Psalm 78:1-8
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
He established a decree in Jacob,
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach to their children;
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and rise up and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
2 Timothy 1: 3-14
Every time I say your name in prayer - which is practically all the time - I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion.
That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith - and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed - keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we know anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.
This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground - the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end.
So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.
I had a friend years ago who had been raised by atheist parents. He had never gone to church - never gave much thought to God or religion - that is, until, as an adult, he was going through a personal trauma and a friend of his invited him to attend church with him. Months later we attended a Good Friday service together, and on the way to the parking lot he told me something that really surprised me: “If I could time travel, the person I would most like to meet is Jesus.” I asked him “Why Jesus”? and he said, of all the people who had walked the face of the earth, he felt Jesus had had the greatest influence on people’s lives and the course of history.
Wow! that’s quite a statement coming from a former atheist! Jesus walked a very small corner of this earth over 2,000 years ago. How is it all of us are sitting here today talking about him? How did that happen?
I’ve been reading a book for my Daughter’s of Abraham group entitled “Judaism’s 10 Best Ideas,” by Arthur Green, and chapter 8 is entitled ‘Talmud Torah: Teach Them to Your Children’. He begins the chapter with these words:
“If you were to ask me what single precept of Judaism is the one to which Jews feel the greatest commitment, I could answer completely without hesitation. ‘You shall teach them diligently to your children’ (Deut. 6:7): the commandment to educate, to pass the legacy of tradition and its knowledge onward from generation to generation. Jews have a particularly strong awareness that our lives serve as bridges between those who came before and those who will come after us; each of us is a living link between our grandparents and our grandchildren.”
That precept goes way back, before the writer of Psalm 78 told of their ancestors being commanded to teach their children the law of Israel:
… that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and rise up and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments…
Jesus was born into this tradition, as were his disciples; and these traditions and messages and laws have been passed on through subsequent generations, from parent to child, from teacher to student; all the while evolving and morphing into different traditions - into what we know as Christianity today, with all of its variations. That’s a lot of generations to go through to get to March 1, 2015.
In Paul’s letter to his protege Timothy, he speaks to him almost as if he were his own son: “I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors.”
He commends him for his honest faith “handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed - keep that ablaze!”
I was raised in the church, with lots of mentors and teachers along the way, the first being my parents. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother praying with me before bed - her telling of the night she came in and in my sleep I greeted her with the words “Dominus vobiscum!”. I remember the family saying grace before our evening meal, mass every Sunday morning, 13 years of parochial education. It shaped who I am today.
How many of you were raised attending a church? (show of hands)
What are those early memories that shaped your faith and who you are today? Who were your mentors? I wish I had time to pass the mike - but I don’t. We can share later. But think about it.
Our stewardship theme this year is “Faith that lasts a lifetime.” This theme is about those memories and how they are formed here at Eliot, and how they form our faith for years to come. Over the next four weeks you will be hearing from people who grew up at Eliot and have moved on, as well as some who are still here growing in their faith.
Remle Stubbs-Dame wrote to us about her time at Eliot. “I definitely think Eliot shaped who I am today. One of the most profound lessons I learned from Eliot was how to appreciate the gifts of people who were different from me, and how to get along with them. The cohort of folks in Sunday school or youth group might not be the people any one person would naturally gravitate to at school. However, at Eliot, we were all equal, regardless of looks, grades, sports ability or social gifts.
My peer group became an incredible source of identity for me. No matter what happened, I knew I had a place at Eliot and a place in the youth group, and I think other folks felt the same way. I think that experience made me believe that any group can gel and perform, if you give it the right structure and experiences. It also helped me to look harder for the hidden qualities that make community members or coworkers great, qualities I might have overlooked if I hadn't been required to get to know such a diverse group of personalities so well.
On the second date, I told my now husband that should we have kids, I felt very strongly that they be brought up in a community of faith, although I was flexible about the creed. Although I may have been jumping the gun, I think it was a wise condition. My kids, whenever they might appear, will be raised in a community which values each member and puts kindness over success. I only hope they get an Eliot of their own in which to flourish.”
“I only hope they get an Eliot of their own in which to flourish.” I hope for that too. I want lots of thriving Eliot’s for this next generation, and the ones that come after. A friend of mine from seminary sent me some statistics last week, based on a gallop poll that was released the eve of Ash Wednesday.
It stated that New England has passed the Pacific Northwest, where my friend lives, as the “least” churched corner of America. 5 of the 6 NE states, including MA, rank among the bottom 10 states for church attendance.
These are somewhat alarming statistics. Those studying church growth tell us that once two generations are unchurched, it’s hard to bring them back. They have no point of reference. I remember my unchurched niece, when she was a teenager, asking me what was the big deal about Jesus anyway?
But on another occasion she asked me how to pray. There was hope. And today, married with a young step-daughter, she and her husband are thinking maybe they should raise their child in a church.
We hear in our smaller church initiative, that Robert and Cathleen and I have been participating in, that church is changing. It doesn’t look like the church of the 60’s, and we’re not sure what it is going to look like in the future. Maybe future generations will be going to church on their smart phones. Churches in MA were experimenting with all kinds of worship via social media during the latest blizzard.
I’m a firm believer that we need churches like Eliot in our modern society. As Clif Christopher says in his book, “Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate,” churches are in the business of transforming lives, and there are a lot of lives out there in need of transformation. There are a lot of lost and lonely people in need of community, searching for meaning in their lives.
Today begins our stewardship campaign. I tend to complain that it’s right in the middle of Lent, but then I got to thinking: Stewardship is a spiritual practice, and spiritual practices are one of the ways we grow in our faith this Lenten season.
Why do you support the Eliot Church? Sure, the staff has to be paid, along with the electric bill and those who are plowing the snow from our parking lot, but that’s not why you’re going to financially support Eliot. You’re going to pledge because this community of faith is changing lives - and not just the lives of those families and individuals who have pledged or show up on Sunday mornings. It changes lives in our broader community and world.
Why pledge and not just drop a 5 or 20 in the collection plate when you have a little extra in your pocket on a Sunday morning? Well, the practical reason is it’s hard to put together a budget when you don’t know what resources you’re going to have to work with. But that’s not why you do it. After all, who gets excited about paying the electric bill?
Growing up Catholic, my parents pledged, but I didn’t know anything about it - not until I joined the Congregational Church of Northridge, UCC. I was a struggling actress and artist at the time. I didn’t know where my next dollar was coming from - or when. But I pledged. Why? - because that church was changing my life.
It was there I made friends, lots of them, people with different backgrounds, ages, jobs - like Remle, people I never would have become friends with if it wasn’t for that church.
It was there that I found like-minded people to work with to serve the wider community and work for issues of social justice.
It was there I got to use my artistic gifts, singing in the choir like our devoted choir members here, and directing theatrical productions, creating avenues for others to use their gifts.
It was there I was challenged to go deeper in my faith, to study and broaden my knowledge and beliefs.
It was there I learned to meditate, and formed a meditation group with other women who wanted to pray together and share their experiences.
It was there I came to fill my spirit on Sunday mornings.
Does any of that sound like your experiences here at Eliot?
Because of that church, the little girl who handed out ritz crackers to her little sister while playing church in the basement, will give out communion to you today.
The future of the church is up to us, all of us. It’s in our hands, our voices, and yes, our wallets. As you watch our children come up each week for Children’s time with Reebee, remember, their future is also in our hands. What kind of church, if any, will we be handing on to them?
The church is not a building. It’s not the pastor, or the staff. It’s all of you, joined in community, working to transform lives and build a kin-dom of peace and justice and love.
And remember Paul’s words to Timothy: “Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.” Let that spirit guide you in your generosity this Stewardship Season.
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
He established a decree in Jacob,
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach to their children;
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and rise up and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
2 Timothy 1: 3-14
Every time I say your name in prayer - which is practically all the time - I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion.
That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith - and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed - keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we know anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.
This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground - the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end.
So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.
I had a friend years ago who had been raised by atheist parents. He had never gone to church - never gave much thought to God or religion - that is, until, as an adult, he was going through a personal trauma and a friend of his invited him to attend church with him. Months later we attended a Good Friday service together, and on the way to the parking lot he told me something that really surprised me: “If I could time travel, the person I would most like to meet is Jesus.” I asked him “Why Jesus”? and he said, of all the people who had walked the face of the earth, he felt Jesus had had the greatest influence on people’s lives and the course of history.
Wow! that’s quite a statement coming from a former atheist! Jesus walked a very small corner of this earth over 2,000 years ago. How is it all of us are sitting here today talking about him? How did that happen?
I’ve been reading a book for my Daughter’s of Abraham group entitled “Judaism’s 10 Best Ideas,” by Arthur Green, and chapter 8 is entitled ‘Talmud Torah: Teach Them to Your Children’. He begins the chapter with these words:
“If you were to ask me what single precept of Judaism is the one to which Jews feel the greatest commitment, I could answer completely without hesitation. ‘You shall teach them diligently to your children’ (Deut. 6:7): the commandment to educate, to pass the legacy of tradition and its knowledge onward from generation to generation. Jews have a particularly strong awareness that our lives serve as bridges between those who came before and those who will come after us; each of us is a living link between our grandparents and our grandchildren.”
That precept goes way back, before the writer of Psalm 78 told of their ancestors being commanded to teach their children the law of Israel:
… that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and rise up and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments…
Jesus was born into this tradition, as were his disciples; and these traditions and messages and laws have been passed on through subsequent generations, from parent to child, from teacher to student; all the while evolving and morphing into different traditions - into what we know as Christianity today, with all of its variations. That’s a lot of generations to go through to get to March 1, 2015.
In Paul’s letter to his protege Timothy, he speaks to him almost as if he were his own son: “I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors.”
He commends him for his honest faith “handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed - keep that ablaze!”
I was raised in the church, with lots of mentors and teachers along the way, the first being my parents. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother praying with me before bed - her telling of the night she came in and in my sleep I greeted her with the words “Dominus vobiscum!”. I remember the family saying grace before our evening meal, mass every Sunday morning, 13 years of parochial education. It shaped who I am today.
How many of you were raised attending a church? (show of hands)
What are those early memories that shaped your faith and who you are today? Who were your mentors? I wish I had time to pass the mike - but I don’t. We can share later. But think about it.
Our stewardship theme this year is “Faith that lasts a lifetime.” This theme is about those memories and how they are formed here at Eliot, and how they form our faith for years to come. Over the next four weeks you will be hearing from people who grew up at Eliot and have moved on, as well as some who are still here growing in their faith.
Remle Stubbs-Dame wrote to us about her time at Eliot. “I definitely think Eliot shaped who I am today. One of the most profound lessons I learned from Eliot was how to appreciate the gifts of people who were different from me, and how to get along with them. The cohort of folks in Sunday school or youth group might not be the people any one person would naturally gravitate to at school. However, at Eliot, we were all equal, regardless of looks, grades, sports ability or social gifts.
My peer group became an incredible source of identity for me. No matter what happened, I knew I had a place at Eliot and a place in the youth group, and I think other folks felt the same way. I think that experience made me believe that any group can gel and perform, if you give it the right structure and experiences. It also helped me to look harder for the hidden qualities that make community members or coworkers great, qualities I might have overlooked if I hadn't been required to get to know such a diverse group of personalities so well.
On the second date, I told my now husband that should we have kids, I felt very strongly that they be brought up in a community of faith, although I was flexible about the creed. Although I may have been jumping the gun, I think it was a wise condition. My kids, whenever they might appear, will be raised in a community which values each member and puts kindness over success. I only hope they get an Eliot of their own in which to flourish.”
“I only hope they get an Eliot of their own in which to flourish.” I hope for that too. I want lots of thriving Eliot’s for this next generation, and the ones that come after. A friend of mine from seminary sent me some statistics last week, based on a gallop poll that was released the eve of Ash Wednesday.
It stated that New England has passed the Pacific Northwest, where my friend lives, as the “least” churched corner of America. 5 of the 6 NE states, including MA, rank among the bottom 10 states for church attendance.
These are somewhat alarming statistics. Those studying church growth tell us that once two generations are unchurched, it’s hard to bring them back. They have no point of reference. I remember my unchurched niece, when she was a teenager, asking me what was the big deal about Jesus anyway?
But on another occasion she asked me how to pray. There was hope. And today, married with a young step-daughter, she and her husband are thinking maybe they should raise their child in a church.
We hear in our smaller church initiative, that Robert and Cathleen and I have been participating in, that church is changing. It doesn’t look like the church of the 60’s, and we’re not sure what it is going to look like in the future. Maybe future generations will be going to church on their smart phones. Churches in MA were experimenting with all kinds of worship via social media during the latest blizzard.
I’m a firm believer that we need churches like Eliot in our modern society. As Clif Christopher says in his book, “Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate,” churches are in the business of transforming lives, and there are a lot of lives out there in need of transformation. There are a lot of lost and lonely people in need of community, searching for meaning in their lives.
Today begins our stewardship campaign. I tend to complain that it’s right in the middle of Lent, but then I got to thinking: Stewardship is a spiritual practice, and spiritual practices are one of the ways we grow in our faith this Lenten season.
Why do you support the Eliot Church? Sure, the staff has to be paid, along with the electric bill and those who are plowing the snow from our parking lot, but that’s not why you’re going to financially support Eliot. You’re going to pledge because this community of faith is changing lives - and not just the lives of those families and individuals who have pledged or show up on Sunday mornings. It changes lives in our broader community and world.
Why pledge and not just drop a 5 or 20 in the collection plate when you have a little extra in your pocket on a Sunday morning? Well, the practical reason is it’s hard to put together a budget when you don’t know what resources you’re going to have to work with. But that’s not why you do it. After all, who gets excited about paying the electric bill?
Growing up Catholic, my parents pledged, but I didn’t know anything about it - not until I joined the Congregational Church of Northridge, UCC. I was a struggling actress and artist at the time. I didn’t know where my next dollar was coming from - or when. But I pledged. Why? - because that church was changing my life.
It was there I made friends, lots of them, people with different backgrounds, ages, jobs - like Remle, people I never would have become friends with if it wasn’t for that church.
It was there that I found like-minded people to work with to serve the wider community and work for issues of social justice.
It was there I got to use my artistic gifts, singing in the choir like our devoted choir members here, and directing theatrical productions, creating avenues for others to use their gifts.
It was there I was challenged to go deeper in my faith, to study and broaden my knowledge and beliefs.
It was there I learned to meditate, and formed a meditation group with other women who wanted to pray together and share their experiences.
It was there I came to fill my spirit on Sunday mornings.
Does any of that sound like your experiences here at Eliot?
Because of that church, the little girl who handed out ritz crackers to her little sister while playing church in the basement, will give out communion to you today.
The future of the church is up to us, all of us. It’s in our hands, our voices, and yes, our wallets. As you watch our children come up each week for Children’s time with Reebee, remember, their future is also in our hands. What kind of church, if any, will we be handing on to them?
The church is not a building. It’s not the pastor, or the staff. It’s all of you, joined in community, working to transform lives and build a kin-dom of peace and justice and love.
And remember Paul’s words to Timothy: “Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.” Let that spirit guide you in your generosity this Stewardship Season.
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