Category: Pastor Thoughts - Edmonds Presbyterian Church

From the Desk of Pastor Rob

5/26/2022

Dear Church Family,

The Caller newsletter is taking a summer vacation in July and August, so I will give you a preview of upcoming services for June.

Saturday, June 4th at 2 pm. Celebration of life for Martha Orvis. I knew Martha in high school in Southern California. It was a great and unexpected joy to reconnect with her through Edmonds PC. The Hansen (Martha’s family) and Orvis families are delightful people and they welcome you to celebrate Martha’s amazing life. I will be officiating.

Sunday Worship, June 5th. It’s Pentecost! Wear Red! In my sermon, “Why Not?,” I explore Charismatic and Pentecostal expressions of Christianity and how they experience the Holy Spirit, including faith healing and tongues. I compare it to our emphasis on preaching and teaching the Word in Christ. Worship is a balance of heart and the mind, when we experience the movement of the Holy Spirit and we learn about the Bible.

Sunday Worship, June 12th. The sermon is titled “Creation 2.0.” The Creation story is continuous. People forget that when they think the earth and the natural world are disposable. The sense of conquering nature is deep in western Christianity. John 1 is an echo of the Genesis 1 creation story. The incarnation (God made flesh) came in creation, in Jesus, and the resurrection. And it continues today when we come to Jesus Christ and live in his name.

Sunday Worship, June 19th. “A Sound of Sheer Silence.” Elijah was afraid and he ran away. He saw a great wind, but God wasn’t in it. He felt an earthquake and a great fire, but God wasn’t in those either. Then there was a sound of sheer silence. And that is where God was. Things aren’t always what they seem. God is among us in quiet ways. There is hope in the midst of chaos.

Sunday Worship, June 26th. Dave Hackett will lead worship and deliver an inspiring message.

Finally, I want you to mark your calendars for July 10th at 3pm for my Ordination and Installation service. I would be absolutely delighted if you joined me for that event.

Grace and Peace to you all,
Pastor Rob

From the Desk of Pastor Rob

4/28/2022

Dear Fellow Travelers,

It’s Eastertide! Blooming flowers and warming temperatures accompany longer days. It is a good time to be alive! I finished seminary this month and I am getting ready for ordination. It is a very exciting time for Carol and me. Thank you so much for inviting us into the church family. It is truly a privilege to serve this wonderful congregation.

Our Bible Study using Toward the Kingdom of Heaven by Amy-Jill Levine has kicked off and now we are ready to dive into the Sermon on the Mount. It has been a real joy to study and pray with you. If you haven’t already, pick up a book at the church and join us! You can join us in-person on Sundays after worship and Tuesdays at 10 AM on Zoom.

As we emerge from COVID restrictions, we will begin doing more fellowship activities. Keep your eye out for announcements over the summer as we develop more opportunities for fellowshipping together.

We continue to offer an alternative worship option via email and YouTube. Please contact the office to get on the email list.

Here’s the plan for worship services in May. I will preach along with 3 guest preachers.
May 1, Heidi Greider will lead worship. Heidi preached last summer, and I am delighted that she will be preaching again. She is the Manager of Spiritual Care at Seattle Children’s Hospital. She brings us a wonderful spiritual perspective as a chaplain.
May 8, “The Lamb of Heaven.” Psalm 23 gives us an amazing picture of God’s character. I will do a deep dive into the text of Psalm 23 in Hebrew and English. Then I will compare it to the vision of heaven in Revelation 7.
May 15, “All Are Welcome!” Peter recounts the vision of seeing the sheet come down with all kinds of animals to eat. His eyes are opened to see that Jesus is for all humanity. I preach about how this is a vision for the peaceable kingdom of God.
May 22, Rev. Alan Beasley will lead worship again. He will bring a soulful and uplifting message to us.
May 29, Worship will be led by someone new to us, Sao Uamoto. He graduated from Seattle Pacific University seminary several years ago. He has served in several ministry positions in Presbyterian and Episcopalian churches and is a chaplain at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. I am excited to have Sao lead worship!

As Pentecost approaches on June 5, prepare your hearts and mind for coming of the Holy Spirit.
With the Peace of our God,
Pastor Rob

From the Desk of Pastor Rob

3/31/2022

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Wow, it’s Spring and Holy Week is just about here! I am so happy that we get to do some of the things we love to do in person again. We will do Easter baskets on April 9. We will have a Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services in partnership with Calvin Presbyterian on April 14 & 15. And then the big event, Easter on April 17! The choir will bring us the joy of Easter.

In other joyful news, I was called by the congregation on March 20 to be ordained as your installed pastor! Stay tuned for information about the installation service sometime this summer. I could not be more thrilled and grateful for your trust in me and your support as I begin my ministry with you!

Our Bible Study using Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans continues for two more weeks. It has been a great experience learning a new way to have faith and to learn what it means to be a Presbyterian. Don’t worry if you have miss a few. Just pick up a book at the church and join us! You can join us in-person on Sundays after worship and Tuesdays at 10 AM on Zoom.

We continue to offer an alternative worship option via email and YouTube. Please contact the office to get on the email list. Here’s the plan for worship services in April. I will be preaching for the whole month.

April 3, “There Is Something About Mary.” The story Martha and Mary is so rich with meaning. Along with their brother Lazarus they were personal friends of Jesus and they played a pivotal role in Jesus’s preparation to enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

April 10, Palm Sunday, “Of the Same Mind.” Palm Sunday is at once joyful and harrowing. Jesus knew the danger of entering Jerusalem, but he emptied himself and became an example for us all.

April 14 & 15, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in coordination with Calvin Presbyterian Church, 18826 3rd Ave. NW, Shoreline. Both services will be at 7 PM. Maundy Thursday at Edmonds, and Good Friday at Calvin. Please try to attend both, as you are able, to show support for our brothers and sisters at Calvin.

April 17, Easter, “Can You See the Real Me?” No one recognized the real Jesus on the road to Emmaus until he broke bread. Just like the song from The Who, it is a cry for identity. What will the church become? How will the real Jesus be revealed in us?

April 24, “We Must Obey God.” Peter just can’t help himself when he is told by the High Priest to stop preaching the good news. He is bursting with the Holy Spirit when he exclaims “we must obey God!”

As the temperatures warm and the sunlight returns, prepare your hearts and mind for renewal.

With the Peace of our God,
Pastor Rob

From the Desk of Pastor Rob

3/1/2022

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Lent is all about preparation. Sometimes we give up something. Maybe it’s a temptation or a bad habit – turning over a new leaf. Instead of being another New Year’s resolution, however, it can be about giving up on an old way of thinking. As we approach Holy Week and Easter, let’s plan to be open to new ideas and new people.

I am excited about our new Bible Study using Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans. She was a young person who found her faith again in a congregation like ours. It’s a great way to acquaint ourselves with people who can find a safe landing place in our church. I will lead the Bible Study through Lent. You can join us in-person on Sundays after worship and Tuesdays at 10 AM on Zoom. Also, there is a bonus. There will be just enough Presbyterian polity mixed in so that those of you who would like to can join in membership at Easter.

We continue to offer an alternative worship option via email and YouTube. Please contact the office to get on the email list.

On March 6, I will preach about the temptations of Jesus and how we should trust in the workings of the Holy Spirit. We should proclaim “Jesus Don’t Jump!”
On March 13, I will offer an encouraging message about “Our Citizenship is in Heaven.” When it seems like nothing is going right in the world, we can be confident that God will provide.
On March 20, I will focus on “That Which Does Not Satisfy.” We get so wrapped up in striving for the future and what we accomplish that we can forget what is really important. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that we show who we are by the fruit we bear.
On March 27, Christina Bergevin will offer an inspiring message. She is a fourth-year seminary student after a career in music ministry and staff at a megachurch. She has much wisdom about the movements of wider church around us.

As the temperatures warm and the sunlight returns, prepare your hearts and mind for renewal.

I wish you all every grace this March!

With the Peace of our God,
Pastor Rob

From the Desk of Pastor Rob

12/23/2021

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Welcome to the Lord’s Year 2022! You might be thinking, “How is this year going to be different?” It already is! Because we are doing many things that we didn’t a year ago. It is a good time to take stock of how far we’ve come. There are the obvious things, like returning to in-person worship and the choir and the amazing music program we had during Advent. But there are also many things happening in the background, from how we are managing our finances, emerging plans for stabilizing our building, new ideas about missions, and of course, me, as your new pastor. The church is alive and will become more active and alive in 2022. I could not be more excited than to be on this journey with you!

We are studying Romans in our Bible studies. If you haven’t already, please consider joining us on Sundays after church in-person, and on Tuesdays at 10 am on Zoom. Romans is a book to come back to time and time again, because it describes the whole of the Apostle Paul’s theology. More importantly for us, though, it shows how Paul talks to people in the richest, most powerful nation on earth. In a lot of ways, Paul is talking to us! He shows the importance of women in the ministry of the early church, in ways that remind us of the central and growing role of women in the life of our church and the church worldwide.

We will finish Romans by Lent. In Lent, I will start a class about being “Presbyterian in a Changing Church.” Presbyterianism is all about representation and equality. When we do it right, it is welcoming and life-giving, bringing the love of Jesus to individuals and the community in the way we hope for. We will study scriptures and other resources that will make this hope come alive in our church. The study is for everyone who wants to participate in growing the church. For those of you who aren’t already members, by attending these studies, you will be eligible to join the church at Easter, if you choose.

These are the Sunday worship services I am planning for January:
January 2: “The Remnant Awakens” Jacob became Israel, the one who wrestles with God. The most beautiful things are made from remnants and broken things. God recreates beauty in us.
January 9: “You are Precious in My Sight” In the waters of baptism, we die and rise again in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
January 16: “One in Creation” Caring for the environment and caring for people are the same thing. Jesus turned water into wine and celebrated creation.
January 23 and 30: We settle into Ordinary Time, like the people of Judah did in the rebuilt temple in Nehemiah. And we learn that love is for all. There is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time!

2022 will be an amazing year for me and for you. I can’t wait to travel on the road with you!

In the Grace and Peace of Our Lord Jesus,
Pastor Rob

From the Desk of Pastor Rob

9/29/2021

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Many of you have been praying for me in the last few weeks. I am very grateful for your embrace of us as we become part of the community here at Edmonds. I just took my Ordination Exams in September. It was a real ordeal while also being in my last year in seminary and moving our household in Oregon. Your prayers sustained me, and Carol, and we are super appreciative. Thank you!

We are renewing the life of the church for the Fall. We began our Bible Study of Romans. We are following N. T. Wright’s Romans for Everyone. It is very easy to follow along and it can be picked up at any time along the way. I recorded a kickoff lesson to get started. Just search “Romans Bible Study Kickoff by Rob Christ” in YouTube. We are meeting on Sundays after church at 11am in person. And we are also meeting on Tuesdays at 10am on Zoom (usual zoom details, contact the office if you need help).

While we are not ready to start up choir again, Gina continues to provide rich and beautiful music for worship with the help of several wonderful worship leaders and soloists. Additionally, we continue to offer an online At Home worship option for those of you are not ready or able to join us in person on Sunday mornings.
I have a variety of interesting messages for you in worship for October:

On October 10, we will learn how to “Pray This Way” using a line-by-line study of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6. I think you see that the Lord’s Prayer is richer and more intimate than you might think.

On October 17, Rob Hagan of the Presbyterian Foundation will tell us about the abundance of God’s grace. I will be his liturgist and we will host a light lunch afterwards.

On October 24, I will tell you how “Fear is Your Friend” in a provocative reading of Job.

On Halloween Sunday, October 31, we will learn about “Ruth and the Shema.”

You are an amazing and blessed community of believers! It is a privilege to serve with you! I wish you all every grace for autumn.

With the Peace of our God,
Pastor Rob

From the Desk of Pastor Rob

8/26/2021

Dear Fellow Travelers,
What a wonderful thing it is to worship together! Carol and I have really enjoyed meeting many of you. We look forward to getting to know you more as time goes on. I told some session members that it has been a beautiful honeymoon. They joked, “Well, we might not actually be married yet, until you are installed and ordained.” I said that’s all the better because it must mean that we are going steady! Whatever it is, it’s a delight to be with you.
One of the great things about writing to you is that I get to let you in on my secret plans. As I have spoken with many of you and observed how you work together, I have prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for how we should re-emerge as a congregation. You have been through so much in the last couple years. It’s a lot to handle, but you’ve remained faithful and gracious. I have focused my messages on wisdom, trust, facing shame, and resting in the Word of God. Let’s take this time to regroup and consider what we want to be as we move forward. My goal is for you to feel grounded and supported by the grace of God.
We are going to spend some time in the book of James this month. I will talk about being “Interrupted by Love” in how we reach out to the community. We will explore the importance of what we say with “Words of Gold and Honey,” and our practical use of the Bible through the “Wisdom of Women.” I hope for wisdom as we make choices about what we will do this fall. We are watching the guidelines closely and discerning carefully about how to do worship, when and how to start choir and the bible studies again. In the meantime, we will continue to offer the At Home worship and online communion so you can stay connected wherever you are.
My big request of you this month is to pray for wisdom and discernment. I hope for us to come together with a mission focus that we all embrace. I also want us to find ways for our neighborhood and our city to experience the bounty of love we have in our church. Check out the updates to our website. Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages and share them widely. Let me know what you think. Please call or stop by. I look forward to chatting with you!
In the Grace and Peace of our God,
Pastor Rob

Pastor Amy’s Thoughts….

11/10/2020

Greetings –
As I write this, I am reminded that I am writing pre-November 3rd. I do not know what you will know when you open this newsletter, which candidate for president has won the election. And I do not know what reactions will happen, though I pray for peace and calm to prevail.
This moment reminds me of many other moments in my own lifetime, moments when I did not know what the future would hold.

The first was when I was seventeen, sitting by the window on an ordinary Sunday afternoon in May1980, and watching ash fall from the sky. We didn’t know if it was toxic. We didn’t know if we could drive in it, or if it would damage our vehicles. (We later learned that it did clog engines and scratch windshields). We didn’t know if schools would be closed, if events would be cancelled or postponed. It was an uncertain moment.

The most recent time I recall was when we first learned that COVID-19 had arrived in a Kirkland care center. What might that mean for us? Would our lives change? We are still living in that uncertain time. I have made over 30 cotton facemasks. And we are still waiting to return to worship in the sanctuary.
At our Presbytery’s Verge 3.0 conference in October, I had the opportunity to listen to Susan Beaumont speak about her book, “How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You Are Going.” In her presentation she reminded us that the traditional ways of leading – with clear direction, a five-year plan, and expectations that we will excel in this effort – just don’t work in times of uncertainty. Instead, she suggested that good leaders become comfortable with not having all the answers just yet; remembering to be present to ourselves, others, and to God; and acknowledging that we may be in this time of uncertainty for a while- and this uncertain time may have something to teach us.

Who in Scripture was faced with uncertainty? There are many examples to choose from. Moses in the desert of Sinai for what turned out to be 40 years. Ruth and Naomi, wondering what would happen to them following the death of their husbands. Mary, wondering about her pregnancy with Jesus. The disciples, following the crucifixion of Jesus. Or my favorite in this context, the persecutor, Saul, who was struck blind by the light of Christ. Blinded, and charged with heading into a city he could no longer see to find, Saul began his journey toward faith in Christ. His companions, who did not see the light or hear the voice, took Saul into the city of Damascus. Then, in Acts 9:9 we read, “For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” He was waiting, as instructed, to be told what to do next. Can you imagine the uncertainty and anxiety? I would have wondered if I was crazy. My companions would probably have become very impatient with me. But, he does wait, and Ananias appears, being instructed in his prayers to do so. Ananias heals Saul through his prayers, and teaches him the good news of Jesus. Saul, also known as Paul, becomes a great witness to faith in Jesus.

In our present moment of election and pandemic uncertainty, let’s look to the scriptures. Remember that God is faithful. Give thanks for all the times that God has been faithful in your life, and use those memories as encouragement to trust in God’s faithfulness today. Remember the trials God’s people have gone through over the centuries - and know that we are not exempt from such trials. Challenging times and situations will arise. Just as God was with Moses and the people of Israel in their 40 years of wanderings, God is with us as well. Finally, don’t forget to take time to give thanks and praise to God. Look outside – see the trees in all their fall splendor, and give thanks. On a clear night, notice the moon and the stars, and give thanks. And whether on Zoom or in real life, give thanks for each person you see this day, that they are a unique, beloved child of God.

In Christ,
Pastor Amy

Thank-you

11/10/2020

“I thank-you for the many emails and cards that I received in October for Pastor Appreciation Month! I don’t know who the instigator was, but it was delightful to hear from so many of you. I am truly blessed.” – Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy’s Thoughts….

10/1/2020

Greetings,
I have been thinking about discernment today. In particular, how do we discern which voices to listen to, and which voices to turn away from? I remember when our second child was born. When she first met her elder brother, she heard him talking as he entered the hospital room. While she was in my arms she turned her head and focused her gaze (as much as a newborn can do so) on that very familiar voice that she recognized from the womb. She knew the sound of his voice.

We talk about listening for the voice of God as one way to undertake discernment. What does that voice sound like? How do we turn our heads and focus our gaze when that voice appears in scripture, in our prayers, or through other people?

You may remember the account of the two disciples who encountered Jesus on their way home to the village of Emmaus on that very first Easter Sunday. They did not know that Jesus had been raised from the dead when a stranger joined them on their walk. Gradually he explained all that they needed to know about Jesus, the ways that the scriptures had foretold his birth, death, and resurrection. Then finally, when the two disciples invited the stranger to join them for a meal in their home, we read that “their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”

This account highlights many of the common steps we take in discernment. We begin by looking for connections between our own lives, our own experience and the witness of the scriptures. Some call this the “scripture test.” Would the actions we are considering be praised by what we understand as the teachings of Jesus?

Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we often need someone else to help us see the connections. The disciples needed Jesus, the stranger on the road with them, to help them understand. We, too, often need someone to journey with us, to help us unpack the message of the scriptures and apply them to our lives. Our fellow Christians help us through their wisdom. We may also hear the voice of Jesus in our prayers and study helping us to make these connections.

But notice with me that in the Emmaus account, initially Jesus was the stranger on the road. He was not someone the disciples recognized. He was a stranger. And yet, they listened, they were willing to hear what this stranger had to say. And through the stranger’s voice they heard the voice of God.

I wonder what strangers we are listening to these days. I find that today’s strangers come in two forms for me. The first is the stranger who barges into my Facebook feed, or my email. I see the stranger in the video, the article, the news item that a friend likes and is therefore shown to me. But, is that a stranger I should listen to or not? At times like these, I am reminded of the wise words of the fictional character, Molly Weasley, in the Harry Potter books, who says to her children about a magically enchanted object that has become a source of trouble for them, "Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain." Applied to our newsfeeds, that means checking the source – who is behind this article? What is the purpose of it? It helps us to know whether this is a stranger’s voice worth our time, when we know the authors’ bias, or whether the news site is known for offering balanced or partisan views. A helpful link to sort this out is here: https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-chart Discernment in the daily email, the daily newsfeed, means knowing who is behind the message we are seeing or reading.

There is a lot of talk today about the bubble we each live in and in which we read the news of the world. That bubble tends to look a lot like us, and while I like a lot of people who look like me, I know that there are plenty of good ideas from people in other countries, people with different backgrounds and experiences than I have. But so often those people are outside my bubble – they are a second kind of stranger in my life. Lately I have been intentionally finding more of these strangers to listen to, to add to my discernment. A favorite way for me is to read or watch the news is to look for news from the Canadian press. I also have a number of respected clergy colleagues who are black, indigenous, or persons of color, and I seek out their writings, often on their blogs. I try to choose my strangers wisely. I listen to them and what they have to say, so that I may grow in my own understanding, and in the words of these strangers I may also hear God’s word to me, the word I am trying to discern.

In time, like the disciples at their kitchen table in Emmaus, the pieces of our discernment fall into place and we know what direction we need to take. The two disciples left their home and went back to Jerusalem to share with others the good news Jesus had shared with them. May our ordinary daily discernments and our more momentous ones be ones in which we hear clearly the voice of Jesus.

In Christ,
Pastor Amy