News

In the gospel lection for this coming Sunday, Jesus describes what it takes to follow in his way. That is, he speaks to the large crowds that were gathered around him that day, and he speaks to us who listen across the millennia. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciples.” (Luke 14:26)

Now, this is troublesome. I’m supposed to be proclaiming the Good News, struggling mightily and daily with my emotions and fears about those in power who (in my mind) are wrecking the world and gleefully stomping on small people like me and even smaller than me, reciting a new mantra, “You must not hate. We’re not allowed to hate,” and here comes Jesus giving me permission to hate—no, commanding, for goodness’ sake—but not the people that make my teeth itch and give nightmares, but the people I love most! I’m not liking this verse.

So, I go looking for help to understand what’s going on here before everything I think I know about this Christian way of life gets put in the recycling bin. First, I go to Luke Timothy Johnson my favorite New Testament professor. He turns up so often in my sermons my that love and appreciation for this man should be well known by now. (Joanne Stone and I met in his office.❤️) In my house, he is known as “Luke Skywalker” which is perfectly apt. He gets his evangel-writing namesake, and I count on him to help me get down from climbing the walls when I read stuff like this.

The terms denote attitude and modes of action, not emotions. The point is not how one feels toward parents and family but one’s effective attitude when it comes to a choice for the kingdom.” (Sacra Pagina, p. 229)

Those are my italics. What does that mean? Saved by AI!

Effective attitude refers to one’s actions and behaviors concerning a particular situation, rather than internal feelings. It emphasizes the tangible outcome or impact of your approach, focusing on what you do rather than what you simply feel. This distinction is particularly important when evaluating a person’s priorities or commitment. An effective attitude is one that produces real, measurable results…. (Google AI Mode)

So, love and compassion and the Way of Jesus are a matter of intended behavior. What we do will reveal our choices, our commitments. I used to tell my Confirmands, if Martians landed in the parking lot on a Sunday afternoon knowing nothing about us or our language, by Wednesday they would know exactly who we are and what intend. They would know our true effective attitude. Remember “tangibilitate”?

So, my strong, angry feelings about certain people and movements are legitimate. But I do not get to act without compassion. I must choose loving and compassionate action—I must intend a good for my neighbor—like Jesus. That is the highest priority. And there could be a price to pay. We may be surprised who we are required to love. Sigh.

In an important editorial about Christian Nationalism by Nancy Wetzel that appeared in the May issue of The Monthly, she writes:

Besides using our votes, I’m not sure what the answers are as to how to counteract this pseudo-Christian movement and the damage it has already inflicted on our country and our citizens. Maybe we can begin by praying for inspiration and direction that can be put into action.

Yes, we must pray for inspiration and direction that we can put into action. That is what God calls us to. “Yes, AND,” as they say in improv, we must take time to be very clear about what we intend—our effective attitude. That iterative work of reflection and discernment over a lifetime for each of us and this congregation of God’s people takes first in our priorities. After that, we figure it out together like every disciple (improv) group has.

See you Sunday, God willing and all lanes on I-285 are open. It will be good to be together again.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

Does anyone remember “humility”? Before this week’s gospel reading in Luke 14:1, 7-14, I hadn’t put that old word together with the unrest I have experienced lately but there it is. (The way these lectionary texts appear just as they’re needed is spooky, or maybe I should just acknowledge, “it’s a God thing.”) Is meanness the opposite of humility? There’s a bull market in that.

This is from Frederick Buechner:

      Humility is often confused with saying you’re not much of a bridge player when you know perfectly well you are. Conscious or otherwise, this kind of humility is a form of gamesmanship.

      If you really aren’t much of a bridge player, you’re apt to be rather proud of yourself for admitting it so humbly. This kind of humility is a form of low comedy.

     True humility doesn’t consist of thinking ill of yourself but of not thinking of yourself much differently from the way you’d be apt to think of anybody else. It is the capacity for being no more and no less pleased when you play your own hand well than when your opponents do.

       (~originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words; frederickbuechner.com)

Frankly, that sounds a little too distant from the way we play in this culture. But then, so does Jesus’ lesson in this passage about humility and hospitality. When was anyone ever rewarded for not thinking more highly of themselves than others? How can you win if you don’t imagine yourself better than your foe? Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike competition?

Once upon a time, when I used to gather with a Bible study group on Wednesdays at lunchtime, my dearest deacon friend checked in telling us about his grandson whose T-ball team had lost their game and how grandad had scolded him. Silly me, I asked: “Is winning that important?” To which he replied, “Winning is everything.” But, by your measure, I thought to myself, Jesus lost…

 Recently, it seemed I might be ready to sneak a peek at the news more than once a week. Alas, I’m not quite there yet. A little more time with cultivating my internal capacity for grace and mercy and love is needed. Especially if I am to have a word of Good News by Sunday morning.

 Streamers and Gatherers, come join us for worship on Sunday. I look forward to praise, prayer and singing together with you, and to renewing in our fellowship the courage and love to continue to attempt the Christian life. Gotta refuel. 

Love and hugs,

 Rev. Liz

Dear Siblings, 

What a joy it was to celebrate Julia’s baptism this past Sunday! I’m also thankful that so many of you shared your reflections with me after this service about its meaning for you and your faith journey.

For me, aside from the baptism, the highlight of our service was how readily you all jumped up to join our movement prayer at the end of the Story for All Ages! Reaching your hands up high and drawing them back to your chest, as you claimed God’s love for you. Let’s keep doing that, yes?

This Sunday, we’ll sit with the story of Jesus breaking the sabbath to heal a woman. Again, we’ll ask “what do we intend?” I don’t think I believe that “rules are meant to be broken,” but rather that rules should be considered in the context of their origin and the present-moment. By asking “what do we intend,” perhaps we’ll find a way to guide ourselves and our decision-making. 

Be well, 

Thomas

Dear Siblings, 

Our hymn sing last Sunday was a wonderful time to connect with our faith through song! If you missed it, you can check it out online. In fact, you can find all of our recent services and sermons online by Monday afternoon. 

This Sunday, our first OWL class for grade 7-9 will meet. We’re excited to support five teenagers in this important aspect of their lives. And, we’re already building a list of folks who will participate in the other grades offered in the spring. It has been a long road, but OWL is taking flight!

On Sunday, we will also celebrate the Baptism of Julia Henning! Baptism is an outward and visible sign of the Grace of God. Of course, this occasion is important for Julia and her family, but it is also important for our church community. Indeed, in the church today, baptism includes commitments and covenants between the baptized and the community that they formally join.

If my math is correct, this is Central’s first baptism in several years. So, I hope to see many of you in the pews and online as witnesses to this sacramental celebration.

Part of our liturgy on Sunday will include this observation from Rachel Held Evans:

“In the ritual of baptism, our ancestors acted out the bizarre truth of the Christian identity: We are people who stand totally exposed before evil and death and declare them powerless against love.”

Yes, bizarre indeed! And yet, we practice this ritual all the same. 

Rev. Liz and Josh are both away this weekend, but they are with us in spirit and celebration! 

See you Sunday,

Thomas

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

On Sunday, we will sing to our hearts’ content. Central has always been known to me as congregation that loves to sing. Well, if that sounds like you, please make plans to join us for the Hymn-Sing Service on Sunday, August 10. Of course, no special vocal gifts are required, only that you love to raise your voice in song to the glory of God.

When Summer Church: A Season of Exploration began, some of us wanted to explore what music and worship mean to Central, what part they play in our faith development and congregational life, and what possible creative possibilities could enrich our worship life together. As you may recall, we asked people to share favorite music and to say a bit about how it comes to be meaningful. Each contribution has a wonderful story, I have no doubt, and I would love to hear them all. These stories can teach us things about ourselves and our faith—yes, our own story—that may not be visible to us until we are asked and probe for significance.

Our questions and your contributions have led us to this service. Thank you to everyone who submitted music that is meaningful to them: hymns from the denominations we grew up with, beloved family songs, and newer lyrics and rhythms that awaken us to a “God is still speaking” church. We now have a rich collection to use for the next Hymn-Sing service, and we will invite suggestions again later.

For now—that is, after the service on Sunday—please give some thought to your favorite hymns or those that seem to come up often for you; that you draw encouragement or comfort in singing or humming. What’s that story? Where do you remember that song from as far back as you can remember? What was the setting, what was going on? Were there other people there, are they/were they special to you? What did it feel like, smell like, look like, taste like, cold or hot—as much sensory detail as you can uncover? And most important: How did it make you feel, what was your emotional state in that moment? Can you remember?

These are the elements of a story that make it come alive with meaning for us in the telling. Often, they reveal patterns that have significance now that only become visible over time. And sometimes, our stories reveal concealed riches, gifts that only become available to us when uncovered and set free.

Oh, the stories I could tell! But I must go to rest my vocal cords and prepare my lungs for Sunday. Whether you share your favorite hymn story or not, please try to “appreciate” the service on Sunday and share that with us. By appreciate it, I mean reflect on what it felt like to be part of a worship where we sing more than we speak, and what you felt was the best thing you were able to take away from being part of our big choir experience together. You can tell us what you didn’t like but try not to begin and end your reflections there. It’s an experiment that we want to learn from and your input will help.

One last thing: There are other “discovery groups” at work, some of which I could name and others that I could not. Quite on my own, I have claimed the Monday Creative gatherings as one, as it is surely an “exploration” of what is possible at Central for encouraging imagination, creativity and community, and creating space for what is possible. By the end of our season of exploration and in advance of the annual meeting, I hope we will plan for a “Discovery Expo”—think high school science fair with posters—on September 14^th where we share the explorations and discoveries with the congregation during coffee and conversation. And we must have cake. More on this come.

Gotta go now but with every hope that you will be with us for singing worship on Sunday, Streamers and Gatherers alike. We will be lifting every voice, singing, praying and praising God! It won’t be the same without you so, do come. It’ll be good.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

Dear Siblings, 

Can you believe that it’s already August? I can’t, but that doesn’t change reality! And so, this Sunday we’ll join together for our 3rd Annual Blessing of the Backpacks service. I love this service for many reasons:

• It honors and celebrates the youngest among us as they start a new school year
• It highlights the teachers, coaches, custodians, and more who will pour into them in this next year
• We get a chance to acknowledge that there are adults in our midst who are starting school too… they too should be celebrated
• It’s just fun! 

On a personal level, the service is also a marker of sorts for me. This is our 3rd Blessing of the Backpacks service, which means that it is the start of my fourth year as your Associate Minister. Around this time in 2022, I had just signed my call agreement and was getting ready to load my moving van and drive down here from Boston. 

Yes, it’s hard to believe it’s August. And, even harder to believe that we’re closing three years in ministry together!

And yet! Here we are. A bunch of oddballs and outcasts doing our best to love God and love people too. So, come! Come this Sunday for the Blessing of the Backpacks, to gather around the table for Communion(with a new communion hymn), eat Pizza on the Playground after worship, and welcome our new Artist in the Commons, Charles Scogins, during our coffee hour. 

Bring your backpack, briefcase, coffee mug, lunchbox, etc with you on Sunday!

Come, not because you must but because you may. 

And keep coming! 

• August 10th: Hymn Sing Service
• August 17th: Baptism of Julia Henning

Be well, 

Rev. Thomas

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

If you’ve ever heard me say, “I don’t pray nearly enough,” it’s only because it’s true. And that’s not because I don’t know prayers or how to pray. Sometimes I tell myself, “It’s all prayer.” And I do hope so. A consecutive dialogue with God is almost always going on in my head, a sort of “screen within a screen” voice doing commentary during the actual play on the field. Of course, I was thrilled to read that Luther Smith feels something like that, as he wrote in Hope is Here.

It’s an ongoing, learning practice. Pray for grace.

Our gospel reading for Sunday is Luke 11:1-13 where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Yes, the first verses there are The Lord’s Prayer that many of us know by heart in one version or another. Do you say “trespasses” or “debts”? I learned it first with debts and stumble over anything else, to this day. Coming to Central, I found “Our Common Prayer”—except that this version is most un-common to me. Maybe the stumbling is the best part; it makes me think about the praying instead of going to auto-pilot and all the way (way, way) back to my childhood.

How often do you think about these words? This is how Jesus answered when asked how to pray. I’m worried now that I didn’t teach it to my children. I think I did. I must have… Uh oh.

Have you ever heard The Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, the language Jesus would have spoken to the disciples on that day? Have you ever heard any prayer in a language you don’t understand? When I worked as an interpreter, I was invited to withdraw at the time of prayer because he prayed in his “mother tongue;” God was addressed in language unknown to me, needing no translation. Search YouTube for “Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic” to hear any number of recordings. I am especially interested in the hour-long chant before sleeping (https://youtu.be/YzNONU6-kzo?si=WcI-BsOMPWaET9Bp). If you listen and have a story to tell, know that I will want to hear it.

Here’s poetic approach from Parker Palmer: 

https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/07/lords-prayer-father-mother.html?m=1

Join us if you can for worship on Sunday where we will continue this exploration of The Prayer Jesus Taught Us and maybe learn yet another approach to share with All Ages. Streamers or Gatherers at the church, c’mon in the house of prayer. We’ve “always wanted to be in the neighborhood with you,” as Mr. Rogers would sing, and look forward to it.

On the following Sunday, August 3, we have a Service of Word and Table (Communion) and the Blessing of the Backpacks, because it’s first Sunday and school starts the next day. When it’s this hot and summer vacation is over (even if it doesn’t feel like it), we should double down on our prayers, all our prayers, any kind of prayer. Everyone will need it.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz 

Dear Siblings,

This email is a quick recap of my time at General Synod 35 in Kansas City! General Synod is a biannual (tri-annual beginning in 2028) gathering of people all across the UCC who come together as delegates, visitors, and guests to discern the call of some of our work in the world. Synod is also a sort of family reunion. This was my fourth Synod! I was glad to spend time with my colleagues in the Next Generation Leadership Initiative, catch up with Harvard Divinity alumni, spend time with my youth pastor(now a conference minister in Colorado), and visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The museum was very surprising. I learned that there were four teams owned by women, and there was an all-white team composed of members of the House of David religious group. Kansas City also has a fairly nice public transit system… perhaps MARTA’s next leaders will take a few cues from them.

Back to Synod:

As a matter of the United Church of Christ’s polity(governing structure), Synod speaks for the national setting of the UCC (our General and Associate General Ministers, national staff, etc). Synod speaks to the conference, association, and local church settings. There is indeed a difference between for and to! Curious about what that means for the UCC? Ask me!

If you do nothing else with this email, please please please make time for these two things:

• Watch our General Minister & President’s State of the Church Address (40 minutes)
• Watch my dear friend, Rev. Tony Coleman’s, sermon that was delivered during our closing worship. (20 minutes)

News From Synod

New Associate General Minister

Rev. Shari Prestemon was elected as the Associate General Minister for Love of Neighbor and Co-Executive of Global Ministries. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone in the convention hall who received more applause and love than Shari did. Read More about her historic election…

Rev. Thomas appointed Chair of the General Synod Nominating Committee

As Vice Chair, I presented part of the General Synod Nominating Committee’s report alongside our Chair, Rev. June Boutwell. I will now serve as the Chair of this committee through General Synod 36! And, we have our work cut out for us to solicit, interview, and nominate the slate of folks who will be elected to the UCC Board of Directors and lead General Synod 37.

State of the Church Address

Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson delivered her first State of the Church Address. Among many highlights was a call for churches to “stop counting empty pews as though their emptiness illustrates the full breadth of your congregation’s vitality.” She instead invited us to consider how we might all more clearly and boldly craft the narrative of our work. She also issued a clear rebuke of Christian Nationalism, calling it an “oxymoron” while also noting the ways that it harms the church. Watch the State of the Church address here.

Closing Worship Sermon

Rev. Tony Coleman, Pastor of First Congregational Church in Memphis, delivered a powerful sermon during closing worship. He called all of us into a space of wonder and curiosity about the how and why we do things in our churches. The real invitation: an invitation not to do more work, but instead to do radically less. And he did this with a very creative metaphor about lawns, turf grass, and sweetgrass! Watch Rev. Tony’s sermon here.

Other News & Events

Bylaw Changes

Synod voted down a motion from the Board to amend the UCC bylaws and Constitution that would have shifted the positions of Associate General Minister from a called position of Synod to a hired position by the General Minister. The UCC and Unified Governance

Resolutions

Synod approved several resolutions of witness addressing:

• The ongoing Palestinian genocide
• Restoring funding for USAID and Voice of America
• Affirming the UCC’s commitment to justice for immigrants, migrants, and refugees
• Addressing human rights in India and the Philippines

Full Communion

The UCC moved forward in establishing full communion with two more denominations:

• The Iglesia Evangélica Unida de Puerto Rico
• The Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland 

What’s full communion?

And More!

And finally, we celebrated 25 years of the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program; affirmed our goals of faithfully responding to the evolving language of mental health; and, approved the formation of the Keystone Conference.

Dear Siblings,

Recently, the conference staff hosted a series of clergy conversations to reflect on what it means to be church in these times.  I was able to attend one of those sessions and found that many of the same concerns and questions I hold were echoed by my colleagues and by those they serve.  The injustice we see around us seems to grow daily, and yet the roots of what we see now trace back to the earliest days of our society.  

These types of conversations seem to be increasingly common.  A few months ago, Rev. Thomas invited folks to gather on a Wednesday to ponder our own role in these times. You know something is important if you can get Central people to church on a weekday.   In these conversations – here, among colleagues, or in other places – I have heard many things. I have heard frustration, fear, anger, grief and a lot of uncertainty.  All these feelings are valid, and it’s important that we attend to these feelings and our own needs even as we attend to our work.

What does it mean to be the church in this time and moment? I can’t claim to have THE answer to that question, but I can invite us to continue to explore it together.  Discerning our role in justice work has always been important – where am I called? What skills or gifts do I have that can be used for this work?  Yet in a time when things feel more uncertain and unpredictable, and when some of our typical means of change are falling short, discernment becomes even more important.  What does it mean for us to be the church in this moment? I don’t know that answer, but I believe that we might start to hear it little by little when we listen deeply to the Spirit – in our spiritual practices as well as in contemplation and conversation together.  There is much that is uncertain and unjust in this time.  The good news is we don’t face it alone. We are guided by the Spirit as we walk together toward a more just and compassionate world. 

In Solidarity,

Rev. Kimble

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

Thomas has gone to General Synod 35 in Kansas City, MO. Why am I so excited? Here’s why.

When the United Church of Christ meets, there is nothing quite like it. You can never see such a diverse, energized, “multi-racial, multi-cultural” gathering in your life, apart perhaps from ComicCon. And it’s not just the Pacific Islanders who walk around in their traditional garb. It’s the elderly saints from the Great Plains whose straight-forward faith shows in their Bermuda shorts and their frank, faithful gaze. There are children and young people who are growing in faith and communion there, some to bear witness, all to learn. Children! Teenagers! I’ll never forget two girls I met once—Heaven and Grace. They were best friends.

Without fail, the meeting space is designed to the Synod theme on a modest budget with thrilling effect, and worship is where this people of God lift prayers, song, and praise in one voice. The speakers, the preachers, the worship leaders and musicians, the entertainment—everything is superlative and uplifting, enough to make one have visions and prophesy. The business meetings, well, this is where grace and mercy and the patience of God’s Own Self show up. It must be done, of course, and the saints of the church persevere. (I suspect the moderators have been touched by God, directly.) The atmosphere fairly vibrates.

General Synod is where you can see with your eyes what our denomination looks like and believes. Which brings to mind a story: When our son was a freshman in college and heavily (ruthlessly) evangelized by one very aggressive student group, he asked to go with them to “bring people to Jesus” on the beaches of South Carolina. Mr. Clement and I were agreed, this would not happen. Instead, I took him to General Synod (in Kansas City, as it happened) and later sent him to the Taizé community in France for a week. He saw a very different people of God. He is an Episcopalian now.

For those of us who will not go to Kansas City, there will be streaming opportunities through the session. I urge you to take advantage of these. Have a look-in on our church for an un-common view of an old faith alive and well in the 21st Century. Perhaps we’ll catch a glimpse of Thomas on the screen. See this link: https://www.ucc.org/gs-livestream/.

Meantime, back at Central, we have the parable of the Samaritan (the good one because mostly they were hated). Another old story in which to find new meaning. Come join us for worship on Sunday, Streamers and Gatherers, all y’all. We’ll hope to see you or be seen by you, whatever works.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz