Can we worship in a fellowship hall?

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Matthew 22:34-40

As many of you already knew and as all of us are now experiencing,

We decided at our annual meeting this year to not move to our other building in the South Acworth village this year.  Last year was a really tough year for us keeping both building minimally heated during the winter and so we wanted to cut back this year to try to make up some of the difference.

If you’ve never experienced a move with us before, it can be quite fun.

We ask everyone to lend a hand – as many hands make light work.

And at the conclusion of morning worship, after we sing Grant Us Thy Peace, we grab the hymnals and the Bibles and put them in storage containers.  And we put the storage containers into the back of Richard’s or John’s or Brian’s truck.

Many probably know this already but Richard and Ella would always take the hymnal we aren’t using that Sunday down to the Valley earlier in the week and would make it an easier and quicker process on the Sunday after church.

Other things that we would need for worship down in the Valley would be placed into vehicles and we’d all reconvene down in the Valley for coffee hour.

This was an important part of the process since if we had coffee hour up here on the hill,

We’d have far less help bringing things down to the Valley.

The Relationships That Make Us

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

When I was in 8^th grade, I was invited by this church to begin a confirmation class.

As part of this class I was assigned a mentor, John Luther, who I would meet with on a regular basis and talk with about life and the gospel of Mark, which everyone in the class was required to read and reflect on.

I don’t remember much of the what of our conversations.

But I do remember the where and the how.

Meaning – I don’t remember exactly what we talked about – though I imagine there was some part that had to do with the gospel of Mark – some part that had to do with oldies on the radio no doubt

But I do remember that we had conversations about the spiritual life while milking cows.

And I’ll never forget learning how to milk a cow during the first meeting.

I’m not sure if this is a standard practice for teaching someone how to milk,

But as I was leaning in to see just what John was doing with his hand so I could imitate it

John turned the spray in my direction and laughed as I jumped back with surprise.

A Breath of Fresh Air

"The Peace of Wild Things," by Wendell Berry

Philippians 4:1-9

I’ve been puzzling over Paul’s words here this week.

When I read, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice,” I can’t help but imagine someone coming up to me when I am stressed out or feeling sad and

Saying something like “Turn that frown upside down.”

It does no good for someone to tell me to cheer up as if by some act of the will alone I am not able to feel full of joy.

And I think a lot of this comes from cultural pressures to appear in certain ways.

And if America’s cardinal virtues are productivity, efficiency, and speed –

We can see why melancholy is not something that is socially acceptable.

It is something, then, that we try to fix.  A problem we try to solve.

And so someone comes up to you and says, “Cheer up.”

Which turns out to not be very helpful for someone who is burdened by grief or worry.

But I think this is a symptom of a larger cultural problem.

And that’s that we have lost the deeper understanding of what it means to be joyful.

I’m not saying we don’t know how to have fun.

We know how to have “good times” and we can post pictures of those good times on Facebook.

But I am saying that I don’t think fun and joy are the same thing.

Walking Together

Philippians 3:4b-14

We are pilgrims on a journey,

We are travelers on the road,

We are here to help each other

Walk the mile and bear the load.

These are familiar lines to some of us. 

I can remember singing this song countless times in my parents’ living room on Sunday evenings

when people from the community would come over for Bible study.

What I like about these words is not merely that they describe the spiritual life as a journey,

That’s a helpful metaphor and I’m sure one that many of you have heard before.

But it describes it as our journey.  We are pilgrims on a journey.

It recognizes that I’m not alone in trying to find my way in 21^st century America

towards a life that is free and a love that is genuine, towards a wholeness in God.

One thing I’ve learned about going on a journey is the need to pace myself.  I say I’ve learned this, but that just means I’ve recognized its importance.  Putting this into practice is a lifelong process.

And this is why it can be dangerous for me to read something like what Paul wrote to the Philippians in today’s reading.

“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”

It can be dangerous for me to read something like this because I can easily hear it as “try harder” – like the coach in the locker room giving a pep talk – “you can do it – don’t stop now – keep going”

I hear these words of Paul’s as telling me to keep pushing forward in my efforts to achieve whatever goals I have made for myself.

But the more I have sat with this text, the more I don’t think that’s what’s going on at all.