Tuesday, February 23, 2021

God's Loving Paths -- A Message for February 21, 2021

 



For the next six weeks, we will be in the contemplative season of Lent.  Lent began on Wednesday, the day we commemorate each year as Ash Wednesday.  This season is an annual opportunity for us to reflect on our mortality….we were made from dust and to dust we will return.  We also spend time in this season as we reflect on our actions and words over the past year and ask God to forgive us our transgressions. 

This is particularly poignant as we have been living in the time of Covid-19.  Almost a year ago, everything changed in our lives.  We shut down.  We went into a time of isolation. As we journey into the season of Lent, we are also (we hope) journeying towards the end of our pandemic.  So, we spend the next few weeks repenting and preparing for what we will do when we exit the wilderness, when we exit the wilderness of Covid-time. 

We spend 40 days in Lent because Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness.  We model our “wilderness” time on Jesus’ wilderness time. The book of Mark doesn’t give us a lot of details about Jesus’ 40 days of isolation, but as we listen to our scripture let us consider what it would be like to be tempted by Satan, surrounded by wild animals, and attended by angels. Hear the story as it is recorded by Mark chapter one verses nine through fifteen:

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 

Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 

And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 

and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.


After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Here ends the reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen. 

Prayer for Understanding

Holy God, send us your Spirit to calm our thoughts and prepare our hearts and minds to hear your Word. Through your Word, teach us to see you more clearly and love you more deeply day by day. Amen.

            We don’t spend a lot of time in physical places we consider “the wilderness.”  Most of us are more comfortable sitting on our couch and watching Alaskan homesteaders on TV than we are becoming the homesteaders ourselves.  I certainly don’t feel the urge to go off totally on my own and live out in the woods or the desert or on an island.  In fact, I saw a commercial for the show “Naked and Afraid” the other day and I am still afraid for the people I saw on the screen.

            Before Jesus got down to the business of his work as the Messiah, he spent 40 days alone in the wilderness.  He spent 40 days preparing for his life’s calling.  He spent 40 days completely by himself, away from other people, living alongside wild animals.  Jesus must have had a lot on his mind.  To make things even more complicated for Jesus, he had to contend with temptation.  Satan tempted him.  Evil tempted him.  Jesus could have chosen not to do his work – he could have taken the easy way out.  He had the capability to live life surrounded by luxury.  Instead, he chose to become a nomadic prophet.  Jesus could have taken the easy way out. Instead, he chose to sacrifice himself so that humanity could be redeemed.

            Jesus went to the wilderness after his baptism. At the occasion of his baptism, Jesus was fully immersed by his cousin John in the waters of the Jordan River.  Jesus walked out into the river, John grabbed him, and drew him down into the water.  It covered his body. It covered his head.  It cleansed the dirt from his body. 

            When Jesus came up from being immersed in the water, he saw the sky open up and the Holy Spirit descended on him live a dove.  A dove is a gentle bird, so the Spirit ascended gently upon Jesus.  It poured into Jesus.  And, Jesus heard an affirmation from God: God said to him “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

            The combination of God’s affirmation and the presence of the Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to survive his wilderness journey.  They enabled Jesus to resist temptation – the external temptation of Satan and the internal temptation Jesus must have felt knowing he was capable of choosing a different life for himself. God’s affirmation and the presence of the Holy Spirit were a tremendous comfort for Jesus during his ordeal. And, when Jesus returned to his regular life, God’s affirmation and the presence of the Holy Spirit helped Jesus to do the work he was called to do as the Messiah.

            Like Jesus, God has made many affirmations of us.  We are God’s children and God’s beloved.  In the First Letter to John, we are reminded of God’s love:

“This is how God showed God’s love among us: God sent God’s one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent God’s Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Through the prophet Isaiah, God says to us:

“”Through the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

Psalm 86 reminds us:

“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

God’s affirmations guide us and support us as we journey through the wilderness.

            At the beginning of the pandemic, I started posting little reminders of God’s love for us on the Trinity facebook page.  God has made the beauty of the earth and the glory of the skies for us to enjoy.  We are reminded by God’s word that is recorded in the Bible that we can endure much because of the ways God strengthens us.  I have been including a photo and a scriptural affirmation on each post to remind us that we are not alone, God is always with us to love us, encourage us, and guide us.

            Likewise, the Holy Spirit is poured out onto us just as it was poured out onto Jesus at his baptism. We believe the Holy Spirit is the part of God that is present with us all of the time….the Spirit is the living presence of God that is nurturing us, comforting us, and abiding with each of us.  We believe the Holy Spirit is poured into us when we are baptized – a part God is poured into our souls. The presence of the Holy Spirit has been guiding us as we have endured this time of pandemic.  We have been scared, lonely, and isolated, but the presence of God as the Holy Spirit has been with us during this time of trial.  The Holy Spirit accompanied Jesus as he journeyed in the wilderness, and the Holy Spirit accompanies and guides us as we journey to the end of our journey through the season of Covid-19.

            We will remember this time of Covid as the longest and perhaps strangest wildness journey of our lives. Let us take comfort in knowing that we have not done this journey alone, God is with us.  God’s presence in the Holy Spirit guides and sustains us.  The journey will be over soon.  The next 40 days we spend in the season of Lent is actually the end of the journey.  Easter is coming.

            Thanks be to God. Amen. 







Sunday, February 21, 2021

E_Letter to the Trinity Family from February 21, 2021

 


Greetings Trinity Family,

I pray that everyone is preparing to have a lovely weekend.  This year, we celebrate both Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and our Annual Congregational Meeting on the very same weekend. 

LENT 2021

Today is the first Sunday in Lent.  Most years, we join with our Skippack Christians neighbors for Lenten services at each other’s churches.  The churches of our Skippack Ministerium are all doing church differently in the time of Covid and most are not hosing in-person worship services. 

Instead of meeting in-person, each week a Lenten message from one of our pastors will be emailed to you and posted on our Trinity Christian UCC Skippack facebook page.  The Ash Wednesday message prepared by Rev. Sue Ketterer from Bethel Hill UMC is up on our church's facebook page.  Stay tuned for our next message that I will post and email to you on Wednesday.

WORSHIP SERVICES

On Sunday mornings, please join us on Facebook or Zoom:

Join us for our Sunday morning hymn sing at 9:45 am livestreamed from the Trinity Christian UCC Skippack facebook page.

10:15 Facebook livestream Worship.  You can find us at our "Trinity Christian UCC Skippack" facebook page.

11 am ZOOM worship.  You can login at this link:

Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

 

Topic: Trinity Worship Services

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/75566827269

 

Meeting ID: 755 6682 7269

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,75566827269# US (Washington D.C)

+13126266799,,75566827269# US (Chicago)

 

Dial by your location

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 755 6682 7269

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kih56ueDN

BIBLE STUDY

We also have a Sunday morning Bible Study on ZOOM at 8:45 am.  Here is the link to log in:

 

Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Trinity's Wired Word Discussion Group
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 769 3381 3590
Password: 7qLSWw

MUSIC MINISTRY

Here is information about Trinity’s Music Ministry: 

Wednesday music schedule:

Adult Choir - 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month on Zoom

Mission Music - 2nd Wednesday of each month on Zoom

Leo - 4th Wednesday of each month on Facebook

Special Surprise - when there is a 5th Wednesday of the month

Each of our Wednesday activities will be at 7 pm.   Here is the ZOOM link for our music ministry Wednesday evening activities:


Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

 

Topic: Trinity's Music Ministry

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87363505182

 

Meeting ID: 873 6350 5182

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,87363505182# US (Germantown)

+13126266799,,87363505182# US (Chicago)

 

Dial by your location

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

        +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

Meeting ID: 873 6350 5182

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbetKNjam4

DAILY BREAD COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY

We continue to collect food and toiletry items for the Daily Bread Food Pantry.  They can be left at the doors of the church.

The Daily Bread's Current needs change every few weeks. This is their latest list of needs:

Personal Care: Laundry Detergent, Cleaning Supplies *

Food: Jelly, Jam, Peanut Butter, Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Rice, Skillet Helpers or Rice a Roni, Cookies, Chips, Juice, Shelf Stable Milk, Stuffing, Pie Crust Mix, Pie Crust Fillings in cans,

Pet Care: Dry Cat food*

And any other items you wish to donate would greatly be appreciated!

 

*These items can’t be purchased with Food Stamps.

COVID UPDATE

On the weekend of December 6th, our Consistory had an emergency meeting and voted to discontinue our in-person worship services.  We are only meeting virtually on Facebook and Zoom.  

The Covid pandemic continues to peak and is worse now than when we first closed this past spring. Please know that we are consistently re-evaluating and updating our Covid practices and criteria according to official guidelines, both state and county, as well as what we consider best for our members and community. We ask you to be patient as we find our way through this bewildering time.

We feel that returning our services to an online presence is a small price to pay to keep our congregation and friends of our church safe. We've been informed that the next three months will be the most critical of the entire pandemic. 

Let's do our best to mask up, use gloves, distance, wash our hands, and stay home as much as possible. Hopefully we will be together again soon but, in the meantime, please stay the course and be safe.

At the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference UCC’s fall meeting, Reverend Worley recommended that all of our churches return to online-only worship services.  The neighboring UCC churches who are part of the Skippack Ministerium are meeting virtually and are not meeting in-person.

HYMNALS

If you would like to borrow a hymnal from the church, please let me know and I will arrange for you to receive one. 

TRINITY BLOG

Trinity now has a blog where I am posting notes to the congregation and the text of my sermons.  If you would like to read these notes and messages, you can find them at: www.trinityskippack.blogspot.com

I will “see” you in worship on Sunday!

Many blessings!!

Pastor Amelie


Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Compassionate Community -- A Message for February 14, 2021







Every year, on the last Sunday of Epiphany, on the Eve of Ash Wednesday, we carve one Sunday out of the year to focus on Jesus’s Transfiguration. The Transfiguration was the event when Jesus was shown to his disciples as he truly was – he was both a man and God. The disciples were present with God enfleshed. They were both shocked and overwhelmed by this experienced, but understanding who Jesus was, more than a prophet, more than an evangelist, more than a rebel, helped the Disciples to work alongside Jesus and birth the Christian Church after he departed this world. Listen now to the story of the Transfiguration as it was written in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 9, verses two through nine:

Scripture Reading Mark 9:2-9

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 

His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 

And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 

(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.


Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God, thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayer for Understanding

Holy One, all wisdom comes from you. Guide us now as we hear your scriptures read and interpreted. May your Holy Spirit help us understand your Word more fully and be transformed to live it out. Amen

Movies love to show the moment when people recognize their companion for who they really are – we wait in anticipation for Lois to realize Clark is also Superman. We are thrilled when Peter Parker is revealed to be Spider Man. We nervously await the day studious Diana Prince is revealed to be Wonder Woman. We delight when the people surrounding the hero “see” who they really are.

The Transfiguration of Jesus was the event when a handful of the Disciples finally “saw” who Jesus really was. But, instead of feeling “delight,” they seemed more scared than thrilled. Reality is not as exciting as an action movie….understanding a person in your midst is God incarnate in man can be shocking instead of fun. It is one thing to watch movies or read books about supernatural beings – it is another thing to have one right beside you.

I feel for the disciples. They spent every day with Jesus. They ate with him. They slept in crowded rooms with him. They walked long distances by his side. They listened to his stories. They witnessed his miracles. But, despite their proximity to Jesus, they were still overwhelmed when they recognized who he was. He wasn’t just a regular guy like them. He was the messiah.

At the moment the Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured, they also heard God say: “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.” Our job is to listen to Jesus. Over the coming year, we will read our way through the Gospel book of Mark. Mark’s stories of Jesus describe him as strong and brave. Jesus stood up to demons. Jesus stood up to religious authorities. Jesus stood up to Roman authorities. He demonstrated bravery in the midst of conflict. Jesus loved people who were dismissed and passed over by the rest of the crowd. Jesus loved outcasts and sinners. Jesus forgave.

In addition to listening to Jesus by working to put his teachings into action, we also need to listen to God. We are called upon to talk to God in prayer. Sometimes when we are praying, we hear a response right away. God answers our questions or tells us to do better.

God also sends us messages in the things that are happening in our lives. We are called upon to look for messages from God in the world around us. God may talk to us through the little quiet voice in our heads that is urging us to do something different. God may talk to us through the words of other people around us. God may send us messages in dreams or signs in nature. God may talk to us when we open the Bible and read a scripture that communicates what we need to hear.

This week, Lent will begin on Wednesday. Each year, Ash Wednesday is day we remind ourselves we were made by God as temporary vessels for our souls…we were made from dust and to dust we will return. We spend the 40 days of Lent considering the past year, repenting for the things we regret and asking God to forgive us. Sometimes, we pledge to make a Lenten sacrifice where we take a fast from a luxury that we typically enjoy for this season. In Ireland, Ash Wednesday is “National No Smoking Day” – Christians are encouraged to use the 40 days of Lent to break their addiction to cigarettes –they have an “ash-less” Ash Wednesday.

Whether we commit to a Lenten Practice or not, let us use these 40 days to be more attentive to listening to God. God chose to come to earth and dwell among us as Jesus. This is wonderful for us, but may have been a tad terrifying for the disciples. We must work to listen to God and live following in the footsteps of our brave Messiah. May it be so. Amen.

Friday, February 12, 2021

E-Letter to the Trinity Family -- February 2, 2021

 

Greetings Trinity Family,

I pray that everyone is preparing to have a lovely weekend.  This year, we celebrate both Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and our Annual Congregational Meeting on the very same weekend. 

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING & ANNUAL REPORT – MEETING THIS SUNDAY!

Trinity’s annual Congregational meeting will be on Sunday, February 14 at 12 pm.  The meeting will be held on Zoom.  Please plan on joining us.  Attached to this email is a copy of our 2020 annual report.  Please take a few minutes to read the report.  Each portion of it was written with care.  Despite 2020 being a very weird year, we accomplished a lot in our little corner of Skippack 😊

To log into our Congregational Meeting, please us the Trinity Worship Zoom Link:

 

Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

 

Topic: Trinity Worship Services

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/75566827269

 

Meeting ID: 755 6682 7269

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,75566827269# US (Washington DC)

+13126266799,,75566827269# US (Chicago)

 

Dial by your location

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 755 6682 7269

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keoGPT6slk

UPCOMING ADULT CLASS OPPORTUNITY

You’re invited to explore life’s big questions. 

Alpha is a place to explore the Christian faith with others.  It’s a series of conversations focused on the questions of life, faith, and meaning.  Each session includes a time to connect with others, hear a talk on some element of faith, and then a change for people to share their own questions and perspectives with the group. 

Ned and I are running two Alpha classes.  Each will start on February 16.  We will have a class that meets at 1 pm and a class that meets at 7 pm.  Each session should last about one and half hours.  The classes will be each Tuesday until they conclude on May 25.  In order to get the most out of the class, we ask that you plan on coming every week.

This spring, the Alpha classes we offer will be on Zoom. Since this is our inaugural run, we will limit each class to 8 participants.  Each participant will be given a book that explores the topic of each class.  If you would like to join, please let me know you are interested and which time slot you prefer.

LENT 2021

Lent starts this Wednesday February 17.  Most years, we join with our Skippack Christians neighbors for Lenten services at each other’s churches.  The churches of our Skippack Ministerium are all doing church differently in the time of Covid and most are not hosing in-person worship services. 

Instead of meeting in-person, each week a Lenten message from one of our pastors will be emailed to you and posted on our Trinity Christian UCC Skippack facebook page.  Stay tuned on Wednesday for our first message coming to you from Pastor Sue Ketterer of Bethel Hill UMC. 

WORSHIP SERVICES

On Sunday mornings, please join us on Facebook or Zoom:

Join us for our Sunday morning hymn sing at 9:45 am livestreamed from the Trinity Christian UCC Skippack facebook page.

10:15 Facebook livestream Worship.  You can find us at our "Trinity Christian UCC Skippack" facebook page.

11 am ZOOM worship.  You can login at this link:

 

Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

 

Topic: Trinity Worship Services

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/75566827269

 

Meeting ID: 755 6682 7269

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,75566827269# US (Washington D.C)

+13126266799,,75566827269# US (Chicago)

 

Dial by your location

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 755 6682 7269

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kih56ueDN

BIBLE STUDY

We also have a Sunday morning Bible Study on ZOOM at 8:45 am.  Here is the link to log in:

 

Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Trinity's Wired Word Discussion Group
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76933813590?pwd=Nzc0MkthZFBkdmVNTGYycjVtRXkwUT09

Meeting ID: 769 3381 3590
Password: 7qLSWw

MUSIC MINISTRY

Here is information about Trinity’s Music Ministry:

Wednesday music schedule:

Adult Choir - 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month on Zoom

Mission Music - 2nd Wednesday of each month on Zoom

Leo - 4th Wednesday of each month on Facebook

Special Surprise - when there is a 5th Wednesday of the month

Each of our Wednesday activities will be at 7 pm. Here is the ZOOM link for our music ministry Wednesday evening activities:

Amelie Sell is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Trinity's Music Ministry

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87363505182

Meeting ID: 873 6350 5182

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,87363505182# US (Germantown)

+13126266799,,87363505182# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

Meeting ID: 873 6350 5182

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbetKNjam4

DAILY BREAD COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY

We continue to collect food and toiletry items for the Daily Bread Food Pantry.  They can be left at the doors of the church.

The Daily Bread's Current needs change every few weeks. This is their latest list of needs:

Personal Care: Laundry Detergent, Cleaning Supplies *

Food: Jelly, Jam, Peanut Butter, Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Rice, Skillet Helpers or Rice a Roni, Cookies, Chips, Juice, Shelf Stable Milk, Stuffing, Pie Crust Mix, Pie Crust Fillings in cans,

Pet Care: Dry Cat food*

And any other items you wish to donate would greatly be appreciated!

 

*These items can’t be purchased with Food Stamps.

COVID UPDATE


On the weekend of December 6th, our Consistory had an emergency meeting and voted to discontinue our in-person worship services. We are only meeting virtually on Facebook and Zoom.

The Covid pandemic continues to peak and is worse now than when we first closed this past spring. Please know that we are consistently re-evaluating and updating our Covid practices and criteria according to official guidelines, both state and county, as well as what we consider best for our members and community. We ask you to be patient as we find our way through this bewildering time.

We feel that returning our services to an online presence is a small price to pay to keep our congregation and friends of our church safe. We've been informed that the next three months will be the most critical of the entire pandemic.

Let's do our best to mask up, use gloves, distance, wash our hands, and stay home as much as possible. Hopefully we will be together again soon but, in the meantime, please stay the course and be safe.

At the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference UCC’s fall meeting, Reverend Worley recommended that all of our churches return to online-only worship services. The neighboring UCC churches who are part of the Skippack Ministerium are meeting virtually and are not meeting in-person.

HYMNALS

If you would like to borrow a hymnal from the church, please let me know and I will arrange for you to receive one. 

TRINITY BLOG

Trinity now has a blog where I am posting notes to the congregation and the text of my sermons.  If you would like to read these notes and messages, you can find them at: www.trinityskippack.blogspot.com

I will “see” you in worship on Sunday!

Many blessings!!

Pastor Amelie

 


The First Evangelist -- A Message for February 21, 2024

  Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman 4  Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples th...