Pastor's E-Letter

Pastor's E-Letter

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Going Over the Edge

I love to snow ski. I haven’t been in many years but I’m sure I would still enjoy it. One thing about skiing never changes for me. That is the fear I feel when I get off the ski lift for the first time on a ski trip, make my way to the edge of the mountain, and look down at the slope as it drops off in front of me. You see, I’m not a big fan of heights. I am fine with heights when there is a fence or guard rail or some other thing in front of me that I know will keep me from falling. But stepping towards the edge of something of any great height without that guardrail makes me anxious.

Obviously in snow skiing, there is no railing. The idea is to go over the edge! Because I’ve done it before, and I know I’m at least a mildly competent skier. I know I can do it. I know it will be great fun when I do it. But on that very first run, it always takes me a moment to collect myself, to work up the courage to point my skis down the mountain and just go. Scott will always stand next to me, waiting patiently. And I usually have to say, “Just go on. Give me a minute and I’ll get there.” I stand there, reminding myself I can do it and that when I do, I will love it. I look at the terrain and map out my plan, what angle I will take, which way I will turn, (I turn A LOT – I like control – Scott gets seasick watching me). Finally, I attack my fear head-on, point my skis, and go. Within minutes, I’m so grateful I did. It’s such a wonderful feeling and the views are always amazing. It’s always worth the work it takes for me to face my fear, attack it, and just go!

This week in worship as we continue in our message series, “Finding Peace in the Storm”, we will be thinking about what it means for us to face our fears by attacking our anxiety with action. It’s so easy to let our fear or anxiety keep us from doing the things we want or need to do in life. It’s easy to let the storm, or our fear or anxiety amid the storm have the upper hand. The problem is that letting fear rule us can keep us from the abundant life that Jesus came that we might experience. Sometimes, the best thing we can do in the face of fear is to meet it head-on and do something in response to it. Behavior scientists call it “exposure therapy.” This course of action can’t be used with all our fears, worries, and anxieties, but sometimes it can be really helpful in moving us through fear. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do the thing we fear, and the death of fear is certain.”

A great example of this principle is found in Matthew 14:22-33 – yet another story of the disciples in a boat in a stormy sea. But there are some differences to this story when compared to the one we looked at last week in Mark’s gospel. One of those differences is found in Peter’s response to his initial fear, seeing Jesus’ walking towards him on the sea. “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Isn’t that just like Peter? The question is, what can we learn from Peter about facing fear head-on by attacking our fear with action? What is the thing God may be calling us to do that we are avoiding out of fear or anxiety? What are the next steps in our faith journey that God may want us to take? What are the next steps in our healing that God wants us to experience, but our worry, fear, or anxiety hold us back?

There is much we can learn from Peter. There is so much for us to wrestle with concerning the role of faith and doubt in our lives. There are so many times in my life when I need to hear Jesus say, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27

I pray you will join us in worship this Sunday, either in-person or online, as we continue the journey of allowing God to bring us peace in whatever storms we may be facing.

Posted by Annette Stiles Pendergrass with

Remembering 9/11

This past week our weekly study programs, Journey Wednesday Nights and Oasis Women's Ministry, began. With this, I began teaching my class on Generational IQ. I am so excited to continue to journey through this material and to learn together how best to relate to one another across generational differences. I believe this work is vital as we continue to live in our modern context. Part of our introductory session spent much time on this truth: though we all may have lived through certain events, depending on when you were born, what else you have experienced, and your social location, those events are felt and experienced differently. I asked the group, “What world event happened in your life before the age of 18 that was most impactful to you, and shaped your view of the world?”

For most millennials, one prominent answer is the events of September 11th, 2001. I know that is certainly one of my answers. I also know, from conversations with my peers just younger and just older than me, I am one of the youngest individuals that remember a time before 9/11 and a time after. I remember the day with eerie clarity, despite my young age. Certainly, though 9/11 shaped my young image of the world, I know that on this, the eve of the 20th anniversary, my lens is not nearly as impacted as a child who lost a parent, a first-responder who lived through the suffering and pain, who now is very ill, or those service members who were sent to defend America across the sea in the days following. Those of you who were older certainly remember it with more painful clarity than I would. Yet, no matter who we are, 9/11 has had an impact on all of us and changed our world. As we remember this weekend, I encourage you to look out for the devotional and moment of prayer that we can share, near and far, as a congregation tomorrow. On this 20th anniversary, we remember and pray for all those who have lost loved ones in 9/11 and the conflicts that followed.

As I pondered this difference in “lens” around historical events in our world, I remembered a quote that I’ve read over and over during the pandemic,

“I heard that we are in the same boat. But it’s not like that. We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat.”

Though the author is unknown, this quote caught fire across social media over the past eighteen months. The storm is certainly the same: there are facts about its reality, and there are truths about its severity. The facts of history cannot be denied. Yet, again, depending on who and where you are, the storm’s severity is different. I have not lost a job; I did not contract COVID-19; I only recently lost a friend to COVID-19. Our church has weathered this storm well. These are all gifts, as I know this is not true for most.

This weekend, we will explore Mark 4, the story of Jesus asleep on the boat in the storm. The story is frankly and deeply human. The disciples, though Jesus is in the boat, panic at the storm’s size and severity. They wonder if they will be torn apart, and see the storm as large, looming, and terrifying. Yet, Jesus is asleep. When Jesus awakes, he asks them where their faith is. It sounds harsh, but I always hear Jesus’s mercy. “Where is your faith? I am right here.”

Our goal in this series is to help us face the storms of our lives with the clarity that Jesus has in this story. Because what is true of the disciples is also true of us: Jesus is in the boat with us. Though our circumstances may be different, Jesus has not left one of us alone. And Jesus has the power to calm the chaos in our hearts and world. The storm does not have the final word. And, if we believe that our faith unites us, then we can all share this boat of our faith, walking with compassion and empathy with our brothers and sisters through the storms of our lives.

As we remember 9/11 this weekend, and as we consider the continuing storms of this life, I invite you to pray along with me for the clarity and grace that Jesus has: the storm doesn’t have the final word, and we are not alone.

Posted by Allee Willcox with

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