An Elder Pilgrim's Reflections

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations" Luke 2:28-30 A child's birth evokes family, religious, and social traditions. Announcements are sent to family and friends. A new life begins filling parents with hope, imagining great things ahead. Jesus' parents fulfill the obligations called for in Leviticus 12:3-8; circumcision and offering a sacrifice. These ancient traditions remind them that Jesus is born as part of the covenant between God and God's people. This holy moment in the holy place of the God's temple is a moment of hope.  This hope, though needs to be understood in the context of the time. On the one hand, Luke is recalling a time when life seemed safe, tradition observed, and Joseph and Mary could safely travel to register in a census and worship in the Temple.  On the othe...

Our Nativity with Gifts Our prayer for you is that you have peace in your heart, calm in your soul, joy in your spirit. Elaine and Rich

The angel Gabriel went to Mary and said,  “Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary saying, "Greetings favored one, the Lord is with you." Knowing of God's presence helps Mary understand this holy interruption. She doesn't know why an angel would disrupt her daily life since angels appear and change things.  Look what happened to Hagar. And how about the angel appearing to Moses in a burning bush. These people's lives were dramatically changed. Would her life be dramatically changed too? She probably asked herself— Am I favored? Is God with me? What will this involve? Gabriel informs Mary she will conceive, bear a son and name him Jesus. The angel describes this child's identity and destiny. Yet Mary responds saying, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." The story of Mary and Gabriel doesn't include the realities of the ancient world. Mary li...

May those who sow in tears  reap with shouts of joy. Psalm 126:5 Maurice walked about a mile every Sunday from his group home to church. He seldom missed worship. In the sub-zero temperatures frequently occurring in Vermont winters, he entered the sanctuary in his flannel shirt, suspenders, work boots, and khakis. Down the left aisle he would go, greeting each person as he went. "Mornin". "Beautiful day, ain't it".  Then he would sit in a pew.  Alone in the front. One snowy Sunday right before Christmas, he didn't make it to church. Considering the weather, no one was really surprised. He wasn't in church the next Sunday either. The men's fellowship called the home to find out if he was alright. No, he wasn't. On his way to church he had slipped on black ice under the snow, fallen and broken his ankle. He was confined to bed and very depressed. Men from the fellowship visited him several times. Two days before Christmas, they all came for a visit...

 “I will send my messenger ahead of you,     who will prepare your way”  “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,     make straight paths for him. Isaiah 40:3 Sunday after Sunday 12-year-old Amy came down the center aisle of the church and sat in the second row from the front. One Sunday she brought an older woman, her, grandmother. Sunday after Sunday they came. One Sunday they brought an older man, Amy's grandfather. After church one Sunday Amy's grandmother said her husband had never been baptized. We agreed on a Sunday for his baptism. On that day Amy's grandfather stood before the congregation, said the vows and was baptized. After the service I learned that Amy's grandfather couldn't read and had memorized the vows so he would know when to answer and what to say. Amy came looking for hope. Something beyond the darkness of the poverty she lived in, a jailed mother, and an absent father.  Just like Amy, aren't we lo...

Therefore you also must be ready,  for the Son of Man is coming  at an unexpected hour. Mt. 24:44  There's a story about a young woman and her grandmother at a worship service. The guest preacher began, "I'm coming..." but forgot what came next, so he began again, "I'm coming..." but still forgot. He started forcefully again, waving his arms wildly about, and losing his balance fell right into the lap of the young woman in the front row. She let out a horrifying scream. Her grandmother turned to her and said, "What did you scream for? He said he was coming." ADVENT   is the beginning of the Christian year when God creates a new heaven and earth and the former things are not remembered. (Is 65:17)   ADVENT   is a time of expectant waiting and preparation. Waiting for both the birth of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming.    ADVENT  is a time of soul-examination and change. For Paul that means "to set asid...

  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders. . . and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12:1 It is an understatement to say the fire was a tragedy. Smoke poured from the windows and doors as flames gutted the inside of the Forklift Café. Within minutes the First Responders from Dingman Township Volunteer Fire Department as well as six other companies including one from New Jersey were on the scene. The Forklift has been a part of the community for over 12 years serving both excellent meals and the community as well. Not only is the owner/chef Loriann active in the local community, she is a generous giver supporting local and global charities such as the CROPwalk. She stood fighting tears and coping with shock at her tremendous loss. As I stood beside her offering what comfort I could, a steady stream of people stopped to offer prayers and support. It was the...

I have fought the good fight,  I have finished the race,  I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 The apostle Paul certainly had accomplished a great deal and overcome many obstacles in his work for Christ. In addition to establishing churches, writing 13 books of the New Testament, being ship-wrecked, stoned, and debating the establishment in Jerusalem, he was finally placed under house arrest. He journeyed to Rome to stand trial and later Nero condemned Paul to death by decapitation. He truly, fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. In his own way Chris Nikic did the same thing. As a Special Olympics athlete, he crossed the finish line of the Ironman competition on Saturday, November 7.  He become the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. He achieved this after he finished a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-marathon run at the Ironman Florida competition in Panama City Beach. Nikic crossed the finish line...

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you... Do not let your hearts be troubled  and do not be afraid.   John 14:27 On the night before his death, Jesus he had a farewell talk with the disciples at the conclusion of the Last Supper. He predicted Peter denying him three times, he washed the disciple’s feet, and Judas had left. Talking about his coming death was no surprise considering the way he had stirred things up with the religious establishment. Naturally, the conversation was interrupted by the anxious questions of his disciples. What will happen to us once you are gone?  Like any one of us, the disciples were agonizing over what seemed like uncontrollable events. They were certainly filled with fear and apprehension as they imagined terrorizing incidents.  Jesus tells them God will send The Comforter who will help them remember what he has taught them. Then Jesus gives them a gift: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you..." According to Wesley's notes t...

During WWI and WWII the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi was highly publicized. Archbishop and military vicar Francis Spellman distributed millions of copies of the "Prayer of St. Francis" during World War II. This anonymous text is a widely known Christian prayer for peace. It has been quoted by prominent leaders, was read into the Congressional Record and its broadly inclusive language has found appeal with diverse faiths. It seems to me that as the election nears, happens, and concludes, restoration of calm and peace needs to begin. There is a need for a time of calm after chaos, harmony after hostility and tranquility after turmoil. Isn't it appropriate that the Prayer of Saint Francis, become part of our daily devotions? Isn't it time this widely known Christian prayer for peace used so much during both World War I and World War II be utilized again? Isn't it time to pray beyond boundaries and for unity? So let us pray together:  Lord, make me an instrument of...

 Now faith is the assurance  of things hoped for,  the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 No, I'm not still stuck on I-81 hoping to be on my way as soon as possible. A tow truck big enough to haul a tractor-trailer rushed past on the shoulder followed by a VDot pick-up. I had faith that somehow the road would be cleared or traffic detoured around the crash. Slowly, we came to an off ramp, were directed up it, across a main street and down a ramp onto I-81. We we on the road again. This, of course, is a shallow understanding of Hebrews 11:1.  For me, hope is in found in God's Word as I look at what is, could be, and should be as I head toward the "Highway of Holiness" to be among the righteous who walk on it. The author of Hebrews describes faith as assurance and conviction. Faith is trusting God. For example: By faith Abraham, was called to go somewhere to receive his inheritance. He obeyed and went, not knowing the destination. Faith is walking with ...

 A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. Isaiah 35:8 It seemed like a good idea at the time. We hadn't seen our sister-in-law since she moved to South Carolina nearly 3 years ago. Using Google Maps, I indicated a starting point and a destination. The first set of directions were to use I-95 through Washington and Baltimore. NOPE. I checked the map further and decided that an I-81 route around major cities and through the countryside was the best choice. It turned out I-81 was not a good choice. I-81 is a major truck route for truckers who want to avoid Washington, Baltimore, and major cities. It also happens to be a major route for drug and human trafficking. So much so the FBI formed a task force to combat these issues. It is not by any means a "Highway of Holiness".  We came to a crash. Two trucks had sideswiped each o...

This is what the LORD says:  "Stand at the crossroads and look;  ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it,  and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16 Yogi Berra said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." The entrance to the summer camp I attended had a gravel road with a fork. The left fork led to the visitor parking lot. The right to the trucks' garage and then became an overgrown dirt logging road. One evening as I was riding my horse, a Cadillac appeared on the garage road just before it became the logging road. The driver stopped, rolled down the window and asked, "Is this US Route 7?" The people of ancient Judah were at a crossroad. They could turn toward God or they could continue down a path of self-destruction.   What do you do at a crossroads? Jeremiah says, ask for the ancient paths where the good way is. “Ancient,” means going back to creation and further. The ancient path is the good way. I...

  What did you think when you first heard that President Trump was infected with the coronavirus?  “What else did you expect? You were warned! What’s next, more chaos? What happens to our nation?” I think there is a lesson here beside the ones about wearing masks, washings hands, and social distancing. That lesson is found in Luke 13:1-9, the parable of the Fig Tree. Two events serve as the lesson’s background. First, while Galileans were sacrificing animals at Jerusalem, Pilate came suddenly upon them killing them, mingling their blood with the blood of the sacrificial animals. Second, eighteen people died when the tower in Siloam unexpectedly collapsed on them. It's in the setting of unexpected tragedy that Jesus tells the Parable of the Fig Tree.  Keep in mind that in Jesus day, tragedy was considered the result of sin.  Jesus suggests not equating tragedy with divine punishment. Sin does not make violence come. It just comes. So, since we all need to repent, take...

As the deer longs  for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. Psalm 42:1 My neighbor, who has a touch for gardening, worked hard planting a delightful variety of flowers. They were a beautiful sight to behold!   The flower garden, it turns out, was also a deer buffet. One morning about half a dozen deer showed up and enjoyed themselves devouring the buffet! I don't doubt that my neighbor would have preferred the deer "longed for streams of water" rather than her flowers.   In this psalm King David complains about his exile and his distance from God's temple. In other words, he can't go to church. His soul longs for the renewal of God's presence because God felt distant, remote, absent. He asks if God has forgotten him and he wants to know where he can go to meet God. People are asking him, "Where is your God?"   In times when we don’t go to church, or church is virtual, or seats are limited, we may experience the same longing in our...

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good. Romans 12:9 Sojourner Truth was an African American evangelist, abolitionist, women’s rights activist and author who lived a miserable life as a slave, serving several masters throughout New York before escaping to freedom in 1826. After gaining her freedom, Truth became a Christian and, at what she believed was God’s urging, preached about abolitionism and equal rights for all, highlighted in her stirring “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, delivered at a women’s convention in Ohio in 1851. She continued her crusade for the rest of her life, earning an audience with President Abraham Lincoln and becoming one of the world’s best-known human rights crusaders.  In Romans, love is the dominant theme as Paul calls attention to love as the key moral norm for God’s people. Jesus had said that all the law and the prophets hang on two commands: love God and love your neighbor as yourself.   In Romans 12:9 Paul says the Christia...

   "Nevertheless,...I will heal my people and will let  them enjoy abundant peace and security." Jeremiah 33:6 "Were your parents liberal or conservative?" I was asked. "Neither," I said. "They were too busy recovering from the Great Depression, living through WWII, and worried about communism." Reflecting on the question and answer I realize how differently our society has evolved. Social tensions were very different. Employment, the Draft, the Atomic Bomb, and the Red Scare leading to the McCarthy investigations.  Social tensions today arise around Black Lives Matter, White Supremacy, Police interaction with people, wearing pandemic masks, and conspiracy theories which sometimes result in death.  I see these issues as signs of a broken relationship with God which are not part of God's will for humanity. This brokenness is called sin. God called Jeremiah to speak to Israel and has little good news for his people. Jeremiah explains the disast...

Surely his salvation is at hand  for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you? Psalm 85:9 God, can we have civil conversation in our land again? Can you revive us to a state of dignity? This story gives me hope that God is at work reviving God’s people.   In 1856 at the age of seventeen, William MacKay left his Scottish home to attend college. His mother gave him a Bible on which she wrote his name and Scripture verses. At college he began well. But eventually he drifted far from the way he had been raised. He began drinking heavily. At a low point, he carelessly pawned the Bible using the money to buy whiskey Years later, MacKay completed medical training and worked in a city hospital where he had a dying man as a patient. The patient knew he would soon die and began to urgently request that the hospital staff get a book in his apartment. He needed that book brought to him. “I need my book, ...

  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves,  it is the gift of God Ephesians 2:8 Brayden Harrington may not be a name you remember, but he shared a moment of grace. Brayden has a serious stutter issue. Children with that issue are often the subject of teasing by others which may leave them feeling isolated and alone. They may choose to be alone to avoid humiliation. They may not offer an answer to a question by the teacher even they know the answer. Often added to that is the embarrassment of being removed from the classroom for speech therapy.  Brayden, however  had a moment of grace. When Joe Biden was in New Hampshire he met Brayden and they spent time together. Brayden was shown how to mark a paper so that when he had to read aloud it was easier. The moment of grace wasn't so much that he was shown something new or different. It was that someone with the same disability took time to share in their experiences. As Bide...

The Word is near to you on your lips and in your heart Romans 10:8 Communication is a major issue when driving a special needs school bus. Some children don't comprehend what you are saying while others can't clearly articulate what they are trying to say. Some understand what you are saying but have difficult behaviors they can't control. Some are living through or have had traumatic experiences and express their anger or pain in socially unacceptable ways.  Communication is a major issue with Paul. Paul expects that God’s Word actually gets inside of people. It is not just spoken, but is a power that changes hearts and lives. In Paul’s day the heart is where the physical, intellectual and spiritual life, including the will, emotions, and desires, while the mouth gives expression to what is in the heart. Thus, on your lips and in your heart. Words like believing and faith suggest agreeing to something -- whether or not that can be belief is demonstrated as true. Paul’s cla...

               By this time the boat, battered by the waves,  was far from the land, for the wind was against them. Matthew 14:24 One of my adventures was a 50 mile Boy Scout canoe trip on Chesuncook Lake, ME. The 16 year old scout in my canoe was  actually a paddle washer, meaning I worked and he merely dipped his paddle in the water. On our second day, a strong wind came up at our backs. The next day on our return trip, the wind was a strong headwind. I kept telling him to paddle harder or the wind would turn the canoe sideways and we might be swamped. Nothing changed, so I prayed, "Lord, motivate this scout". Unexpectedly a  strong gust turned  the canoe sideways, a wave broke over us, and the scout got soaked. Suddenly the Spirit moved within the scout who paddled as though his life depended on it for the rest of the day. It's been a busy day for Jesus. Jesus hears about John's death and tries ...

  "Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness," Romans 8:26. My morning worship includes a prayer time for people I know who are in need of healing, guidance, strength, and wisdom. I pray for the Red Sox, the Patriots, and the Celtics. I also include a prayer for our church that "God may restore her fortunes like the watercourses of the Negeb."  (Ps. 126:4). I pray these prayers in confidence that God hears them and the Spirit intercedes according to the will of God. My prayer form follows A.C.T.S. Adoration, Confession,Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Thus, when Paul says, "the Spirit helps us pray when we do not know what to pray," (Romans 8:26) , I don't know what I don't want.  James Dunn, a British New Testament scholar, says Paul's grammar in verse 26 defines the scripture differently than we usually think of it. He says it's not that we know what we need and merely lack the right words for asking it. As he says, we "do not kno...

1930 Steel Worker    The LORD himself goes before you  and will be with you;  he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 Here  is one place you would never find me.  My Swanton, MYF wanted to go to an observation tower in Montreal,the Observatoire Place Ville Marie. We rode up the elevator, the doors opened and I found the tower was glass from ceiling to floor. The youth went dashing to windows looking down on Montreal. Terrified, I leaned against the wall looking straight out. The youth wanted to linger and I wanted to leave... quickly. "Do not be afraid.?" Fine on paper, not in the tower. I was more than ready for the Lord to go with me to the elevator. In Deuteronomy 31:8 God reassures the Israelites that all will be well. God was removing Moses giving him an eternal rest. This was a monumental change since they relied on Moses for so long. God then appoints Joshua as Moses’ successor to lead...

 I am moving ahead with my pandemic planning. I am fascinated by steam trains. I have ridden the Strasburg RR to Paradise in Strasburg, PA.;the CSRR in Conway, N. H.; the Scranton Limited based in Steamtown, PA.; and the D&S RR in CO running along a canyon river and then its steep side. Naturally, I'm making plans to visit 5 different steam train rides near Portland ME as well as the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME. Pandemic Planning says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1)  In other words, don't go steaming along with your plans because they may go off the rails. Ecclesiastes' author is a sage grown weary of life’s uncertainties. Therefore, he says, recognize your own mortality in the face of God’s eternity and be appropriately humble: “I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it." (Ecclesiastes 3:14).  There is a rel...

 For you shall go out in joy,  and be led back in peace;  the mountains and the hills  before you shall burst into song,  and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 Trees of The Field is one of my favorite songs. I like the tempo especially as it increases with each verse. I enjoy the rhythm and clapping hands as we sing. I can almost hear the mountains and hills bursting into song. And I really love the imagery of trees clapping their hands. For me its not just the spirit and imagery of the song, its the hope within it. The song and text are saying that signs of hope can be seen as God does the impossible with creation. Isaiah is speaking to folks in desperate need of a word of hope. The trauma living through the Babylonian Exile was too much to bear. Some Israelites are questioning their beliefs in the God of their ancestors. Isaiah presents the doubters with a word of hope from a Lord who transforms broken lives. The prophet desc...

"There is no longer Jew or Greek,  there is no longer slave or free,  there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28 Shortly after Pastor Sungduk Kim moved in to the parsonage and got settled, I met with him and asked how he was getting along. Had he found a doctor, a grocery store, and the like. I then asked a question that revealed my ignorance, "Had he experienced any racism?" Of course he has. Webster's Dictionary says racism is a belief that racial differences produce a built-in superiority of a particular race. It is also a political or social system founded on race.  The Bible in Leviticus says: "When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." Jesus says: "For I was hungry and you gave me som...

Matthew 11:16 "To what do I compare this generation?" Did you live through the Great Depression? You are part of the Greatest Generation if you were born in 1924 or earlier and lived through the Great Depression and fought in WWII.  The Silent Generation was born 1925-1945; Baby Boomers were born between 1946-1964; Generation X was born between 1965-1980; a Millennial was born between 1981-1996; Gen Z was born after 1997. (ref.,  Generation Fast Facts  ) After his baptism Jesus tells John's disciples to tell John what they have heard and seen -- the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead raised, and the poor receiving good news. These must be signs of God's kingdom drawing near. The problem with his generation was that people weren't listening. John's lifestyle is offensive, so he is accused of having a demon. Jesus' habit of eating and drinking with sinners is scandalous. Actually, these reasons are excuse...

Morro Rock, Morro, CA Matthew 7:24 Everyone then who hears these words of  mine and acts on them will be like a  wise man who built his house on rock.   Morro Rock is a remnant of an extinct volcano which the Salinan people consider a sacred site.  They climb it for their biannual solstice ceremonies celebrating the time in legend when Hawk and Raven destroyed a two-headed serpent-monster, Taliyekatapelta. Thus Morro Rock is a sacred rock in their religious faith. Like everyone else, I have had a time of inner struggle. With the loss of my father I went through an inner struggle on the journey of grief. I dealt with denial and isolation,  anger, bargaining, and  depression. Finally I accepted that this is life. Some people will show these emotions outwardly. Others, like me, will experience their grief more internally.  Shortly after my father's death, I received a sympathy card from my D.S. on which she wrote, "losing a father is like the shaking...

How long, Lord?  Will you forget me forever? Psalm 13:1 A spiritual crisis for me is missing our weekly communion. I miss the breaking of the bread and pouring of the cup. I I miss gathering as one body and hearing the liturgy reminding me: "We pray for all who are in sorrow or in pain, all who are ill or alone . . ." The untold spiritual crisis is that more than 416,000 Americans have died from Covid 19, and they often die alone.  There is powerful image of an elderly woman in a nursing home placing her hand on a window and a young relative placing her hand on the other side of it. This image, for me, raises questions about our living and dying. Will we live separated, isolated lives? Will we die alone?  It is part of being human to face a spiritual crisis. It may be anxiety about personal finances, the uncertainty of our times, dismay for lack of human dignity, and fears related to the Covid 19.  For me,  Psalm 13  is source of strength in a spiritua...

The Seawall, Acadia, NP Revelation 21:1  "Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away." "The Times They Are a-Changin'" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released in 1964.  The song is a conscious effort to verbalize the changes of the 60's. For me its release influenced my views on society because the lyrics are general yet universal giving the song a lasting message of change similar to Mark 10:31  where the last verse says: The slow one now will later be fast As the present now will later be past The order is rapidly fading And the first one now will later be last For the times they are a-changin' The times seem to be changing to a "new normal". New Normal? What does that mean? Perhaps more working at home, continued social distancing, or more frequently wearing masks? Does it mean an increase in overt violence or a more subtle violence such as suspicion, mistrust and humiliation? John...

1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?   I held these sacred symbols throughout my ministry. The Bible is particularly sacred to me because it is my "preaching bible". For over 50 years I stood before a congregation and read and interpreted God's Word. The cross is especially sacred to me because I brought it home after visiting Wesley's chapel in London. It stands before me as a symbol of my Christian and Methodist heritage.  The chalice is truly sacred to me  because it is a gift from a good friend upon his return from Taize', France.  It reminds me that blessing the cup and loaf brings us together as one in Christ. To me the opposite of sacred is profane. To take any of these sacred symbols and use them for something other than their sacred purpose is sacrilegious. To desecrate them is nothing less than the powers of darkness at...

Psalm 46:10  "Be still, and know that I am God" Wonderland, Acadia, NP In these trying times there is much noise around us. There is noise from armed protesters, school shootings, and the desecration of Jewish synagogues and Muslim mosques. There is the noise of people being in food lines for the first time. There are the disturbing cries from the weak being abused  and the vulnerable being neglected. There is alarming noise from violent protesters and deeply unsettling scenes of destruction. It makes me feel like Elijah hiding in a cave as God passes by in wind, fire and earthquake. It makes me ask, What's coming next? Will it be some sort of social upheaval? Will it be a further fracturing of our world? Will it be a new source of fear? So I turn to God in prayer. I ask God to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and heal the sick. I ask God to bring peace in our troubled times. I ask God to "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ...