Mid-Week Meet-Up: Epiphany

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It's time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Although we observed Epiphany during worship this past Sunday, as Pastor Erin explained, the official day of Epiphany is not until January 6th – as it is every year. Remember the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas?” Well, that’s because there are literally 12 days of Christmas, from December 25 through January 6th. January 6th marks the end of the Christmas season and is the day when we remember the magi who visited the newborn Jesus.

I love the story of the magi, but the truth is – we don’t know a lot about who these particular magi actually were. We can only infer some details about them based on the little that is mentioned in Matthew 2:1-18. The most significant detail we’re told about them is the noun used to describe them – “magi.” The Greek word that the Gospel-writer Matthew uses is magos. You can probably see a similarity between “magi” and the word “magic.” That’s no coincidence. These “wise men” who came to visit Jesus weren’t kings (as we sometimes sing about them). They were magicians. Specifically, they were practitioners of forbidden magic. They were… sorcerers. I understand that you might be confused by my calling the magi “sorcerers,” but it’s probably true.

Did you know that the word magos is used in 3 other places in the Bible? In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar employs a group of magi to use divination to interpret his mysterious dream. In the Old Testament Law, this form of divination was forbidden. In Acts 8, a man named Simon (who was a magi) offers the apostles money to teach him how to use the “magic” of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Peter rebukes him and tells him the Holy Spirit is not a source of “magic” nor is the Holy Spirit’s power something to be bought with money. In Acts 13, a man named Elymas (who was a magi) was offended by the preaching of Paul, Barnabas, and John, and he actively worked to persuade people not to believe in Jesus.

So, you can see, the overwhelming portrayal of magi in the Bible is not very positive. They were sorcerers who often opposed the work of God. Yet, it is “magi from the East” who came to worship Jesus in Matthew 2. These magi were the most unlikely characters to be looking for Jesus; and yet, in the story of Matthew 2:1-18, they seem to be the only ones who are, in fact, looking for Jesus. That’s kind of the point of the story! The magi didn’t know the Law of Moses. They may have never even heard of a Messiah. They were astrologers, and all they knew was that the stars told them to find Jesus, and so they did. The miracle of the magi is that the God of Jesus spoke to them through a pagan art of astrology… so that they could find Jesus and worship him.

I love the story of Epiphany, because it reminds us that no one is too far beyond God’s ability to reach with the good news of Jesus. If you took a moment to think about a person that you think is farthest from God than any other person you know, just remember: you never know what God may be doing in their life. This applies especially to people who you don’t personally know. If you see a person that doesn’t appear to have much of a spiritual life or a person that doesn’t seem to worship the way you do, just be careful of your next thought, because you never know what God might be doing in their life. You may be standing in front of someone on their way to find Jesus. They may be on their way to find the hope, joy, love, and peace of salvation. The last thing we should do is give them a reason to turn back. Instead, let’s stand ever-ready to help them on their way. To me, that’s the meaning of Epiphany.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Christmas Day

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I want to begin by reminding you that on Sunday, Christmas Day, we will be worshiping during a single service at 10:00 am. It will be a simple service with Christmas carols and Christmas stories. You are also welcome (and encouraged!) to come to church in your pajamas (as is our tradition the Sunday after Christmas Eve). I’ll be wearing the Christmas sweater I’ve worn every Christmas morning since my kids gave it to me a few years ago! The service will be livestreamed using a very simple set-up.  Also, don’t forget to attend one of our Christmas Eve services on Saturday at either 4:30 pm (kid-friendly family service), 8:00 pm (candlelight service with choir and bells), and 10:30 pm (candlelight service with soloists).

I’ve been thinking about Christmas surprises this week and reflecting on some of the times I’ve been surprised in life. During my last year of my first graduate program, I was living in Illinois and Laura was living in New York. We were dating long-distance, and she came to visit me for Christmas. At the bottom of her Christmas stocking were some hand-made crafts I had bought from an international fair-trade store, and one of the crafts was a small jewelry box made from cinnamon bark. Inside the jewelry box was an engagement ring, which I then used to “pop the question.” It is still one of my favorite Christmas memories.

While it wasn’t on Christmas, one of the biggest surprises I’ve ever received was in October 2015. Laura and I were living in New Jersey and expecting the birth of our daughter Esther at any moment. Friends from our church invited us over for dinner. We arrived to their house and stood in the kitchen, chatting for about 10 minutes until they invited us into the dining room, which was behind a closed door. They opened the door, and Laura and I were both shocked to see so many of our friends from the church waiting to surprise us with a baby shower. They didn’t want to startle an almost 9-month pregnant Laura with a loud, “Surprise!” – so it was a quiet greeting, which kind of added to the effect! It was a wonderful surprise that made us feel very loved and supported as we were about to enter a new phase of our lives.

As I think about these surprises, I realize that what makes them so special is the people involved with the surprise. I don’t remember what we had for dinner or the gifts we received at the baby shower. But I do remember each of the people who were there to show their love and support, people we still stay in contact with and visit when we can. I don’t remember what Laura got me for Christmas the year we got engaged, but I do feel so grateful every day that she is my partner and that we are building our lives together.

This Christmas, as you experience and receive some holiday surprises, I pray that you will feel the love of people – kids, grandkids, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, friends, or neighbors. Above all, I pray that you will feel the love of God – who gave us the greatest surprise of all. God put on human flesh and showed up at our own home on that first Christmas, just to demonstrate that we are never alone. This Christmas and on every day – you are never alone!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Advent Hymn

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I love this time of year when we begin singing the traditional Advent and Christmas hymns during worship. It’s been really nice singing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” as we light the Advent wreath. That hymn is, perhaps, my all-time favorite Advent hymn. Other Advent favorites of mine include “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” and “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night.” However, did you know that the hymn “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” is also considered an Advent hymn? Every time I hear the hymn, it brings me to tears. Maybe you’re not familiar with the hymn. Here are the lyrics:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly-minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ, our God, to earth descending,
our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human likeness,
in the body and the blood
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heav’nly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way
as the Light from Light, descending
from the realms of endless day,
that the pow’rs of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph,
cherubim with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the presence
as with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!”

The words of this hymn are ancient, probably written in Greek in the third century AD. It describes the two advents (i.e., “comings”) of Christ that we celebrate during this holy season – the first advent of Christ in his birth in Bethlehem (verses 1 and 2 of the hymn) and the second advent of Christ in his future return to earth (verses 3 and 4 of the hymn). We tend to think of Christmas and the birth of Jesus as a peaceful, innocent, and even quaint event. Yet, these ancient words encourage us to approach his birth with “fear and trembling.” What about Christ’s birth is there to fear and tremble? That’s why I like this hymn so much. It reminds me that, as much as the birth of Christ may be peaceful, it is also holy, mysterious, and even a little fearsome (in a similar way to happening upon a grizzly bear in your living room). What could it possibly even mean that the God of the universe has come to our home? The mystery of a triune God is too much to comprehend, let alone that triune God becoming like us in the birth of Jesus. The early Christians called Mary, the mother of Jesus, theotokos, which means “God-bearer.” What could it possibly even mean that a human-being grew in her womb the body that God would inhabit? In the fourth century AD, Athanasius of Alexandria, a church father and theologian, wrote a treatise called On the Incarnation. Referring to Christ as “the Word,” Athanasius said the following:

“The body of the Word, then, being a real human body, in spite of its having been uniquely formed from a virgin, was of itself mortal and, like other bodies, liable to death. But the indwelling of the Word loosed it from this natural liability, so that corruption could not touch it. Thus is happened that two opposite marvels took place at once: the death of all was consummated in the Lord's body; yet, because the Word was in it, death and corruption were in the same act utterly abolished. Death there had to be, and death for all, so that the due of all might be paid. Wherefore, the Word, as I said, being Himself incapable of death, assumed a mortal body, that He might offer it as His own in place of all, and suffering for the sake of all through His union with it, might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might deliver them who all their lifetime were enslaved by the fear of death.”

What mystery is this – that both death and eternal life could exist in the person of Jesus Christ? This mystery that God – the creator and giver of life – would also become a mortal human being for our salvation is the point of Christ. I was present when all my children were born, and their births were incredibly spiritual experiences for me. There is something profoundly sacred about witnessing a life coming into the world. Nevertheless, I cannot even fathom the infinite holiness of holding a newborn child in my arms who was himself the very God that created me. It is too much to understand. It causes me to fear and tremble…

I encourage you to reread the words of this moving hymn and contemplate the mystery of Christ’s first coming this Advent and join the angelic chorus: “Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, Lord Most High!”

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Waiting During Advent

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! The Bills play the Patriots tomorrow night at 8:15 pm. You know I’m a huge Bills fan, and I love watching their games. I’m locked into each play of the game. Every pass, every run, every defensive play. After one of their games, I can hardly wait until the next one. I’ve sometimes thought to myself, “I wish I could binge-watch the Bills season! I don’t want to wait for the next game! I wish I could just watch all 17 of their games – one after the other! I don’t want the thrill to end!” I know, I know… real mature. But eventually my rational mind prevails and I realize that part of the enjoyment of football season is the anticipation between games. I actually enjoy thinking about a game after it’s happened. I think about what the team did that went well and what the team did that went poorly. I read articles, tune in to sports radio, and listen to my favorite Bills podcasts. Then I begin thinking about their next opponent and how they match up against the Bills’ strengths and weaknesses. It’s a whole process for me. (I told you I was a huge fan!) As I’m waiting for the next game, I’m not passively waiting… I’m actively waiting.

This is similar to Advent. (I bet you never thought you’d hear a Bills-Advent analogy!) Advent is intended to be a season of waiting. Advent is about waiting for the arrival of Jesus – not just remembering his first arrival at Christmas but also anticipating his next arrival at his Second Coming. Generally speaking, there are two types of waiting. A lot of the waiting that we do in life is passive. Sitting in an airport terminal reading a book while we await our flight to arrive is passive waiting. But we also do active waiting in life – like how I am preparing myself for the Bills-Patriots kickoff. Tidying up and making hors d'oeuvres while we await guests to arrive is another example of active waiting. Active waiting is different than simply “passing the time.” It is engaging in an action that lays the foundation for the anticipated event to happen. If your guests arrive and you haven’t tidied up and made hors d'oeuvres because you were only sitting around waiting for them (i.e., passive waiting), they’ll probably be pretty disappointed. They’d have to make their own hors d'oeuvres!

Advent is about actively waiting for the arrival of Jesus. If Jesus were to literally visit us during Advent, would he find that we’ve made room for him in our lives, in our churches, and in our communities, or would he have to make room for himself?

This Advent, let’s actively wait for Jesus. Let’s identify the places where Jesus is already visible in our lives as individuals, in our programs as a church, and in our actions in the world, and, then, let’s live more fully into those places.

Happy waiting,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Congregational Meeting

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that there will be a brief congregational meeting after the 10:00 am worship service. Then, after the congregational meeting will be our annual Advent Preparation Brunch.

In Reformed theology, the nomination and election of officers is very sacred. For over 500 years, Protestants have emphasized a belief in something called “the priesthood of all believers.” This idea appears in 1 Peter 2:9, when Peter says to the whole community of believers: “You (plural) are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Each individual in the church is a priest whom God calls into a specific ministry. In recent years, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has gotten away from calling people like Pastor Erin and me “ministers” and instead prefers to call us “teaching elders.” By not calling pastors “ministers,” we are encouraging our churches to think of all of their members as ministers – which you are!

You probably know that our Deacons do many very faithful and meaningful things for our church family, including take Communion to our members who are no longer able to come to in-person worship. This past Sunday, I was part of a conversation at church during which someone explained that residents of one local retirement community refer to one of these Deacons as their “minister.” I love that, because it’s true! Every member of the faith community – regardless of whether you’ve been to seminary or are ordained clergy – is a minister!

This Sunday, the Nominating Committee will be presenting nearly 30 people (for either their first or their second terms) to be elected by the congregation to live out their unique ministry in the church. I hope church members will be there to help take the special action of electing them. Also, on a practical note, we need a quorum – so, if you are a member, please make every effort to attend the congregational meeting! In case you can’t be there in-person, you may also join the congregational meeting by Zoom.

Then, after the congregational meeting, join us for the Advent Preparation Brunch, at which Anthony Circle (one of our Presbyterian Women’s groups) with help from our youth will have lovingly prepared some breakfast casseroles. Come to eat, and then create a Christmas ornament that church staff will have prepared for you.

I hope to see you on Sunday for a fun time!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Intergenerational Sunday

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It's time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! The Intergenerational Worship Service last Sunday was a great success. It was really nice to see so many of you at both services interacting with the prayer stations! I’ve attached a few photos of the lit votive candle station as well as the Communion tablecloth on which you wrote the names of faithful people from your lives. Pastor Erin had to put a few extra tea lights on the votive table because so many of you wanted to “light” a prayer. I was happy to hear that you experienced the service as healing, encouraging, and inspiring. That was its intended purpose.

The “Do Not Be Afraid” mural that you colored pieces of during worship is already being assembled to be ready for Advent. I loved how the mural and the quilt squares helped to make the overall point of the service, which was: We are all part of the one body of Christ, and each of us brings a gift to God for God to use to increase someone else’s faith.

Today, the day after this year’s general election, I am reflecting on the importance of remembering Sunday’s message – that, in the church, we are one body. As you are awaiting the election results both locally and across the country, whatever the results may be, just remember: You have brothers and sisters in Christ within the church who voted for the “other candidate.” You are all part of God’s family, and your love of your brothers and sisters must transcend your political commitments. Whatever the election results may be, just remember: Christ alone is the head of the Church and the Lord of all creation. Nothing will ever change that. Even if the earth itself shook and crumbled, and the mountains fell into the sea – we would have nothing to fear because God alone is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1-2).

Throughout the rest of the week, instead of staying glued to the news to watch the results coming in, I encourage you to put your phones away and turn off the TV and, instead, reflect on how God has uniquely gifted you to help your brothers and sisters in the church. Try to think of one way you can show genuine Christian love to someone else in the church. God’s peace awaits you on the other side of love. 

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Intergenerational Sunday

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! This Sunday is our much-anticipated Intergenerational Sunday. Here's what I've told you about worship this Sunday so far: you know that there will be no Sunday School, that the children of the church will be staying for the whole worship service, that there will be prayer stations in the sanctuary for worshipers, and that it will involve more participation than usual. Let me tell you a little more about worship on Sunday so you know what to expect.

We will follow a similar liturgy as we traditionally use for worship (responsive readings, prayers, scriptures, a sermon, music, singing, etc.). However, throughout the service you will be free to get up from your seats to come forward to use a prayer station(s). One prayer station will have coloring pages with colored pencils for you to take back to your seats to color. Each page will be assembled at a later time into a mural that will be on display in the Fellowship Hall throughout Advent. At the same prayer station, you may also take a quilt square and some crayons back to your seat to decorate. The quilt squares will then be made at a later date into a quilt or a wall hanging. At another prayer station will be votive candles for you to light as a symbol of a prayer you would like to lift up during worship. The baptismal font will also be available as a prayer station for you to use in order to remember your own baptisms and that, in your baptism, you have been claimed as a child of God. At another prayer station, you will also be able to help decorate a special tablecloth we will use during Communion, by writing someone’s name on the tablecloth who helped you discover your faith in Christ. In addition to the prayer stations, we will also be taking Communion by intinction, learning about an opportunity to go to Jamaica on a mission trip, remembering all our dearly departed church friends who have died in the past year, and will be coming to the front of the sanctuary to give our offerings.

Let me summarize everything I just said above. Worship this Sunday is going to be participatory, energized, and a reminder that, from the youngest to the oldest of us, we help each other learn and grow in faith. My hope is that it will be a very meaningful service, and I cannot wait to worship with you! I hope you’ll be there!

Peace,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Intergenerational Sunday

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Our stewardship campaign is ramping up, and I’m in the middle of a sermon series highlighting the theme for the campaign this year: “Make a Difference.” Last Sunday, I preached on how our financial gifts to the church enable us to make a difference through our mission and outreach. This Sunday (10/30), the focus will be on how our relationships make a difference, and the next Sunday (11/6) will be about how our learning and growing make a difference.

I explained in last week’s Mid-Week Meet-Up that Sunday 11/6 will also be our first Intergenerational Sunday. On Intergenerational Sunday, the children of the church will be staying in the sanctuary for the entire 10:00 am worship service. The service will follow a traditional liturgy, but it will also be more interactive and more accessible for our younger worshipers. At the beginning of worship, there will be prayer stations in the sanctuary that worshipers will be invited to go to and take something back with them to their seats (something to color or create). Then, after the sermon, when we take the offering, worshipers will be invited to come to the front of the sanctuary to bring whatever they’ve created during the service and present it as an offering to God.

I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the meaning and purpose of the offering in our worship service. Have you ever wondered why we take an offering during worship? We always take the offering after the sermon – toward the end of the service. Have you ever wondered why that is? Believe it or not there is actually a reason for both of those things I just mentioned. The reason the offering takes place after the sermon is because Reformed Christians believe that hearing the good news of God’s love demands a response from us. The offering is a way for us to respond to that good news by saying, “God, make me less attached to my worldly possessions, and help me to place my trust in you.” But the offering isn’t the only way we respond during worship. The prayers of the people happen after the sermon as a way to respond by saying, “God, you have loved me so much, so let me show my love for others by praying for them.” When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, it is always after the sermon as a way to respond by saying, “God, help me to give thanks (which is what the word “eucharist” means) for what you’ve done for me through Christ’s death and resurrection.” And traditionally, Baptisms are “supposed” to happen after the sermon, too, as a way to respond by saying, “God, you have loved me so much, and I want to be adopted as your very own child.” (The reason we do baptisms before the sermon at FPC Pittsford is because – on a practical note –it is very hard for infants and young children to wait until after the sermon to receive Baptism!)

So, on Intergenerational Sunday, after the sermon, when it comes time for people to bring the creations they made during worship forward, I encourage you to think of them as a response to the good news of God’s love. I hope to see you then, and I hope to see you this Sunday, too.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Intergenerational Sunday

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! As you’ve read in the newsletter and heard from multiple “Moments for Generosity” during worship, our stewardship campaign is in full swing. As we look ahead to the culmination of the campaign on November 13th with Consecration Sunday, the next four weeks of worship will help us focus our attention. The theme of this year’s campaign is “Make a Difference,” and the focus of worship over the next four weeks will help us to see how it is that our ministry and life as a church makes a difference in our own lives and helps us to make a difference in the lives of others. Specifically, we’ll be looking at how mission, our relationships, our learning, and our worship makes a difference. I’m very excited to worship with you during this time, and I want to draw your attention to one Sunday in particular.

On November 6th, we will be having our very first “Intergenerational Sunday.” Families with children will remember that, on a few Sundays throughout the year during the 10:00 am service, the children of the church have historically been dismissed from Sunday School early to join their families back in the sanctuary so they can participate in Communion. Building on that idea this year, on Intergenerational Sunday, the children of the church will be staying in the sanctuary for the entire 10:00 am worship service. While we will be following a similar liturgy to what we traditionally use during worship (with prayers, scripture, hymns, music, and a sermon), the worship service will also be more interactive and more accessible for our younger worshipers. At the beginning of worship, there will be prayer stations in the sanctuary that worshipers will be invited to go to and take something back with them to their seats (something to color or create). Then, after the sermon, when we take the offering, worshipers will be invited to come to the front of the sanctuary to bring whatever they’ve created during the service and present it as an offering to God. While the service is being designed with the participation of children in mind, it is also something that everyone – no matter their age – will be able to participate in meaningfully.

November 6th is also All Saints Sunday, the day of the year when we remember all the beloved church friends we’ve lost over the last twelve months. The children will help us to remember our dearly departed during worship.

I believe the next four weeks of worship – and November 6th in particular – will be very special and meaningful times of worship. I hope you will join us.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Good Samaritan

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I recently started a study of the parables of Jesus with my Wednesday Night Bible Study, and, when we started it, I didn’t assume I would enjoy it as much as I actually am! The genius, ethics, and heart of Jesus come through so clearly in his parables.

Last week, we studied the parable of the Good Samaritan, which is obviously a very widely known story. However, because it is so widely known and, therefore, sometimes adapted, the original meaning of the parable is sometimes lost. For example, people often give excuses for the priest and the Levite who simply walked by without helping the man who was beaten by the robbers and left for dead. Since they were religious clergy, it is often said that they must have been on their way to perform a religious duty and didn’t want to defile themselves by touching what appeared to be a corpse. However, they were heading “from Jerusalem to Jericho" (Luke 10:30), away from the Temple, demonstrating that they were not on their way to perform a religious rite. Not to mention the fact that Jewish thought at the time said just the opposite: “As long as there are no other people to look after the burial of a corpse, the duty is incumbent on the first Jew that passes by, without exception, to perform the burial” (from the Jerusalem Talmud Nazir 56a). What does this mean? It means here is the point Jesus is making: the priest and the Levite were obligated to try to save a life but failed to do so. The only one who fulfilled their moral and religious obligation was a Samaritan.

We shouldn't allow the fact that the hero of this story is a Samaritan to be lost on us. Samaritans and Jews hated each other and, honestly, their hatred of one another was sometimes “reasonably” founded. The Samaritans tried to stop the Jews from building their Temple in Jerusalem after they returned from exile (Nehemiah 4:1-8). They tried to kill each other, too (Nehemiah 6:2). Jews and Samaritans didn’t just find it difficult to tolerate each other. They hated each other! So for Jesus to tell a parable in which a Samaritan was the hero and more moral than the Jewish priest and Levite was not only scandalous – it was incendiary! Let me see if I can help you understand what I mean. If Jesus were telling this parable today to a group of Americans from the political far-right, the hero of the parable might have been a member of Antifa. If Jesus were telling this parable today to a group of Americans from the political far-left, the hero of the parable might have been a MAGA Republican. Can you feel the rhetorical effect of this parable now?

What do we make of a parable like this? I think it’s safe to assume that Jesus wants us to put away prejudice and refrain from making quick judgments of others. But I think it’s more than that, too. I think Jesus is trying to get us to humanize our enemies. I think Jesus is helping us to see that not only are we expected to love our enemies, but our enemies are capable of loving us, too. If it’s hard for you to see that, just remember that with faith and prayer… anything is possible.
Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Phos Hilaron

Hi First Presbyterian Church,
It's time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Last night as Laura and I were putting our kids to bed, I looked out the window and was surprised to see how dark the evening had become. It seems our journey toward the winter solstice is becoming more and more noticeable as the days become shorter and shorter. I was reflecting on the darkness of the evening and was trying to recall some facts I had learned once about our galaxy. With some help from NASA’s website, here is what I came up with.

• The galaxy we live in (the Milky Way Galaxy) is made up of other galaxies that our galaxy has consumed, and, in fact, the Milky Way is still consuming other galaxies.

• Even though the Milky Way Galaxy is an averaged-sized galaxy, it has over 200 billion stars in it!

• On average, each of the 200 billion stars in our galaxy has at least one planet orbiting it.

Those facts are mesmerizing and awe-inducing, and they also cause me to think about how light is used as a metaphor for Christ throughout the Bible. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” In 1 John 1:5, we’re told that “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” And similarly, we’re told that because of our relationship with Christ, we ourselves are light. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says about us, “You are the light of the world.” In Ephesians 5:8, were are told that “you were once darkness, but now, in the Lord, you are light.”

Our minds sometimes trick us into believing that whatever is true for us at any given moment must be true everywhere and forever. When we feel discouraged and defeated, we may feel like saying, “I guess my life is a failure.” When we feel isolated and alone, we may feel like saying, “My life is destined for loneliness.” When we feel overwhelmed and oppressed, we may feel like saying, “There is no escape from the pressure.” But there is another way…

It’s going to start looking dark outside tonight around 7:00. It may feel like the darkness will stay forever, but let me remind you. There are 200 billion other suns in our galaxy that are shining their lights down on you! Our own sun is shining its light on the other side of the world, and, as surely as the sun will rise in the morning, God’s love and mercy are new every morning. Shine your own light into someone else’s darkness, and know that God’s light shines down on you. You are never alone.

Here are the words of a beautiful and ancient hymn called Phos Hilaron (“The Light that Gladdens”), originally written in Koine Greek but translated into English.

O radiant light, O sun divine,
Of God the Father's deathless face,
O image of the light sublime
That fills the heavenly dwelling place.

O Son of God, the source of life,
Praise is your due by night and day.
Our happy lips must raise the strain
of your esteemed and splendid name.

Lord Jesus Christ, as daylight fades,
As shine the lights of eventide,
We praise the Father with the Son,
The Spirit blest and with them one.

Remember the light of God, my friends!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: New Member Sunday

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! (This is coming to you a day late because our mass email service's server was under maintenance, and I wasn't able to send it until now.) With our Homecoming so recently behind us and having seen so many new faces among the familiar faces, I am very excited to offer another new members class this Fall. People continue to express an interest in wanting to become members of our congregation, which is a sign that the Holy Spirit continues to work among us! This three-session class is required for anyone who wants to become a member of the congregation; however, anyone who simply wants to learn more about the current vision of the church is welcome to attend the class, too. The class will be offered at 11:30 am following the worship services on October 9th, October 16th, and October 23rd. The class on October 9th will answer the question: “What does it mean to be a Presbyterian?” The class on October 16th will answer the questions: “Why become a member of a church?” and “Why become a member of this congregation?” In the final class on October 23rd, we’ll tie up loose ends and take a “Spiritual Gifts Assessment.” New Member Sunday (when a prospect’s membership becomes official) will be October 30th, which is also Reformation Sunday – how cool! If you want to become a member or if you are interested in attending the classes, please let me know!

As I frequently say, one thing I love about the Presbyterian theology of church membership is that membership and faith in Jesus Christ are integrally tied together. To become a member of the church, a person must profess to trust in God’s mercy, to turn from sin and renounce evil, to trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to commit to live in obedience to Jesus, and to devote themselves to the life of the church. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the work the Holy Spirit is doing among us than to profess our renewed commitment to Christ!

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Hymn Sing

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! It was so great to see so many of you at the outdoor blessing of the animals service on Sunday. It was – of course – just as great to see so many of your household pets at the service. There many dogs. I think I saw a cat. There was even a cockatoo! The weather was nice and comfortable, and all the animals were so well-behaved. What a remarkable and blessed time! I pray all in attendance will have left will a renewed love for all of God’s creation and a commitment to live in a more intentional relationship to it.

This Sunday concludes our Homecoming series with our much-anticipated hymn sing. We asked you send in your favorite hymns, and over 40 different hymns were submitted! If we don’t sing the hymn you submitted this Sunday, don’t worry! We’ll be including your favorites into our worship over the coming weeks and months. So – you won’t want to miss a Sunday!

The service on Sunday will be structured differently than our traditional order of worship. There won’t be a sermon, but Pastor Erin and I will be offering brief theological reflections throughout the service. There will be more scripture lessons. And – of course – the highlight of the service will be all the singing! The chancel choir will be singing. The children’s choir will be singing. And you will be singing many of your favorite hymns throughout the service. I am so excited for worship, and I hope you’ll be there to experience it.

If you haven’t “come home” to see your church family during our Homecoming series, I hope you’ll decide to do that this week. Two weeks ago, we had our annual church picnic and were reminded that families have fun together. Last week, we had our blessing of the animals service and were reminded (with some help from Francis of Assisi) that our church family includes our animals. On Sunday, we’ll be reminded that our family sings together. Singing together is one of the most distinctive aspects of Christian worship. Traditions of worship have changed and evolved over the past 2,000 years, but one thing has remained true throughout that time – the family of God sings together.

Come to worship on Sunday and be renewed by your faith and your family.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Blessing of the Animals Service

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Our Homecoming has begun, and it was wonderful seeing so many of you in worship and at the picnic on Sunday! In two Sundays, our Homecoming concludes with a hymn-sing during worship at both services. You’ve submitted your favorite hymns and the staff are busy putting together a service structured around those hymns. It’s going to be a great time of worship!

Don’t forget that this Sunday is our blessing of the animals service. The 8:30am service will take place in the sanctuary as usual. Please do not bring your animals to the 8:30am. Your household animals are welcome and encouraged to participate in our 10:00am worship service, which will be held on our Church Street lawn. Bring your own chair to sit in. Please keep your animal(s) with you during the entire service. If you feel as though (for any reason) that you cannot bring your animals to worship, I encourage you to bring a photo of them instead. You will still be able to have your animals prayed for and blessed even if you only bring a photo.

There is a chance that it may rain on Sunday; although, at this point, the forecast shows comfortable and cloudy weather. In the event of inclement weather on Sunday morning, you will receive an email from me (on Saturday) indicating that the service will be moving inside the sanctuary. If the service does move into the sanctuary, I ask that everyone leave their animals at home and only bring a photo of them instead. If you do not receive an email from me on Saturday, please assume that the service will continue as planned outside.

I encourage everyone to come in-person to the outdoor service at 10:00am; however, if you cannot come in-person and will be worshiping online, please be prepared for a very different livestream experience. As we will need to livestream the service from outside, the quality of the livestream may be affected. I encourage anyone worshiping from home to find Sunday’s bulletin on the website (www.pittsfordpres.org/live) after it is posted on Friday and print it off for yourself, as this may make following the service easier for you.

I also want to remind you that, during Sunday's service, we will be offering a prayer of lament for all of our households who have recently lost pets. If you would like your animal remembered during this prayer of lament, you have until the end of TODAY to send the name of your animal and the name of their person to connect@pittsfordpres.org.

I am so happy to be “coming home” with so many of you. I can’t wait to meet your furry family members on Sunday!

From your brother in the family of God,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Hymns and Animals

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Our Homecoming begins this Sunday, and I can hardly wait for it! I am eager to see so many of you in worship at 8:30 and 10:00 and then for the church picnic at 11:00. Worship will be joyful and celebratory, and you will have an opportunity to reconnect with your friends and meet new people at the picnic. Come home to your church family this Sunday!

I want to mention two things about the rest of our Homecoming series. 1) We have more than enough hymn selections for our hymn-sing on September 25. Thank you for your submissions and for the meaningful reasons you also gave as to why your selection is your favorite hymn. At this point, we won’t be able to include all of the hymn submissions into the hymn-sing, but we will include as many as we can and incorporate the rest of them into the worship services that follow. If you would still like to submit a hymn, you have until this Friday and can do so by clicking this link.

2) On September 18, we will be having a blessing of the animals liturgy during the 10:00 service outside on the Church Street lawn. Please bring a chair and your household pets to have blessed and prayed for during the service. If you feel it is not safe to bring your pet to the service but would still like to be included in the blessing liturgy, I encourage you to bring a photo of your pet to use during the service, instead. I also realize that many of you may have recently lost a pet. I would like to remember you and your departed animal during our time of prayer. If you would like your departed animal to be included in the prayer, please send their name and the name of their person(s) to connect@pittsfordpres.org by Wednesday, September 14.

This Homecoming is sure to be meaningful, fun, and full of joy. I look forward to seeing you!

Peace,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: September Hymn Sing

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! It’s good to be back with you after spending some time away on vacation and study leave. Today is the last day of August. Tomorrow begins the month of September, and, before you know it, we’ll be in full swing with school schedules, work routines, sports events, and, of course, our church program year. As I mentioned in the Mid-Week Meet-Up last week, we are beginning our program year with a special three-week Homecoming worship series. We’ll kick-off the program year with our church picnic on September 11 after the 10:00am service, complete with food, fun, and fellowship! Worship on September 18 will include a blessing of the animals service during the 10:00am service, which will take place on the Church Street lawn. Bring a chair and bring your household animals to be prayed for and blessed during the service! The Homecoming series will end on September 25 with a hymn-sing during worship. Worship on that day will be filled with verses of your favorite hymns spread throughout the service.

In order to prepare for the hymn-sing on September 25, we need to know: What are your favorite hymns? To help you answer that question, we’ve prepared a simple questionnaire with just two questions: 1) Name your top favorite hymn. 2) What is it your top favorite hymn? By clicking the following link, you can let us know your favorite hymn and you’ll be helping us to put together the service for September 25. (By the way, if you’re wondering about the “Worship Survey” you received earlier this month, many of you completed it [thank you!], and we’re combing through all your submissions and determining how to meaningfully respond to your feedback.)

Favorite Hymn Questionnaire

I am very excited about our Homecoming series, and I hope to see all of you in September!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Homecoming

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I’ll be back to work next week, but I'm out on study leave this week.

In the meantime, I want to give you the inside scoop on the article I wrote for the church newsletter being published later this month. The article is about some very exciting events planned for worship in September, and so I wanted you to get the news as soon as possible. Here’s your advance copy of my newsletter article!

After a long day of work, it can be very comforting to pull into your driveway, step out of your car, and walk into your house. It is a joy to be greeted by your loved ones, to pet your animals, or to just take in the familiar sounds and smells. At its best, home is about family, and coming home is good.

One thing that I love about the church is that, from its very beginning, its members have viewed each other as family. In those early years, converting to Christianity was controversial and, sometimes, converts were forced to choose between either their families or the church. Often, they chose the church, leading to being rejected by their families, making the church the only family they had. It’s no wonder the church was called the “household of faith” (Galatians 6:10), and early Christians called themselves “brothers” and “sisters” (Colossians 1:2), Christ their “brother” (Hebrews 2:11), and God their “father” (Galatians 4:6). This way of talking about the church has stuck over the centuries, because, when it is healthy, the church is where we have our most important relationships. The church is a family, and First Presbyterian Church is our household within that family.

Right now, approximately half of our congregation worships together in-person and the other half worships remotely. COVID is not behind us yet, and some of you have serious and legitimate reasons to continue worshiping remotely. However, I have also heard from many of you who have said that these past two years of COVID have put you out of the habit of attending worship in-person. You would like to begin worshiping in-person again, but it’s difficult restarting a broken habit. That’s why, in September, the Worship & Music Committee will be hosting a three-week “Homecoming” event. The purpose of the “Homecoming” will be to encourage us to see the church as a family, and home is where our family is.

On September 11, we will be having our annual Kickoff Sunday, including the church picnic that follows the 10:00 service. “Family’s have fun together!” On September 18, we will be having a blessing of the animals service at the 10:00 service. The entire service will take place on our Church Street lawn, because you will have the opportunity to bring your pets to church so they can be prayed for and blessed during worship. “Our families include our animals!” Then, on September 25, our worship at both services will be a hymn-sing. In the weeks leading up to that service, you will have the opportunity to tell us what your favorite hymn is and why. Then, we will incorporate those hymns into our service. There will be lots of singing and music that day! “Families sing together, and these are our songs!”

There will be more information coming to you about these services as the dates get closer. For now, mark your calendars and, if you can, make plans to come home to see your church family!

The newsletter will also include a full-page insert promoting the Homecoming events for you to put on your refrigerator. I hope to see you there!

Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Rain is a Gift from God

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! This is another pre-written and scheduled email coming your way, because I’m tent-camping with my family this week at Stony Brook State Park. I had planned to send you something else this week, but I changed my mind when I saw the weather forecast. For the second year in a row, we’re going to get rained on while we camp! As dry as it’s been this summer, I can hardly believe my eyes as I sit looking at the rain forecasted for much of the week in Dansville. Oh well! At least we know that the next time we’re in a drought, just send the Neffs camping - it’ll be sure to rain a lot!

 As I sit here thinking about rain and the fact that, despite the inconvenience for my family, we are in desperate need it, I’m reminded of a hymn I came across that talks about rain, God’s wisdom, and salvation. It’s beautiful lyrics we’re written by an Anglican priest and hymn-writer named Christopher Idle. I hope you enjoy the hymn “Rain on the Earth.”

Rain on the earth by heaven's blessing,

showers for the land from laden sky,

water for well and spring and river:

God grant us rain, or else we die!

Rain is your gift for wise or wicked,

humans and cattle, herb and tree;

praise for its promise and its warning,

showing your wisdom, flowing free!

Come to our world of drought and flooding;

hold back their danger and their fear;

dwell in the lands of dearth or drowning.

help them and save them by our care.

Early or late, on hill and valley,

thunderous torrent, gentle mist:

visit in mercy, not in judgement;

this is our prayer, who pray in Christ.

God send us rain, to green our pastures,

feeding our flocks, our fields and grain;

God fill our streams in all due seasons:

God of all grace, grant us good rain!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: The Mystery of God

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It's time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! It seemed my sermon on Sunday about the theological “problem of suffering” resonated with many of you. I’m grateful for that. Since then, I’ve heard from some you offering feedback and one congregant asked a follow-up question. I figure I’d address that question publicly so that the rest of you might also benefit (hopefully).

In my sermon, while discussing the mystery of God described in Colossians, I said, “We are in Christ; indeed, everything is in Christ, and yet – somehow – Christ is also in us… Everything is surrounded by God, and yet God is also deep down inside everything as well.” (As a side note, I am a regular blog contributor for the Presbyterian Outlook, and I recently wrote an article for them on this topic. You can click here, if you’d like to read that article.) In response to the idea of Christ being in everything, one of you asked me: Does this mean Christ is even within non-Christians? Here is my short answer to that question: Yes.

Now I should clarify that I don’t mean to suggest something like universalism, but, rather, that God must be within everything in order for it to exist at all. Let me explain. First, notice that I am not saying that God is everything; I am saying that God is within everything. To say “God is everything” would be a heresy (specifically, the heresy called pantheism). To believe that God is within everything is rooted in two of God’s attributes: 1) God is the Creator, and 2) God is omnipresent (i.e., everywhere at all times). As the Creator, God is the sole source of life of everything in the universe. So, in this sense, even inanimate objects like rocks have “life” from God because they exist. Even more, scripture describes how living creatures like animals (Genesis 7:22) and humans (Genesis 2:7) are animated by the very breath of God.” There is no place in creation where God is not present (Psalm 137:7-12), and, in fact, we have a word to describe when God is absent – "death" (the opposite of life). It is because God is omnipresent that God is the source of life.

So then why do we talk about the Holy Spirit “coming” at Pentecost or a person “receiving” the Holy Spirit in baptism? Was the Holy Spirit not here before Pentecost? Did the person not have the Holy Spirit before baptism? If God is (as I said above) truly omnipresent and the source of all life, then the answer to those last two questions must be “no.”

So then what is the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian as it relates to the Holy Spirit? Let’s use baptism as an example to answer that question. In baptism, what we are really doing is acknowledging a new awareness of God’s pre-existing presence. In other words, when we baptism a baby, that baby’s parents (and, indeed, the whole congregation) is saying, “God has claimed this child as his own, and it is our job to help this child learn that God’s Spirit is within her, within her parents, within the church, within creation itself, and within the scriptures.” However, just because God’s Spirit is within us all doesn’t mean all of us are aware of that fact or even care about that fact! The purpose of Christianity is for us to become aware of that fact and to care about it! The mystery of God is all around us. Are we paying attention?

Now, of course, there is SO MUCH more I could say about this, but, for now, I hope I have given you some meaningful answers to your questions. More importantly, I hope I have given you more questions. After all, how could I possibly explain a mystery?

Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: God's Voice

Hi First Presbyterian Church,
It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! My family and I are driving back from Wisconsin today, so I’ve automated this message to go out to you. But I wanted to reflect on something that happened to me during my time away. During our trip to a family reunion in Green Bay, we made a few stops along the way to reconnect with friends and to discover some new places. We stopped in Wheaton (where Laura and I met), Chicago, Milwaukee, and Indiana Dunes National Park. If you’ve never been to the Indiana Dunes, I highly recommend it! It’s one of our newest national parks, and it is awesome! In addition to magnificent sand dunes, it has beautiful beaches along Lake Michigan. You can look out over the lake and see the skyline of Chicago!
Well, we stopped for a couple days to enjoy the beaches of the national park. Now, if we’re all being honest, I think many people don’t like to be seen in their swimsuits. I’m not immune from that, and it’s sometimes hard not to think that everyone is looking at me when I’m at the beach. However, I discovered something interesting during this particular beach visit.
I’ve been dealing with an eye infection for the past week, and one thing that has meant is that I haven’t been able to wear my contact lenses. I don’t have prescription sunglasses, so, if I’m not wearing my contact lenses, I can’t wear sunglasses and expect to see very well. While we were at the beach, I was wearing my normal prescription glasses, but the sun was so bright that it was hurting my eyes (even more because of my eye infection). So, I decided to take off my normal glasses and to wear my non-prescription sunglasses. It was a huge relief to my eyes, but I couldn’t see anything very clearly… including the other people around me! I couldn’t see whether they were looking at me with judgment, with approval, or if they were even looking at me at all! Do you know what happened inside me as a result? I felt so much more present with my family and able to enjoy my time with them more fully! The only difference in my experience happened inside myself. The same beach and the same weather would have been there regardless of whether or not I was wearing my prescription glasses. The same crowd would have been there regardless of whether or not I was wearing my prescription glasses. My family would have been there regardless of whether or not I was wearing my prescription glasses. The only difference was my eyewear and the fact I couldn’t see very well!
Maybe this is silly thing to reflect on, but it really made me realize how much I sometimes worry about other people’s opinions. I have a feeling I’m not alone in that. What if we didn’t worry about what other people see when they look at us? What if we didn’t worry about other people’s opinions of us? What if the only opinion we cared about was God’s, who says about each one of us, “I love you no matter what”? If that was true, I think life would be a lot like my experience at the beach. We would be able to enjoy ourselves and the people we care about more. We could be more fully present in each moment of life. And we would discover that other people’s opinions of us don’t actually matter that much after all.
My prayer for you today is that the loudest voice you hear in life is God’s voice of love and embrace.
Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron