Dear Friends,
We have much to look forward to on Sunday. At 10 am in the reception room, Professor Nick Birns will offer a terrific presentation on the life an ministry of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., particularly focusing on King’s quote: “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” I’ve seen some of Nick’s slides, and they weave together sports, politics, and religion. Then at 11 am we will celebrate the Baptism of Jesus with four baptisms of our own – a wonderful sign of the vitality at the heart of our congregation.
Later in the day, at 4 pm in the church, comes Amahl and the Night Visitors, to be sung by members or our Adult Choir. Amahl is a short opera in one act that is fun, funny, and a real tear-jerker, all at the same time. The story is about a young boy who greets the three kings, who are following the star to Bethlehem. Will he join them? If so, he will need his mother’s permission. I will never forget the first time my two sons saw Amahl. They were 5 and 2-years old at the time, and dissolved in laughter at certain key moments of the drama. So bring the kids if you are looking for something to do on a cold winter afternoon. They will love it, and you will too.
Immediately following Amahl everyone is invited to enjoy a delicious, home-cooked spaghetti and meatball supper in Tuttle Hall. The purpose of the dinner is twofold: to thank everyone who has made a gift or pledge to the 2025 Annual Campaign, and to deepen our Christian community. Wonderful things can happen when we sit down and break bread together. The dinner is free, but we will collect an offering as the Spirit moves you to help defray the cost. All we ask is that you RSVP so that we know how much food to prepare.
Finally, as one last pitch to bring you out on Sunday afternoon, allow me to repeat a story I told in a sermon not long ago. When our youngest son, Luke, was born he required a number of complicated surgeries to correct a cleft lip and palate. The procedures were emotionally draining for Stacie and me. What is more, we had three-year old James who needed our attention. We were exhausted beyond the normal fatigue of sleep-deprived young parents.
One Sunday evening, the youth group of the church where I was the rector was sponsoring a spaghetti dinner. Luke was eight-months old, and we had him in our lap. Another major surgery was weeks away. The person sitting next to us asked if she could hold the baby. Then the person next to her wanted a turn, as did the next person. Before we knew it, Luke was crowd-surfing through the spaghetti dinner. I looked halfway across the large room, and people were holding him up, making him laugh, and passing him along. It was a moment of deep relief for me. I saw our baby son not weighed down by the threat of another surgery, but as if he were flying through the air. I’ve always remembered the scene as a parable of Christian community at its best. Such moments are possible when two or three gather together in the name of Jesus.
See you in church,