Musings Along Lifes Way

Dear Friends,This Sunday is the celebration of Pentecost. Pentecost is the day in the church year where we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to the church. On Sunday we will read that wonderful passage from the second chapter of the Book of Acts where the Holy Spirit visits a gathering of the faithful. The imagery is of a rushing wind, of tongues of fire settling on the hearts of each person present. It is a fun passage to imagine. But, more than that, this passage speaks directly of the early church's experience of God. We can learn a few things from this passage:

To experience the Spirit of God is to be energized in some way, as if propelled by gale force winds.

To experience the Spirit of God is to be discover the fire of passion for God -- the flame that burns even our hearts but does not burn them up or out (as in burn-out).

To experience the Spirit of God is to experience our unity as a people of God. All who have been touched by the Spirit, are touched by the same Spirit, the same God. We are one in this, or, as Paul puts it, we are one body in Jesus Christ. In this way our community of faith, the church, is born.

So, yes, Pentecost is an important observance in the church year. This year it will be more special still. On Pentecost we will be in church pretty much all day -- but not to worry, this is an auspicious day for us at First Congregational UCC, Santa Rosa. At our 8:30 and 10:30 am worship services we will be thanking Andrew Metcalfe for his two years of service to our church as Minister in Training. The First Samoan Congregational Christian Church, UCC will be worshiping with us at 10:30 and will join us for a Potluck and Picnic after worship (this will be a potluck with our two congregations -- we have not gone out of our way to invite our SRJC neighborhood neighbors, unless of course, they want to come).

At 2 pm we will be gathering again for worship. We will install Dale Webb as a 3-Way Covenant Minister of our congregation and we will recognize Rev. James Scherfee as a Minister Emeritus of our congregation. This will be a marvelous celebration for us as we join with Jim's family to celebrate his ministry here in Santa Rosa and as we acknowledge his 55 years in the ministry. We look forward to seeing everyone at this service. There will be a reception following the 2 pm service.

Blessings,
David

The Picnic on Sunday is a POTLUCK. Please do not forget to bring some of your favorite dishes.

Musings Along Lifes Way: "Last Night"

Dear Friends,
This week I found a beautiful poem. It is Robert Bly's translation of Antonio Machado's "Last Night." Especially dear for me is the second stanza where "golden bees" are "making white combs and sweet honey from my old failures. " We tend to think of our failures as great flaws, things that should not have happened -- for which we are responsible. How liberating to think of those failures as the basic stuff of life, the building blocks our sweetness and light. It is wonderful to know of this forgiveness which turns everything around. Here is the complete poem:

Last night, as I was sleeping,I dreamt -- marvelous error!—that a spring was breaking out in my heart. I said: Along which secret aqueduct,Oh water, are you coming to me,water of a new life that I have never drunk?

Last night, as I was sleeping,I dreamt -- marvelous error!—that I had a bee hive here inside my heart.And the golden bees were making white combs and sweet honey from my old failures.

Last night, as I was sleeping,I dreamt -- marvelous error!—that a fiery sun was giving light inside my heart.It was fiery because I felt warmth as from a hearth,and sun because it gave light and brought tears to my eyes.

Last night, as I slept,I dreamt -- marvelous error!—that it was God I had here inside my heart.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Love, David

Musings Along Lifes Way: Strengthen The Church

This Pentecost, May 27, we will be celebrating the vibrant ministry of our church. We plan on that day to affirm the gifts of all our ministers (that is everyone, as we are all followers of the Way of Love, the Way of Christ). In addition, we will celebrate those called to the ordained ministry. At our morning worship services we will be celebrating our relationship with our Minister in Training, Andrew Metcalfe. Andrew will graduate from PSR on May 20th. He will join the ranks of "former ministers in training" here at FCUCCSR. In addition, he was designated as a Minister in Covenant with our congregation. We are likely to see him around from time to time. After 10:30 worship we will continue our celebration with a picnic with Andrew and the Samoan congregation (no Santa Rosa Junior College Community this time). And after the picnic, we gather again in worship to affirm Rev. James Scherfee as our Pastor Emeritus and to welcome Rev. Dale Webb to the UCC as he becomes a Three-Way Covenant minister with our congregation. What a day! What a celebration! So yes a vibrant ministry! Yes, Strength.

This brings me to our Strengthen the Church Offering, received on May 27th. We are officially a renewing congregation in the United Church of Christ having received a grant from the National Setting and the Conference. Funds for our renewal are provided by the Strengthen the Church Offering of the UCC. I would love to see a great outpouring for this offering. The United Church of Christ, 50 years old this year, is a beacon for the Christian Church in the United States. We are an inclusive, multicultural, Open and Affirming, Christ-centered denomination. Today's world is deeply in need of a spiritual perspective such as ours. Through our gifts to Strengthen the Church, we further our commitment to be just the sort of church that we are. Though this offering is a few weeks off, I thought that I would mention it now so we could prepare.

Blessings, David

Musings Along Lifes Way

Over the last weeks we have been exploring the disciplines that make us the church. So far, we have explored the themes of diversity, healing and hospitality. This coming Sunday our emphasis will be the discipline of worship, our gathering as the community of Christ each week to worship God.

Worship is our weekly gathering as the Church. In worship, our hearts rise from closed to open and we become a people whose concerns rise from me (concern for and identity with oneself) to we (concern for and identity with others). Within the crucible of worship, through our encounter with God and one another, we the Body of Christ is gathered, God's love is embodied within the Christian Community.

Heart: from closed to open. (2 Cor.6:13, open wide your hearts)
In worship, we move from having a closed to having an open heart. This means that in the encounter with God and one another our suspicions are laid aside, and we know that the rest we find in life is found in gentle assurance of God's presence encountered through music, prayer, word and sacrament. As hearts open the love of God rushes in and fills us with a joy that comes from God alone. With open hearts we find our true home in God.

The foundations of community: from me to we.
Finding our true home in God we discover that we are present to one another in a deep and intimate way. In God our community is one of other concern rather than self concern. God's love, present in our togetherness moves within our hearts as our struggles, sufferings and pains become something that we can carry together, in community. In this way we move from me and mine to we and ours. We carry one another in God's love.

Our worship gathering is a crucible, a place where we are made into who we are. As such, worship is foundational to our lives and to our community. That's why we gather each week -- to become again who we are: the Body of Christ.
I look forward to seeing you all in worship this Sunday. The Samoan congregation will be with us and we will celebrate communion.

Blessings,
David