March 2016 Pastor's Message - From the Newsletter

Dear Emanuel Members and Friends –

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Luke 10:1-9)

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9:62)

A song currently playing frequently (perhaps too frequently) on the radio, by the musical duo “21 Pilots”, contains the refrain:

“Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol’ days,
When our momma sang us to sleep but now we’re stressed out.”

This song speaks from the perspective of one who is on the cusp of maturity, not feeling entirely ready for the responsibilities of adulthood, but instead looking back to the relatively carefree days of childhood.  Inevitably, inexorably, the singer is heading toward maturity, but not without a glance backward to “the good ol’ days/when our momma sang us to sleep.…”   However, the singer knows that, ready or not, the responsibilities of adulthood await him, and therefore he is “stressed out.”

Like physical and mental maturity, spiritual maturity is not attained without struggle.  Particularly in the church, it is tempting – and it is easy – to rest in a kind of perpetual spiritual childhood, assuming that the familiar spaces and scenes of our childhood will always be there to comfort us, that the church will always be there to serve us.  After all, Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto me, and do not forbid them, for of us is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14, Luke 18:16)   Familiar surroundings, favorite scriptures, beloved hymns, can, instead of spurring us to mission, be like a lullaby, can have a similar effect to when “our momma sang us to sleep”.    Paul’s call for his readers – and for us – to grow into spiritual maturity (even while retaining childlike trust in God) was likely jarring to his listeners, and may be jarring to us as well.  It is indeed jarring to realize that the buildings and ornaments which we assumed would always be with us, are, like all other earthly possessions, temporary.  And when that which is familiar is removed from us, and we are thrust into surroundings that are unfamiliar, we can readily become “stressed out.” 

          “Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young,

          How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from?….” (21 Pilots, ‘Stressed Out’)

Jesus’ instructions to the “seventy others” – which echo those he gave earlier to his twelve disciples – are striking to us.  “Carry no purse, no bag, nor two tunics, nor sandals…..” (Matthew 10: 9-10, Mark 6:8-9, Luke 10:4)  The seventy, like the twelve before them, were instructed to travel light.  They were not to engage in elaborate planning for their mission, but rather trust in God to provide for their needs through the hospitality of those to whom they ministered.

Needless to say, our churches, by and large, do not follow this pattern of ministry.  Most of our churches (Emanuel included), in order to carry out our mission, believe we need, not only a purse (i.e. a bank account), a bag (storage space for possessions and mementos), multiple tunics and sandals (vestments), but also a large and functional building (preferably handicapped-accessible), a pipe organ, stained glass windows, pews (cushioned if funds permit),  candles, altar flowers, and a big brass cross….and that’s the bare minimum.   Jesus told his disciples to “Go on your way” (that is, venture beyond the confines of worship space and into the wider world), but our pattern of ministry, with familiar sights and sounds and even smells,  instead invites people to remain, to form a “holy huddle” in one place.

We used to play pretend, give each other different names,
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away,
Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face,
Saying, "Wake up, you need to make money. (Yah) "  (21 Pilots, ‘Stressed Out’)

Our building needs significant repairs.  Specifically, in the wake of recent storms, the brick work in our front wall is shifting.  Our insurance has been contacted, along with multiple structural engineers.  Bids from several contractors are pending.   In the meantime, demonstrating an abundance of caution, at least a week’s worth of services have been shifted to nearby Bridesburg Presbyterian church on Pratt Street.  (UPDATE: Services will resume at Emanuel Church starting Sunday, March 13, 2016. Use Almond Street gate via cemetery.)

It’s an unsettling situation.  To travel to Fillmore Street and see a padlock on our front gate, to travel (even if only a few blocks) to a less familiar church, to sit in pews with worshipers we don’t know well, to follow an unfamiliar order of worship and sing from a different hymnal – all these things contribute to a sense of dislocation.  It’s Sunday morning, and we’re in church, but not “our” church. 

We fervently pray it’s a temporary situation, and that we can return to Fillmore Street soon.  But while we’re “on the road”, so to speak, I’d encourage us to view the situation not just as an inconvenience – which it most assuredly is - but as an invitation to grow in spiritual maturity.  Meeting and worshiping with our Presbyterian sisters and brothers (or those of any other congregation) is a good thing.  Sitting in an unfamiliar sanctuary and realizing that God is there too, just as God was present on Fillmore Street, is a good thing.  Living out the truth of the children’s song “The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple/ the church is not a resting place, the church is people” is a good thing.  And Jesus never promised that following him would be without inconvenience.

Growing into spiritual maturity is a lifelong process, and involves growing pains.  During this (hopefully brief) time of dislocation, we may at times become “stressed out”.  I share in these feelings of dislocation and stress.  But, trusting in the wisdom of the old hymn, may we pray “Have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way.  Thou art the potter, I am the clay….”  May we trust that the God who has carried Emanuel Church through over 150 years of ministry will continue to be in our midst, shaping and molding our congregation now so that we can be matured and equipped to serve God and neighbor in the future.

See you in church – Pastor Dave