Pastor's Corner [Home]

Where Are You Headed?
           
In this Advent season, dear Pilgrim, where are you headed?  Are you Bethlehem bound?  Are you, like the three Wise Men, following that incredible star that portends the birth of someone with whom God is pleased?  Or are you ground down with the busyness of a holy season that has been usurped by those seeking profits instead of Bethlehem’s promised Child?  Where is your heart leading you?
Into the political quagmire of first century Jerusalem the astrologers from the East came seeking him “…who was to be born King of the Jews.”  Herod’s advisors and seers searched the ancient holy texts for prophesies relating to a promised Messiah “…who would deliver his people from their sins.”  Commissioned to continue seeking this tiny Pretender to the throne of David, Herod dismissed the regal sojourners from lands afar and plotted to eliminate the holy Child once he was located.  The fear of losing his throne, a throne purchased with blood and intrigue, let loose a murderous paranoia that history refers to as “the slaughter of the innocents.”  But the Wise Men, suspicious of King Herod’s motives, continued their search for the holy Child, with no intention of returning to Jerusalem.  Peering into the blackness of the heavens, they located once more their guiding star and again headed out into the unknown.  A powerful, unseen hand, guided their travel to a stable where they found the object of their quest wrapped “in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  Emmanuel, God with us!  Falling on their knees, they worshipped him, and presented him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Dear Pilgrim, have you lost your way in the blackness of earth’s night?  Or led by starlight, can you find your way to the stable of new birth for all humankind where a tiny babe embodies the miraculous grace of God!   Find there your kneeling place.  Find there what God alone makes possible for each Pilgrim reaching to touch that tiny hand – new hope, new faith, new life.  Come, let us adore him!
                                                                                In His Love,

                                                            Margaret J. Ferguson, Interim Pastor

You are invited to Christmas Eve worship at 7:30 p.m.   At 7:10 p.m., a pre-service concert by a brass quintet comprised of two trumpets, a tuba, trombone and French Horn will sound out the joy of the season.  There is a place here for you!

What’s an Interim?

An old philosopher once observed that the only two certitudes of this life are death and taxes!  I would offer a third – change!  While we sometimes fear change and resent it, it comes!! In our communities and in our churches, it comes!  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, it can be that which revitalizes us, renews us, excites and invigorates us!

The time between when an installed Pastor leaves a church and a new Pastor is called is known as “the Interim time”.  It allows members to assess what has been accomplished during the tenure of their departed leader and to discover the strengths and weaknesses of their faith community.  It is a time to take an unhurried look in the mirror!

Areas critical to the church’s very existence need to be reviewed: 1. the spiritual growth of the congregation, 2. understanding of stewardship as a spiritual discipline,   3. budget building and stewardship education, 4. understanding of mission, 5. Christian education for all age groups, and 6. our involvement in the mission and ministry of our presbytery, etc.

The interim period allows a congregation to get perspective on a relationship that has ended.  Emotional adjustments do not respect timetables.  Healthy emotional expression can occur along with the basic work to prepare for a new leader.  Creative attention to the tasks of the interim can help forge a new identity and sense of mission that is both healing and energizing for the entire congregation.  But, the interim tasks demand hard work and fervent prayer. Each member and each friend of the church has a vital part to play.

Begin by reading the report and the list of questions formulated for your consideration by the Mission Study Task force which I hope you have received in the mail recently.  Be present on Sunday, September 10th for lunch and discussion with the Mission Study Task Force in the Graybill Room.  Pray for each elder, for each member of the Mission Task Force and your Interim Minister.

Remember that each ending is also a new beginning, and new beginnings are precious gifts from God!  Let us embrace them in trust and in joy!

                                                                                    In Christ’s love,

                                                                                    Margaret J. Ferguson