Mid-Week Meet-Up: Shoes

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

 It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up, and the journey through Lent toward Easter continues. In your Pop-Up Fellowship Groups and in worship, we’ve been looking at everyday objects to help open up the meaning of Lent this year. (We've also been looking at these objects during the Lent Learning Sessions at 11:30 each Sunday, which Pastor Jacobson is leading this Sunday.) We’ve looked at bread, the cross, coins, and this Sunday’s object will be shoes. I’ve been incorporating the object-of-the-week into each Sunday’s service, and this Sunday I’ll be incorporating shoes into worship – specifically, YOUR shoes. At the beginning of Sunday’s worship, you are going to be invited to take your shoes off. Ok, I realize that some of you might be gasping aloud to even imagine taking your shoes off at church, which is why I’m telling you now that this will be a totally voluntary aspect of worship. You should feel free to come to worship and leave your footwear on your feet, but the invitation to remove your shoes will be offered to you. Read Exodus 3:1-6 between now and Sunday, and you will understand the rationale behind this sacred act. 

Before Sunday, as you reflect on what sort of theological meaning may be attached to shoes, allow me to refer you to two passages of scripture where shoes play a prominent role: Luke 3:16 and John 13:5. In the passage from Luke, we see that all the people who were receiving baptism from John the Baptist wondered if he was the Messiah. John the Baptist tells them that he is simply preparing the way for Jesus – the Messiah – whose sandals he isn’t even worthy to untie. It was customary during the first century for people to remove their sandals before coming indoors. Sandals were open-toed, and the streets were filthy; so it was also customary for a “lowly” member of the household (often a servant) to remove the sandals from a guest’s feet and wash their feet with water. John the Baptist was saying that he wasn’t even worthy to be a servant to Jesus, the esteemed Messiah. Now fast-forward to the passage from John 13:5 in which we see Jesus himself washing the feet of his disciples during their evening meal. What a statement Jesus was making! 

Jesus once said, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11). John the Baptist – the greatest among all us mere mortals – didn’t feel worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus. Yet, Jesus – the Son of God – believed it was necessary for him to wash his disciples’ feet, in order to demonstrate that true godliness is shown through humility and service. After Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he told them, “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). Friends, do you want to be great and make an incredible impact in the world? Then, quietly and compassionately serve your neighbor. That’s Jesus’ definition of greatness, which is surely good enough for us. 

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Temple Tax

Hi First Presbyterian,

I’m really enjoying our Lenten sermon series tying in the content from the book Lent in Plain Sight. This Sunday, the object we’ll be focusing on that is frequently “in plain sight” is coins. I’ll be talking about coins during my sermon on Sunday as well as during the Lent Learning Session I’ll be leading at 11:30 in the Fellowship Hall. (By the way, did you know that Craig, Erin, and I have been leading these sessions every Sunday for those of you who aren’t part of a Lent Pop-Up Fellowship Group?)

As part of the children’s sermon during the 10:00 service this Sunday, I’d like to bring the object of coins into focus. Do you have any spare change lying around your kitchen counter, in your couch cushions, in your car, or in a piggy bank? If so, ask your kids to collect those coins or collect them yourself and bring them to church on Sunday. During the children’s sermon, I’ll enlist the help of the kids to collect the coins, and then we’ll talk about a Bible passage that mentions coins. All the coins collected will be put toward a donation to Keeping our Promise – the organization that helped to bring our refugee neighbors here from Afghanistan. If you’ll be attending the 8:30 service, you can still bring your coins! If you won’t be at worship in-person on Sunday, you can bring your coins into the church office during the week!

All this talk about coins reminds me of a story about a coin in the Gospel of Matthew. It’s actually one of the more bizarre stories in the New Testament, and it involves Jesus telling Peter to collect a coin out of a fish's mouth to pay their Temple tax. In Matthew 17:24-27, people who worked for the Jerusalem Temple found Jesus and Peter in Galilee and asked them to pay the Temple tax. Ever since the days of Solomon’s Temple, a Temple tax was required from all Israelite men. The purpose of the Temple tax was for the upkeep and maintenance of the Temple facility. In response to being asked to pay the Temple tax, Jesus pointed out to Peter that kings don’t collect taxes from their own family, just people who are not their family. Then, without really explaining himself, he asked Peter to catch a fish and to find a stater (a coin that was worth the exact amount for two Temple taxes). Peter went out and did exactly as Jesus explained to him.

It’s such a weird story, the meaning of which Bible interpreters have argued for centuries. I tend to agree with a fourth-century Church Father named John Chrysostom, who believed that Jesus said his comments about kings not collecting taxes from their own family as a way of indicating, “This Temple is my Father’s, and, as his Son, I don’t need to pay this Temple tax.” The Temple tax (which maintained the Temple facility) was a way for God’s people to continue to have a Temple, and, therefore, to continue having access to God. The fact that Jesus (through the miracle of the fish) paid the tax for himself and for Peter was a way that Jesus was showing us that, as God’s Son, he has free access to God and guarantees our own access to God. The miracle of the coin in the fish was a metaphor for our salvation. We don’t need a Temple or a church building to have access to God. Jesus has reconciled us to God through his death and resurrection… and that is enough! Thanks be to God!

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Mask News

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

At its meeting Tuesday night, the Session decided to make masks optional in the church building at all times except for Sundays for the 10:00 am worship service and Sunday School (except while actively eating and drinking).  This means that the masks-optional rule also now applies to activities that it didn’t apply to before, including youth group, confirmation, and LOGOS. The only time masks are required in the building are for 10:00 am worship and Sunday School. The Session is trying to consider everyone’s risk-tolerance in order to maximize the number of people who can attend church activities in-person.

Tuesday night, a long discussion was held on whether or not to also make masks optional for 10:00 am worship and Sunday School. The Session understands that health and government officials are no longer requiring masks indoors and is leaving it up to local organizations and individuals to make their own decisions about masking. However, the Session also understands that people make their decisions to attend or not attend worship/Sunday School for a variety of reasons. As a result, your Elders are divided about what to do for worship and Sunday School without some input from you.

Here is a simple 2-question survey for you to fill out to help us understand your feelings about masks and 10:00 am worship/Sunday School attendance. Your response to the survey is to help the Session understand your feelings and should not be understood as a referendum vote. If one person from a household responds, that response will be assumed to apply to the whole household. If there are different feelings represented in a household, please respond separately. Click the following link and kindly respond to the survey by March 23 to ensure your response is included the policy development.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FPCP_Mask_Survey

As I reflect on this situation and about leading a community of faith through this situation, one thing is very clear to me: churches make decisions differently than the world makes decisions. Jesus teaches us to use what freedom we have to love and serve one another. Your responses to the survey will help the Session to decide how best to love and serve one another in this situation. I appreciate your participation.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Ash Wednesday

Hi First Presbyterian,

Ash Wednesday makes some Protestants uncomfortable. Some would rather not participate in the imposition of ashes at all. Others participate but add glitter to the ashes. There are probably a variety of other reasons, too, people don’t like to receive ashes and be reminded of mortality. I embrace the traditional observance of Ash Wednesday but understand the aversion by some Protestants. In fact, this aversion goes all the way back to the time of the Protestant Reformation.

In the sixteenth century AD, Martin Luther did away with the long-observed practice of imposing ashes. His reason? Because the practice isn’t found in the New Testament. In other words, because Jesus didn’t say, “Put ashes on your foreheads on Ash Wednesday,” Martin Luther didn’t want to encourage people to do it. Luther was pushing back against certain beliefs, traditions, and rituals of the medieval Catholic Church that he believed were ridiculous, harmful, and distracted from the message of the Gospel. He looked to scripture as his guide and, as a result, rejected many of the contemporary beliefs and traditions of his day. This is also one of the reasons that Lutherans (and Presbyterians, for that matter) have only two Sacraments, instead of seven.

Is Luther’s reason for rejecting the practice of imposing ashes a good reason? It depends on what you think the purpose of scripture is. Is the purpose of scripture to give us an exhaustive list of everything we ought to be doing in worship? Some Christians think so. Many very conservative Calvinists and Anabaptists hold to a belief called the “regulative principle of worship.” This principle states that God commands us to include certain specific elements in our public worship as found in scripture and that, conversely, we are prohibited from including anything in worship that isn’t found in scripture. This principle is held by many Reformed Baptists today. For example, the Bible includes as elements of worship: reading scripture, preaching, singing, and praying. So, many Reformed Baptists believe that those elements MUST be included in worship. However, scripture never mentions choirs, pageants, or certain instruments as elements of worship. So, many Reformed Baptists believe that God PROHIBITS things like the singing of anthems by a choir, special instrumentalist performances, and children’s Christmas pageants. Among some of these groups there is fierce debate as to which instruments are commanded/prohibited, so they avoid any possible missteps and simply have acapella congregational singing. Obviously, we don’t believe that at First Presbyterian.

So, was Martin Luther right to get rid of Ash Wednesday? Well, there is always historical and cultural context to consider, but I would argue that just because Luther (or Calvin or any of our forbearers) did (or didn’t do) something means we must follow them. The Bible never mentions modern day organs – should we get rid of our organ? The Bible never mentions stained-glass windows – should we replace our windows? The Bible never mentions Minute for Missions – should we never allow that to happen? I assume many of you would shudder at some of those suggestions!

Presbyterians have been observing Ash Wednesday for many years now. The Bible never says, “You must put ashes on your forehead to begin the Lenten season.” Nevertheless, I believe there are good and very meaningful reasons we do it anyway. If you want to know those reasons, I encourage you to worship with us tonight at 7pm – online or in-person. I hope to worship with you tonight!

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid Week Meet-Up: Introducing Pastor Erin Jacobson

Good Afternoon First Presbyterian,

This weekend I have the honor to be presented to you by the Session of First Presbyterian Church for election as your next called and installed Associate Pastor. 

As part of this process, on Saturday, February 26 from 3pm-4pm Pastor Neff will host a Town Hall meeting in our sanctuary where he asks me questions that all of you have submitted over the last few weeks.

You can participate in the Town Hall in-person or online via www.pittsfordpres.org/live. We hope you will join us on Saturday for the Town Hall meeting, and again on Sunday where I will preach at both the 8:30am and 10:00am worship services. Immediately following the 10am worship service, there will be a Congregational Meeting (in person or on Zoom) where one of the items of business will be a vote of the congregation on my candidacy. 

As a preview of what you may hear at the Town Hall meeting on Saturday, below is a brief biography of my time in ministry: 

I have had the pleasure of serving as your Temporary Supply Associate Pastor since September of 2020. Before beginning my service here, I served at East Bethany Presbyterian Church where I was their 1/3 time pastor from late 2017 until summer of 2020, in addition to working full time as the Office Manager in the Historic Village at Genesee Country Village and Museum.

My greatest passions in ministry are pastoral care and faith formation for all ages. Both of these passions take many forms; hospital and nursing home visitation, special services emphasizing growth through prayer and the sacraments, equipping church members with the skills and tools to provide pastoral care to one another, and providing fellowship, learning, and growth opportunities for youth.

I earned my Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. I also hold a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education and Human Development from the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester, and New York State teaching certifications for birth-second grade and grades 1-6.  

Prior to attending seminary, I taught Kindergarten for four years in Alexander, New York. During my time in New Jersey, I completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Princeton-Plainsboro Medical Center. I have also served churches in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Staten Island, New York in long term pastoral supply positions.  

I have a variety of experience working with Presbyterian youth and college students. I have attended Presbyterian Youth Triennium three times (once as a youth and twice as an advisor), and have served both the First Presbyterian Church in Ithaca and the First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, New York as Youth Ministry Director. As one of my field education placements I served as an intern with the 1,001 New Worshipping Community “Breaking Bread” – a ministry of Princeton Presbyterians (college student ministry) at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton. While living in New Orleans from 2005-2006, I also served as a youth ministry volunteer at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church.

I am currently the chairperson of the Committee on Representation (formerly the Nominating Committee) for the Presbytery of Genesee Valley, and I have had a long relationship with the Presbytery, serving as the Vice Moderator in 2004 (as a Ruling Elder) and as Youth Advisory Delegate to General Assembly in 2001.  

As a cradle Presbyterian, I was nurtured in my faith, confirmed, and ordained as a Ruling Elder at Corfu United Presbyterian Church until departing for undergraduate studies at Ithaca College in 2001. I credit the congregations and pastors of Corfu UPC, First Presbyterian Church in Ithaca, St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, and First Presbyterian Church in Batavia (who sponsored and supported me during the ordination process) for walking with me on the long path to my call and ordination as a Teaching Elder in the PC(USA).

My husband Steven is a clergy tax accountant in private practice who is originally from Amherst, New York. We have been married since 2014 and live together with our three adopted dogs: Teddi, McTavish, and Sammy. In our free time we enjoy traveling locally, and especially enjoy spending time in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. My parents, Tom and Cindy Schubmehl live in East Pembroke, New York and are active members at First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, where my father serves as their Clerk of Session. My brother Brian and sister-in-law Katie live in Marblehead, Massachusetts with our nieces and nephew. Eleanor is 6, and twins Anna and William are 3; we delight in their visits, and face-timing with them over dinner.

I hope to see all of you virtually or in person at some point this weekend. 

In Christ’s Abundant Love,

Rev. Erin 

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