A Modern Day Nativity Scene

Two significant events occurred in the past week, one global and the other local. On December 5, Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95, and in the early hours of this morning a fire broke out in downtown Ripon. The memorial service for Mandela was attended by countless world leaders (well not countless, surely someone counted them), including four United States presidents. Firefighters, reporters and curious spectators viewed the blaze downtown this morning. At first, Mandela's death seems isolated from the fire in our small town. But though both of these events, I see a connection.

These events are what make us human.

I read the status of a Facebook friend this morning who wrote, "A man at the gas station (I was at the BP station by Save A Lot) noticed the fire department plate on my truck and asked if I was a fireman. I kind of laughed and told him no, but my husband is. He asked if he is at the fire in town and when I said that he's been there since 3:30 [a.m.] he told me to, 'tell him thank you for risking his own safety and life for others.' I just about tipped over --- couldn't be a prouder wife at that moment!"

You have probably seen in a newspaper or on t.v. the mounds of flowers laid by strangers in South Africa to honor the great hero.

Through the tragedy of this morning and the sadness and celebration of Madiba's passing we are reminded of the care and love in the world and in our community. My Facebook newsfeed is full of people listing the items needed by the Ripon families whose Main St. apartments suffered damage. Before 11 a.m., I was made aware of the ways First Congregational Church of Ripon is planning to help these families through donations of soup, money and other items.

From both of these sad events I am filled with joy. I feel jubilant that God has given us the gift of compassion that we can share with others. When we suffer heartache we don't suffer alone. God mourns with us and gives us brothers and sisters to carry the burden as well.

This year, in my own thoughts, I've explored what it means to be human. What I've found most compelling is how we react to times when life is really tough. From those moments I've seen the most beauty in people, and I believe that is a direct expression of God's presence within all of us.

From the physical loss of Mandela I have seen a world that has taken time to celebrate his beliefs, not because they were his but because they are all of ours: love, education, resilience, harmony. From the downtown fire I see care from the community for the families and business owners on that block, even when some of us don't know any of those affected by name.

In a previous blog post Pastor Joanna wrote that the image of baby Jesus is one of her favorite depictions of him. I would agree with her. I believe that visualizing Jesus as a tiny baby is an image of each one of us. We cannot avoid the pain of tragedy and we feel helpless when it comes. But we are surrounded by wise men, angels, shepherds, Marys, and Josephs who take care of us and who love us. 

We are made in the image of Jesus, but I also think we are made in the image of all who attended his birth, and in this way we have the gift of compassion and love to share with the world. 

Sermon Reflection | December 1, 2013

Read: Psalm 122; Listen: A Secular Psalm Response to Psalm 12, by Maic D'Agostino, and read by Erin Ter Beest

Listen: Finding Peace, Sharing Peace

Dig a Little Deeper:

Last week I ranted about shopping on Thanksgiving.  I said that I think it's ridiculous, and even quite sad, that we've begun shopping on the one day of the year dedicated to giving thanks for what we already have.  In response, one of our worship committee members came up with a pun on Psalm 122: "I was glad when they said to me 'Let us go up to the house of the Lord & Taylor."  My husband, who is a poet by calling, took the pun a step further and wrote this Secular Psalm: 

A Secular Psalm Response to Psalm 122, by Maic D’AgostinoI was glad when they advertised to me,    ‘Come shop in the house of the Lord & Taylor!’  Our feet are stampeding    to your gates, O Macy’s,
And Wal-Mart, too—built like cities    that are full of deals upon deals upon deals.  To the department stores the shoppers go up,    the shoppers of Saving & Buying, as was decreed for First World nations,    to give thanks to the name of the Sale.  For there the thrones for CEOs are set up,    the thrones of the house of Revenue. 
Pray for the stocks of Wall Street:    ‘May they prosper who are shopped by you.  Opulence be within their walls,    and low prices within your towers.’  For the sake of my relatives and friends    I will say, ‘You won’t believe how much junk I bought.’  For the sake of the house of the Large Retailer,    I will seek your doorbusters.

Advent is my favorite season of the year, both as a preacher and as a Christian.  The image of Little Baby Jesus speaks to me like no other image of Jesus.  I'll tell you why.  I've seen the vulnerability of my own babies.  I've seen them floppy and completely dependent.  I've seen them sick and unable to understand why they are in pain.  When I imagine that God chose a baby-- floppy and vulnerable-- to redeem the whole wide world, it completely changes the way I see God.  It completely changes the way I see myself.  It shows that God trusts and believes that we, tiny and flawed and vulnerable as we are, are capable of bringing about the Kingdom. God doesn't need the strong and powerful to do the work; God just needs us to come as we are. 

I'll get into that more this season.  I hope you'll be around to share in the conversation with me. 

--Pastor Joanna 

Sermon Reflection | November 17, 2013

Hi Friends!
I don't know how long it takes a normal person to get back into the swing of work after maternity leave, but I feel like I might be finally getting there.  This week is my fourth week back.  I am usually about 15 minutes late every morning, but I do make it to the office, and I am always dressed.  This morning I fit back into some pants I haven't fit in for a while and my 2-year-old exclaimed, "Oh Mommy, congratulations!" followed by, "You're soft; I want to hold you."  I always wonder how those little minds work.  She is certainly back into the swing of toddlerhood and has taken to life as a big sister quite well.  She only likes the baby when he does something, which is very rare at this stage in babyhood.  At least it gives me confidence that she will love him more the older he gets!

I'm also feeling as if we're getting back into the swing of things because the church seems to be revving up again.  First of all, yesterday was our largest attendance in two months.*  Second, our little one-room Sunday School is building in consistency and excitement.  We don't have a lot of kids in our church, but the ones we have are so fun and unique and I want them to have a great place to learn here.  Our new CE director, Olivia, is doing such a great job serving kids ages 2 years to 7th grade - a very, very difficult task.  And the best part-- they're coming!  Consistently!  And they're enjoying it. Third, we have many great programs and ideas in place and ready to get started.  I'm afraid several things fell by the wayside when summer came along.  People were out of town, I was tired and pregnant . . . but now we're ready to start book study again, along with a monthly film viewing called "Popcorn in the Pews."  We'll be joining Madison's Prison Ministry by attending worship services at Fox Lake Correctional Facility.  Confirmation class is up and running . . . Well, let's just say it feels like the church is a fun place to be right now!

*Don't get me wrong-- I fully believe that numerical attendance isn't a sign of success in itself but it is still great when people show up!

Okay folks, part of getting back into the swing of things is that I'm ready to get back to my sermon reflections on here.  So here goes!

Read: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17*, Luke 14:28-35
It's important to read The Message Version of this passage, which goes: "May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech."
Listen: "Look What We've Built!"
Dig a little deeper: This week was Stewardship Sunday.  I am always asking the church, "what gifts do you have?" in a rhetorical way, and therefore no one ever responds to me!  This Sunday I asked about surprising gifts, but in an even broader sense.  I asked the question, "What are three things about you that might surprise us?"  Here were some of the many interesting responses we had:

Several people responded about what they want to be when they grow up.

• Maria, who is a musician, said, "As a child I loved to draw house plans and wanted to be an architect."
• Laura, a senior in high school, said, "I tell people that I'm interested in psychology and journalism, (and I am,) but when it comes down to it I truly have no idea what I want to be when I grow up."
• Holly, one of our college students, said, "I want to be a high school guidance counselor when I grow up."
• Casey wants to raise bison and meat chickens and his wife Erin has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up!
• My husband used to want to be a priest but now he wants to be a stay-at-home dad.
• Maggie, a freshman in high school, said, "I want to be a pilot."
• When Robyn, a mother of two, grows up she wants to still be a kid.

Several people talked about fears and things they hate

• Barb is afraid of coffee.
• Kara is afraid of heights.
• Maggie is afraid to become an adult.
• Maria hates coconut.
• Tim hates "labels, and people who hold fast to dogma, ideology, and political parties." (I wasn't surprised)
• Maic "doesn't care for" the Beatles, Harry Potter, Star Trek, and Vodka

And I couldn't believe the things some people said about their eating habits: 

• Stephanie has eaten raw fish eggs out of Green Lake.
• Tim loves M&Ms and bacon, together I assume.
• Andy has eaten raccoon
• Kurt, one of our tall, lean members likes to eat fast food once a week
• Bob loves meatloaf and mashed potatoes (at least some people around here are normal...)

So, what does this all have to do with our faith?  What do you think?  How do you think silly questions like this help us to grow together as a faith community?  Answer in the comments!

P.S.  I didn't have the time to write a sermon reflection on this sermon from last week (From One Generation to Another), but I do think you should listen to it, and if you do you might want to see the following articles, which I referenced in the sermon.
1. NPR "To Stave Off Decline, Churches Attract New Members With Beer"
2. This article on Nadia Bolz-Weber is where I first learned about her, but you're probably better off looking at her personal website.
3. National Geographic show, "Church Rescue"

Happenings in Madison

It's been a few months since I've given an update about my church away from church, so I would like to share a few happenings at Pres House!

Two weeks ago, our sanctuary was transformed with a crazy idea from my Pastor Erica. For a long time she has wanted to make our worship space look less like a conventional classroom and more like a space where students can worship interactively. Instead of lining up rows of chairs in neat lines, we moved the chairs into "clusters" or "pods" so people can sit in groups. In the center of each cluster is a small table where Pastors Mark and Erica place paper, pens, group discussion questions, and tangible objects to facilitate dialogue during periods in the sermon, make worship more accessible to non-auditory learners and engage us all. It's a neat concept and we are still trying to figure out some of the hurdles involved, like keeping the space wheel-chair friendly and figuring out how to approach communion, but the new setup holds promise.

This week we are having our first fireside chat, a Pres House tradition from the 1940s that we are bringing back. We are collaborating with a mental health student org to discuss the issue of mental health on campus (of course, while sitting around the fireplace). A theme we have set for our church this year is to "continue the conversation"; hopefully the fireside chat will do just that.

About a month ago, we went on Fall Retreat at the Green Lake Conference Center! The weekend was focused around the topic of "vocation: what am I called to do with my life?" A quaker artist from New Mexico led seminars filled with poetry and exploration of her artwork. A highlight for us all was spending Saturday morning creating collages about what we envisioned our lives being about. It was wonderful to be back at home in Green Lake too!

I feel so fortunate to be a part of this community in Madison and appreciate everyone (or anyone) who took time to read about it in the Ripon area. Thank you!

Andrea

Veterans Day

Hi Friends!
I've got quite a bit of catching up to do now that I've returned from my maternity leave.  Look for a sermon reflection entry tomorrow!

For today, I wanted to recognize our Veterans by sharing this video.  Maybe you've already seen it.  A church member sent it to me and said, "This would make a great mission for us."  At first I thought maybe she meant that we should invite Veterans into our church and give them a shave and a haircut, but now I realize she probably meant that we should consider giving some money to the folks who did this for Jim Wolf and others.  You can do that here, if you are interested:

"This Veterans Day donate to Degage Ministries to help other homeless veterans: http://bit.ly/198hfmV "

But I dunno . . . maybe we should invite Veterans into our church and give them a shave and a haircut . . . 

What do you think?

Leadership

Hola! I'll keep this short because I have Spanish homework calling.

Aside from new spanish courses (among others) this semester is particularly exciting for me because I am finally an upperclassman and am beginning to take on leadership roles on campus. Specifically, I have begun to co-lead a weekly freshmen women's "small group." I'm hesitant to call it a Bible study, because it's not, though many aspects of the group are similar to a conventional Bible study.

Here's a brief rundown of what small group is at Pres House:

Each week we begin small group by "checking in" with each other (as we drink copious amounts of tea and coffee and fill up on freshly baked cookies): we hear about the highs and lows of everyone's weeks and receive updates on notable events shared from the week before. Then we re-read the scripture passage from the past Sunday's worship service and spend the bulk of the meeting discussing ideas from our ministers' sermons. Finally we close in prayer.

I was a part of small group last year for sophomore women and this year I agreed to lead a freshmen group with a friend. Our first meeting was on Tuesday night and I can happily report it went pretty smoothly. Three freshmen showed up and all of them had questions about small group, Pres House in general and basic, "freshmany"things like making friends and joining clubs.

It was wonderful to learn about each of the women's lives--I even discovered one girl is from the same hometown, Shoreview, MN, as my freshman roommate and that this girl's sister attends St. Olaf College (where I went to school my freshman year) and is a junior like me. However, though the process of leading a group, I'm learning a valuable lesson about my faith.

I'm discovering that it's a genuine challenge to lead a Christian group. What kinds of questions can I ask the group so as not to offend someone or assume too much? Can I flat out ask a person if they are a Christian? How does the group begin to dig deeper into each other's lives, beliefs and insecurities? I know all of these questions will answer themselves with time and practice. In fact, it's exciting to know we are at the beginning of what will hopefully become strong, enduring relationships with each other. I just pray that I can moderate an environment that can foster relationship building smoothly.

Small group is a unique place where students can gather with one another and with Christ to grow as a group toward God. It's hard to find an similar environment elsewhere on campus. I feel fortunate to be a part of this group and seek God's guidance as I do my best to lead others.

Also, if you have any leadership tips, I'd love to hear them. :)

Adios, es la hora para espanol.

Fundraiser: Dinner with Tony

Friends, this advertisement has gone out in several places including area newspapers and all-church e-mails, but I thought I'd post it here as well. 

It has been so exciting to see the way that the community is rallying around the Raddatz-Rodriguez family in this time.  Just today, we got notice that we will be receiving a flag that has been flying over the State Capital to sell in the auction.  The auction itself has evolved from being just a silent auction to both silent and live, since several of the items are worthy of SuperFast and Exciting words, like a hot air balloon ride and this flag.  

I have loved getting to know Tony as his pastor this year.  He has an absolutely beautiful family-- real and full of ups and downs like any other human family.  I have to say that one of the things I truly love about this community is that here in Ripon people care about each other.  And when you witness and experience that care, you can see just how genuine it is.  I hope you'll come on Saturday night, if for nothing else than to see how much truth is in that statement.  

Here is the write-up that has been sent out in several forms already:

"Tony Rodriguez is a community member that has been battling with an on-going and persistent diagnosis of liver cancer that has spread to his lungs. In this time, Tony has undergone extensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments. We are saddened with heavy hearts for Tony and his family to learn that his prognosis has been recently given as poor. Even with ongoing chemotherapy treatments, Tony has been given four to ten months to live. 

Our hearts goes out to Tony, Cindy, and their family in this difficult time. As they cope with the emotional burden of this news, they also have a complicated schedule of cancer treatments, doctors’ visits, and appointments which results in unpredictable gas expenses and reduced work hours for Cindy and no work for Tony.

Though we cannot change the outcome of this situation, we can rally around the Rodriguez family as a community to ease the financial burden of this diagnosis. Please join us for a pizza buffet and silent auction fundraiser on Saturday, September 7th from 5-8 PM at Roadhouse Pizza. Tickets are $12 for the pizza buffet and available at the door or at First Congregational Church of Ripon.

If you can’t make the event, you can still show your support! Please give generously and make donations payable to First Congregational Church of Ripon with “Dinner with Tony” in the memo line. Contact Stephanie Prellwitz at s.prellwitz@gmail.com for more information."

Celebrating One Year!

Friends, 

Today is the one year anniversary of my service at the First Congregational Church of Ripon, and, in an official way, of my service to God's church in general (though I hope I can say I've been serving God's church for much longer than that).  The anniversary of my ordination was also a week ago, August 26th.  In all the hubbub of my life right now-- full-term pregnancy and purchasing a house-- I haven't really taken time to celebrate either of them.  But when I take a moment to stop and think about how important both of these dates are to me, it's clear that they're dates I should celebrate!  

For now, I will simply say in prayer: 

Thank you God for a beautiful year of service to you and your people, for the way this congregation has blessed my family, for partnership, for Grace, for learning and growth, and for potential.  May this year be one of many.  Amen.  

And share a passage of scripture that has been speaking to me as I look back on the year:
1 Corinthians 3:5-10
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.  According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.

Thank you friends for working with me, for listening to my ideas, for challenging me, and for encouraging me.  

Sermon Reflection Times TWO! | August 18, 2013; August 25, 2013

Hi Church and Church Followers!
I skipped last week's blog post, and I regret it because I liked the message I preached.  You see, the truth is (thou shalt not lie) occasionally I skip a blog post because I am not particularly pleased with the way the message comes across and I feel like it's one that I'll just let slip through the cracks.  They're all on the website, so if you REALLY want to listen you'll almost never miss one.  But last week, the post slipped through the cracks simply as a matter of prioritizing my work week, and the blog post fell to the bottom of the list.

So here!  I still won't do a full reflection, but I will post the MP3 and the scripture references.
August 18, 2013
Read: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19; Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Listen: Patience


August 25, 2013
Read: Psalm 71:1-6, Jeremiah 1:4-10
Listen: God Is Still Creating
Dig a Little Deeper: 
Here are Meister Eckhart's words.  Originally written in German, this is a translation done by Matthew Fox.

"The Word of God is always 'in the beginning'. And this means that it is always
in the process of being born and is always already born.
     Now it is the nature of a word to reveal what is hidden. The Word that is
hidden still sparkles in the darkness and whispers in the silence. It entices us to
pursue it, to yearn and sigh after it.
     For it wishes to reveal something about God.
What is my name? What is your name? What is God's name?
Our name is:
          that we must be born.
And the Creator's name is:
          to bear.
The soul alone among all creatures is generative
like God is.
               We all are meant to be mothers of God.
In this birth you will discover all blessing.
    But neglect this birth and you neglect all blessing.
          Tend only to this birth in you and you will find there
all goodness and consolation,
     all delight, all being, and all truth.
 [...]
Every day a person bears fruit a hundred times
     or a thousand times or countless times giving birth and becoming fruitful out
of the noblest foundation of all."

Here's a Wikipedia article about who Meister Eckhart is.  I think I've said this before... I'm a shameless Wikipedia fan.  I know it's not for important citations, but it's awesome for quick info!

I'm interested in what you think about the idea that God is STILL creating and forming.  This is a big theological discussion.  First of all, it is an ancient and ongoing discussion about Theism vs. Deism.  Did God create the world and then step away from it (Deism), or did God create the world and continue to be involved in it (Theism)?  Second of all, the question is how much of a role does God play in your life today?  Do you think your life is predetermined by God (predestination) or that you have free will, and God is continuing to play a role in your decisions about your own future?

I'd love to have a sit-down and chat discussion about these things, but for now you can feel free to leave a comment.  Where are you on the Deism vs. Theism spectrum?  Where are you on the Predestination vs. Free Will spectrum?  And with those in mind, what do you think of the sermon I preached this week?  Is God Still Creating you?  

Understanding Others

Given I start school in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd share an experience I'm going to be a part of this year. A few weeks ago I received an email, sent to all UW-Madison undergrads from the Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions. The Lubar Institute invited students to apply to participate in their 9th annual Undergraduate Forum which will bring together roughly 30 students (about 10 Christians, 10 Jews, and 10 Muslims) to discuss the following topics for 2 hours each month over the course of the school year:
1. Notions of God in the Abrahamic Traditions
2. Worship and Practice
3. Cultural Stereotypes of Jews, Christians, Muslims
4. Why Should There be Dialogue among Religions?
5. Homosexuality in the Abrahamic Religions
6. Experiencing Religion and Religious Dialogue Abroad
7. Faith and Orthodoxy: Liberal Views vs. Conservative and Fundamentalist Views

This link explains the goals of the Lubar Institute's Forum: http://vimeo.com/52875748

Through a discussion of each of these topics, the goal is to identify an intersection between different Abrahamic faiths. I was intrigued when I read through the email and decided to submit an application. Here is the personal statement I wrote:

I am a Christian. One who is not content. I am tired of my Christian identity being glued to a honeycomb. This  honeycomb appears sweet, but as you look closer you find compartments. And within each of these compartments is a judgment from another Christian or a  Jewish friend or a person a thousand miles away. There are many judgments like:

She’s a Christian and therefore she must not accept my sexuality. She views the words in her Bible as an incontestable guide. I’m sure she believes all non-Christians are going to hell. I doubt she many friends of other faiths. I bet she wishes everyone were Christian.

I am a Christian who is not content, but I am a Christian who is grateful. In an experience like the Lubar Undergraduate Forum I have the opportunity to say:

Hey, I’m a Christian. I like to worship through writing. Gay is ok and my Bible is a bound tapestry of principles, ancient Middle Eastern culture, adventure, deceit, reconciliation, letters and ideas. Through Church and religion classes in college, I’ve learned more about my faith and Christianity and realized that sometimes, these words don’t mean the same thing. I’ve also come to admire questioning. I say, let’s stop causing violence over the answer to who are God’s chosen people, because regardless of the answer, our God desires peace.

I’m a Christian who also wants to be a doctor. I want to be there for a person who is feeling vulnerable, for that person who can’t see what is going on inside of them and who is looking if not for a cure, at the very least for comfort. I do not pray enough. When I do, it’s often in my most defenseless moments. I pray to God for his coziness and reassurance. And I feel better. Other people pray. Christians, Jews, Muslims and Baha’is pray. And they visit their doctor when they’re feeling unwell. If I can learn about the beliefs  they carry close to their hearts, I can provide healing and encouragement when medications fail. I can build their trust by extending the cultural competency they need from me and empower them to celebrate social and spiritual wellness through their spiritual practices.

I am and always have been a Christian. One who writes down her beliefs. Now I’m ready to speak on them. More importantly though, am I ready to listen to the ideas, dreams and fears of others.  I too possess an amber honey that runs syrupy thick with false conclusions about others. Events on the news, from our history and in pop culture have certainly tainted my perceptions of the real identities of people of faiths not like my own. But I yearn to break this chain of wrongful judgment through an authentic understanding of the Abrahamic religions. 

I pray that through collaborative enthusiasm, we each can crumble this honeycomb, letting its honey seep un-tasted into the earth. The Lubar Undergraduate Forum is the perfect medium to express thoughts, cultivate questions, and elicit a positive change in the world through our relationships with each other. I am thankful the opportunity to apply to this program and in gratitude to you for reading my thoughts on faith.

I wanted to share my personal statement with you because, 1) I feel strongly about what I wrote and 2) I believe our church is already a leader at embracing the different Abrahamic religions. This is what I feel most proud about when I say I go to the First Congregational Church of Ripon. We certainly do not all meet eye to eye on issues of current events, other religions and even Christianity, but we have respect for each other and a unique desire to learn.

We demonstrate our longing to learn about people different from ourselves through field trips to a Bahai temple in Chicago, panels at Ripon College, speakers over coffee hour, book clubs, clergy picnics, community vacation Bible school, monthly dinners, partnerships with individuals in Africa and many, more ways. I like that our church represents a vision that acknowledges that we do not have all the answers and that the beliefs of others are as valuable as our own.

There are of course many demographics our church has yet to reach out too and we have a lot of learning to do in the future. But, I am thankful to worship with members that receive new experiences with love. If God made humans in his likeness, we must be worshiping him when we are in relationship with each other.

A couple of days ago I found out I was picked to participate in the religion forum. I will share my experiences in the coming months!

-Andrea

Sermon Reflection | August 11, 2013

Read: Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Listen: By Faith
Dig a Little Deeper: 

•      The Author refers to the Book of Hebrews as a "word of exhortation" in Hebrews 13:22, which is the same phrase used in Acts 13:15 to describe a synagogue sermon of Paul.  So while it's often called a letter, it's really, in the author's own words, a sermon.  Interesting fact to share at your next cocktail party. 
•      A note about authorship.  I like the way it's described in my New Oxford Annotated Bible:
• "When the New Testament was being formed, this anonymous sermon was attributed to Paul, presumably because of the growing authority of Paul's reputation as a letter writer.  The early church leaders Clement, Tertullian, and Origen, however, acknowledged differences in style and theology between Hebrews and Paul's own letters.  Clement argued that Luke translated Pual's Hebrew original into Greek, while Origen suggested that a disciple of Paul wrote the letter based on Paul's notes.  Modern interpreters have suggested other authors, including Apollos and Priscilla (see Acts 18.24-26).  There is no sufficient historical evidence, however, to identify any person named in the New Testament as the author" (New Oxford Annotated Bible intro to Hebrews, New Testament pg 369).
• Many if not all churches struggle with finding the commitment necessary to get dreams and ideas off the ground.  We see so much potential, so much hope, and have so much faith in our community but each thing we want to do takes action, organization, planning, brainstorming, conversation, etc. etc etc...  I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and that's why in this sermon I hoped to really prod people to consider bringing their ideas to the surface and not just handing them off but helping to execute them and make them happen.  
• I wonder, what ideas might you have for our church?  When was the last time you said, "We should..." about our church, whether it was "we should change that lightbulb" or "we should bring about the Kingdom of God," and what can you do to make it happen?  I'd love to hear your ideas.  I'd love to cheer you on and help you where I can.  

Introducing Our New Christian Education Director!

Hi Church! 

After being so blessed by a wonderful interim Christian Education Director, we have hired Olivia Wetzel to fill the permanent position.  Olivia was the obvious choice for us, as she has been such a great nursery attendant, working with our other nursery attendant Nalani for the last several months.  Our little ones think she and Nalani are just awesome, and we're really glad that Olivia can step up and work with them more often throughout the week.  Olivia will be delivering children's messages, teaching Sunday School, continuing her work in the nursery, and coordinating family/church family activities.  She will also be posting monthly on this blog. This position is in constant re-definition right now as we work to understand what Christian Education means in our community, and Olivia and I are excited to work together with the Christian Education Committee to make that happen.  

Please come meet her and get to know her during coffee hour on Sunday, August 25th.  

Here is the introduction that Olivia contributed to the August edition of The Spire, our church newsletter. 

"Hello UCC Community!

            My name is Olivia Wetzel and I will be serving as the Director of Youth Christian Education! I just finished my undergraduate career at Ripon College and I am currently a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the field of professional school counseling. During the school year, I provided nursery care to the church community, but I am extremely excited to take on this new position as a Christian educator. One of my favorite things about the UCC church is the open and caring environment. In this environment, I feel that I have the unconditional support to help inspire the youth of the church community to engage in their own faith journeys.

            I am greatly looking forward to working with not only the youth of the church, but also its adult members in discussing different topics in faith and also organizing events for the church community as a whole. To kick off the start of Sunday School, I would love to meet you at coffee hour after the service on August 25^th! Hope to see you there! Continue to have a safe and fun summer!" -- Olivia

Peace to you all!
Pastor Joanna

            

Sermon Reflection | August 4, 2013

Read: Psalm 49 and Luke 12:13-21
Listen: The Good Life
Dig a Little Deeper: 

     It is perhaps no coincidence that I talked about letting go of material goods just after receiving an accepted offer on a house.  If I remember correctly, I preached on a similar thing shortly after moving here ( Click Here: Do I Own Too Much?). 

     Kate Huey wrote a beautiful reflection this week (she always does, and I always send you to her.  I just love her words.)  In it she includes this great, simple little side note: 

"My brother John was telling me about his recent efforts at "simplifying" - that is, getting rid of too much stuff. He said that he and his wife decided to ask themselves two questions to help them decide whether to keep something: 1. "Do we really need this?" and 2. "Really?"Good questions for the man in Jesus' story, and for us as well."

Keeping the entry short this week.  Come worship with us this coming Sunday!  Or any Sunday!  Have a blessed week this week, everybody.

Sermon Reflection | July 28, 2013

Hello Church! 

Let me tell you some things that are exciting me:

• Our youth had a brat fry fundraiser on Saturday and they raised $637.35!!  Along with a Matching Grant from the Webster Foundation, which matches up to $500, we were able to just barely break our goal of $1100!  How cool is that?  I'm really proud of them.  
• With this money, they will be going to Chicago to participate in a weekend of mission experiences including serving at soup kitchens and food distribution centers, witnessing the wealth disparity in the city of Chicago as they drive through both wealthy neighborhoods and neighborhoods in poverty, and on Sunday morning attending worship at Lawndale Community Church, a church much different in worship style and size from our own.  The program that is leading this trip is called Center for Student Missions.  You can learn more about it here.
• The community-wide VBS is coming up! I'm anxious to see how this goes, as it will be my first year seeing it in action.  The goal is to host 200 of the communities children in this way, and so far there are already 133 registered!  If you're interested, go here to register: http://www.riponvbs.org/
• We have officially hired our new, permanent Christian Education director, Olivia Wetzel!  Her job at the church is to work with the Sunday School kids and help develop opportunities for fellowship for everyone, but especially for young families, in the church (ie: ice skating, trivia nights, movie nights, retreats, etc.).  Olivia is a recent graduate of Ripon College and is going on to get her Master's Degree at the University of Oshkosh in professional school counseling.  She'll be posting here on the blog once a month, so look out for her posts!

Okay, what's really cool is that this is a lot of stuff about youth and children!  I like that kinda stuff because it's an area where I see our church evolving in the next few years, and I'm feeling confident that we have the right people-- from volunteers to paid staff like Olivia-- to lead the way.  

Now, sermon reflection. 

Read: Psalm 85 and Luke 11:1-13

Listen: Help me and Thank you

Dig a Little Deeper:  

     The book that I referred to during my sermon, "Help Thanks Wow" by Anne Lamott can be found here on Amazon.  I might suggest checking your local bookstore first (I see nothing wrong with Amazon, but I always try local first!) but if you don't find it there or don't have a chance to get out anytime soon, now you have the link.  Also, Amazon has a Kindle Edition. 

     There are about 10 million ways to talk about this passage from Luke.  I do have an appreciation for the preachers who dissect the Lord's prayer and help us remember why we say it every single Sunday.  I even appreciate the preachers who do a sermon series on it, using one line from the Lord's prayer each Sunday for several weeks.  But it didn't seem like quite the right time for that here, this week.  Instead I wanted to talk about asking God to help us in times when we feel completely overwhelmed.  I've met a lot of overwhelmed people since coming to Ripon.  This is a town full of people who DO THINGS.  Lots and lots of things.  And while I know they are often fulfilled and glad to serve, I also see people get overwhelmed more often than not. 

     So I wanted to share my image of God the Organizer.  My new favorite image, at least for this point in my life.  This is the God who sorts and stacks and arranges and helps to make our lives make more sense.  I hope you like this image of God too.  

Images of God

I am not in the writing mood today but I decided to share with you through images 4 ways I've seen God working in my life this past week.

Sunday: Admittedly, I've been out of town a number of weekends this summer and haven't spent as much time as I would like at church on Sunday. But, I had the privilege of attending worship this past Sunday and certainly felt God's presence. I enjoyed Pastor Joanna's sermon about Mary and Martha and appreciated talking about our "Mary and Martha tendencies" with my own Mary (mom) and sister Laura. The worship service outdoors gave me some "Mary" time, because I could finally focus on God.

 

Monday: This is a picture of the Green Lake County Government Building. This is a new home for me this summer. No, not the jail, but the health department! As much fun as I've had doing interny things at the Health Department, I've learned from this job that being healthy is far more than not weighing too much or exercising enough. Being healthy means having a well body, mind and soul. Not only should we, as Christians, work hard to strengthen our own souls, but we should be helping others. According to a 2012 Green Lake County Community Needs Health Assessment, 20% of County adults reported inadequate social support. As a faith community we are fortunate to have a strong network of relationships at First Congo, but I've learned that there are many more people in our area that lack loving support from others.

Monday: One Tuesday I finished one of my official favorite books of all time, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man who would Cure the World. Dr. Farmer is the man in the photo on the left. I've talked my family's ears off about how inspirational this biography is. Dr. Farmer is a physician at the Brigham in Cambridge and a rural clinic in Haiti, infectious disease specialist, founder of "Partners in Health," and Harvard Med MD/PhD Medical Anthropologist. He's lived a life of devotion to helping poor Haitians and Peruvians and prisoners in Russia with diseases such as TB, HIV, and MDR. At some point in the book, I began to feel like I will never come close to Dr. Farmer's accomplishments; and I likely never will. But Farmer addresses this worry. The author writes that Farmer made it clear he doesn't want others to strive to fit the Farmer mold. But he wants them to do something. In fact, we need  to do something.

Tuesday: On my way to Fond du Lac today, I saw lanes of clouds like these from the road. I have never seen clouds so organized before. The angels must surely be doing some housekeeping!

God is everywhere. I am blessed. Amen.

What's in a Name, Take Two.

Once upon a time we wrote this entry (well, Stephanie wrote it, but with a common understanding) about why we chose the name "The Thinking Church."

At the time, we all thought that the name really spoke about who we were, a group of church members who want to ask questions and seek deeper answers.  As time moved on, I received critiques from several people-- church members and non-church members-- saying that we sound like we think we're better than everyone else by having that name.  At first I thought well that's not true at all; we don't think that and I shrugged the critiques off.  After a while, especially when I saw the wide variety of people who were bringing the same feedback to me, I began to realize that with this title we were projecting an image of ourselves that wasn't representative of who we are, or at least who we're striving to be. 

We are A Thinking Church, but we're not THE Thinking Church.  I know a lot of thinking churches.  I know Thinking Churches that are fundamental and Thinking Churches that are progressive and everything in between.  We're a lot of other things too.  We're a questioning church.  We're a searching church. We're a worshiping church.  We're a visioning church.  We're a welcoming church.  We're a laughing church.  We're a crying church.  We're a creating church.  We're a challenging church.  And oh dear...when I really stop and think about it...isn't just about every church all of those things?  So how can we possibly say that we have the monopoly on any of them?  

So, here's what else we are: we're a church of Grace, and in that we should be a church willing to admit that sometimes we make mistakes.  So I'm going to admit it-- calling ourselves "The Thinking Church" is a mistake.  And I hope you'll all be full of Grace and let us change the name to something we are and nobody else is:  First Congo of Ripon-- short, of course, for The First Congregational Church of Ripon.  We, among other churches, are a church who is "using heads, lifting hearts."  We're still thinking people, but we're not THE ONLY thinking people, and I hope you'll see that in the words written in this little corner of the internet world.  

Peace and Grace to all of you, from A Thinker, but not The Thinker, 

-- Pastor Joanna 

P.S.  We are not changing the URL (Riponthinkingchurch.blogspot.com) at this point because that address has been published in several places and we don't want to lose people who might still type it in as they originally knew it.  That change may happen in the future, and when/if it does we will make sure to make an announcement.

A Response to General Synod 29 | Sunday July 7, 2013

Read: Psalm 30 and Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Listen: Why I Love Church (There was a sound glitch in the beginning, but it picks up after a few seconds)

Watch: Here is a slightly longer version of the video I was planning on showing instead of summarizing it myself.  You can see the meditation in its entirety, along with Rita Nakashima Brock, here at 1:09:00.  

Inspired

Today, I'm excited by the supreme court ruling on DOMA and Prop. 8 and I'm excited by a book I finished called "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" by Katherine Boo.

I believe we, as a nation, are finally raising our heavy feet from the quicksand of prejudice to lovingly embrace brothers and sisters who have been fighting a silenced struggle for too many lifetimes. And I'm overjoyed that regardless of the political outcome today, Americans across each state are and have been affirming their support of those who simply want their love for another to be acknowledged. I'm inspired by where we've come and where we're headed. I'm inspired by countries like Norway and South Africa and Belgium that set examples of LGBTQ acceptance for the U.S. I'm inspired by the way God is uniting lovers, families, churches and political leaders in the name of loving thy neighbor and loving God.

As I mentioned, I also found inspiration in the book, "Behind the Beautiful Forevers." I strongly recommend this book as it tells a non-fiction narrative of the lives of individuals of Mumbai's Annawadi slum. Boo spent 5 years investigating the daily routine, struggles and triumphs of children and adults who collect and steal polyurethane bags, plastic bottles, and scrap metal to sell in order to make a few rupees each day. What made this story incredible to me was not the squalor in which these people live, but the intelligence, thoughtfulness and hope of the people. Emotions and dreams very much like my own. Survival is certainly at the forefront of most Annawadians' minds, but extending deeper than that is their desire to achieve success for their family through a child's completion of school, finding a stable job or moving into a more prosperous slum. One boy described his goal to be "ice," which is water (something all people have in common), but a "better state." He understood the link that connects all individuals but knew he wanted a life of meaning for himself. He didn't want to be forgotten after he had died, but rather strived to make a lasting difference despite his grim circumstances. THAT is inspirational to me.

What both the court rulings and content of Boo's book reminded me today is that we are all one people united as children of God. God forgets about no one, even when our marital laws and living conditions cause us to forget about the basic needs of our fellow humans. As a Christian, I frequently feel like how Jesus' disciples are often portrayed, trying to do the right thing, but not quite getting it right. Jesus set the perfect example and the disciples did their best to follow, but often stumbled. As I learn more about the world I see that we have a long way to go before we are loving our neighbors and giving a coat to someone who needs it. We might think we're doing the right thing, when in fact, God's will is far from our actions. That said, I'm inspired by the dreams and realities of those who are making the world a more heavenly place in the U.S. in India and in many, many other places. I praise God for acting in the lives of these people, and I have so much hope for the future of the world.

What is General Synod?

Hi Church and Church Lovers!

I'm about to attend the ultimate church-lover conference: General Synod.  This is a gathering of the national denomination of the United Church of Christ which occurs every 2 years in a different location in the US.  This year, it's in Long Beach, California!  At the conference, we attend workshops, gather with various groups for networking opportunities, worship together, and vote on Resolutions and Formal Motions of the UCC.  

The United Church of Christ is a denomination in which the local churches work both autonomously and covenantally.  What that means is that each church makes its own individual decisions, but because of the covenant made with the denomination the decisions made at synod are recommendations to the local churches.  So, those resolutions and formal motions linked above are recommendations to us, the First Congregational Church of Ripon!  

What do you think about them?  As a delegate, I am your voice!  I'd love to hear what you think so that I can make decisions that represent both myself and this community.  

Any time that General Synod is in session (plenaries, worship, etc.) in the main hall, they will be webcasting live. In general that means that they will be following the schedule found in the Detailed Agenda.

The stream will be seen live on this page and on the UCC Facebook page.  I highly encourage you to tune in for the worship times.  I will be posting on Facebook just before worship each day as a reminder to tune in. 

On Thursday, I will also be attending a pre-Synod gathering of the 2030 Network of the UCC.  The 2030 Network is made up of ordained and licensed clergy in their 20s and 30s.  This will be a day of fellowship, discussion, and worship which I am so, so looking forward to!

Stay tuned!  I'll be updating along the way!

-- Pastor Joanna