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For the past two weeks, I have gone to bed disturbed by the news: U.S. citizens exercising their right to speech, assembly, and protest are being met by the National Guard and U.S. Marines; military tanks parading down U.S. streets when we are not at war; nations launching rocks at each other and killing civilians; and politicians being assassinated in their homes. I try to steer away from talking about current events week after week. Instead, I am going to clarify the definitions of words that are being tossed about so that you all can be accurate when discussing these matters in the days and weeks ahead.
Fascist, Authoritarian, and Dictator are often tossed about in our modern culture as if they are interchangeable. Colloquially, we know that these are the words to describe the “bad guys” and people are offended when someone on their side of the political aisle is called one of these words. But they are different with distinct definitions:
We remember from history class that the Fascists rise to power coincided with demonizing “the other,” limiting education through book burnings, and ultimately, the rounding up and execution of “the other”; but the details matter here, too. Which books did they burn? Marxist and Socialist writings, gender studies (including initial research into sexuality and trans identities), feminist writings, and books with non-white authors. When people were rounded up, ghettoized, and exterminated, this didn’t just happen to the Jewish people. Marxists/communists, Socialists, and trade unionists were included; people who were mental/physical disabled were included; gay, lesbian, and transgender people were included; and immigrants/the racialized other, like the Roma people, were included. The fact that the military and national guard is being deployed against US citizens, and against the wishes of the state’s leadership, in order to continue rounding up the racialized other (Mexican and Latino immigrants), who are blamed for destroying our once-great nation should disturb you. A military parade as a show of strength should be disturbing. Masked men arresting people without due process and taking them to unknown detention centers should be disturbing. Congresspeople being denied entry into detention centers to visit their constituents should be disturbing. The Bible states over 200 times that we are to look after, care for, and protect the immigrants among us, for we were once immigrants too. There is not caveat given for how they got to be among us: only that we care for them. And lastly, we are told that we will be judged when we stand before God for how we treated those who have nothing, for that is how we treated God (Matt 25). Blessings, Pastor Chris
While we often like to think about Jesus as if he did no wrong, many people in this story were collateral damage to Jesus’s healing actions. By some people’s perspective, Jesus is the villain of the story: he damaged people’s property, killed livestock, and put people’s jobs at risk all to help one man on the outside of town.
Post-modernism is a field of thought that explores the idea that stories, news, research and even facts are imbedded within a worldview and the perspective that will guide and change how a narrative is told. When people look at the “good ol’ days” of the past with rose-tinted glasses, postmodernist thinking is the one that asks, “Who were the 'good old days' good for?” When people reminisce about the days when Walter Cronkite gave the nightly news, postmodernist thinking is the one that asks, “What stories were considered not newsworthy?” The same postmodern tools allow people to put forward their personal truth and alternative facts. For good or for ill, postmodern thinking has taken firm root in our culture and it has become increasingly difficult to agree on what can be considered truth. Along with the question of what is opinion, what is perspective, and what is true, is the additional question of “which opinion, perspective, and truth is one the correct side of history?” This upcoming Sunday, we will be exploring what is on the rubric for being “on the right side of history” and how to judge how well we are doing. I won’t be talking about current policies directly, but I will be discussing how to assess their benefit and collateral damage. Hopefully, we can do it without harming a single piggie. Blessings, Pastor Chris “I’m surprised to see some many people and organizations here,” my sister remarked to me on Saturday as we made our way down 9 Mile for Ferndale’s Pride festival. As a social worker, my sister, Katie, has spent her professional career advocating on behalf of those who fall through the cracks of society. From working with domestic violence shelters, families with CPS cases, foster care kids - and more recently - she had been running support groups and counseling/coaching sessions for fellow social worker. That is, she was until the funding for her work evaporated due to concerns about her job centering on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). While she was able to secure another position, her ability to talk about many issues that affect social workers or the foster kids that those workers manage has been curtailed. The workspace now feels hostile: one worker keeps reporting her for discussing matters of a foster kid’s race and gender, even while it is relevant to their identity and care. Due to these experiences, she had feared that less people would be willing to be seen publicly at Pride. Even more, she was curious how many corporate sponsors would be at the event given the current hostility towards DEI programs (sexuality and transgender identities fall under the heading of “diversity” for most organizations with DIE programs). To the surprise of both of us, we had to park a half mile away from downtown and entered a bustling street full of color, glitter, families, and vendors. In recent years, there was a trend of corporations turning their logos to rainbows during the month of Pride and having a float in the Motor City Pride parade. Ironically, many of these corporations contributed to the campaigns of people who promoted anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation. Articles were written about the “corporatization of Pride” and what it would mean to return to the revolutionary roots of Pride. This year, many corporate sponsors didn’t make an appearance in Ferndale. A level of respect was given to the companies and organizations that showed up this year because they decided to be visibly pro-LGBTQIA+ when it was not only not trendy, but risky to their public image to do so. I kept my eyes peeled to see what religious institutions were there. I saw two synagogues (Congregation Shir Tikvah being one), four churches (First Pres Birmingham & Greenfield Pres included), and one religious organization I could not identify. All of this made me wonder what it would look like for Northminster to show up with a tent for Pride. It would be showing up because we cared, not because it was trendy or because it is a good place to snag new members. What message would we share at our booth? What message do the people attending need to hear? Would we be willing to put in the effort to show up, put up a tent, and have volunteers there for the length of the festival? I know that Pride festivals and parades are often depicted as frivolous parties to those outside of the LGBTQIA+ community - but I saw how much it mattered to my sister on Saturday that people were still willing to show up for her community. It mattered to see people dressed defiantly and audaciously. The joy mattered. Presence mattered. Happy Pride Month, Northminster. Thank you for the ways that you have showed up and made room over the years. Thank you for the effort you have put in to make sure our rainbow flag hangs proudly for all to see. Thank you for creating a community where people of all backgrounds can find a home here. Blessings, Pastor Chris  You all have undoubtedly heard me call the early Jesus movement, “The Jesus Fan Club.” I use this term to indicate two aspects of the early community that surrounded Jesus during his ministry and shortly afterward: 1) this movement was not originally separate from the 1st Century Jewish tradition but existed within 1st century Judaism & 2) Jesus did not set up an organized religion with a leadership structure and strict doctrinal beliefs. In comparison to the order and organization of our current congregation, Jesus’ ministry was outright chaotic. He wandered town to town on a preaching tour whilst a rag-tag group of people surrounded him and listened to his teachings. So, when did the Jesus fan club become “The Church”? On Pentecost!! Pentecost is often called, “the Birthday of the Church.” It is the day when the Jesus fan club became more than just a fan club. It is the day when we remember how the Spirit came down and empowered the followers to go out and continue the ministry that Jesus started. Back in November 2024 when we were still hammering out the details of the lease agreement with CCB, we were discussing dates on the liturgical calendar that would be good times to do joint worship services between the two congregations. Because it is the Church’s birthday, it only felt appropriate that the two congregations should come together as two pieces of the Church Universal to celebrate. Well folks, Pentecost is on June 8th and plans are already underway. Here are the details as they stand:
Dear *|FNAME|*,
What does it take to know a person? How do you know when you truly know a person and their character? This question used to haunt me when I was younger. Many young people feel misunderstood, especially in their teenage years when they are trying to figure the world out for themselves while also filled with complex emotions that they are trying to make sense of. In the mix of normal teenager experiences, I moved to a new state and began to attend a new school where no one knew my reputation as “the weird girl” in elementary school. All of a sudden, I was surrounded by a school full of kids that only knew as much about me as I was willing to share. But that realization brought with it another question: How much would they have to know about me until they truly knew me. My first assumption was that people would know me if they knew trivia about me: what my favorite color was, what music I liked to listen to, what my favorite subjects in school were, etc. However, this led to shallow friendships. Some people knew a lot about me but didn’t seem to understand how those pieces fit together and there were others who knew very little about me in the way of trivia but were still people I counted as friends. Meeting new groups of people at high school, college, and graduate school would have me return to my question: what does it take to truly know a person? My conclusion today is that knowing trivia about a person doesn’t mean you know them but instead can create a false sense of closeness. Mistaking trivia for knowledge about a person is what leads to parasocial relationships where fans believe they know and understand their favorite celebrity. Instead, I find that I feel like I know a person when I can, to a certain degree, predict their responses or behavior to most situations. Yes, this often requires a certain amount of knowledge about a person’s past and trivia about them; but it also requires knowing how the person reacts to the world and the ways they navigate problems and opportunities. It is having a sense of what will upset a person and knowing if they are likely to read something if you email them an article. Keeping that in mind, I find myself asking today, “What does it take to know our new committee structure?” I am realizing that it is not enough to know trivia about our committee structure. It helps to know who is on which team, what people’s titles are, and when are meeting. However, it doesn’t feel like we know this structure well even if we can recite all the trivial details about it. Instead, we need to know how it will exist in the world: we need to see how this structure responds to problem and to new opportunities. We need to know how the system is able to react and have a sense of what will knock it off balance. Remember, we have only had this new structure for two months: We are still getting to know it and how it works. This week, we are going to experience it in a new context: Zoom. I know many of you are nervous because you feel like you barely understand the new structure as-is. But I promise we already have the skills we need to make this work. By testing out our structure in a new context, we will learn even more about it and how it can be utilized by our community. Session has practiced and prepared for leading the breakout rooms. If you have any question, feel free to text or email me in advance. During the meeting, I will make sure that everyone knows what is happening and where the important buttons are. So, do not be afraid. If you need a reminder, here is the schedule for the meeting: - 7:00 p.m. Group Meeting - 7:05 p.m. Pastor Report - 7:10 p.m. Session Report - 7:15 p.m. Treasurer’s Report - 7:20 p.m. Breakout Rooms for Individual Meetings. See your email for the Zoom link. Blessings, Pastor Chris “We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable — but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begins in art. Very often in our art, the art of words.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin, 19 November 2014, Speech in Acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. (Click here for a transcript) I tried my best to recite the above quote at the end of a worship service as a part of my charge and benediction. This quote came to mind because I was once again talking about working together to create a better world. If you have been paying attention to the themes I return to again and again in my sermons, you will have noticed my underlying belief that we need to do more than fix the systems of society that we live under. I have often talked about imagining a better world that is just beyond the horizon of what we can see today. And I fully believe that it would not be enough to use our current tools to fix what has broken in our society. Instead, we need to create new tools to address the particular issues that we are facing today. Part of this belief was encouraged by fiction authors like Ursula Le Guin who speculated about what the world could be like.
I know that discussing the end of capitalism is topic that will make some people automatically tune out and start angrily compiling an angry comeback. If that is you, dear reader, take a deep breath. I promise you that I am not going to pull out the Communist Manifesto or quote Carl Marx. Instead, I want to invite you into the holy space of contemplating what could be. Here is what we know for certain: our current system is not working. While we enjoy an abundance (mostly) affordable fresh food regardless of the season, the way we farm strips the soil of its integrity, drains our fresh water resources, and has inequitable distribution so that some go hungry while mountains of food spoils. We enjoy affordable clothing, electronics, and gadgets but our clothing is made in sweatshop by the underprivileged in other countries and the material for our electronics and gadgets are mined by slave labor. Most of us have secure housing but seeing housing as an economic asset has made for housing crises in much of the developed world. While we have more technology than ever to help us glide effortlessly through life, that same technology is threatening many people’s jobs and livelihoods. Whatever you might think about Adam Smith’s theories about how economies worked in his time, our world is radically different than the one he knew. Some thinkers like Yanis Varoufakis are even starting to suggest that we have already moved beyond capitalism into what he calls Technofeudalism (book or article about his ideas). Even if our systems were working better than they are today, our current world still relies on exploitation, extraction, and the degradation of our natural resources. In essence, I think we can do better than just fixing this. But… how? This is where I return to Ursula Le Guin’s quote again: The Divine Right of Kings was a broken system that seemed inescapable. The Book of Revelation in our Bible was a speculative book written to a persecuted people about a future where they win and life is better - and not even John of Patmos could envision a future beyond the rule of a King. Yet, humanity was not only able to envision a future where everyone ruled collectively through democracy, they fought to make that a reality. Now it is the dominant system of governance across the world. We, too, can envision a world beyond scarcity where a few at the top horde wealth and resources. We can envision a world that doesn’t rely on coercion and domination to function. We can envision a world that lives in harmony with the diversity of cultures across the world and lives in harmony with the natural world. And if you don’t know where to start to envision something beyond what you can see around you, let me recommend a short novel called A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers. It has been a while since I have read a book that felt healing in the same way as a good cup of tea on a cold rainy day. Blessings, Pastor Chris For the next little while, we are going to be jumping into the Lectionary.
For those who don’t know that fancy term, the Lectionary is basically a Sunday curriculum that organizes the main stories of the Bible into a three-year cycle. Every Sunday, the lectionary gives four scriptures to use: 1) Hebrew Text [Old Testament], 2) Psalm, 3) Gospel [1 year for each synoptic], 4) Epistles [Letters & Revelation]. The idea for the Lectionary originally came from the Medieval Jewish community in Europe. Their weekly Torah readings are standardized in a very similar 3-year schedule. What we will be using is The Revised Common Lectionary which was assembled by North American Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) and the International English Language Liturgical Consultation and released for public use in 1994. It is used by the Catholic tradition and most Mainline Protestant Denominations. In addition to using the lectionary, I will also be utilizing the resources put out by the Presbyterian Outlook. The Presbyterian Outlook is a PCUSA National Publication. While the Presbyterian Outlook is not owned or run by the PCUSA officially, it is the officially sanctioned magazine of the denomination. Every week, the Presbyterian Outlook publishes a worship liturgy based on the scripture in the Revised Common Lectionary. These liturgies are original works written by PCUSA pastors from around the nation. The Presbyterian Outlook publishes them for free as long as you credit the authors. Occasionally, you many have seen Prayers of Confession or Pastoral Prayers attributed to other pastors by name. This is an indication that I am not the author but have used the resources that the Presbyterian Outlook has made available. In addition, the Presbyterian Outlook has a wealth of articles, thought pieces, book reviews and PCUSA updates that they publish regularly. They have a magazine that you can order, or you can subscribe – like I do – to support their work. Otherwise, I believe you can access three articles for a month before you hit a paywall. All of that to say: by jumping into the lectionary, we are entering into the conversation that spans across our country and across the Christian world. We will be joining in the words that others are saying and contemplating the same scriptures as other communities like ours… and unlike ours. The one promise that I make to you all is that we won’t be reading all four scriptures on any given Sunday. As when I plan sermon series, I will focus on one scripture - and maybe a second - if it is really necessary. I know that some folks find the Lectionary repetitive after a while. So, I also plan to check in with folks and see what they think. Blessings, Pastor Chris I thought I had killed it. Rabbits had eaten every bit of it besides the parts that were too woody to chew. I had ordered a pink magnolia tree online and it had been delivered to my house. This little sapling was to replace a hydrangea “tree” that the previous owners had planted in the front yard of my house that failed to thrive. The magnolia sapling was no more than a foot tall. I bought a sapling rather than a mature tree because I wanted to see it grow from something small into something large. I had never lived anywhere long enough for the trees to grow large, and I wanted the magnolia to be the first. But the rabbits had eaten it down to two sticks when the weather got cold in the fall. All winter, I was convinced that the rabbits had killed my baby magnolia tree. I was looking online for a bigger starting tree. Maybe I could plant a tree that was a few feet tall so that the rabbits can’t eat the leaves. I was ready to buy another magnolia tree, but I hesitated. I am not sure why, but I waited. Come spring, the little magnolia pushed out tender new leaves and new branches. Realizing that this little sapling was going to fight to survive, I quickly dug up the tree and put it in a planter pot in the back yard so that the rabbits couldn’t get to it. All summer, I doted on the baby magnolia tree making sure that I was watered and always in a sunny spot. When the weather started to have a chill in the air, I brought it back to the front yard and planted in the soil once again. The rabbits quickly ate the lower leaves, but this time there were still leaves that were too high for them to reach. Last Monday, I squealed as I left my driveway: as I was looking over my shoulder to check for oncoming traffic, I saw a burst of pink in my front lawn. I threw my car into park, jumped out, and ran to my magnolia sapling. For the first time in the three years that I have had it, my sapling bloomed. The sapling is no more than a couple of feet tall, but it put out brilliant, full-sized pink flowers. I swore that I had killed it, but with patience and care, my little magnolia tree was blooming.
As you rest in the outpouring of God’s Love that we experience in the resurrection on Easter, I hope you all give yourselves some time to slow down as well.
Rest in the knowledge that you are enough as you are. You are God’s beloved right now. You don’t earn God’s grace, but it is given freely to you now. Your efforts are seen, and God celebrates your achievements with you. And no matter how dark the night seems, the light of dawn will always break through. Blessings, Pastor Chris I was talking to someone this weekend who asked what I was up to this week. I responded with, “It’s Holy Week, so I am rather busy.” They responded by asking, “What exactly is Holy Week?” Generally speaking, I try not to use church jargon when I don’t know someone’s religious background. Still, there are times when I am caught off-guard when someone is unfamiliar with what I consider a commonly used term. While I was surprised, I only let my surprise last a half a step before I was able to give my four-sentence summary: “Palm Sunday (yesterday) is the day when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. He spends the week debating with the local religious authority. On Thursday, he has his last supper with his followers before he is arrested early the next morning. By Friday afternoon, he is crucified but then he rises from the dead on Sunday”
Having to explain this to someone I know reminded me that the world doesn’t stop for Holy Week anymore. While some places still close for Good Friday or Easter Sunday, many places still don’t. Let me be clear, I am not complaining about this. Our culture doesn’t stop for holy days, weeks, or months for other religions either. Our world is much more globalized and secularized than it used to be. That means we get to enjoy the richness of many cultures without leaving our neighborhoods - but it also means that the wider culture can feel indifferent to the holiest and most meaningful days in our respective religious calendars. I have memories of leaving a service that struck me to my core, and then interacting with people on the sidewalk like nothing had changed in the outside world. It was jarring to see that people didn't notice or care. But our culture's indifference means we all have to intentionally set aside time to sit with the stories of Holy Week. Culture is not going to force you to consider how power is abused and how Jesus stood up to the corrupt and powerful. No one is going to drag you to the table to hear about how Jesus recklessly loved us and all of humanity. You are not forced to sit at the foot of the cross and meditate on the human inclination towards violence and death. If you want to make your Holy Week feel truly holy, you are going to have to carve out time to sit with the story, and dwell with the struggles of the characters. If you want a place to gather where you will hear the story again, join us for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. But for however dark the week feels, know that Easter will come just the same. Whether the world ignores it or eagerly waits for it, Jesus and his abundant love will always break through our world once again. Blessings, Pastor Chris The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, - Exodus 34:6 Dear *|FNAME|*,
“I feel so much anger welling up inside me…” I've heard this sentiment in various ways more than a handful of times on Sunday after worship - but it wasn’t the anger itself that struck me, it was the co-occurring sense that they felt guilty for being angry but were still unrepentant. I was never told that being angry was a bad thing, but I did grow up in the Midwestern culture that considered being angry to be rude - and being rude was socially unacceptable. Sunday school lessons taught me to be nice and courteous. To be angry was to be rude and confrontational if not outright belligerent. Angry emotions were the thing that could lead to violent actions. I was always a “good kid” who never caused problems. When things did happen, I was praised because I didn’t make a scene or cause a fuss. As I said before, I don’t remember ever being directly told that being angry was wrong. But the way that people seemed to avoid angry people and praise me for my good, quiet behavior, I slowly learned that showing my anger was bad… because it was rude. But anger is not a bad thing. Anger is not an emotion we should banish or bury. Anger is not inherently destructive. Anger is not inherently irrational. Anger has a purpose. Anger can be protective and constructive and I hope that you allow yourselves to feel angry. In the verse above, God is walking by Moses and allowing Moses to glimpse God’s form in order to encourage and inspire Moses to continue leading God’s people for the journey ahead. When Moses saw God’s backside, Moses hears a voice saying that God is, “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Most comments about this description of God I have read or heard discuss it in a way that puts the mercy and steadfast love as the opposite to God’s slow anger. Described as a patient parent whose temper wears thin, God is imagined to be loving and patient until us humans push God too far and God flips the anger switch. What if instead God’s anger stemmed from God’s steadfast love and mercy? This description comes after the story of the Exodus where God’s anger is kindled against Pharaoh for the exploitation of the Hebrews. Even after ten opportunities to change his behavior, Pharaoh refuses to change and is visited by God’s wrath. In that story, God’s anger comes not from disobedient children of God but God’s steadfast and abiding love of the common people. I don’t think that anger shouldn’t be investigated as to its origins; but neither do I think it should be banished or buried just because it is not seen as socially acceptable. Anger at the exploitation of people is a good thing. Anger at systems of harm is a good thing. Anger about injustice and inequity is a good thing. Anger about the consolidation and abuse of power is a good thing; but anger that is felt must still be dealt with before it festers and mutates into something else. If you are feeling angry, you do not need to feel guilty or ashamed: I encourage you to do something constructive with that anger. Don’t let it devolve into hatred and violence. Instead, let it motivate you to lift up community, connection, and resistance. Blessings, Pastor Chris Can we all agree that the first pancake that your pour into the pan is always the worst. No matter how many times I make pancakes, there is always a split-second question of, “how fast is this batter going to pour this time?” Never mind that I use the same recipe every time, the batter always comes out a slightly different consistency. Combined with the fact that I don’t always mix it in the same bowl or use the same pan or utensils, the first pancake is always the worst one. It is a tester. It will be the first one flipped (likely too early) and the first one eaten (to make sure that I didn’t forget the salt). But the reality is that there always will be a first pancake. You can’t get to a second pancake without making the first one first.
I did not come up with the idea of the first pancake, @Tori.Phantom on YouTube did. I tried to find the video where she talks about the first pancake being a necessary step to doing something, but I couldn’t find it. At any rate, she shares that many things in life can be considered “first pancakes.” When I took up sewing again a few years back after not sewing for decades, I had more than my fair share of first-pancake projects. When we all learned how to use Zoom, we all had first-pancake video calls when things went wrong and we didn’t know why. It can feel like a first-pancake experience when you join a new organization, and you don’t know where things are or what the group norms are - but with all of these things, if we are afraid of messing up with the first pancake, it will limit our ability to do something new. Many things only become easy with a combination of practice and familiarity. This past Sunday, we had our first-pancake All-Committee Meeting. There are things that we could not have known until we poured some batter into the pan and see how things formed. We had a lot more people than I expected. A few things needed some extra clarity. Each of the committees has a few things to work out themselves and there are clear places for future collaboration. But now we know where the bumps and opportunities are. We have two more pancakes – I mean All-Committee Meetings – planned going forward:
Blessings, Pastor Chris After talking about it for months, our first All-Committee Meeting is just around the corner! Are you excited? Worried? Curious? Unconcerned? Relieved?
For me it feels like the initial ascent on a roller coaster. Not the momentum-driven cart ride of adrenaline and heart palpitations… No, I am talking about the part before that. I am talking about when you are buckled in, safety has been checked by the attendant, the ride is moving… but slowly. You can hear the clink of machinery ratcheting your cart higher and higher while the anticipation for the eventual drop continues to build. As an adult, I have come to understand that anticipation is a key part to the overall experience. If there is no wait time, no time to prepare, no time for excitement to build, the amount of fun that is experienced diminishes. While I do not expect our All Committee Meeting to be as thrilling as an amusement park ride, here is what I do expect: There will be food! Everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - is invited to stay for a time of fellowship as we eat lunch together. We will begin the meeting with general updates. The joint part of the meeting will include a Session Update, Treasurer’s Update, and Pastor’s Update. Anyone curious about how the congregation’s finances are doing or wants to know what Session is working on is welcome to stay and listen. The three committees will break into their individual meetings. The three standing committees will break to different locations to conduct their individual meetings. If you are not on a committee but have something you would like to bring to a committee’s attention, you are welcome to join them in their meeting. The three committees might spend the whole first meeting simply figuring out what they are supposed to be doing. Because this is our first time in this format, it is okay if all our committees accomplish is figuring out who is doing what and making a plan for the following meeting. Things might be a bit bumpy this first time. I do not expect everything to go perfectly the first time we do them. We will expect that something is going to go wrong. We will take note and fix it for next time. Someone will still not understand how to do something. Transitions and change are difficult things to navigate. Even after we do this once, there will still be uncertainty and misunderstanding of who does what. We will take it one day at a time. I have been working with Session and Nominations for months on this transition. It will not be perfect and there will be bumps in the road. Still, I fully believe that we are ready to take the plunge. Blessings, Pastor Chris “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.”
― Elie Wiesel, The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, The Accident Dear Northminster, I had a realization when I got home on Sunday after worship: I may have implied that all people’s suffering is equal in magnitude and importance. While I whole-heartedly believe that our loving God cares about all of our struggles, the pain of one person’s hurt feelings is not on the same order of magnitude as someone else’s ability to eat or have shelter from the elements. We do not need to create an official ranking system of who-has-it-the-worst to understand that some people’s pain and suffering needs to be more urgently addressed than others; and as Elie Wiesel so clearly pointed out, to whose pain we pay attention and address is not value-neutral. I hinted at this when I mentioned that the pain and struggle we would like to focus on do not necessarily map onto who in our world is experiencing the greatest pain and oppression. As various political policies increasingly target various demographic groups, who we see as our neighbors and who is deserving of our compassion, empathy, and care becomes increasingly important. We are being told that we should not have compassion for immigrants (legal or otherwise), Canadians, Mexicans, Chinese, Ukrainians, Palestinians, and LGBTQIA+ folks. In case you think I am over-reacting, two books were recently published criticizing Christian Empathy: The Sin of Empathy: Compassion and Its Counterfeits and Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion. These books depict empathy as a tool of the devil to get us to have understanding of people who disagree and have different life experiences than the writers do. In fact, empathy might just be the first foot in the door for doubt and a person to question their faith in God and the Bible. There is one more aspect to this discussion that was brought to my attention after worship. Paul Stunkel challenged my interpretation with another that said that this parable of the Good Samaritan is arranged in a way to make the listener as the person who is attacked, not the person who rendering help. We lay there on the side of the road as we watch a priest and a Levite pass by. When the Samaritan approaches, do we allow the Samaritan to be our neighbor as he tends to our wounds and cares for us? Would we allow the undocumented immigrant to drive us to the hospital? Would we allow the mom on food stamps to pay for our night in a hotel? Would we even accept a Band-Aid if a drag queen pulled it out of her purse and gave it to us? In the end, I fully believe that our scripture guides us to have compassion and empathy for all people. And anything that guides us to hate and despise people is antithetical to the gospels. Blessings, Pastor Chris Happy Pączki Day everyone!
It feels like winter has broken and the coldest days of winter are behind us. The days grow lighter and our clocks will spring forward an hour this Sunday. Yet, the grass stays a muted brown and flowers have yet to poke their heads up. Spring is not here, but we can feel it coming. This Lent, we will be discussing dichotomies and the space in between the two extremes. To do this, we will be using A Sanctified Art’s Lent 2025 curriculum Everything In Between - and the weather at the moment illustrates the core theme: there is space between the dichotomy between winter and spring. We live in a world that loves to break everything into neat and tidy categories; but this Lent, we will break apart those categories to find all of the colorful space in between. Here are a few things to pay attention to coming up: Visio Divina Lenten Bible Study Wednesdays at 10:30 in-person (lounge) and online March 5 – April 16, 2025 “Visio Divina” is a play on the term “Lecto Divina.” Lecto Divina – latin for “Divine Reading” – is a traditional monastic practice of reading scripture and meditating on it. It is often practiced by reading the same scripture multiple times aloud, pausing each time to reflect and meditate on the words. Playing on this idea, Visio Divina is the practice of reading scripture, looking at religious art, and meditating on the words and images. This Lenten season, Pastor Shane and I will be co-hosting a Visio Divina Bible study where we will discuss the scripture and art for the following Sunday. We will discuss words, language, and the history of scripture while also considering the principals of art and how artists use images and mediums to communicate a message. No prep work is required since all scripture passages will be read as a part of the study. So, join us in the lounge this Wednesday or on Zoom and enter into the world of language and art. **This Bible Study will NOT be recorded to be posted on YouTube. Ash Wednesday Service 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 5 First Presbyterian Troy will hold an Ash Wednesday soup lunch and worship, with the imposition of ashes, at noon on Wednesday, March 5, to mark the beginning of the season of Lent. All are welcome. Blessings, Pastor Chris At the beginning of Bible Study today, I was reminded that it is once again the time for the DIA’s showing of the Oscar Nominated Short Film Festival. No, I have not been to see them, but the contest brought to mind a short film from 2014 called “The Allegory of the Long Spoons.” Click the link to watch it: it is only about a minute long. What you will see is a group of people sitting around a chasm with a bowl of soup at the center. Each person has a spoon, but the spoons are too long for any person to feed themselves with it. As they grow frustrated with this, violence begins to erupt. At one point, one person’s spoon is broken in half and no longer has a hope to feed themself. At this point, one of the other people shows compassion and tries to feed him with her own spoon. It is a long reach, but the spoon can nearly reach him…except that she begins to shake as if she will drop it and fall herself into the chasm. At the last minute, she is supported by the others who prop up her spoon. The film ends with all of the people feeding each other rather than trying to feed themselves.
For the past few weeks, I have been trying to come up with an example to use to demonstrate how decentering oneself can be a way to find new life. The short film above came to mind along with the film, Pride (2014). Pride tells the real-life story of the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners movement in 1984-1985. As it is told, a lesbian and gay group were seeking out a way to gain more public awareness of their group and their cause. One member, Mark Ashton, had an idea: rather than focus on their own cause of gaining more society acceptance, they would instead focus on the struggles of a group of miners that were striking. Mark Ashton, Mike Jackson, and their friends collected funds at the 1984 Lesbian and Gay Pride march in London and established Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM). The money they raised, over £22,500, went straight to supporting the families of the miners on strike. The group gave the miners their unconditional support without an expectation of reciprocal support. Because of the LGSM’s support, the miners would go on to win their negotiations. Later on, the miners’ labor group began to support and attend Pride events through the UK, including leading London's Lesbian and Gay Pride parade in 1985. The miners would then use their political power to support the passage of LGBT rights in the UK. In worship on Sunday, I discussed how Northminster was not itself the Good News (i.e. the Gospel). Northminster might be a place where the Good News is found and where people might experience it, but the congregation itself is not the Good News. That also means that we should not be at the center of what we do. At our Annual Meeting, we looked at our numbers from 2024. While we are doing decently with finances, we ended the year with 56 members. It is tempting to make gaining new members the focus of what we do; but I would argue that we need to learn from the paradoxical examples above and the parable of the long spoons. As long as we are only trying to feed ourselves (i.e. only concerned with gaining new members), we will slowly starve as violence breaks out. People will have no interest in a church whose only concern is its own survival. Instead, as we begin to consider where God is leading us this coming year, I would have you all consider to whom we can extend our long spoon. Who is hurting that we can support? How do we center Good News that is truly good to hear? Blessings, Pastor Chris “We saved you a seat,” is a lovely message when it is coming from a friend when you are running late. It is a much more concerning message when you see it engraved on a bench that doubles as a tombstone. Say what you will, I find witty comments on gravestones to be disquieting rather than funny. That particular remark I remember from a cemetery in West Virginia that my friends and I were wandering around during a lunch break while we were on a summer mission trip. Another one that stands out in my mind is from a small cemetery I used to visit: “As I am now / soon you will be / So then / prepare to follow me.” It was a small cemetery called Thayer Cemetery. I was located at the very edge of Northville at 6 Mile Road and Napier. During the dog days of summer, when the freedom afforded by summer break had transitioned into days of boredom, my sister and I would walk there. When 6 Mile transitioned from asphalt to dirt and gravel, we knew we were almost there. A half mile more and the building at the center of the cemetery would appear from around the trees. At the time, the windows were boarded up and the building was covered in graffiti. Only half of the plots were filled, but this place felt forgotten by time. The writing on many of the gravestones was worn away by acid rain. Some were broken. Many were covered in moss and dirt. We would wander - reading the stones that we could - noting relationships and calculating when people passed away. Too many people were far too young. And then we found the stone with those words. I remember reading them and getting chills, even on that hot summer day.
We had first discovered Thayer Cemetery when we had moved to the area and would drive around aimlessly after school, trying to stretch the drive home from 7 minutes to 30. By this point, the endless sprawl of suburbia had tapered off and the houses grew more and more sporadic. I don’t know what drew my sister and me back to that place over and over again. Something felt special about seeing something that felt forgotten by the world. It felt timeless, even if we knew that was an illusion. The grass was always cut, and the graffiti was eventually painted over. Yet the place felt static and unchanging. The cemetery was only half full, yet no one seemed to add to it (and let’s hope that no one ever left…). It may be odd to say, but Thayer Cemetery felt dead. It didn’t feel dead because it housed the remains of people long since passed. It felt lifeless because we never saw anyone else there besides us. No one seemed to visit. No one seemed to care about the moss and graffiti. No one seemed to know stories about the people there. Many people didn’t even know that this place existed. My sister and I could visit, we could hold on to the memory, the names on the gravestones and the poems inscribed on them, but that would never be enough to make Thayer Cemetery feel like it was anything other than a forgotten burial ground. Most people today know the markers of human life: heartbeat, pulse, brain activity, etc. Knowing what signs of life there are in other things is much more difficult. What do we look for when considering if a TV show is truly alive rather than a zombie kept alive by the will of studio executives and writers willing to cannibalize the jokes of earlier seasons? When is a remake or reboot a living work of art rather than a soulless cash grab? When is an organization living out its mission and when is it on life support, kept alive because of its legacy and reputation? When are relationships life-giving and when are they a memorial for reminiscing about a shared history? When do we truly feel alive, and when does it feel like we are a monument to a life we once lived? Our Annual Meeting is not just a time to remember the year that just passed nor is it a memorial to what has been and now is no longer. The annual meeting is a check-in point where we see if our congregation still has signs of life and ministry. It asks us to reflect on whether we have responded to our calling and if we have the tools to do so next year. It is a time to celebrate what has been but also to lay plans for the road ahead. It is a time to make changes if we discover that we have become frozen in time, like a carved stone left out in the wind and the rain. There are folks in the church-world, particularly those who have been a part of church who have closed, who share the sentiment that, “As I am now / soon you will be / So then / prepare to follow me.” I am not yet ready say that this congregation is ready for the grave; but if we truly want to live, we need to be able to say why and then work for it. So, join me this Sunday after worship for our yearly physical check-up where we will be assessing where we have been and what is ahead. See you all there, Pastor Chris While things in the life of Northminster feel calm compared to Fall 2024, there has been lots of work that has continued into the new year. Just to make sure that you don’t miss the individual pieces, here is a quick snapshot of what is going on and what is coming up. Game Night: Feb 22 at 7 p.m. in the Lounge Our Outreach, Fellowship, and Education team has been in touch with folks at CCB to plan a joint game night. While we have hosted many game nights in the past, OF&E felt that a bit of levity was the perfect way to get to know members of the congregation we are sharing space with. Bring your favorite game and snacks to share! Nominations: Committee Restructuring This past Thursday, Session voted to approve our restructuring plan and set the first All-Committee Meeting to March 23rd after worship. This meeting is open to all to attend, and lunch will be provided. Nominations has been holding meetings after worship to explain this plan that you can find HERE. Now that the plan is approved, Nominations will be working to fill the 3 Committee Moderator Positions (formerly chairs) and 8 Committee Coordinator Positions. If you are interested, please contact Pastor Chris, Chris Kondak, Sue Fish, Ann Cole, Becky Pocisk, or Karen Joy. Annual Meeting of the Corporation and Congregation: February 23rd after worship, in person and online Our annual meeting will be held two Sundays from now. For those attending in person, lunch will be provided potluck style. We will hear reports about the 2024 year. At the end of the meeting, there will be time to hear feedback about the ongoing relationship with the Congregational Church of Birmingham and the Restructuring Plan. If you have not yet done so, please submit your Committee Annual Report to Suzanne by February 21. PCUSA Office of Public Witness I know that many of you are distressed about the changes going on at the national level. It can feel like we are powerless to do anything to affect real change by ourselves. That is why the PCUSA Office of Public Witness has put together a statement including ways that we can join together as people of faith and Presbyterians to make the changes that are needed in the world today. Click here to read that letter and access the resources listed therein: Blessings,
Pastor Chris If you feel overwhelmed by the news lately, you are not alone. The structures that support our society are being undermined and dismantled. Each day it seems like a new department in the government is being attacked. Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs are being threatened, imposed, and halted. Anxiety is increasing about the bird flu and plane crashes. Unelected people are accessing secure data and unqualified people are being confirmed by Congress. While some may accuse me of breaking out my tinfoil hat, I believe that this cacophony of news is meant to overwhelm and dis-empower us. If you are feeling discouraged and powerless to stop this avalanche, I believe that that is the point.
But, if that is the point, then what do we do? We do what we can and trust others to do the rest. Unlike what is shown in superhero movies, no one person can save the world by themselves. Saving the world is a group project that we work on together over years. Yes, the manager of the group project is currently undoing the work that we have carefully put together over decades. So, as we work to prevent the undoing of this great group project, you cannot hold the group together on your own. It is another misleading lie that keeps us dis-empowered: that we can do nothing if we can’t do it all. Instead of giving up hope, you must play your part and resist where you can. As the Body of Christ, we know that some people are meant to be the hands that reach out to those that are struggling. Others are meant to be the eyes and ears that witness while still others are the lips that are meant to tell the story. Some people are the feet that will walk us to new places and others are the spine to help hold us upright. We recognize that, as a church, we need everyone’s gifts and talents in order to have a vibrant ministry. In the same way, we honor the role that every person plays in society: from the humble service worker to the teachers, to the artists, to the lawyers, and the accountants. As we resist the dismantling of our society, its guardrails and safety nets, we all have a part to play. Lawyers are working on legal challenges while others are giving safe haven. Some are adding internal friction by not obeying what they are told to do, and others are organizing in their own communities. Some are speaking loudly in resistance, others are educating, and still others are comforting the distraught. Some will take on financial hardship to do what is right while others will donate to support those who are struggling. In all of this, there is a role for you to play. You do not have to do all of these things, but please consider what you can do. I know that my role is, in part, to encourage the discouraged, to empower those who feel dis-empowered, and to speak to morality and ethics. What is your role? What part are you going to play? What will you do to keep from despairing? As depressing as it may seem, I do not believe that we will be able to preserve all of the work that our society has accomplished; but I do believe that we can save some of it. Moreover, I believe that we can preserve our integrity and our resolve to create a better world for all people everywhere - but we will need everyone to play their parts to do so. Blessings, Pastor Chris There is a phrase in the Hebrew Bible that says, “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Lev 19:34). I was at lunch with Rabbi Alicia Harris of Congregation Shir Tikvah and I asked her how many times this phrase was used in the Torah. Her answer was quick and authoritative. She knew the answer before I finished the question: 35 times.
I am reading a book by Obery M. Hendrics Jr where he explains that the Hebrew word "tzedekah", usually translated as "righteousness", does not indicate personal behavior that is pious. Rather, it is more accurately translated as “doing right by others” or “acting with justice.” He states that, “That means that the true yardstick of righteousness is the degree of one’s active dedication to the well-being of one’s neighbors and the common good,” (Source, page 38) When Jesus is asked who one’s neighbor was (because the young man wanted to know which people he should love has himself), Jesus tells the story of a Good Samaritan. In that parable, a man gets beat up and left for dead by thieves. Two upstanding citizens pass by the man but a Samaritan (the foreigner, outsider, and enemy) helps the man. Jesus then asks, who was the neighbor in that story? The young man replies, “The one who showed him mercy,” (Luke 10:25-37). On Sunday, I discussed what Salvation looks like for Jesus and Paul. For Paul, salvation was putting one’s soul in order so that a person can escape this life to the afterlife. In contrast, Jesus presents a very this-worldly idea of salvation. Salvation is being saved from poverty and exploitation. Salvation is holding people in power accountable and protecting the people who are vulnerable. Salvation is building up a society of mutual well-being and common-good. This morning, I was texting one of my dear friends. She is a social worker that helps families with children in hospice navigate the medical system and financial aid. Overnight, her job shifted. Instead of helping coordinate treatments and contacting charities to help pay for associated costs, she is now helping to navigate the legal world to prevent parents of dying children from being deported now that their visas are in jeopardy. As I scrolled the internet trying to find a prayer written by someone who has a greater clarity of what words to say, I stumbled upon a screenshot of someone warning about, “the sin of empathy” in reply to a sermon where the preacher entreated the listeners to be merciful. I am increasingly dumbfounded by those who claim to follow my God and who read my same scripture. As discouraging as it may seem, Jesus knew that even this would come to pass: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23) Friends, if you have ever doubted it, there is a need for the Good News of the Gospel to be proclaimed boldly. We are called to challenge messages of hate and discrimination with a message of love, hope and belonging. And that calling is now. Blessings, Pastor Chris |
AuthorPastor Chris Hallam earned her degree at Princeton Theological Seminary and moved to Michigan to become a pastor. Also trained as a studio artist and graphic designer, with an interest in pop culture and social science, her passion is thinking creatively about the future of the church. Archives
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