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From the Pastor - August 2010 |
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The International Council of Community Churches is an international, intercultural, interracial fellowship of churches and ministry centers which seeks Christian unity in local, national and world relations
ICCC Purpose Statement
Friends in Christ.
Greetings from Indianapolis, Indiana!
I write this letter from the 60th Annual Conference of the ICCC, my first
experience of the wider church through the eyes of the fellowship. And,
what a wonderful and Spirit-filled experience it has been! The theme for
this year's event is Freedom, Unity, Community and the strengths of that
theme are easily witnessed. While the diversity of the ICCC is obvious
and a fundamental principle of the Council, the ability to accept diversity
and share in the community out of our common love by, and for, Jesus
Christ is even more apparent. And it is always refreshing to witness
Christians of diverse beliefs accepting each other in the agape love which
Paul the apostle describes when he wrote to the church in Corinth: Love
is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
In a culture that is often seeking to wall off and reject people who are
different, it is affirming to know that our community church, and indeed
the entire ICCC, has stood at the vanguard of those who have said "No!"
to divisiveness and discrimination. And, beyond just saying 'No!" has
modeled what the work of reconciliation through Jesus Christ looks like
in the world.
There is a great deal more to report regarding wonderful preachers,
inspirational music, warm embracing fellowship and a youth worship
service whose preaching duo of our own Amy Seligman and Anna Lindfors
was fantastic. However, the Link's deadline time (and a very tenuous
hotel internet connection) demand that I curtail any comments till I'm back
home.
In faith,
Barry
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From the Pastor - July 2010 |
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Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Mt. 6:9-14
Friends in Christ,
Where do you stand on some of the biggest questions of life?
Dog or cat? Coffee or tea? Mustard or ketchup? Hot dog or hamburger?
How about "debts", "trespasses" or "sins"?
The Lord’s Prayer is the foundational prayer for living into the way of Jesus Christ, yet the wording often varies in these three little words. Jesus shares this prayer in the Sermon of the Mount in Matthew 6. His prayer comes after the Beatitudes and the instruction to his listeners: You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Mt. 5:43-44
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From The Pastor - June 2010 |
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For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn,
and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3 NRSV
My friends in Christ,
Summer is the major season of re-creation for many of us. If we are fortunate and able to get away from the regularity of our everyday lives, it’s time for V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N! However, to rejuvenate and re-create ourselves does not require a long journey or a mountaintop retreat, though both are nice options. Instead we more require a willingness to find the time and space to empty ourselves of the busyness of life and be attentive to the work of God in that daily busyness.
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