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!

Meditation on Exodus 1:8-2:10

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

Pastor Karen Crawford

Aug. 27, 2023

This past Thursday, I hosted another Bedtime Story and Prayer gathering on Zoom for the children.  Four families participated—11 children plus parents, on and off camera.

Are you wondering why am I doing this? I’m pretty sure most pastors aren’t doing Zoom Bedtime Story and prayers with the children of their flocks. The main reason I wanted to do this was to stay connected with the children and young families over the summer. I saw the Bedtime Story and Prayers as a way to do pastoral care with children and young families. It was also an opportunity for ministry beyond the church walls.

After the first story time on Zoom in July, I felt so emotional at spending time with the children in the intimacy of their homes that I became convinced that the gatherings on Zoom at bedtime would help me get to know the children better and for them to get to know me, as well as helping to nurture their faith. I have seen children wrapped in hoodie towels after swimming in their pools, eating a dish of ice cream or finishing dinner in their kitchen. I have seen them in footie pajamas in their living rooms, hugging stuffed dogs as big as they are.

And you know how some of the kids are shy in church? Well, most are NOT shy and quiet when they are in their homes, talking to me on Zoom! I have gotten caught up on their summer news and happenings, seen their smiling faces and heard their giggling—a lot more than they do in church!

As the story comes to a close, I have seen the younger ones yawn. That makes me feel all warm and peaceful. The parents are probably yawning off camera! The best part of all—and there are many good parts to this—is when I ask if any of the children have joys or prayer requests to share. They rarely need any prompting.

We have prayed for healing for family members, blessings on the new school year—that they would have a good time and make new friends. We have prayed that God would bless their parents when the busy time of school begins, once again. We have thanked God for God’s Son and the wonders of summer, all the fun things we have been able to do, and for this day—the beauty of the rain, the clouds, the sunshine. We have prayed that God would continue to watch over and keep all the children and families safe, in the Lord’s tender care.

Yesterday, I got to thinking of how radical the Zoom bedtime story and prayers really is! We are welcoming the Holy Spirit into our children’s homes and lives and teaching them how God wants to hear everything that is on our minds and hearts, that God wants to be known to all the children and families, and that God loves us and wants to help us and be with us, forever. We are teaching them, without saying in so many words, about the power of prayer, not just in church, but also in our homes or wherever we are!

Is there anything more wonderful to God and more offensive to the powers and principalities of darkness than teaching our children to hope in the Lord and be led by the Love in their hearts?

Our Exodus reading features mostly ordinary folks who do radical and courageous things in a dark time for God’s people. The life-saving acts are done quietly by women whose lives in ancient times are limited to the domestic realm.

The midwives—Shiphrah and Puah—are the first to be heroic in this passage. They are ordered to kill all the infant boys born to the Hebrew-speaking people who have lived in Egypt for generations because of Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel. Joseph rose to second in command to the pharaoh of his time when he interpreted the pharaoh’s dreams and predicted a famine, saving the lives of many people—Egyptian and Hebrew-speaking alike.

Joseph dies; years pass. A new pharaoh rises to power. He has either forgotten the good that Joseph did for Egypt or doesn’t care. He enslaves the entire population of Hebrew speaking people, and he worries what might happen if there is a war, and the slaves side with his enemies.  The more afraid he becomes, the more he seeks to oppress God’s people.

The midwives have a choice—whether to live out their faith and “fear” the Lord or submit to the evil, frightened pharaoh and take the lives of the children of their own people. One author [1] writes how the midwives’ refusal to follow the Pharaoh’s genocidal instructions “may be the first known incident of civil disobedience in history.” A theologian agrees (Jonathan Magonet), calling them “the earliest, and in some ways the most powerful, examples, of resistance to an evil regime.” [2]

I am sure Shiphrah and Puah aren’t thinking of their legacy or patting themselves on the back for helping their people avoid genocide. They are only following their hearts. Midwives are, of course, devoted to helping women survive childbirth and give birth to strong, healthy babies. Giving birth was incredibly dangerous! Joseph’s mother, Rachel, though she is helped by a midwife, dies while giving birth to her second child, Benjamin, on the way to Canaan. Midwives are the gynecologists, obstetricians, and pediatricians of their day. They make house calls! They use the latest technology available to them, such as, did you catch the detail?—the women are using birthing stools.

What’s amazing is the story Shiphrah and Puah tell when the pharaoh learns they are not following his orders. It feeds right into his fear of the growing Hebrew-speaking population when the midwives say that “the women are not like Egyptian women.” They are more “vigorous” and give birth before the midwives arrive.

God rewards the midwives for their acts of bravery. God gives them families of their own—so we have another peek inside this ancient society, where midwives are usually women who cannot have children. Now even the midwives are giving birth!

Pharaoh responds by ordering that every male Hebrew child be thrown into the Nile.

Moses’s mother hides her beautiful son for 3 months, (how can she do that, right?) and when she can no longer safely conceal him, she puts him into the Nile, as the pharaoh has commanded. But first she lays him in a papyrus basket that has been sealed and water-proofed with the technology of their day. She sends her older daughter, Miriam, out to keep an eye on him. What’s a bossy, older sister for?

By the grace and mercy of God, the woman who discovers Moses in the Nile is none other than the pharaoh’s own daughter. She knows he is a child of the Hebrew people and what her father would do if he found out! Yet, she follows HER heart and loves and cares for him, anyway. Sister Miriam is right there to suggest a Hebrew mother to nurse the child for the Egyptian princess until he is old enough for her to raise him in the palace. She suggests the baby’s own mother. Of course, she’s the one!

Yes, the Lord uses a number of brave women and a girl to save the life of baby Moses. All of them follow the love in their heart and choose goodness over evil during a dark and terrible time. They choose the ways that lead to life over the ways that lead to death.

And God blesses them and uses them for a MUCH bigger plan to save God’s people. They have no idea, at the time.

After I said goodnight to the children and their parents at my Zoom storytime and prayers Thursday night, I told my husband how well it went. I thought aloud, “I guess I am finished with my summer program.”

Later, I received notes from two mothers, sad that they had missed Thursday’s gathering. “I hope you had a great turn out,” one said, “and that we can catch the next one .” The other said the family was busy celebrating their son’s birthday. “Hope to catch you another time,” she said. “Give us a reminder about the September one.”

The funny thing was that I wasn’t planning on continuing the story time—not till next summer. My husband and I looked at each other and grinned. How can I not do another? And another?

You never know how something small at the beginning turns out to be more important and even radical and dangerous to the power and principalities of darkness.

Paul in First Corinthians 15:57 says that God has given us the victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have nothing to fear from any evil thing in this world.

I urge you today to have the courage of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah, Moses’ mother, sister Miriam, and the pharaoh’s own daughter.

May you choose goodness over evil.

With God’s wisdom and strength, may you choose the ways that lead to life.

And may the Lord bless us and use us for a MUCH bigger plan of salvation.

Will you pray with me?

Let us pray.

Dear Heavenly Parent, Gracious and Merciful God, thank you for leading us in your wisdom and giving us the strength and creativity to try new things to reach out to those within and outside our church walls. Thank you for the children and young families in our congregation. We are so blessed! Bless them, Lord, watch over them and keep them safe as they prepare to begin a new school year. Help them to find time and energy for Sunday worship and fellowship with their church family. Stir us to encourage one another and resist giving in to fear, the spirit of the age, when it comes to making decisions. Draw us to daily seek you in prayer, hope in you, know your will for us, and to choose the ways of life. Keep us living in obedience to You and following the love your Spirit has poured into our hearts. In the name of Your Son, our Lord, we pray. Amen.

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[1] Francine Klagsbrun, Voices of Wisdom, ISBN 0-394-40159-X

[2] Magonet, Jonathan (1992) Bible Lives (London: SCM), 8.

Meditation on Matthew 15:21-28

First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown

Pastor Karen Crawford

Aug. 20, 2023

Every community needs at least one person like a woman I met in Renville, MN—someone who would give the shirt off their back if someone was in need. Her name is Lori. She can be tough and gruff and blunt. But she has a heart of compassion.

She is the founder of a community non-profit called CIRCLE: Creative Integration of Resources for a Cohesive Life for Everyone.

People give to the Circle Boutique (its thrift shop) furniture, appliances, toys, blankets, dishes, lamps, Christmas decorations, and other things that make a home. The CIRCLE Clothing Pantry provides, along with garments, coats, gloves, hats, scarves, and boots—necessities in Minnesota winters. Clothing is free to families and individuals in need, as are the coats. The organization offers other support—Santa’s Closet, Back to School supplies, mentoring, and job coaching. CIRCLE provides community service opportunities for schools and churches and for people who are court ordered to complete community service hours.

I met Lori not long after I began pastoring a Presbyterian Church four miles outside of Renville, population 1,251 back then. Family farms were the rule, not the exception. Some dated back to the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, when their Northern European, German-speaking ancestors moved to the area seeking a better life. Farming has changed over the years. Fewer hands are needed because of modern mechanization. Now, three crops in rotation cover the black soil of the prairie every spring, summer, and fall: corn, sugar beet, and soybean.

Quite a few of the churches in Renville, including ours, supported CIRCLE. All of us agreed in principle with what she and the organization were doing. None of us on our own could do quite what Lori managed to do in a couple of storefronts in the center of town, though I remember she was often struggling to pay her rent. God always provided some way. Visiting her one day to drop off donations, I noticed she had a shower stall in the back. She told me that she charged $1 per shower to those without homes. She provided soap and towels. Many of the people who used the shower were migrant farm workers, hired for the sugar beet crop. They slept in tents or pickup trucks; they couldn’t afford to stay in the cheapest truck stops or motels. None of the locals offered to house them. They were predominantly Spanish speakers from Texas and Mexico, but some were simply backpackers passing through, looking for temporary work. Many residents viewed them suspiciously, as outsiders. Sadly, when the crops were harvested, some residents were relieved when they moved on and didn’t encourage them to stay.

Lori, in contrast, used to have barbecues for the workers, going out and serving hamburgers in the tent communities.

She says of the nonprofit: “Our belief is that everyone has resources to offer, and everyone has needs. CIRCLE’s mission is to establish quality relationships for the purpose of friendship, support, stability and community. You can get stuff anywhere but not always with a positive caring relationship. … We value the creation of caring communities by welcoming all, valuing all, supporting all and learning from all.” 

Reading today’s gospel passage in Matthew, I am thinking that this community where Jesus and his disciples are ministering probably needs an organization like CIRCLE. There are many people in need. The problem is compounded then—as it is now—by prejudice. Some people will find help. Others will not.

The woman who approaches Jesus and the disciples seeking healing for her daughter is a Canaanite. She is an outsider, though you could say she is a member of the indigenous population.

Ancient Canaan was an area that may have included parts of modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. We don’t know much about Canaanites, except that there was much diversity amongst them. They were made up of different ethnic groups. In the Old Testament, God promises the land of Canaan to the Israelites escaping captivity in Egypt. A series of wars are fought against the Canaanites and other groups, which lead to the Israelites taking over their land.

The Canaanite woman believes in Jesus and trusts in his power. She calls him “Lord” and “Son of David.”  

“Send her away,” the disciples implore Jesus, “for she keeps shouting at us!”

At this point in the story, if I hadn’t already read the rest of the passage, I might have expected a totally different plot. Remember when the disciples shoo away the mothers seeking Jesus’s blessing for their children? Jesus scolds them and holds the children up as model citizens in the Kingdom of God. Remember when the disciples are tired after a long day of ministry and want Jesus to send the crowd away to get their own food? Jesus says, “You give them something to eat.”

So, when we hear Jesus saying these things and doing what he does—we are horrified. Aren’t we? First, he ignores her request and says nothing, as if she isn’t there. After the disciples tell Jesus to send her away, he says to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” She’s not one of them!

Then, she kneels at his feet and begs, “Lord, help me.”

This still doesn’t move Jesus! “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs,” he says.

This leads me to wonder why this passage is in the Bible at all! It portrays Jesus in an unfavorable light.

Then it comes to me. Maybe shocking us is the point. Maybe Jesus is trying to address the prejudice of his time and our time by revealing what all the other people in his community believe about Canaanites—that they just need to go away. They are enemies. They are not even people.

But then, he has a change of attitude, as the disciples watch and listen. Is it really a change or does he reveal, finally, what has been in his heart all along? We’ll never know.

It could be that the one who is fully human and fully God is learning what it means to be, as the people declare in the gospel of John chapter 4, “the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

The Canaanite woman doesn’t give up. Jesus is her daughter’s only hope. She doesn’t argue her worthiness or equality with the “the lost sheep of Israel.”

“Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table,” she says.

“Woman, great is your faith!” Jesus says. “Let it be done for you as you wish.”

Instantly, her daughter is healed.

Dear friends, what do we do with today’s gospel lesson? How will it move us? What does it mean for us to believe that God is a God for all people, even the people who make us uncomfortable or angry and demand to be heard, like the Canaanite woman?

How, then, shall we live and treat others, when it so hard to like EVERYONE, let alone love them? How can we get along with people who don’t share our views, values, and beliefs? How do we see people who seem so different from us as being just like us?

And yes, how do we bear witness to an all-inclusive faith in which everyone has a place at the table in the Kingdom of God?

None of us are worthy enough for God’s redemption. All of us would be like the Canaanite woman, begging for mercy and to be treated like the stray dogs eating crumbs under the table, if it weren’t for our Savior’s self-giving love and suffering work on the cross. Because of God’s Son, we are invited to come boldly to the throne of grace!

You and I, we are going to have to rely on God’s grace and love for us as we try to reveal that grace and love to others. We are going to have to trust in the words that the Lord speaks to Paul, struggling with a thorn in his flesh in 2 Cor. 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

It will mean being honest with ourselves and seeking God’s help and healing for our broken places. For all of us are wounded. All of us have experienced trauma, including a worldwide pandemic. We carry hurts, always hoping that no one will see and judge us for our weaknesses. It’s by being honest about our weaknesses that we will experience spiritual healing, growth, and unity.

May we learn to be comfortable enough and feel safe enough in our community of faith to be our true selves, praying that God’s mercy will flow in and through us. And that when a change of heart is needed, like it was that day the Canaanite woman was shouting at the disciples, the Spirit will do this transforming work.

May we come to believe that God can work through imperfect people to help other imperfect people. For this is our calling! May we learn to trust in the sufficiency of God’s power perfected in weakness: to bring clarity and order in times of confusion and chaos; wisdom to those who seek it; and wholeness and peace to those who feel broken and anxious.

Friends, never forget that you and I serve the Lord of the lost sheep and unworthy, the One who desires all to be found and be made whole, holy, and redeemed.

Let us pray.

Holy One, Good Shepherd of the lost sheep, thank you for your love, mercy, and grace for sinners. We believe that, no matter the situation, your grace is enough, for your power is perfected in our weakness. Thank you for your redemption in Jesus Christ and your welcome for all people who desire to come to the table in the Kingdom of God. Strengthen our faith. Lead us to serve and care for our communities as you reveal to us our unique gifts, talents, passions, and resources. Heal us and knit together our church family in a spirit of shared mission. Grant us wisdom and peace. In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Redeemer, we pray. Amen.