Being Connected

This past Sunday we welcomed Rev Mark Tammen to our pulpit. Mark is the newly appointed General Presbyter for the Presbytery of Long Island and spoke at our Adult Forum about the challenges of being part of the larger church, which in our Presbyterian situation consists of a local Presbytery, regional Synod and national General Assembly.

Every denomination structures itself in different ways… and even those churches that claim to be independent often form alliances with like-minded brethren (or their female equivalent) somewhere along the line. For myself one of the things I enjoy about belonging to the P.C. (USA) is that we do have a larger body, in our case the Presbytery of Long Island, that we relate to. You can find out more about the Presbytery, and the work that is done with our support, by following this link.

For myself it is great encouragement to meet with other ministers and elders from around the Presbytery and share our concerns. As we do so we often find we are facing the same struggles and problems. Our Presbytery meetings, though sometimes beset by the tedium that any governing body experiences, can also be truly inspiring. A high point can be the stories shared by those who feel newly called to ministry as they tell of their faith journey. It is fascinating to hear how the Spirit is at work!

I have to confess that the word ‘committee’ is not one that fills me with hope. Yet as I participate in the work of different Presbytery Committees I can often sense that God is guiding and leading us in unexpected ways.

Being connected is important. The Church is about more than what happens in our local congregations. It’s good to remind ourselves that we are not alone and that it’s not all about us!

Prayer: ‘Lord, we are thankful that the work of Your church goes far beyond what happens in our pew. We are aware that there are things we can accomplish together that we cannot achieve alone. We thank You for the privilege of sharing in ministry through the connections we have. Most of all we are thankful for the connection we have with You, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.’

Trinity Sunday

As well as being Trinity Sunday, our Church here in Baldwin squeezed in Sunday School singers, recognizing graduates, celebrating our Sunday School Teachers and may even have mentioned Fathers Day somewhere in the mix. The sermon for the day spoke about transitional lenses! Want to know more? The sermon can be found here.

Meanwhile, getting back to that Trinity thing. It seems to be a stumbling block for many. Claims that it was an invention of early theologians and that it isn’t in the bible abound. Other religions tend to misinterpret it. In certain passages of the Koran, the Trinity is pictured as being the Father, the mother (Mary) and their son Jesus. Such a construct is entirely lacking in the Christian Scriptures!

Whilst the phrase ‘Trinity’ nowhere appears in the Bible, the New Testament certainly does speak of God as a Father, Jesus Christ as ‘Son of God’ and the Holy Spirit as being an essential part of the nature of God. All three are spoken of in close relation to one another, and none of the three acts independent from the whole.

Analyze it too much and you end up weaving knots. Ignore it and you seriously omit a big part of the New Testaments understanding of who God is, what Jesus was about and how the work of God continues to impact our world through the Holy Spirit.

Personally I have room for mystery. I am grateful to those theologians who dig deep and seek to explain it. But I also notice that the New Testament authors did not the feel the need to do so. They just lived it.

Prayer: Lord, sometimes when we seek to explain everything we just muddy the waters. Help us have the kind of faith that is more about living than theorizing! We thank You for the love shown to us in Jesus and are thankful for the way Your Spirit continues to work His ways into Your everyday world. Amen.

Pentecost

The Church was given birth through the action of the Holy Spirit who energized the disciples as they waited together in worship and prayer. Our birthday sermon can be found here.

The Baptist Preacher Charles Spurgeon once wrote “Without the Spirit of God we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind or chariots without steeds. Like branches without sap, we are withered. Like coals without fire, we are useless. As an offering without the sacrificial flame, we are unaccepted.”

Our direction and our energy are both dependent upon the action of God’s Spirit working in, through and around our lives. Without the Holy Spirit, Christian life degenerates into a hard slog to attain unreachable ideals. Without the action of God’s Spirit inspiring us and renewing us we maintain a graceless existence.

John’s gospel describes the Holy Spirit’s work as being ‘Living Water’. Already this summer here in Long Island we are experiencing high temperatures and our weather broadcasts are issuing warnings to stay hydrated and seek the shade.

If we feel our Christian life has become dry and lifeless, maybe we need to seek a Holy Ghost refreshing! How do we do that? Through prayer. Through meditating on God’s Word. Through worship, alone and in the company of others. Through reminding ourselves that every day we live, we live in the shadow of an Almighty God whose love is for us in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, today we seek the refreshing wind of Your Holy Spirit to blow upon our lives. Remind us that our strength lies not in what we can achieve, but in what Your grace can do in us and through us. Fill us with Your Spirit this day. Amen.

Table Talk

This past Sunday was our Music Sunday. It was also a communion service. We were led to the table by numerous musical contributions varying from anthems featuring the chancel and bell choirs to piano pieces by some of the youngest children. It was truly a delight and a feast of many different sounds.

My own contribution was a communion song titled 'Table Talk'. As some folk had asked for the words, this is a suitable place to post them.

'Lord, I can scarcely understand,
The love here shown to me
The broken bread, the red, red wine,
This sacred mystery

Lord, although my faith is weak,
It’s here my soul flys free
The broken bread, the red, red wine,
Speaking liberty

Oh Lord, my Lord, Such love shown here to me
Jesus, Jesus, Crucified yet free.

Lord, I can scarcely understand,
How death became victory
Your broken body, the red, red blood,
The Cross of Calvary

Oh Lord, my Lord, Such love shown here to me
Jesus, Jesus, Crucified yet free.

Lord, I can scarcely understand the love here shown to me.'

Following worship, in the afternoon, we were treated to a jazz concert by Matt Wilson and guests that served as a fund raiser for 'Relay for Life'. A most musical and inspiring day!