Brett's Discernment

For rotation group, we write reflections on our worship experiences. For Christmas and January we did not have assigned places to worship, so here are my reflections on my time. I had a great end of December and January and am reminded daily of how much God break into our daily lives and stresses to remind us He loves us. Pictured here is my Winter Celebration small group of 12th graders, from week 2. I like to try creative ways of praying, and one day they suggested we pray upside-down. We did, and they liked it so much they took a group picture that way.

First, after returning home to Virginia tired from exams, it was such a blessing to return to my home congregation. I worshiped at Christ the King Lutheran in Richmond, Virginia, my home congregation, for the fourth Sunday in advent, Christmas day, and the first Sunday of Christmas, when I did the children's sermon and served as assistant minister. Worship at CTK feels like home because of the music, my pastor's preaching, little traditions, but mostly the people and how they embrace me as a part of their family. It was beautiful and felt really right to worship (at CTK) on Christmas day, something I had never done before. It felt really meaningful that many families had paused their kids' gift opening and gotten everyone to church because this is who we are, this is why we worship Jesus born as a little baby. On Christmas eve I worshiped with my family at Messiah Lutheran in Mechanicsville, Virginia, the congregation I grew up in. This congregation has suffered and changed a lot since I grew up there, but it is good to see old friends and worship in the space of my first communion and confirmation. They have a first call pastor serving there, and this was his second Christmas at Messiah. I learn a lot from having the insight of listening to my parents and friends in the congregation and their perception of him as a first call pastor learning the ropes (or as any pastor in general).

Returning to Philadelphia for my January classes, a couple friends and I decided to take in some different, multi-cultural experiences. The Second Sunday after Christmas we went to the Quaker meeting on Mermaid Lane. Walking in the door, we were immediately greeted warmly and invited. I went and joined their hymn sing they have in a side room before the meeting begins. About eight or so others happily sang around a piano, hymnals in hand. I was struck by the theological differences and met my own assumptions head-on when singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” I sang what I had always heard, “God in three persons, blessed trinity.” However I quickly realized that I was the only one singing those words – printed in the hymnal was something like “God in each person, blessed friends. . .” The meeting itself was a wonderful meditative time of silence; perhaps four people rose to give a “message” as it is called. Their messages were scripturally based and interesting, but I found myself wondering at the end of the service wanting more – to get communion, share some words of faith as a community, something. I would like to return to a Quaker meeting sometime for its meditative value and how it makes me ask questions of myself and how I can best worship God.

Baptism of our Lord Sunday we went to Tabernacle which is a united PCUSA and UCC church. This was a very diverse, open and accepting community. The congregation as we saw that day was racially mixed, as well as including a variety of ages, sexual orientations, and general walks of life. TAB, as they call it, was a mix in this and a variety of ways of contrast and warm harmonization. For example, the worship space is an older, lofted space with balconies, dark wood, and dominant, colorful, abstract stained glass. Yet this contrasts the lack of some traditional symbols, a raised altar, or the idea of a chancel, especially when the congregation gathers in a large circle and holds hands. The liturgy was highly traditional, with a familiar order and parts, but leaving out communion and making specific deliberate changes to use inclusive, gender-neutral language. We happened to be there for the installation of some new deacons, which was interesting and different to me with the laying on of hands, et cetera. I did not feel particularly welcome at this congregation though, left with ears aching from a waning ear infection plus (over)use of their singing bowl, and feeling like the 45 minute service had been more like two hours.

The Second Sunday after Epiphany I went with a friend from college who lives in Philadelphia to her church, St. John's Melrose Park (ELCA). The congregation was friendly and helpful, and felt like a family together, especially in celebrating the first birthday of a little member together with cake after the service. Many in the congregation was decked out in their Eagles gear to root on their team later that day, and the pastor made a couple references to it in his welcome and sermon. I am not a fan (a pun!) of those kind of references or hooks made by pastors. The pastor's sermon was good, I felt that he preached the gospel. The service was rushed as the pastor was flying out of town immediately after the service; I am not sure whether this is why there was no communion or whether they don't always commune every Sunday anyway.

The last two weekends of January I spent in Lynchburg, Virginia, as a small group leader for t he Virginia synod's high school retreat, Winter Celebration. Each weekend I had a group of 12^th graders from all over Virginia. I used to attend these events as a participant, and have been a small group leader for many years. The experience is always good, I always learn things about myself and have a refreshing time with old friends, worship, and encountering the word with high schoolers. These were particularly powerful weekends though, for four main reasons. First, the love and witness of old friends, from my home congregation who I stayed with the first weekend, most of those kids I taught in Sunday school or something; the way people care for each other and open up to each other is really grace-filled to me. Second, the witness of strong faith of my small group members both weekends – and how sometimes, we can't make assumptions about people struggling with some aspects of faith – sometimes people just trust God and don't worry, and that's what faith is, after all. Third, the theological depth and general honesty of my entire group the second week. They were so honest in a way that I really felt the Holy Spirit through them and their conversations about God in their lives. They taught me a lot. Fourth, the sermon by Pastor Chris Bowen I heard both weekends. It was simple in its core message – God loves you and God tells you every day, and it is our job to tell others – but told in a way that was eloquent, captivating, deep, and going to stay with me in some detail for quite some time. This January was a great time for me for feeling rejuvenated and affirmed of the power and presence of God in my and our lives. This was especially seen for me through the experiences of Winter Celebration and three of the best sermons I have ever heard or read. One was Pastor Bowen's, the second was Dr. Wengert's Epiphany sermon for its conviction and confession of the gospel and its words of an accepting, inclusive God. The third was Pastor Andy Ballentine, my college pastor and great mentor's funeral sermon for a young woman named Samantha Trost, who died a couple weeks ago at 20 from cancer. Its honesty about grief and how exactly we can confess God to be with us in it brought some clarity to that topic and was very powerfully personal.

I hope everyone had as deep and refreshing term as I did. And the good news is, that today worshiping back on rotation at Mother Bethel AME, of course the walk only continues, as I reflect upon God's gifts for me lately in this new experience and enjoyed it very much.