Genesis 9:1-17

Grace, mercy and peace to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

What do you think is the very first Bible story you learned?
My guess would be the story of Noah's Ark.
And if it wasn't the first it was close. It is certainly one of the best known stories from the Bible. Even families that are not particularly religious are more like than not to have had a toy ark, with lots of animals and figures of Noah and his family. I remember we had an ark set that floated, and we would play with it in the bathtub. So, of all the stories in the Bible, we may be most familiar with all the major components of this story.

There's Noah ... the ark ... all those animals, of course ... the flood itself ... then the dove with the olive branch ... and the appearance of the rainbow in the sky. And each of these parts of the story carry symbolic power of their own even today, as does the story as a whole. There is, however, one major player in this story that we often leave out as we play in this story, tell this story or use its powerful and rich symbolism.

The story of Noah's Ark is a story about God.

We have a future!

Jesus is asking us to do the impossible. Are you surprised?
In fact, this whole enterprise is asking from us something that is nearly impossible for us to actually do: to act today in such a way as to create a better future for ourselves.

Human beings are terrible about thinking about and acting in the best interest their future selves. Scientists believe that we treat our future selves so poorly because, when you "imagine your future self, your brain ... stops acting as if you’re thinking about yourself. Instead, it starts acting as if you’re thinking about a completely different person."  In fact, scientists theorize that not only do we treat our future selves like a completely different person, but also as a person we really don't care about very much.

​Ash Wednesday 2021

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Grace, mercy and peace to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

In mid-March 2020, we were in the middle of our observation of Lent when the COVID-19 pandemic reached our part of the world.  At that time we  suspended all in-person gatherings in our ministry center, and we asked that the members of this fellowship gather in their homes for worship. So that we might still be together in Christ, at least in Spirit, we worshiped, prayed, studied and met together by making use of some of the stunning technology we have to keep us connected, even when apart. Our community changed and adapted in this crisis not simply because the governor ordered a shutdown or because we were afraid of getting sick ourselves, but voluntarily and out of obedience to the command of our Lord Jesus: "Love another as I have loved you" (John 13:34). Our goal then was to slow the spread of coronavirus, to protect the vulnerable, and, by adapting our methods, to continue to live out our mission to share the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed. Throughout this time, this congregation has shown a miraculous resilience. We have responded and adapted to a crisis while sustaining and even strengthening and expanding our capacity to carry out our mission. Additionally, we discovered how truly connected we are. When we do things like wear a mask, maintain a healthy personal space, avoid crowds and make a number of other small modifications to our daily life, we act out of love for our God and for our neighbor. Suddenly, we can see clearly how our behavior might ripple through an entire community for the good of our neighbors health and well being. When we gathered for worship on Ash Wednesday in 2020, we could have never imagined that we would be in this place a year later. Yet, here we are, and things are about to turn again.

It doesn’t matter who you are. These are trying times.
​
If you are fortunate, you have a sort of bubble in which you move about freely and that keeps you protected from the cruelty, hatred and vitriol that surrounds us. If you are fortunate and blessed you are part of a network of relationships that connects you to other human beings in ways that are loving, supportive, caring, in which you know in very real and concrete ways that you are loved and into which you can act with compassion, love and grace.

One of the daily rituals of our lives has been the assembling of personal protective equipment, especially face coverings, and venturing out into a world with a sense of foreboding, not know where or how this pernicious virus will re-emerge, not knowing when or if it will attack you, and when or if it does, the severity of the disease it will unleash on your body.

But perhaps the only thing that is worse than this daily gearing up, covering up and guarding up, is the growing sense that the ritual or personal protective equipment is really just a larger symbol of a greater and deeper spiritual sickness that has infected us at a higher rate than COVID-19. That the anger, hatred, selfishness and violence that comes spewing out of peoples’ minds and mouths has infected us all, and our love — our love for God and for our neighbor — has grown cold.

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love” 1 John 4:7-8

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Yesterday, after almost 12 weeks, Governor Murphy lifted New Jersey’s stay-at-home order. To some, this news comes as a relief, and they are eagerly planning to get a haircut, to eat out, to go shopping, to take a trip, to to to the shore or whatever else we were missing. To some, this news brings no joy, but actually increases their level of stress and anxiety. Because of age, pre-existing medical conditions and a full spectrum of other reasons some will feel the need to continue to stay-at-home, mostly. The members of the St. Paul’s community, too, greet the announcement with varied and mixed thoughts and feelings. The pressing challenge before us as a community is to continue to move forward as one fellowship, one body, even though each of us will being choosing different ways of engaging in a new normal — as individuals, families and even social pods.

John 10:1-10
Grace mercy and peace to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Like most parents, I have been forced to face the unpleasant fact that I am unable to do middle school algebra. I understand in theory what my sons are trying to do. I can understand the general idea of the x and y axes, as well as slope and intercept … I just don’t know enough operations to solve for any of those variables. I think I remember, sometime in my distant past, muttering the words, “When am I ever going to use this?”

That’s one of the long time knocks on math, right? Especially for those of us who weren’t drawn to STEM careers. When are we every going to need to know this? When are we ever going to use this? Well, when you are staying home in the middle of a plague and your son asks your help with math problem. I guess that’s one time.

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals … and to prayer” Acts 2:42 (NLT)

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Grace, mercy and peace to you in name of Jesus Christ.
With the start of a new month, it is becoming apparent that we are entering a new stage in our journey together. This past week, Governor Murphy sketched an outline for the slow and, we pray steady, restart of the states economy. This weekend, parks and even golf courses are being reopened, with provisions for social distance and minimal contact, so that we might enjoy the sunshine, warm weather and exercise. In the days ahead we can look forward to the reopening of workplaces and businesses, again with provisions for social distancing and minimal contact. Churches, including this congregation, are working together with local colleagues to developing guidelines and outline provisions so that we can gather for worship, fellowship, study and prayer together in person. Before we take these next steps, however, we stop to make sure that we are clear within ourselves about our purpose, our mission, and our witness to the community. It is my prayer that this letter will help us clarify our vision for the future and unite us in Christ’s mission for the days and weeks ahead.

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our crucified and risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
It is now a little more than one month since we last met together in our sanctuary for worship, prayer and holy communion. Over the course of this month, the Holy Spirit has preserved us in our common life together in Christ. Through Internet connections and applications such as Facebook, YouTube and Zoom we have gathered together around God's Word for worship, teaching and prayer. Through traditional phone and wireless connections we have reached out in fellowship to care for, encourage and comfort one another. Through mail and delivery services or even through gifts we drop at the doorstep, we have reminded each other of the connections we share to each other through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I praise and thank the Lord for you. I praise and thank the Lord for the love you have shared and received from each other in Jesus' name. I praise and thank God that throughout this month, you have worked so diligently and generously to slow the spread, to protect the most vulnerable and to sustain the mission  of Christ, using your many and diverse spiritual gifts in so many new and creative ways. I praise and thank our Lord for you!

Yet now it seems that we will need to patiently persevere in this way for at least another month. Just that realization can be overwhelming and disheartening. So, I write to you today so that you do not lose heart, but instead you might be strengthened in your faith in Jesus and inspired in your love by participating fully in the common life we share. 

Matthew 21:1-17
Grace, mercy and peace to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

I think it is very easy this week to lose ourselves in the past. In melancholy memories or angry grief. This is, after all, nothing like the Palm Sundays we have celebrated in years past. In the past we began by gathering close together, shoulder to shoulder, out in the lounge. The youth passing out palm branches, bulletins and hymnals, the Sunday school kids and choir ready to lead our procession into the sanctuary. And the whole company of saints waving palm branches and singing and praising and parading through the sanctuary and up to the altar. And then, the children would sing for us all and they would remind us —if we had eyes to see and ears to hear -- that the true inspired and enduring praise of Palm Sunday comes from the mouths of infants and babies and children noisily celebrating the arrival of our long-awaited king!