Sharing God's Love and Grace

Meditation on Mark 13:24–37

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

Pastor Karen Crawford

First Sunday of Advent

Dec. 3, 2023

I was on my way to visit a member of my flock on Thursday, when I started thinking about time.

I was using a GPS app called WAZE on my phone. I almost always use WAZE when I go to visit folks. It supposedly guides me along the best route to travel at that time of day, responding to changing traffic patterns, moment by moment. This particular time that I was using WAZE, I was confused by the directions to a place that was just a few miles from my home. The female voice was telling me to turn on unfamiliar, side streets—residential areas and such. Maybe that’s happened to you? I started doing what my husband does sometimes—talking back to her. “Why am I turning here?” I asked, not expecting an answer.

I kept watching the time of arrival—and sure enough, it never varied more than a minute or two, despite the seemingly illogical detours. It seemed like a LONG ride, though it was less than 15 minutes—and it was after 3 on a weekday, so, of course, there was some traffic. All the detours stirred me to wonder where the voice was taking me. And if I would ever reach my destination!

Finally, I arrived at the assisted living in Lake Grove, went up a winding staircase and settled in for a nice visit. Ethel’s husband, Karl, went home to be with the Lord earlier this year. Her daughter helped her sell her home and move into The Bristal a few weeks ago.

No sooner did I arrive that we talked about… time. Years gone by—how old she was when she met Karl—16, on the day he was leaving to begin his military service. How many years she was married to Karl, how many years they lived in the house they just sold. Then, switching to present day, how many hours each day her aides stay with her because of her health challenges. How long it had been since her aide had left. What time her meals were served.

Ethel served me key lime pie and then I looked at my watch. It was almost 5 o’clock! I had been there 90 minutes! It was nearly time for her dinner. It was time for me to go. I never told her that I planned on visiting 3 of our members that day. Something told me that Ethel needed my time. She needed me.

Driving home after 5 p.m., I had an inexplicable peace despite the rush hour traffic and the crazy stuff some of the drivers were doing on the road. Don’t they do crazy stuff? That afternoon, I had been transported to the eternal realm with a different way of measuring time—I’ll call it, “the Kingdom of God time” or “Jesus time.”  I knew that I was doing Christ’s work—I was his heart, hands, and feet. Mostly I just listened and said a little prayer.

Of all the things that I could have spent my time doing as I prepare for a busy month of ministry in this sometimes hectic season, I knew that I had done what the Lord wanted me to do. I had been faithful with two of the most valuable things that each of us possesses—and that’s the gift of ourselves, our presence with someone in need, and our time.

Time and how we spend it in this earthly realm to get ready for the Kingdom of God that is both present and coming is what our passage in Mark is all about it. Jesus is speaking with his disciples on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple—warning them of things to come.

He says, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” Peter, James, and John ask him privately when these things will happen.

Jesus speaks of those who will come and try to lead the disciples astray. They will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but they shouldn’t be afraid. Nation will rise against nation. Kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. And the disciples will suffer and be persecuted because of their following him. False messiahs and false prophets will appear and try to lead people astray.

Then, today’s passage, after the suffering, they will see surprising changes in the natural world that will also be signs that Jesus will soon return in power and glory to gather his chosen ones, his “elect from the four winds.”  For, you see, before we choose to follow the Lord, the Lord has ALREADY chosen us! The lesson of the fig tree is that like the tree whose branches will become tender and put forth leaves when summer is near, when we see these changes taking place in the world, we will know that Christ is near, “at the very gates.”

But still—the time when Christ will come—the day or hour—we won’t know. No one knows! Not the Son. Not the angels. Only the Father, who knows all and holds all things in God’s capable hands.

We are urged to keep awake, keep alert to all the signs in our world and in our day-to-day existence—and keep on doing the work that each of us have been charged with doing. Don’t waste a minute of your time in worry, fear, or discouragement. Stay focused on your ministry and the Lord who has called you to it. Each of us have our own ministries, as well as the shared ministry of this congregation. Sometimes, we won’t understand the road that we are traveling. We won’t always know where we are going—our destination—and we won’t anticipate all the detours that the Holy One will lead us to take. Oh, we think that we know where we are going—and why. But God has mysterious plans that, like Christ’s return, we don’t know and won’t ever know, until He comes again.

Every day, we must be alert to the Spirit’s directions for our lives, even when we don’t know all the reasons that we are led to do the things that we are doing. We can’t hold on too tightly to our schedule and to-do list. We have to be ready to put some of our plans aside and respond to God’s GPS. Rushing around, going here and there, trying to please everyone and make the “perfect Christmas” but forgetting the reason for the season can lead us to run out of time and energy to do the things that matter. It can lead to us being “asleep” or unaware of what is happening, not just in the earthly realm but in the heavenly, eternal realm. We can miss the divine signs that point to our Savior’s return in glory and in power.

What are the things that matter to the Lord? Finding time to be still and know the Lord is our God and be filled with Christ’s peace. The Lord wants to give us Christ’s peace. And the Lord wants us spending time with the people whom God so loves and we are called to love—such as our families and the widows and widowers in our church family, some who may be spending their first Christmas without their loved one beside them.

This is our work—our work of loving service. When we give of ourselves and our time to be a blessing to someone who needs us. This is what we want the Master to catch us doing when he returns from his journey. It could be this evening, at midnight, cockcrow, or dawn. We don’t know! Keep awake, Jesus says. Keep awake!  And, as he says in Revelation, “Yes, I am coming soon!”

In a few moments, we will be transported to eternal time and experience a foretaste of the heavenly banquet—when Christ’s followers come from east and west and north and south—from all the four winds—to sit at table in the Kingdom of God. When we eat of the Bread from Heaven and drink of the Cup of Salvation, we will commune with the Risen and Glorified Christ and one another and be made one with all his followers—in this room and in every time and place.

Our eyes will be opened to signs previously unseen. We will recognize Christ’s everlasting presence with us and remember his unconditional love and grace for us. We will be nourished in faith, hope, and love and be strengthened to go and be Christ’s heart, hands, and feet—His WHOLE Body—for the world.

Through acts of kindness, we will preach the comforting words of Jesus to his disciples of every age, “Keep awake. Keep awake! Yes, I am coming soon!”

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for the promises in your Word and for reminding us to keep awake and alert to the signs of Your Son’s return in power and glory for us, your Church. Some of those things that Christ warned his disciples about—wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines—are happening. It seems that the birth pangs have begun. Prepare our hearts and minds for when the Son comes, for we do not know when it will be. Guide us in your sometimes surprising will. Strengthen us to keep watching, walking, working, and waiting patiently for the Master and the Kingdom and not get distracted by the busy-ness of the season and all the things we want to do. Help us to always feel your everlasting presence and peace. Stir us to deeds of kindness that reveal your unconditional love and grace to those in need and preach the comforting words to all Christ’s followers, “Keep awake. Keep awake. Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen.

Meditation on Colossians 3:12-17

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

Pastor Karen Crawford

Nov. 19, 2023

I had the joy of presiding over an outdoor wedding in Sayville on Friday. More than 200 people came. The bridal party included 8 women and 8 men, plus children: an 8-year-old ringbearer named Anthony; two flower boys- 4-year-old Oliver pulling a wagon carrying 9-month-old Lukas; and babe of honor Ariya; the tiny daughter of the bride and groom wore a long, white gown.

The wedding garb was elegant, exquisite down to the tiniest detail. It was perfect except for the part about it being a cool, breezy fall day. Women in strapless and short-sleeved gowns shivered in the cold.

I had this feminine moment when I felt plain, in the presence of the wedding party’s finery. I felt different. And I was. Knowing that I would be presiding over an outdoor wedding in the late afternoon on a cool fall day, I wore a long-sleeved blouse, black sweater, slacks, long socks, and black ankle boots. Then, I pulled on my long, white alb and stole—on top of all the other clothes.

But that moment of discomfort passed.  I felt comfortable in my different-ness, as I usually do. I knew my role in the wedding. My particular calling was needed that day.

So much more has changed in me than the clothes that I wear, since being ordained to ministry. And I am so grateful to God for this calling. So grateful that the Lord has chosen me. Words cannot express my gratitude! I get to walk beside people in some of the most important moments of their lives. I am honored to be the one to offer Christ’s peace and spiritual comfort to those in need.

More important to Christ’s followers than our choice of clothing to wear to a wedding is the decision about what we choose to wear as our spiritual clothing every day. While Paul uses the metaphor in Ephesians of putting on the full armor of God to fight spiritual battles, the writer of Colossians uses the language of clothing ourselves with a closet of holy garments that are beautiful gifts of the Spirit. This closet is open and accessible to everyone. These holy garments are free to us, but they must be desired, requested, and received. They were bought for us with a price—our Savior’s own sacrifice.

.Not only do we wear the gifts of the Spirit, our first clothing as the redeemed of God is the clothing of Christ himself. Clothed in Christ, we are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.  Then we choose to put on Christ’s “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” All of these empower us to do what we aren’t able to do in our own strength, including forgiving one another. Colossians says, “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Earlier in this letter, the writer urges new and longtime believers of the first century, some who may be falling back into the old, unregenerated ways when they are encountering hard times and suffering, that they are living in a new situation, which calls for new thinking and a new way of being.

 “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, for you have died (the you you used to be), and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.”

The writer goes on,“These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, ..abusive language…. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.”

The most important spiritual garment? We are called to put on LOVE, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Only then are we able to allow the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts, a peace that makes us One in Christ’s Body.

The next teaching seems to be as important as everything else we are called to wear, although you might think the phrase is almost an afterthought because of its position in the passage. But something at the end of a sentence or passage is placed there for a reason– so it will stand out. The other ideas lead to this one instruction: “And be thankful.”

Notice, gratitude isn’t something we wear. It’s something we become. Something we ARE. We ARE grateful when we allow Christ to reign in our hearts and over our lives. When we let go of the control that we think we have or that we want to have. When we allow Christ to lead us on this journey of faith—or it’s not really a journey of faith. We’re just taking a walk. And while we journey with Christ and each other, we give him thanks and praise for the things that God is doing in and through us. We are doing things we never thought we could be doing.

Gratitude comes from a kind of revelation that every good gift, as James tells us, every good thing in our lives comes from God above. Gratitude is something that we hold in our hearts; it’s an essential part of our new identities. Gratitude and joy strengthen us to walk and keep on walking the right path every day.

When I let go of gratitude—maybe this happens to you, too–it leads to all kinds of awful feelings and thoughts and sometimes bad choices. It slows me down. When I let go of being grateful, I open the door to so many sins in my heart and in my life. If I stop being grateful, then discontentment, dissatisfaction, anger, and resentment have an easier way in. Once they come in, they are not easily removed; and they bring a kind of misery. Gratitude protects our hearts from all sorts of misery that is the fruit of ingratitude.

Today, the nominating committee is meeting after worship to ask the Lord whom God is calling to serve our church family as spiritual leaders: elders, deacons, and trustees. My job is to encourage the committee in their work of discernment.

I want to share this with you. The one thing that everyone who says yes seems to have in common isn’t that they are less busy. Everyone who serves IS busy. And those who say yes aren’t necessary more experienced or more confident of their gifts.  

How do we know when God is calling us? The reality is that God is calling ALL of us to serve; the question is, “To what particular ministry is the Lord calling us?”

These are some things that I believe are needed when discerning a calling to a particular ministry. First, it takes trusting that the Lord is in the calling—that it IS a calling that has come from God and that God and your brothers and sisters in Christ will be there with you, till the end.  And we will.  

Also, you have to want to serve the Lord by serving the Church in whatever the Lord is calling you to do. Sometimes the Lord has to help change our hearts and minds, when we don’t really feel like doing the work—or we are fearful of the work that God is calling us to do. Don’t raise your hands, I don’t want to embarrass people, but has anyone ever asked you to do something and your immediate response is, “No, I don’t want to do that!!” Remember Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Finally, those who say yes have at the root of their decision a grateful heart. They are grateful for what the Lord has done—for every good gift they have ever received from a good and gracious God. Gratitude leads us to say YES to what God asks us to do, even if we are a little nervous about what serving as a spiritual leader will mean for our lives.

The groom was anxious at the wedding in Sayville on Friday. The service was about to start; the guests were all in their seats. I had to go look for the groom. When I found him, I said, “Hey, C’mon, let’s go get married. Come with me.”

In a few moments, his life would not be the same—nor would he.  Just before the bride and her father began to walk down the aisle toward us, the groom looked down at me and said that he was glad that I was there, that I was doing the wedding. I knew, at that moment, the Lord had this planned all along—that I would be there when the couple needed me, needed Christ’s peace. When the groom said, “Thank you,” I knew he meant it with all his heart.

Dear friends, you and I—we are God’s chosen— holy and beloved. God chose us; now we choose to wear our spiritual clothing every day so we can serve the Kingdom. We don’t wake up fully dressed, do we? We take from the spiritual closet the garments of “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.”

Forgive one another. Don’t let unforgiveness ruin your spiritual life.

Put on Jesus Christ; clothe yourselves with his Love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  

Let his peace rule in your hearts.

And be thankful.

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for choosing us to walk beside your children in some of the most important moments of their lives. Thank you for trusting us with your work. Help us to trust you—that the callings that each of us have as your holy and beloved are truly from You. And that you and our brothers and sisters in Christ will always be with us—till the end. Thank you for the closet of spiritual garments open to us every day, from the moment we awake and give you glory and praise. Clothe us with your compassion, dear Lord, with your kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Help us to forgive as you have so graciously forgiven us. Clothe us with your love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Grant us your peace. Help us to be truly thankful for all you have done—for every good gift you have given us from above. In the name of your Son we pray. Amen.

Meditation on Matthew 25:1–13

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

Pastor Karen Crawford

Nov. 12, 2023

Our Confirmation class went to worship for Shabbat at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook on Friday night. Jim and I arrived early. We were met at the door by security guards who asked us why we had come. The guards were a reminder of the fear experienced by our Jewish neighbors, friends, and family, for some of us.

    Rabbi Emeritus Stephen Karol—who had come with his wife, Donna, to visit our Confirmation class and share their faith in September—arrived soon after we did. He warmly welcomed us. He gave our group an orientation so that we would feel more comfortable.

    He led us into a beautiful, modern sanctuary. Their congregation is young compared to ours, he laughed. The congregation in Stony Brook was organized in 1967. They were one of the lucky ones to receive a Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust. It is wrapped in colorful fabric, quilted with a bright sun in the sky, a flame next to the Tree of Life, firmly rooted in the earth. The Tree is untouched by the flame and is in the shape of a hand, reaching toward the sun. It’s a symbol of hope and life for the future, Rabbi Stephen said. The Temple’s three Torah scrolls are kept in an ark decorated with two brightly lit candles and the familiar blue and white prayer shawl, worn by rabbis and cantors.

    Copies of the Torah, in Hebrew with English translation, are kept in pew racks alongside a prayer book called a Siddur. The Rabbi calls out the prayer book page numbers throughout the service. We turn pages right to left, beginning at what we might think is the back of the book. Prayers are sung with piano music. We were in awe of the singing of the new rabbi, Joshua Gray and his wife, who serves as cantor.  The two met while working on Broadway.

     Our host invited us to sit in the back row—not because we were strangers and Gentiles—but so that we could have a good view of everything that was happening during the service.

    “No problem!” I said. “Presbyterians love to sit in the back row.”

    He pointed out red lights next to plaques on the walls, highlighting the names of people whose anniversary of their passing is this month. Their names were read during the service, as were the names of people who need healing. He showed us the basket of percussion instruments at the entrance. Only children used to be invited to use the percussion instruments, but then adults wanted to play tambourines, maracas, and rhythm sticks, too. Now the percussion instruments are open to all. People clap their hands, play instruments, and move their bodies while they sing and pray. They bow at specific times.

    Everyone we encountered greeted us, “Shabbat Shalom.” Shabbat is the Hebrew word for “rest” and has come to be the Jewish word for Sabbath. “Shabbat Shalom” means “peaceful rest” or “peaceful Sabbath.”

    On Friday night—the day after we marked the anniversary of Kristallnacht with our service of remembrance, healing and prayer—Rabbi Stephen told us that we worship the same God. Christianity has its roots in Judaism. Our Bibles begin with the same five books of the Torah. We are all family, he said.

   Rabbi Joshua’s message from Genesis followed the same theme as Rabbi Stephen’s welcome and orientation. Joshua told the story of Isaac and Ishmael’s peaceful reunion after years of separation, when their father dies. They come together to bury him in the cave of Machpelah.

     Ishmael, whose mother was a slave named Hagar, had been cast out of the family when he was 13, not long after Isaac’s birth. Mother and son had been left to die in the desert. But an angel of the Lord heard their cries and rescued them. The Lord promised that Ishmael would raise up a great nation of his own. God keeps God’s promises. The outcast and the favorite, younger son, were enemies before Abraham dies. But at the loss of their father, their shared grief is a reminder to them that they have been family all along. They are enemies no more.

    Just because Israel is at war, Rabbi Joshua said, there’s no reason for Jewish people, descendants of Isaac, to hate the descendants of Ishmael. They share a common ancestor—Abraham. They are the same family, he said. We look forward to the day that Isaiah foretold, when the nations “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

    The most moving aspect of the worship for me was during a Hebrew song called the “Lekha Dodi,” when everyone stands and turns to face the door and welcome Shabbat as if she is a beloved bride. “Come out my Beloved, the Bride to meet,” the song begins in English. “The inner light of Shabbat, let us greet.”

   Joy filled the room. I was reminded, then, that the Sabbath is more than just a commandment, a day God set aside to refrain from all work when our Creator was finished creating. This is God’s gift of Sabbath rest and peace, foreshadowing the wedding banquet of the Messiah, when the Sabbath won’t just be one day a week; it will be ours to enjoy with God and one another for all eternity.

    Our reading in Matthew 25, the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids or young women, moves us closer to the season of Advent—and connects with the message and prayers of the worship on Friday for Shabbat. The Spirit is speaking to all the people of God! It’s no coincidence that this parable would be the story that we share today, on the weekend that we welcomed, with Temple Isaiah and synagogues across the country, the Shabbat bride, a metaphor for the time of redemption. When the Messiah will come, and everyone will live in peace and rest forever.

This is what Jesus meant when he shared this parable. He was Jewish, after all, as was his first audience hearing his teaching. Everyone knew that he was talking about the day of redemption: who would be ready to meet the Messiah; who would not. Who would have oil to light their lanterns and join the Bridegroom in the eternal wedding banquet. And who would not.

Studying this passage this week, I felt a little sorry for the bridesmaids who didn’t have oil to keep their lamps burning. They plead with the ones who have oil in their flasks, “Give us some of your oil.” I wondered, “Why didn’t the wise bridesmaids share their oil with the foolish ones?”

A closer look reveals how the wise young women would need every drop of the oil they had for their own lamps. This is an oil that must be acquired from one Source, the Source of all life. It isn’t that those who lacked oil to keep their lamps burning didn’t care if the Bridegroom came or not. They all wanted to be with the Bridegroom and light his way to go to the heavenly wedding banquet. This wasn’t a case of not longing for his return. They had just grown weary of waiting.  They fell asleep without checking their supply of oil, thinking they had more time. They had given up hope that he would come that night. Maybe they had begun to wonder if he would ever come to lead them to their heavenly banquet.

So now, you are wondering, “How do I know that I have enough oil for my lamp? When am I ready to meet the Lord?”

When we read this passage alongside the passage in Joshua, it becomes clear. The oil in the lamp, the being ready for the Bridegroom’s return, isn’t just one decision to serve the Lord. That’s only the beginning of the covenant between God and Israel. God would be their God, and they would be God’s people, turning away from the idols they formerly embraced. But it would be a daily inner battle that required a growing faith and time for spiritual maturity.

Some of us made the choice to follow the Lord years ago. That was the beginning. Now we know that we have to keep on making good choices, the right choices, every day so that we keep the promises we made with God. And bring life and healing to ourselves and help heal and make whole our broken and hurting world.

We know when we are in a good spiritual place. We know when we have peace with God and one another and experience a foretaste of Shabbat Shalom, a holy rest and feast at the heavenly wedding banquet.

The Sabbath is not just a commandment, dear friends; it’s a gift from your God of love. Someday, this will be ours to enjoy for all eternity!

May we remember that every human being is a child of God. Like Ishmael and Isaac, we share the same Father. We are all family to the Lord, called to love one another.

We know when we are struggling and need help from a faithful friend. Look around you! This room is full of your faithful friends—and there are others whom God has placed in your life for a reason. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

We know when we are weary and discouraged, losing confidence along the journey, making choices that aren’t good for us or helpful for other people.  We know when we are beginning to slip, lose ground, lose our way. When we begin to wonder, like the foolish bridesmaids, if the Bridegroom who has delayed so long in coming will ever come in our lifetime on earth.

And that’s when we need to keep awake and heed the advice of that wonderful African American spiritual, “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning”:

Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,

keep your lamps trimmed and burning,

keep your lamps trimmed and burning, for the time is drawing nigh.

Sisters, don’t grow weary;

brothers, don’t grow weary,

children, don’t grow weary, for the time is drawing nigh.

Holy One, thank you for giving us your Word, so that we may be inspired to make the promise with you that Joshua made long ago: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Thank you for the opportunity to worship with our Jewish friends and neighbors at Temple Isaiah. Please, dear Lord, watch over them and keep them safe. Guide us in all the choices we make. Give us wisdom and strength to serve you every day. Keep us awake and alert to the signs of your presence in the world and your Son’s Second Coming. Help us to keep the Sabbath, your loving gift to us. Stir us to keep on praying with hope for the day of redemption and the end to all wars. May we never grow weary. For the time is drawing nigh. Amen.

Connecting the Faithful of First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY

Pastor Karen Crawford

Meditation on  1 John 3:1–3

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

Pastor Karen Crawford

Nov. 5, 2023

All Saints Sunday

I remember having a meal with my father. We were at a restaurant in Maryland. I had a cheese omelet and a bagel, though it was dinner, not breakfast. I was living in the Baltimore area and going to university, studying to be a teacher.

It was the fall of 1985. I was taking an American Studies class. We were asked to write our family histories, going back three generations or more. We had to place ourselves in the family story, see patterns, and make connections. I was only 19 at the time—just beginning my adult life. We were asked to interview members of our families—and encourage them to share personal stories.

Why is it that I can remember what I ate—but I can’t recall the stories Dad shared with me that night? I do think if I listen really hard I can still hear his voice and see his mannerisms as he spoke. I can hear his laugh. He often had a far-off look—and he would answer some of my questions with a pause, then “I don’t know.”

At the end of the meal, something had changed in my father. The normally shy, reserved man had a determined look on his face when we stood up and hugged goodbye. He was going to research our family history and get me the answers that I sought. He would leave no stone unturned until he knew the names, dates, places, and as many details as possible of the lives of the people who came before us. These people made decisions about who they would marry, how they would raise their kids, what they would do for a living and where they would live, even many of them embracing a new country—America!—and new cities, such as New York, Pleasantville, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., and leaving old countries behind: Norway. Hungary. Latvia. Poland.

Our passage in First John is about family. The family of God is like a biological family. God is Father and Jesus is Son. The followers of Christ are “little children.” I lost count of how many times John uses the word “children” and “little children” and “children of God” in John’s letters.

The John who wrote this is called, “John the Evangelist.” He writes in the style of John the Apostle, who wrote the gospel of John. We find similar words, phrases, and ideas. John the Evangelist starts the first letter, “We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it..”

The gospel of John starts, “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.”

The tone of John’s letters is intimate and affectionate, as if the writer is speaking to an audience he knows well and cares for, yet no specific church is identified. Scholars believe the letter was written in Ephesus, on the western shore of modern-day Turkey, between 95 and 110 A.D. He wrote for Christians who probably never met Jesus in the flesh.

He writes for all Christ’s followers, in every time and place. He writes to reveal the love and grace of God and encourage us to live in love and grace, as if we are a new family, a family tree connected by faith and a desire to follow Christ with our lives.

He shares the hope of salvation to stir the church to grow in faith, faithfulness, and boldness, because Christ didn’t come to save a small, exclusive group of people. He says in 1 John 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” And, “My little children,” he says in 1 John 2:1, “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

This reminds me of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John the Evangelist is concerned that the church may be led astray by false teachers, whom he calls antichrists. The most important identifier of God’s children? LOVE. Love that is God’s gift to us, as we hear in today’s passage. Later in the letter, we learn that we are able to love at all because of God, who IS love. And, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Love for the children of God isn’t merely affectionate speech. It is revealed through our giving. “How does God’s love abide in anyone,” he asks in 1 John 3:17 and 18, “who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”

A church that lacks love is not following Christ. Love is essential; it is the main ingredient for our life in Christ together. “Whoever does not love abides in death,” he says in chapter 3. And, “…We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”

On All Saints Day, we look back to remember, honor, and be inspired by all the saints—all our loved ones—who gave of themselves so that we could become the people we are today. We give thanks for all that we learned from the example of the generations before us—the Great Cloud Witnesses that are still with us, though we can’t see or hear them cheering us on, urging us to continue to run the race of faith in the years to come.

 I don’t know about you, but I always feel emotional on All Saints Day. I feel sad for those who aren’t with us. Especially when we are lighting candles for them. But most of all, I feel overcome with gratitude for knowing and loving them.

What a tremendous gift it was to have the father that I had! A father who would eat a meal with me, then spend the next 3 decades intensely researching our family history, going back generations for both sides of our family. His research would lead to my parents traveling the world to see the places where their ancestors had lived and meet family members they had never met. My mom stays in touch with some of them.

Dad continued to update our family histories up until the last year of his life with us, when Parkinson’s interfered. He went home to be with God in August 2019.

And yes, he found the information I needed in time for the American Studies class in fall 1985.  That’s when I discovered that I came from a long line of strong women, who made choices that were sometimes different from their parents’ choices. While my grandmothers didn’t have the opportunity or encouragement to go to college, they never stopped growing and learning, adapting and redefining themselves. They liked to read. They were creative. They had opinions about things. Family was always important. They embraced life, though they lived through wars and economic struggles, such as the Great Depression. They overcame difficulties and losses.

They loved deeply. And they held onto their faith.

As I look around the room today, I see a gathering of saints! You are God’s children now! You abide in God and God’s love abides in you!

I encourage you to share your stories with your biological families and your brothers and sisters in the faith today. Don’t wait! Don’t put it off! Don’t be so busy with activities and chores that you neglect to share the stories of all the saints.

Keep on sharing your stories with the next generation because this moment, today, will never happen again. Everything can change in an instant. Keep on sharing your love—for that is the most important thing for the children of God.

The Spirit is still working in us. If you get discouraged with yourself and can’t see your own progress on your journey of faith, hold onto the promise in today’s passage in First John—that “what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.”

I wish I could remember all of Dad’s stories of that day and so many days that followed the meal that started his passion for genealogy. I don’t know why I remember the cheese omelet and the bagel. I think he was wearing a red sweater vest that he wore when the weather grew colder. I know he was wearing a hat. He always wore a hat.

If only I could hear his voice, once again, and see all his mannerisms, the expressions on his face, the way he hesitated before answering a question. The way he wasn’t afraid to say, “I don’t know.” And his look of sheer determination that he would not leave a stone unturned until he knew the names, dates, places, and as many details as possible of the lives of the people who came before us. Those who helped to make us who we are today.

I remember my father’s love.

Will you pray with me? Let us pray.

Holy God, Heavenly Parent, thank you for your loving us first and your gift of love to your Church. Help us to be more faithful to reveal your love and grace to the world, for your salvation is for all people.  Thank you for the example of all the saints—our loved ones who have gone before us and helped to make us who we are today. Keep us on the right paths, dear Lord. Slow us down if we are moving too fast. Keep us from being so busy that we don’t take time to share and be inspired by the stories of all the saints. Help us to honor them and give thanks to you for the gift of their lives, their love, and their faith. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Pastor Karen Crawford

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY

Meditation on John 8:31–36

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

Pastor Karen Crawford

Reformation Sunday: Oct. 29, 2023

A few days ago, I took the right hands of my son, James, and his bride, Andrea, and prayed over the rings they would place on each other’s fingers. I began to speak the words that James and Andrea would echo, phrase by phrase, their voices shaking with emotion, their eyes shining with tears.

“Andrea, I give you this ring as a sign of my love, a pledge of my faithfulness, and a symbol of the covenant we make this day.”  

I give thanks to God for the honor and privilege that it was to preside over my son’s wedding—here in our beautiful sanctuary. I am so grateful to my flock—especially those who served behind the scenes to help make the special day even more special.

Everything was perfect, including the weather. Andrea’s family flew from Minnesota for what became a destination wedding. They traveled to New York, some of them, for the very first time.

I shared a personal message at their wedding—something I rarely do, as the wedding service nearly always seems complete without it. I tried hard not to embarrass James—and I borrowed a theme from the Back to the Future movies. I said, if only we had the DeLorean time machine—not to go back and fix something that was broken in the past, but to give hope and peace to James, who never wanted to move to Minnesota.

If only the James and Andrea of today, I said, wearing their wedding finery, could show up at our home next to the church in Renville, Minnesota, 12 years ago. Their mission would be to tell James the good news—the good future God had planned! For God cares about the desires of our hearts, dear friends!

But then, it was the process of loss and grief, and then healing, growth, and love that made James the strong man he is today. It was painful, at times, for all of us who were out of our comfort zones in rural Minnesota, where the winters are long and cold. Leaving our old lives—and friends—behind.

They met in college, a year after we arrived—James and Andrea. They dated for 11 years. They became engaged in an old-fashioned way two years ago. Then they called me on Zoom to share the news—and ask me if I would marry them. The decision to be married in this church came a year later, when they visited us in Smithtown last summer.

I quoted the text couples often choose for their weddings—First Corinthians 13, composed by a single man named Paul who wrote of God’s love thousands of years ago. I urged them, of all that love is, to be patient and kind. To say, “I love you. I’m sorry. I forgive you—and I love you even more.”

God is our model for patience and kindness. God is so patient. God is so kind!

On Reformation Sunday, we look back on the history of the Christian Church and remember some of the people and events that worked together to move the Church onto a different, more faithful path, which led, hundreds of years later, to where we are today.

The date for Reformation Sunday in the church year falls as close to Oct. 31 as possible, to commemorate Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses on the Wittenberg castle church door. Actually, we don’t know the exact date that he nailed his Theses to the door, urging the Roman Church to reform; it could have been as late as mid November! But we do know that he sent the Theses enclosed with a letter to Albert of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz, on Oct. 31, 1517.

Luther called for changes in belief and practice. He believed that individuals could be saved only by personal faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of God. He objected to the Church’s practices of works-based righteousness– pilgrimages, the sale of indulgences to obtain forgiveness, and prayers addressed to saints. He advocated the printing of the Bible in the language of the people, rather than Latin, so they could read and understand Scripture with the help of Gutenberg’s new invention: the printing press.

But it’s unfair to give all the credit for the Protestant Reformation to Martin Luther alone. He followed countless reformers of the Church calling for a return to biblical teachings. Some better-known ones who came before Luther include John Wycliffe, at Oxford University, and Jan Hus, at Charles University in Prague. Luther joins other Protestant reformers of the 15th and 16th Centuries–French Theologian John Calvin, Scottish Minister John Knox, and Swiss Pastor Ulrich Zwingli, who trace many of their theological understandings to the ideas of a person of color, born in the 4th century, A.D. I am speaking of the North African Saint Augustine of Hippo—in what is today Algeria.

And there are other, less famous people to remember and honor today, on Reformation Sunday. The writings, teachings, and lives of countless religious women over the centuries have also helped to shape the Christian Church around the world. Sadly, most people don’t know about them. Do you know of Hildegard of Bingen, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, Catherine of Sienna, Bridget of Sweden, Clare of Assisi, and Teresa of Avila? These are just a few whose stories and contributions to the Church are coming to light and being shared after hundreds of years of being overlooked or ignored.

But rather than make Reformation Sunday an ode to the heroes and heroines of the faith or focus on the historical differences and disagreements between Protestants and Catholics, let us, instead, consider the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in every believer to bring about the Church’s transformation. For Reformation Sunday is about change!

This isn’t about us seeking to reform ourselves or the church according to our own personal preferences. That’s always a temptation! Presbyterians and other believers in the Reformed Tradition hold to the motto, Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda, that is, “the church reformed, always reforming,’ according to the Word of God and the call of the Spirit.”

Our gospel reading in John today is about Christ inviting those who are beginning to believe in him to have a change of heart so they may follow him and experience new life. “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples,” he says, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 

There’s only one problem with his statement—the talk of being “made free.” That puts them on the defensive and a promise becomes the obstacle to their following Jesus. “Made free from WHAT?” they want to know. They say with pride, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone.”

Does this surprise you? The history of the Israelite people, the whole story of Moses leading them out of captivity in Egypt, has been forgotten. They miss the point that Jesus is trying to make—the hope for all eternity for sinners, needing a Savior—in this world and in the world to come.  The kind of freedom we have is the freedom from our bondage to sin and death.

That means living in confidence, sure of God’s loving purpose for our lives during the most uncomfortable or unhappy times. This is how the Spirit molds and changes us, when we go through the process of loss and grief, then come to experience God’s healing, growth, and love through the people God has sent to care for us and for us to care for them.

The encouragement during trials from the epistle of James comes to mind. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,” he says in chapter 1, “whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

In my wedding reflection on Thursday, I told my youngest son how proud his family is of him. How happy we are that he and Andrea have found each other. How we love them both. How they are better together than they were apart.

I pray that the Holy Spirit that brought about their growth and transformation will continue to guide and strengthen them in their marriage and help them keep all the promises they made that day. And that the Lord would help them to be patient and kind. I know if they seek to love with patience and kindness, all the rest will fall into place.

This is what I pray for all of us. That our relationship with the Lord and one another will be like a strong marriage. We have chosen to live in loving covenant. We can’t help but deal with change as a congregation when the world around us is changing every day. Our calling and challenge are always to be faithful—to know Christ and to walk in his loving ways, as best as we can. And if we fall, to get back up again. To welcome the continuing reformation of the heart and mind of every believer.

Sometimes, we need to say, “I love you. I’m sorry. I forgive you—and I love you even more.”

The Lord will bless our church family with growth and maturity if we are patient, dear friends. If we are kind. Our Triune God is our perfect model for love!

The Lord is so patient. The Lord is so kind. The promise is that will not lack anything!

If the Son of God has made us free, we are free indeed!

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for your Word and the self-giving example of your Son, Jesus Christ, who invites us, right this moment, to embrace a change of heart and new life by faith. Thank you for the promise of freedom from the burden of sin and death through belief in the Son, our Savior, and commitment to drawing nearer to him in prayer, following in His ways as best as we can. If we fall, please lift us up. Encourage us when we are uncomfortable or unhappy about our life’s situation. Some of us are going through difficult times, dear Lord. Some of us are struggling with serious health challenges or grieving the loss of a loved one. Some of us are caring for a loved one with health problems, and we feel afraid for the future. Strengthen us each day, God of compassion, that we might continue in the ministry you have called us to as individuals and a church of Jesus Christ. Teach us to always be patient and kind, with our families by birth and marriage and our family of faith, especially in times of trial or differences of opinion. For you are so patient. You are so kind! In your Son’s name we pray. Amen.

Meditation on Philippians 4:1–9 (Pastor)

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY

Pastor Karen Crawford

Oct. 15, 2023

My son, Jacob, reached out to me by text message yesterday. “Hey, Mom. Can I call?”

Jacob moved to Colorado over Memorial Day Weekend. He had been living with us and going to college. Since then, he has lived with a friend, landed his first job in a CPA office, and moved into a studio apartment in Denver in August.

When I received his text, I called him. “Hi Jacob! How’s it going?” I asked.

“It’s going good,” he said. “But it’s getting cold. Did I leave a coat at the house?”

By the end of the call, I had ordered a winter coat on Amazon. I’m still his mother, right? He has had a few bumps in the road on his journey, making a new life in Colorado. His car didn’t pass emissions testing. He had to purchase a new catalytic converter. It was expensive. But he figured it out—found a mechanic and transportation when he was having his car repaired. He still likes his job, though he doesn’t want to do taxes forever, he said.

He has found a new hobby. He is learning sword fighting with his friend, the instructor, on Sunday afternoons. The important thing, he said, is to not be aggressive—to be gentle, so no one gets hurt.

When I hung up the phone, I laughed with relief. I was so worried when Jacob was moving out 5 months ago. Well, now I can truly say—our prayers have been answered. God has been faithful, and I am SO grateful.  If only I could have seen ahead to this day—when I would know for sure that everything would be OK.

This passage in Philippians is one of my favorites in the Bible. Paul’s epistle to the Philippian church is a friendship letter at a time when letter writing was something of an art, taken seriously by ancient Greeks and Romans. This is hard for us to grasp in our culture of cell phones, text messages and emails, when few people sit down with pen and paper and take seriously the crafting of a letter.

Throughout all of Paul’s letters, we find a call to unity. This is no exception in Philippians, with his urging two women who are longtime friends and laborers for the gospel to be of the same mind and the one leading the church to help them reconcile.

If one theme could be chosen for this encouraging letter, it would be “joy.” This may be surprising when you consider that Paul wrote this letter when he was detained in a Roman prison, with no hope of release. He uses the Greek word Chara for joy twice in this passage and two more times for a word with the same root. “Rejoice,” he says. “Rejoice in the Lord.” This is number one for Paul’s instruction on how to live faithfully. Chara is a joy that is more than a happy feeling. It comes from the choice to trust that God will keep God’s promises. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit—a gift for believers who seek it.

Number two in Paul’s instructions is his call for a change in attitude, a new way of being and letting the world see we are different. “Let your gentleness be known to everyone,” he says. “The Lord is near.” Christ modeled gentleness in the face of aggression. In our society today, gentleness is seen as weakness. You and I now know it is a strength! Gentleness is also a gift from God.

Number three, “Be anxious for nothing,” he says. That’s a hard one to follow. People were anxious in the time of Christ, just like we are today. Jesus tells his followers in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear…. (and) who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Jesus wouldn’t be telling people not to worry if they weren’t already worrying and didn’t have anything real to worry about. They did—just as we, too, have legitimate things to concern us today.

Number 4 in Paul’s instructions is, “But in everything (meaning every worrisome situation) by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (trusting that God will hear your concern and respond) let your requests be made known to God.” I hear echoes of Jesus saying in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door shall be opened for you.”

Here’s the promise when we let go of anxiety and choose to turn our worries into prayer, with thanksgiving: we will have the peace of God.

What caught my eye, studying this familiar and beloved passage this week, was that, along with telling us to turn our worries into prayers with thanksgiving, Paul tells us to take control of our thinking. Think on THESE things, he says. This was an AHAH! moment for me in seminary, when I was homesick and missing my husband and children. I don’t have to keep thinking the thoughts that make me sad or anxious. I can choose to think other thoughts. I can give the anxious thoughts to God.

Coming from a man in prison, with plenty of time to think about his situation, and remember all the mistakes in his life, especially the ones before his conversion, his advice is sound.

This isn’t the first time Paul has talked about the battle for our minds and how we may fight back. In Colossians chapter 3, he says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” In Second Cor. 10:5, he tells the church, “we take every thought captive to Christ.” In Second Cor. 2:16, he assures us that we have “the mind of Christ.”

Another way of thinking of this list of things to think about is seeing it like a filter in a search engine. Have you ever used filters in a search engine on your computer? You put in key words and phrases and your search is narrowed to include these key words and phrases, while leaving out the results without those key words and phrases.  So, when Paul says, “Think on THESE THINGS,” he means don’t think about anything that isn’t these things and especially don’t think about what is opposite of these things:

1. “whatever is honorable,
2. “whatever is just,
3. “whatever is pure,
4. “whatever is pleasing,
5. “whatever is commendable,
6. “if there is any excellence, and if there is anything worthy of praise, think on THESE things.”

Friends, what is the promise? Peace. In Greek, this is eirene. Not a human peace that we create for ourselves. This is the peace of God that is a gift of God, a peace of mind that arises from our reconciliation with God in Christ. This is a peace that surpasses all understanding—meaning it isn’t logical to human beings. It doesn’t make sense to have peace when you are Paul, detained in chains in a Roman prison, unless it is eirene, reconciliation with God, which no one can ever take away from us! What a beautiful image Paul supplies in this letter of friendship of the peace of God guarding our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.

The call from Jacob was truly a gift after an anxious week. If you know me well, you know that I am a worrier, especially when my plate is full and I am not allowing myself enough rest. Is that true for you? Anxiety is worse when you are tired? Rest today, dear friends, rest and receive Christ’s peace. I will do my best to rest, as well.

Sometimes, the scriptures that are our favorites are the ones that speak to our own struggles. In this passage in Philippians, we find hope that we aren’t the only ones who struggle with anxiety. This has been a problem for thousands of years.

We are living in anxious times, brothers and sisters. We will have anxious thoughts every day. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be human beings. Remember Paul’s list of what to think about when you are tempted to be anxious or let your thoughts drift to negative things. They have to pass this test:

Are the thoughts honorable, just, pure, pleasing, or commendable? If not, let them go. They aren’t God’s will for you! The same goes for what people are saying to you. If the words aren’t honorable, just, pure, pleasing, or commendable, excellent or worthy of praise, change the subject to something more positive and uplifting for both of you. If that still doesn’t work, then politely end the conversation. It’s not good for you or for them to continue with that kind of talk.

When the worries come, as they will, turn them into prayers, the kind where you are listening for God and opening your heart for God’s healing. Don’t just pray the kind of prayers where you are going on and on about your problems and the problems of the world—and getting yourself more and more upset. Pray for the Lord to help you carry your burden of anxiety. Then, let the Lord carry your burden. Better, yet, leave it at the foot of the cross.

If only we could face every anxiety-provoking situation with the hope that God’s got this! It may take time, and there will be surprises. The future is unknown to us. But we can trust our loving God and all the promises in Scripture. If only I could remember how God has answered so many prayers for me in my life so far, including the one for Jacob’s wellbeing.

God has been faithful, and we are SO grateful. If only I could have seen ahead to this day—when everything would be OK.

With Paul, I say, “Rejoice in the Lord. Again,” I say, “rejoice!” And, “may the peace of God guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Will you pray with me?

Let us pray.

God of peace, we thank you for the letters of Paul, his encouragement for churches of every time and place. Thank you for your faithfulness —helping us with every anxious situation and your promise of always being there with us in our daily struggles. Give us, as Paul says, the mind of Christ; let us be united as Christ’s Body, not allowing any harmful, divisive spirit to dwell with us in our congregation. Remind us, today and always, when we are tempted to be negative or anxious that you have a good future planned, waiting to unfold. And that we will be OK. Today is the day to rejoice in the Lord, no matter our circumstances. Again, I say, “Rejoice!” We pray in Christ, with thanksgiving. Amen.

Meditation on Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 19-20

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

Pastor Karen Crawford

Oct. 8, 2023

I don’t know how old I was when I first heard about the 10 commandments. Did we learn about them in Sunday School? Maybe it was Vacation Bible School.

When was the first time you heard about the Ten Commandments? I remember learning about them when I was young, before I really understood what they all meant! Some of the Commandments are definitely for a mature audience, aren’t they? I can just hear some of Kathy Seymour’s class on the drive home from church, “Mommy, what’s adultery?”

I do recall that I had to know the Ten Commandments, along with the Apostle’s Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer for my Confirmation in the Lutheran Church.  Did you have to know those, too?

Martin Luther, a priest and professor of Theology at Wittenberg University, was big on Christian education for children. Long before Sunday School programs, he wrote the Small Catechism, also known as Luther’s Little Instruction Book. This 1529 publication was a guide for fathers to teach their children and servants the essentials of the Christian faith. This was one of Luther’s most influential works—even more influential than his 95 Theses that he nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Church on Oct. 31, 1517.

I opened Luther’s Small Catechism yesterday, and what did I find on the first page of Section 1?  The Ten Commandments and a simple but not childish explanation of each one. It was an attempt to make them understandable for all ages and help us apply them to our daily lives. The explanations begin with a question, “What does this mean?” as if a parent is speaking with a child.

For example, “The First Commandment: You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”

Each explanation after the First Commandment begins with, “We should fear and love God so that…” Meaning, our love for God will lead to our obedience to God’s commands.

Moving on to the “Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.”

 “The Fifth Commandment (is) You shall not murder. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.”

Are you wondering what he will do with the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery?” “What does this mean?” he begins. “We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.”

The Ten Commandments that Moses receives on Mount Sinai is a highpoint for God’s prophet in the wilderness journey. God has sustained the Israelites with bread from heaven and water from a rock. The Lord has been with God’s people, not only rescuing them from their Egyptian enemies through the crossing of the sea on dry land but saving them from an attack by King Amalek’s forces at Rephidim in chapter 17.  

A low point is coming. A really low point—when Moses descends the mountain and discovers that the Israelites, losing patience while waiting for him, urge his brother, Aaron, to melt down their jewelry and make a golden idol for them to worship, thereby breaking the most important Commandment of all, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.”

But in Chapter 19, before the Lord gives Moses the Commandments—the sum of which, Jesus will say, are LOVE of God and neighbor—the Lord assures Moses of the Lord’s continuing love and care for the House of Jacob. “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians,” God says to Moses, “and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.”

French lawyer John Calvin, writing after Luther as an exile in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1559, saw the foreshadowing of Christ in the Ten Commandments and the other laws of Moses. He writes in his Institutes of the Christian Religion how Peter “neatly turns the saying of Moses, teaching that the fullness of grace that the Jews had tasted under the law has been shown forth in Christ: “‘You are a chosen race,” says 1 Peter 2:9, “a royal priesthood.’” (350) Calvin writes that the Law was given “not to restrain folk of the Old Covenant under itself, but to foster hope of salvation in Christ until His coming.”(349)  

In the Commandments, we see the righteousness of God! And, at the same time, it is as if we are looking in a mirror that “discloses our own sinfulness,” Calvin says. (354) The fulfillment of the law, no matter how hard we try, is impossible for us! (353).

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to live in obedience to them, with God’s help. Christ tells us in Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Jesus teaches his followers that it isn’t enough to know the commandments and be able to recite them, like some of us did for our Confirmation. It isn’t enough to know OF them and say we believe in them. We have to live our lives in a way that reveals our faith and obedience to them. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “Anyone who loves me will keep my commandments. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

In this age, when every day, we watch the news and learn of such terrible, hateful, and violent things happening in the world, the Ten Commandments—the sum of which are love of God and love of neighbor—are more important to live out than ever!

My favorite story of Jesus that reveals his attitude toward the commandments is the account of the rich man or rich young ruler in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. You know what I am talking about? In this story, Jesus teaches us what love is, what love does, with a large helping of God’s grace, as if we are taking a college course called, “Love 101.”

If you don’t remember anything else from today’s message, but the Ten Commandments are God’s Love 101 for the faith community, and the story of the rich man and Jesus, then you have all that you need. You can leave church today equipped to love and do God’s will.

Here goes….

¹⁷ As he was setting out on a journey,” begins the account in Mark 10, “a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’ ” ²⁰ He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” ²¹ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²² When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

²³ Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for your Ten Commandments, given to Moses and passed down to us, through all the generations, to give shape to your community of faith. Thank you for showing us love and grace and teaching us how to love you and our neighbor by living in obedience to your Word. We thank you and praise you for having a plan, from the foundation of the world, for sinful human beings who would not be able to keep all your commandments, no matter how hard we try. Thank you for giving us your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, the perfect fulfillment of your Law, through whom you have made all things possible to those who believe. Amen.

Meditation on Exodus 17:1-7

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

World Communion Sunday

Pastor Karen Crawford

Oct. 1, 2023

Our presbytery gathered for worship and a meeting yesterday at Grace Presbyterian Church in Selden. The church building was small. It needed some paint. The yard was a bit overgrown.

It was pouring rain, and I was glad that Jim and I, Marci and Dulcie arrived early. We found good parking spaces and shared one of the round tables in the room that functions as a worship space, fellowship hall, and community meeting room.

Elders and pastors filled up the seats.

The work of preparing food and drink came down to just a couple of ladies, longtime members of the host congregation. One came to the microphone and told her story and the church’s story. How it was two congregations of differing denominations. They came together and built a new church. They called it, “Grace.”

She had apologized to me for not having everything ready when we arrived. She said, “We couldn’t get in here last night because there was an AA meeting.” The little church hosts AA meetings every night and has its own food pantry!  What they have—they want to share.

The moderator of our presbytery opened the meeting and our worship, speaking of the love in that place. Others would come to the microphone to lead us in worship or share a report—and they, too, spoke of the love. When the presbytery recognized the names of elders gone home to be with God over the last year, a woman danced and praised the Lord with her face, her hands, her arms, her feet, her whole body.  She danced as Tasha Cobbs Leonard sang,

He knows my name
Yes, he knows my name

He knows my name

Yes, he knows my name.

It was a presbytery meeting like I had never experienced. I am trying to figure out what was different. Was it the people around me? Sometimes our presbytery has seemed cold and unwelcoming. Was it the small church building. The informal worship?

Or was it I? Had I changed since the last presbytery meeting?

Was it the lady who danced, praising God with her face, her hands, her arms, her feet, her whole body, as Tasha Cobbs Leonard sang,

So now
I pour out
My heart to you

Here in
Your presence
I am made new

You know my name
You know my name

You know my name.

Something is different about Moses in chapter 17 of Exodus. Different from 16, when the Lord says to God’s people, starving in the wilderness, “I’m gonna rain bread from heaven for you, each day!”

Moses has changed—not in a good way. The Israelites are still struggling with the transition to a new kind of life—freedom from captivity, freedom to come to know and follow their God.  They are still looking to Moses and Aaron for help—and they are still afraid that this wilderness journey will end badly. Now the whole congregation is quarreling with Moses. They “quarrel” and “test” the Lord, so much so that the place formerly known as Rephidim, Hebrew for “place of rest,” is now called Massah, which means “testing,” and Meribah, which means “quarrelling.”

They say to Moses, “Give us water to drink!”

Moses seems to be at the end of his compassion. His store has run out! He asks why they are quarreling with him, while “the people thirsted there for water, asking, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ He cries out to the Lord on their behalf, much like he did when they were hungry in chapter 16. But he asks God, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”

He says, “This people,” not MY people or YOUR people. He says, “THEY”—not US. He doesn’t count himself as one of the flock.

I read this week how each person on this desert crossing would require six liters of water per day. Six liters! Per day! The large animals would, of course, need more. We are talking about thousands of people—men, women, children, and infants.

Today, as I study this passage, I am startled that I am seeing so much weakness in Moses, the most revered prophet of Israel, presumed author of the entire Torah—the law or teachings of Judaism. Yes, he is rightly struggling against all odds to help the people of God in unthinkable, dangerous circumstances. But I see a failure in leadership. He seems distant. His heart isn’t in it anymore.

Yet in his weakness is exactly where the Lord God meets Moses, once again. And this is where God meets you and I—as we humbly seek God’s help, knowing that we don’t have all the answers; we don’t know the path ahead. We know that no matter what happens, our loving God will be there with us, too.

Moses will be kinder and more compassionate another day—when he is trying to solve all the people’s problems and acting as a judge in chapter 18. When this crisis ends, his priestly father-in-law, Jethro, will visit him in the wilderness, bringing Moses’ wife and sons. He will tell him that he’s trying to do too much on his own. That he needs to train up elders to help him. He follows his father-in-law’s wise advice.

On this day, when the people are ready to perish of thirst, the Lord will send him out ahead of the people, with some elders to witness the miracle. This is a shared experience that will bind together the community of faith and inspire them to awe and wonder. This story will be carried and retold by the Israelites from generation to generation before it is ever written down. God tells Moses—take your staff in your hand, you know the one that you used to strike the Nile, and the one that you used to part the Red Sea.

Strike the rock, he says. Water will come out. The people will drink. He does. It does. And they do.

Yesterday, at the presbytery meeting, I felt the love all around. My heart was open to the love—and I was willing to share it with others. Yes, I was different. Maybe others were, too.

At one point, a man asked me if Grace were my church. I said, “No, but WELCOME.” He asked for directions. I pointed the way.

When we celebrated Communion—and it was just those tiny, sealed cups of juice with the little wafers wrapped inside—it was emotional for me. We experienced a spiritual oneness, especially with the invitation to the table. Pastor Rachel invited all who had regrets—all who had ever said something they wished they hadn’t said. All who had done something they wished they had never done. All were invited to come to the Lord’s Table.

It’s a temptation for us to see some people in the Body of Christ as separate from us. Not just different, but separate. Not us. They don’t go to our church. They aren’t members of our denomination. They have different views, different ways of worshiping and living out their faith.

On World Communion Sunday, we are reminded of our Oneness in Christ, no matter what we think about Christians who seem so different. To separate ourselves from our neighbors in Christ is not what the Lord desires of us. When Jesus prays for his followers, he prays that we would all be ONE.

It’s also a temptation for us to see the presbytery as something separate from our congregation—but that’s not how it is with Presbyterians. WE are the presbytery. I am the presbytery. YOU are the presbytery. If we want to see change in the presbytery, then we have to BE part of the change. I will say it even more directly. If we see that change is needed, then God is calling us to help with the change.

We can’t be lone Christians, just like Moses couldn’t be everything to the Israelites or be separate from them. We have to be committed to a worshiping community. We are called to have a church home. Be one of a particular flock. We have to allow the SPIRIT to do its work of transformation and that happens when we are living and growing in community. Sometimes, it’s a painful experience. Growth. The work begins in our hearts.

But you and I – we have the living water that Jesus promised the Samaritan woman at the well, the one who was an outcast to her community. Jesus promises his living water to all the Samaritans—people outside Christ’s own faith community! You see, there’s no boundaries on living water. There’s no limit. It’s offered to all people! It’s a well that never runs dry. Jesus says in John 4, “those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 

Today, at the Lord’s Table, we will be nourished and strengthened! We will be made ONE, again, with all Christ’s followers—in every time and place. May we be made ready to be sent out to love, serve, and give of ourselves—all that we have and all that we are—without fear that we will somehow run out of resources and not have enough for ourselves.

May we never question, as the Israelites did in times of crisis, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Let us trust in the abundance of a God who can make water gush from a rock in the wilderness.

May we be filled to overflowing with a joyful spirit, so that we rise and dance like the woman at a tiny church called Grace. The one who danced to praise God with her face, her hands, her arms, her feet, her whole body.

So now
I pour out
My heart to you

Here in
Your presence
I am made new

You know my name
You know my name

You know my name.

Let us pray.

Holy One, Thank you for knowing our names and never forgetting us. We invite you now to pour into us your Living Water so that our joy will overflow. Empower us to live abundantly, not holding onto what we have, fearful of not having enough. Thank you for the well that is Jesus the Christ—the well that never runs dry—a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. Break down the walls and barriers that human beings put up to separate ourselves from others. We know that you desire us to be united in faith and are called to do our part to heal and help a broken world. Stir us to a deeper commitment to our church family, a stronger walk with you, and a deeper, more loving relationship with your Son. In His name we pray.  Amen.