Holiday Steeples Pastor's Letter

Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, and our risen Lord, Jesus Christ!

It is just now the very beginning of the holiday season. As I write this, we are preparing for Thanksgiving, the stores are beginning to fill up with red and green everything, and the air is decidedly taking at turn towards “winter.”

It is common for the message that we hear from churches in the holiday season to be one of “remember the reason for the season” or “take time for God!” I want to give you a different message.

It is, of course, important to remember why we celebrate, but we don’t by any means need to stop what we do, and somehow renounce the traditions that make us happy, in order to “really” celebrate the season. So my message to you this season is to encourage you to do the things that help you celebrate.

If you celebrate by searching for the perfect gift for everyone on your list, then do so, knowing that God celebrates with you when you find that absolute best present.

If you celebrate by gathering together with family and busily preparing massive amounts of food that leave your fridge and freezer stuffed with leftovers for weeks, then do so, knowing that God feasts with you, and celebrates with you as you feed those you love.

If you celebrate by traveling or by staying home, by lighting candles in a wreath or setting up impressive light displays, by decorating a large tree or by making cookies, by volunteering time or donating extra money, no matter what you do, do with confidence. God loves us! God loves celebrating with us!

And, if you find that the holidays are, really, just stressful, and you want time apart, do that, too.

This year we will be having a “Quiet Christmas” service on Sunday, December 21, at 5pm. This will be a full Christmas worship service with Holy Communion and familiar carols, but designed with those for whom the holidays are a time of sadness, stress, or grief, in mind.

No matter how you spend the holidays, know that the God who was made human, walk with you, sings with you, celebrates with you.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

October Newsletter Article

Grace and peace to you from God our Creator and our risen Lord, Jesus the Christ!

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the crisp air and new smells. I love the changing leaves and cool nights. Maybe it’s because of all the years that “fall” meant “new school year” for me, but I find fall to feel more like a time of newness than any other season, including spring.

Autumn in the church, like in school, is often a season of new things: a new Sunday School year, new ministry opportunities, new ventures, and a break in the repetition of “Sundays after Pentecost” and the beginning of other liturgical events and seasons.

This year, both Trinity and St Stephen’s are in the process of something new that I find exciting, though it may not seem to be at first glance. Both congregations are working on updating their congregational constitutions! Trinity will be having a special meeting, the first congregational step in officially amending their constitution, on October 19^th, and will be reviewing the by-laws after the constitution has been updated. St Stephen’s council is continuing to work on updating and reviewing their constitution, and more information about that will be coming in the following months.

I know, it probably doesn’t sound thrilling, but it really is.

In one sense, yes, updating our constitution is a congregational “chore,” something we “have to” do in order to keep everything nice and tidy. But it is more than that. In both congregations, we are updating our constitutions to match language required by the ELCA’s Model Constitution for Congregations. In updating our legal language and coming into compliance with the larger church’s requirements, we are able to do more as church. Updated legal language provides protection. No one wants to think about the congregation being sued, or having to deal with legal proceedings, but in having language updated as the ELCA requires and recommends, we are protected by the knowledge and research of the wider church (and their lawyers). In updating to be in line with the rest of the church, we are also demonstrating and living out our connection to the whole church. We are not islands. Being members of the ELCA has benefits, and one of those benefits is in being able to draw on the wisdom of the wider church and being connected to it.

But more important than legal language and compliance with ELCA requirements is the fact that in reviewing these essential documents, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to talk about what it means to be church, to be gathered communities of faith. Sure, there is a lot of legal language in the constitutions, but there is a lot of language about faith, mission, and vision (the preamble and first six chapters are all about faith and purpose).

So we have this great opportunity to look at ourselves, to remember that we are congregations with in God’s Church, and to celebrate who we are and talk about how we are and what we do in the world.

Thanks be to God!

Pastor Amanda

God's Work, Our Hands (Sept. 2014 Newsletter)

Many organizations have slogans, mottos, or mission statements. I can still remember my (all girls) high school’s motto: “Sending forth women of honor.” And my ELCA college’s mission statement: “Wartburg College is dedicated to challenging and nurturing students to live lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning.” Perhaps you can think of the mottos and missions of organizations you have been a part of over the years. (Or think of corporations and their slogans: “Nike. Just do it.” “Pringles. Once you pop, you just can’t stop.”)

The Upstate New York Synod, the synod which we are part of, has a mission statement as well: We are resurrection people who pray first, walk together, and change lives.” The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which we are part of, has had several statements and slogans over the years. Currently, one of the buzz-phrases is “God’s Work, Our Hands.” This phrase has caught on to the point where the church has started celebrating “God’s Work, Our Hands” Day. Starting last year, and continuing to this year, “God’s Work, Our Hands” Day is an opportunity for congregations across the ELCA to celebrate what it means to be church together. Matching T-shirts is part of it (and we have extras if you did not get a chance to order one and would like one), but there’s more to it. Congregations and organizations across the ELCA are taking time on this day to do service in the world: to be active, positive forces in our communities.

We are going to be taking this day to celebrate together, both Trinity and St Stephen’s. We will have joint worship together on September 7^th at 10am at the Town Park. We will then have lunch together and serve our community by making care packages for our military personnel.

It’s important to remember that this is not just one activity that two congregations in southern Rensselaer County are doing, but a celebration happening across the Church. We are not as isolated as we may sometimes think that we are. The slogan is not “God’s Work, Your Hands” or “God’s Work, My Hands.” Nor is it “Our Work, Our Hands.”

“God’s Work, Our Hands.”

This is a deep reminder that we are not alone in what we do. Though we are in different buildings, we are all Church together. And it is not our church, but God’s Church. It is not our call, but God’s call into the world. It’s not our work, it’s God’s work. And God uses not only our hands, but our hearts, our feet, our voices, our elbows and eyes and tongues and ears and knees. All that we have to offer is valuable to God’s work.

It’s also important to remember that this is not a one-time event. There is a reason that the ELCA chose to have this event the first Sunday in September. This is when many congregations are kicking off their Sunday School programs for the year and getting ready for the coming months of ministry. As we prepare for our Sunday Schools (which you can read more about in the following pages of this newsletter) and for other fall activities, we take this day to celebrate that we do not act alone, that all we do is God’s work, done with our hands.

Thanks be to God.