We welcome the Rev. Baron Ashfield and his wife Linda to our congregation. Rev. Ashfield became our Interim Paster on July 1, 2007. He will be with us until a new pastor is chosen.
Baron's Word - Help To Spread It!
Session met on May 7. I presented “The Summer Schedule - 2008” from May 11, Pentecost to Sept. 7, our kick-off Sunday starting us up for the Fall.
Summer already! Hard to believe. I noted with Session that I will have completed my first year at First Presbyterian in about 6 weeks. Again hard to believe. It was a year ago in May that Linda and I first visited Monroe for a tour and were shown the Manse in complete renovation – walls torn down, kitchen gutted, floors stripped and would it all be finished by July 1 our move-in date? Indeed, nicely finished and Linda and I have kept home since.
You may recall that we were no sooner moved in and getting settled then my sister called to inform me that I had better come immediately to be with our mom who had to be placed in Hospice care. I remember with gratitude the generous and kind response of Session to me to, “Go, be with your mom. And so, off to Hawaii Linda and I flew to be with my sister and mom in her final days. Words can’t express what this meant to me. Thanks.
Speaking of Summer 2008, I would like to offer the opportunity to follow the Book of Genesis, as our main Scripture for the Sundays of Summer from June 1 through mid July. There is a power and glory in Genesis found no where else in Scripture, not only as a story about beginnings but a Book foundational for two Faith traditions - Jewish and Christian, Genesis connects us with our roots. The stories about Creation, Eve and Adam, Cain and Abel, Noah, and the First Family show us, in fascinating detail, how our quest for meaning is illuminated by theirs.
Karen Armstrong in her acclaimed book “A History of God” describes perfectly why Genesis is a book to be read, preached from and pondered. “We discover how these ancient tales illuminate our most profound and intractable problems: our struggle with evil, with obtuseness, with cowardice, and particularly with the difficulty of facing up to the consequences of our past actions. Most significantly, the stories in Genesis can help us to relate morally, to our own personal histories in our strivings to make ourselves whole, and to grasp why the struggle itself is worthwhile even if its goal is never fully achieved.”
Pursuing the Book of Genesis is never easy. Its stories are complex and as Karen points out “sometimes contradictory” But, to engage these stories in Genesis openly and honestly is to find both a challenge to grow as well as the blessing after having wrestled with God. Join us this Summer 2008 starting Sunday, June 1 and lets discover together what God would speak to us from His Word.
Peace.
Baron
First Church
After Peter preached the first “Christian” sermon ever preached, in Jerusalem, after 3000 people who heard that first sermon responded by allowing themselves and their families to be baptized, then the first ever “Christian” community came to be formed -First Church Jerusalem. What, do we imagine, did such a community look like? How did it behave? The Book of Acts does not keep us in suspense. Immediately a couple of “snapshots” are provided. We get a look-see.
- Acts 2
- “They spent their time learning from their Leaders (Apostles), taking part in gathering together, that is, coming to Church (Fellowship), sharing communion meals together and praying together too. Oh, and they shared their stuff (belongings) with each other. Now how did they do that? By selling their stuff (property and possessions) and distributing the money among all, according to what each one needed.”
- Acts 4
- “The group of believers was one in mind and heart. No one said that any of his/her stuff was his/her own, but they all shared with one another – everything - they had. There was no one in the group who was in need.”
There is no surprise, for us, seeing First Church gather in friendly ways, sharing pot-luck, prayers, and blessings. Seeing First exhibiting a Fellowship that was totally of one heart and mind might seem to us today a little far fetched. Another stretch for us today is to see all the adults out for Bible Study. But where our eyes glaze over and there is no seeing, no way, is when the snapshots show members selling all their stuff and sharing everything they own among themselves and with all in need. Yikes! It is to be noted that there is no universal mandate here: “Go, sell everything you own and give it to the church.” Rather, it was the particular practice of First Church Jerusalem. For us today, looking in, it should give us pause for thought. Of course we have to get past our immediate defense of capitalism and the right to possess our own stuff. Let that go for a minute. Once past that and being reflective, what might be the message here for us?
Anthony Robinson, in his book Called to be Church writes, “In order for people to let go of anything – but especially money and possessions and the security they represent – they must have taken hold of, or have been taken hold of by, something else. That’s the case here in Acts. Something else, namely the Holy Spirit, is filling their lives and hearts, thus allowing hands to freely share the goods and possessions that we so often imagine will fill and secure our lives.”
Anthony offers in his remarks a fundamental insight that may well escape us today, which is, strong communities (holy spirited) create security and abundance. We may accumulate a great deal of wealth as individuals, but a sense of insecurity and anxiety will hound us so long as our community (our relationships) is in disarray, jeopardy or at risk. The snapshot of the early church, in Acts, provides us a look-see at how church (community) is our real wealth, not our possessions.
Peace.
Baron
