What Can You Do?

The above question is asked in all kinds of situations. When something seemingly inevitable happens, a person shrugs and asks, "well, what can you do?" because really it was going to happen anyway. When someone is sick or they have a problem it's stated a little differently, "what can I do?" Give me a task, a mission, a tangible "thing" that I am capable of handling and it will be done in short order.

When faced with a problem or question in the bigger picture of life, it takes on a different meaning. Didn't John Kennedy say,  "ask not what our country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." What can you do? Usually in this context we are talking about sacrifice kinds of things, time, money, something that is required of you out of the ordinary. And so we come to the time of the church year known as Lent. And this question becomes sort of a stickler. Because most of the time what you can do during Lent is something benign or insignificant by the world's standards. If you give up something like sweets or coffee, no one really notices except the person at the coffee shop where you stop every day to purchase a doughnut and a coffee (or maybe the people you interact with without that shot of caffeine--this may not be a good thing to give up!). But then Lent isn't supposed to be "showy" or "grandstandish". Its a time of reflection and contemplation. So what can you do?

There is a really easy answer to this. It doesn't cost any money, isn't showy or grand, in fact its quiet and most people would not even be aware you are doing it. It's praying. We can pray more often, or more earnestly. We can pray that today will be easier than yesterday, or that world peace could happen in our little corner of the world. Or we could pray that the person that annoys and distracts us at work, won't do that today. We can pray for our ministry, for our ministers, for our Nursery and afterschool programs, for our family in Christ. We can pray and just say thank you for breathing in and out today. Prayer is one of strongest, quietest, personal things you can do to communicate with the Almighty. What can you do? Let's all pray. And see what happens next.

The Coming of Lent

This past Tuesday was the day before Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday, it's called in some places. The tradition was that you used up all the fat before the lean times of Lent. So you had doughnuts and latkes and whatever other fat fried things you could get 'cause the fat wouldn't be allowed during the forty days of Lent. If we take that analogy one step further (as I am wont to do), we are going to trim down for the season of Lent. A lot of people give stuff up. Sweets are right up there with swearing. Giving things up for Lent was supposed to show you were serious about observing this time leading up to the death of our Savior. Said out loud like that, giving up candy or saying bad words seems like a rather paltry sacrifice considering the one our Lord experienced. But hey, we're talking humans, not super humans. And really, it takes some extra human effort sometimes to stay away from stuff that occupy our minds so much of the time. Nothing is trivial as long as you're serious about it. So we try to get into the idea that giving something up is a sacrifice, that if we really want to prove our commitment to God, we can stay away from certain things, behaviors, circumstances. The problem is this:  so many times, we fail to keep this commitment that we become jaded about doing it at all. We say, "well, I know I'm not going to be able to do this, so just forget it." Instead of trying to do our best, we give up at the earliest sign of struggle. "This is too hard," my kids used to say when we would try to get them to do something new. Change is hard. I don't like things different. I get a warm, fuzzy feeling when things go along as I expected. But the season of Lent can be a time to learn new things, not just give up the old. What if instead of in-reach, we tried a little out-reach. If we reached out with the gifts and talents we have in abundance. If we tried to show a little more compassion to our fellow human beings. If we tried a little more patience while waiting in line. This could work! Don't you feel it? And if you wanted to, you could still give up chocolate. But maybe you could give some chocolate away...hmmm, there's a thought. Let's try giving to others for Lent this year and see what happens.

What if...

What if you had the power to change the world? I mean really change it? Would you? Would you do that something to fix something broken? Right a wrong? Lend a hand? If you had the power to really make a difference, would you? Please join us at 9:15 a.m. for the next two Sundays, at least and see if you can do it. If you CAN change the world.

God's Work, Our Hands

Last Sunday, we had one service and the Congregational Meeting was held after it. It was good to see all of us together at once and even better to share the good news with one another. At the congregational meeting held once a year, we find out how our hands have been serving God and how God has been at work among us. I always find out something new and encouraging at this meeting of the family. There are so many projects and outreach things that I wasn't aware of, that my heart swells with the joy of our commitment.

This year, I was elected to be on Church Council. It was a feeling akin to Sally Fields accepting the Academy Award for her role in Places in The Heart, "you like me, you really like me!" she said (except I found out later, she didn't really say that, she said something similar--so much for quoting famous people). I felt grateful and humble at the same time. Now lest you think I am making too much of this, I would add that it has been more years than I can count that I have been on council. When I had kids at home, I was on council and once a month I made my way to the room upstairs to be a part of the "governing" body of our church. But this church is not the same as it was then. Oh, the building is basically the same, but the people who are involved (for the most part) are not. There are new things to be considered and new ways to consider them. Those of us who have been here for a while remember the things the way they were, those who are newer see things that could change and be different. And to be perfectly honest, I'm a little nervous. I'm nervous because its been so long since I was a part of this, it may be really different than I remember. I may be asked to do some things that I don't want to do because now I'm not just looking out for myself. I'm looking out for the interests of others who aren't there in the room. I'm thinking of someone other than me. I've been really comfortable for a long time looking out for me, myself and I. Now I have to readjust. I have to think of others. It will be a change and I'm not always comfortable with change (in any form). BUT, I have friends on council with me. And I have the body of Christ as my back-up. And for once in a very long time I feel called to do something. Something for someone other than myself. And really, that's kind of what that whole,  "God's work, our hands" thing is all about, right?

A Meeting of Congregants

If you read that title and wondered what it meant, I will translate. A meeting of those gathered together. Isn't that redundant? You ask. Possibly. This Sunday at St. Marks we are having such a meeting. A getting together of those who are members of the family of St. Marks. A congregational meeting happens once a year for most congregations. The talk centers around what has happened during the year, they go over the budget for next year, but most important of all--they meet together! We come together around the Lord's Supper and then we sit around and talk about how we are all the body of the one we just shared! If you are a member of St. Marks in Oaklyn, NJ, I hope you will find the time to come to the table AND the discussion following that to be part of our family. Don't forget, one service this Sunday at 9:00.

The Life we Share

One of the greatest joys of being a member of our community of faith is the coming together of the people within the community. We get together Sunday mornings of course. But we get together for other things too! Opera performances in the sanctuary, Christmas programs put together by the Nursery School children who use our facility. We meet for so many different reasons. We become closer through these meetings and get togethers. We find out things about each other and our families. We learn about each other's histories, our fears, our conquests and sometimes even our hopes and dreams are shared during this together time. It really is like having a whole "other" family as opposed to the one into which you were born.

One of our members passed away a few days ago. He was woven into the fabric of St. Marks as much as the covering on the pew cushions. He was there with a handshake and a smile every time I saw him. And even though towards the end of his life he was really, really sick, he still had a smile for you. He was a matter of fact kind of guy. A man who helped you to believe the good in people, even as a Superintendent of schools! To say he will be missed is probably an understatement, but true nonetheless. We don't have assigned pews in our church. Oh, sure, some people sit in the same place most Sundays, but our names aren't engraved in the wood or anything. But his heart is engraved in the in the hearts of those who knew him and loved him. And as much as I love being a part of this community of faith, I wish I didn't have to know what it was to lose someone like him.

It was great knowing you Tommie, thanks for being you.

Have You Heard The One About...?

I was thinking today about how we "hear" things about people or world events and then adopt that as set in stone. We hear that so-and-so is having marital problems, so we assume it to be true. Someone says that Mr. Whatsis did some jail time and we avoid him like the plague without even verifying the facts. I guess it's human nature or something.

The story about John The Baptist strikes me the same way. I can see the people of his time whispering behind his back about his clothes, his diet and his smell when he passed by. Some of those people came to hear him speak out of curiosity, after hearing about him. Did they stay for the message, I wonder? Did they hear the words of encouragement to "hang in there, the Savior's coming"? Or did they just see this weird guy and then go on about their business? And then of course, Jesus came along. He was different, too. But we know people talked about him, what he did, who he hung around with, the off-beat messages. We know people talked about him even after he died. They are still talking about him.

Are you?