January 2010 God leads us into 2010 Vacation was good for me following Christmas eve. Its important for us to connect regularly with Rachel's family down in North Carolina. I really enjoyed my return to the office this week however, and hearing about the past couple weeks of church life here. It was wonderful to hear people talk about Wilson Buddle and Alma Schultz in the pulpit. We are so lucky to have members like these who can step into the pulpit and share the Word of God as it comes through their lives and experience. I was proud to hear that our doors were open on January 3rd as well, when many congregations stayed in from the weather. Cheers to all the hearty folks who got out to host Ann Martin in the pulpit all the way from Irondequoit on a snowy morning and share communion with her as a Certified Lay Pastor (CLP) from our Presbytery connections. Looks like the greens have been un-hung without incident. Surely there was some good fellowship occurring as that happened. I was pleased to see the new donation collection bins at the rear entrance filling up yet again with items for the food shelf and clothing center. I am also warmed to see the new Church World Service 'School Kit' collection program started by the Sunday School, and someone has put a pot out downstairs to recycle candles in. Its good to be missed, but its good to see life carry on in capable hands too. It was a season for the laity to shine in my absence, and you did! As we look at the opportunities of a new year, we do well to remember how blessed we are here, both in the resources of committed, imaginative people, and in the promises of God! Here are a couple of those promises worth holding up for 2010 as we look ahead with capable hands and expectant eyes: Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. Jeremiah 29:11-14 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. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Exile comes in many forms. We have felt it in different ways in the decade past. National anxiety, personal loss, a Church unsure of where Holy Spirit is blowing. As God leads us into the future, old comfortable traditions may wear new shoes and the path ahead may seem unclear. God has something in mind for us however. As surely as the dawn will greet each new day. Let us wait upon the Lord. Let us rise up with new strength and new ideas for the familiar patterns of our life together. Our anticipation will set the tone of God's response! Lent is on the near horizon, and the resurrection day is coming swiftly. Thanks for walking the journey with steady faithfulness together! God's Peace to you, Aaron 2010 Lenten Bible Study/Devotional Imagine the transformation of God's Church called into a common learning. Knowing God's Triune Story, by Michael Lindvall, invites readers to explore the whole story of our Maker, from beginning to end it examines why the Trinity consists of three persons, and reflects on how true knowledge of the Trinity affects our relationship with God. This resource is recommended to us by Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, current Moderator of the Presbyterian Church. Lets join with local congregations around the country in this exploration of God's story. Look for it on your own or talk to pastor Aaron about a bulk order.

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February 2010 "Presbyterian Flavored Evangelism Matthew 5:13-16 You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. On February 7th we talked about Evangelism together in worship, and determined that there is a lot of baggage for Presbyterians when it comes to sharing our faith. We are more sure about how NOT to do it than we are about DOING it. (We allow televangelists, gory Gospel tracts, and soapbox preachers to hijack our faith!) The classic quote from St. Francis of Assisi seems to define our evangelism comfort zone: “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” George Sweazey, author of the also classic The Church as Evangelist, agrees with St. Francis in one sense, saying that “our lives are our credentials as evangelists” (p. 33). He is also very frank about another reality however: “A church is thought of by outsiders as a private club. Its good work will not attract outsiders to it. Few who are not members will notice it” (p. 27). At some point, words in some form are necessary. No individual or congregation is so radiant an embodiment of Christ that people can be transformed just by observing us. People will come to Christ, and to church, only if we invite them. They will not just figure it out on their own. And it takes more than just me, and more than just a committee: the extent to which we own this as a whole congregation is the extent to which the Kingdom of God will be made known to people on the outside, and the extent to which we will grow. I mentioned a neat web site which may be helpful in giving us ideas for doing evangelism that is both comfortable for us as modest Presbyterians, and challenging us to be people who are more openly reflective on life to the people around us. The site is doableevangelism.com. Aptly named huh? I love what they describe as “Ordinary Attempts” at evangelism: they are for everyone (including the 90% who are ordinary Christians), they are “doable” (no programs, pitches, personalities or presentations to memorize…phew!) and they have to be fun and natural (not weird…phew, again!) Evangelism is one of the reasons why the church officers have been discussing aspects of Christian doctrine each month before their meetings. It is to give us practice in being conversant in matters of faith. To answer questions and to raise new questions which not only we have, but also just about everyone else we encounter has, each day in our lives outside of the church building. You don't have to be a “Jesus Freak” to have thoughts and opinions about life and death. You don't even have to be “orthodox.” One thing that several people have said to me since worship last Sunday is how much they value the safe space this congregation creates to ask questions of faith. There is no litmus test here (or at least a very broad one). At the end of the day we are all persons who have committed to a journey of life together following Jesus Christ as our example and savior. Together we figure out the details of what that means using the tools of the Bible, God's Spirit moving within us and among us, and the Reformed Protestant Church Tradition. I think that’s worth sharing with your friends who are not involved with church. Lets not give pat answers, but be honest with how we have wrestled with our own questions. That’s a real conversation! Maybe some 'safe space' for exploring faith is what more people need? Common wisdom says, when a church finds its niche in mission and evangelism amazing things happen. Jesus invited Simon Peter and James and John to become “fishers of people,” and the world has never been the same. There are many, many ways to fish. I invite you to find your way, and see what a difference it makes to be an active angler for Christ. Aaron

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March 2010 There are always lots of different conversations going on in the life of this church. I want to take the opportunity here this month to highlight a few... Maundy Thursday - Potluck and Communion April 1st (No Foolin!) at 6:00 pm in the Assembly Room. In honor of the Lenten season we will keep the meal simple. Please bring Soup, Salad and/or Sandwiches to share. We will share the story of Jesus celebrating his final passover meal with his disciples and enact the sacrament of communion as part of remembering this story around our own meal. Families are welcome to participate as a whole. Presbyterians Today has produced an exceptional periodical for the month of March. (Did you know that Presbyterians had their own magazine?) You can read selected articles here: www.pcusa.org/today or pick up a copy outside our church office. Church officers also get these in their meeting folders. Encourage them to pass theirs on to you when they are done with it! Here are some of the highlights: Want to understand the Apostle's Creed better? See page 4. Need some perspective about declining church statistics? See page 6. Do you want advice talking to children about death? See page 14. Want help preparing a child for Easter, or for Communion? See page 17. A timely perspective on death and funerals: see page 18. How is the Presbyterian Church responding to recent natural disasters? See page 28 and 40. Did you watch the Oscars? There are spiritual perspectives on 2009 films starting on page 36. Need a devotion for a meeting or a Bible study for your small group? See page 47. Conflict Resolution Training Follow-up This is a reminder that our workshops with Jack Heister produced a brainstorming list of action items. The topics covered included adjusting our means of interacting with each other, enhancing outreach and evangelism, pastor feedback, staff communication, Christian education, worship and officer training. Many items on this list have already been acted upon, and others are being addressed by appropriate committees or small groups. Church elders will evaluate our progress at the April session meeting. If you have feedback, please contact myself or one of them. Please contact the church office to obtain a copy of the document. Water, water, everywhere! Have you seen the raindrops around the building? Come to the Spring retreat May 15th to be refreshed by God's Living Water! We have tentative plans with our Ecumenical neighbors across State Street and Main Street to hold a joint Pentecost service at the High School Auditorium on May 23rd. Celebrating the birthday of the church in union with these close friends is an exciting opportunity! We still have some details to iron out, but its worth talking up. This kind of out-of-the-box thinking is just what our brainstorming with Jack Heister called for. Please pray with me that things come together well! As Lent continues, may we be preparing for the Joy of Easter! Peace, Pastor Aaron

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April 2010 To be or not to be... what is the church to be? Why do I have to come to church when I can pray anywhere?” “Doesn't God love me whether I'm a member of a church or not?” “Being out in nature makes me feel closer to God than sitting in some old church building with a bunch of people around me. Why should I waste my time that way on a Sunday morning?” “I've got too many obligations already, do I have to add another? Heard any of these remarks before? I have. Have you ever made any of these sorts of remarks yourself? Again, I have. How about hearing folks (or yourself) talk about involvement in church as an obligation? Absolutely, more times than I can count. The “church” that most people are referring to when they make statements like those above, is the church assembled for worship. However, that particular understanding of just what “church is supposed to be” is incorrect. Our church (FPC) is a community of faith just as all churches are. Such church communities were formed so that Christians who were spread throughout the world could gather with other Christians of the area and support one another as they tried to live out the very difficult demands of discipleship. In these communities of faith, Christians did many things together. Together they taught their faith to their children and new converts. Together they protected one another. Together they helped one another in the day to day struggles of simply living. Together they shared all things – not just their material resources but their wisdom, understanding, strengths and skills, care, etc. But most of all, they shared a sense of belonging. We Presbyterians understand that the church is a direct gift from God to us. Brought together by the Holy Spirit, we who belong to God now also belong to one another. (That is what Jesus actually means when he tells us to love one another – see John 13:34.) This act of belonging to one another means that we are our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers JUST AS we are being kept by our sisters and brothers. Our burdens are to be shared, allowing others to help us just as we are allowed to help others... and not just some of the time, but all of the time. All this is to happen within each particular community of faith, or in other words, our church. Thats why we come to church in the first place. Our attending worship is simply a communal response to God' grace and goodness in our lives as individuals and as a community. Its is, among other things a thanksgiving for all those around us through whom we experience the love and care of Christ. What’s that you say? We don't live like that? I know we don't. You know we don’t. The WORLD knows we don't. That is pretty self evident. And that is one of the main reasons why so many folks of all ages are not choosing to turn to church for their spiritual nurturing, but they are looking elsewhere. Church is not just worship. It is far more than that Our ministries are an outlet of Christ's love through which we experience the abundant life that Jesus promised us when we gave our own lives over fully and followed him. Our teaching is the way we pass on that promised abundant life in Christ to generations to come. Our coming together to share bread and drink, questions and insights, suffering and joy, is God's way of binding us together in a deep relationship that is required to live the abundant life in Christ that God so much wants us to enjoy. That’s what the church is supposed to be! And if we but try to participate in this community with this very understanding of what it should be, God can and will meet us in our attempt to live it and make good our efforts. As far as coming to worship goes, your pastor would rather you miss worship once in a while and become more engaged in the whole church's ministry so that you and I and the rest of us can benefit from God's gift of this community. In fact, I will go so far as to suggest that you should actually plan on missing 20% of the Sundays available in a year (11 Sundays), so that you may have/find some more time for family, friends or exploring other opportunities for spiritual development. In return, I ask that you become involved in one of the many ministries that this church has already going on or is trying to develop. And if you DON'T find the ministry that suits you and your sense of what God is asking us to do, I challenge you to find some other folks that want to do it as well and start that ministry together. Thats how it works! You will have my blessing and support. In the long run, this will be a pretty good deal for all of us. God has a plan for this church to continually become a new expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can count on that. Now its up to us to respond as those who know that we are part of the plan! Pastor Aaron

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May 2010 Spring Sacramental Reflections Spring is definitely here to stay! Our spring retreat on May 15th started with more of a chill than we expected, but fortunately the wind died down enough out on the Rabjohn farm for a comfortable wade into the stream. We celebrated a Baptism and a renewal of our Baptismal Vows. The image of water has stayed with me as a tangible memory more from that day than all the lead-up and conversation we have been doing for it. That's the nature of a Sacrament! Interacting with the real elements of water, bread and juice or wine become powerful symbols. Many people experience a “presence” in the sharing of the Lords Supper or the tender grinning moments of a baptism. The Divine presence is indeed very palatable at these times. Surely its an effect of our multiple senses – using more than just our eyes and ears to experience God's presence. The coolness of the water around our feet and hands, the chill as it runs down our foreheads, the smell of the grapes, the texture of the bread, the explosion of taste on our tongues. The Sacraments are a place where we experience the sacred presence of God through real three-dimensional symbols. We immerse our bodies (or parts of them) in the water as a symbol of the grave – going under the earth, and rise out dripping as a symbol of rebirth and new life. We pass the plate, hand by hand, recognizing the lives we are connected to through Christ. We consume the bread and grapes, taking them into our bodies feeling the connection of our very existence to the earth that feeds us, to the God who created it all in love for us. We recognize as Presbyterians these two special moments from Christ's story as opportunities for a special connection with him. His baptism by John in the Jordan River and the last Passover supper with his disciples are ways that Christ is remembered and experienced anew. Many of you have shared with me other “sacramental moments” in life when you felt a special connection to some part of the Trinity. Sometimes its Holy Spirit that we feel, sometimes its the face of Jesus that turns to us with understanding and love. Sometimes we find ourselves in the profound presence of our Creator, awed by the beauty of nature or the wonder of our children. Our lives together are a kind of sacrament too. Family time and church family time shared in common rituals that interpret life and impart its proper meaning. We encounter God in each other as surely as we are Christ's hands and feet and voice. There are many events still coming up for us this season to be together before summer spins us in various directions – and even opportunities to be connected in fellowship and mission together then. I thank you for being a sacrament to me and for letting me be a sacrament for you. May we draw closer to Christ together! Fondly, Pastor Aaron

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June 2009 This has been a very active spring and beginning of summer for us, filled with events that were wonderfully uplifting and led by various members and groups within the congregation. We hosted Rev. James Renfrew in the pulpit on Mother's Day to further our Spring theme of Living Water. I enjoyed meeting Jim's congregation in Byron, and passing your good greetings on to that part of our larger family in Christ. The very next weekend we were blessed by God through the work of the Stewardship Committee on the very meaningful retreat out at the Rabjon farm. The Deacons also hosted a wonderful Friendship Luncheon for retired members with a fantastic menu. Indeed many long time friendships were renewed around the tables and in the kitchen! Pentecost was a special treat. It was new and different, and we learned a lot about how to hold a large scale event like this. It was a glory to see all the different choirs and pastors together in their robes among the red flowers and banners. So many of you commented about how neat it was to worship and share communion with friends and neighbors from the other village congregations. We will definitely respond to all the encouragement and do this again next year, building on what we have learned and experienced with our ecumenical friends. If you were intimidated by the venue or the event and didn't come, talk about the service with those who did. Let myself or the worship committee know how to help you attend something like this in the future. Coming up soon our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has its every-two-year meeting at the beginning of July in St. Louis. I am an alternate to attend this important gathering should one of the primary delegates have an emergency and not be able to represent our Genesee Valley Presbytery. I don't expect to have to go, but we have a contingency plan for the July 4th weekend should I need to pack and go last minute. Wilson Buddle will step into the pulpit for me in this case, and the ecumenical village clergy will cover pastoral emergencies. We will also move the celebration of Communion to July 11th. Being an alternate this year means that I will be a primary delegate in 2012; something to look forward to down the road! I have attended “General Assembly” twice before as a youth in Salt Lake City, and as a theological student delegate in Syracuse. The Salt Lake assembly was life changing for me, and contributed significantly to my sense of calling to this Church. The large scale worship is incredible, and being there as the delegates sought God's will as such a large group was inspiring to me both times. It made me proud to be a Christian and a Presbyterian. This web site Presbyterian Church (USA) Committee has a list of issues our Church will be dealing with at the assembly. There is a lot of worthwhile reading here! I would love to answer any questions you have about it and I strongly encourage all of you, at any age, to attend a camp or conference event of some type soon. Anyone who has been to Silver Bay, Camp Whitman, the Woman's Triennial, or a Biblical Storytellers event will agree it's worth while! I look forward to all the events coming up in July and August! Read about plans the Congregational Life committee is cooking up, Vacation Bible school, outdoor worship and those traveling for growth and faith. Join in as much as you can! Remember that worship starts at 9:30 am in July and August. Enjoy the warm weather, and thanks ahead for supporting the ministry we do in Christ's name all summer! Fondly! Pastor Aaron

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Summer 2009 Pastor’s Blog: In the Montreat bookstore at my conference week in June, I found a book that I have been savoring in my weekly visits sitting in the allergists waiting room. Let me share it with you: The Blue Parakeet, Rethinking How You Read the Bible, by Scot McKnight, Zondervan Publishing Dr. McKnight is a religious studies professor at North Park College in Chicago. As a contributor to Willow Creek Church resources he comes with good “evangelical” credentials and bridges the gap well for me between conservative and progressive. Anyone can benefit from this approachable book about how we read our Holy Scriptures. He begins with a wonderful journey through his childhood and youth, marking the significant points in life where norms about scripture were formed for him. Its easy to relate too! The “blue parakeet” was a bird that showed up at his birdfeeder one day – totally conspicuous and out of place, a pet that had escaped its cage. There are stories like this in the Bible, he says. Stories that stump us and make us shake our heads with wonder at best, confusion or anger at worst. Blue parakeets are also contentious issues that the Bible confronts us with, or agendas of our own, which we try to support from the holy writ. Do we conform the Bible to science, science to the Bible, or...? Are charismatic gifts relevant today? Miracles? Should woman be ordained, or even preach or teach? (He deals with this one extensively as a case study.) What about capital punishment, just war, homosexuality? The fact is that we have developed many bad habits over the years as we read the Bible, and because of the place the Bible has in our society, these bad habits become a significant stumbling block in our relationships with one another on hot issues. Only one of those habits is not to actually READ the Bible at all, but rather collect bits and pieces of it to suit our needs of the moment. What we miss out on is the whole story of God, and that is what Scott explains in his very easy-to-read way. The Bible is God's story. And it is a story of seeking oneness within humanity and between God and humanity. This is a book that I think would serve us well as we seek a revival of ownership in our personal faith, and in our Brockport church home. Would you consider purchasing it and reading it again with me this fall? Please let me know when during the week or month would be a good time to gather for some prayer and reflection on this book, and the scriptures it brings up to wrestle with. May we all find some dry and sunny times yet this summer! Fondly, Aaron

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September 2009 Frequently Asked Questions about the Doll's residence transition: Your house is for sale? Where are you moving? As close to the Village of Brockport as we can. As of this writing we are still looking/deciding on a place. Why are you moving? We would really like to simplify our lives on many different fronts. Rachel and I have been talking about what it would be like to move to Brockport for a while now. With Robyn's pre-school and evening meetings, I often make the trip back and forth from Holley several times a day. We also frequently make the trip to shop and visit friends and are just more connected to things in Brockport. I'd rather not have to keep on top of town issues in two different communities. We would also like to try downsizing our space for a while and forcing ourselves to get rid of things we have not used in years. In all these things I am trying to practice what I preach! In exploring the logistics of moving with a Realtor, we were advised that because of current incentives for buyers in our home's price range, 'now' is a good time to sell. This has turned out to be very true! Why are you considering renting? Isn't that rather temporary? Ok, we recognize and appreciate the anxiety behind this question! To address the question at face value; we are renting because our home in Holley sold quicker than we ever expected. There is nothing currently on the market in Brockport in our price range that we are interested in. From our experience of moving five years ago, we do not want to be rushed into a new purchase. We want to move and then have some stability for the kids before we move again. To address the question behind the question; NO, we do not have immediate plans to leave the area. I have shared pretty freely that some day we would like to move closer to Rachel's family in North Carolina. It’s been fifteen years now that Rachel has lived away. You should know this, and we hope that you will be happy for us when this day comes. We are NOT looking to jump at any opportunity to get down there however. Why did you move to Holley originally? We are glad to have gotten the chance to know our church members and the community a little better on the west side of our area. In truth, however, it was because of a lack of patience with my extended commute from Irondequoit when I first started working here. Rachel felt isolated on the east side of Rochester, and I was traveling at least 45 minutes each way. We just couldn't wait any longer for the housing market to produce something we could use in Brockport. I also had older colleagues who advised that buying in “the next town over” could be a good thing for our privacy. Living the clergy life can be kinda like living in a fishbowl for a clergy family. We are less worried about negotiating these boundaries now. Please feel free to keep your eyes and ears open for us! We appreciate the interest in and the excitement that some have expressed to us about this decision. Surely there will be lessons learned in the process. On a completely different note; a hearty thanks to all those who have ushered or provided receptions for the many memorial services we have had this year. We have been tested in this area and I am so proud of the way you have given of yourselves to make a difference for the families involved. Blessings! Pastor Aaron

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October 2009 "It feels like mom and dad are fighting, but we don't know what about." A member of the church shared this with me in eloquent response to the Conflict Resolution letter from the personnel committee and our plans to host Jack Heister from the Mediation Center of Rochester this month. I want to commend however, the personnel committee and the session for the care they have shown in taking seriously an opportunity for us as a congregation to rise above the morass that we, like many congregations face around typical congregational sources of conflict. I also want to reassure folks who have been taken aback by the letter or the idea of bringing in outside 'help.' As I tell the couples I do marriage planning with: “Healthy couples seek counseling occasionally. Its the ones that never do who are more likely 'unhealthy'.” We have NO big scandals brewing. We do have differences of opinion that occasionally get in the way – and have caused moments of anxiety for congregation members and ultimately staff, for years. Again, these are typical things for churches to disagree over: When do we do Christian education? What happens when the need to meet or fellowship conflicts with our CE time? What is the balance between traditional and contemporary worship? How do we handle announcements and joys and concerns in worship? How do we handle personality differences? How do we talk about money? How do we talk about the future? How do we honor the past? Which goals take priority? EVERY church has these challenges to one degree or another. Many let them forever simmer. Similar issues also simmer in families, school boards and businesses. Its easier to let them lie, but when we do, we do not reflect the people God calls us to be. Lets not be fearful! Lets believe the best in each other as we voice the needs we have in being the Christians God created us to be. What will Jack be doing with us? Firstly, the workshops at the end of October will NOT address any of our conflicts. They will give us tools to address conflict wherever we find it, in healthy ways, ways that acknowledge the possibility of 'win/win' solutions. These will be helpful not just in the church context, but also at home, work, etc. Jack is also allowing us to copy his handbook of negotiation skill building. He promises that the workshops will be interactive and enjoyable! Secondly, Jack offers a private listening time for all of you to come as individuals or small groups and share your joys and concerns for this church. Thirdly, based on what we share with him, Jack will facilitate another workshop or recommend other positive courses of action for us using the tools gained from the first workshop. The first workshop then is very important for us. Its not a bad thing for there to be conflict in our congregation. It means people care enough to be committee to a particular vision. If people didn't care, we wouldn't be here! The opportunity we want to create is a chance to let our different visions work together where they currently clash. This is what God calls us to be and do, I can't wait to do the hard work of it with you! Pastor Aaron Preaching: Rev. Heister was with us on October 18th in worship and at coffee time to set the stage Workshop: Part 1: Tuesday October 27 and Part 2: Friday October; both from 6:30 to 9:30 Listening: Monday November 2nd from 5-8 Follow-up: To be scheduled at the convenience of the October workshop participants.

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November 2009 I have had many opportunities this year to reflect on the words of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes. The beginning of chapter 3 is especially familiar, as it is frequently selected to be read in our “goodbye for now” memorial services of loved ones, not to mention the version popularized in song by the Byrds. Here it is from the Contemporary English Version. Ecclesiastes 3 “Everything Has Its Own Time” Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace. There is something especially appropriate about this passage at this time of year as harvest winds down and holiday seasons approach. Many find comfort in these words and the cycles they describe. Particularly when we are experiencing the negative half of each pair of words, to know the second will have its moment is something to hang onto! As we enter the season of winter solstice, the glow of the hearth (or what substitutes in your home) and the Advent candle lights remind us of longer days that will come. Surely as the seasons change they will! Within the fullness of time however, God has given us THIS time to be together. What are we to make of it? Ecclesiastes 3 (continued) “What God Has Given Us To Do” What do we gain by all of our hard work? I have seen what difficult things God demands of us. God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future. I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. Everything God has done will last forever; nothing he does can ever be changed. God has done all this, so that we will worship him. Everything that happens has happened before, and all that will be has already been. God does everything over and over again. Over and over again, the cycles of life come. One might see some futility in this, and indeed there is some ambiguity in the Teacher's intent. Ecclesiastes is not really a book of comfort, but rather a coming to terms with real life. Perspective is everything here! For as much as we are laughing, there will be a time to cry. Would laughter be so sweet, but for the tears? Jesus said “I came that you might have life more abundantly!” (John 10:10). In his words we imagine a desired fulfillment within life – something to make it complete – an underlying happiness behind both the laughter AND the tears. Indeed, the Teacher encourages us to be grounded in the happiness of this earthly mortal existence. Food and drink not only sustain, but enliven! The toil of subsistence and ministry should be something that we make ENJOYABLE as much as possible. What God does lasts forever. The form of our work does not. It is like a pocket-watch that cannot keep perfect time, and needs to be reset every so often. Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor experienced this when things at church did not go as expected: I thought that being faithful was about becoming someone other than who I was, in other words, and it was not until this project failed that I began to wonder if my human wholeness might be more useful to God than my exhausting goodness. - Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church A time to succeed, and time to fail; and in failure to gain a new perspective on truth and life. So this message for you, for me, for us together, is to seek to be renewed in God's sure cycles. To realign our patterns when they fall off of time with God's perfect movement. To hold out for the better part of time, and to seek and celebrate happiness as an act of worship. Being renewed with you in God’s Time,

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December 2009 I have been walking through Advent with readings during the day from J.Barrie Shepherd's A Child is Born, Meditations for Advent and Christmas. It has been a hard year in many ways, and a hard past ten years for our nation and world. Today it seemed all so acute, and so I am especially thankful for today's practice of meditation. Shepherd reflects on the prophet Isaiah's words and anchors Israel (and us) in the bedrock of God's presence with us in the past, and the assurance of God's presence to come. I am reminded of many events in my own life and a recent sermon's journey back to remember my family’s story told in the decorations on the Christmas tree. Let me share with you these words which seem so appropriate right now: Isaiah 11:1-10 Roots are such important things to us, your wandering children, Lord. We love to search the records of the past, to discover where we came from, who we came from. People proudly trace their ancestry to some illustrious forebear – there always seems to be one, at least for those who do the talking! Isaiah here, in looking to the future, also turns toward the past. He views the hope of Israel to be, to some extent, the true renewal of what has been and was lost. So that, although the line of David, Jesse's son, is now in disarray, if not disgrace, that house will be restored, made even more illustrious than before. It seems good to me that we look back before looking forward, that our remembering plays such a major part in preparation for the future. I can remember, at this time of year, so many Christmases under wartime bombing as a child, far from home on military service, beginning our own home with our first child. Such memories are rich and fondly cherished. Yet more than mere nostalgia is involved. As I look back I find myself again, I rediscover who I am in a much broader, fuller view than in the fleeting glimpse of any given moment. When I look back I find those I belong with: family members, friends, enemies as well, many of whom had almost been forgotten yet have been, still are, a fundamental part of my identity. When I look back I find your hand, my God, tracing in the present and the future from the past, guiding, prodding at times, comforting, sustaining, lifting me out of the dust of failure and defeat, brushing me off, setting me on my feet, back on the road; and beckoning me onward to the promise that has brought me safe thus far. So let me this day learn from the past to stride with confidence into your future, Lord. (J.B.S, p. 60) May the Christmas message of Hope lift your face this season. May the future be rich with the gifts of the past and the opportunity for new things!

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