Greetings,

One hundred and seventy-one years ago, Edmund Sears wrote, “O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing.” Recently, this line has found a new home within my heart. Traditionally, each Advent/Christmas season I meditate upon a phrase from a devotional book, the Scripture, or a Christmas song. Last year, I found delight when Lauren Daigle featured in Chris Tomlin’s contemporary song Noel sang, “Come and see what God has done.” The year before, Fleming Rutledge’s comment, “Advent begins in the dark” stirred within me. One year David Guthrie and Bruce Greer’s line from their cantata spoke into the depths of my spirit, “Heaven gave up a Son that day. Hear His Father cry. Sent to bear both the cross and grave, sinner’s perfect supply.”

This year my daughter has shown an interest in learning the refrains to our most beloved Christmas carols. I play the guitar and we sing the refrain to O Come, All Ye Faithful and The First Noel repeatedly. As she sings I am in awe of the beauty of the poetry to retells our Savior’s birth. To date Nadia is not (yet) interested in the refrain for We Three Kings, but we have received good mileage with Go, Tell It on the Mountain.

One night while we sung Nadia had the giggles. I am not sure if she giggled because she was stretching the word “Gloria” over four measures or if the strangeness of the Latin, “in excelsis Deo” tickled her ears in the refrain of Angels We Have Heard on High. Maybe it was by sheer accident. Maybe it was the laws of gravity hard at work. Maybe it was by divine appointment. That night my songbook slipped from the music stand and closed shut. When I reopened the book I had turned to Sears’ Christmas hymn, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear and my eyes were drawn to a line I had never given much thought, “O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing.”

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From Pastor Nick

Greetings,

Public gatherings for worship will be suspended indefinitely.  

I do not know when public worship will continue. However, I will follow the advice of our health officials.

When it is safe for us together for worship, I would like to combine both services for at least that Sunday. I will work with our Sunday school teachers to factor in how/if they would like to hold Sunday school at that time. When that date and time come— I will communicate it through our leadership.

I pray that you are all doing well. My family is well. However, my sister and her husband are under quarantine in Niagara Falls and my mother-in law has decided not to come to NY for Easter. I am overwhelmed with being a kindergarten and second grade teacher as I help to steady my kids world.

Our Divide and Conquer teams will still be checking in with you each week to see how you are doing.

(The building will remain open to allow the Food Pantry and Community Kitchen to still operate.) LeAnn will work from home most days but will have access to email and the phone will be transferred to her home so she has access to your phone call and the answering machine.

Thank you for your understanding and grace as we navigate these uncharted waters.  If there is pastoral need or you have questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Greetings,

“When is an ending not an ending?” once asked Norman Petersen. The question is not as random as it may first appear. In the last pages of Mark’s gospel an editorial note states, “The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.” The most reliable manuscripts of Mark’s gospel conclude, ‘Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid” (16:8). In other words, Mark’s original ending stops in mid-sentence and fails to provide an appearance of our Risen Lord. Such an observation may be unsettling at first, but I think requires of us to ponder, “When is an ending not an ending?”

Lamar Williamson, Jr., a New Testament scholar wrestling with Petersen’s question while studying the gospel of Mark answered, “When a dead man rises from the tomb—and when a Gospel ends in the middle of a sentence.” The strange ending of Mark’s gospel has held to much debate. Without getting too deep into the muck and mire of the history of biblical interpretation, I venture to suggest that Mark intended his version of the Easter story to end this way and that the Early Church did not need to add an appendix (Mark 16:9-20) to smooth the gospel’s ending.

In the original ending of Mark, we discover three moves that occur. In vv.1-4, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome come to the tomb. We find in vv. 5-7, a young man in the tomb who gives them a message, and in v.8 we are told the women leave the tomb. However, even Mark’s original ending provides us the core message of Easter when he writes, “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here” (Mark 16:6).

The gospel of Mark moves quickly to get us to this moment in history. For example, Mark doesn’t bother to tell us about Jesus’ birth. He barely lets us know that Jesus had been tempted in the wilderness. Mark’s gospel provides the bare bones of Jesus’ teachings and parables. However, Mark’s gospel is light on many of the details the other gospels give us. I think Mark does this on purpose. Mark doesn’t simply want us to know about Jesus, as if we have him all figured out. Rather, Mark wants us struggle to keep up with Jesus who is always on the move, to use our time wisely getting to know Jesus and growing deeper as his disciple. I believe Mark could have reported that first Easter in a myriad of ways but wants us to know that Mark 16:1-8 is not the end. We are invited to explore the tomb and embody the emotions of surrounding that first Easter. The goal as I see it, is not merely to receive an appearance of our Risen Lord as we stand within the tomb looking out, but to continue to encounter Jesus in our own “Galilee.”

I would like to invite you into the sacred drama of Holy Week, April 9^th – April 12^th. On Holy Thursday, April 9^th @ 7pm we will reenact the meal when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. On Good Friday, April 10^th at noon we will leave from Moore Park to retrace the footsteps of Jesus to his death. On Holy Saturday is a day we continue to reflect on Jesus’ words, life, and death. On Easter Sunday, April 12^th, we gather in Gibbs Parlor @ 8:30am and 10:45am in the Sanctuary to celebrate the ending that is not an ending—the resurrection of Jesus Christ through triumphant hymns, awe-inspired moments of silence, corporate prayer, the reading and proclamation of the Easter message, and decorating the cross with cut flowers (flowers will be provided). Your presence would be a blessing.

Easter Blessings,

Nicholas Perry, Pastor

Tentative

Sunday, April 5 – Palm Sunday – Communion

8:30 – Worship in Gibbs Parlor

9:45 Sunday School

10:45 – Worship in Sanctuary

Holy Thursday, April 9 – 7:00 PM

Combined service with Hurlbut Church at Westfield

Good Friday—April 10—Way of the Cross

Noon— Moore Park

Easter Sunday, April 12

8:30 Service

10:45 Worship

  March 18^th, 2020

Greetings,

            I want to provide an update about our church and its activities. On Sunday March 22^nd, and Sunday March 29^th public gatherings of worship will be canceled (including Sunday School and Bible Study). We are heeding the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal, State, Local government officials, and our denominational leaders. We will publish further updates of closures and re-openings through text message, email, church webpage, and Facebook postings. The church office will remain open during the week to help coordinate the needs of our congregation and wider community with pastoral support.

            A Sunday message will be provided on our church’s Facebook and webpage. In addition, there will be PowerPoint slides containing prayers, Scripture readings, lyrics to hymns, and links to music videos. Fortunately, many have already accessed previous Sunday messages when they were unable to attend Sunday worship.

            The people of our congregation come from a rich history. As Methodists, our days began with the use of circuit riders. A circuit rider was minister who traveled often by horseback in large loops around the country. This meant that the folks that established our congregation would go a month or more before the preacher rode back into town. Historically, this was a season of spiritual awakening and revival as congregations deepened their faith in Christ through personal prayer, the reading of Scripture, and the singing the songs of our common faith. Today is an invitation to return to the basics of our faith and to reclaim the rich heritage to which we belong.

            As Christians, we are all seeking God’s direction during this time of uncertainty. I want us to continue to listen for God’s voice. Perhaps, we can find meaningful ways as our earliest members to celebrate the hope we have in Christ and to make a difference for God’s Kingdom in our community. While we will not be holding public worship in church for the next two Sundays, it is a good reminder that the church is not a building; the church is a people. Please find creative and healthy ways of being the church: call upon one another with prayer requests, wrestle with Scripture together, share a prepared meal with a neighbor, etc.

The Community Food Kitchen at this moment will be serving take-out meals for their clients. The Community Food Pantry is operating without folks having to enter the building.  The Appleseed Pre-School is following in the footsteps of our school system and are closed until further notice. All church activities are canceled until the end of March.

The church office is open, and we are ready to serve and meet the ends of our congregation and community. Pastor Nick will continue to provide pastoral care during this time. Please be in communication with friends, family, neighbors, and church members. Let us know of any needs where we may be able to assist. There is no honor in staying open and there is no shame in closing. However, when church services are canceled folks tend to forget to continue to support the church through their giving. Please continue to send your gifts, tithes, and offerings to support the ministry and our beloved church employees. It is our responsibility to support both our congregation and its employees during this time.

There are a lot of unknowns. However, we must continue to trust in God and work together for a better tomorrow. If you have questions and/or concerns, please contact Pastor Nick or the church office. 

                                                                                                Blessings,

                                                                                                Nicholas Perry, Pastor

                                                                                                Office: (716) 326-3243