By Scott Anderson on
3/22/2012 3:34 PM
Here's another post from Susan Patterson--a Lenten reflection from our recent Session meeting that I thought should be shared more widely.
If she keeps this up we're going to have to give Sue her own blog!
Blessings to you all!
Scott
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By Scott Anderson on
2/16/2012 11:02 AM
Lent begins with ashes—on one level a reminder of the way our best intentions sometimes flame out with little to show for them. A reminder that we aren't God—that we are limited beings who need one another, that we have a beginning and an end: "All of us go down to the dust, but even at the grave we make our song. Alleluia!"
But even if we begin with this important reminder, we do so as a way to finding the new life Easter proclaims and to reinvesting in the richness that we already have. So the ashes of Wednesday quickly give way to the rainbow of Sunday (Genesis 9). And what a great day for a rainbow as we welcome our friends from Bridge Ministry!
The rainbow is, in fact, a great image for the Lenten journey for us. If we begin with the blackness of Ash Wednesday, it is perhaps simply to recall that black contains all the colors of the rainbow. So with each week of Lent, we can pull these colors out, attending to what they have to teach us about the practices of a faithful community as we move toward the bright white of Easter and its promises for full life....
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By Maggie Breen on
1/5/2012 9:09 PM
Confirmation begins at St Andrew on January 8 th. This year we will have four youth who will take part in the confirmation journey for the first time. As the process begins we will help these youth indentify a St Andrew adult whom they would like to invite to journey with them as part of this process. In addition, all of the youth who took part over the last two years are planning to take part again this year. These returning youth want to be part of the process again, as part of their own faith journey, as well as be present to support their younger friends.
So what exactly is confirmation?....
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By Scott Anderson on
12/7/2011 5:26 PM
At its last meeting the Session approved the creation of a youth minister auto expense fund. It came about at our realization that in the course of her work Maggie was putting many miles on her car transporting our youth without reimbursement for gas or vehicle wear and tear. As a Session, we decided it was an oversight on our part not to have a reimbursable account in place, so the decision was made to correct that with a temporary fix for the remainder of the budget cycle which ends in June, 2012. The personnel committee intends to recommend a budgeted amount in our next budget cycle for travel, much like you have approved as a congregation in my own salary package. But we'd like to start sooner than that… which is where you may come in.
As you consider the myriad possibilities available to you during this season of giving, perhaps you might choose to help us fund this new account between now and the end of June. If you'd like to give, you can write a check and designate it to "Youth Minister Auto Expense."...
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By Scott Anderson on
7/12/2011 4:09 PM
Pastor's Annual Report, 2011
Ok class, I know this is summer, but let's take a little field trip back to the classroom. Remember Nicolaus Copernicus? He was the guy who suggested that the earth revolves around the sun rather than the sun (and the other planets) around the earth. Of course this understanding of the universe is a given today and has been for quite some time, but it wasn't always so. And as obvious as it is today, Copernicus' model, though far more elegant and reliable… and true, took a good 200 years to replace the Ptolemaic system that imagined the earth at the center.
The problem wasn't the science. Supporting data came pretty quickly. The problem, I'm afraid to say, was the church, which resisted the notion out of its need to be the center of the universe. Bucky the cat from one of my favorite comic strips Get Fuzzy...
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By Scott Anderson on
7/5/2011 9:19 PM
I love the idea of church! I love this sense that we are gathered on a Sunday morning (and other days) not because we are all alike (although, to our detriment, we too often are!), not because we have responsibilities to fulfill (although, admittedly, that is sometimes the reason we show up), not because we have simply developed a habit (although that can actually be a help when we need to show up but don't feel like it), but because we are hungry and thirsty for a deeper and more durable truth and a more sustainable life in the world. And at its best, the Church has something deeply important to offer here.
But here's a shocker: Churches are not perfect, nor are the people within them. Ok, you probably already knew that! And you'll probably know this is also true of St. Andrew. But if we are being our true and best selves, if we are paying attention to the rich voice of truth we find inside of us, we are always busy imagining a better reality and growing into it. And the idea and practice of church is...
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By Maggie Breen on
3/23/2011 11:07 AM
In the first half hour or so of our Sunday evening confirmation meetings we eat together and we reflect on that day’s worship. We bat around questions like – What caught us today? Where did we feel like we were really participating? Where did it feel like we were being called to give ourselves to someone else? A couple of weeks ago dinner was coming to an end. The group seemed to agree that worship had been engaging even though there was nothing too out of the ordinary to explore and then the question came up – “what are we doing here again….?”
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By Scott Anderson on
1/18/2011 2:04 PM
Every now and then we are fortunate enough to get a glimpse into the understanding, wisdom and creativity of others. What follows is just such an example from one of our elders, Sue Patterson who offered this for our devotions at the beginning of our January Session meeting. Enjoy!
—Scott
Let Us be Kind to One Another
Sue Patterson
As we begin the new year and celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and contemplate all that he stood for, kindness is a trait for us all to strive for.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late."
Ephesians 4:31-32, 5:1-2 tells us Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk...
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By Maggie Breen on
10/7/2010 10:58 AM
There’s this thing that started happening when I was younger. I associate it most clearly with my early teens. This thing happened after I had learned the meaning of a new word especially words that were fun to say like serendipitous or nuance or naiveté. It would happen when I was absolutely sure that I had never heard the new word before. After I had been introduced to the word it would suddenly start popping up all over the place, and I mean all over the place. I would hear it in conversation, on TV, in stories, on the radio. People who I was absolutely sure had never used the word before would casually drop it into their speech. The word would appear in ordinary places, places that it had just never been before. Then after it had appeared in about six or seven different locations it would seem to disappear as quickly and wonderfully as it had come, but ready for me to pull it out should I need it in the future. I remember this satisfying sense that there was some kind of cosmic language arts teacher just making sure I really understood what this new word meant before we moved on. It thrilled me as a child. It was this secret thing, just for me I believed. It made me smile and let me think that I was being taken care of by the universe.
As I have grown and let people know about this secret and wonderful thing, I have learned that I am not alone in the experience...
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By Scott Anderson on
9/25/2010 3:51 PM
THIS JUST IN: She's been a fashion icon, a dentist and an aerobics instructor. Now, for her 125th job, Barbie is a journalist. Her tag-line: “A flair for journalism and power of pink—appropriately perky, Barbie is blond, dressed for cable news in a low-cut cami and glittery pink suit. Comes with a microphone and camera.”
I hope you will forgive me for not running out right away to snatch up the newest must-have Barbie doll. I’ve been feeling a little weary of it all lately. I’ve, even noticed a bit of churning in the pit of my stomach when I’ve tuned in to the media that crowd the newspapers, cable and “the internets” (as Stephen Colbert is known to call them) with their glittery sound and fury. Let’s take a deep breath and then exhale slowly for just a minute. Let the stomach settle. And then let’s sit back for a minute and take stock of our current setting:
A pastor of a small, obscure congregation hi-jacks the...
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