Early Church Memories

These are some of my first memories of church.

First of all, I can remember giving a brief talk in church when I was just four or five years old.  I was standing on a pew during the service, right next to our pastor.  I spoke to the children in the church, saying that "I hope you had a happy time in Sunday School today!"

My parents and younger sister and I attended church almost every week as I remember.  I recall my fourth grade Sunday School class meeting in the basement of the Whitefish Bay Methodist Church.  One of our main tasks that year was to memorize the books of the Bible in order.  I was so pleased when I learned them correctly!  I think that I still could repeat them pretty accurately.  It does make it easier and quicker to find a Bible passage.

After my time in fourth grade our family moved to Wauwatosa where we joined the Elm Grove Methodist Church.  Most of the young people attended Elm Grove and Brookfield schools.  Nancy, a good friend of mine from Wauwatosa, joined me in Sunday School, youth choir, and MYF youth group.  It was fun having a whole new group of kids to get to know, and having Nancy there made me feel more comfortable.  Both of my parents cared a great deal about church, and they both were always very active in its work, similar to Norm and me.

What are some of your first memories in church?  Did you have any moments or experiences that made a significant impression on you? 

- Sue

Sermon Reflection | January 27, 2013

Read: 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a and Luke 4:14-21
Listen: Is It That Easy?
Dig a Little Deeper:

A Wikipedia article on Congregationalist Polity, that tells you a bit about what it means to function in an autonomous, yet covenantal way.

Another Wikipedia article, on the Body of Christ.  Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it-- I love Wikipedia. 

Some words from Kate Huey.  I seriously just cannot get enough of her beautiful writing.

Some information about the Open and Affirming process that we will be discussing for the next two years.  

   
There are a few other topics that are interesting me this week that I wanted to include in this blog:

Lillian Daniel, a preacher and theologian I look up to, just came out with a new book called, "When 'Spiritual but Not Religious' is Not Enough."  I, for one, will be reading this book!  I hope you'll join me!  But, for now, check out this video and interview. 

The President's second inauguration really hooked me this week, and in the same episode as Lillian Daniel's interview and video ^^ there was a brief conversation about religion during the inaugural address.

Sermon Reflection:

In many ways, this sermon was meant for this particular congregation about to attend an Annual Meeting, so if you're not a member of the congregation you might feel a little left out of this one.  But at the same time, these are questions we all need to be asking.  How do we, as individuals, as a church, or in our own workplaces, groups, etc. define our mission and our identity?  What are some ways that we can effectively self-analyze and vision for the future?

What part of the Body of Christ are you?  Why?  

For you, who are the captives, the blind, the oppressed, and the poor? 

Sermon Reflection | January 20, 2013

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 and John 2:1-11
Listen: The Gift of Transformation
Dig a Little Deeper:
Here is some information about The King Center.

Highlights:

I wonder if we can ever reach a point where the conversations we have in social media can have the power to transform our world?  I believe that as the world gets smaller, the small conversations we have begin to matter.  How can we take advantage of the voice we've been given through social media?

I don't want to sum this one up too much, because I truly want you to listen to it.  I truly want your feedback.  This is a fairly "Unitarian" sermon here, to be honest, and I'd love for part of your feedback to be about "What makes this a Christian issue?" and/or "How does this message apply to people of all beliefs and backgrounds?"

I'll leave this one pretty open-ended.  Just listen, and respond. 

So what exactly IS Christian Education?

"Christian Education" is a funny thing, isn't it?

I mean, educating an identity--any identity, really--is a funny thing. Some people are Christian, some aren't. Some aren't sure what they are. Some feel drawn to Christianity some days more than others, and--if you've been following this week's NPR series on the rise of the "nones" (another really interesting [and important] discussion, if you ask me)--some consider Christianity more a part of their past than their present.

So we've got an identity. And for many people in various places along the "Christian identity" spectrum mentioned above, we've got some sort of education. Sunday School, Bible studies, books of all kinds, movies, retreats, and gatherings all serve, in some way, as a method and means of education into what it means to identify with this religion/community/way of life. And that's where we start to get ourselves in trouble.

Being human means that we get caught up from time to time in worrying that we're doing something "right:" that we're feeding our kids well, that our parents are being cared for, that we're doing our part to keep God's Creation beautiful. And just like it extends to education in general, our concerns for doing something "right" will just as often extend to Christian education.

What does doing it "right" consist of? For some, it means memorizing as many Bible verses as you can. Telling those great stories we remember learning in Sunday School. Singing the "Good Old Hymns."  For even others, it means making sure our kids are willing to say grace before dinner and bring an offering on Sunday. Oh yeah, it means that they'll be well behaved all the time, too. *cough*

For me, I think Christian Education is many of these things. But I also think that Christian Education is something larger. Christian Education, primarily and fundamentally, is about learning how to recognize God in, around, and among us. That's why we learn so many of the Bible stories--through them, we see how God was at work with others that are a part of our world, our larger history as a community. That's why we sing those hymns--these are the most heartfelt testimonies of others of how God was/is/will be working in lives. And (spoiler!) it's not something that can--or should--be done by one person at one department at one church. It's something to be done by all. 

We are a part of the family of God. We are God's own. If nobody else can see the movement of the Holy Spirit at work in this world, we have to stand up and say, "I see you, God. I see you at work in the world. I see what you're doing, God, and I won't just sit idly by." And if we can do that after reading together, beautiful. If we can do with towels on our heads, dressed up as shepherds in a Christmas pageant, awesome. If all it takes is coming together as a community for a fun afternoon of ice-skating for us to see the work of God in our lives, than I think my job is complete.

What does doing it "right" mean to you with regard to Christian Education? What are your most memorable "epiphanies" from any of your CE experiences? Questions, comments, recipes?

Sermon Reflection | January 13, 2013

Read: Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 3:15-17; 21-22

Listen: "Drenched in Grace"

Dig a little deeper:

Here's some good stuff from Kate Huey that doesn't relate a lot to the sermon, but is always a gift to read. 

Here's that non-canonical story from the Gospel of Thomas about Jesus forming birds out of mud as a child, adapted into poem format, by Robert Pinsky.

Here's a poem by Jeffrey Donders that refers to Jesus receiving Grace while living in the mud and muck of life:

     The mud of human evil

          is very deep,

          it stinks forcefully,

          it is full of dangerous gases,
          and there was Jesus,
          in front of John,
          asking to be allowed
          to bend down in that mud.
          And John,
          no wonder,
          hesitated.
    But he, Jesus,
    he went down,
    and when he came up,
    the mud still streaming…
                HEAVEN OPENED,
          and a voice was heard…
          and a new Spirit
          a new life
          and a new heart
          were announced,
          glory, glory, alleluia.
    He was bathed in light…
          drowned in God’s voice…
          full of spirit;
              but what about the mud,
              was he going to forget it?
    … No
    because once he got the spirit,
    that Spirit drove him…
          to do his work
          in this world,
          to struggle with evil in us…
          in this world,
          in order to overcome it

Here are the photos that I passed around yesterday as I preached.  I think that if you listen to the sermon and scroll through the photos you will be able to see the connections.   

A probably site for the baptism of Jesus
(Source)

A stream in my hometown, where I used to play with my dog (referenced in sermon.)
This photo, thanks to a good friend from back home, Bonnie.  

This is what our feet look like while we're receiving God's Grace.
(Source) 

This is what life seems like sometimes.
But in reality, this IS life sometimes...
because this is the tsunami in Japan in 2011.
Even in the middle of this, we are still offered God's grace.
(Source)

This is us, wet and crabby.
Still offered grace...still God's beloved.
(Source)

This is us, receiving God's grace in community, with our hooves all muddy.
(Source)

Finally, here is beautiful Allison Krauss singing "Down to the River to Pray,"  which our small but mighty choir sang so beautifully yesterday morning.  

Okay, so what do you think?  How do you remember your baptism?  What does it mean to you now?  Is it hard for you to look at yourself in a mirror and say, "You are God's Beloved?"  Why is it important for us to remember that God loves us and is pleased with us?  

The Thinking Church: What’s in a Name?

I can still remember a commercial for a TV channel that aired during my childhood, well over 15 years ago.  Someone stands in the center of the screen and says, “Great minds think alike!”  The Genie from Aladdin sticks his head sideways in the shot and interjects, “Great minds think for themselves!”  

If you haven’t felt the love already, welcome to The Thinking Church!  As with any project, many discussions prior to the launch focused on what to call our blog.  Your blog.  How do we capture, in one short phrase, our community’s identity and our history and our intentions and our future and our aspirations?  It was a bit mind-boggling.  

The Thinking Church.

This name came out of our best efforts to articulate who we are and who we want to be.  It wasn’t easy.  Our congregation is home to Tea Partiers and former Woodstock-ers.  We have representatives from the Greatest Generation and the Millennials.  Some have their fingertips constantly tapping a smart phone, and others aren’t connected to the internet.  Some grew up in church with a vibrant, religious past, and others identify themselves as agnostics, searching for some sort of unknown meaning to life.    

We embrace our diversity, but it’s exactly what makes it hard to abbreviate our identity into one phrase.  Like Genie’s recommendation during my formidable years, we feel that what does unite us is our desire to think critically about our faith.  What that looks like, exactly, is slightly different for everyone here.  That means that our congregation consists of different opinions and preferences.  We see respectful debate and internal struggle as part of the continuous process of extracting truth and developing a greater understanding of God.  We don’t see the world comprised of black and white issues, but vibrant hues of cyan, magenta, and everything in between.  Our thinking will never end and we will never be finished understanding how scripture translates meaning into our everyday life.  

We are The Thinking Church, using our heads to lift the hearts of those in our community, whether inside or beyond our church doors.  No matter who you are or what you believe, we are glad you're here.  Welcome!  

- SP

Sermon Reflection | January 6, 2013

Read: Matthew 2:1-12

Listen: What the Magi Did Right*

Dig a Little Deeper:

UCC Sermon Seeds from Kate Huey

A Reflection from the Center for Excellence in Preaching

A quote from St. Bernard, "For they offered to Mary, the mother of the child, gold to relieve her poverty, incense against the stench of the stable and evil air, myrrh for to comfort the tender members of the child and to put away vermin." (In other words-- Money, febreeze, and lotion.)

Highlights:
In this sermon, I talk about the way that in this passage the Magi have used four different ways of moving forward in their faith journey: 

• God's Creation; Nature

• Personal Experience

• Community

• Scripture

What do you think?  Can you think of more?  Can you think of a time that one of these "methods" brought you closer to understanding your faith?

I also said that I think the Magi are examples we should hold highly as we travel our faith journey.  Would you like to share some examples you hold highly as you walk your faith journey?  People who have showed you how to get closer to Christ? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts!


P.S. Enjoy this video below, James Taylor's "Home By Another Way," which refers to the Magi.  The video was recommended on our Facebook page.  Thanks! 

*This particular recording was done outside of the church service.