“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment,
                               for the patch will pull away from the garment, making
                                             the tear worse.” (Matthew 9:16, NIV)

Now I’ve probably read this verse any number of times, but the verse that comes after it talks about the new and old wineskins, and has always gotten my attention (and the attention of most of the commentaries I’ve used). So, to suddenly find this little gem as I was thinking about the newsletter was sort of exciting.

We don’t have to wash new clothes to shrink them as much anymore. But, I can remember when we used to have to bring home new clothes and wash them to get the shrinking over with before we’d wear them. (And we’d sometimes buy clothes a little big, so they’d fit when they shrank.)

Sometimes we have problems in our lives and in our churches, and we try to “patch them up” with new ideas that another church or group is using. We often don’t look at the repercussions of such actions, and the “patches” cause even bigger problems.

We are beginning the process of looking at how to be a Safe Church. There is a group of folks who are working hard on establishing a policy for us. This is not something we can just “patch” with a new little patch for one or two issues! This is an important issue for the whole church. 

If you are asked for some ideas on any of the topics they are tackling, don’t just whisk them out of the way. The committee is taking this seriously and we should too. If one of the members of the committee approaches you for help on one of the sections, be thoughtful in your response.

And pray! Pray for the committee as they look at our future here as a church. Pray for our congregation as we begin to think in new ways about keeping us safe. Pray that God will lead us all into a new future.                        

                                                                    Pastor Nancy  

Uff da! After I moved to western Minnesota, that became an exclamation that I use frequently. You may even have heard me say it. If things are icky, you can say “uff da.” If things are especially good, you can say “uff da.” If things are tremendously bad or surprising, you can say “uff da mai.” It’s a wonderful, all-purpose exclamation.

There is another wonderful, all-purpose saying that I use a lot: “I’ll be praying for you.” It’s a true statement. I’m not just saying it. I pray for individuals who need and have asked for prayer. I pray for our church. I pray for our community. I pray for our world!

In Ephesians 6:18 it says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

So, here’s my challenge: keep on praying. Pray for our church. Pray for me. Pray for one another. Pray for our community. Pray for our world. Keep on praying—even if you are unable to be in worship, keep on praying!

Who knows what might happen if we all really take that seriously and don’t just use it as an all-purpose saying. Hmmm! Let’s all pray.

                                                    
                                  “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
                                      How long will you hide your face from me?”
                                                              (Psalm 13:1)

Do you ever feel like this psalmist did? Do you ever want to hide your head under a pillow until the bad stuff all goes away? Do you ever think that God is somewhere else—not paying attention to your pain?

This psalm, attributed to David says what some of us feel sometimes. I’ve been there. I was sure at those low times that God had abandoned me. And when I got to those places not much helped.

But let me tell you what finally did help: music. Actually, it was old, old hymns—some of which most of you probably don’t know. Old hymns like “Sunlight,” “Sweet Peace, the Gift of God’s Love,” “He Keeps Me Singing,” and “Trust, Try, and Prove Me.” They may not be classical or traditional, but they soothed my soul and helped me come to a point of trusting again.

When I sang those old songs (sometimes just in my head) I began to feel like the psalmist at the end of this same psalm. “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” (vss. 5-6)

That’s all I have to say this month. Well, no, I guess it’s not quite all. If you are at a place where you feel like the first four verses the psalmist wrote, try singing a hymn you love. One from your youth or childhood might help. “Jesus Loves Me” is a good one. And see what happens in your next minutes, days, weeks!

                           

  

            “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
                   name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
                    teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
                                                     (Matthew 28:19-20a)

There was no question when Jesus said this to the disciples that this was a request. It was a mandate—go and do it. And, that mandate comes to us even yet today.

Do you know the family who lives next door to you? If they do not attend worship anywhere, have you invited them to come here?

Do you know someone who needs the touch of compassion in the midst of pain? Have you reached out to them?

Do you know if the people with whom you are in contact every day at work or school have fellowship with people of faith? Can you share that with them?

Those are the kinds of things we are mandated to do by our Christ! We are to reach out and invite and share. We are to be the church in the name of Jesus. We are to give the good word of love to those around us.

And if you think you don’t have the skills or the pluck or the fortitude to do any of those things, that mandate from Jesus ends with these words: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Do you need strength to do what Christ mandated us all to do? He will be with you and help you. That’s our challenge and his promise.

Whew! And then if we obey, what might happen at the First Congregational United Church of Christ?

“And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, says the Lord.”
 (Ezekiel 37:14)

I heard a pastor once use this passage of scripture (found in verses 1-14) to talk about the dead bones in the church and how God can resurrect even the deadest of churches. I thought at the time that he was being awfully critical of churches in general and that church in particular. But I do think he may have had a point.

I hear folks being discouraged about the attendance at church and the aging of our church. I hear folks talking about the future of our church with depression in their voices.

Friends, I believe that God can resurrect this church again! It may not look like the church of fifty or even thirty years ago, but it will be God’s church.

We have some exciting things being planned for the next few months. And while we’ve never done it that way before, I think we may see some wonderful things happening.

Now, it’s going to take some work on our parts. It’s going to mean inviting neighbors and friends to come share with us in worship and for special programs. It may mean being enthusiastic even when we’re not sure it’s going to work.

But with God’s help, I think it can happen. After all, the word comes to us that God can put the Spirit within us and make us live. We just have to be willing to receive it and go forward!

A Note From The Pastor                                                                                      March 2011

      “But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us
                 toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly,
                                love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”
                                                  (I Corinthians 13:13, The Message)

This verse is the end of one of the passages of scripture that many people choose to have for a wedding. That whole passage tells about love, and how we are to love. I particularly like this translation, because it says we are to “love extravagantly.”

Doesn’t that put a picture in your mind? Don’t just love, do it extravagantly. That doesn’t mean spending massive amounts of money on the ones you love. It means really putting your heart and soul into your love for that person!

In one of my Bibles is a card that I read every time I use that translation. It is an example of extravagant love. I have no idea where it came from, but I share it with you now. It is my wish for each of you—filled with extravagant love:

                                                I wish you enough sun
                                                            to keep your attitude bright.
                                                I wish you enough rain
                                                            to appreciate the sun more.
                                                I wish you enough happiness
                                                            to keep your spirit alive.
                                                I wish you enough pain so that the 
                                                            smallest joys in life appear
                                                            much bigger.
                                                I wish you enough gain 
                                                            to satisfy your wanting.
                                                I wish you enough loss
                                                            to appreciate all that you possess.
                                                I wish you enough “hellos” to get you 
                                                            through the final “goodbye.” 

                                                                                             Pastor Nancy  

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father."  (John 1:14)

There are times when we worry so much about celebrations and programs that we forget to stop and think about the wonder we celebrate.  We're through with the hoopla that surrounds Christmas.  But, folks, we need to continue to think about the marvelous gift that came to us.

I was recently in a discussion when the question was raised, "What if Christ had not come?"  There was quite a lot of discussion about that question.  (It was a bunch of clergy, so you can probably imagine how much talking went on.)

If we read the Old Testament carefully, we will find that God has always loved all the people of creation.  And the coming of Christ was to help us hear that message more clearly.

One of the things I think we need to remember this month is that although the parties and programs and special worship services are in the past, God still loves us.  God has always loved us, and will continue to love and care for us.  The Word that became flesh was the Word of Love.

My challenge to you for this month is to remember God's love and share it with others.  Don't let the Christmas spirit die in your life.  God loves us and that is the true spirit of Christmas.  And it goes on and on and on.

“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Giving thanks! In all circumstances! Whew! That’s not easy.

 Lots of the things we are asked to do as Christians are not easy: turn the other cheek, love our enemies, give time and money to the work of the church, and on and on. But this—giving thanks in all circumstances—is hard to do.

 When good people get cancer or other terribly debilitating diseases, it’s hard to give thanks. When we see violence or even bullying against our children, it’s hard to give thanks. When it seems that a war somewhere in the world is inevitable and our young people are dying because of it, it’s hard to give thanks.

 Two years ago, I fell and had injuries that landed me in a nursing home for five weeks. I had to rely on other people to do things for me. I was unable to go anywhere without help. I couldn’t even get the kinds of food that I really wanted unless someone (and there were some very good friends who did) brought fruit or salads to me. I couldn’t concentrate on reading because of the pain medication I was on.

 It was hard for me to give thanks while all that was going on. I’m better now. I can do almost everything as well as I did before. I’m able to be independent again. But I remember those dark hours of despair.

 And how do I give thanks for all that? Well, not what you might think! I give thanks for what I learned about living dependently. I give thanks for what I learned about visiting in nursing homes. I give thanks for friends who were willing to do laundry and clean my house and drive me places. And I give thanks for now being able to do all those things for other folks.

How do you give thanks?

My challenge to you is to give thanks—in all circumstances. And then live out that thanksgiving every day. Not just on the fourth Thursday of November!