Category: Pastor Thoughts - Edmonds Presbyterian Church

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

7/10/2019

“The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” - Psalm 19:1

Greetings –
Summer is a time for a shift in routine, a change of pace. It always feels to me that there is more time in the summer. Perhaps it is because of the longer daylight hours, or because so many of the routine things we do during the school year are suspended for the summer. Or maybe the summer feels spacious because we make different use of our time – choosing to relax, to vacation, or to spend time with friends and family.
Summer is always the time of year I associate with star-gazing. When I was young my dad and I would put our lawn chairs in the back yard of our home in Spokane, and wait for the sky to grow dark. Dad would point out the constellations, planets, and stars that he knew by name. Gradually more and more stars would become visible, until on dark nights, it became difficult to even find the constellations because of all the stars in the sky.
Mark and I were in the Tri-Cities a couple weeks ago, and while we were there we visited the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) visitor center. LIGO at Hanford is one of two sites in the US designed to detect gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space. These waves are 1/10,000th of the width of a proton. So small that, although Einstein predicted the waves, he assumed that they would never be measurable. But, they are. And, shortly after coming online in 2015, the two US LIGO sites detected a gravitational wave, the result of the collision of two black holes 1.3 billion miles from earth. Interestingly, the LIGO observations led to telescopes being pointed toward the source of the wave in time to observe the collision of the black holes. The gravitational wave had gotten to earth ahead of the light from that event.
Whenever I am confronted with the vastness of space, the small size of an atom, or the complexity of our universe – I discover I am also face-to-face with the beautiful complexity of the creation brought into being by our God and creator. I find myself drawn again to sitting in a lawn chair watching the stars, and imagining what wonders there still are to be found somewhere beyond our understanding.
As you move into the middle of your summer this year, I challenge you to find some quiet moments to consider our place in God’s beautiful universe. Pray, read scripture (Psalm 19 is a good starting point) or maybe just to put a lawn chair out in the back yard on a dark night and give thanks to God for the beauty of all of God’s creation.
In Christ,
Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy's thoughts...

5/14/2019

Happy Easter! Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

The month of May falls entirely within the church season of Easter, the seven Sundays that we particularly remember Jesus’ resurrection with joy and gladness. Poet and Pastor Ted Loder has written a poem about resurrection that keeps rattling around in my head, giving me more and more food for thought. I offer his poem for your reflection and prayer this month:

I Praise You for this Resurrection Madness
Lord of such amazing surprises
as put a catch in my breath
and wings on my heart,
I praise you for this joy,
too great for words,
but not for tears and songs and sharing;

for this mercy
that blots out my betrayals
and bids me begin again,
to limp on,
to hop-skip-and-jump on,
to mend what is broken in and around me,
and to forgive the breakers;

for this YES to life and laughter,
to love and lovers,
and to my unwinding self;

for this kingdom
unleashed in me and I in it forever,
and no dead ends to growing,
to choices,
to chances,
to calls to be just;
no dead ends to living,
to making peace,
to dreaming dreams,
to being glad of heart;

for this resurrection madness
which is wiser than I
and in which I see
how great you are,
how full of grace.
Alleluia!

-From Ted Loder’s book, Guerrillas of Grace

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

4/3/2019

Greetings –
The crocuses are in bloom, the daffodils are starting to burst forth, and the trees are glorious in their blossoms. Spring has sprung!
In the calendar of the church year, we are currently preparing for Easter Sunday in the season called Lent. Lent is a time to be intentional about our prayers, how we use our resources, and how we care for one another. It is a time to take stock of who we are and how we would like to live our lives from this day forward.
I have been reading a book titled, “SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life,” about the many ways we fill our calendars too many commitments, and our homes with too much stuff. The author, Julie Morgenstern, encourages the reader to address the root causes, the reasons for why we need to be so full in our homes, and in our calendars. What does that mean to us? Why do we do it? Simply noticing what we do is sometimes enough for us to change. Or we may need to delve deeper into the ‘why’ of what we are doing, so that our efforts at cleaning out the extras from our lives will last long into the future. One helpful idea of the author’s was to identify a name, a theme, or a mission statement for the next season of life. Then, when looking at the stuff, or the calendar, it becomes a simpler question to ask if that activity or thing, will be helpful for living into the mission of the coming years.
In Lent we are also offered the opportunity to look deep into the why of what we are doing, to clear our minds, our schedules, our homes of all that does not conform to our values and our mission for the next phase of life.
Churches are a lot like humans. We have activities and things we do that may have been best suited for a previous mission statement. What is it that we truly need for our next phase of life in this place, for the “new thing” God is beginning among us? What will best serve us in the new future God is calling us into? I invite you to ponder those questions as the Session does the same.
The book, “SHED,” was recommended to me by a presenter at the “over 50” pre-retirement seminar that I attended in January. Many of you have successfully navigating the “lightening of the load” or the “down-sizing” of retirement. That will certainly be a challenge in my home when that day comes. However, the book spoke to me for another reason. It reminded me of a wise mentor who once told me “don’t neglect the margins,” which meant “don’t neglect to leave room on that schedule of yours for the unexpected, and for the time you need to simply sit and breathe.”
If we are to find that mission statement, that direction for the next phase of our lives together, we need to take the time to breathe, to pray, to sit in the glorious sunshine of springtime and let our minds wander a little. What is the ‘new thing’ that is bubbling up at Edmonds Presbyterian?
May God bless you richly as you ponder your journey this Lent, and as we ponder our congregation’s journey.

In Christ,
Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

3/19/2019

Greetings –
     These past few months I have felt like a runner, who, having run most of the race, discovered that they are in the last lap, the home stretch of the race. Suddenly the first part of the race faded from my thoughts and I’m focused on that finish line and the welcome refreshment beyond.
     Friends, we have been running a race with our discernment process, Vision 2025. We have even wondered at times if we would ever see the final lap. And now, here we are, at the end of that race. The discernment process has ended, and the finish line for that effort is now receding behind us. We have committed to building a new thing, to seeing a new vision of what this building and property can be used for come to life.
     Though the discernment has ended, a new journey has begun. Joining with our partners in this process, we are undertaking a new thing. Our Presbytery is taking the lead, and we are part of the team in this effort. As Paul reminds the church in Corinth,
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:12-13)
     In this passage, Paul reminds them that each person, each member of the body of Christ, has their own important work to do. The work of a hand is different than the work of a foot. Your work is different than mine. In our new phase of planning for the re-development, our roles are different. To use the image of a bus, the Presbytery is in the driver’s seat. The architect is mapping out our route, and our fellow passengers on the bus are the preschool and the Samaritan Counseling Center.
     The first opportunity to hear about this re-development bus ride will come on Sunday, March 10th. On that Sunday we will share a potluck lunch following worship, and be introduced to the architect who will be mapping our route into our remodel, Dennis Chivers. Join us on the 10th to learn more.
     There is a separate article in this newsletter concerning the process. If you have thoughts, concerns, hopes or dreams about our re-development, please let me or a member of the session know. For most of us, this is the first time we have been part of a re-build like this one, so we are learning together how it will proceed.
     Meanwhile, come and join us on the bus ride to God’s new future for Edmonds Presbyterian Church!
In Christ,
Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

12/6/2018

Advent and Christmas Blessings to you and yours!

As we begin our Advent and Christmas celebrations this year, I have found myself turning to that very first Christmas when Jesus was born to Mary. If we were to put modern day labels on their situation, the story begins with Mary and Joseph, far from home, relying on the kindness of distant kin and strangers. They were homeless that first Christmas Eve, couch-surfers made even more vulnerable by Mary’s advanced pregnancy. Then, after the miracle of Jesus’ birth, the wonder-filled devotion of the shepherds and the visits from the magi, Mary and Joseph learned through a dream that King Herod wanted to kill their son. That dream warned them to leave their country and go to Egypt. In Egypt they were refugees, a family in need of asylum because they had fled Israel afraid for their lives. A few years later, once the king had died, they were able to return to Israel.

G.K. Chesterton, a Christian author from the early 20th century, wrote a poem, “The House of Christmas” that tells this story. In it, he writes,
A Child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam;
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;

As Christians we have found our true homes in the once homeless Jesus. It is ironic, but fitting, that the one who came to welcome us as his brothers and sisters in God’s family was himself born of homeless parents. This is but one of many paradoxes concerning Jesus. He is the King who has no earthly kingdom, the Messiah who does not field an army to overthrow Rome, and the Son of God whose birth was first witnessed by humble, smelly, shepherds fresh from the fields. Chesterton’s poem concludes with these words,
To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
….To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.

After our Christmas Eve service this year most of us will return to well-provisioned warm homes. We will spend time with friends and family. For that we give thanks. We know that there are those who will be homeless this Christmas, and for them we pray for food and shelter. As a congregation we contribute and some of us volunteer with agencies making a difference among the homeless – Operation Nightwatch, the local food banks, Mary’s Place, Jean Kim’s Foundation for Homeless Education, and so many others. But this Christmas let’s also take Chesterton’s advice and return home to our Savior, Jesus. Let’s be aware of the many ways our true home is found in Jesus, the Son of God, and how He is the true host of our Christmas celebrations.

May the wonder of all God has done for us through Jesus fill your hearts and gladden your homes this Christmas,
Pastor Amy

Studio E3 Catalyst for Renewal and Revitalization

11/12/2018

Pastor Amy has accepted a very part-time (8-10 hr/week) position working with other churches in our presbytery as they seek renewal and revitalization. Studio refers to the individual nature of renewal in congregations – no two churches are the same, and so there’s a creative part to pursuing renewal. E3 refers to the presbytery mission statement to Engage Equip and Encourage congregations and their leaders. Her work with our congregation will always come first, but as a ¾ time pastor, she has some time to give to other work, including this position. You may read more about the position here: https://www.northwestcoast.org/employment-1/2017/12/18/studio-e3-catalyst-nwc-presbytery.

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

10/3/2018

Greetings,
   A few weeks ago I was in the mountains at Tall Timber Ranch, leading and participating in a pastors’ retreat. The sky always seems bluer in the mountains, the air crisper, and the colors more vibrant. And that was the case for our days away. We even took a hike at “the end of the road,” reveling in the colors, the waterfalls, and the absence of mosquitoes. Fall is truly a wonderful time of year.
   While it was not the theme of the retreat, I was struck by the way life mirrors the natural seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter. In our lives, we move through seasons of rapid growth, of basking in the sun, of shedding leaves, and of quiet reflection inside snuggled under the blankets when travel is difficult. The writer of Ecclesiastes famously wrote, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” (3:1)
   What is this season in your life? Are you in a time of rapid growth? A time of basking in the sun? A time of letting go of some of the leaves on the tree of your life? Or enjoying the quiet moments of winter and its austerity?
   Mark and I have crested over from summer into fall. Our bodies are less reliable, the children are mostly out on their own now. At least some of the stuff we accumulated is now being given away, like leaves falling from the trees. It is a different season of life, but not a bad one. There is much more time in my days for ministry now that the kids are out of the house. I have even accepted a very part-time position (8-10 hours/week) with the Presbytery of Northwest Coast as their “Studio E3 Catalyst,” which means I will help existing congregations as they seek out options for renewal and revitalization in their context. E3 is the shorthand for “Engage, Equip, and Encourage,” which is how the Presbytery understands its mission with regards to its ministers and congregations. This complements the work I have been doing on the Presbytery Commission on Ministry (COM) for these last six years. 2018 is my last year on the COM, so the timing is pretty good with regards to my workload. I will begin this position in mid-October.
   As we move from one season into another I would encourage you (and me) to take a moment to appreciate the gifts of the previous seasons, and to breathe into the gifts of the new season.
With thanks for your partnership in Ministry here at Edmonds Presbyterian,

Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

9/14/2018

September is a time of returning.

Those of us who have children in schools, or who work in the schools, return to school this time of year. College students return to their classes. Vacations are mostly over, and we return to a more routine schedule whether we are working or retired.
In the book of Hosea, the prophet speaks the words of God, calling the people to return to the Lord with all their heart. A popular meditative song is titled “Hosea” and paraphrases the prophet (especially Hosea 14) this way.

“Come back to me with all your heart. Don’t let fear keep us apart. … Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life.”

In this season of discernment it has been a challenge to lean into all the options that were before us as a congregation, a session, and a task force. One of the challenges has, quite honestly, been a fear of change. We like what we have. We are hesitant, and even fearful for something new. This pattern is something that the prophet Hosea knew as well. “Don’t let fear keep us apart.”

In God’s goodness, the session, with help from its task force, has discerned a way forward with few disruptions to our current congregation. The preferred option is to become a more multi-use facility, especially during week days. The plan is to offer our building and property as the host for one or more non-profits and their office needs. As the plan firms up, we will share the details with the congregation.

I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to a return this fall. I am looking forward to breathing in the new life God has promised to us. I am giving thanks for knowing that the future of the congregation will soon be more secure than it has been recently, and that the time of uncertainty and stress that many have felt in the process is nearly over.

This fall, let us heed the words of Hosea. Let us return to the Lord and to the blessings of worship, fellowship, bible study, and prayer. Let us return to “living deeply our new life.”
Have a blessed September!

In Christ,
Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

7/2/2018

Greetings on this summer day,

My life has been on a roller coaster lately. It all began with a trip to urgent care, who then sent me to the ER, who informed me that I needed surgery. What a ride! I’m very grateful to be alive, to be living in a time of excellent medical care, and to have received so much love and care from family and friends over the last month.

Coincidentally the book on top of my “to read” pile when I went into the hospital was Diana Butler Bass’s latest, titled “Grateful.” Coincidence? Probably not. God always seems to know what I need to read and when I need to read it. I have been savoring her book, reading a chapter or two at a time. I was hooked, however, from her very first set of anecdotes about writing thank-you notes at the behest of her parents. I remember doing the same, sitting at the kitchen table, struggling to find the words to thank a distant relative for clothes that I did not like. Carefully, Butler Bass picks apart the social, cultural, historical, and spiritual meanings of thanks-giving. And interspersed in the text are scientific studies about the health benefits for living a grateful life.

I’d like to share with you two insights that struck me from the book thus far. First, two quotes caught my attention. The first by David Steindl-Rast early in the book, “Everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is a measure of our gratefulness, and gratefulness is a measure of our aliveness.” And likewise, a quote from Karl Barth, “Grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo. Gratitude follows grace like thunder lightning.” We are truly grateful when we realize that all of life, all that is, is a gift of God’s grace. We did nothing to earn this life, these people, or these glorious summer days. And once we breathe in that truth, we realize our only response is one of gratitude to God. Each day in the hospital I made it my practice to learn the names of my care team, and to thank them by name for the care they provided. A pretty simple task, made easier by their names printed on my white board. But I noticed a change in my attitude. I began experiencing their care for me as a gift.

A second insight is unfolding at my current bookmark in the book, and that is the connection between gratitude and community. When we gather together for play or celebration, we almost always end up more thankful than when we started. Play takes many forms. We can play a sport or a board game, read a book to a child, go for a walk at the beach, or sing in a choir. Even gathering for worship and fellowship contains an element of play as we approach the gifts of the day in wonder and expectation.

If you are like me, I’m certain that there are many reasons we could choose to be serious, to avoid play. The world situation, the financial needs of the church, health concerns are just a few that come to mind. But I would challenge you to join me in play. Sing, dance, and enjoy this life that we have been given. As the wise adage says, we call this moment in which we live “the present” because it is a gift of God to us. Let’s enjoy those gifts together.

With thanks in Christ, Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

5/2/2018

Greetings
May is the season for new growth. Change is coming, the seasons are quickly moving from spring toward summer. The dead looking branches are sprouting leaves and blossoms. The barren earth is hosting weeds galore, and the grass of the lawn is long past its first mowing of the season.
A number of years ago I read a prayer by Richard Foster, the author of Celebration of Discipline. Foster has written a lot about prayer. He teaches us how to pray, and assures us that prayer matters. I have shared his prayer with you before in worship, but I wanted to share it again because I think it applies to this time of year and to this season in the life of our congregation:
Be the Gardener of my Soul
“Spirit of the living God, be the Gardener of my soul. For so long I have been waiting, silent and still – experiencing a winter of the soul. But now, in the strong name of Jesus Christ I dare to ask: Clear away the dead growth of the past, Break up the hard clods of custom and routine, Stir in the rich compost of vision and challenge, Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word, Cultivate and water and tend my heart, Until new life buds and opens and flowers.” (From “Prayers from the Heart”, HarperCollins 1994)
I love this image of prayer as a cooperation between us and God, as if we are a gardening project for our master gardener. It reminds me that we can do only so much by ourselves. We need to rely on God to do the heavy lifting – to clear away the dead growth, break up the hard clods, stir in the rich compost, bury in us God’s Word, and cultivate & tend our heart. Then new life will bud, open and flower. It is God who shows us what is worth watering and what can be cleared away. It is God who grants us a vision for a future we cannot yet see. It is God who dwells in us, keeping us grounded to the source of our hope, Jesus Christ. It is also God who will tend our fragile plants until new life begins to thrive.
Foster’s words echo themes in the bible. In particular, today his words remind me of Psalm 1:
“Happy are those [whose]… delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.”
I also recall Jesus’ many parables about the seeds, the weeds, and the sower. The parable of the mustard seed reminds me that the growth we see in God’s people is as amazing as a small seed becoming a large tree…
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)
Today I wonder what might it mean for you and me to “clear away the dead growth of the past” or “break up the hard clods of custom and routine?” It is tempting to think growth and new life are all up to us and our plans and programs - and of course they are not. New life is a gift from God, nurtured through prayer.
In the next few weeks you will be invited to join the session in times of prayer together or on your own. Each week there will be a new prayer sheet with specific suggestions for scripture and reflection. Please join us in praying for the new life that God can bring to us as individuals and as a community.

In Christ,
Pastor Amy