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.

Bedtime Story for Sept. 27, 2023

Meditation on Exodus 16:2-15

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY

Pastor Karen Crawford

Sept. 24, 2023

Dear friends, this a special day in the life of our ministry together. A year ago, we celebrated the official beginning of our ministry at my service of installation.

Do you remember that day? Does it seem longer than a year has passed? It does to me.

And at the same time, does it seem like yesterday? Me, too.

Tomorrow, I am celebrating another ministry milestone—the anniversary of my ordination on Sept. 25, 2011.

When I accepted the call to serve my first flock, Jim and I sold our home in York, PA, and moved to rural southwest Minnesota with two of our children and two dogs. We lived in a manse right next to the church. It was an easy walk, except in winter, when the snow was deep, and the ice was thick. It was safer to drive. I knew my way around the building, where all the light switches were in the dark. I did have to watch for bats, though. That was my first experience with church bats.

I never went hungry in Minnesota. They had plenty of potlucks, only they called them Hot Dishes. And every Sunday, after worship, we gathered around tables in the fellowship hall, and had what they called “a little lunch.” They drank black coffee and ate refreshments that people brought. Often the goodies included some kind of a dessert cut into bars.

The first time that I ever had rhubarb was in Minnesota! Have you ever had rhubarb? They made rhubarb pie, rhubarb crisp with a meringue topping, and rhubarb jam, and a sweet syrup for ice cream. I never quite got used to rhubarb! Food in every faith community is for comfort and friendship as much as nourishment, isn’t it? They used to serve a hot meal at funerals—scalloped potatoes and ham, buttered bread, coffee and cake.

They prepared a feast to follow my ordination service, but that day was especially memorable because I received a call that morning that one of my elderly church members was dying. The family asked me to come. After the morning worship service, I drove to the hospital, 25 miles away on country roads. When I arrived at George’s room, he had just taken his final breath. His sons, daughters in law, and their children were gathered around him.

The room was silent and still. I remember vividly the beauty of the loving expressions on the family’s faces—shining with tears. I felt the breath of God all around.

It was one of the holy moments of ministry, when the Lord God made God’s presence known and provided for all our needs in ways that sometimes took us by surprise.

 It was the first of many holy moments to come.

The holy moment for Israel in today’s passage in Exodus begins with a crisis. A crisis of food will lead to a crisis of faith. Six weeks has passed since the Israelites fled Egypt and crossed the sea on dry land to escape the Egyptian armies. They have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, including bitter, undrinkable water in the wilderness of Shur after the crossing of the sea. Moses cried out to the Lord and God showed him a piece of wood and told him to throw it in the water. Moses threw in the wood, and the water became sweet.

In the wilderness of Sin, where there’s no food, the whole congregation complains against Moses, saying, if only we had died, “when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread.” They longed for the comfort of the food that filled their bellies and meant home and family to them, the food of their community, though it would mean returning to cruel treatment under slavery. Six weeks after they fled captivity, they wanted to go back to Egypt. They wanted to go home.

When things go wrong, people begin to question if God is still with us, if God still cares, maybe even if God exists at all.

So the Lord says to Moses, “I’m gonna rain bread from heaven for you, each day.”

The Lord God listens to their complaints and doesn’t punish them. The Lord graciously responds by providing for their needs. Not only does God provide bread, the Lord sends quails to cover the camp in the evening. They have meat to eat!

The problem is that can’t always see the miraculous provision of God—that the Lord has helped them every step of their journey. This is part of Moses’ calling to help them see God and believe in God’s love. They are just beginning to learn what it means to be people of faith. The first time they see the fine, flaky substance, they ask one another, “What is it?” Moses says, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.” 

God raining bread from heaven for the Israelites is a defining moment for them. The story is repeated over and over in the wilderness years and in the exile years in Babylon, when they are a long way from home, their faith begins to waiver, and they need encouragement. Under Moses’ leadership, they become God’s people in the wilderness, learning to trust in the One who feeds them and provides for their every need, every day.

Centuries later, Jesus will recall the miraculous provision for the Israelites when he teaches his followers to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

In the gospel of John, Jesus will use God’s miraculous provision in the wilderness to explain the new thing that God is doing in and through his body, with the promise of forgiveness and eternal life.

 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven,” Jesus says in John 6. “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

As I look back on 12 years of ordained ministry, I remember the kindness of people—the friendship. I remember the love and being invited to share in so many intimate, holy moments with God’s people.

Today, we have experienced a beautiful, holy moment in ministry with our welcoming of Stella Rae into the Body of Christ through Baptism.

I had a funny thought last night, when I was thinking of the mysterious plan that God has for every person. Most parents aren’t thinking, at their child’s Baptism, that their daughter or son may someday become a pastor. I am sure that my parents weren’t thinking, in the 1970s at my Baptism at age 13, that I was going to grow up to be a pastor. That was a big surprise to them—and to me when I heard the call of God to pastoral ministry in my 40s!

What if God wants Stella to pursue ordained ministry? Wouldn’t that be amazing?

We have no idea what the Lord has planned for our young people. But it all starts with Baptism! It’s up to us to nurture the faith of every child in our flock and treat each one as if their faith is going to make a difference in the Kingdom of God and in the world today. Because it will!

In my first year of ministry at Ebenezer in 2011, I often wondered what God was thinking. I was so nervous—afraid to make a mistake. I wasn’t sure that I was cut out for a minister’s life. I hardly slept on Saturday nights because I was worried that my messages weren’t good enough. But my first flock welcomed my gifts for ministry, and they showed me and told me what they needed from their pastor. They let me be the person that the Spirit was helping me to be. Their faith inspired me! I will always be grateful for my Minnesota flock. We experienced many holy moments together.

A couple of hours before my service of ordination and installation, I was in a hospital room, holding the hand of a longtime member who had gone home to be with the Lord. With the family gathered around, I prayed my first prayer of comfort after a death. It was my first death as a pastor. It would be my first funeral a few days later. A couple of hundred people came. We walked up to the cemetery in a long procession, the church bell tolling, again and again. Afterward, we ate scalloped potatoes and ham, buttered bread, coffee and cake.

Looking back, I only remember the feeling of peace that came over me and settled in the hospital room. The Lord God was there for us in our moment of need.

The Lord God who provided for Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness will continue to listen to our prayers and provide for our church family. We can trust the One to whom we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The One who sent the Son to be our living bread from heaven, the bread that he offers to all people for the life of the world.

The One who heard all the complaints of the Israelites and responded not in anger, but in mercy and grace,

“I’m gonna rain bread from heaven for you!”

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for your Son, our Living Bread from heaven who offers to all who partake and trust in him abundant and everlasting life. Thank you for your patience with us when we complain, like the ancient people of God, who only wanted the comfortable food from slavery and were suspicious of the new flaky substance on the grass. Help us to trust in your loving, daily provision for us—for all our needs, body, mind and spirit, when we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” And thank you for the children of our congregation, especially baby Stella, whom you claimed today in her Baptism. Grant us wisdom and creativity to nurture the children so that their faith will make a difference in your Kingdom and in this world. In the name of the Living Bread we pray. Amen.

Meditation on Matthew 18:21-33

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

Pastor Karen Crawford

Sept. 17, 2023

Jim and I have been blessed with many sweet pets. But there’s one particular fur baby who touched our hearts in unexpected ways. Unexpected would have been a good name for the orange and white stray who showed up in the parking lot of my rural Minnesota church one day. He trotted over to me, meowing, tail up in the air, as if he expected good things.

He was a big cat. He let me pick him up and hold him on my shoulder right away. He had a loud, strange purr—as if he had some loose change rattling around inside of him.

We had two dogs back then—a beautiful sheltie named Molly and a cutie pie Pomeranian named Mabel. No cats—and we weren’t looking for one.

The scruffy looking orange cat with a white belly that swung back and forth when he walked followed me as I made my way home to the manse, next to the church. He turned on the charm on the front steps, climbing into my lap when I sat down. He had a way of putting his face under the crook of my arm, as if he wanted to hide from the world. I gave him food and water. Then, I left him on the steps and went inside. He’d be gone by morning, I thought, like the other strays that came and went.

That night it poured. The cat bedded down in our front bushes and cried all night long. He hated the rain. I couldn’t sleep and either could our son, Jacob because of the yowling. In the morning, Jim went out early with the dogs, saying to me, “Don’t let that thing come in the house.” As soon as he went out, I opened the door. The cat came in. I fixed him a nice bowl of dry dogfood—beggars can’t be choosers—and he never slept outside again. We named him Melvyn.

Jim didn’t trust the cat roaming the house at night and didn’t want him to sleep in our room. Melvyn had to stay in the unfinished basement. He was terrified down there. He cried and ran around in a panic that first night. I opened the door and let him come upstairs in the early morning hours. I went back to bed, and he scratched at our closed bedroom door.

“He wooooooo?” He asked, then a little louder, when he heard me giggling. “He wooooooo?”

He slept in our bed every night after that, purring loudly, with the strange rattling noise.  When Melvyn was happy, he wanted the world to know.

“I think he’s plotting to kill us,” Jim said.

When I opened the car door to take him to the vet for his first check up, he jumped inside like he was used to car rides. I could almost hear a country music soundtrack playing, “On the road again. I just can’t wait to get back on the road again.”

The vet told us he hadn’t always been a stray. He was neutered and declawed, and, get this, didn’t have worms or fleas. At one time, he had been someone’s house cat. But he’d been living on his own for a while. He was missing patches of hair and had scars that were once wounds. The vet recognized him, saying, “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

We often wondered what stories Melvyn could tell if he could tell us about his previous lives. The vet figured by his teeth that he was at least 7 years old. Probably older.

It was an adjustment period—Melvyn getting used to living with us and us with him. He didn’t mind being indoors as long as we were with him. If we left the house, he would go wild—running all over the place, knocking things over, climbing to the top of the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator. Getting into things. He would act like he was starving as soon as we left. One time, he knocked over a plastic container of dry dog food left on the kitchen table while we were out. When we got home, he was on the table, and the dogs were having a feast of dry food spilled all over the floor. That night, they had a tummy ache.

The wild, panicked behavior continued, every time we left the house. He was obviously traumatized by something in the past.

One Saturday, we discovered that he had helped himself to the Communion bread while we were out. We had bought the French bread loaf for the church service the next morning. Melvyn, home alone, had knocked it off the counter, dragged it across the kitchen floor and chewed off one end. The closest actual grocery store where we could buy bakery bread was about 25 miles away. Jim suggested that we could just cut off the part where the cat had eaten.

“Not my Jesus bread!” I said. That was the only time I felt frustrated with Melvyn. But how could you stay mad at such a sweet creature?

Later that night, he was purring loudly in our bed. He was one grateful kitty, happy that we had come home to him and kept filling his food and water bowls.

It was months before Melvyn started to calm down when we left the house. I think he had finally come to the realization—these people love me. They’re not going to hurt me. They aren’t going to abandon me, even if I do something bad. They’re going to forgive me.

It took time.

He grew increasingly calm and peaceful as the years went by. He never minded car rides, not even to the vet. He rode with us all the way from Minnesota to Florida, when I accepted a new call near where my parents lived. He never made a sound! He rode with us in the car all the way from Florida to Ohio, when I accepted a call to a new church family there. He adjusted to every new home, although he was cold in Ohio and slept on the rug in front of the hallway heat vent during the day.

He always knew that he was one of the family. He belonged. He never minded the two dogs, although they minded him, in the beginning.

Melvyn taught us that LOVE changes us. When someone loves us, unconditionally, and we know to whom we belong, then we have peace—and we can’t help but offer that same kind of love and grace to others. The root of Melvyn’s grace, I believe, was his gratitude to us for saving his life! He never had to sleep outside and go hungry in a Minnesota winter again.

This is not one of my favorite passages in Matthew. I actually end the reading before the lectionary stops because of the harsh warning at the end—of how God will punish us if we fail to show mercy and forgive others. Taken out of context, someone could get the wrong idea and not understand that God is love and that God will never stop forgiving us for our sins, even when we struggle, at times, to forgive those who have hurt us deeply.

God speaks through the prophet Isaiah in 43:25 and Jeremiah in 31:34, assuring God’s people that not only will the Lord forgive, the Lord will remember our sins no more!!!! God intentionally forgets! The psalmist in 103:12 assures us that as far as the east is from the west, so far as God removes our transgressions from us.

The passage in Matthew has an almost comedic beginning. The disciples are asking how many times they must forgive a brother or sister in the faith. You can almost hear them bickering with each other. Thirteen guys living in close quarters; it’s a miracle these men of differing ages and backgrounds can get along at all!

Seven times to forgive sounds like a good number. Maybe there’s one disciple that is more annoying than the others, and they want a reason to exclude him from the group. “OK, you have one more chance!” Seven is a divine number in Hebrew Scripture. How many days in the Creation story? Seven—but the seventh is the Holy Sabbath, the Day of rest for the Lord and God’s people.

While I made it out to be a math problem in the children’s message today, it’s not really. Jesus saying, “seventy times seven!” is his way of saying, “Always and forever.” How many times must you forgive your brother and sister who hurt you? Always. Forever.

The parable is horrifying in that it sounds like it could happen today. Someone is forgiven for a great debt when they deserved punishment. Then, they withhold forgiveness to someone who owes them a debt. That’s easy to believe, right? It sounds like the world in which we live.

The point is this: If your Heavenly Parent has so lovingly and graciously forgiven you for all your sins, then you are changed by this love and grace! You are not the person you were before. You are NOT the same being. You can’t help but offer God’s love and grace when you have accepted the Lord’s love and grace for you.

Sometimes, that’s the problem—when we haven’t really accepted God’s grace and love for us. When we can’t forgive ourselves. That gets in the way of our loving and forgiving others.

Melvyn lived a long, happy life with us in Minnesota, Florida, and Ohio. He struggled with health problems as he aged. He went blind. He lost his appetite. Then, one day, he couldn’t walk anymore. He had no strength or movement in his hind legs. I didn’t want to let him go. Whenever I held him in my arms, he purred and went to sleep, as if nothing were wrong. He trusted me until the end. Finally, I let him cross the rainbow bridge.

He lives on in our hearts and yes, I believe the animals that God so lovingly created and called good live on with the Lord for all eternity.

Whenever I think about God’s amazing grace, I remember the example of our orange stray, with the white belly that swung back and forth when he walked. I still miss his, “He wooooo?” outside our bedroom door.

He remains a sweet reminder of how, when we fully understand to whom we belong and fully accept God’s unconditional love and amazing grace for us, we are changed. We have peace. And we can’t help but offer that same love and grace to others.

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for forgiving us for all our sins—and for not remembering them anymore! Help us to love as you love. We struggle to forgive others who have hurt us. We hold onto hurts; we have trouble forgetting them. We struggle to forgive ourselves. The problem is that we can’t always believe in your unconditional love! We only know conditional love in this world. Your grace seems, at times, too good to be true. But Your Word is TRUE and our faith tells us that your LOVE and GRACE are REAL. And that we are not the same people we used to be. For your amazing grace has changed us, and there’s no going back. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Meditation on Matthew 16:13-20 and Romans 13:8-14 for Rally Day

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY

Pastor Karen Crawford

Sept. 10, 2023

I am so glad that Rally Day is finally here! We’ve been waiting and planning for this day of new beginnings. Our choirs are singing and ringing. The children are back in worship after their busy summers. They came with their backpacks, and we blessed them. I love doing that!

We have begun a new program year for Sunday School. New technology will be used with a curriculum called Whirl. The program connects with the scripture we study in worship. And it has animated video clips with lovable characters trying to figure out how to live out their faith.

Today after worship, we will have our first Confirmation gathering with 10 students starting a new program year. Rabbi Stephen Karol and his wife Donna from Temple Isaiah will be our guest speakers, sharing their personal faith journeys and talking about Judaism.

An important part of our Confirmation program is the work of mentors. They will be meeting with their students once a month. They have a mentor guide to help them connect with the student’s learning in class and engage in meaningful conversations.

I have stressed that the mentor guide is ONLY a guide. The most important thing is that they be a friend to their students. Meet them right where they are. And be their authentic selves when they are with them. Help them grow in confidence and self-esteem so they won’t be afraid to be the people God is leading them to become. And in the mentors’ kindness, the students will sense God’s love for them and their true identities in Christ as God’s Beloved Children.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that love is the most important commandment and that when we love, we fulfill all the law, all of God’s commands. “Owe no one anything,” he says, “except to love.” In one of his letters to the Corinthian church, in 1 Cor. 13, he says love is the most important gift. “And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.”

In our reading in Matthew today, Jesus and his disciples visit Caesarea Philippi. It’s a curious thing that they end up there; this is the only time they will go to this beautiful, scenic, and sparsely populated place about 15 or 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee and at the base of Mt. Hermon. One of the largest springs feeds into the Jordan River at Caesarea Philippi. The abundant water supply made the area fertile and attractive for worship of Roman gods.

Why would he choose such a time and place to declare the beginning of building his church? Why not choose a place where he has been preaching, healing, and feeding large crowds? I think the one who liked to go off by himself to the mountains to pray wanted to claim this place of natural beauty for the one true God he called Father. He also wanted to be alone with his closest friends in this serene setting. He has two questions for them. He doesn’t want any interruptions. Because that happened to Jesus all the time! He would be busy doing ministry or on his way to do ministry when someone would interrupt and ask for healing or the casting out of demons. And he would stop and do it, of course.

Now is his chance! The first question leads into the second, which was the most important of all. He trusts his disciples, his closest friends, to tell the truth. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” he asks, and I wonder about his mood. Is he being playful? Is he really concerned what people think of him? Does he already know the answer to this question? They say, “John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah. Other prophets.”

“But who do you say that I am?” he asks. This is the important question!

When it comes right down to it, what your closest friends think of you is what matters to you. They have spent private time with you, sharing stories, meals, celebrations, adventures, and struggles with you. Your closest friends understand you—they get you!–or at least they want to understand you and know you for who you really are so they can care for you even more.

This is true for Jesus, the Son of Man, fully human and fully God.

The question is really for just one of the disciples, the one whom the Lord has chosen for a particular work. Simon, not the other disciples, is the one who answers this important question. Ever notice that he is named in almost every gospel story with Jesus? He always plays a strong supporting role. He doesn’t always get it right, but he is the one who may be Jesus’s closest friend.

Simon says, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Today, at this beautiful place, at the base of a mountain, with abundant water from a spring that feeds into the Jordan River, Simon gets it right!

Jesus gives him a new identity that will fit the work he will do for God. He calls his friend by his full given name, “Simon son of Jonah.” They didn’t use last names back then. You were identified by your father’s name and hometown. Then, he gives his friend a nickname to strengthen him in his ministry. He is now “Rock.”

The name Peter comes from the Greek petra, which means Rock. Petra appears 15 times in the New Testament, and it normally describes a large rock formation, not just a single stone. “Upon this Rock formation (Petra), I will build my church,” Jesus says, then declares his divine authority given to Peter, “and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Will Peter follow Jesus perfectly? No, he makes mistakes, some serious ones. But the identity of Rock stays with him. He will always be Peter after this day. And the calling to build Christ’s church is something that cannot be taken away from him. It is a gift from the Lord, just as your calling from Jesus Christ can never be taken away from you, no matter what you do or what happens to you. You are always called to be Christ’s disciples—to follow him with your lives each day.

For the first time in my years of parish ministry, I will be serving as a Confirmation mentor. And to not just one, but two of our students. I am a little nervous. It’s one thing to serve as the pastor and another thing to commit to helping two students find God’s will for their lives. That’s a big thing! I am fully aware that I am not a normal person. You are kind to me—accepting me as I am—and not expecting me to be a normal person all the time. But what if my students think I am, I don’t know, weird or something?

One of my students whom I will be mentoring came to the Sunday school picnic in June. At the picnic, her mother told me that her grandmother had given her a bird feeder for her birthday—a clear plastic one that sticks to your window with suction cups, so you can see the birds eating at your feeder up close! Well, the student was worried. She had put out her feeder with some mixed bird food inside, but no birds had come. After a discussion with her and her mom, I put together a container of the bird foods that I use and gave it to her. I waited to hear back from them.

This week, I received an email. They sent me two photographs of birds at her feeder. One was an ordinary blackbird, I think. The other, well, I kept looking at it and looking at it. It was a big red bird. Too big for a cardinal. It had a strange face. I zoomed in, and it dawned on me, it was a chicken!

Must have been the mealworms I mixed in with the sunflower seeds! I took this as a sign! We are going to have adventures together—my students and me. And it’s OK if I am not exactly normal all the time. I pray that they will see Jesus in me!

To all who are commissioned as mentors, teachers, and Bible study leaders in our congregation today, remember the words that were spoken to you at the baptismal font today. “Friends, the grace bestowed on you in baptism is sufficient for your calling because it is God’s grace. By God’s grace we are saved, and enabled to grow in the faith and to commit our lives in ways that serve Christ. God has called you to particular service.”

Remember to show the love of God. Don’t be shy about revealing your true identity as God’s Beloved Child. Today is the day when we owe no one anything, except to love, which fulfills all the commandments.

Let us imitate the One who loved us before the foundation of the world, before we ever loved him, the One who still wants to know the answer to the question he asked his closest friends long ago. He wants to know not just what’s in your mind, but what’s in your heart.

He is asking us now, as we seek to serve him with our lives and walk more faithfully with him every day,  “Who do you say that I am?”

Let us pray.  Holy One, Your Son is our Messiah, Your Anointed One, our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord. Through our faith in the work of Your Beloved Son on the cross, we are all your Beloved Children. Thank you, God, for the gift of Christian friendship, and for your love and grace—grace that is sufficient for our callings because it is YOUR grace. Thank you for taking away our sin and shame and giving us new, abundant, and everlasting life. Lead us to serve you with confidence, remembering our baptisms and to whom we belong. Help us to be a friend to others and not be afraid to be our true selves so that others would see Christ in us and come to know you and your love. In our Triune God we pray. Amen.

Meditation on Exodus 3:1–15

Pastor Karen Crawford

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, NY

Sept. 3, 2023

It’s beautiful weather for Labor Day weekend! It feels like fall has come, but still with so many flowers in bloom—rose of Sharon and crepe myrtle!

I was taking a walk yesterday afternoon, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, when I saw a flash of emerald green fly by me and land in a tree above me.

The bright green bird looked down at me curiously. “Oh, hello,” I said. It didn’t fly away. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that someone’s pet bird had escaped its cage. But I have heard about the Long Island parrots, sometimes called Monk parakeets or Quaker parrots. I have just never seen one in my neighborhood!

I kept looking up at it. And it kept looking down at me. It had my attention and at that moment, though I had plenty of worries on my mind before I saw a parakeet on Great Oak Road, I wasn’t thinking about anything else except this unusual bird and wondering about the journey it may have traveled before it stopped in Saint James.

These tropical birds originated in South America but have been seen in New York since the late 1960s.  The story goes that our parakeet community started at JFK airport. A crate of parakeets headed for local pet shops broke and set all the birds free in the process. Journalist Richard Nardo writes of the Monk Parakeets, “They’re tough, resourceful, and build massive communal nests similar to the apartments a lot of New Yorkers reside in, making them a perfect fit for the region.

“True to the neighborhood politics of most NYC groups, parakeets are community-oriented and have their own vocal dialects to communicate with each other (fuhgeddaboudit!). Also in true New York fashion, they show their friendship by grooming each other just like we like to hang out at our local barber shops and nail salons. When conflict does arise, they share the NY tough mentality, settling disagreements by meeting the problem head on.

“(Monk Parakeets) tend to build their homes (of sticks) around elevated electrical equipment, such as lights or transformers, to help provide heat in the cold New York winters…. It’s that level of resourcefulness and ingenuity that makes me think that the parakeets will be right at home in our neck of the woods,” Nardo writes. “It also makes me think that we’ll see more and more parakeet flocks popping up around the world. After all, if you can make it here, you’ll make it anywhere!” [1]

My sighting of the emerald-green parakeet landing in a tree right in front of me and curiously looking down at me was pretty special—not exactly burning bush special, but it got my attention and took me out of my own head for a bit and looking around at what the Lord may be saying to me.

For God speaks to us in ways we can hear, see, and understand. As the writer of Hebrews tells us, God has spoken to us through the prophets and now speaks to us through God’s Son, who came to us as one of us. The Lord also speaks to us through Creation. John Calvin in Reformation days quoted the Psalms, such as 90:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.”

That day that the angel of the Lord spoke to Moses through flames on a bush—he was just minding his own business, going about his daily life, when God accommodated Godself to him. God spoke in a way that Moses could hear, see, and understand. “I must turn aside,” he says of the flames he sees on Mount Horeb, “and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.”

Who knows what Moses is thinking about before he sees the burning bush? What mundane problem is occupying his thoughts? And who knows if God had been trying to get his attention with other mysterious signs—and Moses just never noticed?

He is comfortable in this second chapter of his life. Married to Zipporah, daughter of Jethro, priest of Midian, he has two sons and spends a lot of time in the desert wilderness area south of Judah, shepherding his father-in-law’s sheep. This is a far cry from his cushy existence in the Egyptian palace. He abruptly left his former life after being raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter, discovering his Jewish ancestry, and his impulsive killing of an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. He thought no one was watching when he buried him in the sand. His secret got out. He ran away to escape certain punishment.

When God saw that Moses had noticed the burning bush, he called his name two times. This is how God always calls the prophets. It’s always two times. “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am,” said he, without hesitation, as if he talked to burning bushes all the time. But then God tells him that he need not come any closer before removing his sandals. He is standing on holy ground. Now, he is afraid.

The Lord identifies himself as the God of “your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” He doesn’t say, “your God.” Moses isn’t especially religious at this point in his life, though he knows enough to hide his face. When I think about the years that he has spent building a new life with the priest’s daughter, shepherding sheep, and caring for his family, I think of how God must have been preparing him to lead God’s people through the wilderness all along, just as those years living in the palace prepared him to come face to face with the pharaoh.

When God tells him of the Lord’s concern for the suffering of God’s people, and that Moses must rescue them, Moses had never heard from the Lord before! This is the first time God spoke. The reluctant prophet has two questions. There will be more!! The first is, “Who am I to do this?” and the second? “Who are you to ask me?”

This story never fails to intrigue and inspire me. You would think that his impulsive killing of an Egyptian would disqualify him from being the Lord’s prophet and rescuing the Israelites. Somehow, our Gracious God thinks Moses is exactly the one needed for the job—though he will struggle with this calling and with the Israelites throughout the wilderness journey.

I am also inspired by Moses’ age—80, according to Acts chapter 7—when he first hears God’s voice in the wilderness. He isn’t in a synagogue. He is out on the job, doing what he normally does, providing for his family’s needs. He isn’t listening for God’s voice and looking for God to challenge him and change his heart and life. But God speaks, challenges, and changes him anyway.

And I am inspired by Moses’ special needs. He has a speech impediment and is fearful of public speaking. The one thing a prophet needs is a voice! I AM WHO I AM is prepared to use Moses’ stuttering words and only relents and permits his older brother, Aaron, to speak for him when Moses insists that he needs help. We all feel that way, sometimes. Things get hard and we think, “Lord, we can’t do this by ourselves.” That’s why we are a Church of Jesus Christ. We help each other carry the burden of the call. I couldn’t possibly be your pastor without your help! And I am so grateful for your encouragement, every step of this wilderness faith journey together.

The Lord isn’t looking for people without flaws. God is looking for someone who has a heart to serve and care for God’s people.  Is God looking for you? I think so! Only you know for sure. Are you hearing God’s voice? Are you looking for a mysterious sign?

Are you ready to be surprised in your daily living and be challenged and changed by the Lord? Are you thinking of all the reasons why God can’t possibly use you? Maybe your age. Maybe a health problem or the many responsibilities you already have. You’re too busy! Maybe you’ve made some mistakes. Or you don’t consider yourself to be religious, smart enough, strong enough—fill in the blank enough. Maybe you just started coming to worship after being away a long time and need first to be touched, healed, and strengthened by God.

You are in the right place! You’ve come at the right time. We are in this together. I will help you find God’s will for your life. And I know you will pray for me, too.

In a few moments, we will all come to the table of I AM WHO I AM. Everyone is invited to the table of the Lord. Your past doesn’t matter. Only the future—the road before us. In a few moments, I will say, come just as you are and partake. Our Living Lord will meet us here, empower and unite us to be Christ’s Body for the world. We can’t be the people God wants us to be without God’s nourishing our souls.

Today is the day the Spirit will, once again, speak to us of God’s love and purpose for us. The Lord has been preparing us for our various callings for many years! Everything that has happened up until today has made us more ready to say, “Here I am,” when God calls our name–two times! It’s always two times!

May we have our eyes and ears opened to see and hear from God—whether it be an actual voice of a friend or family member, a burning bush that isn’t consumed, a green bird on a branch above us or something else more astounding. May we all be healed and strengthened, and filled with joy, confidence, and peace. May we come to realize that wherever we are, the loving Spirit of the Lord is with us. We are always standing on holy ground!

Let us pray.

Holy One, we hear you calling us, but we are doubtful like Moses. We aren’t good enough, Lord. We’re busy. We’re not the right age or personality. We have made mistakes. Plenty of reasons why today we just aren’t available to say, “Here I am” when you call us by name. Twice! We know you only laugh when we ask those same questions Moses did. You never condemn us for our anxieties. You are so patient. You love us still. Who are we that you call us? And who are you to call us? Embrace us, now, with your Spirit, I AM WHO I AM. Speak to us, challenge us, change us, heal and strengthen us, Lord, on this wilderness faith journey. Give us confidence and peace to deny ourselves and take up our crosses, following our Savior. In His name we pray. Amen.

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     [1] Richard Nardo, March 25, 2022 at https://www.ntvli.com/ntvblog/2022/3/25/the-monk-parakeet-a-new-york-success-story

In Memory of Jasodrah Maharaj

August 8, 1924-August 24, 2023

Meditation on John 14: 1-19

Pastor Karen Crawford

Sept. 1, 2023

She came to the United States in 1970 from Trinidad and Tobago, not knowing anyone, but ready to embrace America as her new home.

Jasodrah Maharaj had already had a full life. She was born on August 8, 1924 in the British West Indies. Months before the U.S. entered WWII with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Jasodrah graduated from a residential vocational school at the age of 16. Possessing a strong Christian faith, she excelled in Bible Knowledge and enjoyed reading Scripture. She longed to continue her education, but her father had different plans. He arranged a marriage for her to a much older husband, which was the custom for her culture. She became a stepmother to a toddler when she was just a teenager herself. She went on to have four children, sadly losing one to death before he turned 3. After years of struggle, she separated from her husband in 1966.

 She had gone to secretarial school in the 1950s and became skilled in typing and shorthand. After working briefly in Coventry, England, she returned to Trinidad and did administrative work for a local radio station for about 12 years. Being financially savvy, she was able to accomplish what few women were able to do at the time; she had a house built and secured a loan.

She applied for a permanent resident visa to come to America in 1969 and later became a U.S. citizen. She lived briefly in Miami before moving to New York City. She worked for Chase Manhattan Bank in various positions for 10 years. With her daughter’s encouragement, she began taking college courses at night, while working full time during the day. Her good grades earned her a place on the Dean’s List. She continued with her studies, fulfilling a long-held dream when she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Hunter College in 1977. After that, she earned three master’s degrees while working full time in several careers. Following her work at the bank, she served as a guidance counselor for Covenant House in NYC for about two years, helping troubled teens turn their lives around. Then, she taught students with special needs for about nine years. She loved her students, and they loved her. She had begun Ph.D. work with Columbia University when she retired in 1989.

But there was so much more to Jasodrah than work and school. She lived life to its fullest after she came to America. She is a good example of the words of the psalmist in 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” She was good at many things. She loved to entertain and cook. People marveled at the wonderful dishes she made using just a few basic ingredients. She was a gardener, enjoying cultivating flowers and shrubs, such as hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, and forsythia, and vegetables, such as tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet red peppers. She danced! She was an amazing seamstress, self-taught, able to make her own clothes and sew curtains without patterns.  She liked traveling on cruise ships and airplanes and taking long road trips. She was a caring, compassionate, generous, and gentle woman. She adored her children and her grandchildren. She loved to read! She had a playful spirit and enjoyed occasional jaunts to the casino!

She remained faithful. In Trinidad, she attended Greyfriars Presbyterian Church of Scotland. She sang in the choir. When she lived in New York City, she joined Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. In 1979, she made First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown her church family and worship home and attended with her son, Raj, and daughter, Vidya, until health challenges made it impossible.

In recent years, her vision became so reduced from macular degeneration that she couldn’t read. Her legs became weak, and she struggled to stand and walk. She had some confusion and memory loss. An infection led to hospitalization, followed by a stay in a rehab center and further decline in health and strength.

Not to live in the home she shared with two children must have been very hard for her and them. They had tenderly cared for her and she for them for so many years.

This passage from the gospel of John 14 comes to mind when I think of Jasodrah, whose home and children were always of the utmost importance to her. Going back to Trinidad, when she was one of the rare females to be separated from her husband but still have a home of her own built, where she and her children could live! She must have been determined and focused on her goal, no matter the obstacles to overcome. Her pride at living in the special, planned community of Parkchester, developed by Met Life, touches my heart. This was not a woman who looked back and got stuck in past troubles and disappointments. She had dreams. And she lived graciously, able to forgive and move on.

And what a blessing for her that she was able to live with two of her children her entire life! She never had to go through any time of “empty nest,” something I just recently faced when my son, Jacob, who has lived with us all along, moved to Denver. I can’t imagine where he is living, having never been to Colorado, and I worry he might be lonely. I miss him.

I know, as you say your final goodbyes to your dear mother today, you are trying to imagine where she is now and when you will ever be together again. What kind of a life will it be when we begin the life beyond this age? Where is the place that she has gone to be welcomed into the arms of her Lord? Does she ever feel lonely as we do when we are missing our loved ones here?

The Bible assures us that Christ will wipe away every tear. We will have no more pain or sadness. No more suffering. No more anxiety or fear.

Christ’s disciples were alarmed and protested when he told them that they knew the way to the place where he was going—the place he would be preparing for them so that one day, he would return for them and take them to himself, so that where he was, they would be also. Thomas said, “How CAN we know the way to where you are going when we don’t know where you are going?” All they could think of was that they weren’t ready for Jesus to die. They couldn’t imagine life without him.

He told them that they knew the way. Just as we know the way, the truth, and the life—our faith in Jesus Christ. No matter what happens to us, we have placed our trust in the Lord to know these things for us that are frankly too heavy a burden for us to carry. We can trust in God’s love. We can trust in the many promises of the Scripture that Jasodrah knew and believed—that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Not anything in this world or in the world to come. And how Christ will be with us always, even to the end of the age.

The promised Holy Spirit has already come—and abides in and among us now. We are not alone. Because of the Spirit, we have the power to do more acts of love and kindness than even Christ’s first disciples, when he was with them in the flesh.

The Lord did not leave us orphaned, just as he said! Though we can’t see him now, we will see him again. And because he lives, we also will live… forever with him!

Amen!