Friday, May 27, 2022 Newsletter
SUNDAY SERVICE
IN-PERSON AND ONLINE VIA FACEBOOK LIVE:
NEW! 10:00 a.m. Summer Worship in the Sanctuary
(* also available on our website and via phone)
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A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN:
ALIGNING OUR WILL WITH GOD’S
Buffalo, NY. Laguna Beach, CA. Uvalde, TX. These three communities have almost nothing in common: Buffalo is a small city struggling to revitalize itself in the “Rust Belt,” the old industrial corridor that straddles the Northeast and the Midwest. Laguna Beach is a wealthy community in glitzy Orange County, just outside of Los Angeles. Uvalde is a sunbaked small town in the rural area west of San Antonio, about halfway to the Mexican border. Pretty much everything you can think of, from geographic location to racial/ethnic diversity to economic opportunity to local climate, is radically different.
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They only seem to have one thing in common: they’ve all been the site of a mass shooting in the United States in less than a ten-day span.
Uvalde, in particular, is hitting hard, because it’s the second-deadliest school shooting in history (and, appallingly, there is a lot of competition for that title, eclipsed only by the horrors of Sandy Hook ten years ago, of which it is all too reminiscent.)
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Part of what is so hard about all this is the familiarity of it. The entire world should stop when 19 elementary school children and their two teachers are murdered by a gunman while sitting in their classrooms. But, while this one is getting more attention than most, the world isn’t stopping, because these events have become part of the fabric of American life since Columbine in 1999.
In fact, there is a predictable public liturgy that is already being followed instead: a news cycle in which dismay and grief are expressed, and “thoughts and prayers” are offered by public figures; a vigorous debate over the causes and solutions to rampant gun violence in the United States; and a failure of any meaningful leadership or action or even experimentation in addressing those causes or pursuing those solutions. And then the liturgy is concluded until the next time.
It is so consistent that, for many people in the United States, prayer has become a dirty word in the aftermath of these events. That is because prayer is so often used as a substitute for meaningful engagement or action or intentionality in these circumstances: people pause and offer “thoughts and prayers” for those who were tragically killed, and then go about their business, shaking their heads at the terrible but seemingly inevitable carnage. And so more and more people have said “enough”: we need to stop praying and do something about this unusually American problem of mass gun violence.
To that, I want to say two things for us to wrestle with as Christians. First, as disciples of Jesus Christ, prayer is always an appropriate response. Jesus filled his earthly ministry with prayers: prayers for guidance, prayers of lament, prayers of thanksgiving, prayers for people to be made well and for unjust systems and circumstances to be judged and transformed, even when it seemed almost impossible that anything could really be changed. So we must reject any call to stop offering prayers, especially in times like these.
And second, as disciples of Jesus Christ, prayer is never the only appropriate response. That’s because prayer is not a coin that we toss into the fountain while making a wish. Prayer is not about getting God to do what we want, much less getting God to do what we don’t want to do ourselves; prayer is about intentionally seeking to align our wills with God’s will.
That is why Jesus taught us to pray by saying, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” because human beings spend a lot of time going against God’s will on earth, and there can be no question that the mass murder of children is against God’s will. In fact, the Hebrew Scriptures are filled with examples of God warning God’s people not to follow the gods of other peoples, and particularly not the ones whose worship included child sacrifices to idols.
And what that means is that prayer is supposed to be the prelude to faithful action in line with God’s will for human well-being on earth, not a substitute for such action. We pray for what we think and hope God’s will is for something in the world, and then we commit ourselves as faithful followers for taking concrete action to help build up the kingdom of God in that way in the world. Prayer and action are not conflicting alternatives; they go hand in hand for us as Christians.
So, yes, let us pray in response to these shootings: pray for comfort to those who are experiencing the almost-indescribable grief of losing a child; pray for an end to these patterns of violence; pray for a better world that is in line with God’s intentions and promises for us. And let us pray for ourselves and our leaders, as well: pray for wisdom and imagination, courage and humility, strength and resilience, guidance and vision, because we will need all those things and more as we also answer the call and expectation to help find and take the action that is so elusive and overdue in ridding our society of this plague of senseless violence.
But that action, and our participation in it, is necessary and faithful, because a world that accepts these sorts of terrible events as inevitable is doing nothing less than flouting God’s will for our children, for our world, for our very humanity.
Do I know what that action is? What the path to finally solving these seemingly intractable issues are? No. But that is why it is all the more important to both pray and act out of faith. For as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” So let us, at least, commit to that: to praying and taking a first step, trusting in God to guide us and lead us as we go. Because the one thing that is certain is that we cannot, must not, stay where we are any more.
Grace and Peace,
J.C.
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FOR THIS SUNDAY
Click the link to read the verses
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- This week’s sermon: Come As You Are (But
Don’t Stay That Way) by The Rev. J.C.
Austin
- We post the video of each week’s
services and sermon text and audio
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TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT on 8.5" x 11" paper
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FOR SUNDAY MORNING
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As we announced earlier this week, on Sunday we begin our new schedule of one Summer Worship Service at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary. It will also be available via livestream on our Facebook page and on our website.
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Child care will be available from 9:45-11:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings; please ask an usher for directions.
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We offer nametags for folks to wear – these are for everyone! You can pick up as you enter the worship space; please clearly PRINT your first name.
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*UPDATED* MASK PROTOCOLS
As a reminder, anyone who is not fully vaccinated and boosted must properly wear a mask when in the church building.
The local transmission rate is currently increasing. Therefore, although we are not requiring masks, we strongly encourage that people wear masks as an additional precaution to protect themselves and others.
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ITS BACK!
With summertime upon us, our popular “Lemonade on the Lawn” social time will be offered after our 10 a.m. Summer Worship service. Stop by the front lawn for a cool drink, snack, and fellowship. We’ll head into the North Link in case of bad weather.
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LOOKING AHEAD TO SUNDAY, JUNE 5
Following worship on Sunday, June 5, please join us for our first Table Talk of the summer!
Once each month during June, July, and August (in place of Lemonade on the Lawn), we’ll gather for food and fellowship, and enjoy learning more about our Afghan family and their experiences. They will join us for this first Table Talk gathering and we’ll hear their remarkable, moving story.
We’ll provide a halal meat entree, bread, and drinks. We’d love for you to bring either a salad or dessert if you’re able. (If you aren’t able to do so, please join us anyway!)
We’ll gather in the shade out front for our time together (or in Fellowship Hall if it’s raining). You can save the dates for our other Table Talk sessions, as well: July 10 and August 7. We hope to see you there!
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CALLING ALL CRAFTERS!
Sewers and knitters and quilters and painters and floral arrangers and anyone interested in fun and fellowship - all are welcome to join the weekly sessions offered on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
No experience necessary! Materials supplied!
We'll meet in Room 408 - bring along your lunch and share your inspiration! Contact us at info@fpc-bethlehem.org with any questions.
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CHURCH OFFICE UPDATE
The church office, building and Preschool program will be closed on Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day. We will re-open on our regular schedule on Tuesday.
Please continue to contact the staff person you need to speak with, to set up an appointment – staff are working remotely as much as possible. If you don’t know who to contact, email us at info@fpc-bethlehem.org or leave a message at 610-867-5865.
The South entrance door is unlocked between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday - Thursday, and on Sunday mornings.
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ALL HANDS ON DECK
With little notice to get the Kirk Center cleared out for the
needed floor upgrades, our Tech Team and Facilities Team did a super-fast mobilization to break down and store the many parts and pieces of the Contemporary stage. Well done!
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IF YOU ARE HOSPITALIZED…
We would like to know when our members are entering the hospital. Please tell the hospital that your church ID is 724 and they will contact us. You can also contact Phil
PRAYER REQUESTS...
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Send us your news and photos to share:
**Deadline for next week's newsletter is
WEDNESDAY at noon**
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Your likes / comments / shares help us spread the word about First Pres!
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THIS SUNDAY
- 9:45 – 11:30 a.m.: Child Care (ask ushers to direct you)
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10 a.m.: Summer Worship Service, in-person in the Sanctuary AND livestream on Facebook Live and our website; below, to join us online
- 11 a.m.: Lemonade on the Lawn social time on the front lawn
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TO JOIN OUR LIVESTREAM WORSHIP SERVICES
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Visit our Facebook page and look for the post with our live feed
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If you don’t have a Facebook account, go to our website to view the service - click on the "Watch the Service" button
- Please check in with a comment so we know you’ve joined us!
- Captions will now be available on our livestream, for those who would like to use that feature
To watch a video – available after the services have aired: Visit our website archives
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IF YOU DO NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS: You can participate on your phone to listen to the Summer Worship Service
To listen on the phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 848 4170 9518, followed by the # key. You will be asked for the participant ID – press the # key again.
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TUESDAYS, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Crafters, Room 408 (everyone welcome; bring your lunch)
WEDNESDAYS: 7 p.m. - Overcomer’s Outreach Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly meeting, via Zoom (Meeting # 380 435 9056 / Password: overcomer)
CHURCH OFFICE AND BUILDING INFO: The church office, building and Preschool program will be closed on Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day. We will re-open on our regular schedule on Tuesday. Regular office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. The South entrance will be open during these hours, and on Sunday mornings.
Many of the office staff are continuing to work remotely for some of the time, so please make an appointment if you need to see someone specific. The answering service (610-778-7003) can take your urgent pastoral concerns, 24 hours a day.
CARE CONCERNS AND HOSPITAL VISITS: If members of the FPCB congregation are hospitalized and would welcome pastoral and hospital ministrant visitors and/or prayers, please contact: Phil Fair, Prayer Ministrant (prayer@fpc-bethlehem.org).
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHLEHEM |
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 2344 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18017 610-867-5865 | info@fpc-bethlehem.org
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