High Holy Days

Sunday will be a whirl-wind day at Seneca Presbyterian Church - along with all other Christian churches. It is the day we remember the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem - complete with palms and great festivity. I imagine some places can also manage the donkey, too.  Palm Sunday is the event that begins Holy Week - the "high holy days" of the Christian faith. During this week, we remember the final events of the life of Jesus. If we walk them faithfully and spiritually, we re-experience the heart of our faith: the overwhelming, foolishly extravagant love of our amazing God.Our Presbyterian brothers and sisters in Oconee County have a tradition for doing just that. We gather for worship each evening during Holy Week. It is a difficult tradition to keep, but well worth the effort.

The bookend events of Holy Week are the exciting ones - full of celebration and life. The ones in-between are the hard ones, full of betrayal and death. We can celebrate just the "easy" ones - but if you are looking for a faith that works even in the hard days; if you want to marvel at what humanity in all its sin will do to silence even God's love and what God will say in return, then walk the journey of Holy Week. Open up yourself to all it means and allow yourself to be changed.

At Seneca Presbyterian, as we begin Holy Week, we will once again consider the Apostle Paul's understanding of the cross. These past weeks, our texts have come from Paul's correspondence to the Christians in Corinth. Sunday we will look a bit more at the relationship Paul had with them along with the challenges that came with it. We will explore Paul's understanding of power and then contemplate how Jesus used power on Palm Sunday. As it is a first Sunday, we will be blessed with the celebration of the sacrament of communion as we conclude this first opportunity to worship during our "high holy days." Won't you join us?

Foolish Wisdom

This Sunday at Seneca Presbyterian Church, we will continue to look at the power of the cross through the eyes and faith of the Apostle Paul. Our text this week comes from Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth. The story of that congregation is a fascinating study of life among the very first Christians. Paul had his hands full dealing with their questions, their divisions, and the lack of respect some of them had for him and his authority. And yet these letters to the Christians in Corinth contain absolute jewels for us today.

Just imagine - without those cantankerous Corinthians, we would never have heard these words: Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. If those feisty Corinthians had not been such gluttons at their fellowship suppers, we would not know the words of institution that are remembered each time we gather around the Lord's table for the sacrament of communion. For I deliver unto you that which I also have received, how the Lord Jesus on the very night in which he was betrayed, took bread... And if it had not been for the power grabbing factions among those Corinthians, we would not have Paul's eloquent words about the foolish wisdom and powerless strength of the cross of Christ. Our understanding of the cross lies at the heart of our faith, and we can thank Paul for helping us understand that truth almost two thousand years later.

I invite you to read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 in preparation for worship this Sunday. And to think about the following:

• How would you describe the foolishness and weakness of the cross as seen through human eyes? 
• What would you say to today's skeptic who asks: "Why do you worship a mocked, tortured, humiliated, and defeated would-be Messiah?"
• Where does the power of the cross lie for you?

Seeing the Cross through Paul's Eyes

I'm back in the pulpit again on Sunday. Where did the season of Lent go? We have only two Sundays before Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, yet I still want to begin a series of sermons that will take us through the Sunday after Easter. This series focuses on the heart of our faith, namely the cross, as seen through the eyes and mind and experiences of a chief interpreter of our faith, namely the Apostle Paul.We will look at some key concepts and passages from Paul's writings in order to catch just a glimpse of how this amazing man understood what happened on and through the cross of Christ. We will start with 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, with its focal text: So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old as passed away; see, everything has become new!

So reflect with me:

• When you see a cross, what comes first to your mind? 
• Have you known some crosses in your life that carried particular meaning, perhaps in the sanctuary of a church that was significant in your journey of faith, in a painting or a piece of jewelry, or even depicted in a picture or scene from a movie? 
• Does the image of a cross still convey power and meaning for you or has it become too commonplace? 
• What about Paul: do you have a pre-conceived notion about this amazing but very human man? 
• How much do you know of his life? 
• Has anything in his writings been used to keep you from fulfilling your God-given potential? 
• Which of his words "sing" in your spirit? 

We Have a New Home

Greetings after two weeks of "down time." We've been busy moving from our former home to our new one, and the people of Seneca Presbyterian Church have been very gracious and patient with me. They understand when I say that the "stuff" is in the house, but most of it is still in boxes in the garage - and may be there for quite some time to come. As we need it or get time to unpack it - that situation should improve. But before I get back to mental work, allow me to reflect on the experience of moving.

The two weeks we devoted to our move were filled with cleaning out, throwing out, giving away, preserving and packing, and remembering. Guess it's inevitable that leaving a home which is familiar and moving to a new home that is exciting but strange (it still feels like we are living in someone else's house) brings back memories. I remember the first time we saw the house that was our home for nine years. I remember the excitement of three children who finally had discovered a house that would work for them. It's bittersweet now living in a house they have not even seen, much less helped to select.

As I mentioned, the people of Seneca Pres have been most supportive. They empathize with the burden of moving. "Enjoy" is not a word they associate with such a task; "hate" is; which is why I would like to go on record as being so very grateful for those capable workers who actually did the hefting and lifting. If we "hate" moving - which most of us only do every few years or so - what about those who do it daily as a way of life? I know they are paid, but not enough. $10 an hour was the figure quoted by one of our movers. Seems unfair to me. Which is why I am so grateful.

So it's back to the mental work - while my back and feet heal. I promise a post tomorrow on Sunday's sermon! Thank you for your patience.