Category: Pastor Thoughts - Edmonds Presbyterian Church

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

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

4/5/2018

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
It is always a joy to reach Easter Sunday. Immersed as I am in Holy Week and the services where we remember the Last Supper and Jesus’ crucifixion, sometimes it seems like Easter Sunday can’t come soon enough. And now today, at last, it is here! Rejoice! Sing our alleluias! Praise God, Christ is Risen Indeed!
One of the most memorable sermons I’ve ever heard on Easter contained the phrase “Easter people.” Who are we? Who are Christians? We are an Easter people. We only exist as a church community because Jesus rose from the dead. That is who we are- we believe in Jesus’ resurrection. We are an Easter people.
What does it mean to be an Easter people? It means we see the world through Easter lenses. Where the world sees death, we see the promise of resurrection. Where the world sees pain, we see the promise of healing and renewal. Where the world sees injustice, we see the promise of the eternal justice of God where all will be revealed. Where the world sees sin, we see the possibility of forgiveness. We are God’s Easter people.
That is significant for us as individuals because we know that we have a God who is always ready to forgive, who is able to bring peace & healing, and who has conquered death for us. But it is also significant for us as a church.
Last year I read a book that described how we “Claim Resurrection” in the church. To do so, we must be being willing to die to the old in order to allow God to bring new life. I have spoken of this book before. One of its first recommendations for churches seeking renewal is to “make room.” It counsels church leaders to make room in their hearts for something new, for saying “yes” to new possibilities, and to make room physically in the church building (clean out the closets, make the rooms as accessible and usable as possible). Be ready for when God brings something new to our attention – and say “yes” to the new.
None of the disciples that Easter morning knew what their life would be like as God’s Easter people, and as much as we try, we rarely know all that God has in store for us. But we do know this: freed and forgiven, we are an Easter people. We need not fear change. We can clean out our closets and be prepared to embrace the new life God brings.

Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!
Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

2/28/2018

Greetings!
     Matthew 6: 9 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
     In my reading this past month, I have been exploring the writings of Ph.D. Sociologist, Brene’ Brown. She is best known for her TEDx talk on vulnerability, recorded in 2010. Her research uses “grounded” methodology. That means that she interviews people, and looks for similarities and trends in the data she gleans from the interviews. She is not looking to prove a particular theory or test a particular hypothesis. Instead, she takes a theme and asks questions about that theme. As a result, sometimes what she learns from her interviews surprises even herself. In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, she shares how she and her husband had created a list of dreams – those things they hoped to one day accomplish. But as a result of her research, she wondered if this list matched who they really were- their joys, what gave them meaning. So she and her husband sat down and asked that essential question: what gives us joy and meaning? The list included such things as sleep, working out, going to church, time with friends and family, being present for their adult children, and having meaningful work that doesn’t consume them. (pg.102). Then they looked at their dream list and realized most of those things didn’t speak to what gave them joy and meaning. The dreams were about acquiring things, or accomplishing things. That day they made a conscious choice to focus on those activities that give them joy and meaning.
     What gives us joy and meaning as a church community? I think that was really the underlying question of our Vision 2025 survey and conversations. And the answer I heard loud and clear was that our greatest joy and what gives us meaning is being the church through worship, fellowship, and shared mission. The property is a bonus, the building is a bonus, the amazing sound system is a bonus – but the people and the mission we have in common is what truly matters.
     In the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” May we have the courage to pursue the true treasures that give us joy and meaning.

With prayers in Christ,
Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

2/5/2018

Greetings!
I have been struck lately by the words of the prophet Isaiah, and the way he describes change. Isaiah speaks these words of God,
“I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19
The emphasis in this passage is on watching for the new thing God is doing. It is an attentiveness, a perceiving. God is acting, and we see and respond.
While I have been your pastor and also during the tenure of previous pastors, the church session has struggled with perceiving what God will do next. As a result of our focused time of discernment as a session, we have come to realize several things. The first is not a surprise. God is acting. God has gifted this congregation with amazing gifts of hospitality, welcome, musical talents, and hearts for God’s mission in the world. We have seen God’s faithfulness in the past. We experience God’s faithfulness today. And we look forward to God’s faithfulness in the future.
But, it is becoming clear to those of us who are watching this congregation and its place in God’s plan, that the future will look different than the past. God is gently guiding us to a new thing.
One of the ways God gets my attention is through coincidences, or as a friend calls them “God-incidences.” These last few months have had several examples of God working in this way with me and the session. In one example, our December session meeting needed a substitute clerk. Nancy Becker was asked and agreed to serve. At the session meeting she heard of our vision for the property, and one of the elders expressed the hope that we could contact our neighbor with the vacant lot. Lo and behold, Nancy supplied us with the name of the property owner, and soon we had her contact information. We also learned that the owner is a fellow Presbyterian, worshiping at Maplewood, and has been actively seeking to develop her vacant lot into affordable housing. Through the neighbor, we have been introduced to others with similar goals, and to a contact at the City of Edmonds who is working on a housing strategy to be presented this spring. Coincidence? Nope. God-incidence.
Then only last week I ran into a clergy colleague who, unbeknownst to me, serves on a non-profit housing board in a city not far from here. That non-profit has expertise and possible grant/loan money to share with us, depending on what happens next. Coincidence? Nope. God-incidence.
In the words of Isaiah, Look, God is “about to do a new thing… Do you perceive it?”
Please read the enclosed information from the session. Remember: the session is exploring this option, but it may be that God has something completely different in mind. Pray for us and for the church leadership as we seek to discern what is next.
If you have any questions or any other God-incidences to share with me and the session, please do so. It looks like we are embarking on an adventure, and I’m eager to see where God will lead us.

In Christ,
Pastor Amy

Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

12/15/2017

Greetings!
It is the start of another season of Advent, the season in which we prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. It is also the season when we shop, cook, bake, clean and get ready for celebrating the holidays together. It is a season for quiet reflection and frantic preparations – or at least it feels that way sometimes. A cartoon I saw online today shows that tension. In the first panel, labeled “One Sunday in Advent,” the pastor has her arms outstretched in welcome at the front of the sanctuary, advent candle lit beside her, and she says “Slow down. Quiet. It’s Advent.” And in the next panel, labeled “One Monday in Advent,” she is in her office after worship, and the voices all around her are saying “Planned the services yet? Got the music yet? Ordered Poinsettias? Who’s making wreaths? Christmas party at your place? Hurry up – get busy - it’s Advent!” and a small child asks, “Done your shopping yet, Mom?” I hope you are smiling at this image - because it is not just pastors who feel this way. Advent puts each one of us into that place of tension. We desire to prepare well, to slow down, and to enjoy the season. But for many of us, there is so very much to do during this season, and slowing down seems an impossible goal.
I am reminded of Jesus’ encounter with the sisters Mary and Martha. In Luke 10 we read that Jesus visited them at their home. Mary chooses to sit and listen to Jesus teach his disciples. Martha is annoyed that her sister has skipped out on the duties expected of a hostess, and complains to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?” But Jesus replies in a way Martha did not expect, saying “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
It is the last sentence of Jesus’ that I hold onto during this busy season. I want to choose the better part, to choose those things that will not be taken away. Yes, the dishes need to be washed and dinner needs to be started if it is to be on time. But maybe the dishes can wait, and maybe dinner can be simpler - or even late. I want to give up distractions and focus on what truly matters. People matter more than things, and our relationship with Jesus matters most of all.
Martha tried to do everything, let’s follow Mary’s lead and do what truly matters.
In the abundance of this season, let’s choose well where to put our time and our energy. Let’s follow Mary’s lead and find time to sit at the feet of Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor Amy