcome. Or, in words attributed to Paul, through Christ and the Spirit, the breaking down of "the dividing wall of separation" and the creation of "one new humanity" had begun (Ephesians 2:14-15).
–Marcus Borg, Pentecost and Babel/Babble

This coming Sunday is Pentecost, an important, powerful, and somewhat mysterious celebration in the church. It is the time when we remember and rejoice in the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the people of God in new and profound ways. It is the time when we hear once again the story of tongues of fire, a rushing wind, and diverse voices speaking as one. It might be said more precisely that it isn’t so much a celebration in the church, but of the church.

Theologian and author Marcus Borg helps us to work through some of the mystery, to bring into focus just what God is doing at Pentecost with his reminder of the story of Babel. The people of the earth sought to build a tower that would reach the heavens, and thus were scattered by God and given different tongues. Now God is breaking down those barriers, reminding us that we are all God’s children, creating a new way of being in Christ.

Times such as the current pandemic offer us the possibility to remember and rejoice that we, all of humanity, are one people in God. Moments such as this challenge us to embrace the full humanity of all God’s people, challenge us to reconsider our economic systems, our distribution of resources, our core values and institutions. The COVID-19 virus is not selective, yet survival rates are lower for people of color, the poor, the homeless. Clearly walls still exist between us.

Walls do not exist in the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaims. When we build walls, when we separate people based on race, culture, nationality, language, class, gender, when we allow resources to be scarce for some because of the greed of others, we’re counter to the Kingdom. The proclamation of Pentecost, however, is clear – all people are God’s, all people are one, in Christ Jesus. This is the new age, and it is at hand. This is the new age, with no more walls.

Peace for the Journey,
Pastor Steve

Jesus Lost

5/20/2020

“[Jesus] led them out as far as Bethany, where he lifted his hands and blessed them. As he blessed them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. They worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem overwhelmed with joy. And they were continuously in the temple praising God.” –Luke 24:50-53

This week Christians celebrate the Ascension, when the resurrected Jesus is taken away into heaven in advance of Pentecost. The disciples had been through a whirlwind of experiences, from Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trial and crucifixion, and then, having thought he was lost to them, encountering him again and again in the weeks following the resurrection. And now, after blessing them Jesus leaves once again.

We, too, have been through a whirlwind of experiences these past 9 weeks. When the severity of the COVID-19 virus first became clear information and guidelines changed daily, sometimes more often. Though we first thought we might be regathering soon, it now appears that it will be much longer, and when we do it will certainly be different. No hymns. No coffee hour. No hugs. Masks all around.

Many are enduring separation from families, some work in high-risk jobs, others have no job and are wondering how to pay the bills. Students may be struggling to learn from home, and teachers struggling to teach them from afar. Graduations, weddings, baptisms, anniversary and birthday parties, and other events have been cancelled. Worst of all, many have lost family and friends to a virus with no cure.

If it feels to you that Jesus is somehow missing, or at the very least you may have lost sight of him, that’s understandable. It seems that overnight our faith lives have changed, our context upended, much of what we’ve come to know and believe challenged. Like the disciples following Jesus’ death and his ascension, we’ve encountered a very sudden and somewhat overwhelming shift in our religious practice.

Just like those disciples of Jesus, however, I believe that we are on the verge of something amazing. Each time they lost Jesus, each time he was suddenly gone from them, they encountered God’s power in transformational ways. Jesus died, and there was resurrection. Jesus ascended, and there was Pentecost. Each time there was trial, each time God seemed distant or absent, their experience of God increased.

These past nine weeks have challenged our courage, our patience, our resolve. These past nine weeks have come with mourning and crying, but also with moments of joy and profound examples of generosity. These past nine weeks have tested our faith; they may also, however, have prepared us for what God is doing next. Each time the disciples thought they had lost Jesus, God did something new. Keep watching.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Piety and Mercy

5/14/2020

Isn’t this the fast I choose: releasing wicked restraints, untying the ropes of a yoke, setting free the mistreated, and breaking every yoke? Isn’t it sharing your bread with the hungry and bringing the homeless poor into your house, covering the naked when you see them, and not hiding from your own family? Then your light will break out like the dawn, and you will be healed quickly. Isaiah 58:6-8

As we learn to practice our Christian discipleship and continue the work of the church in new ways during this time of separation, we have an opportunity to reconnect with parts of our Methodist heritage and strengthen our personal spiritual practices. Methodists are rooted in systems of mutual support and accountability, in practices of spiritual development and social change, living out the commandment to love both God and neighbor. We encounter God’s transforming grace and find spiritual sustenance through disciplines, specific practices that are what we call “means of grace.”

John Wesley identified two categories of the means of grace: works of piety and works of mercy. The first includes individual practices like studying the scriptures, prayer, fasting, regularly attending worship, healthy living, and sharing our faith, along with the communal practices of sharing the sacraments, Christian conferencing (accountability to one another), and Bible study. The works of mercy also include individual acts like doing good works, visiting the sick and those in prison, feeding the hungry, and giving generously to the needs of others, along with communal practices like seeking justice, ending oppression and discrimination, and addressing the needs of the poor.

The prophet Isaiah shares God’s word that our light will break forth when we share our bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, and satisfy the needs of the afflicted. In other words, our personal relationship with God is lived out in our care for the poor, and there is no distinction between social justice and our personal relationship with God – they are one and the same. Wesley understood personal holiness and social holiness to go hand in hand, just as Isaiah joins fasting, an act of piety, with acts of mercy like seeking justice and feeding the poor.

As we approach Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit in a new and bold way upon all the people of God, we have an opportunity to reimagine and rebirth our understanding of what it means to be the church. If we are willing to recommit ourselves to the disciplines of piety and mercy, to a regular practice of prayer, study, and worship hand-in-hand with acts of charity and justice, we have an opportunity to be co-creators with God of a new earth in the wake of this pandemic. If we are willing to make the practice of our faith our first priority God can do great things through us.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Home Is Where

5/7/2020

“Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.” -Hermann Hesse

This Sunday as the world recognizes Mother’s Day, we in the United Methodist Church will also celebrate the Festival of the Christian Home. While home has traditionally been associated with mothering, that’s not always true for everyone. Just like homes families come in many varieties, and so we lift up nurturing units of caring in their many forms. At the same time, we also celebrate the greater sense of home we find in our relationship with God.

Under the current pandemic most people are living under stay at home orders. This, of course, raises myriad questions and concerns for those who have no home, those for whom home is not a safe place, and even those whose homes don’t provide much privacy and separation for entire families or groups of roommates now home 24/7. Even for those with more preferable living situations, home can over time feel less like a haven and more like a place we’re trapped.

When talking about the Christian home at its core, however, we’re not speaking of a physical space or address but rather a spiritual place where our souls are in touch with God. While we might associate those moments and opportunities with certain corporeal settings, we’re instead identifying something ethereal, something less tangible, something spiritual. As the saying goes, “Home is where the heart is.” That’s neither here nor there, it’s within you.

I recall the response a colleague of mine once made in describing his spiritual home. He first wrote about finding God in the beauty of creation, but then went on to say, “the place I feel most connected to God and have experienced growth in my faith has been in the presence of those I have met along the way.” We meet God in the midst creation, and in connection with one another. In other words, the heart of Christian home is about relationship.

Home is neither here nor there. The Christian home is not about a house, or an apartment, or an RV, or the couch in someone’s spare room, or a car, or a cardboard box or shelter. The Christian home lies within, or is nowhere at all. In this time of separation and isolation we’ve needed to be more intentional in order to maintain relationships with one another. We also need to be more intentional about our relationships with God, or home is nowhere at all.

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve

Wilderness and Desert

4/30/2020

“Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (CEB)

Now is the time. We, as people of God, have a tremendous opportunity to find new ways of being in ministry during this time apart. This is your moment, your chance to be a beacon of hope, the time for you to hear God’s voice, to see Gods’ vision, to be God’s light, to help God come alive in the midst of our isolation. “Do you not see it?” God asks, making a way in the wilderness of an unprecedented time, offering rivers in the desert of our isolation.

The Annual CROP Hunger Walk is coming up this Sunday, and has gone virtual (check the “News and Updates” page for more information). Our point person, Anne Sheffer, suggested that those of us who are walking in our own neighborhoods take a picture and share it to our Facebook group. The secretary of our church council, Holly Cheetham, organized a drive-by parade this week of church family and friends with police escort to help James Assimon celebrate his 10th birthday.

The church has left the building.

I started my first letter during this time by reminding you that Methodism has always been an outside-the-box faith. When John Wesley wasn’t welcomed in churches, he preached at mines and on street corners. He gathered people in classes for spiritual support. He authorized lay people, including women, to preach. And when he saw that people in the American colonies weren’t being cared for, he charged Thomas Coke to ordain Francis Asbury, setting them both apart as superintendents of a new form of Christian connexion.

John and Charles Wesley were men who lived into the opportunity their time presented, meeting the needs of those in their day who were hungry for spiritual meaning and longing for God’s justice and mercy. They saw that God was doing something new and followed God’s wilderness way, leading thirsty people to rivers of hope. This is your moment. This is your time, your opportunity to hear God’s call. This is your time, your opportunity to release God’s creativity into the world. This is your time. What are you going to do with it?

Peace for the journey,
Pastor Steve