Grace and Peace to you all! February 6th, AshWednesday, ushers us into a new season of life together as God’s people. The season of Lent will be upon us, and lead us through a 40 day season of preparation for Holy Week and Easter! Especially in an ecumenical congregation, Lent is many things…a time for focused prayer, worship, almsgiving, service, fasting, repentance, preparation, cleansing. But, the season of Lent is greater than the sum of these parts. It is most simply put, a journey. Our Scriptures teach us about the value and nature of this journey of faith through many lenses – Noah floating for 40 days, the Israelites wandering for 40 years, Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days. As a spiritual journey to discover what God was doing in their lives, they each made the journey. And along the way, each of them discovered something about God’s calling for their life.
Noah discovered something about living in God’s faithfulness. Moses discovered something about living out divine freedom. Jesus discovered the path for which he had been revealed. They each physically ended up in a different place – Noah on the side of a mountain across the sea, Moses in a new country, Jesus in a new town to begin his public ministry. Yes, during a divinely appointed season each of them went somewhere. But, more importantly, during the season, each of them became something.
Hans Christian Andersen wrote in “The Fairy Tale of My Life” that “to travel is to live”. And indeed, for someone who struggled to travel the short distance from Odense to Copenhagen in his youth, he ended up spending 18 years of his adult life traveling to places like Amsterdam, Austria, Germany, Holland, Italy, Morocco, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, which in the mid 1800s was a tremendous feat. It was during this time that so many of his fairy tales came to life, and he truth as Andersen was blessed to see it, was recorded through the images of life that left an indelible mark on his view of the world. In a sense, H.C. Andersen was blessed to make the journey due to his fame and the wealth of friends. And in these years, he certainly went somewhere. But more importantly, during this season of his life, he became something. And children’s lives around the world are richer for it.
We live in a transient time, and as an international community, we experience travels more than most communities, whether our own one another’s. Spanning the globe brings great joys and discoveries, and it also brings great struggles with our time and energy. In all of our comings and goings, the next 40 days, the season of Lent will provide us with a divinely appointed season to make a spiritual journey. We have the opportunity to travel extra miles in prayer as a group focusing on Spiritual disciplines, groups gathered in Bible Study, service through our Refugee Service or the collection of clothes for the women’s shelter, youth meeting for fun and Christian education, each of us gathered together for worship and fellowship…all of these parts of our life exist to help us to make the spiritual journey. There is such value in making this journey, just like H.C. Andersen said, “to travel is to live”. In making this intentional spiritual journey, we come alive, and discover God’s still small voice calling us to follow.
Yes, for some of us, this faithful pursuit can be literally displacing. But for all of us, the Spirit is calling us to be transformed by the journey. This newsletter is packed with many opportunities to engage the journey during this month, and our congregation is packed with beautiful children of God to share the journey in faithful support. As we make the trip through this season, it is my prayer that, as a congregation as well as individually, we will not so much think about where we are going, but what we are becoming. And at the end of the journey, we can marvel at where we how far we have come.
May your Lent be blessed.
Peace,
Pastor Chad
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Saturday, January 05, 2008
O Come, let us adore him...
When you receive this message, we will be in the middle of the 12 day season of Christmas. From December 25th, until January 5th, we celebrate the season in which the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us in the human form of the Christ child, Jesus. January 6th then, is the day of Epiphany – the day when we remember the Magi who came from the East to visit the Christ child and offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Today, from the land to the east however, Orthodox Christianity celebrates January 6th as the birth of Christ. And for we at ICC, who experience the ecumenical sharing of our varied Christian traditions, this means that we truly celebrate Christmas on December 25th until January 6th!
This year, January 6th happens to be a Sunday, which gives us the time and space to celebrate Eastern Christmas, and the day of Epiphany. Through music, readings, prayers and holy play, we will remember the way in which the star appeared to reveal the birth of Christ, and the way in which faithful, wise men came to Bethlehem to pay homage to the King of Kings. By way of announcement, I am encouraging everyone to bring something special to worship on that day…Your Wisemen! Everyone, young and old, bring the Magi from your home Nativity Crèches to worship on January 6th. Whether elegant or simple, delicate or plastic play toys, bring them, and we will gather them in from all corners of the earth in worship of Christ, just as they did 2000 years ago. This day will prepare us for the season of Epiphany, which takes us through the month of January. Epiphany is a season of light that reveals the nature of Christ to us, just as the star first revealed Christ to all the world. We will hear stories of the star that revealed his arrival, his baptism that revealed his identity, his healing miracles that revealed the healing presence of the Spirit, and his teachings that revealed the hope of new life that has been given to us in Christ.
It is right that we commemorate this season at ICC, not just because it is part of the great Tradition of our Christian faith, but because the heart of our faithful gathering is reflected in the story of the first Epiphany. After all, we come from all corners of the earth, traveling from afar, all seeking the revelation of God’s love in our midst. Most of us come from different faithful places in life, and have many and varied experiences to bring, and offer in the presence of Christ. All of us have come to discover and experience the nature of God dwelling among us. This, after all, is why the Magi came.
We don’t know too much about these wise men. We don’t know if they believed in God. We don’t know if they hoped for this good news or even really cared about it. We don’t know exactly where they came from, how many there were, what traditions they brought with them, or what languages they spoke. But we know one thing. They saw the star at its rising, and faithfully pursued its light. They used their intellect to determine its location and its meaning. They used their resources to make the pilgrimage. They committed their time and energy to a journey that lasted years, and hundreds, if not thousands of kilometers. These wise Magi saw a brilliant sign, and wanted to follow its light wherever it went. And no matter why they came, when they arrived, the discovered the glory of God living among us.
At ICC, Christ is revealed in the sharing of the Word, the bread and wine, the water, the gathering of the faithful in fellowship, prayer and loving service to one another and the world. Here in this place, the light of Christ shines so brightly, especially in this season of Scandinavian darkness. And here in this place, people from all corners of the earth gather together. We come from afar, bringing a variety of gifts, and we come from a variety of traditions. And just like the first Magi, many of us have traveled hundreds if not thousands of kilometers to get here.
We may not know much at first about the gifts and traditions that each of us brings. But we find ourselves all gathered in one place, kneeling before the Christ child, reaching out to feel the touch of his hand, leaning in close enough to feel God’s breath on our faces. Here, in this place, we get to see the light that reveals the love of God dwelling among us. I hope that you will join the Magi of old, and all people from all ends of the earth who have followed the light of that same star. Let’s join the journey that helps us pursue the revelation of Christ in our midst. And celebrate the fact that you are surrounded by the faithful from all corners of the earth who can help you on this faithful path of discovery about one another, and the ways that Christ’s presence is revealed today. This is our “Epiphany”. This is a wise and faithful journey to experience the presence of God dwelling among us.
I give thanks that you are faithfully pursuing the light of Christ in the world. I give thanks that, even if for a little while, the light has led you to this place at this time on your journey. And I pray that just like the Magi, you will learn use your gifts and your traditions to discern the path. I pray that you commit to pursuing that faithful path, no matter where the light leads you. And I pray that on the way, you give thanks to God for those who grace your journey, and share their gifts along the way, so that together we can kneel, and lay down our gifts in the brilliant light of Christ revealed in our midst.
May your journey be blessed, and may it be Christ’s light that leads your way.
Peace to you,
Pastor Chad
This year, January 6th happens to be a Sunday, which gives us the time and space to celebrate Eastern Christmas, and the day of Epiphany. Through music, readings, prayers and holy play, we will remember the way in which the star appeared to reveal the birth of Christ, and the way in which faithful, wise men came to Bethlehem to pay homage to the King of Kings. By way of announcement, I am encouraging everyone to bring something special to worship on that day…Your Wisemen! Everyone, young and old, bring the Magi from your home Nativity Crèches to worship on January 6th. Whether elegant or simple, delicate or plastic play toys, bring them, and we will gather them in from all corners of the earth in worship of Christ, just as they did 2000 years ago. This day will prepare us for the season of Epiphany, which takes us through the month of January. Epiphany is a season of light that reveals the nature of Christ to us, just as the star first revealed Christ to all the world. We will hear stories of the star that revealed his arrival, his baptism that revealed his identity, his healing miracles that revealed the healing presence of the Spirit, and his teachings that revealed the hope of new life that has been given to us in Christ.
It is right that we commemorate this season at ICC, not just because it is part of the great Tradition of our Christian faith, but because the heart of our faithful gathering is reflected in the story of the first Epiphany. After all, we come from all corners of the earth, traveling from afar, all seeking the revelation of God’s love in our midst. Most of us come from different faithful places in life, and have many and varied experiences to bring, and offer in the presence of Christ. All of us have come to discover and experience the nature of God dwelling among us. This, after all, is why the Magi came.
We don’t know too much about these wise men. We don’t know if they believed in God. We don’t know if they hoped for this good news or even really cared about it. We don’t know exactly where they came from, how many there were, what traditions they brought with them, or what languages they spoke. But we know one thing. They saw the star at its rising, and faithfully pursued its light. They used their intellect to determine its location and its meaning. They used their resources to make the pilgrimage. They committed their time and energy to a journey that lasted years, and hundreds, if not thousands of kilometers. These wise Magi saw a brilliant sign, and wanted to follow its light wherever it went. And no matter why they came, when they arrived, the discovered the glory of God living among us.
At ICC, Christ is revealed in the sharing of the Word, the bread and wine, the water, the gathering of the faithful in fellowship, prayer and loving service to one another and the world. Here in this place, the light of Christ shines so brightly, especially in this season of Scandinavian darkness. And here in this place, people from all corners of the earth gather together. We come from afar, bringing a variety of gifts, and we come from a variety of traditions. And just like the first Magi, many of us have traveled hundreds if not thousands of kilometers to get here.
We may not know much at first about the gifts and traditions that each of us brings. But we find ourselves all gathered in one place, kneeling before the Christ child, reaching out to feel the touch of his hand, leaning in close enough to feel God’s breath on our faces. Here, in this place, we get to see the light that reveals the love of God dwelling among us. I hope that you will join the Magi of old, and all people from all ends of the earth who have followed the light of that same star. Let’s join the journey that helps us pursue the revelation of Christ in our midst. And celebrate the fact that you are surrounded by the faithful from all corners of the earth who can help you on this faithful path of discovery about one another, and the ways that Christ’s presence is revealed today. This is our “Epiphany”. This is a wise and faithful journey to experience the presence of God dwelling among us.
I give thanks that you are faithfully pursuing the light of Christ in the world. I give thanks that, even if for a little while, the light has led you to this place at this time on your journey. And I pray that just like the Magi, you will learn use your gifts and your traditions to discern the path. I pray that you commit to pursuing that faithful path, no matter where the light leads you. And I pray that on the way, you give thanks to God for those who grace your journey, and share their gifts along the way, so that together we can kneel, and lay down our gifts in the brilliant light of Christ revealed in our midst.
May your journey be blessed, and may it be Christ’s light that leads your way.
Peace to you,
Pastor Chad
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