FROM YOUR PASTOR

By the time my son Griffin and I left the Smith Center after the Heels beat the Wolfpack Sat night, the chills I experienced (that began at halftime) were on full-blast. And by the time we arrived home my temperature was at 101 degrees and I was sick. I had a persistent bug that lasted longer than desired but I am much better today. And thankfully, no, it wasn't Covid.

Saturday night sickness is not good for preachers, after all we make a living by the sweat of our lips. Sweat from our foreheads is never a good look from the pulpit despite my grandmother's dictum that, "if the preacher don't sweat, I don't listen!" I can count on one hand the number of times that I've missed a Sunday service due to illness in 36 years of pastoral ministry (with fingers remaining) but this past week was one of them. Kudos galore for the way my colleagues covered my absence so well, particularly Amy for stepping into the pulpit with not much notice.

The un-preached sermon, "Fishing Differently," was to highlight Jesus' invitation to the two pairs of fishermen to "follow me!" and then conclude with this story from Annie Dillard's book  The Writing Life:

One bad winter in the Arctic, and not too long ago, an Algonquin woman and her baby were left alone after everyone else in their winter camp had starved. Ernest Thompson Seton tells it. The woman walked from the camp where everyone had died, and found a cache. The cache contained one small fishhook. It was simple to rig a line, but she had no bait, and no hope of bait. The baby cried. She took a knife and cut a strip from her own thigh. She fished with the worm of her own flesh and caught a jackfish; she fed the child and then herself. Of course she saved the fish gut for bait. She lived alone at the lake, on fish, until spring, when she walked out again and found people. Seton’s informant had seen the scar on her thigh.” 

I'd follow someone like that; in truth, I do.

This Sunday the lectionary readings are from two very familiar texts; Micah 6 and the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:1-12. Amy and Stephanie have been notified, just in case.

With much affection for you,

Your Pastor,

Marcus McFaul

This Sunday at Binkley!

Epiphany Forum

January 29, 9:30 am

The Early Church and the Future of "Church" in Our Time

Micheal Palmer, facilitator

Fellowship Hall, in-person and Zoom

As the early Church moved from being a persecuted minority movement spreading across the Roman Empire to one sanctioned by that same empire, the leadership of women was increasingly suppressed. Roman cultural values came to dominate theology and practice. Today's church is also shaped strongly by the surrounding culture. What challenges and opportunities can we envision for today's church by looking back at our earliest Christian sisters and brothers? Drawing on the work of feminist historians we will rethink what we know, to re-envision what we might become.

God in Southern Story and Song

(Adult Sunday School class

through February 19, 9:30 am)

Lounge, in-person only

The rich music that arose and was nurtured in the Appalachian Mountains is one of the deepest and most sparkling streams in what we now think of as American music. The mountain musicians came from white, Black, and indigenous cultures, and each contributed to the amalgam of sounds and stories in Appalachian music. Lee Smith’s novel, The Devil’s Dream, and readings from Wynton Marsalis, Joy Harjo, and others provide lively material for discussion, and in each class, we listen to highlights of this remarkable music. Susan Ketchin, writer, teacher, musician, and author of The Christ-Haunted Landscape: Faith and Doubt in Southern Fiction leads the class. Susan and Lee have been friends for many years, and Susan encourages us to read The Devil's Dream as soon as possible!

Children & Youth Activities

January 29

Children: Sunday School, 9:30 am

Youth: Doughnuts & Discussion, 9:30 am

February 5

Children: Sunday School, 9:30 am

Youth: Hang Out in Pocket Room, 9:30 am; Youth Group, 5 pm, Pocket Room

Contact Amy Armstrong for more information.

We will livestream the service at 11 am on our website, Facebook, and YouTube. You choose which platform works best for you. After the livestream has ended, you can view the service at your leisure on Facebook or YouTube.