Hi First Presbyterian,

This Sunday, after our regular indoor service, we will have an outdoor worship service at 11:00 am on our church lawn. This will be our last outdoor worship service of the summer! The theme of the service will be: “being Christ’s hands and feet in Pittsford.”

In my sermon last Sunday, while referencing a passage from the book of James, I said that when we look into the mirror, it is the image of Jesus reflecting back to us. When I said that on Sunday, what I meant was that we should think of ourselves that way. I think it is equally true that others will think of us that way, too. As followers of Christ, we are Christ’s representatives in the world. The apostle Paul repeated used the metaphor of “the body of Christ” to refer to the Church.

Teresa of Ávila once said: “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”

When people outside the Church look at us and see Jesus, what does Jesus seem like to them? Is he humble, selfless, compassionate, and loving like when he was physically on the earth over 2,000 years ago? Or is he arrogant, self-serving, and indifferent to the needs of the world? Is he even visible enough that people know he’s here? These are important questions to ponder as we think about what it means to be the Church, and we’ll answer some of these questions at the outdoor service on Sunday.

I hope to see you at 11:00 on the church lawn (or at 9:30 inside or over livestream). Bring a blanket or chair. You might want to bring some comfortable shoes, too – but that’s a surprise I’m waiting to reveal at 11:00. I hope I’ve piqued your interest!

Peace,

Pastor Neff