The Very Definition of Love

A few weeks ago while driving on Route 46, a car waiting to pull out into traffic caught my eye. It wasn’t particularly snazzy; in fact, it was a pretty tired and worn minivan that had seen better days. It wasn’t the rattiness of the car I was drawn to, but the shoe polish inscription on the large back window panel. I was sure I had misread it. Luckily when I entered the turning lane onto the boulevard the minivan caught up and then passed to the right of me so I could read the window graffiti again. Indeed I had read it correctly. It said: “20 years married and still in love.”

Wow.

Most of the time the window graffiti I see are things like “Go Bombers” or “State Champs” “We’re #1”, etc.

I got a brief look at the driver but there was nothing remarkable about him — at least on the outside. But I now think there’s something remarkable about him on the inside. As I drove along the boulevard, I wondered what his life is like, what he does for a living and what his spouse is like. I wondered how they spend their time, if they have children, and how they originally met. But mostly I wondered what inspired him to drive around with that written on his car.

For the cynics who are reading this, yes I know, it may not be his car. Maybe it’s his wife’s, his daughter’s or his neighbor’s car. Maybe he’s a car mechanic giving it a test drive before returning it to its rightful owner. But still…there’s at least one couple who is happy, proud and honored to share with the world that they have a happy marriage that they want to celebrate.

February is traditionally marked as the month of love and the 2012 stewardship campaign.
“12 months of Giving” is sharing that theme as well. And I believe it’s a good one. Some people, relationships and even communities are easier to love than others.

It may surprise you to know that as we sweep up the final pine needles and seek to preserve our poinsettias, that Ash Wednesday is February 22nd. This is the beginning of Lent, a time to intentionally show God that we love God by recommitting ourselves to prayer, penance and forgiveness.

Forgiveness, I think, is the hardest work of all to do. Yet, it is crucial for our personal growth, healing from old wounds and disappointments and the pathway for deeper, more honest relationships with God, ourselves and one another.

“US News and World Report” did a study about 10 years ago with 100 couples seeking data about what preserves marriage. 50 of the couples were still happily married, 50 couples were unhappy and teetering on divorce. When polled about how the unhappy couples dealt with conflict, the vast majority said that unresolved personal insults during conflict were the cause. When the happy couples were polled about the same issue, the vast majority responded: being able to forgive and move on.

Easier said than done.

Lent is an important time for us to ponder, especially the ways in which we do not love others as God loves us. Along with Lenten bible studies, special worship services and lay witnesses in worship I invite you to start thinking about your own Lenten focus and how forgiveness can play a part in that. And when you can’t seem to find the courage to even consider forgiveness, ask the One in whom forgiveness and restoration is the very definition of Love.

Loving and forgiving with you in Christ,
Jen

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Here we are in January and if you read this before January 6th, we will still be in the Twelve Days of Christmas. While you may well know the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” — you may not know that it was fashioned to help mark the days between Christmas and Epiphany. Epiphany is the marking of the magi seeing Christ’s start and coming from the East bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The twelve days of Christmas and the “Feast of Epiphany” are often more highly celebrated in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity than they are in Protestant circles, where the magi are often tacked on to the Christmas story.

However, if you read Matthew 2:1-12 the wise men seeking Jesus (and Herod’s dastardly plan) is a separate event in an unknown timeframe after the event of Jesus’ birth. Check out the two different nativity stories told to us in only two of the four the gospels, Matthew and Luke.

The reason that I bring this up is that most of us probably consider Christmas as a glorious and mammoth single day and we are often exhausted and relieved when Advent and Christmas are over. I don’t know about you, but by late December my Christmas tree is as dry as a bone. My ornaments are falling off of branches that are now concave. Pine needles have found their way into my washing machine and I have finally opened and sent my last Christmas card. I have found time to rest and relax and visit and celebrate, but the story of Christmas is far from over. In fact, it is just getting started.

The Magi are only now getting on their way to seek Jesus. And so should we. As tired or relaxed or overstuffed as you may be feeling, I encourage you to try to mentally and spiritually follow along with Matthew’s story of the magi who now commence their journey to worship Jesus.

This fallow time is indeed the ideal time to be intentional about seeking Jesus ourselves and pay Him the homage He is due. I wonder….how much homage did we really offer Jesus on Christmas as we sped from house to home bearing treats and gifts? Were we really able to acknowledge the grace of God choosing to dwell among us as we ate to our fill or tried to be thankful for gifts we might never enjoy or use?

I have seen (and participated) in extravagant gift giving, tireless efforts to decorate and celebrate, and even our stock market that relies on ‘Black Friday’. The question I ask you to now consider, in these twelve days of Christmas is…are all of these plans, preparations and celebrations equal to or less than how much we actually pay homage to the new born king? I think for most all of us, I already know the answer…

Paying homage with you because of Christ,
Jen

Advent in a Material World

I’ve had a most unusual preparation to the Advent season this year — much of it not very pleasant. As of this writing, I am still recuperating from back surgery with the hope of full restoration sometime in the near future — thanks in great part to your kind thoughts and prayers. But I am still grouchy; disturbed actually, by two things that I can’t seem to erase from my thoughts.

The first is a series of TV commercials for a large retailer with an overly “caffeinated” woman in a red sweat suit, who is beyond obsessed with shopping fever. She seems driven by some internal demon to commence her Christmas shopping marathon in time for December 25th. It could have been funny if it weren’t SO overdone, making the woman seem to be almost mentally imbalanced. And that’s not OK.

There’s even a worse advertisement series, by another retailer, that displays a disturbing “in-your-face” attitude even to Santa Claus himself! This TV commercial shows the shopper home on Christmas Eve, slyly eyeing Santa, who is unable to put even a single gift into the Christmas stockings—because they are already filled to the brim. She arrogantly offers Santa the empty stocking of the family dog for ‘leftover’ gifts which stuns and alienates Santa. She proudly turns to go off to bed remarking to Santa “…awkward…”

I realize advertising is very subjective and as a pastor I am hypersensitive to the way Christmas is portrayed in secular culture. I am all for giving gifts and am always happy to find wonderful gifts in affordable price ranges. I am all for being generous and understand the pressure that we put on ourselves to “get it all done.” But these commercials brought me to another place…if there’s no room for Santa to place his gifts in our stockings because we’ve already ‘got it all covered’ …I wonder……How can God give us what we won’t allow?

I wonder in our anxiety to hunker down and try to endure on-going, unprecedented, world economic times, if we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands.

I wonder if because our lives are ‘not back to normal’ we have bailed on God as our Sovereign, the giver of all gifts.

I wonder in our compulsive efforts to handle it all, solve it all and buy it all, we have gone astray from the path of God and jumped right back on the treadmill of self-importance and self-reliance.

I wonder what we’re teaching our children and our neighbors and our friends about God — when Advent and Christmas becomes a time just to ‘get through’ not a time to slow down, notice, observe and celebrate. I’m not saying Advent and Christmas-time is easy. For most of us it is a mixed time especially if we’ve had loss, illness or even intense disappointment in this last year. And for many the decreasing hours of daylight exacerbate that. But I think celebrating Christmas in the darkest 6 weeks of the year has a lot of purpose. If we observed Christmas in the light the spring or summer, how could we fully enjoy the beautiful lights of our trees, the candles in our windows and the sparkle in our children’s eyes?

In the warmth of Spring and Summer how could we fully notice, appreciate or enjoy the endless LIGHT that comes to us in the deepest dark, cold night? Friends, there are gifts from God to us waiting to be explored, shared and received; but only if we make space in our stockings and time in our lives to notice Emmanuel, God being with us.

Watching with you for Christ,
Jen

Building Faith Equity

It’s probably not news to any of us that the housing market continues to be poor.  And… more than likely many of you have had recent personal experience with either the devaluation of your own home – or for some of you – great difficulty in selling your home for what you feel its true value should be.  We hear these stories almost daily.

However, friends of mine put their house on the market just two months ago and after only a one open house, and four separate offers, they will happily close on their home in two week’s time, at close to the original asking price.  What’s even more remarkable is that the buyer’s home inspection came back with a list (like they all do) but they were all minor requests (my friends say ‘miniscule’)  Why? Because for the 40+ years that they owned it, they cared for and maintained their home with time and money, on a regular basis.  This helped to produce a wonderful result for them in this normally difficult housing crisis.

The same can be true for our faith.  If we attend to our faith on a consistent basis, it can produce wonderful results for us when crisis strikes.  But for most of us, it doesn’t even occur to us to tend to our daily faith walk or if it does, it still gets short changed.

One way to attend to our faith regularly is consistent attendance in worship. But it seems that for many of you, Sunday worship gets dwarfed by travel, sports and even emotional or physical fatigue.  Another way to tend to your faith is to set aside a daily routine of prayer and devotional time.  But again for busy lives, this plan, well intended, also can get pushed aside.

This is why we offer many different types of Christian Education opportunities at First Church Boonton.  There is the Thursday Morning PW Bible Study, the Monthly Evening PW Bible Study, Sunday School for children ages 3–9th grade, youth groups (for grades 5–8 and 9–12) and the monthly Lay Listening Group starting up again in October.

There will be two additional bible studies this fall. The Men’s Bible Study, Saturday AM, studying the book of Hosea and a Sunday Morning Bible Study after worship, led by Rev. Jen and Seminary Intern John Molacek.

I know for some of you, you feel that “you don’t know enough to attend” but that’s not true.  None of us knows it all.  We are all on this faith journey together and every teacher has to prepare and ‘look stuff up’ because the bible is an enormous, never ending source of both information and history but most importantly, food for the soul.

If your faith is struggling or you’re struggling even to get to church, it’s probably due to being disconnected to God and others, and God’s word.  Trust me when I tell you, regular weekly worship attendance is tough!  And maintaining a daily prayer and devotional life is even harder, if you’re going it alone.  But I can also tell you that it’s delightful and life-giving to take and share the journey together.

Besides, how are you going to answer your children’s and grandchildren’s questions about God, if you don’t know who God is, first-hand?  Don’t go it alone.  Get yourself and your kids involved in studying God’s word and see how much more meaningful your life becomes.

Learning with you in Christ,
Jen

The Arrival of Fall

What a unusual August we had…First the very sad and unfortunate shooting in Boonton, then the very surprising earthquake which was felt in NJ (by many) and then Hurricane Irene — which thankfully did not destroy life and property to the levels at which it was predicted, but the Rockaway River was certainly the main actor in Boonton! By the time you read this, hopefully all of the stormy events will have now passed… and… September will be upon us once again. As much as we sometimes dread the arrival of fall as well as schedules and structure, they are helpful as we move back into a rhythm of work and school, as well as creativity and growth.

This is true for all that’s already planned for you for the fall here at FCB.

We kickoff with a Special Sept 11th remembrance service, Sunday morning at 10AM. This will be a service for all to attend (including children) to remember that tragic day and offer prayers and continued hope and healing for all. As part of that service the worship committee has created two very meaningful rites that will assist us in remembering that solemn day and also aid us in the on-going healing; a journey between memory and hope.

Sept 18th is “Rally Day” which is our official “back to fall schedule,” with opening communion, the commissioning of Sunday School teachers, first day of Sunday School, and the first ROCK meeting of the year. (Tekna Theou kicks off on Sept 11th.)

Sept 25th is Boonton Day (after worship on Main street) where we will again have booths with games and fundraisers as well as opportunities to make our Boonton presence known on Main Street. Our fabulous choir will also again be ‘taking the stage’ to sing some wonderful gospel crowd pleasers. Plan to stop by or volunteer to help at our booths 11am – 5pm!

October 1st will be our annual Officer’s Retreat at Chatham Township 9–4 and Sunday, October 3rd isWorld Communion Sunday, where we bring and share breads from all different cultures as we celebrate sharing the Lord’s Supper simultaneously with people all over the world (in their respective time zones). This will also be the first day that John Malacek pronounced (mah-lah-check), our new Princeton seminarian will be joining us. John will be with us as a seminary intern from October through April of 2012 as part of his Field Education as he pursues a Masters of Divinity from Princeton. Look for more information about John in our October Spire issue.

We will also be starting a new Men’s bible study Oct 15th for all those men who would like to deepen their faith and their relationship with God and one another. I hope you’ll plan to take time to be a part of this new and wonderful community.

Sunday, Oct 23rd we’ll be also hosting the 2nd annual inaugural organ concert with guest organist, Dr. Andrew Moore, another lauded nationally known organist, to celebrate again the wonderful instrument that you were ‘instrumental’ in having installed in our newly renovated sanctuary!

These, of course are only some of the highlights to mark on your calendars but the real meaningful events are the connections and reconnections to God and one another. It is my sincere prayer that you will all return rested and hungry for the learning, living, loving and spreading the gospel to all who are eager to be touched by the Spirit – the very Spirit that moves and that binds all of us together, near and far.

Awaiting with you in Christ,
Jen

Blue Jays & the Children of God

Dear Saints,

A few weeks ago, friends of mine, who were away on a 2 week vacation, left me keys to their home to enjoy in their absence. This is always a much appreciated gift and these particular friends not only live in a wonderfully quiet neighborhood, but their house backs up to a glorious, very active brook. Every time I go to their home for a visit and get out of my car, the stunning quiet and the gentle brook amaze me and transport me instantly to a state ofjoy and calm.

One night, before all the monsoons of late hit, I was able to get there for a few hours of respite. I couldn’t wait to get on to the back deck to sit in the sanctuary of trees and soak up the rushing, healing sounds of the brook. As I sat drinking in the calm and the beauty, it was as if time began to finally and thankfully stand still.

The brook was my companion as I noted the colors of all the flowers, plants, trees and shrubs, many of which were in bloom. Scads of unnamed birds were in nightly choral rehearsals, while others like swallows were swooping and diving. Crows were doing their usual rounds looking for trouble and doves were doing their daily mourning.

The water below was swift and playful and I really wanted to find a way to get closer — as if by doing so I could capture all the messages that the Creator was pouring forth from the water. As I walked the patio and perimeter walls, I searched for a way to climb down the very steep embankment to get to the brook. At the steepest corner of the walled embankment, I stopped and realized that without either rappelling down or using a donkey, I had better stay put.

I stopped again to listen, rest and gaze. And there it was…

Nestled deep in a very large, very dense group of shrubs was a blue jay sitting on her nest. I was amazed and delighted. As I gently moved closer to get a better look — still about 10 feet away — she still stayed completely motionless and it appeared, completely at peace. I’m sure her heart ratewould say otherwise, but to me, she was the vision of beauty and peace.

This mother blue jay, usually only known as the bully of the birdyard, was,like all parents, doing the best she knew how to protect her off-spring and give them the best chance at as full a life as possible. Odds are that some of her off-spring will do better, fly farther and live longer than others. She will do her level best to feed,nurture, teach and protect them until they are ready to start their own lives.

And so it is with God, who gives us life; who feeds and nurtures us, who teaches and protects us, and desires for us all the goodness, mercy and joy that is available to us, as God’s children. So saints, as we move into the season of communions, confirmations, graduations, celebrations (and even one ordination), may we remember to do our best to be proud and supportive of our children.

May we be patient with ourselves and one another, as parents and family members, in this very busy time, which can be as stressful as it is joyful.

And may we always remember that we are all children of God and we need to love one another as God loves us.

Celebrating with you in Christ,
Jen

God’s Royalty – Us

Dear Saints,

Sitting here writing this letter, I thought … In case you haven’t heard… there’s a pretty big wedding on April 29th. As the date looms, daily updates of every detail that we “need to know” are being transmitted to us via radio, television, internet and even facebook updates. Today I read that over two billion people are expected to watch the nuptials. Two BILLION people. That’s almost one third of the world’s population!

That’s a lot of pressure. Although I suspect that every one of us has endured intense pressure in our lives and maybe even for sustained periods of time, but none of us will ever experience the kind of pressure thatWill and Kate are stepping into, for the rest of their lives.

But they are not entering into their marriage lightly. They took their time to ensure that they were mature enough and properly prepared to begin a life with each other and also in great part, with Great Britain and the world.

RowanWilliams, The Archbishop of Canterbury, who will have the honor of marrying Will and Kate, was interviewed recently and was said to have been impressed with his time together with the famous future couple and asked for prayers on behalf of Will and Kate “for a future which is destined to always be in the spotlight and scrutinized by the media.”

Indeed.

But deeper in the article I was reading, the Archbishop went on to say something I don’t fully understand… “…I hope they’ll be given the strength and the persistence to go on showing the rest of us what’s possible, for the whole of their life together.”

Surely, we all understand from the outside looking in, that life in the public eye AND as membership in the royal family is a rare calling and it demands great poise, courage, patience and strength.

But I am stuck on the words “showing the rest of us what’s possible.” Rowan Williams is certainly himself a highly educated, greatly privileged and well thought of cleric the world over. And I too hold him in great esteem, but I am left wondering— are Will and Kate the only ones who are responsible for showing “the rest of us” what’s possible? I hope not.

Before I get quoted (or misquoted) as taking on the Archbishop of Canterbury, I do not think the Archbishop is intending for the entire world to look to Will and Kate alone for modeling what is possible. (I hope).

But it certainly bears repeating that we too as Christians, though not privy to royal power and grand luxury are also charged with public service, because we too are heirs…heirs to the royal priesthood.

As it is stated in I Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of God who called you out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.”

Saints, we have just come through another wonderful, meaningful and very blessed Lent, Holy week and Easter, filled with rich bible studies and fellowship, glorious sounds of music and deep silences, beautiful witnesses to faith and mission and have added 11 to our number of those who will continue to proclaim God’s mighty acts.

As we watch with joy, amazement and hope— asWill and Kate marry— may we not forget that we too are royal; God’s royalty. That we too have many riches to share with the world.

Sharing with you in Christ,
Jen

Time for Prayer for Japan

As we enjoy this sunny day, we give thanks for God’s light and warmth, yet we are also distracted by deep concern for our brothers and sisters in Japan. The devastation is stunning and the growing concern of nuclear threat is almost too much to take in.
 
While our One Great Hour of Sharing funds and personnel were immediately on the scene offering relief and support, we all know that the need will be great and on-going for years to come.
 
At Monday’s meeting the session moved to hold a special offering and time for prayer for Japan for the next two weeks in worship, March 20th and March 27th. The funds will be collected and sent onto Presbytery for immediate disbursement to PDA (Presbyterian Disaster Relief). This will be in addition to the 2011 Mission and OGHS pledges we have already committed to.
 
Please prayerfully consider joining us in worship to offer prayers and gifts as we come together as a community of faith during this difficult time.

Small Surrenders

In Mathew 11 Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This is not to say in any way, that I want anyone to ‘skim through Lent’ like stones skipping across a pond. Rather consider taking small, daily intentional steps that are both manageable but also intentional efforts to surrender; to our wills and our desires to God.

Small Surrenders can be done in a myriad of ways:

You might consider attending Ash Wednesday Worship for the first time, especially if you have had negative associations with the concept of Ash Wednesday in the past.

You might consider praying again daily or for the first time.

You might consider using a daily devotional either by yourself or with a spouse or friend. (I have compiled a list of new titles that are easily ordered online (see inside pg 3).

You might consider joining one of the Lenten bible studies that will be offered this Lent.

Or perhaps coming to the Seder, and/or the Holy Week Services. Only you know what it is that you are dreading or avoiding in your relationship with God. Lent is a wonderful time to surrender even the avoidance!

My hope and prayer for all of us is that we can be open to surrendering ourselves to God in whatever way we are being drawn, especially because it is God who wants to draw near to us.

Surrendering with you in Christ,
Jen

Sojourner

As I write to you, I’m on vacation at a deliciously-quiet, snow-bound retreat hideaway. Part of this wonderful time away affords me additional freedom to ponder and pray with particular psalms.

Today I opened up to one of my ‘favs’— Psalm 84. Psalm 84’s overall theme is the JOY and celebration experienced by a sojourner returning to his home-soil and tabernacle (specifically Solomon’s temple) and the joy he experiences with God not only at his arrival to the sanctuary, but also the joy and gratitude for the pilgrimage to/from the “Dwelling Place” of the Lord.

Back in the fall I preached on Ps. 84 for the Sunday that we returned to worship in our newly renovated tabernacle. It was a perfect text, for a wonderful day, when we joyously processed in with all the elements of our worship space and reconstituted our new tabernacle.

As I read and prayed Ps. 84 again this morning, I was struck by the amazing parallel to this year’s Christmas Eve worship services — both of which were joyous, meaningful and a little unusual.

Some of you know we took a survey of regular attendees this fall, to poll whether we might change the hours of the Christmas Eve services, to improve sliding attendance. The results, the comments, and even the participation were mixed. Since there was no overwhelming trend or desire to change, we left worship times the same as in recent years.

Interestingly, attendance was up 36% at both services! This is always encouraging for pastors, choirs, worship committees and staff. But here’s the remarkable thing: many of the ‘usual suspects’ were not in attendance. Instead, there seemed to be an unusually high number of visitors, friends of friends of the church, and even individuals who had no connection to the church, who sojourned to worship with us on this Holy night.

Quite a few of the visitors, on their way out, all said something to the effect: “I’m so glad I came.” “I thoroughly enjoyed this.” “I WILL be back!”

This, dear Saints, is very good news that strangers feel welcomed and met by God.

The psalmist speaks to this that “even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young.” It seems to me that as we continue being more outwardly and more mission focused, our worship time and space is a very important part of “making disciples of all nations” (Matt 28).

You, Saints, are the ones who have inspired and enabled a wonderful new tabernacle and meaningful worship by offering your gifts of time, treasure and talents, your gifts of hospitality and generosity, your leadership and manual labor, and your genuine friendliness. Together, we have created (with God’s grace) a place and space in which God not only delights in dwelling but also a setting that sojourners from near/far are drawn to, and want to return to.

This brings great joy to my heart as I know it does yours, but most importantly it brings joy to God’s heart.

So whether you are able to worship with us in person or in spirit, I encourage you to receive, celebrate (and pass on) the joy of a beautiful and life-giving tabernacle which allows us to experience God’s movement, equips us to make disciples of all nations and invites others to do the same.

Blessed Christmas-tide.

En-JOY-ing worshipping with you in Christ,
Jen