Mid-Week Meet-Up: Emmanuel

Hi First Presbyterian,

The popular advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is one of the oldest Christian hymns, with its origins in 9th century Gregorian chant. The rhythmic, almost hypnotic nature of this hymn feels calm and meditative. This week, I find myself pondering the words of this hymn that has been sung by centuries of Christians during this season of the year. 

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel.

This song feels particularly poignant this year, as it speaks of captivity, loneliness, exile, and mourning. It speaks of a visceral longing for the world to be fixed, for us to be saved, that I think is all too relatable in 2020. And it speaks of an amazing promise, a solution to this ache, and a shocking call to rejoice in that promise. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 

Emmanuel, in Hebrew, means “God-with-us.” This name for Jesus speaks about the incarnation, the fact that Jesus himself is God with us. Jesus was God in a human body, here on the Earth. I love that this hymn is so clear about the reality of our world, but also about the radical promise offered by God incarnate. When we find ourselves alone or grieving or captive, even then, God’s human presence with us through Jesus is reason to rejoice. This isn’t to diminish the very real power of human suffering, it is to magnify the far greater power and presence of God with us, Emmanuel. It also isn’t to police our feelings. It isn’t to say that if you don’t feel like singing "Deck the Halls” this year, you are doing it wrong. It is to say that whatever you are feeling, whatever you are experiencing, God is with you. God loves you enough to come to earth and live a life of suffering just to be with you and know you fully. And in that knowledge, we can rejoice in a deeper way than singing “Fa la la la la.” We can rest assured that we are known and loved. We can rest assured that there will be joy, whether we feel it in this moment or not. 

We know Advent as a season of waiting for Christmas, a season of remembering the long wait of Israel for the promised Messiah. This is true, but Advent is also a season for us to be reminded that we are again waiting for Jesus. We are waiting for Jesus to return and finish the work that he began on Christmas with the Incarnation. To complete his victory over sin, over evil, over suffering. To save us. All the expectancy, the hope, and the rejoicing that we remember on behalf of those who waited for Jesus’ birth applies to us as well. 

So rejoice, friends! Rejoice with laughter and cheerful songs if you can, but also rejoice with the steady and somber assurance of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” God-with-us will come to you, too. 

Merry Christmas!
Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Goodnight, Manger

Hi First Presbyterian,

My children have a Christmas story called Goodnight, Manger. In the story, Mary and Joseph are trying to put sleepy baby Jesus to bed, but who knew stables were so busy?  Between itchy hay, braying donkeys, visiting shepherds and magi, and singing angels, baby Jesus doesn’t stand a chance to get the sleep he needs. 

It’s a cute book that is just telling the nativity story without a serious theological point, but I like the way this story emphasizes the humanity of Jesus. Jesus was a baby who was probably itchy and uncomfortable at times, who got overtired and overstimulated, who snuggled up to his exhausted parents, and who needed to be fed and changed and burped just like every other baby in the world. We don’t see a lot of images of the Holy Family washing first century diapers or struggling to prepare dinner with a toddler underfoot, but that’s what happened. Jesus is human. Jesus is also divine.

It took the early church a couple centuries to really argue out a precise position on the nature of Christ. Was he fully divine and just animating a human body like a puppeteer? Was he born a normal human and then chosen by God and made into some kind of demi-god? Was he half human and half god, and, if so, which characteristics did he have or which nature? Was his divinity so much more powerful that it essentially made his humanity irrelevant, swallowed up like a drop of wine in the sea? It took a few church councils and much argument to work out some answers to these questions. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 solidified the answer to some of these questions: Jesus was truly and fully human, AND he was truly and fully God. 

Jesus is one with God the Father, is a creator rather than a created being, and, at the same time, he is as fully human as any of us. Jesus laughed and cried and ate and played and slept. We do not have a Messiah who is unable to empathize with us in any aspect of our humanity. Jesus knew the ache of hunger, the exhaustion of grief, the pain of loneliness, and the desperation of fear. Jesus knew the love of family, the thrill of travel, the satisfaction of learning, and the joy of friendship. 

As we approach Christmas, I pray that you find peace in the knowledge that, whatever joy or sorrow you find yourself in today, you have with you a God who knows that feeling intimately, loves you unconditionally, and gives you the strength to carry on.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: The Promise of Advent

Hi First Presbyterian,

Pastor Jacobson and I were talking this week about Advent and how it feels different this year. I have often enjoyed the “purple” times in the Christian liturgical calendar (Advent and Lent). They are designed as times of waiting. Advent is a time of waiting for the arrival of Christmas and the significance of God’s incarnation. Lent is a time of waiting for the arrival of Easter and the significance of Jesus’ resurrection. In previous years, I have appreciated Advent and Lent because they help to disrupt the routine of life in a way that encourages me to take notice of God’s presence in my life. Well, it goes without saying that 2020 has provided us with its own disruptions of routines, which, as I said, makes the waiting period of Advent feel different this year. A metaphor came for Advent 2020 came to mind as I have been reflecting on this.

You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase, “Stop and smell the roses.” The phrase is usually used to mean something like, “Take notice of the good things in life and pause to appreciate them.” Advent in previous years has often been like a typical usage of “Step and small the roses.” Imagine this scene with me. You are out running errands, between meetings, or on your way to an appointment. You are on a schedule and feeling very rushed. On your way, you see a beautiful springtime crocus growing from the grass and you decide to stop for a minute, take a deep breath, and appreciate the lovely purple flower accented by the green grass around it. It puts your life into perspective and you feel grateful. That is how Advent was experienced by many people before 2020. Now imagine this other scene with me. You are outside for a walk, when suddenly it starts to downpour. Not only that, the wind begins blowing at 50 mph. This sudden storm was totally unexpected. You aren’t dressed for it, and you have a mile to walk before you’re back home. You’re frustrated, angry, and maybe even a little scared. By the time you are halfway home, you happen to see a little purple crocus growing in the grass. Despite the rain and the wind, the little flower seems to be standing tall, almost as if in an act of defiance to what’s happening around it. The courage and strength of the little flower gives you hope that you have the strength to make it back home. That is how Advent can be for you this year.

We don’t need to have our routines disrupted any more than they have already been this year. So let Advent give you a different kind of gift this year. Listen to the voices of the prophets. Listen to the voices of the angels. Listen for the promise of Jesus. Help is coming, and it is good news of great joy for all people. You will get through this, because of Immanuel, God-with-us.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Happy Thanksgiving

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, and I wanted to take some time to reflect on gratitude with you today. It seems to me that one of the unofficial hymns of Thanksgiving Day is “Now Thank We All Our God.” Here are the lyrics of the first verse of that hymn:

Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers' arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

Martin Rinkart is the author of this well-known hymn, which he wrote in German in the seventeenth century. Catherine Winkworth translated the hymn into the familiar English version we know nearly 200 years later. I marvel at the creative gifts of people who can translate poetic words into a new language and retain theological and linguistic beauty. There is so much meaning packed into the verse above. Every time I sing this hymn, I always spend a moment thinking about the last line: “and still is ours today.” What or who is still ours today? I had thought for a long time that it was the “countless gifts of love,” but that doesn’t make sense grammatically. If that were the case, the last line would read “which still are ours today.” The only thing that makes sense grammatically is for “still is ours today” to refer back to “who” which refers to God. What a comforting thought! The God who made a world filled with “wondrous things” and who has blessed us throughout our lives is still our loving and gracious God today. God will never leave us nor forsake us. As you are reading this email right now, God is with you wherever you are! I encourage you to give thanks to God for God’s abiding presence in our lives this Thanksgiving. Like the words of the hymn suggest, try giving thanks:

• With heart: Reflect on all the ways God has blessed you in your life.

• With hands: Do something to show your gratitude to God. Donate to an organization doing God’s work. Feed the birds outside your home and care for God’s creation. Write an encouraging note or text to someone and care for God’s beloved children.

• With voices: Say aloud, “Thank you, God, for always being with me.”

God is indeed with you, my friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Pastor Nominating Committee

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Today I’d like to remind everyone that there will be a congregational meeting this Sunday at 11:30 am on Zoom. At this meeting, we will be electing a new class of Elders, Deacons, and Trustees, voting on a motion from the Nominating Committee about reducing the number of some of our officers, and dissolving (which is the official, technically-correct term) the Pastor Nominating Committee. It is very important that we have a quorum for this electronic meeting (which is 79 members) in order for it to happen, so please make every effort to attend this meeting! Members of the church will be receiving a follow-up email about this tomorrow from the church office to ensure you know how to access the meeting. Also, we are still short 3 Deacons, 2 Trustees, and 3 Nominating Committee members. Please respond to this email if you can carry out these roles.

Unlike most of our other committees, which are formed by and accountable to either the Session, the Deacons, the Trustees or the Presbyterian Women’s Board, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) is a committee formed by the congregation and accountable to the congregation. Since it was formed by the congregation, it must also be dissolved by the congregation now that its work is finished. Before we take that action on Sunday, I’d like to spend a moment reflecting on the PNC from my own perspective.

I will never forget the email I received from Dawn Magnuson on behalf of the PNC back in January. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I pulled up my phone to see the email which said the PNC wanted to have a phone interview with me. A spark of joy and excitement leapt up within me, a feeling I tried to temper with reasonability as I left myself open to whatever God wanted for my future and the future of First Presbyterian. However, after that initial phone conversation, I couldn’t help but feel myself drawn to the people who made up the PNC, a small sampling of the congregation they represented. After more interviews and a visit to Pittsford, that initial spark of joy and excitement had erupted into a blaze of love for you all. God was making it abundantly clear that First Presbyterian was where I was being called.

That had all taken place by the end of February. On March 15, after Laura and I had the opportunity to meet many of you, after I had led worship for you, after you all had voted unanimously to call me as your next pastor, and after my family and I entered came back into the sanctuary to the sound of trumpeted fanfare and applause, we stood in the chancel of the sanctuary and Rev. Jim Widboom asked me, “Do you accept the call of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsford?” At that moment, I became overwhelmed with emotion as I said, “Yes.” It was an overwhelming experience, because I could clearly see and feel the Holy Spirit at work. What a blessing it was to know that you also felt this sense of calling I felt so strongly. The process of discernment that brought us together was made possible through ordinary people who had committed themselves to listen for God’s voice. Good things happen when we are faithful to God, and I cannot help but be grateful for the faithfulness of Dan Traina, Lew Becker, Dawn Magnuson, Todd Pedersen, Anne Ferris, Charlie Francis, Henry Wang, Susie Wahl, Judith Van Dorn, Beth Collins, and John Messenger.

These are hard days that we are enduring with COVID-19. But remember that God has brought us together for a purpose. We will get through this. Better days are coming. We began our journey in faithfulness; let us continue our journey in faithfulness. As the apostle Paul wrote, “The one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). May it be so!

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: COVID Update

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up. I have a few announcements to pass along as well as what I’m sure will be disappointing news to many of you. Allow me to start with the disappointing news.

You are probably aware of the fact that cases of COVID-19 have been increasing in Monroe County recently, and COVID Act Now designates our county as being at risk to an outbreak. Last night, the Session met to discuss this reality and adopted the following protocols.

• In-person worship at 8:30am will be suspended if Monroe County reaches either 15/100K daily new cases OR a 3% positivity rate. In the event this happens, in-person worship may resume after these numbers reduce to less than 14/100K daily new cases and less than a 3% positivity rate.

• The building closes to church groups and programs (Sunday School, Confirmation, LOGOS, yoga, etc.) if Monroe County reaches either 20/100K daily new cases OR a 5% positivity rate. In the event this happens, the building will re-open to these groups/programs after these numbers reduce to less than 18/100K daily new cases and less than a 5% positivity rate.

As it happens, Monroe County (as of yesterday) reached 22/100K daily new cases, which means that, effective immediately, in-person worship is suspended and the building will be closed to church groups and programs. (The only exception to this at this time is the Nursery School.) You will still be able to reach someone at the church office by phone or email.

I am saddened that this is our reality as I’m sure many of you are, but I support the Session’s action. I can assure you that this isn't a decision the Session made lightly. They know it's disappointing, but they also want to keep our staff, our congregation, and our community safe. I pray this decisive action (along with similar actions from others in the community) will make this a short-lived shut-down.

We will continue to be the church, albeit remotely and digitally. Our livestreamed worship service will still occur at 10:00 am on Sundays, and I look forward to worshiping with you then. Allow me to encourage you with these words that God shared with Joshua as he and the Israelites were preparing to face a difficult situation: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Let us trust that God is with us.

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Now, a few announcements. In the spirit of continuing to be the church, the Outreach Committee is selling pies in support of a Habitat for Humanity future build. An order form to purchase a local, handmade apple crumb, apple raspberry, apple crisp, or pumpkin pie is attached. If you want to support this important mission of the church, place your order by noon on Monday, November 16. Pies will be picked up in the Locust Street parking lot of the church on Tuesday, November 24 (time TBD).

Also, Jeff Steele and the Strategic Communications Committee have been hard at work making updates and improvements to the church website. These changes will be going live this week. Visit the website (www.pittsfordpres.org) to see for yourself.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Election Day

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up. I usually send these to you on Wednesdays, but I thought it was important for me to send this week’s email out earlier. Today is election day. To start, allow me to encourage all of you, if you haven’t already mailed in your ballot or voted early in-person, to grab your mask and go to your polling location to vote. You have until 9 pm to get in line. Thanks be to God for the privilege to vote in a free and fair election.

As a pastor, I consider my relationship to the church to be non-partisan, and I take that very seriously. At the same time, I realize that politics have a very real impact on our lives. I am assuming that most (if not all) of you care very strongly about the outcomes of this election season. When we learn the results of the election, some of you will be satisfied (maybe even elated) and others of you will be disappointed (maybe even devastated). Before we know the results of the election, I want to encourage you all toward unity. After the election, you may feel an urge to be angry (maybe even outraged) at the people who voted for “the other side.”  I ask you to resist that urge. After the election, you may feel an urge to gloat in front of the people who voted for “the other side.” I ask you to resist that urge, too. Those might feel like natural reactions. It may even seem like that’s what everyone else is doing. However, Christians must be different, because Christ calls us toward radical unity. Instead of allowing this election to divide us, I pray that you will use this as an opportunity to put your faith in Christ. Allow me to offer two reasons for pursuing unity with one another.

First, the Gospel commands us to pursue love in spite of our differences. Read any of Paul’s letters in the New Testament and you will likely read about Paul’s encouraging of unity under Christ, because the early Christian church was VERY divided. They were divided about a very important question having to do with inclusion, justice, and the future direction of their movement. They were divided specifically over the issue of including Gentiles into the Church. To a congregation struggling over this, Paul said, “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). You have one thing in common with one another: your love of Jesus Christ. That is no small thing. Allow your common love of Christ to unify you despite whatever differences there are between you.

Second, before we are Republicans or Democrats, liberals or conservatives, or even Americans, we are Christians. We must not allow our partisan differences to divide the church. Jesus said to the crowds who followed him, “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 disciple” (Luke 14:26). That’s strong language, but what Jesus means is that not even our loyalty to our closest family should come before our loyalty to Jesus. If that is true of our closest family, then surely it can be said that our allegiance to Jesus must come before our allegiance to country or political party. The apostle Paul said that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20), which is interesting because Paul (unlike many of the other early followers of Jesus) had the great privilege of being a Roman citizen. Yet for Paul, the citizenship that mattered most to him was his citizenship in heaven. There is a new world coming, a world that Jesus himself will create. In that new world, Jesus will be king. There will be no elections, and we will live in perfect justice, kindness, and love, all in obedience to our king. To be a citizen of heaven means recognizing that every earthly government is going to fail us in some way until that new world arrives, and it means living now as though we live in that new world already. Together, side-by-side, hand-in-hand, we seek to live out now the values of the kingdom of God: justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Brothers and sisters in Christ, before you are anything else in this life, you are a citizen of heaven. Look at one another that way. Don’t see a liberal or a conservative. Instead, see a citizen of heaven. See a fellow follower of Christ. See a brother. See a sister.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Prayer for Hope

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up. As we progress through this pandemic, the new habits we are learning are becoming normal for some of us. Probably for many more of us, this all still feels stifling, alienating, and saddening. Yet, as Christians, we know that God's plans for the world transcend what we can see with our eyes. In the New Testament, "hope" or "hoping" is mentioned 82 times. In a letter to his young ministry partner Titus, Paul refers to the future return of Jesus to the earth as "the blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). In Christ, there are reasons to look forward with joyful expectation. I offer this pray for us today as a way to acknowledge the feelings that many of you have and to pray for faith that God is bringing us into a better future. Let us pray:

For all that we have lost and are missing so greatly during this pandemic, Lord hear our prayer.
For the sadness that grows because of missing our closeness as a community, Lord hear our prayer.
For the fear of wondering what may have permanently changed as a result of all this, Lord hear our prayer.
For the hope that this will all come to an end soon, Lord hear our prayer.
For the joy of knowing that we will one day be able to embrace our brothers and sisters in Christ again, Lord hear our prayer.
For the yearning we have to lift our voices together in song again, Lord hear our prayer.
For the faith to know that you are always with us no matter our circumstances, Lord hear our prayer. Amen.

Because of Christ, we know that the darkness gives way to the light, despair gives way to hope, and weeping gives way to laughter. Jesus said that “you who weep now” can feel blessed, because you know that laughter awaits you (Luke 6:21). Jesus said that “those who mourn” can feel blessed, because they know that comfort awaits them (Matthew 5:4). When our current view of the world is bleak, that it when we must rely on the gift of faith. Better days are coming. Trust that God is faithful and will fulfill all God’s promises. And remember these words of Jesus: “I told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33)

Peace to you,
Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Book of Ruth

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! The Wednesday Evening Bible Study group is in the middle of studying some of the women of the Bible and how God is revealed through their stories. We finished up the Book of Esther last week, and tonight we begin the Book of Ruth (you’re welcome to join us!).

As I’ve been thinking about the Book of Ruth, I cannot help but see the similarities between it and the Book of Esther. Specifically, there is an apparent “happenstance” or “random” nature to their stories. That is most clearly expressed in Esther through the words of Mordecai: “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). And in Ruth, we read: “As it happened, Ruth came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3). Of course, both of these books of the Bible encourage us to see some instances of “happenstance” as the providential hand of God fulfilling God’s purposes in the world. For Ruth, her “random” encounter with Boaz led to their marriage, to their having a child, to that child becoming the grandfather of King David, and to King David becoming the recipient of God’s promise to send us Jesus. Wow! What are some ways that the seemingly randomness of life these days are actually God’s purposes being worked out in your life? I hope to explore that in our study of the Book of Ruth.

In other news, I wanted to pass along some news from the Visiting Team, who is hosting a weekly social event on Thursdays at 4 pm over Zoom. It’s called “Pour at Four.” This is an opportunity for you to socialize with some of your church friends. The Visiting Team says: 4 pm is “early enough for afternoon tea, and yet late enough for a glass of wine!” Bring your beverage and catch up with your friends, starting October 29th at 4 pm. Here is the meeting information:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85155574738

Meeting ID: 851 5557 4738

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Church Tagline

Hi First Presbyterian,

For many months now, the Strategic Communications Committee (SCC) has been hard at work trying to ensure the clarity and effectiveness of our church’s communication with its members and with the wider community. One of those efforts has been to create a tagline for our congregation. Sometimes people confuse a mission statement for a tagline. A mission statement is an expression of a shared goal; it’s what we believe our purpose as a congregation is. A tagline is different. A tagline is a short, pithy, and memorable expression that summarizes our mission statement and is useful for “telling our story.” It accompanies our name on our website, our official letterhead, on social media, and everywhere else our name is known. The SCC went through various iterations of a tagline before settling on one. Last night, the Session adopted the following tagline: Embracing and Sharing Christ’s Love. Let me explain the message behind this tagline.

Jesus said that the most important things God asks of us are to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Everything we do as a community of faith, from interpreting scripture to the way we organize ourselves as a community, should be viewed through this lens of love for God and love for one another. That’s why First Presbyterian Church is about embracing and sharing Christ’s love.

When you think about an embrace, it’s something that should involve two people. It is about allowing yourself to be embraced, while also embracing the one who embraces you. Just think about how awkward a hug would be if only one person was actively engaging in it! We believe that God is reaching out to embrace us and, indeed, does embrace us. God’s love for us is unconditional and without limit. Our purpose in life is to reciprocate God’s embrace of us with our own embrace of God. We do this at First Presbyterian in our worship. The purpose of worship is to celebrate and embrace God and God’s love of us in Christ. This is the most important thing we do as a church.

There’s another important aspect of this embrace of God. All 8 billion people alive on the earth, as well as those who ever lived and those who ever will live, are made in God’s image. In other words, whatever is in us that is good and kind and faithful and loving is the fingerprint of God in our lives. It is a reflection of God’s own self. It is evidence that we are made in God’s image. By embracing Christ’s love, we are not only embracing that love as it is expressed to us directly from God but we are embracing that love as it is expressed to us through one another. We seek to treat one another with dignity, respect, humility, and love, because we see the image of God in each other and desire to embrace it. We do this at First Presbyterian in our prayer groups, Bible Study groups, Presbyterian Women circles, Sunday School, youth group, fellowship times, and other small group meetings. We are a community, which means we believe that everyone belongs together. Our embrace of Christ’s love in each other allows us to have unity despite our differences.

It is a fundamental part of our faith to also share Christ’s love. 1 John 4:19 says that we love because God first loved us. Once we become aware that we are recipients of Christ’s love, we cannot keep it to ourselves. Every time we show mercy and compassion, we share Christ’s love. Every time we serve those in need, we share Christ’s love. Every time we tell someone about their inherent value, we share Christ’s love. We do this at First Presbyterian through our care-giving groups, our missional efforts, and our evangelism.

At First Presbyterian Church, embracing and sharing Christ’s love is the way we follow the teaching of Jesus to love God and to love one another.

Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Prayers of the People with Pastor Erin

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I hope that you have been able to find the Live at Lunchtime livestreams I’ve been making on our church’s Facebook page every Thursday at noon. Just in case you missed it, I’m livestreaming a video every Thursday at lunchtime. The content is different every week, but I always aim for it to be interesting, informative, and edifying. If you miss the video while it’s live, you can always visit the Facebook page to see a recording of it afterwards.

Apropos of Live at Lunchtime, tomorrow’s livestream will include both Pastor Erin and me. As you know, Erin’s leadership covers the areas of pastoral care and youth ministry. In an effort to help you get to know her as a pastoral care-giver, tomorrow’s livestream is going to follow the structure of Prayers of the People. In other words, Erin and I are going to spend our time lifting up prayers for the congregation. Having said that, I’m asking that, if you would like to have us lift a prayer up for you tomorrow, please respond to this email to send me your prayer request.

Would you like prayers of strength, healing, or help offered for yourself? Send them to me. Would you like prayers of gratitude offered for ways that you have seen God’s love and faithfulness in your life? Send them to me. Would you like prayers offered for other individuals, families, or communities? Send them to me. Please only send requests that are not confidential and can be mentioned publicly during the livestream. Otherwise, please specify that your request is confidential.

I hope you will spend some time with Pastor Erin and I tomorrow, as we grow in our faith and prayer for one another!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Partnership for Peace

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Today I want to let you know about an opportunity coming up in a couple weeks.

Over the summer, Rev. Carol Anne Strawbridge, Rev. Rod Frohman, Rev. Mack Smith, and I helped to facilitate an 8-week conversation on the topic of racism. As the word “conversation” implies, those 8 weeks were not designed as lectures or studies but were an opportunity for people in the conversation group to talk with each other. As the 8-week conversation came to an end, there was a clear desire from the group to see our conversation develop into action, specifically to try to form relationships with black churches and neighborhoods in Rochester. Rev. Mack Smith is going to help us create a strategy to make that happen.

Mack is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and his 30+ years of experience in intercity and black churches enables him to lead our strategizing. He will be leading an initial strategizing meeting with us over Zoom on Sunday, October 11 from 7-9pm. He will be using the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua to lead us through a workshop he’s titled, “It's Time to Move from the Pews of Praise and Worship to the Neighborhood.”  The focus of the workshop is to help us (with scripture as our basis) to think about strategies to form partnerships with other churches and neighborhoods in Rochester, specifically black churches and neighborhoods.

This workshop on October 11 will not be the only meeting of its kind, but, as the initial meeting, I encourage you to attend to check out the ideas that will be discussed. Please let me know if you would like to be a part of this important effort, and I’ll make sure you get the Zoom link.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Living Through Giving

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Later this week, you’ll see my newsletter article is about the stewardship sermon series I’ll be leading starting this Sunday. The focus of the series will be on the Vital Congregations Initiative, specifically the 7 Marks of a Vital Congregation. Picking up on both the topics of stewardship and vitality, the theme of the campaign this year is “Living Through Giving.” Many organizations need to raise funds. I’m reminded of this every time I hear an NPR pledge drive on the radio, my favorite podcasts asking listeners to support their Patreon page, or I receive a letter from one of my alma maters asking for donations. The church is no different, and yet it is. For Christians, there is actually a deeper motivation for the act of giving than just supporting organizations they value. Generosity is one of the fruits of the Spirit. It is a virtue that the Holy Spirit helps to create in us. Paul says in Galatians 5:22: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” It makes sense when you think about it, because generosity is about selflessness and faith. When we practice generosity, we are cultivating a spiritual discipline. In other words, generosity helps to make us more like Jesus.

In my newsletter article, I say that, as a church, I believe many of our transitions are behind us, and there are opportunities ahead of us to start building up momentum for the journey ahead. The Nominating Committee is seeking people to serve as Elders, Deacons, and Trustees. Volunteering as one of these church officers is a great way to take a leading role in our exciting future, while also, with your time, practicing the spiritual discipline of generosity. I hope you are looking forward to the stewardship sermon series just like I am, and I pray for discernment as all of us listen for how God is calling us to help build the kingdom of God here in Pittsford and beyond.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Faith Lessons from the Pandemic

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! We held our first indoor, in-person worship service last Sunday, which went really well. We wore masks, sat distanced from one another, did not pass an offering plate, and refrained from congregational singing. It was different than any other worship service I’ve attended or led, but it truly was an experience of worship in God’s presence. As a result, I was uplifted and encouraged, and I hope those in attendance were, too.

I’ve been thinking a lot about mask-wearing lately and how strange it still feels for me. I’ve talked with many other Christians and clergy about this, and I’ve realized how uniquely Christian the act of wearing a mask is. The explanation from the CDC and other health organizations is that wearing a mask is mostly for the benefit of other people and not yourself. You may have seen some of the helpful illustrations that exist showing how the risk of transmitting the virus from an infected person to a healthy person changes depending on whether one, both, or none of them is wearing a mask. Wearing a mask works best at protecting others, not necessarily yourself.

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul wrote: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:3-5). Over the last 6 months, my risk tolerance of being out in public or around groups of people has increased slightly. Every time I go out, I wear a clean mask. I find it inconvenient, annoying, and even frustrating to wear my mask. Although I have contact lenses, I prefer to wear glasses, which means my glasses are constantly fogging up. If I have to talk while wearing my mask, I’m constantly adjusting it from sliding above my chin or below my nose. I don’t like the feeling of my breath collecting on my face under my mask. Nevertheless, I always wear my mask. I’ve even left home without it, realizing my mistake halfway to my destination, and turned around to go back to get it. While I wear a mask for my own benefit, I primarily wear it for the benefit of others. It’s the Christian thing to do.

There may be people like me in our congregation whose risk tolerance has increased over the last six months. They may be willing to go out in public in limited ways, perhaps even to come to worship with us. Imagine with me a hypothetical woman in that situation who also has a loved one in hospice care. When I wear a mask to our worship service, it sends a clear message to her that she is welcome in our worship. It sends a clear message to her that I want her to be able to have an in-person worship experience with God and, at the same time, that I want her to be able to continue to safely visit her loved one in hospice care without worrying that she has been exposed to the virus in church. In that moment, my wearing a mask is not about me but about her. Wearing a mask is a way, as Paul put it, to “look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” In other words, wearing a mask is a unique way that Christians can obey what Jesus taught us: to love our neighbors as ourselves.

In this pandemic, God is helping me to encounter my faith in new and different ways. I hope that is true for you, too.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Book of Esther Bible Study

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! The Wednesday Night Bible Study is beginning a series looking at women in the Bible, and tonight we start with the Book of Esther. This part of scripture has been on my mind recently, and I’d like to share some of my thoughts with you now.

Using the NRSV version, there are over 5,000 English words in the Book of Esther, and not one of those words is a word for “God.” God isn’t named once in the book. God isn’t even alluded to in the book. If the book wasn’t in our Bible, there is no reason why anyone would assume that it is even religious literature. Yet it is in our Bible, and we must keep in mind the words of the apostle Paul that “all scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16). God is still somehow revealed to us through the Book of Esther. God still somehow comes to us through the Book of Esther. Despite the fact that God appears to be conspicuously absent in the book, God is indeed there and can be encountered.  Perhaps it’s good to add on to that last sentence a phrase that Jesus often said: “Let anyone with ears listen!”

This interesting feature about the Book of Esther reminds me of life, especially the way life has been for many of us recently. In the last 6 months, so much about life has been chaotic and troublesome. You would not be alone if, during this time, you’ve asked yourself: Where is God in all of this? Yet, just like the Book of Esther, we know that God is present and active, even when it feels like God is absent. As Christians, we are asked to view life through the lens of faith. When there is reason to despair, faith compels us to have hope that a different reality is possible. When there is reason to worry, faith compels us to find peace in the midst of our circumstances. When God feels absent, faith compels us to believe that God is indeed with us.

Be encouraged today, my friends! God is with you. If you would like to journey with some of the women of the Bible, let me know, and I’ll make sure you get the Zoom link.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Live at Lunchtime with Pastor Aaron!

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for the Mid-Week Meet-Up! I really like having these opportunities to reach out to you every week, and, based on the responses I’ve been getting from you, it seems that you like having them, too. In another effort toward better communication, I’m starting another weekly point of connection. Every Thursday from 12:00-12:30 pm, I’ll be live-streaming from my home onto our church’s Facebook page. The content of these live videos will vary. One week, I might be leading a prayer or devotional. Another week, I might be interviewing someone. The purpose of these weekly live videos is to create another opportunity for me to engage with you and with the broader community. The first of these live-streams will be this Thursday (September 3rd).

You don’t need to have a Facebook account to go our church’s page and watch the live-stream. Simply go to https://www.facebook.com/pittsfordpres at 12:00 pm, scroll down on the page, and you’ll see the video. If you want to comment on the video during the live-stream, you would, however, need to have a Facebook account. In tomorrow’s video, I’ll be making some introductory remarks and leading a prayer. If you can, I hope you’ll join me.

I also hope you’ll join us for worship this Sunday, either the outdoor service at 8:30 am or the live-streamed service at 10:00 am. Pastor Erin will be assisting me in the 10:00 am service, so you won’t want to miss that!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: New Temporary Supply Associate Pastor

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s Pastor Aaron, and I’m back again with my weekly checking-in email. I thought I should give a name to these emails; so I’m calling them the “Mid-Week Meet-Up.”

I said last week you could expect this week’s email to include my thoughts about an exciting new development at the church. I hope you saw the announcement that went out yesterday about our hiring of the Rev. Erin Schubmehl Jacobson as our new Temporary Supply Associate Pastor. I am thrilled about this news, and I wrote about it in September’s edition of The Good News. Please make sure to read my article or watch my video when you get the newsletter at the end of this week.

Pastor Erin will begin with us in September, which is another way of saying that Pastors Carol Anne and Steve will end their time with us at the end of the month. If your life and faith have been touched at all by their ministries, I encourage you to please reach out to them before the end of the month to express your gratitude. Much of pastoral ministry takes place outside the public eye; so, even if you haven’t had a personal interaction with them, please also reach out to express your thanks. They have been such a blessing to us, and I give thanks to God for bringing them to us to help lead us in our transition.

You are all in my prayers this week. Talk to you next week for our “Mid-Week Meet-Up!”

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Weekly Check-In

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s Pastor Aaron, and I’m back with my weekly checking-in email. (I’m actually on a long-scheduled vacation, so I prepared this email before I left!) These emails are a way for me to communicate directly with you every week. They may contain updates about the church, a short devotional thought, or something else entirely! Beginning my time as your Pastor in the middle of a pandemic has been challenging. It has been challenging for me to try to get to know you. I can only assume it has also been challenging for you to try to get to know me! So, for this week, let me pull the curtain back a little and describe some of the things I’ve been up to since arriving in May. Next week, you can expect to hear my thoughts about an exciting new development at the church.

As I mentioned in my email last week, I believe worship is the most important thing we do as a congregation. I believe the pulpit (for better or for worse) drives the church, and so planning for and leading worship is my top priority as your Pastor. At the same time, I have been grateful to Pastor Steve Michie who has been sharing with me the responsibility for preaching this summer, availing me of much-needed time to focus on learning the other important aspects of pastoral ministry here with you. The learning curve of making my transition into FPCP has been steeper than it would have been under normal circumstances, but, after almost three months, I am feeling very good about the progression of that transition.

I have been working closely with the Re-opening Task Force, who has been studying the ever-unfolding situation with the Coronavirus and making recommendations to the Session about re-opening, which led to re-opening the sanctuary for memorial services in July, holding in-person outdoor Sunday worship as of last Sunday, and re-opening the sanctuary for in-person Sunday worship starting in mid-September. I have been developing relationships with our staff, and, in particular, trying to learn as much as possible about FPCP from Jim Widboom, Carol Anne Strawbridge, Steve Michie, and Tyler Logan before their time with us ended or will end. I have been working closely with the Personnel Committee and the Session in their search for a Temporary Supply Associate Pastor. (Stay tuned for exciting news about this!) I have been moderating the Session and staffing various committees, learning about all the important and exciting work the church has been and will be doing. I have been getting to know members of the congregation through phone calls and Zoom conversations, which helps me to learn about people personally and to learn the values and traditions of the congregation. I have been making pastoral calls to congregants, mostly over the phone. I have been leading discussion groups and participating in Bible studies. I have been building relationships with local area clergy. I have been working on the Grants Working Group of our Presbytery during our busy time of year as we review grant applications and fund missional and transformative work of congregations and community agencies within our Presbytery. As I have been doing all these things, the rest of your church staff and lay leadership has also been actively continuing the work of the church. Our lives have all been changed by the pandemic, and the church is no exception to that, but the ministry of the church goes on, even as the way we do that work is changing.

In many ways, I feel as though my transition into First Presbyterian during a pandemic has been like jumping onto a treadmill that was already moving at 10 MPH! Nevertheless, I am loving every part of it! I look forward to continue working alongside you as we live out the Gospel in Pittsford and beyond. By the way, don’t forget to reserve your spot for outdoor worship this Sunday (50 spots available) by emailing connect@pittsfordpres.org no later than Friday at 4:30pm or by calling (585) 586-5688 Monday, Wednesday, or Friday from 8:30am-12:30pm. Pastor Steve Michie will be leading the service.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

First Outdoor Service - August 16

Hi First Presbyterian,

 It’s Pastor Aaron. In these days of COVID, communication is difficult but more important now than ever. I am trying to improve the clarity and effectiveness of my communication all the time, just as all of our staff and church leadership are trying to do. Toward that end, you can expect to begin receiving a weekly email from me. The purpose of the email will be to keep in touch with you and to keep you updated on church news, whether that’s about the status of re-opening or anything else relevant. The last few weeks, I have been focused on learning the ropes here at FPCP, working with staff, and helping to continue the development of our online worship, and trying to get to know as many of you as I can. Church leadership and I have also been working to lay the plans for re-opening.

 Today I’d like to update you on an important development about re-opening. The Session met last evening and decided to hold outdoor worship services. Our first outdoor worship service will be this Sunday, August 16, at 8:30am. I know this is short notice, but once we made the decision, I wanted to make this service available as soon as possible. Social distancing and masks will be required at this outdoor service. It will be a simplified version (including some hymn-singing) of the live-streamed 10:00am service. It will take place on the church’s front lawn, and each person will need to bring her or his own chair. If it will be difficult for you to bring a chair, there will be some at the church for you to use. Per the Town of Pittsford, only 50 people can attend a gathering of this type. If you would like to attend the outdoor worship service this Sunday, please reserve your spot by emailing connect@pittsfordpres.org no later than Friday at 4:30pm or by calling (585) 586-5688 Monday, Wednesday, or Friday from 8:30am-12:30pm. I am looking forward to beginning to gather together again!

 In addition to that decision, the Session also decided to re-open for worship in our sanctuary on Sunday, September 13 at 8:30am. To keep each other as safe as possible, we will all be wearing masks and social distancing at this indoor morning service as well. This service will replace the outdoor service that would have been held at that time. You can expect more details about the indoor service soon.

The 10:00am live-streamed service will continue as usual for everyone who would like to continue to worship from home.

 These have been and continue to be difficult days, because of the coronavirus pandemic. I realize that not everyone has been satisfied with forgoing in-person worship for as long as we have. I also realize that not everyone is comfortable with the idea of returning to in-person worship already.

The decision-making process that has brought us to this point has been grounded in prayer, in closely following the ever-developing research on COVID-19, and in the careful deliberation of the Session. In my own thinking, two guiding principles have influenced me: the primacy of worship and maintaining solidarity with our whole membership. You and I exist to worship God. We must continue to worship, and, indeed, we have been continuing to worship online for the past five months. Make no mistake about it - worshiping online during a pandemic is real and acceptable worship to God. I am proud of all of us as we have learned to use this new technology in order to continue worshiping while keeping each other safe.

 Showing solidarity with our whole membership is also an important (and I would go as far as to say a necessary) part of our faith. James 1:27 says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” When James refers to “orphans and widows,” he means “the weakest and most vulnerable among us.” Our faith must always prioritize the most vulnerable and at-risk among us. Think of it this way: Christianity is never just about “me;” it is about “us.” If some among us are vulnerable, then all of us must move at their pace. It is a distinctive aspect of our faith that we set aside our own desires to better care for our vulnerable sisters and brothers.

 I am pleased that we have been able to worship God in heart-felt honesty (cf. John 4:23) these past two months I have been with you, and I am confident that we will be able to continue to include equitable access to worship for our most at-risk members in the plan to re-open the Session has adopted.

 Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron