The Old Testament readings in worship these past few weeks have been from the book of Jeremiah. He was one of the prophets who spoke for God. Jeremiah 4.11-12, 22-28 gives the message that Israel is going to be judged. But his message does not lack hope; it is that there is life after the judgment. In fact, one of the book’s most memorable passages reminds God’s people that God has good ahead for them:

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

It is something they need to believe in and wait for in order to experience it. And when it comes along, they are to be a part of it.
It is hope that gives us joy in life and makes the future possible. It is faith that brings us to join in what God is doing. One of the things that was a highlight of the summer for me was the Vacation Bible School that the Lewiston-Altura Ministerial Association held in August, hosted at the Christian Crossings Center. Normally, my schedule is pretty tied up at that time, but this year is was free and I was glad for that. The theme of the week was Noah and the Ark and it was run on the rotation model in which the kids went to different stations (crafts, music, Bible study, games, and snacks) after an opening play. Despite it being the hottest week of the summer, we all had fun. I helped with the first and second graders. I learned that you can glue Fruit Loops and animal crackers to paper.
The highlight of all this was one young fellow who came one evening and seemed sad. While we didn’t have time to help with whatever it was that bothered him, at least we could give him an enjoyable time at VBS. With a little encouragement, he got involved in the activities. I thought of the great opportunity we had there, the chance to learn about God and be together with friends and I ran out to the playing field yelling, “Games! Games!” and behind me was this little guy running and yelling, “Games! Games!”
To enjoy the good things that come our way we have to get involved. There are many opportunities in our churches for fellowship and service, as well as joining together in worship. These are the directions God is leading us and we have to set aside our excuses and reluctance to join in. That will change what we experience. Imagine what church would be like if we all ran up to it yelling, “Worship! Worship!” or “Mission! Mission!”

Tire Iron

One of the things my father gave me years ago was a tire iron. It is not a very sentimental type of gift, in fact, he found it in the street as I recall, but it is very practical and has come in handy about five times over the years. Even though it was not a very sentimental gift, I have appreciated it very much. Sometimes we get very sentimental about the church and forget to be realistic. We perhaps recall times long ago when others gave to maintain the church. The truth is that you would not get very far if you stopped putting gas in your car. I thried that about twice in my time as a drvier. Cars can be quite down-to-earth. Sometimes we forget to be that sensible about supporting the church. This is a reminder of something very simple: the church only exists with your support.

Sweet Corn

One of the things my dad said about serving in World War II was that fresh vegetables were a very rare treat in the Pacific. They were not so rare in Wisconsin where I grew up. We had canneries around that area and, in fact, I worked at one—I can tell you all about peas and beets—and later found out it was the same one my dad had worked at years earlier. My great uncle had land that was planted in sweet corn and we looked forward to this time of year when he brought us several large bags of corn. It was great. One year he planted soybeans and brought over this large glass jar of them. This was about 40 years ago. None of us had ever seen a soybean before. What to do with them? My mom looked up a baked bean recipe and adapted it. They turned out to be pretty good. Things change in life; rarely do things stay the same. One of the great skills is the ability to work with what you have, not with what you used to have. Many churches are finding that the world has changed. They no longer have sweet corn. The big question is: “What will they do with the soybeans?”

Old and New

I have wide feet. Shortly after I was born, my Uncle Lou looked at me and said, “This kid is never going to tip over.” Back when shoes came in widths, I was a D. So finding shoes that are comfortable is difficult and when I find some good ones I hang on to them as long as I can. Someone years ago suggested skateboarder shoes because you need the most control over the board. I have never been on a skateboard, but I got a pair of Airwalks. They are great.
With time, though, even our favorite things wear out. I tend to try to get the most use out of things, but you reach the point when they just don’t work anymore. I was in Seattle a couple years ago when I noticed the ground seemed unusually bumpy, especially for a sidewalk. Then I noticed why. I had holes in my shoes.
We have many things that are dear to us and hard to let go of. But the time comes when they no longer fulfill their function and we need to look for something new. The adjustment can be a challenge, just like breaking in new shoes. But the point comes when what was comfortable isn’t any longer and then it is time for the new.

Imagination

Albert Einstein said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” With all due respect to Einstein, I am not sure this is right. Can you say that facts or reality are less important? That is the world in which we live. That is where many of us start.
And yet we need imagination. It is the world that puts facts together into meaning. It is the world of the bigger picture. And it is the world of what can be. Imagination can take us from reality to action. Consider this news contributed by Rev. Staci Marrese-Wheeler of the Lakeview Moravian Community Church in Wisconsin. The Glenwood Moravian Church on Madison’s west side held a food drive but noticed that many of the canned food contributions were not being taken by those who needed food. The reason was that many lacked even the basics, such as can openers. When they added can openers to the drive, people in need were served. Some people start with a vision.
What made it possible to serve others was a “jump” from the facts of the situation to doing something in a new and better way. It was an idea that made the difference. It put the two worlds together. Where do our “facts” lead us? If we use our imaginations, what new things are possible?

Sugar Cookie

I have been searching for the perfect sugar cookie for many years now. I have found recipes and tried them and sampled the baking of many others. I have looked far and wide, seeking out the best bakeries. I have even found and used the best ingredients for my own, like real vanilla. For a while I thought the key was a pinch of nutmeg. It has been a hard and demanding task, but I am not going to give up. I started this because I remember a cookie from when I was growing up. When we were kids, after Dad took us to church, we would stop at the Quaker Dairy a couple blocks away. We would get two bottles of milk, glass bottles—this was from before plastic cartons—of skim milk in a metal wire carrier, so skim that it looked kinda blue and you could almost see through it, and bread they would slice right there in the store. And a sugar cookie. I still remember how they tasted. They were perfect and I have not tasted anything like them until I had Margaret’s cookies.
Last time I was in my home town, I saw a building, the Quaker Bakery. I stopped with great joy and found out that it was the corporate office, not a retail store. Also they make hamburger buns now. I am sure they are good buns. Things are different now. Time moves on. Every now and then I begin to wonder if the cookies were that great or whether my memory of them is better than they actually were. The present can be a disappointment, if we cling too tightly to what the past was like. My disappointment was short-lived. I would not want to return to those days just for a sugar cookie. Things are lost and things are gained. I have things now that I did not even dream of as a kid. The computer that is so important to work was not available then. Now I can even send mail to friends across the country without a postage stamp. Many of us carry phones in our pockets. The modern world has brought many valuable things. Nostalgia for the past can keep us from seeing what we do have.
We are that way in many of our churches. We remember the way things used to be and more than that, we remember the way we used to be back then. Things nowadays might not please us like our memories do. We might face many challenges now. The problem with the past, though, is that it is the past. We can remember it as we want to and that can give us great comfort, but we do not live in the past, we live in the present. The past, our past, will never return. To manage the challenges of the present, we have to live in the present. And we might miss new possibilities by looking only at what was and not thinking of what life could be.

219th General Assembly

According to the news service, while at the General Assembly a couple weeks ago, when the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Gradye Parsons, was visible on the monitor, it looked like a statue of John Calvin was watching over him. When he was asked about it, he quoted the thought of Calvin: We each have our own calling assigned to us “as a sort of sentry post, so that [we] might not wander heedlessly through life” (Institutes, III. 10.09). The many commissioners and staff, committees which gave reports, people who came in support of one viewpoint or another to General Assembly in Minneapolis all were responding to God’s calling to serve the church in this way.
I liked Gradye’s comment because one of my jobs as a volunteer with the Committee on Local Arrangements was guarding a committee room so they could take their lunch break. It was at pole #9 (the columns that hold up the Convention Center). My post was literally a post. But it is a good metaphor that we each have our unique task and calling in the church. God’s wisdom is to include us in what God is doing.
I enjoyed being up at GA for a couple days although my role in it was slight. I ran into at least 30 people I knew, could hear some of the discussions, and stopped by the exhibit hall (the Presbyterian idea of swag, by the way, is bookmarks with the Great Ends of the Church on them). Normally I don’t pay a lot of attention to General Assembly. This GA is far more real to me because I was a part of it, however small. Joy comes from participation.
In many churches, one of the reactions people have to anxiety is to become less active in the life of the church. That is almost a natural reaction to uncertainty. When they do that they forget two things. The first is that we have been given a part in what God is doing in the world. The church is God’s project, God’s great adventure, and God places men and women in roles to share it with them. Sometimes we see the idea of calling as a task or responsibility, and it is that, but it is also much more. The second is that once a person finds that place and is part of it, only then will they experience the joy of being a part. It is easy to be a bystander and critic. It is harder to fulfill one’s calling. But there is no question which is more satisfying.