Message to Trinity -- Christmas Cantata, Christmas Eve Worship, Christmas Day and New Year's Day Worship

Greetings Trinity Family,

I hope this email finds everyone doing well. We have many up-coming activities at Trinity…please check out what we have going on.

OUR CHRISTMAS CANTATA

Everyone is welcome to join us on Sunday for our annual Christmas Cantata. Come hear the Christmas story “sung” to us. Bring your family, bring your friends.

If you are ill, though, and have any illness symptoms, please stay at home and enjoy the cantata on our Trinity facebook page. We have had an up-swing of people who are testing positive for the flu and Covid.

BLUE CHRISTMAS SERVICE

We will gather for our annual Blue Christmas service on Thursday, the 22^nd of December. This is a service for those who are struggling with the Christmas season – those who are grieving, those who are sad, and those who are lonely. We will gather to pray, to mourn, and to battle the forces of darkness…together.

CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP

We will gather at 7 pm on Christmas Eve, December 24, for our annual Candlelight and Communion worship service.

CHRISTMAS DAY WORSHIP

On Sunday, December 25, we will gather at 10:15 for a service of lessons and carols. Everyone is invited to wear your pajamas. This will be a family-friendly worship time – there will not be nursery care or Sunday School.

NEW YEAR’S DAY WORSHIP

Come to church on Sunday, January 1, 2023 to start the year out with God. We will gather for another opportunity to hear the Christmas story and sing our favorite carols. This will be a family-friendly worship time – there will not be nursery care or Sunday School.

CHOIR REHEARSALS

Everyone in 7^th grade and up is welcome to join Trinity’s choir. We will rehearse every Wednesday at 7 pm. Ralien and our Worship Committee are excited about all of the upcoming music we will sing as we worship God together. We will not have Choir rehearsal on Wednesday, December 21.

CHURCH CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS TEAM

If anyone is interested in joining a team to review the church’s Constitution and By-laws, please see either Bill Vogl or Pastor Amelie.

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 or in the baskets next to the sanctuary doors.

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

Personal Care (which cannot be purchased with food stamps):

Laundry soap, children's toothbrushes/ toothpaste, tissues, dish soap, DEORDORANT, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, paper towels

Food:

            Stuffing, canned peas, baked beans, canned pasta, pancake mix & syrup, canned tomatoes, cream soups

Baby Care:

Diapers

Pet Care:

Dry cat food, Litter, canned dog food

WORSHIP SERVICES

On Sunday mornings, you are invited to join us in-person and on Facebook:

Join us for our Sunday morning hymn sing at 9:45 am and our 10:15 Worship. 

If you are watching from home, you can find us at our "Trinity Christian UCC Skippack" facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/TrinityUCCSkippack

SUNDAY BIBLE  STUDY – Now AT 8:30

We have a Sunday morning Bible Study in-person and on ZOOM at 8:30. 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

LUNCH BUNCH MEETS WEEKLY!

Lunch Bunch is our Tuesday afternoon Bible Study.  Everyone is invited to join us on Tuesdays at 12 pm.  Please bring your own lunch. (In the past, we had a potluck lunch, but for now each person will bring their own food.)  Lunch Bunch typically studies the portion of the Bible that will be the focus of our worship service on the upcoming Sunday. 

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

God With Us -- A Message for December 11, 2022

 

    Over the past few weeks, we have been working our way through the events that led to the birth of Jesus our Savior. On the first Sunday of Advent, we focused on the Angel Gabriel’s visit to Zechariah to tell him that Elizabeth was pregnant with the miracle baby who would become John the Baptist. Last week, Gabriel returned to earth and visited Mary and announced to her that she was pregnant with the Messiah. This morning, another angel visits the earth, this time in a dream that was dreamed by Joseph, Mary’s betrothed. Hear about his dream and his response as we read Matthew, Chapter one, verses 18 through 25:

Proclamation of the Scripture            Matthew 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 

But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

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

Prayer of Illumination

Pastor: Immanuel, as we wait for your return, help us see your glory and love through the reading and preaching of your Word. We pray in your name. Amen   

            What do Nancy Regan, Jeff Bezos, Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, and Gerald Ford and Jesus have in common? Power? Wealth? Influence?

            Yes, and they are all people who were adopted by their stepfathers.

            Joseph went about things a little differently than the other stepfathers mentioned. The betrothal process was different in the 1^st Century, in Israel, than what we do. There was no arranging a surprise gathering of family and friends, kneeling down on one knee, offering a diamond ring, and asking Mary to marry him. Instead, Joseph and Mary grew up in a community where families lived alongside of each other for centuries. They were possibly 2^nd or 3^rd cousins. The fathers of the couple probably met and decided it would benefit both families to formalize their connections by arranging a marriage of their children. This would have been the betrothal….Joseph may have had a say in the matter, but the parents and grandparents and the Matriarch’s of each family had a bigger say.

            In this time period, the betrothal probably took place when Mary was so young that she was before her child-bearing years. So, she would have stayed at home with her parents until she was mature enough to get married.  And, in the middle of that waiting period, probably just before it would have been time for Mary to do the final wedding ritual and join Joseph’s family household, Joseph found out Mary was pregnant. And, he knew she was not pregnant with his child.

            Joseph was an up-right, stand-up, man. His plan was to divorce Mary quietly, so that she wasn’t publically disgraced.

            But, then he had a dream….

            During Joseph’s dream, an angel visited him. Our first two angel appearances, to Zechariah and Mary, were in-person. But, God chose to send Joseph a message in a dream. And, in the dream, an angel appeared to Joseph and explained Mary was in disloyal to him, and was not a fallen woman, but was pregnant with the child of God, the Messiah. The angel told Joseph to name the baby Jesus, just like the angel had told Zechariah to name Elizabeth’s baby John.

            After the dream, Joseph knew what he needed to do. He accepted the call of God. He welcomed Mary into his home, completing the official steps of “marriage.” But, it says in the scripture that Joseph waited to consummate the marriage until after she had given birth to the baby. So, they were technically married, but not physically married until after the marriage.

            Joseph and Mary were young people. They were given a tremendous responsibility. I suspect they had no idea what they were accepting – how would a child of God act when he was a baby? Would he come out knowing how to talk and dispensing advice to his parents? We know strange things occurred after these angel annunciations…. it sounds like the birth was pretty odd, with another round of angel visitors. Then some wise men came and the family had to flee to Egypt. Trials occurred again and again.

 But, Joseph agreed to the challenge. He agreed to accept the responsibly.

God knew what God was doing….God knew Mary…God knew Joseph. God knew their hearts. God knew what God was doing and knew that Joseph and Mary would be excellent parents.

Joseph could have said “No-way.” He could have done what he planned on doing – dismiss Mary quietly. Joseph could have gotten married to another person, been a normal carpenter, had a normal life. Many people are uncomfortable with the idea of step-children.  They want to raise kids who look like them, who act like them, who think like them. Joseph could have walked away from all of these strange occurrences, these angelic visits, these weird pregnancies, and said, “No thank you.” But, he didn’t. He did what God asked him to do. He rose to the challenge of raising Jesus. He taught him his trade of carpentry. He taught him to read the Torah. He taught him how to be a good Jewish boy.

When we are young people, teenagers, we often have a sense of “my life after this.” People plan for their professions – they go to school, they learn a trade. They dream about their weddings and marriages and lives with their own families. Sometimes, we make timelines and spreadsheets and map out what we expect to happen.

Joseph probably had a plan for his life that included what he expected to happen. But, when a major curveball in life was thrown his way, he still hit it out of the field. He accepted that his plans were different than God’s plans. And, Joseph showed us that when God tells you a different plan, you can embrace it. You can embrace God’s plan for your life and it will work out. Maybe not the way you thought it would, but Joseph rose to the occasion. He raised Jesus. He took care of Mary. He shepherd his little family through their trials, their journey to safety, their exile as refugees, and their return to the Motherland. Joseph went with the flow and accepted that ultimately, he wasn’t in-charge; God was in charge. And Joseph trusted God and God’s plan.

Because of his resilience, his steadfastness, his loyalty, and his trust in God, we are all blessed by the sacrifices Joseph made. May we all strive to be like Joseph, to trust in God and to live generously for the good of other people, including those we love.

Amen. 

My Soul Glorifies the Lord -- A Message for December 4, 2022

 

            Today, we celebrate the second Sunday of Advent. Last week, we heard the story of the angel Gabriel visiting Zechariah and telling him to expect the birth of the baby who would become John the Baptist. We are uncertain how Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife, was related to Mary, Jesus’ mom, but we know they were relatives. After Elizabeth was getting on in her pregnancy, the angel Gabriel made a second visit to Israel to announce another miracle pregnancy. Hear the story where it picks up in Luke, chapter one, verses twenty-six through forty-five:

Proclamation of the Scripture            Luke 1:26-45

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 

to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 

and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 

Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 

For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 

where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 

In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 

But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 

As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God: Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayer of Illumination

Pastor: O God, our beginning and end, by whose command time runs its course: bless our impatience, perfect our faith, and, while we await the fulfillment of your promises, grant us hop in your Word. Amen.                           

Message                              My Soul Glorifies the Lord

            Today we recall the immense responsibility God placed on a young woman, a young woman who was just maturing to adulthood. A young woman given the responsibility to become the mother of Jesus, the messiah.

            I look at the young people in this room, our 12 and 13 and 14 year olds, and see in them the vulnerability and strength required to take on this responsibility. We raise our children and young adults to be resilient. We raise them to tackle challenges, to fight for what is right, to be strong and patient and tough.

            Mary was like our young people. Although she had questions, just as they have questions, she rose to the occasion. I don’t blame her for her question – how will this be, since I am a virgin? There was the problem of reality.  Most babies are not born to virgins.  It is not every day you find yourself experiencing a miracle, a miracle happening in your own body, no less.

            Mary must have been afraid. Having an angel appear in her presence alone would have caused her to recoil in fear. And, then the angel told her she would become a mother, a very young, inexperience, mother. When we talked about this at Lunch Bunch this week, one of our members suggested that perhaps only a 13 or 14 year old would be optimistic enough to take on the challenge. Perhaps Mary was not old enough to be gripped by fear and consider all of the things that could possibly go wrong…..When I was pregnant with Lucia, I was 32 years old…I was old enough to be aware of everything that could go wrong and lay in bed at night obsessing over the possibilities. But, Mary was brave and tough and maybe just naïve enough to not totally become paralyzed by anxiety about the task ahead of her.

            Mary was resourceful. The angel told Mary that Elizabeth was also pregnant. So, Mary figured out a way to travel from Nazareth in Galilee to the hill country of Judah. This was a 90 mile journey. There is no explanation in our scriptures about how Mary travelled those 90 miles – it just says Mary hurried from Nazareth to the home of Elizabeth. But, only a resourceful person would have figured out how to make that journey quickly, especially in a day and age when most people travelled on foot….scholars think people could have roughly travelled 20 miles a day through that region.  Mary hurried to Elizabeth on a 5 or 6 day journey. Mary was resourceful.

            Mary was also resourceful because she turned to Elizabeth for help. If anyone could have understood the weird, strange pregnancy journey Mary was on, it would have been Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a trusted, nurturing relative for Mary. I pray that all of our children, the ones in this room, the kids who are part of this congregation, the kids who are part of our wider community…I pray that all of our children have safe and trusted adults they can turn to, especially when they are in crises. Mary was grappling with the reality that she was pregnant with the Messiah – I count that as a crisis. Fortunately, she had Elizabeth to turn to for support. In verse 56 of Luke chapter one, it says: Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.  Mary was able to stay with her nurturing relatives Elizabeth and Zechariah for 3 months. Then she returned home to prepare for the birth of her baby.  She would have left Elizabeth just before the birth of John – Elizabeth was going to become too busy with mothering to care for an increasingly pregnant Mary.

            This year, as I reflect on the story of Mary’s unusual pregnancy, and notice how brave and resilient she was, I am also very impressed with Elizabeth’s grace and love. Despite her own unusual pregnancy, Elizabeth took care of Mary. Often, we hear stories of kids and teenagers who have tough relationships with their parents – we don’t know anything about Mary’s parents – they are never mentioned in the Bible or the story of our faith. But, when Mary’s situation became dire and hard, she turned to Elizabeth.  For whatever reason, her parents were not her first choice. I pray that as the followers of Christ who make up the church, we will all be adults like Elizabeth and Zechariah – ready to nurture and love teenagers who are not our biological children, ready to support and care for kids who find themselves in a mess – kids who struggle with school – kids who are the victims of bullies – kids whose families reject them because they stop believing in the faith of their fathers or they realize they are LBGTQIA in families who are not open and affirming – kids who find themselves struggling with addiction – kids who figure out they are pregnant when they don’t  expect to be – kids like Mary who find themselves dealing with a reality  they could have never planned for or prepared for.

            There are so many lessons to learn from the behavior of the people in our Bible, the people who are our ancestors in the faith. As we prepare for Christmas, and prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus, let us admire and work to imitate the nurturing parents who are part of the Nativity of our Lord – people who became parents when they least expected to become parents – too old, too young, adoptive, and “chosen” – Elizabeth and Zechariah were the kind of “chosen” parents we hope to be – people who nurture other people’s children and help them through the hard times in their lives.

            May we do so in love. Amen.  

A New Hope -- A Message for November 27, 2022

 

Many events in the story of Jesus’ life are echoes of events in the history of Israel. Jesus’ birth was long-predicted. The scriptures of the Old Testament tell us about signs to look for when the Messiah was arriving into the world.

One of the most important stories in Judaism was the surprising birth of Isaac when he was born to extremely elderly parents. His birth was a sign that the covenant God had made with the Jewish people would be fulfilled – descendants of Abraham would fill the earth. Hear echoes of his birth narrative as we read the story of another miraculous pregnancy, another pregnancy that showed God’s covenant and promises for the Jewish people would be fulfilled.

Hear our scripture as we read Luke, chapter one, verses five through twenty-five:

Proclamation of the Scripture            Luke 1:5-25

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 

Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 

But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 

he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 

And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 

When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 

He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 

for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 

He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 

And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 

And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 

When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 

After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 

“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

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

Prayer of Illumination

Pastor: God of the universe, revealed to us in Holy Scripture through the writings of the prophets and at the preaching of John the Baptist, you have called us to prepare our hearts for your visitation. Ready us now to hear your Word and to respond as faithful servants, to the glory of Christ. Amen.                 

Message                                          A New Hope

            “But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.” After Zechariah heard from the angel, he returned home. “After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.”

            I can’t imagine. If I was Elizabeth, I suspect I would remain in seclusion for more than 5 months.  After a long lifetime, a long child-free lifetime, I can’t image how shocking it would be to find oneself pregnant. Zachariah was struck mute until the child was born. It says later in the scripture that his voice returned at John’s circumcision ceremony. Typically, sons were named after their fathers and their names were proclaimed at the ceremony. But, Elizabeth and Zachariah wanted the baby to be named John. The angel told them to name the baby John. After the child was named, Zachariah could speak again and he immediately began to praise God and celebrate the birth of their miracle baby.

            After he grew up, under the care and tutelage of his parents, John became a prophet. He was hailed as the new Elijah – Jesus said John was “Elijah who is to come.” Before Elijah was taken up into heaven, he promised he would come back to earth to announce and proclaim the messiah was here. And, this is what John did. John went out into the wilderness. He invited people to recommit to God and to wash away their sins in baptism. Just before he began his public ministry, Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River. John prepared the way for the Lord.

            John was born to prepare the way for the Messiah. He called people to become baptized in repentance for their sins.  John was a truth-teller. He wanted everyone to focus on God and transform their lives for the better.

            This season, the season of Advent, is our time to consider if there are things in our lives we need to change to as we prepare for Jesus. We are all so busy doing our lives that sometimes we forget to take stock of what we are doing and ask ourselves if there are things we need to do differently. Are there activities we need to drop from our live? Are there behaviors we need to change? Do we need to shift how we spend our time or what we give our attention to?  I suspect we all have aspects of our lives that are hurtful for ourselves or others… Do we drink too much? Do we procrastinate? Are we holding grudges? Are we unfairly judging others? There are things about ourselves we need to change or let go of. 

            Over these next few weeks, we will add to our busyness as we take on the tasks of this season…we will shop…we will bake…we will decorate….we will travel….we will eat…we will add more and more to our list. But, becoming busier is probably the last thing we need. We are entering the Advent season, the season were we are called to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus…not by buying gifts or putting pressure on ourselves to have the tinsel placed perfectly on our trees, but by allowing ourselves to stop some of the things we do that keep us separate or apart from God. So, instead of pressuring ourselves to get all of the Christmas prep work done, let’s work on opening our hearts to Jesus and letting go of the stuff that makes it more difficult for us to put our trust in God and open our hearts to Jesus.

            God gives us permission to cross off some of the tasks on our lists, to breathe in the Holy Spirit, and remember that God values our attention and adoration. Let us let go of the things that separate us from God and get ready to welcome Jesus into our hearts.

            Amen. 

Together in Christ -- A Message for November 20, 2022

 

Every year, as the Christian calendar winds around, we celebrate “Reign of Christ,” Sunday.  This is the final Sunday of the Christian “year.” Next week, we start a new cycle through the calendar on the first Sunday of Advent.

            This morning, we focus on Jesus as the “king” of the world, reigning over us as a powerful and protective ruler. Hear our reading as it comes from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, chapter one verses eleven through twenty:

Proclamation of the Scripture                        Colossians 1:11-20

May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully 

giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 

He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, 

for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 

He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 

and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

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

Prayer of illumination

O God Most High! Everlasting Lord, mighty and lifted up! Grant to us your Holy Spirit, that in these words of Holy Scripture our hearts might be lifted up and our minds set on heavenly realities, that contemplating the reign of our ascended Lord we might long to be with him and enter into the joy of his eternal kingdom. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Message                                          Together in Christ

            When Jesus was on the verge of his crucifixion, he was taken to Roman ruler Pontius Pilate to be questioned.  Pilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews.  Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place….you say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

            God is the creator of the universe. Everything we have on earth and in the heavens was created and caused by God. Jesus came to earth to point us towards God, to point us to the truth, to point out the truth to us. We believe God, in the form of Jesus, came to earth and lived among us, to teach us the truth.  Before God came to earth as Jesus, God had tried to tell us things through talking to the prophets and having them relay message to us. But, relying on the words of men and women was problematic, so God came to earth to speak to us directly as Jesus.  

After Jesus departed the world, and ascended to heaven, he returned to be with God, and now is the part of God that can most relate to us. Jesus is the part of God who physically felt pain, who physically suffered, who had the experience of hugging his mother and eating soup with his friends. Jesus is the part of God that experienced life as us and with us on earth. Now, Jesus is reigning with God over the heavens and the earth.

            This all can be a little confusing for us.  We have trouble explaining this aspect of our theology to children – they struggle to understand how we can believe God came to earth as Jesus and then went back to being part of God. It is difficult to understand that Jesus was God and yet he prayed to God when he was on earth. In twenty-first century human terms, it is like God had a multiple personality disorder – God split off as Jesus, and as the Holy Spirit, and then comes back together as God.  As Jesus taught: “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Jesus was both a human man and God, and now Jesus is with the God-head again.

            As Jesus told Pilate, his kingdom is not of this world. Today, we focus on the Reign of God over all the earth. When we pray the end of the Lord’s Prayer, we say: “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.” God has created and is creating the earth and all who dwell here. Unlike an earthly king or ruler, God’s power comes from God’s love for us….God doesn’t need armies…God doesn’t need police…God doesn’t need to give speeches or to be elected to have power. God’s power comes from love.  When we pray for God’s kingdom and power and glory to be here forever, we are saying we belong to God, the King of the world.  Our allegiance is to God first and foremost. Our love for God supersedes our love for our nation, our love for our friends, our love for our teams, our love for our job, our love for our group. We belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

            Our work as Christians is to work to make our world more and more of a reflection of God’s teachings for us. Our work is to make the kingdom of God obvious to others as being here on earth. Jesus reminded us the most important commandments for us to live out are the command to love God and the command to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. We must live out the love commandments by caring for one another. When we treat other people with compassion and love, we are building the kingdom of God. When we strive for justice for all people, we are standing in opposition to the sinful attitude of the culture of humans – we are saying peace is more important than power, equality is more important than wealth, charity is more important than greed, humility is more important than pride, and gratitude is more important than fame.

            In the kingdom of God, whoever wishes to be first must become last of all and servant of all. Whoever thinks they are first are actually last. When Jesus was questioned about how to enter the Kingdom of God, Jesus pointed to a child and said that “whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” – Jesus. We are called to welcome vulnerable people in the name of God, and in turn, we will help make the kingdom of God more visible here on earth.

            Today, we celebrate that God is reigning over the earth. It is our work to not only praise and worship God for God’s rule over us, but also to live compassionately and help others to see God through our work in the world. We are called to make God’s kingdom and rule visible to people who don’t yet have a relationship with God and who need to feel God’s loving presence in their lives. We are here to humble ourselves and love and serve our God.

            May we do so today and all days. Amen. 

Infinite Possibilities -- A Message for November 13, 2022

 

            When Jesus walked the Earth, early in the period of time we call the first century, the Romans and the people of Israel had a very tenuous relationship.  Zealots raised up armies and tried to fight off the Romans. The Temple officials had a perilous relationship with the Roman leaders. The Roman’s had trouble keeping the people of Israel in line – in 70 AD, these tensions came to a head – the people of Jerusalem had a standoff with the Romans….Jerusalem was laid siege by the Romans and fell…The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple and forced the Jewish people into exile. The only part of the Temple of Jerusalem that remains is the Western Wall, where today people visit and pray and leave prayers stuck in the stones that remain.

            When Jesus lived and ministered on earth, he knew what was coming in the future. In today’s passage we read from Luke, Jesus’ consoles his friends and tells them that even though cities and buildings will fall, natural disasters will come, and followers of God will be persecuted, but God’s steadfast love endures forever.

            Hear our reading as it is found in Luke, chapter 21, verses five through nineteen:

Proclamation of the Scripture Luke 21:5-19           

Some of Jesus’ disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 

“As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 

When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 

There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

“But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 

And so you will bear testimony to me. 

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 

For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 

You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 

Everyone will hate you because of me. 

But not a hair of your head will perish. 

Stand firm, and you will win life.

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

Let us pray: Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.

            When I was a kid, a few blocks away from my parent’s house was a closed Catholic church. My school bus passed by it in the mornings. When the church was first closed, the windows were boarded up. Then, a fire happened that damaged the structure of the building. Parts of the building started to collapse. Another fire happened. The roof fell in. Soon, there were just exterior walls. Eventually, all that was left was a lone bell tower.

            But, just because the building fell apart doesn’t mean God disappeared. Just because a church closed doesn’t mean God is closed. Buildings aren’t permanent. Even churches can be flooded, or hit by tornados, or catch on fire, or consolidate into another space. As beautiful as our church home is, as much as we love worshipping God in this building, Trinity’s building will not be on this strip of Church Road in Skippack PA forever. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

            When Jesus walked the earth, he knew things would change for the Jewish people and the followers of God. Jesus knew the beautiful stones that adorned the walls of the Temple in Jerusalem would be torn down in just a few decades. Jesus knew the world was not going to shift on its axis after his visit on earth. Bad things would still happen. Natural disasters would befall the earth. People would be jerks to each other. Powerful men and women would start wars with each other and send loyal soldiers to fight on their behalf. Christians would be persecuted. Yet, no matter what terrible things occur, God’s steadfast love endures forever.

            At the end of Psalm 136, these words echo to us from the centuries:

It is God who remembered us in our low estate,
    for God’s steadfast love endures forever;
and rescued us from our foes,
    for God’s steadfast love endures forever;
God who gives food to all flesh,
    for God’s steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven,
    for God’s steadfast love endures forever.

Sometimes, in our lives, things go off the rails. We lose objects. We lose jobs. We fall out of love. Our children are hurt. We become ill. People we love die. Everything in our lives doesn’t stay “picture perfect” all of the time.

            Despite our brokenness, God is with us. God’s steadfast love endures forever. God understands when we mess up. God loves us despite our flaws. God is with us in the midst of our pain and our struggles. God doesn’t abandon us, ever.

            Jesus didn’t want his followers to be disappointed when the world became scary. Jesus didn’t want them to feel that the promises Jesus made to them would break when the world broke a little bit. He wanted them to know that he knew things oftentimes become worse before they get better. But, Jesus wanted his friends and us to know that in the midst of things dying, new life comes forth. He wanted his friend and us to stand firm in our faith and to rely on God when this world is strange and confusing. Jesus wanted us to know that no matter what happens, God is with us. And, part of our work is to accompany each other when bad things happen to the people we love and the people we worship with. Things are much easier to handle when we are not alone. So, in addition to God, we are here to comfort and support each other.

            This is what it means to be church. We are more than a building. We are more than a social club. We are more than a few random people thrown together for an hour on Sunday mornings. We are called to be part of the Body of Christ – to be connected to God and to be connected to each other. To support each other when we know that people can’t do it alone. We called to be here for each other and to remember that God’s steadfast love endures forever.

            Amen. 

Message to Trinity -- Souder Funeral, Church Business Meeting, Greening the Church

 

Greetings Trinity Family,

I hope this email finds everyone doing well. We have many up-coming activities at Trinity…please check out what we have going on.

Thank you to everyone who came over on Election Day to say hi or to stay and visit with our neighbors. We made many connections with our neighbors on Tuesday.

Our Pulled Pork supper last weekend was a huge success! We raised over $3000. Thank you to all of our cooks and volunteers. We couldn’t do anything without each other.  As a bonus, the food was delicious!

DONALD SOUDER FUNERAL

Our brother in Christ, Donald Souder, passed away on Wednesday after a lengthy illness.   We will gather to remember Don and support his wife Marie on Saturday, November 13.   There will be a visitation in our church narthex starting at 11 am. The funeral service will be at 12:30 in our Sanctuary. A lunch will follow in our Education Building. Please join us to remember a dear man and support his family.

MEN’S BREAKFAST – CANCELLED IN NOVEMBER

We usually have our monthly men’s breakfast on the second Saturday of the month. This month, the breakfast is cancelled because of the many people who will be attending the funeral service for Don Souder.

In December, we will have our Men’s Breakfast on December 10 at 8:30 am.  All men are invited to join us.

TRINITY VETERAN’S SERVICE

Our annual observance of our Veterans will be on Sunday, November 13. We will appreciate our Veterans during our Sunday morning service at 10:15. At 2 pm, we will gather in our Cemetery for an opportunity to praise God, appreciate our Veterans, and remember those who have passed on. Our 2 pm gathering will be followed by a reception in our Education Building.

TRINITY ANNUAL BUDGET MEETING

Our Narrative budget was shared with our congregation this morning by Deb Clewell in the church office.  Our annual meeting to approve our budget will be held after our worship service on Sunday, November 20.  OUR MEETING WILL BE IN-PERSON AND WE WILL NOT STREAM IT ON FACEBOOK.

GREENING THE CHURCH

Everyone is invited to help us “green” our church for the Advent and Christmas season on Saturday, November 26. We will gather at 9 am. Come one and come all.

LIGHTING THE CHURCH

We have worked to expand our seasonal lights for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. We will decorate the exterior of our buildings and properties after worship on Sunday, November 27.

CHRISTMAS CAROLING AND TRINITY OPEN HOUSE

We will gather to sing Christmas Carols in the Village of Skippack on the evening of December 9 at 6 pm.  Afterwards, we will gather for cookies and hot chocolate. More details to follow.

CHRISTMAS CANTATA

Our Choir and Christmas Singers are delighted to present their 2022 Christmas Cantata on Sunday, December 18 at our 10:15 Worship service. Please invite your family, friends and neighbors to experience the Christmas story set to beautiful music.

BLUE CHRISTMAS SERVICE

We will gather for our annual Blue Christmas service on Thursday, the 22^nd of December. This is a service for those who are struggling with the Christmas season – those who are grieving, those who are sad, and those who are lonely. We will gather to pray, to mourn, and to battle the forces of darkness…together.

CHOIR REHEARSALS

Everyone in 7^th grade and up is welcome to join Trinity’s choir. We will rehearse every Wednesday at 7 pm. Ralien and our Worship Committee are excited about all of the upcoming music we will sing as we worship God together.

CHURCH CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS TEAM

If anyone is interested in joining a team to review the church’s Constitution and By-laws, please see either Bill Vogl or Pastor Amelie.

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 or in the baskets next to the sanctuary doors.

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

Personal Care (which cannot be purchased with food stamps):

Laundry soap, children's toothbrushes/ toothpaste, tissues, dish soap, DEORDORANT, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, paper towels

Food:

            Stuffing, canned peas, baked beans, canned pasta, pancake mix & syrup, canned tomatoes, cream soups

Baby Care:

Diapers

Pet Care:

Dry cat food, Litter, canned dog food

WORSHIP SERVICES

On Sunday mornings, you are invited to join us in-person and on Facebook:

Join us for our Sunday morning hymn sing at 9:45 am and our 10:15 Worship. 

If you are watching from home, you can find us at our "Trinity Christian UCC Skippack" facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/TrinityUCCSkippack

SUNDAY BIBLE  STUDY – Now AT 8:30

We have a Sunday morning Bible Study in-person and on ZOOM at 8:30. 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

LUNCH BUNCH MEETS WEEKLY!

Lunch Bunch is our Tuesday afternoon Bible Study.  Everyone is invited to join us on Tuesdays at 12 pm.  Please bring your own lunch. (In the past, we had a potluck lunch, but for now each person will bring their own food.)  Lunch Bunch typically studies the portion of the Bible that will be the focus of our worship service on the upcoming Sunday. 

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