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Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” Jesus continued in Matthew 25:45, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” Have you ever wondered who counts as “the least of these?” Well, an expert in the law wanted to know who counted as his neighbor and Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Afterward, the lawyer answered that the neighbor was, “The one who showed him mercy,” (Luke 10:37). Add this to Jesus’s command to “Love your enemies,” (Matthew 5:44) and no person can really be excluded from the category of people we are supposed to look after, care for, and love.
On Sunday, I gave you a type of rubric to use to judge whether policies of our government follow Jesus’s gospel message. They were:
But today, I have a different mental exercise for you: imagine Jesus being the person that the policies affect. Jesus was born poor in a village of peasant families. Jesus learned a trade (woodcutting or stonecutting, depending on the sources). Where he lived was ruled by an oppressive empire that squashed political opposition. When I think about how we treat people in our country, I imagine Jesus in the people’s place. How would it change what we are doing if Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, was:
Blessings, Pastor Chris On Sunday, I admittedly did not talk about the beginning of the scripture passage we had for that morning. I skipped this part because it would have made the sermon way too long and I figured that you all would like to be out before 1 p.m. That said, I didn’t want to forget about these verses because it ties into what I have been discussing in our Tuesday Notes emails for the past few weeks: some of Jesus’ teachings are difficult to follow if we don’t water them down or spiritualize them. Luke 12:32 is a case in point: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms.” – Luke 12:32
In this verse, Jesus is literally commanding his followers to sell their possessions in order to give to the people who having nothing. Jesus encourages this behavior by telling the people that it is good for the soul; that these actions will build up their spiritual treasures in a place where no one can steal it from them. I love the idea of this, but I have a few questions for Jesus: First, how much should I sell off? I have a house full of stuff but I need some of that stuff to live… and some stuff to be comfortable. How much stuff is “you should sell this and give the money to charity” amount of stuff? How much is it ethical to own? Second, where should I give the money? Directly to the people on the streets? To the church? To charities? Or to scientific research? Does it count as giving alms if my tax money goes towards Medicaid, housing vouchers, and food assistance? Is it better to have church-led charities, community actions groups, or government assistance? In Acts 2:44-45, the early Christian Community took this instruction of Jesus seriously: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” In light of the explosion of growth that the early church saw, it makes complete sense to me. Of course people wanted to join the Christian Community! They were giving away free food and provided people with housing. Poor people were being supported by their community and those that were better off had the joy of seeing other people flourish. But as time went on, Christians and their communities started to hold back more for themselves. As it turns out, this kind of living is difficult to sustain over the long-term. But the ideal remained. When I think about the type of society that I want to live in, it is a society that takes care of its people.2` It is a society that pools resources together so that communities can do together what it is difficult to do by oneself. Personally, caring for people is exactly what I want our pooled resources (in the form of taxes) to go toward. I want kids to not have to worry whether they can eat at school or not. I want every person to be guaranteed a roof over their head. I want every person to be able to access medical care without fear of financial ruin. And if every person could potentially be the Son of Man, a mortal or representative for the whole human race - like we talked about in service - I want to make sure that every person is cared for and treated as if we are caring for Jesus himself. Blessings, Pastor Chris “Chris, pause. You need to straighten your wrist when you do that motion.” I have now heard some form of this comment weekly for the past four months. For my ongoing health and well-being, I have started going to a physical trainer to help me build strength. Last fall, I was diagnosed with a genetic condition where my body doesn’t synthesize collagen correctly. That results in ligaments and tendons that act like old, stretched out rubber bands. One of the ways to combat this is to build strength in the muscles to compensate for what those ligaments and tendons can’t do. Only one problem: I hate lifting heavy things and so I haven’t done so for years.
In order to get me to actually lift heavy things a few times a week, I have started seeing a trainer. This also doubles as protection from me hurting myself by using bad form. In recent weeks, I have struggled to keep my wrist straight when doing a particular set of exercises. Me being me, I stood there for a minute trying to figure out when I kept returning to a bad form that would injure me in the long run. What I realized is that curling my wrists felt like I was protecting that joint from stretching out (due to my overly stretchy ligaments) and the weight was heavier when I straightened my wrists. The side effect of this slight change meant that I wasn’t working the muscle intended and I was opening myself up to injury later. Correct form was more difficult, but I told myself that I can do difficult things. Jesus’ teachings are difficult to follow. There is no way around it: so many of Jesus’ teaching are difficult. Some of them are difficult because we are fallible humans and it is difficult to love everyone 100% of the time. Other teachings are difficult because - if we were honest with ourselves - we actually don’t want to follow them. One topic that Jesus returns to again and again is how the accumulation of wealth is immoral. He tells followers to give up their lives and follow him in a life of nomadic ministry. He instructs a rich young man to sell all of his possessions. He tells parables about rich men dying and burning in the flames of hell. He says that it will be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. At the end of his ministry, Jesus flips the tables of money changers in the temple. There are many questions that we have about Jesus, his ministry, and his life; but his feelings toward people who have accumulated wealth is clear: he thought it was sinful and immoral. Following Jesus’s teachings on money and wealth are some of the most difficult teachings to follow. I know very few people who are willing to take a vow of poverty and sell all of their worldly possessions. I fully admit that I am one of the people who doesn’t want to live in poverty due to my faith; but when I read certain parts of the Gospel, I can feel myself doing the theological equivalent of protectively curling my wrists to make the weight lighter. I ask myself:
Blessings, Pastor Chris If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat;
And if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; For you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the Lord will reward you. - Proverbs 25:21-22 Dear Northminster, This morning, in our weekly Tuesday Bible Study, we read and discussed 1 Kings 3-4 and selections from Proverbs. As we discussed Proverbs chapters 10 and 25 as a group, Proverbs 25:21-22 jumped out at me in a new way. The group observed how this sounds strikingly similar to some of Jesus’ teachings about retaliations (Matt 5:38-42) and loving one’s enemies (Matt 5:43-28). This time around, however, I was thinking about enemies. I am not sure about you, but I don’t have people I would consider my enemies. Yes, there are people I dislike… I mean, *cough* people I would rather love from a distance. But I don’t think of myself as having personal enemies or rivals. That said, there have been groups of people that I have been told are my enemies. It made me wonder what it would have been like if we had gone into Afghanistan with food, water, education, and sanitation instead of bombs. It made me wonder about building universities in Cuba instead of blockading their resources. It made me wonder about training doctors and engineers in Vietnam instead of destroying their forests and people with Agent Orange. But most of all, it makes me sick to my stomach to see how the government of Israel is keeping a stranglehold on humanitarian aid going into Gaza. “The entire population of over two million people in Gaza is severely food insecure. One out of every three people has not eaten for days, and 80 per cent of all reported deaths by starvation are children,” (source) (source). “Ross Smith of the World Food Program told reporters in Geneva by video that they're getting roughly half of what they've requested since the pauses started Sunday. The WFP says almost 470,000 people are enduring famine-like conditions, with 90,000 women and children in need of specialist nutrition” (source). “Access to food has become increasingly dangerous too, with more than 1,000 people killed since May 27 while attempting to access food, many near militarized distribution sites overseen by the U.S.- and Israeli-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza's Health Ministry” (source). Last fall, I did a series of two talks about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. (Yes, I know I owe you all the third and final one, I will be planning that for this fall.) Here is a quick refresher on the conflict:
Blessings, Pastor Chris As you know, I am away on vacation this week.
Rather than write you a letter this week, I want to forward you a letter from the Office of Public Witness of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Below is an excerpt from their article "We stand with our immigrant brothers and sisters!" published on June 23, 2025. You can read the article in it's entirety here. "Presbyterians are called to a response due to our history of speaking against government overreach. We have a long history of calling for resistance to any laws or commands that contradict God’s word. Our policy reflects this belief as for centuries we have maintained the belief in being lawful citizens but have also acknowledged that there comes a time for resistance against tyranny. Our policy statement, “Honest Patriotism,” supplies theological and contextual grounding: “The 223rd General Assembly (2018) acts to lift up our church’s long commitments to active civic engagement, responsible citizenship, and prophetic witness; believing these commitments to be rooted in our faithful response to God’s call for Christians to be stewards of creation; and witnessing the corrosion of democratic institutions.” The witness of the church has manifested as many, diverse PC(USA) Presbyterians, members and leaders in all expressions of the denomination, including General Assembly agency staff, have spoken out against federal overreach. We unequivocally condemn the separation of families and the unlawful deportation of fathers, mothers, and children. We condemn the use of the National Guard and Marines on the streets of L.A. as if we were at war. We have rallied with our ecumenical siblings in a series of rallies sponsored by Repairers of the Breach and Sojourners. Therefore, we call Presbyterians to steadfast prayer. Everything we do as people of faith begins and ends with prayer. God is the ultimate deliverer of justice and calls us to join in God’s bringing about the Beloved Community. We seek to discern God’s will for the nation and to ask for peaceful and diplomatic solutions to our problems. We call Presbyterians to disciples in action by:
This is not the way of our God who is impartial and just toward all, a God who left us the timeless charge in scripture to defend the stranger, the foreigner, the migrant, the immigrant and the refugee. “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Genesis 18:2, 19:1; Exodus 12:49, 22:21, 23:9; Leviticus 19:9-10, 33-34, 23:22, 24:22, 25:35-38; Numbers 9:14, 15:16; Deuteronomy 1:16, 10:18-19, 23:7, 24:14,19-21, 26:5,12-13, 27:19; Job 31:32; Psalm 146:9; Proverbs 5:10; Jeremiah 7:5-7, 22:3; Ezekiel 22:29, 47:22-23, Malachi 3:5; Matthew 25:31-46, 22:29; Luke 10:25-37; Hebrews 13:1-2). Blessings to you all. See you on Sunday. Pastor Chris What does the term “Antichrist” bring to mind? Someone diabolically evil? An evil genius hell-bent on bringing about the end of the world? Son of Satan come to Earth to rule over a cowering populace? Nicholae Carpathia from the Left-Behind series? The villain in the book of Revelation? It might surprise you that all of these descriptions are wrong.
The term “antichrist” is used exactly five times in scripture: Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. - 1 John 2:18-23 1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. - 1 John 4:1-3 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 7 I say this because many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. - 2 John 6-7 The Antichrist does not appear in the book of Revelation. Some people associate “The Antichrist” with “the Beast” which is in Revelation, but this is an interpretive leap that is not supported in scripture. In this handful of passages written by John, the antichrist is not one character but a description of the way someone acts. (Note: when Antichrist is capitalized, it implies a character; when antichrist is not capitalized, it implies a descriptor.) There is not one antichrist but many (1 John 2:18). An antichrist is one who not committed to the community (1 John 2:19). An antichrist is one who denies that Jesus is the messiah (1 John 2:22). An antichrist is someone who thinks that Jesus did not come from God (1 John 4:3). An antichrist is someone who doesn’t follow the teachings of Jesus and follow his command for us to love one another (2 John 6-7). Simply put, an “antichrist” is someone who is against the message of Jesus Christ. An antichrist might look like a member of the community, but they will not act like it. We are told that there will be MANY people like this: ones who might put a veneer of faith around their words, but their actions will shows that they don’t follow Jesus’ teachings and therefore don’t believe in the message of Jesus. They are deceivers that dress up like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Calling someone an antichrist is not calling them Satan or the son of the devil; it is saying that someone is living a life that is the opposite of the Gospel message. And I believe there are many antichrists in the world today: people would love to use the words of Jesus in scripture not to spread love or hope but to oppress and spread hate. Blessings, Pastor Chris For a moment, I want you all to remember how things felt in November 2020. Zoom was still relatively new but we knew where the mute and unmute buttons were. Covid-19 was still deadly, but we had learned that it was an airborne virus and we didn’t have to disinfect our groceries. People were out of jobs and the future felt endlessly uncertain.
On Thursday, November 5th, 2020, our Session met on Zoom. In that meeting, we voted to become a Matthew 25 Congregation. The Matthew 25 pledge was to, “Build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism, and eradicate systemic poverty.” That following summer in 2021, we had a long sermon series about this initiative and what it meant nationwide. The following summer in 2022, we focused on what it would look like to focus on eradicating systemic poverty in Metro-Detroit. The key to the Matthew 25 initiative is that it addresses systems in our culture. It recognizes that poverty, racism, and vitality are not a matter of individual morality. Rather, systems keep wealth in some people’s hands and out of other people’s, systems keeps certain communities disadvantaged, and systems keep certain people in power and others away from power. But, most of all, systems replicate themselves. Unless we address the system that is at work creating disparities, the disparities between people will only grow. In the parable of the sheep and the goats, we often want to focus on what people did in order to earn the King’s favor: they fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger in, clothed the needy, and visited those that were sick and in prison - but the King’s disfavor is equally important: the King instructs that the goats be thrown into the burning trash heap where they will perish. What did the goats do? The king answers that they are responsible for what they didn’t do: they didn’t feed the hungry, nor did they give a drink to the thirsty. They didn’t welcome the stranger and they didn’t visit the sick and imprisoned. No qualifications are given. Jesus doesn’t talk about the hungry needing to be working in order to be fed. Jesus doesn’t clarify if the imprisoned are justly or unjustly imprisoned. Jesus doesn’t ask that the sick pay for their care. The stranger (xenos, as in the prefix for xenophobia) is welcomed in without hesitation or reserve. The implication is that in Jesus’s kingdom, the righteous will make sure that EVERYONE is cared for and has what they need to live. While we, as individuals can give to food banks and charities, people in the past realized that the best way to feed the hungry, house the homeless, care for the sick, and take care of the vulnerable was to do these things collectively as a nation. Collectively, we pooled our resources (in the form of taxes) so that the elderly would not be destitute but would have income and healthcare. We pooled our resources so that the unemployed would not starve. We pooled our resources to ensure that children always had enough food in their bellies no matter if they had responsible or irresponsible parents. The hope was that, if we pooled our resources together as a nation, if we ever personally found ourselves in a precarious position, we also would be taken care of. However, last week, legislation passed that will worsen systemic poverty. It removes access to food from the hungry. It put barriers to getting care in front of the sick. It gave money to increase the surveillance and policing of the stranger and money to build camps to imprison them without due process. And it enshrined a system where wealth will be allowed to pool with those who already have wealth while financial security is stripped from the masses. As a pastor of a congregation who is still committed to the Matthew 25 initiative, I can say that this bill is antithetical to the Jesus’ gospel message. However, our mission as a congregation has not changed: the work may be harder and the systems may have strengthened, but we are still committed to eradicating the systems that create poverty. Blessings, Pastor Chris Over the years, I have heard from many of you that you appreciate my Sunday sermons. Often, I have heard you all remark that you think about them during the week. I won't deny that it feels good to hear that my pondering and thoughts about scripture are meaningful to you all; but it is also music to my ears to hear that you all could summarize the main point of what I was trying to convey.
I am picky about sermons. If you have talked to me about them, no doubt you will have heard me remark that my sermon style is partly based off of what I disliked about the sermons I heard growing up: 1) I dislike sermons that start with a generic joke. If I start with a story, it will be based on my experience or that of someone I know. 2) I dislike three-point sermons. I could never remember the three points the pastor was trying to make - so, I try to make one - and only one - point per sermon. 3) Every sermon needs what I call a "so what?" I have heard too many sermons full of flowery or intellectual language that never got to the point. If a pastor can't answer, "So what? Why should I care?" then the sermon is incomplete. Earlier today, I got a proposal back from an architectural firm that we have been talking to about fixing the church's domed hallway roof. I have forwarded the proposal to Session who will be discussing it on Thursday. When we are ready, we will be bringing this information to the congregation; but there is a question I want to ask you all to consider before seeing the proposal: So what? Why should we fix it? Yes, the dome corners are crumbling and are a liability. Yes, this is our building, and we have been entrusted to take care of it and manage its upkeep. Yes, our current model of ministry is based around owning a building. Yes, this building holds a lot of history and meaning for many. But - so what? What part of our ministry is supported by this expense? Why is it worth spending this kind of money on infrastructure rather than a ministry initiative? How is the future and longevity of this community supported or incumbered by this expense? I will be up front with you all: This repair is not going to be cheap. The amount that we will likely need to spend will likely change the trajectory of this congregation for the foreseeable future. Because of that, as a community, we need a rock-solid "So What?" We will likely need to reach out to the wider community and ask for funds in order to do this project; and if we don't have a solid, one-point reason why other people should listen, pay attention, and care about this project, if we cannot effectively communicate why we need to do this to further our calling and ministry, if we cannot come up with a reason other than a sense of duty, we will not be successful. I know this feels scary and uncertain. I know, and I feel that nervous anxiety too. But this is an opportunity to clarify what Northminster's mission is today so that we can follow God's calling boldly and without fear. As I say often, we can't kill the church: we are only asked to walk in faith where we are called - and we are promised that God will be with us even through the darkest valleys. Blessings, Pastor Chris Once again, countries are dropping bombs on each other. Once again, people are afraid of nuclear war. Once again, human beings are being killed out of fear. Once again, world leaders are attempting to convince their people that the people will be protected only by a show of strength and aggression. Once again, we are being told that peace will only be found through preemptive violence. Once again, families are being told that their loved ones will never come home again.
When conflict breaks out, Christians often consider what side Jesus or God would be on. Many people automatically assume that God/Jesus would agree with their own personal opinion regardless of what scripture might say. Indeed, if one turns to scripture, they will find both pro- and anti-war sentiments throughout the Bible. The Bible is a collection of writings written by various people-groups over thousands of years. It is more accurate to see all of scripture as a conversation over centuries about various peoples’ understanding of God. That said, the major themes that scripture returns to again and again are clear:
- PCUSA Constitution Part 1: Book of Confessions 9.45 When I read this confession last summer as a part of our 2024 summer sermon series, my jaw about hit the floor. I was dumbfounded by one of the documents in the PCUSA’s Constitution stating that we are supposed to pursue peace, reconciliation, and relationships event at the risk of endangering our national security. Moreover, to see it plainly stated that conflating the will of God with the actions of a nation is a betrayal of our faith. In other words, if you are wondering where God is as bombs continue to be launched, know that God is on the side of the injured, the hurting, the hungry, and those who cry out against the aggression of empires and the powerful. And we are called to be peacemakers who deescalate anger and aggression, to increase understanding, cultivate compassion, and be daring in our reconciliation. Blessings, Pastor Chris 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 |
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
January 2026
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