February 2008
Newletter "From the Pastor"
Lent Begins Ash Wednesday, February 6!
The season of Lent marks the 40 days (not counting Sundays) that lead to Easter. Like the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for his earthly ministry, these forty days are to be a time of preparation and self-examination for us as we prepare for the high holy day of Easter.
The number 40 is a significant one in the Bible. In addition to referring to the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness (where he was tempted by Satan as he contemplated the path on which God was leading him), you might remember, among other things, that it rained for 40 days and forty nights during the great flood, that Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai waiting for the giving of the ten commandments, and that the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before entering the land of promise. As such, the number forty doesn't just refer to a specific number of days, but rather it refers to a critical time of preparation as the people of God await something new. I pray that the 40 days of Lent will be such a critical time for us, a time of preparation and self-examination for the new adventures and opportunities which God is preparing! Begin Lent in church this year by attending one of our services in the chapel at either 12 noon or 7:30 pm. Communion will be served and ashes will be available for those who wish them. (A luncheon will follow the noon service.)
Lenten Study at Noon on Wednesdays
Following Ash Wednesday, there will be Lenten Services and a Bible Study every Wednesday at noon in the chapel throughout Lent until Holy Week (when the services that week will be on Thursday and Friday). We will focus on Lenten themes from the Book of Acts, building on the study of Acts we have been conducting at our first Wednesday Chapel services throughout the year. Each session will last about 45 minutes, followed by a light luncheon. Make this study a part of your Lenten discipline this year!
Easter Comes Right on Time!
One of the many trivial observations I often make about life includes the observation that most people say that Easter either comes early or late. If Easter comes near the beginning of spring, we say it comes early. If it comes further away from the beginning of spring, we tend to say it comes late. Rarely do we say that Easter comes right on time!
Of course, Easter does come early this year, probably the earliest it can come under our present way of marking Easter. As you may know, Easter is set by the "western" church (which includes most of Christendom save the Orthodox churches) as coming on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the first day of spring. (The Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar, instead of the Gregorian calendar which we use, and so Easter often falls on a different date for those churches.) This year, with spring arriving on March 20th and the full moon on the 21st, Easter arrives on March 23rd, which is just about as early as it can come! One reason I have heard given as to why the church set the observance of Easter at the full moon was so that people could take advantage of the light of the moon when going on holy pilgrimages to sacred sites.
We don't need the moon for light to travel by anymore, and so, in my lighter moments, I often suggest that we should regularize Easter in a different way: that Easter be set as to always come on the second Sunday of April, with baseball starting the following Tuesday!
Of course, any time that Easter comes is right on time! It is the time we celebrate the message of new life in Christ and the promise of life eternal--and any time we receive that message is the right time!
Evening Bible Study on the Divinity of Christ
I will be conducting another short-term Bible Study in the evening again this spring. This time, however, the focus will be a little different. Instead of studying a specific book of the Bible, we will focus on a specific theme that runs through several books--the doctrine of the divinity of Christ. Rooted in scripture, this doctrine developed over several centuries in the life of the early church. Each class will include a brief video introduction. The first class will be on Monday, March 3. Call the church office or see me in order to register, as we will need to order study books for all involved. (There will be a charge of $15.00 for the workbook and to help cover the cost of the DVD.) No previous Bible Study experience is necessary.
Bill Griffeth of CNBC's "Power Lunch" to Speak in Church April 13th.
It may seem unusual to have the co-host of a nationally broadcast daily talk show about the financial markets as a guest speaker in church, but in addition to his expertise in money matters, Mr. Griffeth is also a man of faith and the author of a new book entitled By Faith Alone. It is a story that focuses on the faith development of America from colonial days by following the stories of Mr. Griffeth's ancestors, which included people involved in the Salem witch hunts (his 8x great-grandmother was executed during the Salem Witch Trials) and an early Methodist Circuit rider. (A flyer with more information about the book and the author is posted on the bulletin board outside the church office.)
I first met Bill when I attended Annual Conference last year. When I arrived for the first session, I sat with friend and colleague Frank Kowar. Frank and I have been good friends over the years and we share the special bond of both having served on the staff at Grace UMC earlier in our ministries (albeit at different times). Frank had just been appointed to serve the Hillsdale UMC, and he was sitting with a gentleman whom he introduced to me as the Lay Member to Annual Conference from Hillsdale. I sometimes watch the show Power Lunch when I am at home for lunch, but at first I did not recognize the Lay Member as the co-host of that program. In the course of our conversation, however, I realized who he was. When I learned that he was working on a book with a focus on faith, I expressed an interest in reading it when it came out. When his new book came out this January, he not only sent me a flyer about the book, he also offered to come and speak at our church. I immediately emailed him and he has agreed to be present on April 13 at both services. Check out his book, mark your calendars, and plan to be present on April 13th.
The Clergy on Our "Staff"
As you know, Rev. Helms and I are the clergy appointed by the bishop to serve at Grace UMC as your pastors. There are two other clergy, however, who continue to serve in various ways at our church--the Revs. Elizabeth Johnson and Judy Anne White. They both were hired by our church last year to serve as "interim" pastoral assistants during the time we had no full-time associate pastor. Following the appointment of Rev. Helms, they both stopped being paid employees of the church, but they have not stopped being a part of the leadership team of the church. Rev. Johnson continues to lead a cancer support group that she started during her time with us. Although she is not present most Sundays (she and her recently re-retired pastor husband Emmett live in Waldwick and are affiliated with that church--they also have a place in the Catskills and often visit churches they have served in the New York area), this group meets on a once a month basis following the first Wednesday chapel service and luncheon. Rev Johnson has also been seen from time to time singing in our choir at occasional services.
Rev. Judy Anne White continues to serve on a volunteer basis, as well, and is with us virtually every Sunday. She has taken the primary leadership role in the Confirmation Class, not only leading the weekly class, but also conducting retreats for the young people and taking them to tutor at Camp-YDP in Paterson every Thursday after school, among other things. (Rev. Helms works with Rev. White with this class and will be taking on a greater role as time goes by, but he also shares in the leadership of the Senior High Sunday School Class which meets at the same hour as Confirmation.) In addition, Rev. White also assists in worship from time to time, attends our staff meetings, is present at most church functions and affairs, and is available to help in various ways as needs arise. We might consider her our "Resident Retired Pastor."
By whatever title, I value the presence and ministry of both of these colleagues in ministry. We are blessed to have them with us.
Yours in Christ,
David E. Wiley III
