Palm Sunday

Tomorrow, we begin Holy Week "officially" with the celebration of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem with the loud "Hosanna!"

What is powerful about this week is how quickly we will move as people of God to the passion of Jesus, recognizing this as his last week of life on earth.

This is the week that we recognize Jesus as the "God man," the Pilgrim God, who is both human and divine in one body. What Jesus reveals to us is that we, too, are an amalgam of humanity and divine spark within us as well.

Let us quietly try to wrap our minds around that truth.

Pax!

B

Oscar Romero, A Beloved Saint

Having posted on St. Patrick, an evangelist who we revere in the US on March 17, I also want to "lift up" the person of the late Archbishop Romero of El Salvador.  He became an incredibly important person in El Salvador, speaking out for the rights of the poor and the marginalized, and against the repressive powers of the governmental forces and their death squads.  He himself was assassinated while celebrating Mass.

Here's a link to the life of Archbishop Romero: http://www.un.org/en/events/righttotruthday/romero.shtml

We too are facing some of the same circumstances as did Archbishop Romero.  How are we dealing with forces that are bringing people deeper into poverty? Or repressive forces? What would Jesus call for us to do in this day and age?

Pax!

Pastor B

PCUSA Passes/Ratifies 14F re: Marriage Equality

Well, the denomination--Presbyterian Church USA--of which I have been a part of since I was a teenager, just "affirmed" marriage equality with the passage of 14F.

This is what we ratified yesterday

Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family.Marriage involves a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to love and support each other for the rest of their lives. The sacrificial love that unites the couple sustains them as faithful and responsible members of the church and the wider community

 

I was quoted in today's Oregonian: http://www.oregonlive.com/faith/2015/03/largest_presbyterian_denominat.html

 

This is what I said:"We're able to exhale," said Brett Webb-Mitchell, who is the first openly-gay pastor in the Portland-area PCUSA presbytery. "We kept on holding our breath. We were second-class citizen -- we were not equals in the eyes of the church."

 

What a difference a day and vote make!

 

Pax!  B

 

  

Who is St. Patrick?

Tomorrow, March 17, is not only Hazel Torgerson's birthday, but also the Feast Day of St. Patrick (for those with Roman Catholic, Episcopal, or Lutheran roots). 

So a question: who is St. Patrick?  And why is he so well regarded?  It is more than about green bagels, milkshakes, or beer.

From Huffingtonpost.com:

Patrick was a real person, but not much is known of his life. He was born in the late 300s when the Roman Empire extended to England, so he was not “really” Irish — like the vast majority of people who celebrate his day. In his “Confessio,” one of only two surviving documents attributed to him, Patrick wrote that while his father was a Christian deacon, he was not devout. At age 16, Patrick was captured by Irish marauders, carried across the Irish Sea and enslaved. Patrick spent six years alone in the wilderness tending his master’s sheep, praying constantly. “It was among foreigners that it was seen how little I was,” he wrote. He began to have visions and hear voices that told him: “Look, your ship is ready.” So Patrick left his first flock and walked 200 miles to the coast. It’s a pretty safe bet he would have loved a beer, green or otherwise, as he stepped into a boat bound for England.

Aside from being named a saint? Yes. St. Patrick merged Christianity with more traditional parts of Irish culture, including adding bonfires to Easter celebrations and creating the Celtic cross, which incorporates the sun with the cross.

He also is largely responsible for helping convert the Irish to Christianity.

Here's more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/13/who-was-st-patrick_n_6866482.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Happy St. Patrick's Day, one and all!

Pax!

Pastor B

7.5 Million Americans Lost Their Religion Since 2012...That's A Lot of People

In pastoring a congregation in the US, one of the sources I look at are demographics.  These are postcard statements of where things "are" on any specific day. This caught my attention the other day from the PCUSA.org website: 7.5 million Americans lost their religion since 2012:
A new survey shows in stark relief that what some are calling the Great Decline of religion in America continues: Since 2012, the U.S. has about 7.5 million more Americans who are no longer active in religion.
Last week, the 2014 General Social Survey was released. The GSS is the gold standard for sociological surveys. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this multimillion-dollar study gives us the most accurate data on American society — including religion.
(An important point to remember as you see the data: Each percentage point increase represents a growth of 2.5 million adults. So a 3-point rise in secularity, for example, means that about 7.5 million people left religion since 2012.).

Here's a link to the rest of the article.http://www.pcusa.org/news/2015/3/13/analysis-75-million-americans-lost-their-religion-/

This is why, in large part, the days of growing congregations, especially mainstream/mainline, are largely over.  While many people are attending large evangelical congregations, many of these people are "seekers," new to the faith, inspired by the "newness" of the message.  It may be a novelty for others.

Interesting...

Pax!

Pastor B 

Remembering Tim Newell

Tim, the son of Lee Ann Newell, our custodian, passed away on Sunday.  He was 26 yeras old.

To quote Pastor Jeremy, "Our prayers and thoughts are with Lee Ann and her family in this terrible time of grief and loss."

A memorial service will be held this Saturday., March 14, 2015, at 5 p.m. at the Milwaukie Grange Hall: 2015 SE 22nd St., Milwaukie, OR  97222.

Flowers have been sent on behalf of the Church.  We will be collecting financial donations on their behalf.

Blessings,

Brett

Celebrating a century!

This coming Sunday, we will be celebrating the 100th birthday of Hazel Torgerson.  Hazel is a founding member of St. Andrew's Church, has been deeply devoted to this church family for all of its' existence, and her name is engraved on this plaque that most of us pass by every Sunday.

As you can see, Hazel served as the Clerk of Session when the sanctuary was dedicated, half a lifetime (for her, at least) ago.  

What a legacy for Hazel, and what a fantastic opportunity we have as a church family to celebrate life!

It is our honor to celebrate such an incredible milestone.  And it is mind-blowing for me to consider the significance of 1 century of life.  I don't know if every century feels this way about itself, but I can't imagine that many centuries have seen the transformation that our world has seen during Hazel's lifetime.

Consider some of these facts from the year of Hazel's birth.
- The telephone was invented.
- Automobiles were becoming widely available, with the 1 millionth Ford car rolling off the assembly line in December, and the transcontinental Lincoln Highway completed.
- Sears and Roebuck began selling showers as indoor plumbing became commonplace, at least in urban areas.
- There were just over 100 million people in the United States.  Today there are over 316 million.
- The House of Representatives rejected a bill that would give women the right to vote.

From transportation to communications to indoor plumbing, our world has been transformed, and Hazel has been there to see it all.  What a joy it will be to celebrate her life!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it.

We Presbyterians are proud of our "connectional" roots and system of government. Through thick and thin, good times and challenging times, we are to be there with and for one another.  After all, this is how we "work" and "live" within the body of Christ.

In that spirit and Spirit, churches in the US Northeast are in need of assistance as they have received the brunt of the latest snow fall.  This is how bad it is:

“We could see churches cease to exist because of these storms. It could result in 20 or more church closings, nearly a third of Presbyterian congregations in the area,” says Cindy Kohlmann, resource presbyter for the Presbyteries of Boston and Northern New England. “These are churches that have vibrant congregations but don’t have the resources to deal financially with the issues brought about by the snow and cold temperatures.”

Here's a link that Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has sent out:
http://www.pcusa.org/news/2015/2/27/winter-storms-spell-catastrophe-new-england/

Pax! B