The Mystery of Faith

Its Sunday morning about 9:30 a.m. and I am doing what I can to wrap my brain and heart around what it is that God has called me to be as a pastor and Minister of Word and Sacrament. For the most part, when I think about it, I feel like most of my gifts for ministry are wrapped up in being a pastor, that is; listening to others, being present in others lives, being available to others and those kinds of things. But on Sunday morning the expectation of being the Minister of Word and Sacrament, that is proclaiming God's Word through preaching and administering the sacrament of communion is really a mystery.

Granted, I know that people are showing up for worship for a multitude of other reasons than that Phil Price is pastor. Its just that it is such an amazingly frightening and humble thing to stand up and address and lead this congregation in worship. There are so many talented people who sit in the pews and the memories of some truly great pastors from the past reside in the souls who sit in our sanctuary and that I might follow in there footsteps is a lot to bear in my soul. But I have to do it, don't I? I mean I can't just sit here and pretend that someone else will stand up for me today, can I?

And so my prayer is that the words I have prepared will be enough for the Holy Spirit to use so that those who have gathered for worship today may catch a glimpse of God's grace and glory. And when they are so touched by God's Spirit they too might work to bring about a pieced of God's glory and grace in their own lives and in those whom they encounter throughout this Lord's Day and the week to come.

A Hearty Thanks!

I just have to take some time-out to say thank you to a bunch of people from First Presbyterian Church, Twin Falls, Idaho. At the risk of leaving a name or two off the list, for which I am deeply sorry, I just have to say that there are several people in our congregation who have gone the extra mile and then some.

Earlier this week Harry Geist and Rick Horner braved the wilds of our sanctuary attic and wondered out on top of the stained-glass dome that is suspended over or worship space and very carefully vaccumed off about a quarter of an inch of dust from the glass. According to some estimates, Rick and Harry cleaned away nearly twenty years of dust and dirt from an amazing piece of religious art suspended above our heads to reveal some astonishing colors. And while it is not as dramatic as the cleaning of the Sistien Chapel over the last few years, for many in the congregation tommorrow will be their first glimpse into the beauty that is the dome above their heads.

And while Harry and Rick have been at work on the dome, several other people have been at work adding color to our worship space. A few weeks ago Harry Geist along with Doug and Judy Pollow discreetly added flag-pole brackets to the side walls of our sanctuary. They did so because they wanted to hang banners along the sides of our worship space in order to add color and to visually narrow the width of our large sanctuary. Along with their adventures up the ladders and figuring out the measuring tape a number of women (Karen Grubb, Darlene Annen and Barb Bratt) got out their sewing machines to put hems on eight banners of various shades of red and yellow to hang on the recently affixed flag-pole brackets.

The effect of side banners and the newly cleaned stained glass dome will be, I hope, quite a statement for tommorrow's Pentecost worship. All of the hours put into creating the various visuals is a testament to the church holiday that commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit to enliven the early group of Christians.

Throughout the last few weeks as those named above and others have come together we, at FPC Twin Falls, have seen a glimpse of what can happen when we rely on God to encourage us to share our gifts of time, talent and treasure for the good of the whole church. Thank you to all who have made this visually stimulating Pentecost possitble!

Maundy Thursday & Good Friday

As I mentioned yesterday, Maundy Thursday gets its name from the latin mandatum which can be translated as "commandment" or "mandate". More specifically for Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday the latin term refers to John 13:34 where Jesus says, "I give you a new commandment," mandatum novum "that you love one another."

So how are you going to follow the instruction of Jesus and love one another as he has first loved you? What does it mean for us to follow this command of Jesus? Notice that it is not a suggestion or a story, but a mandate and command, that is something that Jesus wants us to do more than and above anything else that we might say or do as his followers. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it, but when you think about it, it can be quite a daunting task.

So what about Good Friday? How can we call the events that lead to and the act of crucifixion anything but horrid and troubling? Well, the definition I found from the same source that I found the latin (The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms) may be far less satisfying and may sound far less authoritative than something that has it's origins in Latin. What the author of my theological dictionary says is that "Good Friday" comes from the Middle English for "God's Friday."

A more satisfying definition for "Good Friday" can be found in J. Dudley Weaver Jr.'s book "Presbyterian Worship" where he says:

The term is derived from an early name for the second day of the Holy Triduum, God's Friday, but for those of us who see it from this side of the resurrection the day is indeed "good" Friday, for in the events of this day, painful as they are, the saving work that Christ set forth to do in obedience to the Father's will is brought to completion. It is also God's Friday, for even though Jesus' enemies appear to seize control and to direct his destiny, even though they succeed in causing his death, it is God who is in control and God's will that is being fulfilled. As Jesus himself said to Pilate: "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above" (John 19:11a). It is with this understanding that we observe God's Good Friday.

All of that is to say, without the crucifixion there would be no joyous celebration of the resurrection on Easter morning, would there be?

So our task on this Maundy Thursday and the Good Friday to follow is to pray about what it means to love others as Jesus has first loved us as well as reflecting on what it means for God's hand to be directing the difficult events that lead up to and through the Crucifixion of Jesus.

Midway through Holy Week

Well here we are, "hump-day" of Holy Week, do you feel it? Perhaps not, you've probably got so much going on and so many different places to be and are being bombarded by so many different messages from which restaurant has the best food to which toothpaste will get your teeth the whitest to which car will make you feel more complete that pausing to consider what it means to be midway between Jesus' triumphal entry and then looking to the cross on Friday and celebrating his resurrection on Sunday might seem like distant things to ponder in the midst of so much reality.

But the fact is, we are in the midst of one of the most momentous weeks in the Christian calendar. Though our culture may not realize it, this week is more Holy than any week in December, at least if you remember that only two of the four Gospels bother to mention Jesus' birth story and the rest of the New Testament doesn't seem all that concerned with it in the firstplace. Then again, as recent news stories have pointed out, our culture is more concerned with the bottom line; that is, making sure that we shop and spend and keep the economy churning and not all that concerned with our "Walk with Christ".

It should come as no surprise then, that as our culture and society have made the choice between various church holidays that Christmas is the one that has won out; when in reality it is the events of Holy Week: the Palm Sunday Parade, Thursday's Last Meal, the horrors of Friday, the silence of Saturday and the glorious return of Sunday that matter most in determining who we are as Christians.

So, if it is possible at all, even if you don't take the opportunity to worship on Maundy (from the Latin mandatum, refering to Jesus' New Commandment of loving each other from John 13:34) Thursday or Good Friday or Holy Satureday, at least take some time to pray and ponder what it means to worship and follow one whose obedience to God was so strong as to follow a path of so much pain that ultimately leads to so much joy.

The Night Before Palm Sunday

Twas the Night Before Palm Sunday and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Huh?

On this night before Holy Week begins what should be going through our minds, if anything? Are we as ready as those who knew Jesus was preparing on entering the Holy City so many years ago? Are we prepared for a week of repentance and prayer as we look forward to celebrating communion mid-week and then observing the crucifixion the next evening? Will we awake on Easter with anticipation and wonder as those who awoke so long ago?

As we begin this Holy Week perhaps we too are in a position to look longingly for the long promised Kingdom of God promised by Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. And while we may not find ourselves under the boot of an oppressive regime like Rome, we do find ourselves caught up in a system that can seem coersive and debilitating, namely consumerism. And while consumerism may not be as pervasive as an occupying force in our streets, it does rear its ugly head upon us all as we wonder whether or not we have enough of this or the right kind of that.

So will we be able through off the shackles of consumerism as we remember and observe the events that lead to and beyond Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection? Only you will know, but my prayers are with you as you figure out what it means to celebrate a blessed Holy Week beginning tomorrow with Palm Sunday.

God Is Here!

It is Saturday morning and my cup of Starbucks Home brew is starting to kick in as I sit here at church readying my heart, body and mind for part two of "God Is Here! Taking Worship to the Next Level" a Consultation/Seminar on Presbyterian Worship led by the Rev. Dr. Mark Smutny, here at First Presbyterian Church of Twin Falls, Idaho.

Last night we had about thirty people gather to consider what makes Presbyterian worship distinctive--not better--just distinctive from other traditions. At it's heart, Presbyterian Worship is centered on God, in contrast to a "Jesus and Me" approach. Also, our worship has at it's center God's Word Proclaimed, usually by a pastor delivering a sermon based on a Biblical text that conveys the good news of the Gospel--God's love for humankind found in Jesus Christ.

There was some give and take, but mostly the group was attentive to Mark's compelling case that Presbyterian Worship has something to offer, not so much as a niche in our consumerist culture, but because, in a world hungry for God--hungry for something more than self--a regular order of worship that attributes awe, honor, and glory to God is something worthy of our time and effort and when done with those things in mind will be of benefit because people of all stripes are looking for excellence.

Today we enter more into a discussion of what the implications may be for how we at FPC, Twin Falls manifest our regular worship of God. So we will remember that, as God was with us last night, so too will God be with us as we gather this morning for prayer, scripture, and an understanding of how God is directing us to worship and into deeper relationship with God who loves us.