Welcome
Each week one of our pastors or staff members writes a column observing what is going on in our congregation, the Church and the world, and offering reflections on the Christian life and faith. Through this series of columns, we hope to connect your and our story to the enduring story of Christ; to offer pastoral reflections on our ongoing congregational life and mission; to report on news of the Presbyterian Church and Church universal; and to invite further reflection and deeper discipleship. We welcome your comments and suggestions. In other words, our words here are an invitation to continue the conversation.
In his brief book, A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis remarks, “We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, 'Blessed are they that mourn,' and I accept it. I've got nothing that I hadn't bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination.”
This past Sunday many of you gathered in Fullerton Room to watch the documentary “The Return of the River,” the story of the removal of hydroelectric dams along the Elwha River in Oregon to allow the native flora and fauna as well as the indigenous community to return to the fullness of life that they had on the Olympic Peninsula for generations.
It’s the week after Easter. Jesus is risen. All of the palms and lilies are out of the Sanctuary. We successfully navigated eight worship services in seven days (not including funerals and memorial services). Between everything, our church welcomed around 2,000 worshipers last week. The clergy and staff are always exhausted after the culmination of a high holy season. We were glad to have Monday off. If for no other reason than to sleep.
Amen!
If you have been following the Lenten Sunday morning sermons on the Lord’s Prayer, the series will come to an end tonight at the Maundy Thursday Service in the Sanctuary at 7:30 p.m. While the meditation for this particular service is Amen, a reflection on that particular concluding word, the truth is all the services that take place tonight on Maundy Thursday and tomorrow on Good Friday function as the Amen to Jesus’ life.
One of the great joys of being a children’s pastor is the opportunity to experience our sacred stories through the eyes of our children. Each class holds different parts of the story as sacred; different pieces are catalysts for deep theological questions. On Sunday, after the palm fronds are put away and we are regrouped in our classrooms, we will remember the story of Holy Week. From Jesus riding into the city, to the temple with overturned tables. We will talk about betrayal and denial. We will remember feet washing and bread breaking. We will remember that Jesus was crucified and buried. That he rose again.
This Lenten season we have been lingering inside the Lord’s Prayer, reflecting each week in worship and in our Lenten Devotional on a different verse of the prayer. We have asked questions about names and kingdoms, bread and forgiveness, temptation and power. This is the gift of the Lord’s Prayer, that it contains within it so many of the essentials of a life of faith and the human experience.
Americans love a parade so it’s easy to understand why, no matter what your heritage, on March 17 everyone can be a little bit Irish. If you have kept up with Philadelphia’s various St. Patrick’s celebrations, from parades to pub crawls, the day is actually more than a week of merriment. I think it’s fascinating that we celebrate the fifth-century cleric who took Christianity to Ireland by drinking copious quantities of beer!
