News - January 2019 RSS Feed

What's Your Next Step? Think About the Nicene Creed.

“When I was a child, I was taught God was omnipresent, almighty...what no one ever told me is that God is sneaky.” I heard Sr. Helen Prejean utter words to that affect at a Catholic conference many years ago. Sr. Helen had agreed to write to a prisoner on death row; she eventually found herself pulled into the prisoner’s life and the lives of his victims’ families. She saw the hand of a sneaky God in those events in her life. I cherish her words - and they have proved true in my own life. One of my tendencies is to over schedule myself. For me, that tendency is at odds with any ability to live a contemplative, God-centric life. During one of the busiest times in my life, my husband surprised me with a beagle puppy. Chaos ensued. I quit one part-time job in order to care for Beatrice. Then an odd thing happened - I began to notice flowers blooming, to breathe more deeply, to pray.  If there is truth in the notion that God is sneaky, there is also truth in the saying “old habits die hard.” As Beatrice aged and slept more often, I fell right back into biting off more than was healthy for me to chew. This summer my daughter bought a puppy. When she returned to work in August, she put Ernie Banks in doggie day care - until it closed. She needed someone to help care for Ernie; you guessed it - he comes to my house. Recently, while waiting for Ernie to relieve himself in the backyard, I noticed a flower poking up in the garden, I took a deep breath, and offered a pray of thanksgiving to our sneaky God.

For over a year, my brother has been dealing with clinical depression. I have a limited understanding of this mental health issue, but I can tell you that, at times, I have felt frustrated with, powerless over, disheartened by his disease. The readings at Christmas offered me the image of “people walking in darkness, (seeing) a great light.” It warms my heart that our tradition does not deny the darkness in the world. I identified the darkness with the sense of isolation depression brings to my brother, the sadness his depression engenders in our family. As Christians, we name such darknesses and then add that “light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” While I would hesitate to say I have been a great light, I will attest to the fact that the darkness in my family’s life has not overcome Light. My brother has been surrounded by love and care, and my family has been surrounded by the goodness of friends, counselors and medical personnel. The various acts of kindness and grace that I have witnessed remind me of the candles that we carry into the sanctuary at the Easter Vigil. Together such lights do make a greater light, the Light of Christ. Christmas gives us the image of light, Easter gives us the promise of new life. May we continue to be a people who are not afraid to walk in darkness, carrying candles of light, joining with others to illuminate a pathway to new life.

On the Feast of the Holy Family, a young couple sat in the pew in front of me at mass, one tending to their two year old, the other to the newborn. At one point, the wife reached over and slipped her hand into her husband’s—just for a moment. It was a gesture of gratitude and love. Its tenderness and beauty touched me. I have been married to my husband for forty years. There have been moments in my marriage of such tenderness and beauty. There have also been moments that could not be described by either of those words. I have come to believe that Love creates a spaciousness within relationships that allows for the wide range of feelings. Love creates room for the emotional roller-coaster-like rises and falls that are part of life together. The Gospel reading on that feast day tells the story of Mary and Joseph realizing Jesus is missing and returning to Jerusalem to find him. If I put myself into that story as a parent, I feel immense anxiety—and most likely anger when my almost teenage son says to me, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” I assume Mary and Joseph’s love enlarged their hearts enough to hold the space for whatever emotions they felt at that time. It was a joy to sit behind that holy family on the feast that celebrates families—and the holiness of the spaciousness Love creates.

A Crown Affair, our annual school fundraising event, this year features an all-online auction experience. Log into the website to preview items and even place bids before the event. Use the same link to purchase tickets. Students and teachers are already getting busy and creative to offer packages, baskets, crafts, and experiences - you don't want to miss them! Open this news item for the site link. Thank you!

What’s Your Next Step? Reflect on Church Leadership and Ministry.

On Tuesday, January 22nd at 7pm, Westminster Presbyterian Church (3900 West End Avenue) will host an ecumenical worship service to celebrate The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Jointly prepared by The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Roman Catholic) and The Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (Protestant) the liturgy has been written each year since 1968 by Christian communities in different countries. This year the focus text is Deuteronomy 16:18-20 and the theme is “Justice and only justice you shall pursue” put together by Indonesian Christians. Westminster’s Rev. Guy Griffith is coordinating the service with Rev. Thomas Kleinert from Vine Street Christian Church.

I wonder how many of you remember the little choir boy candles that were popular many years ago at Christmastime.  When my son was in the Christmas pageant at St. George’s pre-school, he was dressed just like one of those candles—a red cassock, white surplice, a big red tie and red beanie.  All he was missing was a wick coming out of the top of his head.  As a four year old, my son was part of the angelic choir.  The five year olds were in leading roles as animals at the stable, shepherds, wise men and, of course, Mary and Joseph. The pageant ended to strains of Joy to the World as the children processed down the main aisle.  Sitting in a pew, I was anything but joyful.  The pageant had been perfect, more like a Hollywood production than an endeavor by four and five year olds.  Where was child-like spontaneity?  The pageant lacked a heart-warming, humanizing moment.  Ah but redemption comes in many forms!  About half way up the main aisle, five year old Mary wheeled on five year old Joseph, put her hands on her hips and said accusatively, “YOU forgot the baby!”  Startled, Joseph hurried back to the altar, grabbed a doll out of the makeshift manger, and dashed back to Mary.  She pulled the doll away, tucked in the crux of her arm and, queen-like, strove toward the back of the church. Inwardly cheering mightily, I lustily sang out “let heaven and earth rejoice!”  Sometimes imperfection is so much more perfect than perfection!     

We are in need of a new catechist for our 8:30 a.m. Kindergarten class on Sundays. There are two adult assistants who alternate Sundays for supporting the lead. The lead position is the one that we are trying to fill. Please contact Kathy Skinner at kathy.skinner@ctk-nashville.org if you are interested. Classess run from now until May 19. We have a few Sundays off between now and then.

What's Your Next Step? Pray With Your Body.