Author Archives: Terri
RBUMC Community Garden Groundbreaking Ceremony
Join us!
Community Garden Groundbreaking Ceremony
Saturday, March 29th 9:00 am-3pm
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Rainier Beach United Methodist Church
5500 South Roxbury Street
Come plant seeds to support our youth.
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The Youth Chaplaincy Coalition is a group of like- minded individuals and churches that seek to provide services, in a faith-based context, to youth affected by incarceration. We are launching our new Mentors in Mission program in partnership with Rainier Beach UMC which is designed to bring local mentors together with youth around gardening and mentoring.
Mindful Monday
What are you noticing this first day after church? Where we talked about loving each other? What signs are pointing you towards greater love? What mystery are you being called into?
Finding God at Mt. St. Helen
Preached today, 4/21/2013, at Rainier Beach UMC by Terri Stewart
Scripture: Genesis 1:1 – 2:3
Today I’m going to speak about creation. Tomorrow is International Earth Day and we wanted to take a moment and remember God’s creation, our role in creation, and a quick PSA to remember to recycle when you are here at the church!
I remember several years ago when I was in college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I went to my very first Earth Day event on campus. There was sun, crowds of young adults, and bands. All I could think of was the immense amount of litter that was being created. That seemed a bit ludicrous!
Earth Day began in 1970 and was primarily a response to a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. It was created by US Senator Nelson as a national “teach-in” day. Both Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban and rural residents, business leaders and labor leaders came together in agreement. And from this, the Environmental Protection Agency was created and the Clean Air, Clean Water act passed.
Earth Day has seen its ups and downs. It started out with massive demonstrations in every part of the US, then grew to become a global force. Yet by the year 2010, the community was in a bit of a conundrum. People were actively working against Earth Day. A loud minority was denying the fact of climate change, oil companies were lobbying congress for access to protected lands, and frankly, I think we are all tired of what seems to be constant crises coming from Washington DC. But even with these challenges, in 2010, Earth Day brought 225,000 people to Washington DC for a Climate Rally.
But, what I don’t see, are people in the streets now talking about protecting the earth, the creation.
In today’s scripture reading, we heard one of the creation stories in the Bible. This one is particularly beautiful as it poetically recounts God’s action in the cosmos bringing our world into existence. I love this story. When I recall it in my mind, I hear the phrase over and over, “God created…and it was good.” Then, on the sixth day, God surveys everything that was made and says, “It was very good.”
It is very good.
I think our approach to the environment and things like Earth Day depend entirely on our Image of God. There are three primary ways of thinking about God.
- There is the God who created the universe and set it into motion and sits back and watches everything unfold. This is often called the “unmoved mover.”
- There is the God who created the universe and steps in to provide punishment and reward. God is often called “master God.”
- There is the God who works with us to create together a future that is dependent on our decisions. God is often called “co-creator God.”
I have a little chart that may help you think about these different kinds of images of God.
- Images of God
In the first image of God, God does not interact with humans. The earth was created and whatever happens is because of that first, initial act of creation. God just sits back and watches. In the second image, God as Master, God steps in during the course of history and does things like causes earthquakes, bombings, wealth, and rewards. In the third image, God issues an invitation to humanity and the person has the choice whether to respond to God’s invitation or to ignore the invitation. I want to give you five minutes to discuss what image of God you believe in.
Over the past week, I was on vacation, but I was also reading a book Seasoning the Soul. In this book, I ran across a description of God that I thought was quite beautiful. First, it said that in the Bible and in nature, we have everything we need to understand God. And that in nature, all of Jesus’ teachings are present. It then goes on with a poem that asks these questions: When a crimson-red Maple Leaf falls down to the ground off of a tree, is that not Christ’s reflection? When an Aspen tree sheds all his leaves in fall and then grows them back in the spring, is that not resurrection? Can we find the trinity in a leaf of clover?
Maybe it was the poetic quality of the writing that caught my imagination, or the fact that I was camping near the Cowlitz River facing the beauty of creation every day, but I can find the face of God in earth, in the cosmos, and within.
Nature tells Christ’s story if we would just listen! And the story we receive from Genesis 1 tells Christ’s story too! In the beginning… Those words are found in Genesis 1, the very beginning of the Bible and in the Gospel of John. I have a quick chart showing how intimately tied together Genesis 1-creation and John 1-Christ are.
First, we have the beginning, God, creates the heavens and the earth and the Word was there in the beginning with God and the Word was God. Second, We have wind which in Hebrew is ruach and could be translated spirit-another face of God. And in John, we have “him,” another face of God. Then in the last section, we see the mirroring of light, that the light is good, the light is for all people, and that the darkness will not overcome it.
A quick note about this word, Word. In Greek, it is Logos which means wisdom. In Proverbs 8, wisdom is described as being with God at the beginning of God’s work. Creation is intimately tied with Christ. And most important, the resurrection of Christ which saves humanity is witnessed day after day in the resurrection cycles of the earth.
Last week, we went to Mt. St. Helen. What were you doing when Mt. St. Helen blew in 1980? Some of you weren’t born, but have you heard the stories? Even I remember when the mountain blew and I lived in North Carolina! Mt. St. Helen devastated the area. Molten lava mud snapped trees like matchsticks and the land was destroyed as devastation flowed down the Toutle and Cowlitz River. It simply picked up homes and carried them away.
When people who lived there for their whole lives returned to the area, they couldn’t recognize anything. It was all gone.
Within three days, bunnies were returning to the land.
Now, 30 years later, there are new lakes, new trees, new life. That is resurrection. God’s creative energy calling forth something new. Long ago, there was one primary lake, Spirit Lake, now there are four lakes. Spirit Lake that is entirely different, Silver Lake that is a beautiful wetlands area, Castle Lake, and Coldwater Lake.
Without the devastation of the eruption, this new and beautiful creation would not have happened.
So, the question is what do we do with the idea of creation intimately tied with Christ and intimately tied with each other? What saving action is God calling us to? How is Christ speaking to you through scripture when he says, “consider the lilies of the field…” or “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God…” or in the unfolding resurrection story we see evidenced in catastrophic events like Mt. St. Helen and in the simple rhythm of life such as the rebirth of the Aspen tree every spring?
Now, our image of God has everything to do with how we approach the question of earth care. If we have no freedom to affect creation because God has total control, we will make different choices than if we believe that we are creating our future by freely choosing and responding to God’s grace.
One final question: what will you do to honor and respond to God’s creation?
In closing, I’d like to read you the poem I referenced questions from earlier:
Mother-Father God,
We ask the following questions
knowing full well that you have
already provided the answers:
When Sister Maple Leaf pirouettes down
Resplendent in her crimson gown
And then lies prostrate on the ground,
Is not that Christ’s Reflection?
And when Brother Aspen, tall and bold,
In autumn sheds his cloak of gold
Then in the Spring green leaves unfold
Is not that resurrection?
You see, all of the tales that the scriptures tell
Are told in nature just as well.
Here on earth are both heaven and hell.
It’s a story told over and over.
So, Mother-Father here is our plea:
May you bless this family
And help us each find the Trinity
In every leaf of clover.
Shalom and Amen.
Poem by David Garner as printed in Seasoning the Soul, a compilation edited by Eileen Knoff, D. Min. I took the liberty of changed the line “May you bless this family” from “May you bless Brigid’s family.”
Weather Shenanigans
Hope we have another beautiful day like we did last week! Especially since Earth Day is Monday.
Sermon Shenanigans-How can Mt. St. Helen inform our faith?
Mt. St. Helen to the left of Castle Lake, Hidden by Clouds
May 9-Beer and Bibles? Wine and Wisdom? What are these shenanigans?
SAVE THE DATE
From Catholica.com.au
Have you ever wondered what “virgin” really means? What does/can resurrection mean? Are there gospels that did not get into the Bible? Maybe written by a woman/women? Does one have to take the Bible literally?The questions go on don’t they and I am sure you could add more!!!
Wouldn’t it be great to hang out at one of our local haunts and chat about them? We could also share books/articles we are reading and share. And what if we called our nights out PUB THEOLOGY?
Well it is happening friends!
SAVE THE DATE Thursday May 9th! 7pm!!!!!!
Place will be announced!!!!!
Rev. Dr. Monica Corsaro
Where have you seen a movement of grace? Felt the presence of God? How can you bear witness to that? Tell your story?
Maundy Thursday
We stripped the altar bare and laid a cloth symbolic of the tomb on this night that we remember both the servant leadership of Jesus and his betrayal by his friends.
It begs the question, where are we experiencing betrayal? Who or what is betraying us? Who or what are we betraying?
Passion Week Shenanigans
Passion Week is the time from Palm Sunday (March 24) to Resurrection Sunday (March 31). During this time we celebrate several things!
- Palm Sunday – March 24 at 11:00 a.m.
- Holy Thursday / Maundy Thursday – March 28 at 6:30 p.m.
- Good Friday – March 29 at 7:00 p.m.
- Holy Saturday / Easter Vigil
- Resurrection Sunday – March 31 at 11:00 a.m.
What does all this mean and how are we celebrating?
Palm Sunday
From Luke 19:28-40, we learn of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. This is his last time coming back to the beloved city. His entry is full of joy, love, and celebration. Traditionally, the church celebrates this Sunday as if we were there! With palms waving in the air, joyous music, and excitement. Join us at Rainier Beach UMC at 11:00 as we enter into this time of excitement! (And, just to put it into cultural context, on Downton Abbey when Lady Sybil gives birth it is a joyous time, but we all knew something bad was going to happen, eh?)
Holy Thursday / Maundy Thursday
As we travel through Passion Week, we encounter Maundy Thursday. This is the traditional time when the church re-enacts Christ’s servant leadership as exemplified in the foot washing scripture of John 13:1-17, 31b-35. We will be re-enacting this by meeting over the supper table and tapping into the oldest known liturgy in Christian History – the Didache. By using ancient words and worship patterns, we will tie our modern church to the historical church that met as Jesus following Jews prior to attending Temple. It is here they met over a meal, cleansed each other, prayed together, and shared their story. Join us at Rainier Beach UMC at 6:30 p.m. for a simple meal of soup and bread.
From out of the Void, NASA, Public Domain
Good Friday
The celebration of Passion Week turns grim as we enter into the space of death as exemplified by our Good Friday worship services. It is here that we encounter the destructive humanity that puts an innocent man to death in John 18:1 – 19:42. We remember that Jesus to was a prisoner, treated unjustly by an occupying power, and sentenced to death unfairly. We will have a simple service remembering the proclamation of the passion, pray for the life of the world, and meditation on the cross. It will be a traditional Tenebrae service (darkness) as light is distinguished throughout the worship service to remind us of the darkness that Jesus traveled through. And remembering the darkness that was the void before the cosmos came into being. Please join us at Bethlehem Lutheran Church at 7:00 p.m. located at 3818 S Angeline St.
Holy Saturday / Easter Vigil
While our church community is not gathering together, this is a day to meditate on the liminal space that is between life and death. Remember what happened when Mary discovered an empty tomb. How confused the disciples were and how scared they were to be associated with Jesus. Recommended scripture readings for this day are Job 14:1–14, Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16, 1 Peter 4:1-8, Matthew 27:57-66, Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26, Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13 and Psalm 46, Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16, Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18, Isaiah 55:1-11 and Isaiah 12:2-6, Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalm 42, 43, Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143, Romans 6:3-11 and Psalm 114, and Luke 24:1-12.
Resurrection Sunday
Hallelujah and Amen! The world has been righted and the light returns. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ as found in John 20:1-18. Here, the Apostle to the Apostles, Mary Magdalene, discovers the empty tomb and encounters the risen Christ. Join us as we celebrate this most joyous of days and celebrate anew the work that God has done in Christ! Resurrection Sunday is the beginning of the 7 weeks of Easter as we travel towards Pentecost Sunday. We will be worshiping at Rainier Beach UMC at 11:00 a.m.
Some thoughts on my birthday today, a perfect card, and being United Methodist. AND wrapped up into the Lenten Photography Invitation.
Rainier Beach United Methodist Church 