Christmas in July

This past Sunday I sort of cheated in my faith journey of worshiping in different places, as I had heard the Pastor of this church preach before, but I had not attended worship in his church before this past week. As I have stated before, the denomination, the name of the place of worship, or any other names associated with my worship experience are not important.  What I am focusing on during this phase of my walk is the take away and what I am learning about myself and my faith, as I reconstruct my beliefs. The denomination of this place of worship, however was very similar to my own home church.

I did not know the service this particular Sunday was going to have a Christmas in July theme, however I was very excited when I realized that I was going to get a chance to sing Christmas Carols! I was very much in my element as I love EVERYTHING about Christmas! I love the feeling of peace and goodwill, the birth narrative, the giving, the decorations, the baking, and the music! It was very cool that I picked this place to worship on this particular Sunday!

Before the service started, a women asked me if she could sit with me. We started talking and I explained to her what I was doing. She expressed that she thought it was a wonderful idea, that she had moved around a lot due to her husband being in the military and had enjoyed worshiping in different places, and explained that she felt she had been on this journey for 70 years and was still learning. First, I couldn't believe that she was 70. I would have put her somewhere in her fifties, but I am a terrible judge of age. I told her that I believe that we continue to learn all our lives. We continued to talk until the service started and after it was over, she invited me to stay for coffee and we talked for about 45 more minutes. I would probably never had met or struck up a conversation with her if I had not visited her church. I didn't expect to make such connections when I decided to expand my horizons in this manner! I am excited to see who elese I connect with on this walk!

The first hymn was "O come, All Ye Faithful (one of my favorites!). After the Call to Worship and the Opening Prayer, the pastor led us in a Christmas Carol Hymn sing. The way this worked was anyone who wished called out a hymn and we sang two verses of that song. If you are familiar with most Hymnals, you know that the majority of Christmas hymns are in the same section of the hymnal. When the pastor announced that this was going to be the last hymn, a gentleman called out a hymn number that was not close to the other numbers, however it was the hymn "Let There be Peace on Earth" and it was just perfect for that moment! Of course, this is another of my favorite hymns! I would wager to say that I have MANY favorite hymns and Christmas Carols! This hymn always invokes a rush of emotion in me as I sing it. I had already found my first take away before the message!

The message was from the Old Testament, the book of Ezra chapter 1:1-7. In this scripture passage the focus is on rebuilding. Those who had been exiled by King Nebuchadnezzar were permitted to return and rebuild as per King Cyrus. I took several things away from this message:

1. We all have baggage. It is hard to rebuild with all that baggage we lug around.
2. Terrible things happen, but God is still here! Amen!
3. Things will never be "like they used to be" and if we get stuck in that though, we are missing out on a lot of wonderful things that God has in store for us.
4. Sometimes the foundation is where we need to start and celebrate the journey as the foundation grows. 
5. If we take the time to look, there is always hope and opportunity during tough times.
6. When things get tough,  that is when we really need God, and many of us (myself included) will often "forget" to connect with him in prayer. God works in his own time and in his own way, we just need to be open to it.

This was a very positive and inspiring worship experience for me!  I will end with a few questions for discussion:
1. Where do you find your hope and strength when things get tough?
2. Do you look for the hope and opportunity or do you get stuck in lamenting the way it used to be?
3. Do you celebrate the little thing along the way?

 

 

Worship Sunday July 14, 2013

 

As I break free from the things that hold back my faith, I am taking this next three months to experience worship in other places. This personal journey of reconstructing my faith is focused on my walk so it serves no purpose to mention the names of the places I will worship in, the denomination, or the names of people I encounter on this path. I am sure that I will have experiences that do not match my own personal beliefs, however my goal is to take something positive away from each and every experience. The positive take away will be the subject of my reflections.

This past Sunday, I chose a place of worship solely on the beauty of the building. I had often driven by this building, was drawn to it, and had eagerly wanted to enter it and worship there. The building was small and simple but it's beauty spoke to me. Once inside the structure, I was pleased to see that it was just as beautiful, if not more so, on the inside! I had arrived early for the service and was greeted by the Pastor who introduced me to his wife and a few other congregational members who had gathered early. I was able to explain to the Pastor what it was I was doing with my faith journey.  He offered to give me a tour of the building as we talked. By the start of the service, I had been introduced to every member of the small congregation, that was present that Sunday.

I absolutely loved the music in the service! And the people's expressions of their faith as they sang and throughout the service. It was wonderful to see such expressions of faith and such love for God! The message was based on the book of Acts chapter 17:1-11. This was exciting to me as the last sermon I had preached, on May 12, 2013 was on Acts 16:16-34.

The three main points I took away from the message were:

1. Wherever town Paul ended up in his journey, he found a synagogue and  went to it. He may not have been well received at all of the synagogues, but he went. No matter where we go, we can seek out God in any place of worship.

2. The Jews in Thesalonica  examined the scriptures every day. Studying scripture daily is essential for our spirit and soul. I make an attempt to do this daily.

3. These same Jews also examined the scriptures to see if what Paul and Silas preached was true. The take away for me here was to study for yourself and not just believe what others say. It is easy to be deceived. Listen to what people tell you, but study and learn for yourself.

Something I found myself reflecting on, as a result of this message, is how literally do we take the Bible. People can find a scripture to defend any of their beliefs, if they choose. Was the Bible meant to be taken word for word? Or is there a deeper meaning imbedded in the stories? I welcome any discussion on these questions.

How did I get here and where am I going?

This first post is just to give you a little background on who I am, where I am in my faith journey, and why I am choosing to do what I am doing. My name is Jessica Reese. I am 38 years old. I am married and have four children, two cats, and a dog. I work as a Special Education Teacher in the Pennridge School District in Bucks County Pennsylvania.

As a child, my family had an on again, off again relationship with the Christain church. We would go to worship on Sunday mornings for long periods of time, stop going for longer periods of time, then go again. Periodically, I attended Sunday School and sang in the Children's Choir. I would often participate in Youth Group activities including my favorite "Habitat for Humanity". Two summers in a row, we traveled to South Carolina and built houses with this organization. It was an incredible opportunity to go back the second year and meet the families that were residing in the houses we had helped build the year before. This was my first experience with selfless service to others.

Despite my on again, off again relationship with the church, I was a spiritual personal with a faith based in Christianity. We attended a Brethren Church and I knew all the Old Testament stories, the story of Jesus birth, and the Crucifixion.  I knew a few New Testament stories but had no real in depth study of any of the scriptures. I would often read my Bible on my own, struggling for some meaning behind the stories. I would pray. I would hold conversations with God. I had the beginnings of faith that would carry me through some rough times as an adult. I started reading spiritual texts and practiced mediation in my early twenties. I had no church home at this time. A good friend of mine took my son to Vacation Bible School one summer at St. Andrews UCC in Perkaise, Pa. Of course, I attended the closing program and thought the church was nice. My son attended VBS the following summer and once again, I attended the closing program. I remember being impressed that the Pastor remembered my name. However, it did not feel like home.

A couple of years later I decided to look for a church home. I had a strong desire to attend worship regularly, as I recognized the need for community and I enjoy worship. I had been through a lot at this point in my life and knew I had gotten though all of this stuff with the help of God. After visiting many places of worship, I returned to St. Andrews, which felt like home this time and there I have worshiped for the past 10 years. I have participated in many aspects of church life and worship at St. Andrews. I have volunteered for VBS, taught Sunday School, volunteered in the Nursery and Children's Church, served as the Christian Education Directer for 5 years, served on Consistory (even was president for a short time), served as an usher, and as a liturgist. I am sure I am forgetting some other things such as worship planning, Dinner Theater, White Gift Service, and Women's Services as well as Women's Retreats. I must also remember mentoring four young people on their Confirmation Journey and attending two Confirmation Retreats as well as Youth Group Retreats. As if that isn't enough, I preached six sermons. While this is all wonderful stuff and I loved every minute of it, all this business has taken me away from my core, my true self, the essence of my faith and beliefs. I have come to a point where I need to step back and reconstruct my own faith.

A few years back, I took a World Religion class. I became hooked on the Islam Faith. Shortly after that, I became enthralled with Hinduism and Buddhism. Each of these three beautiful religions have contributed to what I believe today and where my faith is taking me on this journey through life.

This is where I am today so I have decided to spend the next three (or more...) months worshiping in different places in order to expand my faith journey. Have no fear my St. Andrews friends, I will be back sometime in the fall. I have started this blog to include you on my journey, if you wish to accompany me. I plan on posting at least once a week, after each worship experience.  I encourage and welcome dialogue as I make this journey. I ask that all comments be positive as this experience is personal. I am allowing you in on my journey so please be respectful of my  decision to do so and refrain from any negativity in your comments. The Peace of our Savior Jesus be with you all!