ps from ps:Since the shooting in Buffalo (and many others since then), several of you have asked what can we do? Dean Jeremiah Smith shared information with me about this March for Our Lives Buffalo on Saturday. This is just one of the many ways to turn our “thoughts and prayers” into concrete action. The issue is huge and diverse; from mental health to guns, from racism to social media. But we have to start somewhere! Here is his invitation:
Dear People of God,
You are invited to join myself and other members of Parkside at this Saturday’s March for Our Lives. The Event Coordinators write, “Buffalo-Niagara knows all too well the cost of gun violence. Given the horrific levels of violence that has occurred in our community and our nation, we believe it is time to shine a light on ALL areas that contribute to this violence perpetrated against innocent adults and children – including Gun Safety and Gun Responsibility. March with us in solidarity. We march for our lives and the lives lost to senseless and often racially motivated gun violence. Together we say NO MORE!
By choosing to attend this event, you are committing to participate nonviolently and in accordance with the law, to work to de-escalate confrontations with others, and to obey the orders of authorized event marshals and of law enforcement.”
“God will judge between the nations, and settle disputes of mighty nations. Then they will beat their swords into iron plows and their spears into pruning tools. Nation will not take up sword against nation; they will no longer learn how to make war.” Isaiah 2:4
The March begins at 10:30 and will end at Noon. The official gathering place is Jefferson and Glenwood. The total March will only be about a quarter mile ending in front of Top’s at Jefferson and Riley. However, if anyone would like to gather with other church folks, you can join Katie, Eleanor, and I, at 10:15am in front of the CAO of Erie County 1424 on Jefferson Ave.
ps from ps: “Self care” – got my run in this morning. Check mark! My self care is done.
But the term was broken open today for me by my Coach. For years and years, I’ve loosely defined self care as “sustainability.” You know, if I don’t take care of myself, I can’t keep this up. Or, I have to practice to self care to take a break from the chaotic days, scenes, news and events or I’ll have a mental/physical/spiritual health melt down. But the problem with that is then self care only becomes a pause. A time out for a few seconds or minutes so you don’t implode and self destruct before jumping right back into the same exact thing you were doing before. What’s the defination of insanity?
True self care is change. It moves us from rest to renewal. It recenters and adapts you. It becomes fulfillment and not just refilling. It regains health and invites you to carry that heralth forward. True self care puts you at a different place and going back to the exact same pace, place, spot, routine and process is just incongruent.
We’re moving into the season of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit inspires change and renewal in people for what will become generation after generation. The Holy Spirit doesn’t invite us into a pause or a rest stop or a moment. Instead, we are invited to a new type or care for ourselves and the world around us. We are invited to be a church. Not the brick and mortar type but instead the flesh and blood type.
That flesh and blood needs care too.
With all the universe has thrown at us in these days, it’s more important now than ever. Don’t take a “time out” or “practice” self care. Be changed by it. Be fulfilled by it. Be recentered by it. And be released to be the church through it.
Dear God, allow space for self care that full changes me. Amen
I know I’m supposed to write something inspirational to you today. But I got nothin’.
I guess I just want you to know that it’s ok to not be ok today. Or any day. Every time. Each instance. When evil crawls out from under a rock, grabs a weapon that can enhance that evil and takes lives. Again.
I know God stands with us during these times. I know it. And count on it. I couldn’t continue without it.
But for the love of all that is good, can we get an intervention here Lord? A path to fix this? A plague against those who hurt so many? Anything??
I guess that’s up to us. Again. To be hands, feet, presence, votes, action, teachers, watchers and lovers as the intervention. Again. But dear God, this is not easy right now and we sure could use some strength.
Dear God, this is not easy now. Give us strength. Amen
ps from ps:This is more information than devotional today.
If it would be helpful in your healing and grieving, I would invite you to join us anywhere in Amherst on the sidewalks this Saturday afternoon. If you’d like to bring a canned good or non-perishable item, we will collect those and get them straight to FeedMore for the Jefferson St area.
Daily Bread will begin working with FeedMore to take prepared meals down the area starting later this week. Please talk with Leslie Boynton if you can volunteers with prep, service or clean up time.
We will be ready to unleash heaven into this hatred for weeks and months to come. Once this goes off the news cycle, St. Paul’s will still be there.
In the weeks to come, we will be taking the lead of our Cultural Awareness Team on some of our next steps forward. But the work to battle racism and hatred like this needs to go deeper than the quick vigils and memorials. I hope you will join me in this work.
Please keep praying for our City’s recovery and healing as we grief together.
ps from ps:For those of you who attend St. Paul’s with regularity, you may or may not have noticed that the worship leader the past two weeks was a tad older than usual, but still bore the last name Biegner. Very thankful for Biegner – Chick Version that covered for me as I experienced some super fun Covid and migraine issues these past couple weeks.
With that said, I have two sermons that I prepped and never preached. So this Sunday I will preach three sermons and the service will be most likely 90 minutes. Just kidding! Talk about disincentive eh??
Side note: as we started to return to a more normal worship pattern this year, I realized that my preaching in church had become a bit shorter. I used to preach for 12-13 minutes each service. But once Covid hit and I had to adjust for a 30-minute TV Church format, I slimmed them down to 8-9 minutes. I shared that with Michelle one evening and told her I should probably start to lengthen my sermons back out in church. She subtly and gracefully said: “Has anyone asked you to lengthen your sermons back out?”
I reflectively paused. I understood. They are still 8-9 minutes.
But this week, I’m ready. With multiple messages! Maybe during the Children’s Time, I’ll have them pick one out of a hat?!
It’s rare that I’m ready with multiple options. Sort of exciting.
Are you ready with multiple options? Are you excited about those options? Are you ready to preach?
In John’s gospel (one of the potential sermon texts) Jesus shares that classic instruction for the disciples: “Love one another as I have loved you.” And he does that in a context of just recently washing their feet and pointing them to focus on the least, little, lonely, lost and left behind.
What does your sermon looks like for that verse? And I DON’T mean from some dude rambling on for 8-9 minutes in a monologue in front of church! I mean what does YOUR sermon look like? A sermon is merely an interpretation, explanation and connection of a text to the reality of the moment. If that is the case, what does your sermon look like?
What does your foot washing-like service in the world look like today? What illustrations and connection points do you have and will you live out in today’s moment? How will you interpret God’s love for the world to those you interact with? Will your actions and presence explain a risen Lord and Savior today, maybe without even using words? And might you just have multiple sermons to preach?
See, I can’t preach a sermon from two weeks ago. Can’t even use the one from last week. Because the moment changed. The world changed. The opportunities change. The ability to love changes.
But what is consistent in all of it, in every week, is a God who invites us ALL to preach. Interpret. Explain. Show. Illustrate. Connect. Be in God’s moment. All to love our neighbors.
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