"Do you know how lucky you are?"

This past Sunday, Pastor Mark Nilson asked of us if we know how lucky we are. The point of reference here was the number of children in our midst. He even shared the reflections of a friend who heard of our unexpected population explosion, and the fact that we have an active Sunday School, and asked “Is this the 1950s again?” Do we know how lucky we are?

When teaching my ministry students over the years, I told them to plan thoroughly and well for your ministry in the coming year, but the situations that unfold will dictate what your ministry actually will be. We have been focused in these first few post-pandemic years on the reception and integration of visitors who have come to stay. And we are about to introduce a ministry to address this concern. But since the new year began (no doubt in part because of our early, kid-friendly Christmas Eve service) the number of young families and young children in our midst has increased. The plan we had for our children’s faith formation is no longer sufficient. So now we must respond to what God is doing in our midst. What an unexpected and delightful problem to have!

Spirit Baptism and Pentecost

Next week I will end my two decades of teaching and mentoring doctoral students when I hood my last two PhDs. One is a Latino Pentecostal. He argued in his dissertation that what makes Pentecostal worship “pentecostal” is Spirit Baptism that reveals itself in the congregation through the obvious manifestation of spiritual gifts, such as speaking in tongues, healings, etc.

Our church tends not to think much about baptism in the Holy Spirit, because we often think of it in my student’s terms. In other words, “It may be for them, but not for us. Those things don’t happen here.” But that is not the testimony of our scriptures. In Acts just before his ascension, Jesus said, “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:5) We read in Matthew’s gospel that John the Baptist declared, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11) Fire throughout the Old Testament was that which purified from within, like getting impurities out of metals, while water only washed on the surface.

Taste and See…

“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven…”

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

Propriety. What is fitting, apt, or suitable. We first learn propriety—what is appropriate for a particular time and place—by observing. If you were to hold up pictures of food to young children, they are able to tell you what season or even day it is. A big turkey dinner? Thanksgiving. Hot dogs and hamburgers with watermelon? Summer, maybe even the Fourth of July. Heart shaped cookies? Valentines Day. Chocolate eggs, jelly beans, and colored eggs? Easter.

The "We" Passages of Acts

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.We therefore set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace…~ Acts 16:9-11What you just read is an excerpt from this week’s first scripture reading . During Eastertide, Acts often serves as the first reading in lieu of a reading from the Old Testament. Acts and the gospel of Luke were both written to “Theophilus.” This was most likely the person or people who paid to have these manuscripts “published.” This was an expensive undertaking. We believe this was a Gentile person or community who were “God Fearers” or people who were drawn to Judaism, but not converts. These people had evidently heard of the movement within Judaism led by followers of Jesus called “The Way.” Their hope was to learn about Jesus and the community that his followers established. (See Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3)

Service and Servitude

This Sunday’s gospel lesson is John 13:31-35, near the end of that chapter. John 13 begins with Jesus and his disciples sharing a meal the night before the Passover begins. During the meal, Jesus abruptly strips off his outer garments, wraps a towel around himself, and begins washing his disciples’ feet. Sign-acts like this were not uncommon in the Jewish tradition. Examples are found in the Old Testament (see Hosea 1) and in the New Testament (see Acts 21:11). This object lesson of Jesus served as the touchstone for his teaching the central tenets and values of being a follower of his that followed this action; that is, to operate first and foremost out of love.

Patience as a Spiritual Discipline

It is said that patience is a virtue, but patience is also a spiritual practice: a rehearsed behavior over time which allows the Spirit to form and reform you.

On the one hand I am a patient person in allowing things to unfold. On the other hand, I often meet my expected deadline or end date, even if it is not stated, and begin to want to accelerate things to move on. It is truly a challenge when I have no control over the process or events in question and have to trust God.

Completing One's Prayers

For this past Sunday’s confirmation meeting, Pastor Lauren and I created a review of what we have covered since January. Our confirmands were divided into two teams and had a friendly competition to see who remembered how much and what. For example, they were given a statement and had to determine if it was true or false. In that spirit, here is a question for you: “God became human, that humans might become God,” is both biblically true, and theologically orthodox; True or False? Hold onto your answer.

On the importance of Popes

My reflection this week is about the importance—not the necessity—of Popes. In particular, how important Popes have been—and will continue to be—in our interconnected world.

I was raised in a Catholic-adverse family and church, though I and my family had many friends who were Catholic. What repelled us from Catholicism (I was told) was Mary, not the Pope. But as I grew up my understanding of Christianity and its many expressions grew as well. This was especially true when I became involved in a broadly ecumenical campus ministry at the University of Pittsburgh. There I made friends with Baptists, Five Point-Calvinists, Christians from holiness traditions, as well as Roman and Orthodox Catholic Christians. This experience changed my life. It was here I discerned my call to ministry.

Easter by Frederick Buechner

When I was a seminary professor, I would often use 

pieces by Frederick Buechner as devotions to open my classes. This one is among the most memorable, as it leaves each of us to complete it.

“Christmas has a large and colorful cast of characters including not only the three principals themselves, but the angel Gabriel, the innkeeper, the shepherds, the heavenly host, the three Wise Men, Herod, the star of Bethlehem, and even the animals kneeling in the straw. In one form or another we have seen them represented so often that we would recognize them anywhere. We know about the birth in all its detail as well as we know about the births of ourselves or our children, maybe more so. The manger is as familiar as home. We have made a major production of it, and as minor attractions we have added the carols, the tree, the presents, the cards. Santa Claus, Ebenezer Scrooge, and so on. With Easter it is entirely different.

Popes, Passion, and Palms

This Sunday begins Holy Week, From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday we spend a week praying through what is the largest section that all four gospels have in common: Jesus’s last week in Jerusalem. We call this story Christ’s “passion” which comes from a Latin word meaning to suffer, bear, or endure. Recently, Palm Sunday has become “Passion Sunday” which opens with a procession with palms. This is because if people come to church on Palm Sunday and then return on Easter, you have two celebrations and no Passion, no Cross.

Our Roots of Resistance

In the culture that Christianity was birthed, it was a premium to be a Roman citizen for the benefits it afforded you. To maintain your citizenship, one would often, depending on when and where one was living, have to declare their allegiance annually to Caesar. They would do this by making the public declaration that “Caesar is Lord.”

The earliest Christian creed was simply, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” a direct rebuttal to the Roman “creed.” Denial of either the current caesar’s authority or divinity, or both, could cause you to lose you citizenship—possibly even your life. Belief in Christ in the first few centuries was an act of resistance to the Roman empire, and the powers of the world in general. Because it is baked into the New Testament, resistance continues to be a core value of the gospel.

Practicing Generosity

When Pastor Todd was a young pastor in Rockford, Illinois, he was blessed to serve in a city which had a robust Police Chaplain’s Department. Churches in town would contribute to the Police Chaplain’s fund. This was greatly appreciated because when a person, couple, or family came to a church for help, they would send them to the Police Chaplain’s office. They had the human and financial resources to truly help these people while preventing people from going from church to church looking for money. Centralizing care helped more people more effectively. 

First Covenant Church is a compassionate, generous community. Some members of our community have needs to which other members of our church family have offered their assistance. But sometimes this results in some people getting more resources than they need while others may not receive enough.

Unexpected Gifts

I put a book on my Christmas “wish list” this past year. A short, light read of a book to explore on my then upcoming flight to Japan. It was a book in the “33 1/3” series of short monographs on important records from the 1950s to today. My request was for the one written on Dusty in Memphis by Warren Hanes. Dusty in Memphis was Atlantic Record’s experiment bringing British pop singer Dusty Springfield to the US to record with some of the top musicians in Memphis; the same musicians that played behind some of Springfield’s favorite rhythm and blues records. Although the album was not a huge success, save the single “Son of a Preacher Man,” it has quickly entered the pantheon of great records of the post-World War II era. I have come to appreciate the record with each new listen and wanted to learn more. A brief, breezy read for part of a long flight.

Learning about Immigration

At Julfest last December, we talked about how our church, First Covenant, is an immigrant church. Our church and our denomination were started by Swedish immigrants who came to America seeking a better life. We are not unique in this. Most Americans have an immigrant past, whether recent or generations old. 

Immigration has been intrinsic to our country’s history since its founding. And we have a longstanding belief that we are a melting pot–that we welcome people of all cultures and backgrounds, drawing them into our national identity, making us stronger through our diversity. In reality, immigrating to America has always been a difficult process, and most groups of immigrants receive a cold welcome, at least at first. It’s been especially hard for those who can’t easily assimilate into the Eurocentric mainline culture, whether because of skin color, religious difference, or cultural practices. 

A Matter of Scale

In our recent travels to Japan, Susan and I, experienced quite cross-section of that country. We started our journey in a relatively small city (160, 000) in Japan’s far south, Myakonojo. It was a place where the pace was slow and people knew each other. It is also where our son lives, and he made it seem very hospitable as he knew more than a few people in his community, and they knew him.

From there we went to Kyoto, the original capital of Japan. Though a major urban center, it was not a metropolis. The expansive menus offered by Kyoto’s restaurants, as well as its shrines, temples, historical markers, museums, and shops created a larger, richer culture than Myakonojo. But even there we found small shops with single proprietors who remembered you when you returned.

Camp Sunday

Week two of worship in the Summit building will bring even more changes to our Sunday morning routine. And they’re sure to be fun changes, since this week we’re celebrating Camp Sunday! 

What is Camp Sunday, you ask? Well, it’s a day when we celebrate our church’s long-standing connection to Cascades Camp and Conference Center. We’ll learn more about Cascades from Executive Director Rob Mohrweis (son of First Cov members Tom and Jean Mohrweis); and we’ll share the joys of the camp experience through special music, food, skits, reflections, and more.

First Covenant Church: A Church on the Move!

The next two Sundays will be much like the past two Sundays: We will gather at 10:00 am for worship and we will have nursery care for our youngest children and formation for our older children. One Sunday we will have a formation event and a meal after worship (Feb. 23). Pretty much, “Same old, same old.”

But there will be some notable differences. We will not meet to worship under our dome. Instead, we will be meeting in the Summit building (next door to the east) while the interior of our dome will be getting a much-needed facelift.

Worship Alerts

I often wake up to “weather alerts” on my iPad when I am about to begin my morning prayers. These alerts are short and to the point. They essentially say “Pay attention, a change in the weather is coming and you need to pay attention.”

In that spirit I have a “worship alert” for you.

We will be preparing our worship space for interior repairs on the dome this Sunday after worship and before our Adult Sunday School offering (moving the first few rows of pews).

Groundhogs and Candles

This Sunday is Groundhog Day. The lectionary tells us it is the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany and The Presentation of Jesus, which is also known as Candlemas. So many choices! But Groundhog Day seems trivial in the context of the life of our church.

Yet, when I was growing up in the northern reaches of the Allegheny mountains, Groundhog Day was an important, local event. Punxsutawney, the epicenter of Groundhog Day, was south of where I grew and a bit east, just west of State College, Pennsylvania, where Penn State is located. This area I grew up in was once home to the Seneca Nation, whose famous Chief Cornplanter was an aide to George Washington and fought in the Revolutionary War. I mention this because it was commonly thought that Groundhog Day’s origins were our native Seneca friends’ use of a “groundhog shadow technique” to determine when to begin planting.

The Spiritual Director of the Civil Rights Movement

This past week we honored the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. And for good reason. Rev. King was the voice and face of the civil rights movement, here in the United States and around the world. His insistence on nonviolent methods of protest and focusing on the civil rights of all people including our Native American, Asian, and Hispanic friends defined the movement for many. He was also a Christian minister who united Christians around our country and around our world in the fight for human rights. He literally locked arms in the face of high-pressure hoses, billy clubs, and attack dogs with fellow Baptists, Protestants of all persuasions, along with Orthodox and Catholic Christians. His was an ecumenical, interfaith, and interracial coalition. These are just a few of the reasons we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.