First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood

December 2020 Newsletter: Pastor's Point of View Message

11/30/2020

The world as we know it has changed – dramatically! Nothing is what it once was; an invisible virus has touched the face of the earth; governments are issuing mandates ordering people to wear masks and/or stay at home; businesses have gone “belly-up” as a result; individuals have become unemployed; families are short on food and money to pay bills; protests have risen around the globe; racial disharmony has increased exponentially. As a result, millions are living with a profound sense of anxiety, hopelessness, with fear wrapping its fingers around many minds and lives. “When will things return to normal?” is the question on everyone’s mind and in conversations. As leaders scramble to find quick answers to the inquiry, no one knows for sure what to expect.

In antiquity, the people of Israel struggled with similar questions and circumstances. Continuously, they were overtaken by foreign nations, experienced living under the rulership of foreign kings, struggled to make ends meet, lived looking for a brighter day. Amid their national circumstance and insecurity, they were expecting the fulfillment of One who the prophets had mentioned time and again. Isaiah, in particular, said, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this,” (Isaiah 9.6-7). There was a hopeful expectation; a preparation that they, as a people, needed to do; a knowledge that God loved them enough to make such a promise; a joy that the promise would be fulfilled; an adoration to God for His sovereignty.

As we enter the Christmas season of 2020, amid the turmoil our world is living, let us turn our sight to the One who is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace. He came once as a baby, lived among first-century Jews to show the very character and essence of the Father, offered His own life on our behalf so that we could have a relationship with God, and promised that He will return for His people. This Christmas, may the peace that surpasses all understanding fill our hearts and minds and, like the shepherds that night, may our hearts be filled with joy, “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds,” (Titus 2.13-14).

Have a blessed and safe Christmas,
Pastor Anthony Rivera

From the Pastor's Desk

11/23/2020

As we begin the holiday season with the arrival of Thanksgiving this week, we are at a loss for how our normal routines, and lives, are no longer what they use to be. At large, the world is in such a state that it is unrecognizable from just a year or two ago. Yes. Things have changed. But God has not; God is consistent; God is unmovable; God is sovereign. Amid the changes taking place around us and in our personal lives, God has everything under control. That alone should provide us with a sense of peace and hope. The apostle Paul knew what it meant to trust God, in spite of what was occurring around him, and to him. “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4.11-13). “In everything,” he says, “give thanks,” (1 Thessalonians 5.18a). As we gather at the dinner table this Thanksgiving, let us be thankful for God’s provisions, God’s providential care, and God’s sovereignty. Let us be at peace, for all things are in His hands.
Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving.

Return to Online Only Worship

11/13/2020

On November 13, 2020, an emergency Session meeting was convened to discuss the rise of COVID-19 cases across Allegheny County. As a precautionary measure, and for the safety of the members of FPCE, it was determined that in-person worship will be suspended effective November 15, 2020. As such, online worship will resume, and live-streamed on Facebook that same day starting at 11 a. m. An edited version of the worship service will be uploaded on YouTube and SoundCloud the following day. A PDF version of the bulletin will be emailed Fridays, and also made available on the website for everyone to download and participate in worship and follow along in Scripture reading. When conditions become favorable for the return for in-person worship, an email will be forwarded as well as posted on the website. While you are at home, make the time to seek the face of God. Pray, and trust in the God that is sovereign. “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me,” (John 14.1).

November 8 Worship, Veterans Day

11/11/2020

Apologies to everyone for the delay in sending this out this week -- I planned to have this ready to go by lunch on Monday, but the week has gotten away from me!

Peace,

Shaun

November 8 Worship

Worship for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, November 8, 2020. Pastor Tony Rivera preaching.

Bulletin PDF:

https://www.fpcedgewood.org/uploads/2/3/8/3/23831749/november_8_-_pentecost_23a_bulletin.pdf

SoundCloud audio only:

https://soundcloud.com/fpcedgewood/november-8-2020-online-worship

YouTube video:

https://youtu.be/j1PBwR3t36c

Prayer for Veterans Day

November 11, 2020 by Jill Duffield | Presbyterian Outlook

What now and what next, God of all? Will we take down our yard signs and seek signs of your kingdom? Will we build one another up and encourage each other in your name or will we name-call and refuse to see your face reflected in our neighbors?

On this Veteran’s Day we remember those for whom self was secondary to the common good, those who sacrificed and served believing in the best principles of our country even when we failed to live up to them.

In the wake of the election, in the mire of this pandemic, in the churning of so many worries, we turn to you, asking for you to help us fix our eyes on you and focus our attention on our Savior. Help us imitate Christ and take the next step in faith wherever it leads.

We live in hope, Gracious God, because we follow the crucified and resurrected Christ, whose sacrificial love wrapped all of creation in grace, mercy and compassion. We live in hope, knowing that you never abandon us. We live in hope, clinging to your promise to redeem and make whole. We live in hope, believing that you will gather us in and heal us. We live in hope because we all belong to you.

May our living in hope make evident to the world that our hope is not in vain. Amen.

November Newsletter

Click to download the November 2020 Issue

Pastoral Announcement

10/14/2020

The Pastor Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the Rev. Anthony Rivera as our new pastor at FPCE. Rev. Rivera is originally from New York and received his Master of Divinity degree and Master of Theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Rev. Rivera has worked as an accountant and has experience teaching in colleges and seminaries. For many years, he was involved in the Office of Admissions at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where he started as the Associate Director of Admissions and then served as the Director of Admissions. More recently, Rev. Rivera was the transitional pastor at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church until earlier this year. The congregation members and his colleagues were impressed with his knowledge of scripture, compassion and sincerity. He has been known as a pastor who responds to those in need and loves developing relationships with others.

Please welcome Rev. Rivera to FPCE! He is scheduled to begin his position at our church on Monday October 19, 2020 and will be leading the worship service on the following Sunday. Below are samples of his sermons.

https://fhpcpa.org/Sermons/122419%20sermon.mp3
https://fhpcpa.org/Sermons/102019%20sermon.mp3
https://soundcloud.com/eastminsteraudio/2-11-18-to-be-with-god-anthony-rivera
https://soundcloud.com/eastminsteraudio/11-5-17-tithing-as-a-way-of-life
https://soundcloud.com/eastminsteraudio/the-take-at-hand-rev-anthony-rivera
https://fhpcpa.org/Sermons/100619%20sermon.mp3

In Christ,
Paul Ohori, Chair Pastor Nominating Committee
Tom Ochs
Marcia Haley
Tim Hoffman
Tim McKee

God's Presence

10/14/2020

God's Presence

pause

Take a deep breath right now.

Notice one thing you see,

one thing you hear,

one thing your body is touching.

You are here in this place. God is here with you, too.

listen

The Lord said, “I’ll make all my goodness pass in front of you, and I’ll proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord.’ I will be kind to whomever I wish to be kind, and I will have compassion to whomever I wish to be compassionate. But,” the Lord said, “you can’t see my face because no one can see me and live.” The Lord said, “Here is a place near me where you will stand beside the rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I’ll set you in a gap in the rock, and I’ll cover you with my hand until I’ve passed by. Then I’ll take away my hand, and you will see my back, but my face won’t be visible.”

Exodus 33:19-23

think

I think it is interesting that Moses and God had such a close relationship, yet Moses is not able to see the face of God — if he tried, he wouldn’t live! Whoa! Instead, God hid Moses in a gap in a rock and walked past, only revealing God’s back to him.

Like Moses, we may not be able to see the literal face of God, but we can definitely see God in other ways. I see God when teenagers stand up for justice (teenagers are the BEST at that). I see God when my friend Joe helps at his local food bank. I see God when my little son asks if his baby sister is ok and gives her a hug. I see God when citizens come together and work to advocate for equality for all human beings.

Where do you “see” God?

Erin Spengeman Hutchison

pray

God, help me to look for you and see you today. Amen.

As you go, remember that God is with you and with those who do justice.

Dare to be with God, too.

CROP Walk: you can still donate!

The 2020 Pittsburgh East CROP Hunger Walk took place virtually this past Sunday, but donations are still being accepted to help the hungry in our area. So far, our team has raised $360 online (likely more with checks sent into the office).

Judy & Mariah Mysels, Rhonda & Jon Apessos are registered to "walk" this year. Help FPCE's team by donating on the Pittsburgh East CROP Hunger Walk page here!

Carr Memorial

We're grateful to all who were able to attend and participate in the celebration of life for our faithful brother, Tim Carr, last week. At the family's request, the service was recorded, and at the request of several members, we have posted it online. The link is unlisted on the church's YouTube channel so that it is more private for the family and also not the first video showing up on our channel's playlist. You can access it by clicking the video below or this link directly:

https://youtu.be/6Lqtqssr7Xo

World Communion Sunday and more...

10/5/2020

"What's Getting Me Through These Days"

A retired Presbyterian pastor suggests three tried-and-true tactics for challenging times

by Ken Rummer for Presbyterians Today | Special to Presbyterian News Service

I’m a small child in a crib, struggling to breathe in the night, clogged up with what will turn out to be allergies and asthma. My crying rouses my parents who take turns responding.

Being picked up and held vertically helps. I can breathe better and settle a bit.

Back in the crib, I’m feeling the congestion return, cutting off the air. Again I’m crying. Again a parent comes in.

After several trips, my father says they can’t keep doing this. He returns me to the crib, says a prayer putting me in God hands, and goes back to bed. My crying does not bring another parent visit.

The memory of that night came back to me recently when I made of list of difficult times in my life. What’s getting you through these pandemic days was the question, and I thought I’d see what had helped get me through hard days before.

Out of that inventory, I identified three tactics that have helped me in challenging times, and more than once. You’re welcome to borrow any or all.

Resync with music

In high school I played violin in a baroque musical ensemble — strings, recorders, harpsichord, lacy neckwear, knee britches. I noticed that after two hours of rehearsing Bach and Vivaldi, my unfinished homework had quit shouting at me. Somehow the ordered notes had restored my inner order, and I drove home feeling more calm.

Presently I’m playing beginner piano most days. When my fingers are on the keys, I’m not thinking about pandemics and worst-case scenarios and push-my-buttons posts on social media. And I’m feeling less anxious.

Cue up your favorite playlist. Take up a new instrument. Stream a concert by your favorite group. You may discover that your scattered fragments are finding their places. Engaging with music can do that.

Refocus with projects

Another tested tactic for difficult days is taking on a project. An out-of-state move in the middle of high school shook my foundations. But building a two-person sailboat with my dad that year filled a lot of empty places — even when the waves were sloshing into our open pontoons.

Currently, my wife and I are sorting pictures and adding captions for a photo book. The oldest grandchild just turned 10, so we are attempting a 10-year book featuring our four grandchildren.

Maybe for you it’s quilting or turning all the flour in your pantry into baked goods or applying the principles of tidying to your closet. Or painting your family room, or laying pavers for a new patio, or getting that old mower running that hasn’t started in two years.

Tackling a project paints a goal line out in the future, but not too far. Measured in days, a project takes the mind off uncertain months and years. And you can mark your progress.

Rebalance with faith

Reaching out to God is another of my tested tactics for getting through a difficult season. In the uncertainties of the present pandemic, an affirmation passed down through my faith tradition points to my deepest deep-down hope: in life and in death we belong to God.

I first leaned on this and found it strong as that small child struggling to breathe in the night. My parents had done all they knew how to do and they put me in God’s hands. Scared and exhausted, I finally did the same.

Not knowing if I would wake up again, I reached out to the God in whom my parents trusted and went to sleep.

Whatever your religious identity and commitment, you may find, digging down into your beliefs, something or someone you can trust, come what may. Stand there on that bedrock of your faith. It’s a way to regain your balance, even in these days.

Ken Rummer, a retired pastor, writes about life and faith from the middle of Iowa by the High Trestle Trail. Previous posts are available here.

October 4 Worship

We gathered at the table with brothers and sisters around the globe to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord's Supper on World Communion and Peacemaking Sunday. The Rev. Kellie Weekley-Mills led worship, and Sunny and Shaun shared music representing various countries. Those choosing to participate in communion from home while watching the video are encouraged to prepare their own bread and cup to partake when invited to do so.

PDF Bulletin:

https://www.fpcedgewood.org/uploads/2/3/8/3/23831749/october_4_-_pentecost_18a__world_communion_sunday_.pdf

SoundCloud Audio Only:

https://soundcloud.com/fpcedgewood/october-4-2020-worship

YouTube video:

https://youtu.be/cYYcPQuZZKo

Sad News

We received word on Saturday that our faithful Deacon, choir member, and brother in Christ, Tim Carr, passed away unexpectedly. We assume it was complications from the cancer he had been fighting over the past year or more.

At Tim's request, there will be no visitation. His family is meeting with Pastor Michael to plan a memorial service in our sanctuary some time this week. Once we know specific details and any COVID safety protocols, they will be communicated via email.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughters and extended family.

October Newsletter

The October issue of "News from the Edge" was sent out last week and should have arrived in your mailbox by now. In the event you haven't seen it yet, you can access it by clicking here.

CROP Walk is Next Week!

2020 Pittsburgh East VIRTUAL CROP Hunger Walk: Sunday, October 11, 2020

The CROP Hunger Walk may be Virtual, but the need could not be more real. Join with others from the Pittsburgh East CROP Hunger Walk as together we walk to end hunger and poverty here in the East End of Pittsburgh and around the world!

Judy Mysels, Rhonda and Jon Apessos are registered to "walk" this year. Help FPCE's team by donating on the Pittsburgh East CROP Hunger Walk page here!

This Week at Edgewood

9/17/2020

Pastoral E-Mail

Friends of the Edgewood Congregation,

We've had several instances over the past few months where folks have received odd messages from what appears to be Pastor Michael. As of this morning, his official "mprucker@fpcedgewood.org" email address has been deleted. So, unless you get a message from his personal gmail account (click on the name in the "from" section so see if the email address is actually him), assume it's fake. You will never get a request for gift cards from Michael!

This Sunday, September 20

This week, we welcome back to our pulpit the Rev. Kellie Weekley-Mills. She will preach from the Book of Job and Mark's gospel in a sermon titled "Let Us Cross to the Other Side."

As we've done for the past several weeks, those who feel safe and healthy enough to do so are invited to join us in the sanctuary at 11:00AM following our established safety and distancing protocols. We will broadcast the live stream on our Facebook page in real time, and the edited video will be posted to YouTube by Monday morning.

Here is the bulletin for this week's service for anyone watching on Facebook to follow along with the hymns and responses.

Virtual CROP Walk

Walk. Give. Change the world.

Our community believes in ending hunger. And, in 2020, we will continue to fight against the new challenges of disease and disaster that leave people hungry. Join with us in raising funds to help neighbors near and far get the meals they need this year.

Walkers have reported $4,645 in online and offline gifts!

Find more details here.

2020 Pittsburgh East VIRTUAL CROP Hunger Walk

You can make your donation online by clicking the button below. Search for the Edgewood team or you can support Judy as an individual walker to make sure the donation counts for FPCE!

CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE ONLINE

Newsletter Deadline

It's already time to think about the October newsletter. If you have items you would like to include (good news, bad news, updates, meetings, etc.), please email it to Judy by September 25 so we can work on it to have mailed out and in your homes by October 1.

No more shame, no more fear

This article was posted to the Presbyterian Outlook blog yesterday and I think does a nice job of capturing what many of us are feeling about life in general and how we are supposed to continue on in our own lives and as Christians. It is written by JOSHUA MUSSER GRITTER, who co-pastors First Presbyterian Church in Salisbury, North Carolina, with his wife Lara. They watch movies together with their dog Red.

Admittedly it's a little on the long side, but I think worth the read.

See you in worship -- in person or online!

Peace,

Shaun

No more shame, no more fear

September 16, 2020 by Joshua Gritter

For me, middle school was a complete crapshoot.

There were bullies, puberty and that sweeping awkwardness accompanying all social interactions. I am pretty sure middle school is the place where you gain all the painful memories that you go to counseling for in your 30s. Middle school was also the time when I loved the band Creed — not all wounds are created equal.

Beyond the first kiss, first sip of alcohol and unrelenting quest for coolness, there is one moment from those days that I remember with an odd salience. The memory concerns my churlish seventh grade math teacher. He was somewhere between Severus Snape and Attila the Hun. (Well, at least to my young imagination.) Two months after the societal rupturing of 9/11, this teacher stood in front of a group of oddly quiet teenagers and said, “You are who you are when you stand in the road, naked in the middle of the night.” You can guess what came next. That kid who had learned the art of classroom humor as a way to disguise his insecurity about being the smallest kid in the class blurted out, “He said naked!” We all cackled and hummed. In the moment I thought that my math teacher had finally lost his evil marbles. What a weird thing to say!

I’ve thought of this memory several times during this pandemic. You are who you are when you are naked, standing in the road in the middle of the night. Though he was off with his delivery and timing, I think my math teacher was asking the existential question of our days: When everything is stripped away, when the branches of your life are bare and the womb of normalcy barren, who are you? To frame it biblically: When we have hung up our harps in the trees of Babylon, when our couch is drenched in tears, when change erupts and irrupts our sense of self and security, what is left?

This existential question is a deeply theological, pastoral question. I’m involved in several pastor support groups, and have some beloved spiritual friends who are in ministry as well. The common thread weaving through the anxious mosaic of ministry in this time is the fact that everyone is struggling, everyone is suffering in some way. In many ways we spend much of our pastoral energy dealing with the symptoms of this struggle. Our inboxes are filled with the words of angry church members — some say we haven’t opened early enough, some say we’re opening too early, and some haven’t been to church since March (which also hurts our feelings if we’re honest). People fight about masks or no masks, schoolchildren have become objects of liberal vs. conservative debate and all of us feel somewhat stoic after our numbing agents of alcohol and Netflix have ceased to bring joy. Resentment for the people we are called to love creeps in, fatigue disguises itself as righteous indignation and the pulpit becomes a boxing ring. These days it feels as if everything has been stripped away. We are, as an entire society, standing naked in the road in the middle of the night.

I am less interested in the symptoms of societal upheaval than in the underlying currents of our pain. What’s the answer to who are we, really? People aren’t really that passionate about wearing a mask or not, being in schools or not, worshipping in person or not. While these are significant issues, these conversations and debates are rooted in the emotions all human beings share — namely fear and shame. The opposite of love is not hate, it is fear. The opposite of beloved community is not individualism, it is tribalism. The opposite of empathy isn’t selfishness, it is shame.

We don’t feel lonely right now because we aren’t seeing one another, we feel lonely because we are afraid. Fear begets a smaller and smaller world until all that is left is one’s own worldview — a crushing individualism that isolates us from sources of love. Fear asks us to live in an unnuanced world of absolutes — of evil vs. good, black vs. white. This is the world where people post videos on Facebook of people misbehaving at department stores. This is the world where quality of persons is defined by one moment, one mistake, one grave sin — be it a racial epithet, refusal to wear a mask at Costco or a reshare of a ridiculous article from a news agency you despise. Fear doesn’t make us hide from sharing our opinions, rather it makes us more certain that our opinions are the right ones. As a pastor and a person, I see in myself and others a dangerous fear that is tearing us apart, quite literally from the inside out. Theologically the answer to this fear is not screaming “do not be afraid” from the pulpit. Tell afraid people to stop being afraid and all you will get is shame on top of fear, and that combustive combination is a recipe for depression and anxiety.

Perhaps fear’s vaccine is friendship amidst vulnerability. Brené Brown’s awesome book “Dare to Lead” suggests that vulnerability beats the crap out of fear, one shared emotional experience at a time. When I was a child, scared of the creatures of the night and hiding under my covers, my father would kill my fear not by shutting the door and saying “grow up,” but by climbing under the covers with me. “I get scared, too,” he would say. While our church programs are obliterated and our congregants are roaring, maybe we pastors need to practice courage as vulnerability. Maybe then we have a shot at pushing away the fear that stalks us in the middle of the night. This practice begins when we simply listen to our life and ask, “What’s really going on within me?” And though we can’t ever know the answer fully, the psalmist reminds us that God knows us in our inward parts and Paul reminds us that our life is “hidden” in Christ. As long as God is under the covers with me, I’ll make it through the night.

Fear’s best pal is shame. These two hang out together, buy one another drinks at the bar and grow up together like siblings in the same house. Brown says that the difference between shame and guilt is that while guilt says, “I did a bad thing,” shame says, “I am bad.” Guilt questions our moral actions, but shame doubts our inherent dignity. This terrible minion, shame, is haunting our current moment. It is often thought that narcissists are the most self-consumed, self-obsessed among us. But it is likely they are actually the most ashamed among us, because the more shame we feel, the less empathy we can feel for others. It’s commonplace for people to say, “We’re just so politically polarized.” Sure, that’s true. But get to the deeper stuff and you’ll likely find that we are more ashamed than ever. Disunity doesn’t produce shame, shame produces disunity. Shame is like an internal wound-tornado — everything that tries to get close gets spun around and thrown violently away. The tricky part here is that the rhetorical ammo used in arguments these days is shame more than anything else. I am so completely unsurprised when a 75-year-old Southern born white man who grew up poor and from a small town gets angry and rigid when a young liberal from the city tells them on Facebook that they are racist. It’s impossible for shame to beget empathy. If you can name one person who’s been shamed into a worldview change, I’ll give you a hundred bucks.

What are we to do when we are feel ashamed, naked and wondering in the middle of the road at night? Shame’s vaccine is empathy — the judgement-free spirit entering into another’s story of suffering. As much as woke culture hates to admit it, all of us suffer. And yes, certain suffering is bigger and worse than others. Systemic racism is worse than my middle school wounds, but I’m not sure I can become anti-racist without learning to love my own woundedness. It is untrue that because some people suffer worse, the small sufferings of some don’t matter. Paul didn’t say, “Jesus came for those who suffer the most, so who cares about the rest?” He said, “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” In other words, while we were completely lost and covered in shame, God took on the flesh of our human story.

The incarnation is the God of history choosing our story as God’s story, which means more than anything God is an empathetic God. To overcome the alienation we feel from one another, we may have to holster our weaponized shame and dare to believe that everyone – our enemies included – are suffering right now. Brown says there’s no such thing as limited empathy, which means that the more empathy there is in the world, the less shame there is in the world. To those of us who say, “I just can’t make a difference right now,” how does emptying the world of shame sound?

I’ve started to see the truth of this in my own life. There are times that I could burst from all the pressure we pastors currently feel from our congregants — and from ourselves. But when I get angry, dismissive, tired and petty, I must admit that shame is at work. And I have begun to find, bit by bit, that the more I understand the suffering of my people and the more I befriend my own suffering, the less chance shame has to rule my life.

So, I begin to answer my teacher’s lifelong question: “Who are we when we are naked and standing in the middle of the road at night?” The answer — we are not alone, our suffering matters. As one of the credal statements of our denomination might put it, “In life and in death, in shame and in fear, we belong to our lord and savior Jesus Christ.”

"Anything But" Ordinary Time

9/10/2020

Sad News

Friends and Family of FPCE,

I'm saddened to share that we've received word that Charles "Chuck" Ganster, companion of Marilyn Lobert and fan of Sunny's piano playing, has passed away. It apparently happened within the past few weeks and was a result of COVID-19. Rick and Pastor Michael have been in touch with Marilyn, who is grieving deeply. Our thoughts and prayers are with Marilyn, and the members of Chuck's family on their loss.

* * * * *

The season after Pentecost in the church year that runs all the way until the beginning of Advent in December is called "Ordinary Time." An article in the most recent issue of Presbyterians Today magazine discusses how in our lives these days, nothing is what would be considered "ordinary." The author offers some suggestions for how to remain hopeful and optimistic in what she refers to as "anything but" ordinary time. I've copied it below (if you click the title, it links to the original article page). I hope you find it meaningful.

See you in church -- in person or online -- on Sunday (or Monday!).

Shaun

‘Anything But’ Ordinary Time calls for radical faith

A new liturgical season emerges

By Kathleen Long Bostrom | Presbyterians Today

September is usually the month when we settle back into our routines. Beach umbrellas are replaced by school buses speckling the roadway. Parents scramble to get kids out the door to school. Churches, too, gear up for rally days. But not this year.

As 2020 began — and at the first ragged, painful cough — the world found itself navigating an unprecedented journey that introduced phrases such as “sheltering in place” and “social distancing.” By early summer, as communities began emerging from isolation, protests pushed COVID-19 from the limelight. People joined in outrage, horrified by the brutal death of George Floyd, an African American man pinned to the ground pleading for his life. This year has become “The Year of Tragical Thinking” and has ushered in a new season in the liturgical calendar — “Anything But” Ordinary Time.

Traditionally, the season of Ordinary Time runs till the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent. It is a season to discover God in the daily rhythm of our lives. But daily rhythms seem hard to come by lately, and “Anything But” Ordinary Time has put us on an unending road trip with no detailed timeline letting us know when we’ll be safely home again. What we do have, though, are the lectionary readings from Exodus for September and October that recall another unprecedented trip — the one the Hebrews took from Egypt to Canaan. The Hebrews lived in slavery for 400 years, their identity shattered, their freedom long forgotten. Moses whisks them from the only life they have known and sends them skedaddling into a foreign land where they wander for an entire generation. They are homeless, frightened and threatened, and have no way of knowing when their journey will end. They are only a few miles — and months — into the journey when the people start to whine like a carload of kids on a trip. They even become nostalgic for the “normalcy” of slavery when they reminisce about pots of meat and bread, putting a shining patina on what was in actuality a life of suffering and starvation. Slavery? Normal? Not in God’s eyes.

In this season, we also have World Communion Sunday, which falls on Oct. 4. The emphasis on being united with Christians around the world has particular significance in 2020. The pandemic of COVID-19 has unfurled like an 11th plague, and nobody has been spared the effects. The world seems to have awakened to the blatant inequality between different colors of human beings. And yet we are reminded in the breaking of the bread that Jesus welcomes all people — equally. “This is my body,” Jesus said, not “broken for a few,” but broken for everyone.

We are still on an unending road trip. We’re not there yet, but there is no going back to the way things were, no more than it was possible for the Hebrews to return to Egypt. Ordinary and normal are no more. Maybe it’s time that we embraced that truth. Let us allow “Anything But” Ordinary Time to open our eyes, helping us recognize that nobody is exempt from a pandemic, and that inequality and injustice won’t go away unless we all make that happen. The journey has begun, and we must keep moving forward until we are finally home.

Kathleen Long Bostrom is a retired PC(USA) minister and the author of over 50 books, most of them picture books for children.

Living in ‘Anything But’ Ordinary Time

Look up — literally. Notice the clouds, the color of the sky and the constellations. Gazing in a new direction can restore us, reminding us that there’s a larger Creation out there.
Look around. During the early months of isolation in 2020, small acts of kindness were on display. Children left chalk drawings on sidewalks. People hung cutout hearts in windows for all who passed by. Keep these acts of kindness going, finding ways to be anonymous bearers of kindness and hope.
Look out for one another. Remember others throughout the world who are suffering. In preparation for World Communion Sunday, write names on index cards to post on a church bulletin board or share online. Post some blank cards as a reminder to pray for the nameless, too.

Come, Labor On

9/7/2020

Come, Labor On

Happy Labor Day to All,

The Presbyterian Church (USA) posted the following on its social media outlets in honor of Labor Day today:

"Just as Jesus worked in his day to the fullest, let us continue to work for equity and equality for all."

For your enjoyment:

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square (formerly the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) perform "Come, Labor On" by T. Tertius Noble, with arrangement by Ryan Murphy.

Episode 4598. Aired October 29, 2017.

Season of Peace: September 6-October 4, 2020

As we move through the next month of uncertainty, I encourage you to consider participating in the "Season of Peace" program offered by our national denomination. There are several more resources included on the main page that you may choose to join, but I wanted to point out the daily reflections that you can have emailed to you every morning, or that you can download all at once to print out and read. Here is the introductory information from the website.

Shaun

To view the full site with all resources and information, click here.

Welcome to the 2020 Season of Peace! This four-week pilgrimage is designed to deepen the pursuit of peace for congregations, small groups, families, and individuals. Through daily “Path of Peace” reflections, “Peace Cards” for children and families, Bible and book studies for adults, children’s curriculum, a coloring poster, an intergenerational peace fair, and other downloadable resources, Participants are invited to define and deepen their calling as peacemakers. This season is a time of encouragement, challenge, inspiration, and education.

While these resources are designed to culminate in the Peace & Global Witness Offering, they are appropriate for any time of the year. This year’s theme returns to a text that the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program has used for a number of years to guide its work. It is the concluding hope of the second letter to the Thessalonians: “May the God of peace grant you peace at all times in all ways.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16) It is our hope that you will be enriched, renewed and enlivened in all the times and ways of your peacemaking and global witness.

Path of Peace Daily Reflections

This year’s A Season of Peace Resources are designed to help participants explore practices for building peace on every scale. From the personal level to global issues, these reflections and prayers will help grow the faith and witness of the whole church. Throughout the 29 days of this year’s Season of Peace, we are invited to reflect upon ways to practice:

Week 1 September 6-12: Peace Within
Week 2 September 13-19: Peace in Relationships
Week 3 September 20-26: Peace in Community
Week 4 September 27-October 4: Wholistic Peace

You have the option of subscribing to these reflections for daily delivery into your inbox or printing the entire collection as a devotional resource. Many thanks to Henry Stone for serving as editor of the 2020 Path of Peace Reflections and to the outstanding team of contributing writers.

Subscribe to daily reflections that will be delivered directly to your inbox September 6 – October 4.

Download the complete 2020 Path of Peace Reflections

The Prayer at the end of today's peacemaking reflection:

Eternal, all-knowing one, you see that our hearts are restless and our spirits refuse stillness. You long for us to savor rest in your presence. Let us find the courage to be still in your grace. Let us dare to find peace within ourselves as a step on the path of peacemaking in your world. Amen.

September 6 Worship Video Now Posted

On the 14th Sunday after Pentecost, we shared in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The Rev. Dr. Dan Merry led our worship this week in an energetic service full of a great message and uplifting music. In addition to the livestream video posted on our Facebook page, the edited video is available on YouTube and audio only on our SoundCloud channel.

Depending on when you read this email, the video may not be finished processing on YouTube. It takes about an hour after I upload it to display properly, and about an hour after that to show in high definition.

Bulletin PDF:

https://www.fpcedgewood.org/uploads/2/3/8/3/23831749/september_6_-_pentecost_14b.pdf

SoundCloud audio only:

https://soundcloud.com/fpcedgewood/september-6-2020-online-worship

YouTube video:

https://youtu.be/pfx57DAW7B0