SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR
Sunday, September 4, 2016
 
Psalm 139:1-18
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Philemon
Luke 14:25-33

[The prophet Jeremiah] went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel.  The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.                            - Jeremiah 18:3-4
​
One of my favorite songs is Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem,” from 1992: 
 
The birds they sang at the break of day.
“Start again,” I heard them say
“Don't dwell on what has passed away
or what is yet to be.”
Ah the wars they will be fought again
The holy dove,
She will be caught again:
bought, and sold, and bought again--
the dove is never free.
 
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack, a crack in everything--
That's how the light gets in.
 
We asked for signs; the signs were sent:
the birth betrayed, the marriage spent.
Yeah, the widowhood of every government –
signs for all to see.
 
I can't run no more
with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
a thundercloud
and they're going to hear from me.
 
Ring the bells that still can ring ...
 
You can add up the parts
but you won't have the sum.
You can strike up the march:
there is no drum.
Every heart, every heart to love will come,
but like a refugee.
 
Ring the bells that still can ring….
 
[ www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCS_MwkWzes ] 
 
The world we live in is so full of brokenness.
Jeremiah received the famous vision of the potter in the midst of his anguish over his nation’s brokenness: Judah in the sixth century before Christ was an awful mess.  The northern tribes of the Israelites had long since been dispersed into exile in foreign lands by the Assyrian Empire; now the southern kingdom called Judah was sinking in corruption and idolatry, about to be destroyed by the Babylonian Empire, its leading citizens shamefully led away into captivity at Babylon.  And the prophet Jeremiah had the sad task of informing his countrymen that God was ready to smush Judah the way a potter smushes a pot that is not turning out right.  Jeremiah certainly felt very broken about all of this.
It must have been a very small consolation for Jeremiah to note that God would also, in time, smush the Babylonian Empire, too.
Thank God, there are a few prophecies in Jeremiah’s book in which he also sees God’s salvation for His people. (chapters 29 – 31, for example, and 32:37-44, 33:10 – 26)

Each of us has broken places in our own lives, not only in our situations or circumstances, but within our personalities, our spirits, and our bodies.
Jesus challenges us to let go of our selves.  His language is shocking, upsetting: 
Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me
             cannot be my disciple.                                        Luke 14: 27
[N]one of you can become my disciple
             if you do not give up all your possessions.      Luke 14: 33
If you think it’s weird to compare losing one’s life on the cross with losing one’s possessions, watch the late George Carlin’s meditations on “Stuff.”
                       [You can look it up on YouTube]

Each of tends to confuse our “stuff” with our self.
Thank God, there is Good News for each of us as well.  But this Good News does not come cheap.
 
The Good News cost Jesus Christ his earthly life, and pursuing his Good News will cost us our worldly lives as well.  Jesus calls us to focus more and more on what is eternal; less and less on worldly “stuff.”  For us followers of Jesus, this is the daily task of “counting the cost” of discipleship, because imagining that God’s Grace comes cheap was always an illusion sent by the devil… like the notion that we could “take it with us when we go.”

Scriptures for Sunday, August 28th, 2016
Psalm 112
Proverbs 25:6-7
Hebrews 13: 1-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14


Happy are those who fear the LORD,
    who greatly delight in His commandments.
It is well with those who deal generously
           and lend,
    who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
    they will be remembered forever.
                 - Psalm 112: 1, 5-6
 
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.   Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured….
Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” …
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.            - Hebrews 13: 2-3, 5, 16
 
[Jesus said, ] “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  - Luke 14: 12-14
 
All of you need to know that giving to poor people and oppressed people is a basic part of following Jesus.
As a congregation, Bethel conducts several programs to feed and otherwise care for people who are in need.  I want to list them all, but I am concerned that I will leave out something important.  Please tell me if I skip a program that you care about, and in the near future, I will use this space to shine a spotlight on it.
First, looking at our church’s 2016-2017 annual budget, there are several such ministries under “Church Outreach” : Doctors Without Borders (a.k.a. “M.S.F.”), Elkton Area United Services (“E.A.U.S.”),  our local rescue squads and fire departments, First Step, Hoffman Homes for Youth, the Salvation Army, Smile Train, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and one individual.
Next in our budget comes the part of “Church Outreach” that has been placed under my discretion as pastor.  During the course of a year, I use it to meet needs of a few struggling families with electric bills, rent, and food.

Our Women’s Fellowship supports The Heifer Project, which enables families and communities to develop and sustain livestock, giving both short-term food and long-term opportunities to make a living.  Women’s Fellowship also conducts outreach missions such as “Love Thy Neighbor” to disadvantaged neighbors in institutions.

Then there are a number of free-will offerings which we regularly collect each year at Bethel: additional money and food for E.A.U.S. at “Souper Bowl” time, One Great Hour of Sharing, Neighbors In Need, The Christmas Fund (“Veterans of the Cross”), and Our Church’s Wider Mission— which supports the “overhead” costs of numerous other mission programs, so that money given to those programs need not be spent on “overhead.”  And, each month, our church gives peanut butter and other non-perishable foods to the E.A.U.S. food pantry.  For the August food distribution there, we gave 55 jars of P.B., which weighed 97 lbs.!

We sign up to give desserts to Meals On Wheels.

Also, there are the occasional special offerings:  we recently gathered nearly $1,200 for West Virginia flood relief.  [At the end of September, this year, you may participate in or otherwise support a mission trip to go to central WV to help re-build some housing which was lost to the flood.]  At times, we have taken special offerings for folks’ medical treatment, or relief after a fire or flood.

Once in a while, we as a church do actual, personal outreach to poor folks- such as when we brought residents of Elkton Manor to a dinner-and-a-movie event at Bethel.

That’s what I see going out from our church.
​
Beyond that, many of you personally give to poor and troubled folks in other ways.  Praise God !!

Remembering what Jesus said about “When you did it for the least of these, you did it for me” … makes me want to give all that I can.
 
It’s no sin to be cautious in your giving, BUT don’t let an excess of caution prevent you from being generous.      Jesus and the angels are waiting.

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR
Sunday, August 21
Psalm 103:1-8
Isaiah 58:9b-14
Hebrews 12:18-29
Luke 13:10-17

As we shared and prayed a few weeks ago, our region of the United Church of Christ has taken an enormous hit with the July 19th death of the         Rev. Dr. John Deckenback, our long-time Conference Minister. 
John began serving this Conference twenty-four years ago, and he led it through some very challenging times.  On countless occasions he traveled to churches in every corner of the Conference to support, to put out fires, to comfort, to reconcile, to teach, and much, much more.  The General Synod which is scheduled for next Summer in Baltimore was widely understood to be a kind of cap-stone on John’s time of ministry with us— a time to take a bow and retire… but that was not to be.

Instead, General Synod 2017 at Baltimore will remind us all, how much John did for this Conference and the wider church.
… the entire crowd was rejoicing
                  at all the wonderful things
                              that he was doing.      (Luke 13:17)
http://www.ucc.org/news_ucc_mourns_long_time_conference_minister_church_statesman_justice_advocate_john_deckenback_07202016
 
Our Conference will hold a celebration of the ministry of the                    Rev. Dr. John R. Deckenback on Saturday, September 17 at 11:00 A.M. at St. John’s UCC in Catonsville, Maryland (on the south side of Baltimore).  A reception will follow the service.  I am planning to attend, and I will be glad to take any of you with me if you, too, would like to go.  Let me know.

​Now, our Conference Board of Directors is putting one foot in front of the other, to begin the process of carrying on the work we have been doing under Rev. Deckenback’s guidance.  Here is an update :
 
Greetings Dear Friends,
I want to thank you for the many calls and messages of encouragement.  This has been a very challenging time and your support has made a world of difference. 
Since the sudden death of our beloved Conference Minister,
​Rev. Dr. John Deckenback, the CAC Staff and Board of Directors has been hard at work on the Conference's behalf.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors has met weekly to address the needs of the Conference.  We have also followed the advice and leadership of our President and General Minister,
Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer.
Through John Dorhauer's guidance, we have decided to bring in a retired Conference Minister, as our Acting Conference Minister, to help us through this time of transition.  The Acting Conference Minister will be a short term contractually position that will be focused on leading the CAC Ministry Team, facilitating the interim search process, and aiding CAC clergy and churches through a time of healing. 
John   Dorhauer   has   personally   recommended
Rev. Dr. Sheldon Culver.  Over the last few weeks, the Executive Committee has been in a time of discernment with Rev. Culver, and we have prayerfully come to agreement.  It is clear to the Executive Committee that Rev. Culver has the ministry tools and leadership skills that we need during this time.
Rev. Dr. Sheldon Culver is a recently retired Conference Minister having served in the Illinois South Conference, and previously, as an Associate Conference Minister in Missouri Mid-South Conference.  She is a trained Intentional Interim Minister with years of experience in local church settings as well as in conference settings.
She is passionate about the welfare of congregations and pastors, and looks forward to walking with the CAC during this time of transition.
Rev. Culver will begin her position as the CAC Acting Conference Minister on Wednesday, August 24, 2016.
In the coming weeks, there will be opportunities for you to meet and talk with Rev. Culver.  Until then, please keep Rev. Culver, the CAC Ministry Team, our dedicated staff and volunteers in your prayers.
 
God Bless Rev. Culver and God Bless the CAC.
 
Peace,
Lois Carrigan,  CAC Board President

Scriptures for Sunday, August 9th, 2016
Jeremiah 23: 23-29
Psalm 82
Hebrews 11:29 - 12:2
Luke 12:49 - 56

“How long will you judge unjustly
          and show partiality to the wicked?     
                               (selah)
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
     maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
     deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
          they walk around in darkness;
                 all the foundations of the earth are shaken.”
                         - Psalm 82: 2 – 5
 
Are you working for justice,  or  ignoring injustice ?
 
From wherever we started out in life- white or colored, poor or rich, bright or dull, queer or straight, citizen or alien, well-raised or wild, sick or healthy, etc. – we each experience judgment and learn to evaluate what is fair or unfair. 
Moses and the other prophets placed strong emphasis on justice for lowly, disadvantaged people.  The classic wording is “the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger” : for example, Deuteronomy 27:19: “Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow.  And all the people shall say, Amen.” (see also Psalm 94:3-7, Jeremiah 22:3, Zechariah 7:10, Malachi 3:5, and many other places in the Scriptures).
Nowadays, we face many questions concerning “strangers.”  People of many different ethnic groups and colors.  People coming from many different countries.  People from neighborhoods we don’t know or trust.  “They’re not like us.”
​
Depending on the degree of diversity we each find familiar, we may “not know a stranger” – that is, we may be able to make friends across all kinds of human differences.  But, most likely, we get suspicious and uncomfortable when we encounter some types of humans. 
Depending on where we started from and where we’ve been, different differences may excite our fears and prejudices.
Consider the current controversies swirling around
 
                                    “BLACK LIVES MATTER”
                                                     and
                                      “BLUE LIVES MATTER”  
 
If we are more attuned to the fears and historic injustices that can befall law-enforcement folks, we tend toward the “blue.”  But if we are more attuned to the fears and historic injustices that can befall people of color, we tend toward the “black.” 
Of course, in the real world, everyone experiences some injustice: “Life isn’t fair.”  However, God knows it is worse for the lowly, the disadvantaged.
If we have the “right” color skin and the “right” upbringing and the “right” connections and the “right” money available… we get to declare ourselves to be “right.”  But God sees the vast majority of humanity who have drawn the other cards.  And we know that God judges the heart, not the external appearances and accessories.  When we who imagine ourselves to be “right” point the finger of judgment, we may commit injustice similar to that which condemned Jesus.

Picture yourself here.  Jesus did.
 
Jesus challenges us to judge wisely the times in which we find ourselves – but not to judge the people.  It is too easy to delude ourselves to think that we are always the good guys.  As one 20th-century poet put it,
   The rich declare themselves poor
      And most of us are not sure
         If we have too much, but we’ll take our chances
            That God’s stopped keeping score.
​
In the United States now, we are keeping more than 2,200,000 adults in prisons and jails— a major portion of them suffering under mental disorders, poor legal representation, racial discrimination, and unjust laws. 

Uncomfortable with these topics ?    Jesus tells us,
“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth ?  
No, I tell you, but rather division !” 
                                               -Luke 12:51