Mid-Week Meet-Up

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I wanted to use this opportunity to remind you of two very important events coming up. First, do you remember the US Congregational Vitality Survey you completed in October? Many of you filled it out during our October 10th worship service. Others of you filled it out online the week after that worship service. Well, this Sunday, Craig Kunkle and I will be leading a workshop to discuss and unpack the results of the survey at 11:30am in the Fellowship Hall after worship. How did we measure up against the “7 Marks of Congregational Vitality?” How vital does our congregation think it is? If you want to know the answers to those questions, then join us Sunday at 11:30am in the Fellowship Hall. For those who aren’t able to come in-person, we’re working on a way to record the workshop.

Second, you should all be aware at this point that, at the annual meeting this month, church members will be voting on a nomination from the Session to make Rev. Erin Jacobson the permanent Associate Pastor of the congregation. However, don’t let the excitement of that opportunity cause you to forget that on Saturday, February 26th, from 3-4pm, Pastor Erin will be the focus of a town hall meeting at the church! At this town hall meeting, you will have the opportunity to ask her questions about herself and her ministry. The purpose of the town hall meeting is to help you prepare for voting on calling her as Associate Pastor by giving you a chance to get to know her a little better (in case you feel like you don’t.) If you have questions you’d like to ask her, please submit them by February 23rd to the church office at connect@pittsfordpres.org. The town hall meeting will be in-person and livestreamed. (Access the livestream just like you access our Sunday worship livestream).

Hooray for all that God is doing!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Valentine's Day

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I’d like to write to you today about Valentine’s Day, but, first, an update from the Session’s meeting last night. The Session decided to reintroduce food service and eating/drinking back into our church activities. That means serving and eating food may now return to coffee hour, LOGOS, Optimists, and any other church event. The reintroduction of food service is the only change to our COVID protocols at this point, meaning masks are still required in the building for everyone unless actively eating or drinking.

Now, to the topic of Valentine’s Day. It’s interesting to think about how February 14, a day that has historically been a feast day for Saint Valentine in the Roman Catholic tradition, ever became associated with romance. Any historical details about the Saint Valentine celebrated on Valentine’s Day are essentially lost. There are so many conflicting stories about him that all we really know is a man named Valentinus was executed by a Roman emperor at the end of the third century AD for his belief in Christ. It’s unclear when Valentine’s Day was first connected with romantic love, but the first written record comes from a poem written in the fourteenth century by the great English poet Geoffrey Chaucer:

And in a clearing on a hill of flowers
Was set this noble goddess, Nature;
Of branches were her halls and her bowers
Wrought according to her art and measure;
Nor was there any fowl she does engender
That was not seen there in her presence,
To hear her judgement, and give audience.

For this was on Saint Valentine’s day,
When every fowl comes there his mate to take,
Of every species that men know, I say,
And then so huge a crowd did they make,
That earth and sea, and tree, and every lake
Was so full, that there was scarcely space
For me to stand, so full was all the place.

In the section I just quoted, Chaucer is describing a dream in which Nature is presiding over a council where all kinds of birds are choosing mates for themselves. I love watching nature documentaries on Netflix with my kids and learning about the courtship behaviors of birds. Some birds sing. Some birds, like peacocks, display bright and colorful plumage. Some birds, like birds-of-paradise, dance. One thought-provoking way some birds try to attract a mate is by building a nest. Some male birds show off their nest-building abilities to potential female mates to show them how safe and secure their offspring would be if the female would choose that male. I like the image of a bird putting so much time and effort into building a nest for its love-interest, because, to me, it illustrates that love requires preparation. The male bird shows the female bird that he is prepared to raise baby birds with her. Love requires preparation.

Lent, which is approaching next month, is a time of preparation. Specifically, it is a time to prepare for Easter. Sometimes, to understand and to show love, we need to prepare. We need to count the cost of what is required to be in a relationship of love. We need to consider in advance what will be required of us. That is what Lent is all about, and I encourage us all to consider how we will approach Lent as a time to prepare to experience the love of God shared with us through Christ’s resurrection.

Peace to you,
Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: February

Hi First Presbyterian,
It’s February! How are your New Year’s resolutions going? Just kidding! I don’t need to know anything about your New Year’s resolutions or even whether or not you have any. I do wonder, though: Why do people make New Year’s resolutions? Is it just because we feel like we need to course-correct after overdoing it on Christmas cookies and holiday celebrations? Probably not. How long have people been making New Year’s resolutions? Well, some people argue that the Babylonians were the first people to do it 4,000 years ago at their Spring-time new year festival, when they would make annual promises to their gods and to their king. It seems that people have always wanted to make changes every time a new year arrives.

It’s interesting to me that the month of February is named after the Roman festival Februa, a festival of purification, which sought to annually rid the city of evil and encourage health and fertility. Getting rid of the “bad stuff” seems to have always been a part of bringing in a new year – even in Christianity. This year, Ash Wednesday is on March 2, but, during most years, Lent begins in February. Lent is a time when Christians tend to reflect on sin and looking to Christ to free us from it. While the timing of Lent has more to do with its proximity to Easter, Lent wasn’t always part of the Christian calendar – to the best of our historical knowledge. The earliest “time of preparation” leading up to Easter seems to have only included Holy Week, in particular the two days before Resurrection Sunday (i.e., symbolizing the time that Jesus spent in the tomb). It was a later historical development to lengthen the “time of preparation” for Easter (i.e., Lent) by extending it 40 days prior. I’m totally speculating here, but I wonder if extending Lent into February wasn’t a reaction to what seems to be a universal experience of wanting to get the “bad stuff” out of our lives every new year.

Whatever the case may be, a lot of us are going about this time of year feeling like something is wrong, that something is missing, that we could be doing better, that we should be doing better, and that we have to do something to make ourselves more acceptable. The reality is: God has already done that for us through Jesus. By all means, make changes in your life to take care of your body, to prioritize your most important relationships, or to try to be more organized and focused. But also realize that none of those things will make you more acceptable or worth loving than you already are. I leave you with these words from 1 Corinthians 1:30: “Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ” (The Message).

(By the way, if you find these Mid-Week Meet-Ups meaningful and want other people to read them, please feel free to share them as broadly as you'd like!)

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Buffalo Bills

Hi First Presbyterian,
It's time for your Mid-Week Meet-Up! On Sunday night, the Buffalo Bills fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that sports commentators are calling the best game every played in NFL playoff history. In the final minutes of the game, the opposing teams each took the lead four different times. It was thrilling. It was historic. And for me and Bills fans everywhere, it was absolutely devastating.

I like football, because I find it entertaining and interesting to follow. I also like football because of how it teaches me about leadership, teamwork, and navigating through the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. A third reason I like football is because of how I’m feeling this week: it gives me an opportunity to be in touch with my feelings. What do I mean by that?

Football is just a game. Don’t get me wrong. For many Western New Yorkers (including myself, to some extent), football is more than just a game. It’s about the things I already mentioned above. It’s also about cultural identity. It’s about family rituals. Yet, at the end of the day, even though the Bills lost, my life goes on. Nothing has changed. My family hasn’t changed. My same routines are in place. My core values are the same. However, because of Sunday’s game, I have an opportunity to be in touch with my feelings when the stakes are low for me. Even though I’m a HUGE fan of the Bills and this loss hurts, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of life. That means: I have an opportunity to work through my disappointment in this situation that doesn’t really matter, so that, hopefully, I’ll be more prepared to work through my disappointment when I inevitably encounter a future situation that does matter.

In Christianity spirituality, we have something called spiritual disciplines. Examples of spiritual disciplines include prayer, fasting, almsgiving, scripture reading, solitude, silence, spiritual direction, and more. A spiritual discipline is intentional and habitual. In other words, we engage the discipline with meaning and focus, and we do it regularly.  Spiritual disciplines are intended to be practice for the life of faith. We practice having an awareness and dependency on God so that, more and more, it becomes ingrained into our lives.

Have you ever heard the saying, “You don’t know how much you need God until God is all you have”? The point of Christian spirituality is to nurture a learned dependency on God, whether or not God is all we have. If you’re dealing with the Bills loss or some other minor negative experience, use it as an opportunity to practice dealing with adversity. If you want to grow your spiritual life, I encourage you to pick up a spiritual discipline. I’m happy to give you some suggestions. Lent is coming up and that’s always a perfect opportunity to try something new.

Stay aware of God’s presence in your lives, my friends.
Peace,

Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Presbyterian Women

Good Afternoon First Presbyterian,

 On Sunday we will recognize and celebrate the Presbyterian Women’s organization in our own congregation here in Pittsford, as well as the gifts that women have brought to the PC(USA) and its predecessors throughout our history. As we prepare for this worship service I thought it would be helpful to share the origins of the national Presbyterian Women organization.

 The predecessor organizations to what is now known as Presbyterian Women began well over 200 years ago when society (and the formal organizations and governing bodies of the church) did not allow women an active role outside their homes. The earliest opportunity for women to serve in church leadership as ruling elders didn’t occur until 1930. Through a longing to serve Christ in the world, these organizations of women developed in spite of the numerous societal restrictions their leaders had to navigate. The early organizations raised substantial funds to support missionaries all over the world, who coveted their donations and their prayers. Through this good work they gained respect and credibility. More importantly, they gained an avenue to serve Christ in the world outside of their homes.

 Since the formation of a united Presbyterian Women organization in 1988 (five years after the two major Presbyterian denominations in the United States reunited formally in 1983) these have been their goals: 

Nurture Faith 

Work for Justice and Peace  

Support Mission 

Build Community  

Develop Leaders 

 PW shares that, “…two centuries after Presbyterian women first gathered to pray and give their money to the church, women have voice in the church and in the world. A legacy of devotion to the church and dedication to God are a strong foundation for continuing mission and taking Christ into every area of life in Presbyterian Women’s third century of organization. Presbyterian Women exists today because women are adaptable, determined, proactive, charitable, generous and dedicated to God.

 Presbyterian Women continue their life-changing work in the world, now with more recognition. PW incorporated in 2009, establishing itself as a publicly supported integrated auxiliary of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Then in 2016, the General Assembly added Presbyterian Women to the PC(USA) Organization for Mission as a related corporation. This action formally acknowledges PW’s unique role within the church: “The Organization for Mission is incomplete without referencing this important point of mission coordination for Presbyterians.”

 https://www.presbyterianwomen.org/who-we-are/history/

 My prayer for us this week is that we can celebrate and give thanks to God for the women among us, and those who have come before us, who have proven through works of worship and service that they are “adaptable, determined, proactive, charitable, generous and dedicated to God.”

 In Christ’s Abounding Love,

Rev. Erin 

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Fellowship of the Ring

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

At its meeting last night, because of the current surge of COVID in Monroe County, the Session decided to suspend serving any food and drink at church functions to eliminate the need for people to take their masks off inside, which is required for everyone anywhere in the building. On Sundays, people are encouraged to socialize in Fellowship Hall; there just won’t be any coffee or doughnuts being served as usual. The Session will continue to evaluate the situation in the coming weeks.

Whether it’s the latest with COVID or something else, you – like a lot of people – may be feeling a sense of regret and disappointment. I am reminded of a scene from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. In the story, Frodo Baggins is given a ring that his relative Bilbo Baggins acquired on one of his travels around the world. A wizard named Gandalf comes to the Shire, where Frodo lives, and is startled to discover that Frodo has been given the ring. Gandalf explains to Frodo that the ring is mysterious and evil. He goes on to tell Frodo that the ring once belonged to the Dark Lord Sauron the Great. Long ago, Sauron had been defeated by a valiant warrior but the spirit of Sauron had reemerged to take back the ring of power. Frodo is, understandably, unsettled and discouraged to learn that the ring he now possesses is being hunted by the Dark Lord. Here’s an excerpt of what happens next:

'I wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo. 'So do I,' said Gandalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.’

I really resonant with Gandalf’s response to Frodo. No one wishes for a pandemic. No one wishes for any hardship or trial to befall them. Worse still, we cannot control when such things happen to us. As Gandalf advised Frodo, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

So much of life lies outside our control. We cannot control the nature of our circumstances, but we can control our response to our circumstances. Sometimes our moral and Christian duty requires us to respond by doing difficult things. Such is the nature of duty and Christian virtue. For Christians, this means prioritizing our love for our neighbor over our love for self. No matter what we’re facing today, let’s pray that God will give us the courage, the fortitude, and the love to do what’s right.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: The Work of Christmas

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up. Tomorrow is January 6th, which means it will be the day of Epiphany, which means the Christmas season will be officially over. I’ve been reflecting on a poem that Lee Fox read at our Outreach Committee last night. The poem is called “The Work of Christmas” by Howard Thurman, and it is about the end of Christmastide.

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.

In my Mid-Week Meet-Up from a couple weeks ago, I wrote, “If Christ is not born, there can be no death and resurrection. But even more than the simple fact that the birth of Christ allows for the possibility of his death and resurrection, his birth signifies something incredibly important on its own.” What does it mean that God became a human in Jesus Christ? What did Jesus accomplish during the approximately 30 years he lived on the earth before his death and resurrection? Of course, we can read about some of the things he did during that time: he taught, he performed miracles, he befriended sinners, etc. But what do those things tell us about what Jesus believed and what followers of Jesus ought to also believe?

For example, in Luke 18:35-43, when Jesus healed a man with blindness near Jericho, the miracle probably meant a lot for that man. It meant he could find employment for himself and would no longer need to beg for sustenance, not to mention the fact that he regained his eyesight. No wonder Luke tells us the man immediately followed Jesus and glorified God (v. 43)! But should that miracle mean anything to us? We weren’t the recipients of the miracle. We weren’t even there to witness it happening. Sure, the fact that Jesus performed that miracle tells us that he possessed divine, supernatural abilities. But was the purpose of such things just to prove that Jesus was God?

I think the miracles of Jesus, along with all the other things that Jesus did, show us much more, and I think Thurman’s poem gets at the heart of it. The fact of Jesus’ incarnation, the fact of his life on earth, shows us that God cares about things like giving a blind person the ability to work and gain an income. It shows us that, as Thurman puts it, that God cares about feeding the hungry, releasing the prisoner, rebuilding nations, etc.

Today might be the final day of Christmastide, but the work of Christmas never ends. As long as people are lost and broken, the work of Christmas persists.  As long as people are hungry and imprisoned, the work of Christmas persists. Friends, can you hear music ringing? “He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.” The work of Christmas is just beginning!

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Good News from Heaven the Angels Brings" (from December 29)

Hi First Presbyterian,

I'm out of town with my family for the holiday, so I scheduled in advance our Mid-Week Meet-Up to be sent to you. I want to share with you a little known Christmas hymn that was written in German by Martin Luther in 1535 and translated into English by Arthur T. Russel in 1848. It's called "Good News from Heaven the Angels Bring."

Good news from heav'n the angels bring,
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a Child is giv'n,
To crown us with the joy of heav'n.

This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need shall aid afford;
He will Himself our Saviour be,
And from our sins will set us free.

All hail, Thou noble Guest, this morn,
Whose love did not the sinner scorn:
In my distress Thou com'st to me,
What thanks shall I return to Thee?

Were earth a thousand times as fair,
Beset with gold and jewels rare,
She yet were far too poor to be
A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.

Praise God upon His heavenly throne,
Who gave to us His only Son;
For this His hosts, on joyful wing,
A blest New Year of mercy sing.

Have a merry Christmastide and a happy new year!

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: The Incarnation

Hi First Presbyterian,
It's time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Back when I was in graduate school at Wheaton College, the Eastern Orthodox bishop and theologian Kallistos Ware gave a lecture at the college. He is a well-known theologian, especially among Protestants since he is a convert from Protestantism to Eastern Orthodoxy. He possesses an ability to explain Eastern Orthodoxy to Protestants because of his background. I was interested in his theology, and so I went to hear his lecture.

One thing he mentioned during his lecture is the fact that Protestant and Eastern Orthodox Christians tend to emphasize different aspects of salvation. For Protestants, the most important thing God has done for us to save us is, through Christ, dying and rising again. This should come as no surprise to those of you who are very connected to First Presbyterian Church. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are incredibly important to our understanding of who God is and what God desires for our lives. It’s integrated into everything we do as a church. And it’s the reason Easter is the biggest celebration for us. For Eastern Orthodox Christians, however, the most important thing God has done for us to save us is, through Christ, becoming human. In other words, while Protestant Christians find great meaning in the saving work of the cross, Eastern Orthodox Christians find great meaning in the saving work of the incarnation.

In my faith journey, hearing Kallistos Ware talking about the importance of the incarnation for salvation was incredibly important for me as a Protestant. It’s not that I ever thought the birth of Christ was insignificant. I just didn’t assign it the same importance as Christ’s death and resurrection. If Christ is not born, there can be no death and resurrection. But even more than the simple fact that the birth of Christ allows for the possibility of his death and resurrection, his birth signifies something incredibly important on its own. The incarnation shows us that God desires to be with us, even in our grief, pain, and sadness. Have you ever had a friend show up when you were going through a very difficult time, but there was nothing they could do to assuage your pain other than simply sit with you? The simple act of sitting with someone can be incredibly meaningful and even healing. God demonstrates the desire to sit with us through our difficulties in the incarnation.

Let’s all learn a lesson from Eastern Orthodoxy and from the incarnation this Christmas. The gift of presence is better than the gift of presents. Let’s give the better gift to each other this holiday season.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: COVID Update

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up. It’s been a while since I’ve had to give you one of these kinds of updates, but I need to share some news with you relating to COVID. As you probably know, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a requirement for wearing marks indoors based upon a determination from the NYS Health Commissioner. At its meeting last night, our Session acted to come into compliance with that NYS requirement. Here’s what that means for us:

• Effective immediately, masks are required for everyone inside our building for any reason. This includes for all services in our sanctuary (worship, Christmas Eve, weddings, memorial services, etc.), for education, for socializing, for non-church related events, or for any other reason. The only time people may remove their masks is when they are actively eating or drinking, or when worship leaders are speaking while appropriately distanced (per county and state guidance).

We ask for your cooperation with the Session’s actions. Not only will these actions help us to keep one another safe, your cooperation will also help us to create a good witness to the community for Christ and the church (cf. Romans 13:1-7). Additionally, violations of the mask requirement could incur a $1,000 fee to the church for each person not wearing a mask.

All church functions will be continuing as planned. The only change is that masks will be required now. I’m sure some of you are unhappy about this requirement. Let’s do what’s being required of us and pray for one another, and we’ll make it through this together. I hope to see you in-person or online soon!

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: The Date of Christ' Birth

Hi First Presbyterian,

Even though the liturgical season of Christmas doesn’t begin until December 25th, the Christmas music has been playing in my house. At bedtime, my kids like to hear Laura and I sing “In the Bleak Midwinter” to them, and so I’ve been reflecting on that song. My kids love the part of the song that goes: “Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago.” I like that part of the song, too, because it causes me to reflect on the reality that it almost definitely didn’t snow on the night Jesus was born. There are two reasons for that. One, it rarely snows in Bethlehem at any time of the year. Two, while it’s possible for it to snow in Bethlehem in December, Jesus was almost certainly not born in December. So… why do we celebrate his birth in December?

To answer that question, we have to look back in history. First of all, December 25th isn’t the date that all Christians recognize as Christmas Day. For centuries, the Armenian Church has recognized the day of Jesus’ birth on January 6th. Second, Western Christians (where the Presbyterian tradition emerges from) haven’t always recognized December 25th as Christmas Day. The earliest historical reference to the observance of Jesus’ birth on a particular day comes from around 200 AD, when an African theologian named Clement of Alexandria mentions that some Christians were observing Christmas on May 20th. It wasn’t until the fourth century AD that historical records show Western Christians officially recognizing Christmas Day on December 25th. Why did they choose that date?

To answer that question, we have to look to Easter. Early Christians recognized March 25th as the date of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. This is a historical plausible date for his death, given what we know about the timing of Passover that year. Around the fourth century AD, the African theologian Augustine of Hippo tells us that Christians were also recognizing March 25th as the date of Jesus’ conception by Mary. It’s unlikely that Christians knew the actual date of Jesus’ conception, so why would they say that he was conceived on March 25th? Christians found great meaning in seeing March 25th as both the date Jesus was conceived and as the date he died. Here’s what Augustine wrote: “For [Jesus] is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried.” In other words, early Christians liked to imagine that Jesus entered the enclosure of Mary’s womb and the enclosure of his tomb on the same day of the year. Jesus entered this life (through his conception) and left this life (through his death) on the same day of the year. For early Christians, there was a sense of completion and fulfillment in thinking of things this way. It showed God’s perfect planning and timing. Jesus was right on schedule. He didn’t finish his work too soon or need any extra days. He was right on time.

What does that have to do with the date of Christmas? Well, count 9 months (a gestational period) from the supposed date of Jesus' conception on March 25th, and where do you end up? You end up on December 25th. Celebrating Christmas on December 25th is less about historical accuracy and more about theological significance. Jesus was likely born sometime in the Spring, but we celebrate Christmas in December, in part, to continue the ancient tradition of recognizing God’s perfect timing. God always shows up right on time.

Friends, whatever you’re experience today, remember that nothing slips past God. God sees you and knows what you’re going through. God’s timing is perfect and is motivated by love. Trust that you are in God’s hands and that God will act right when you need God. That’s the message of Christ’s birth, which we await during Advent.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Happy Thanksgiving (from November 24)

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I’m spending some time with my family while my kids are off from school because of the holiday, so, earlier this week, I prearranged this email to go out to you. Today, I wanted to share with you a little-known hymn that speaks very appropriately to the theme of gratitude we are all reflecting on this week. Alice Flowerdew, an English religious poet and hymnist from the late 18th-early 19th century, wrote the following words from the hymn “Fountain of Mercy, God of Love.”

Fountain of mercy, God of love,
Whose gifts all creatures share,
The rolling seasons as they move
Proclaim thy constant care.

When in the bosom of the earth
The sower hid the grain,
Thy goodness marked its secret birth,
And sent the early rain.

The spring’s sweet influence, Lord, was thine,
The seasons knew thy call;
Thou mad’st the summer sun to shine,
The summer dews to fall.

The gifts of mercy from above
Matured the swelling grain;
And now the harvest crowns thy love,
And plenty fills this plain.

O ne’er may our forgetful hearts
O’erlook thy bounteous care,
But what our Father’s hand imparts
Still own in praise and prayer.

We own and bless thy gracious sway;
Thy hand all nature hails;
Seed-time nor harvest, night nor day,
Summer nor winter, fails.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God whom we adore,
Be glory, as it was, is now,
And shall be evermore.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Spiritual but not Religious

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I’ve coincidentally heard from multiple people in the past week that the pandemic has made them more open to spirituality. On the other hand, I’ve read a lot of articles in the past year predicting that the changes brought on by the pandemic are going to have lasting negative impacts on church attendance. That got me thinking. Which one is it: are people becoming more spiritual during COVID or less spiritual?

Well, it certainly is true that Americans are feeling more spiritually connected recently. A Pew Research Center survey conducted last year shows that 28% of Americans report their faith is stronger because of the pandemic. This makes sense, because experience and research demonstrate that people turn to spirituality during times of crisis. However, it’s important to remember that, even before the pandemic, the crisis facing the American church was not about spirituality; it was about religiosity. In other words, pre-COVID, there was a large and growing number of people reporting to be “spiritual but not religious.” Many people believed in God. They probably prayed. They just didn’t attend a religious service or affiliate with a religious institution. For me, I wonder about the identity of the 28% of Americans reporting stronger faith during COVID. Are they people who already attended a religious service regularly before COVID?  It’s not clear from the data. Is their faith growing stronger as a result of their affiliation with a community of faith, or are they practicing their (strengthened) faith on their own at home? It’s not clear from the data.

If I were to take a guess, I would suppose that the 28% of Americans reporting stronger faith is a mix of people, some of whom are “spiritual but not religious” and others who are “spiritual and religious.” One way of interpreting what that means is to assume that there are probably more people in our community than there were pre-COVID who identify as “spiritual but not religious.” Those of you connected to First Presbyterian Church who are “religious” in this sense (i.e., you attend worship services and participate in our community of faith) know the benefits of being “religious.” You know that being “religious” is not about traditionalism; it’s not about institutionalism. Being “religious” is about having a community of people to join alongside where everyone agrees for at least an hour each week that there is an answer to the world’s brokenness. Being “religious” is about having a community of people where everyone has agreed to selflessly care and pray for each other. Being “religious” is about learning something new about God through another person’s experience and perspective that you couldn’t have known otherwise. Being “religious” is about having a community of people who are committed to working together to love and serve those in need.

People may not be coming to church because of COVID, but they’re turning to God, which means they’re paying attention to God-talk. Let’s set a good example for a growing and captive audience about why being “spiritual and religious” matters.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Reconciliation

Hi First Presbyterian!

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I love what the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19: “God reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”

What is reconciliation? It is the restoring or repairing of broken relationships. What causes relationships to break? Some relationships may become only “cracked” or “chipped” and not fully broken by an inconsiderate action, a poor choice of words, or a miscommunication. Some relationships may become fully broken through betrayal, deception, an abuse of power, self-centeredness, or violence. All our relationships become broken at some point through death, which is the ultimate loss.

Given the nature and extent of the brokenness of our relationships, what could it possibly mean that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation? I think it’s important to see that Paul grounds the responsibility for reconciliation that we have in the act of reconciliation God carried out in Christ, saying, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself.”

What does Christ show us about reconciliation? In a practical sense, Jesus taught and demonstrated in his life the importance of offering forgiveness and loving even our enemies. In a theological sense, Jesus shows us through the cross that reconciliation is indeed possible. Think about it. Death is the ultimate breaking of a relationship; yet through his death and resurrection, Jesus shows us that even death – even our own death – is not the end. The resurrection of Jesus promises that those who are in Christ have the hope of resurrection for themselves, which means we also have the hope that our relationships broken by death will be restored. The same power that makes the resurrection of Jesus possible – which is the power of the Holy Spirit – is also at work in our lives on this side of our resurrection. If the Holy Spirit can restore relationships broken by death, then surely the Holy Spirit can help us restore relationships broken by miscommunication, inconsiderate actions, betrayal, deception, or self-centeredness!

Researchers tell us that the pandemic is creating an environment where relationships are breaking at an alarming rate. You probably don’t need researchers to convince you of that. You may be seeing it play out in your own life recently. Let me encourage you to believe in the power of reconciliation – it is the power of resurrection! Broken relationships result in a dead end. There is nothing on the other side of it except hurt and pain. However, just like resurrection, the power of reconciliation results in life and newness!

Just like we see in the cross, there is an element of sacrifice that must go into achieving reconciliation.  To me, that means being willing to take the first step yourself. When a relationship is broken, it is very easy to see what the “other person” did to break things. We may even be justified in thinking, “They ought to take the first step in repairing this!” However, through the cross Jesus shows us that sometimes taking the first step, whether or not the “fault” lies with us, is the only way to achieve reconciliation. Likewise, if we are waiting around for someone else to take the first step, we may be doing ourselves and others a disservice. Taking the first step can be very hard. But life, hope, and peace may be waiting for you on the other side.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Enoch

Hi First Presbyterian,

Tonight in my Bible Study class we’ll be discussing the biblical character Enoch. He shows up in Genesis 5 and is mentioned as the seventh generation after Adam. All it really says about him is this: he had some children, he lived a long time, and that, because he “walked with God,” God “took him.” That last part – that God “took him” – is a bit cryptic and has perplexed interpreters for millennia. That’s the last we hear about Enoch until he suddenly shows up in the New Testament. In Jude 1:14-15, we’re told that Enoch prophesied, “See, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Where in the world is Jude getting his information about something Enoch supposedly prophesied? It’s certainly nowhere in our Bible! That’s because Jude is quoting from a book called 1 Enoch, which was a Jewish apocalyptic text written in the centuries before the time of Jesus. The book is an imaginative and creative Jewish story about things that might have happened to Enoch while he was “taken” by God. Think of it as Jewish fan-fiction about Enoch.

As I think about all of this, two thoughts come to my mind. First, there is always more that lies under the surface, especially when it comes to the people in our lives. Sometimes reading the Bible is like listening to only one side of a phone conversation. Jude was quoting from a Jewish text that many Christian readers today probably have never even heard of, let alone read. Christians reading the book of Jude might become confused and have no idea what Jude is talking about, until they realize that he’s quoting something with which many of his original readers would likely have been very familiar. Doesn’t this kind of thing happen to us all the time? We hear something out of context and make snap judgments. We only catch one side of a story and mistakenly think we know what happened. When we come across a challenging or confusing idea or situation, maybe we should ask ourselves: What might I be missing that would help me understand what’s happening here? It might just help us be more careful readers of scripture and more charitable friends and neighbors to the people around us.

Second, I think it’s really significant that the passage from 1 Enoch that Jude quotes is a clear reference to God. In other words, when 1 Enoch says, “The Lord is coming…,” it is speaking of God. That makes it all the more noteworthy that when Jude quotes, “The Lord is coming…,” he’s clearly referring specifically to Jesus. Why? Because in Jude’s mind, God and Jesus are one and the same.

Take some time today to acknowledge that you might not be seeing the whole picture or have all the information concerning those with whom you disagree or dislike. It might be hard to do that, so take comfort and strength from knowing that Christ is indeed Lord and God and will help you.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: In Times of Despair

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Tonight in my Bible Study, I’ll be talking about the apostle Paul. So much of the theology in the New Testament is influenced by his thinking. The fact that we have his theological thoughts is indirectly the result of his extraordinarily impactful missionary work. He wrote letters to churches he founded or had otherwise had relationships to; we still have many of the letters he wrote; and, as a result, his theology has been preserved for posterity.

Paul is an important person in the New Testament and for the history of Christianity, and, that may cause us to want to elevate him in status in our minds. However, it’s important to realize that he was a human just like you and me. In fact, there seems to be a very "human" moment in his life when he wanted out of his work as a missionary. By piecing together some things that we read about in the book of Acts, in First Corinthians, and in Second Corinthians, we can see a little bit of that moment playing out. Things were unraveling for him. He felt like a failure. His life was in danger. And in 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul wrote about it and said, “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself.” Did you read that last phrase? He said that he “despaired of life itself.” Paul was in a dark place, and he just wanted out of it. I assume that some of you have felt that way. Maybe you feel that way right now. What can we do if we find ourselves there? What did Paul do?

I’m sure if Paul had lived today, he would advise us to go see a doctor, to take our physician-prescribed medications, to talk to a therapist, to talk to a pastor, to talk to anyone. When it comes to religious faith and what it offers us during moments of despair, this is what Paul said about his own experience: “We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:7-10). In other words, when Paul was suffering, he drew strength from the thought that Jesus also suffered and knew what Paul was enduring. Paul was strengthened to know that he never faced difficulty alone. He was strengthened to know that God offered him presence and empathy.

If you feel despair today, please know that God offers you presence and empathy, too. You are never alone. If you aren’t feeling despair today, offer presence and empathy to someone who is. It’s a holy thing to do.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Somewhere to Belong

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up. When I was in high school, I played the cello and the guitar and sang in the school chorus. For one of my school’s Spring concerts, my name was listed among the singers in the chorus.  After the concert, someone I had never met before approached me and said, “You’re Aaron Neff, aren’t you?” I said, “Yes. Do I know you?” He said, “No. We’ve never met before, but my last name is Neff. I can tell you’re a Neff, too, because you have ‘the Neff nose.’” Naturally, I fixed my attention on his nose, and, sure enough, there it was – a nose that looked like mine! We chatted for a little while about where our families lived and discovered that we were probably not-too-distantly related. What a surprise! It’s true, though, too. The Neffs in my family have a distinctive nose. I never met my grandfather Robert, who died before I was born. But I have often looked at photos of him and felt a sense of connection, because his nose looked like mine. His brothers Elmer, Donnie, and Jim each had the same nose. My father has the same nose, too. As strange as it may sound to be picked out of a crowd because of the way my nose looks, that experience actually gave me a warm sense of belonging.

I think this personal story came to my mind, because I’m thinking about the topic for my Bible Study tonight, which is: Who is the “beloved disciples?” In the Gospel of John, a follower of Jesus who is never named but only referred to as “the one whom Jesus loved” repeatedly shows up, like in John 13:23: “One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him.” It’s a bit of a mystery as to the identity of this person, but scholars have offered many theories over time. It dawned on me as I have been thinking about the possibility of that disciple’s identity: we may never know with certainty who that person was, but Jesus does. Think about it. That disciple was loved by Jesus, so Jesus obviously knew who he was.

There are times in life when we feel alone and like no one even sees or notices us. We may even be surrounded by lots of people – at home, at work, or at school – and still feel alone. Perhaps, like my experience in high school singing in the chorus, we feel like we just blend in to the other faces and voices. Yet, there is someone who sees and says, “I know who you are! You’re part of my family!” Friends, you are a beloved disciple of the Lord! Even when it seems like no one knows who you are, Jesus knows exactly who you are and loves you. “I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14).

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: US Congregational Vitality Survey

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! This Sunday is going to be pretty exciting. Not only will there be multiple baptisms during worship, but I will be starting a sermon series focused on the content of the Fall small groups, which started this week. The small groups are reading the book Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Mission. Our Director of Christian Education Craig Kunkle, the Christian Education Committee, and the Vital Congregations Initiative have been working together to choose this topic and this study for small groups.

Part of the work of transformation (which is a focus of the book) is understanding who we are as a congregation. To do the work of transforming into something new, we have to understand what we’re transforming from. The Dutch priest and theologian Henri Nouwen once wrote about taking the Lord’s Supper, and he described drinking the cup of the Sacrament as happening in three stages: holding, lifting, and drinking. Before we can lift up and drink the cup of salvation, we must first hold it. He wrote: “Holding the cup of life means looking critically at what we are living. This requires great courage, because when we start looking, we might be terrified by what we see… Still, we intuitively know that without looking at life critically we lose our vision and our direction. When we drink the cup without holding it first, we may simply get drunk and wander around aimlessly.” There’s a reason we begin worship with a confession of sin: if we don’t acknowledge the ways we need to change, we cannot become something different.

To help us do that as a congregation, we’re going to be taking the U.S. Congregational Vitality Survey during worship this Sunday. Surveys will be handed out to be completed during both services. For those of you who won’t be in worship in-person, an online version of the survey will be sent to you early Sunday morning with a link to complete the survey. [If you worship from home and need a paper survey, please let us know ASAP by emailing connect@pittsfordpres.org.] The survey will be collected and sent into the PC(USA) national office to be analyzed, interpreted, and sent back to us. When we get the results of the survey back, they will be incorporated into the small group study. For those of you not participating in a Fall small group, the results of the survey will be available on a subsequent Sunday.

This survey will help us do the work of self-reflection, which is spiritual work. This is the reason it will be happening during worship. Our self-reflection should also focus on the truth of Jesus Christ. I hope you will worship with us on Sunday – online or in-person. And I look forward to discussing the results of the survey together.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Grow an Apple Tree! (from September 29)

Hi First Presbyterian,

I have to admit that Fall is my favorite season of the year. I enjoy getting out my long pants and my flannel shirts. We planted a sunset maple tree in our front yard in the Spring, and I can’t wait until its leaves turn bright red. I’m looking forward to raking our fallen leaves and watching my kids jump into them. However, one of my favorite things to do during this time of year is pick apples. For many years now, my family has been going to Lynoaken Farms in Medina. They have lots of our favorite kinds of apples as well as some heritage varieties that date back hundreds of years. Our house smelled like apples and cinnamon this week as Laura boiled down a couple bushels of apples into applesauce.

As I’ve been eating those apples recently, I’ve thought about a well-known saying about apples: “You can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can’t count the number of apples in a seed.” In other words, there may only be nine seeds inside an apple, but one seed may grow an apple tree, which, over the course of its lifetime, may produce thousands of apples.

Jesus said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade” (Mark 4:30-32).

I think the point Jesus is making about the kingdom of God in that parable is that its nature is to grow. The kingdom of God is meant to grow. Some people may hear this parable and jump to the conclusion: Jesus says that the kingdom of God is mean to grow numerically. In other words, Jesus cares about making more disciples and growing the number of people in our churches. I’m not sure that’s what Jesus actually means here. Think about the number of times Jesus said to people who were considering becoming his followers things like: Are you sure you want to follow me? Are you sure you understand the cost of following me? Are you ready to put your commitment to me before everything else in your life? When Jesus talks about the growth of the kingdom of God, I think he’s talking about the growth of the kingdom internally. It is the nature of the kingdom of God to grow inside of us! In other words, being a follower of Christ is a journey that entails learning, trying, failing, discovering self, discovering God, and growing.

We are like an apple seed – the potential to grow and produce fruit is essentially limitless. Jesus wants to help us trust God more, love God more, love each other more, and use the gifts God has given us more. 2 Timothy 1:6 reminds that sometimes we need to “stir up the gift of God that is within us.” God’s gift is already in us, we just need to bring it to life. You may not feel like there is a gift within you (i.e., evidence of God’s kingdom in you), but it may be like an apple seed. It may be small but with limitless potential. Ask God to help you nurture that seed. Ask God to help you stir up your gift. Frederick Buechner said that when it comes to discerning where God is calling us, it is often where “our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” What passion has God given you – no matter who you are! – that the world really needs? Pay attention to what you learn in answering that question, and go out to grow an apple tree!

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Using our Freedom in Christ

Hi First Presbyterian,

I’d like to start our Mid-Week Meet-Up with a joke. Have you heard about the man who was rescued after being stranded on a desert island for a year all by himself? He had built three huts for himself on the island. When his rescuers noticed this, they asked the man, “Why did you build three huts when you’ve been living here all by yourself?” The man replied, “This first hut was my house, and this second hut was the church I worshiped in.” The rescuers replied, “But what about the third hut?” The man replied “Oh… that’s the church I used to go to.” *rimshot*

Before anyone assumes that I have a specific referent in mind, I simply found this joke this week, thought it was funny, and wanted to share it with you!

I don’t mean to make light of the important and well thought out reasons people find new communities of faith. However, the man in the joke illustrates how petty our decision-making can be at times, which can be applied to examples that extend well beyond our affiliation with a community of faith. When we’re unhappy we can sometimes feel the urge to want to “take our ball and go home.” There are many things in life over which we have no control. It can feel empowering to exert some control in an area of our lives that may already be stable and under control, even if it means creating a little chaos ourselves so we have something to fix. We might do this with our religious affiliations or our affiliations with other organizations. We might also do this with our relationships. People sometimes feel overwhelmed with life and, in order to feel in control of something, overanalyze a relationship with a spouse or invent a conflict with a friend just to have something to fix.

The apostle Paul tells us, “For freedom you have been set free… for you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become servants to one another” (Galatians 5:1, 13). It is true that we have limited control over our lives. It is true that it can feel good to exert control whenever we possess it. What Paul is telling us is that we shouldn’t use our freedom to cause division, to tear others down, or to do anything else that is in service to ourselves. Instead, we should use our freedom to better the lives of those around us. To put it another way: Paul is telling us we shouldn’t “take our ball and go home;” instead, we should “take our ball and give it to someone else” or “take our ball and make sure everyone can play with it.”

When we feel powerless and out of control, there is one thing that always remains in our control: the choice to do the right thing. So, let’s use the power and control we have to serve one another. That’s what Jesus did. Thank the Lord.

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff