Dear Caldwell,
Happy New Year!
I pray you and those closest to you have found in these days of Christmas both hope and renewal as we receive again God’s greatest gift, Emanuel, God with us in Christ Jesus. We are, on the church calendar, still in the “12 days of Christmas,” so it’s not a stretch to remind ourselves, if not reorient ourselves, around the amazing “impossible possibility” that God has broken into our world, with all of its flaws and potential, and claimed it for God’s own.
The secular calendar has marked the entrance of the year 2021, and that is “great good news” all its own. As we look back and ahead, it only makes sense to measure what we have lost and what we have gained in this last trip of our planet around the sun. We are so keenly aware of what we have lost: beloved friends and giants in our community of faith and so many chances to be together in person in worship, over meals, in service to others and in study of God’s Word and will.
As I reflect personally, however, I also count how much we have gained. Our bond as a congregation has deepened in my estimate, in part because we have needed each other and because our forced “time out” has caused us to refocus on what is important. We have also had time to reflect on our mission in ways that might not have been otherwise possible We’ve formed some meaningful small groups and we’ve adopted some new skills and patterns that are life giving.
Santa did not leave me the crystal ball I requested. So I can’t say for sure when we will be back together in person. Your Safe return Committee is working diligently on that question. Until then, we are together nonetheless in so many other ways and I am excited about what 2021 will bring for us.
One of the Bible stories we read at this time of year is about the Magi, who followed the star to find the face of God in a new, unexpected place. They left with a new perspective that enriched their lives ever after, including a new understanding of God. In that spirit, I want to invite you to go visit Jesus in a new place tomorrow for worship. Your staff has taken the week off for the kind of deep rest we needed, so we did not prepare worship for tomorrow.
Instead, as you may know, there are a few other PCUSA churches whose mission and congregation resemble ours in its intersectional diversity and central focus on justice. I invite you tomorrow to worship with one of those congregations – to find Jesus anew, to learn how other, similar churches do things and, if you’d like, bring any “ah-has” to the Preachers’ Porch next Tuesday night to share.
I have come to know these congregations in my research and personal learning and found each to be a distinct blessing. None is exactly like Caldwell. Each is a beautiful expression of faith and mission that will, in some ways, be familiar and, in others, be different. Since we are all worshipping online, here’s a chance to worship God “together” by visiting the baby Jesus in a new setting, as with the Magi. We can all come away wiser, just as they did.
So, below are some links to just some of these other intersectional, justice-centered churches. Go and find God in a different setting (all worship times except one as noted below are 11 a.m. eastern) and come Tuesday night to the Porch to share what you learned. (Or, if you REALLY need a dose of Caldwell, feel free to go to our YouTube channel and find a past service you may have missed. Justin will have a brief message there with more about how to do that.) We will celebrate the first communion of 2021 together next Sunday.
Our “cousin” churches and their worship “watch live” links include:
First Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, NY – https://www.firstchurchbrooklyn.org/watch-listen/
East Liberty Presbyterian, Pittsburgh – https://cathedralofhope.org/worship/stream-services/
Oakhurst Presbyterian, Atlanta (Rev. Amantha Barbee’s church) – Zoom link here. They may be ushers “at the door” to let you in.
Oaklands Presbyterian, Laurel Hill Maryland (Baltimore) – YouTube link here. Zoom link here. In advance activity here.
Brown Memorial Presbyterian, Baltimore – click here for Zoom link
Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian, Detroit worships at 10:30 a.m. – https://www.japc.org/watch
Happy worshipping, in Christ,
John