From the Vicar…

TO GIVE GOD BACK HIS “COFFEE HOURS”

All human groups have a set of traditions, some of which speak of their identity or their purpose, their goals, their mission or the like. It happens that, over the years and depending on the circumstances, some of those traditions are redefined, reinforced or alleviated or simply lost. Any of those sounds okay whenever dictated by the groups’ thinking will, consensus or decisions. It is not okay any longer when the group cannot give an account of a specific related lost, mostly when the loss, directly or not, affects the life of the whole group. It is even more stressful to observe the status quo whereas a come back is possible, yet nothing or very little is done to make it happen.

Despite our stress, however, God’s Law commands us to “rejoice in the Lord always”; for He always gives another occasion for a new beginning. We are truly empowered by God, and it is our privilege to proclaim with Paul í can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Let me stop here with those generalities and come back to our subject: “The Coffee Hours”, which are no longer part of our traditions at Zion Lutheran Church. Besides our worship services, we hope them to incarnate and contextualize great fellowship moments. We hope them to be (again?) forums of one-on-one or small group interactions. We hope them to bridge the gap between those who participate to different Sunday services. We are looking forward to finding again a place of refreshment after a more or less long physical absence from the Church grounds. We expect them to express the truth of Zion as welcoming Church, a good start for our visitors and people longing for a new family… God is giving us his grace for a new beginning. Let’s make it happen!

Over the next few weeks, I invite the whole congregation to share on diverse ideas and skills to implement our project. Call me or e-mail me, please (atchato@yahoo.fr). Allow me to contact you and learn from you and build up with you.

“God’s Work, Our Hand”! Let it be so. Vicar Albert Tchato.

From the Vicar…

It’s difficult for me to believe that my time at Zion is coming to a close already. I really don’t know what to say other than “thank you.” I truly cannot imagine having served as an intern in any other congregation and that is a tremendous gift. Zion definitely has a calling to be a teaching parish and I am grateful that you have been a part of such a defining year for me. I encourage you, as a congregation, to continue in this service. If future vicars only learn even half of what I have in this past year, God’s church will be the better for it. Thank you.

May God continue to richly bless you!

From the Vicar…

I can’t help but feel a certain level of excitement during this time of year, as all around me I see signs of renewal. The dictionary defines renew in this way: “to make like new – restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection” and lists synonyms that include restore, refresh, renovate, and rejuvenate. And while these words accurately capture most of what we see in terms of flowers, trees and animals, this season of renewal isn’t limited to signs of physical life.

Spiritual renewal (or restoration or rejuvenation) is equally as important as physical. During this Easter season we will be giving thanks for our baptism during each worship service, and I encourage you to consider God’s gift of daily renewal that we receive through our baptism and what that means for you in your day-to-day life. What does this renewal mean for your relationship with God, with Jesus, with your family and friends? What does it mean for your commitment to others in the community – the unchurched, “the least of these”?

May God give you the courage to honestly reflect on these relationships and commitments, and the willingness to move forward in them with an open heart and open mind.

May God continue to richly bless you!

From the Vicar…

From the Vicar…. In a conversation that I had with a friend a few weeks ago, she shared with me that her favorite liturgical season is Lent because of its intentional focus on preparation and turning toward God. While I understand where she’s coming from, Lent is probably my least favorite season – 40 days is a long time for preparation and reflection. However, it’s because of Lent that I look forward to, and love, the Easter season so much.

In my excitement about the coming Easter season, I’ve spent some time lately researching various Easter traditions around the world. While Easter holds special meaning for Christians, I found - not surprisingly - that many other traditions are rooted in celebrations of the arrival of Spring. As I was reading, I also came across a website that features the word for Easter in many different languages. In English, the word “Easter” is based on the name of an ancient Pagan Goddess Eostre. In other languages of countries with a Christian heritage, though, the name for Easter is most often derived from the Hebrew word “Pesach” – the name for Passover. They include: Paasfees (Afrikaans), Paskah (Indonesian), Cáisc (Irish), Seidai Pasuha (Japanese), Pas’h (Persian), Pascha (Polish), Casca (Scottish Gaelic), Pascua (Spanish), Paskalya (Turkish), and Pasg (Welsh).

When I look at these words, I can’t help but notice their similarities even though the countries themselves span the globe. Their common origin serves to unite them. As we celebrate this Easter season together with Christians the world over, let us also remember that we are united with them in Christ – every day! – regardless of their traditions or language.

May God continue to richly bless you!

From the Vicar…

In the past couple of weeks or so the sun has been shining a little more often, temperatures have gotten warmer, and the snow and ice finally appear to be gone. Everything seems to be a little cleaner, a little brighter. The birds are singing, the days are slowly but surely getting longer. It won’t be long until we see new shoots of grass, buds on the trees, and crocuses pushing their way up through the soil.

Certain signs of spring! And during this season of rebirth, we will also be in the season of Lent – a time of preparation and deep reflection. It seems an odd time to contemplate our sinful nature and Jesus’ crucifixion when the newness of life is all around us. But the newness of life is what reminds us, urges us, to keep moving forward – past the cross and on to the empty tomb. With Jesus’ death there is also life, eternal life that was promised to us at our baptism. So as you marvel at the wonders of spring, I pray that you are filled with the renewal that comes from spiritual growth and the promise of life in Jesus.

May God continue to richly bless you!

From the Vicar…

When I was in my teaching parish two years ago, I had the honor of imposing ashes on parishioners’ foreheads during the Ash Wednesday service. Some looked me in the eye, while others kept their eyes cast downward, as the cross of ashes was imposed on top of the cross of Christ that each received in their baptism. Since then, I’ve often wondered whether their eye contact, or lack thereof, was a reflection of how comfortable each person felt as they heard the words, “remember you are dust….”

We don’t like to be reminded of our mortality. We don’t like to admit that, as humans, we are frail and vulnerable – that we are sinful and in need of forgiveness. And, as Ash Wednesday is the beginning of our solemn march to Golgotha, we are also reminded that we receive God’s love, grace and mercy despite our shortcomings as humans. That even though the ashes may cover the cross we receive in our baptism, they do not replace it. And this is the hope of Ash Wednesday - that with or without the ashes, we are still who we are: children of a loving God. May God bless you as you begin your Lenten journey.

May God continue to richly bless you!

From the Vicar….

Last month I wrote about the origins of prayer labyrinths, noting that they first became a Christian symbol during the Middle Ages. It was during this time that a labyrinth was installed into the nave floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France; it is one of the few labyrinths still in existence from this time period and most labyrinths today are modeled after this same design, shown above.

People who include labyrinth walking in their spiritual practices do so for a variety of reasons, but for many it is a time of prayer and meditation. A labyrinth has only one path so reaching the center is assured, allowing for contemplation of the journey rather than worrying about arriving at the destination. There is no prescribed method for walking a labyrinth; some people reflect on a specific Bible verse or passage, while others use their time to simply be still and listen.

In a way, labyrinths are symbolic of our spiritual journey: a lifelong process that has many twists and turns as we cultivate our relationship with God. I invite you to consider incorporating labyrinth walking as a part of your own spiritual practice.

May God continue to richly bless you!

From the Vicar….

During my time here as your vicar, one of my responsibilities is to plan, develop and implement a project that enhances congregational life. When Zion took the Natural Church Development (NCD) survey earlier this year, the results showed that Passionate Spirituality is the characteristic that would “most strengthen the character of the church’s life together.” (http://archive.elca.org/outreach/ncd/missiontheology.html)

There are many ways that we as individuals and as a congregation can practice our spirituality. In talking with Pastor Whitlock and others about how congregational spirituality has looked in the past, ideas for the future were mentioned; among them was a prayer labyrinth that would be part of a larger memorial garden installed on the church grounds. Labyrinths are ancient, dating back 5000 years or more; they are mostly circular, reflecting the basic movement of creation. In the Middle Ages, the labyrinth became a Christian symbol and many churches at that time installed them directly into their floors, allowing people to walk the path as a means of prayer, meditation, and personal devotion. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has a single path, albeit a circuitous one, which leads to the center without any intersections or dead ends…there also aren’t any short cuts.

While it isn’t practical to install a permanent labyrinth on the church grounds at this time, I will be painting one on canvas. It will be completed by the end of January, in time for the congregational leadership retreat. After that time, it will be available to the congregation for use at any time, with special emphasis for using it as a spiritual discipline during the season of Lent and at other times during the church year. I will need help to complete this project on time, and it’s also important to me that the congregation have ownership in this. If you are interested in volunteering, please let me know. I will be writing more about prayer labyrinths and their usages in next month’s Visitor but, in the meantime, if you have questions about them please feel free to ask me.

May God continue to richly bless you!

From the Vicar….

While at the congregational retreat at Camp Koinonia several weeks ago, I had the luxury of being able to spend almost an hour each morning in prayer and devotional time with God. I’d like to be able to say that I’m able to devote that same amount of time, or more, every morning in a non-retreat setting but the truth is that most days my schedule simply doesn’t allow for it. I do know, though, that even when I’m only able to spend 15 minutes in prayer (or 10, or even 5) before my day is in full swing that it makes a remarkable difference in my outlook.

In a nutshell, it keeps me grounded in God. If you’re already in a daily practice of prayer and devotion, keep at it! If you’re not, I encourage you to begin right now! There are many resources available both in print and online to help you get started. Zion provides quarterly devotional booklets, available in the Narthex, that follow the lectionary. Some online resources that follow the lectionary include http://prayingthemystery.blogspot.com/ and http://www.coslcgrace.blogspot.com/ . And the ELCA offers a weekly Bible Study, available for download, called “Daily Discipleship” (http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Discipleship/Christian-Education/Daily-Discipleship.aspx) that also follows the lectionary.

There’s no shortage of turmoil or distress in the news these days, and even day-to-day life can get to us at times. Spending daily time in prayer and with God’s word doesn’t guarantee that we won’t ever feel confused or angry, but it is essential for keeping us centered and grounded in God. It cultivates assurance in God’s faithfulness to us and that sense of peace that can only come from God. My prayer for you is that you are able to carve out some time in your hectic days to find peace and oneness with God, whose peace surpasses all understanding.

May God continue to richly bless you!

From the Vicar….

In our Tuesday evening Bible study we have been discussing the Biblical foundation for Christian stewardship. While regular tithing is certainly a part of what it means to be a faithful steward, we have also been talking about what it means to be a responsible steward of God’s creation – remembering that in Genesis 1:28, when God called humans to “have dominion over…every living thing that moves upon the earth”, it was with the intent that we care for it.

Earlier this spring, I attended a workshop that trained seminarians to be leaders in raising awareness about environmental issues. Among the principles we studied were that the Bible mandates that care for creation is fundamental to our human vocation, and Earth-care is integral to our Christian commitment and spiritual discipline. In short, we were reminded of the role to which God calls human beings as stewards of creation and the magnitude of responsibility it entails.

We are called to consider how our daily decisions impact creation; we are called to advocate for earth-friendly laws and policies in the public realm; we are called to participate in hands-on projects that benefit habitats in our local community. What motivates us to do all of these things with integrity is not fear, anger or guilt but rather the love and grace that God faithfully continues to bestow on all of creation. In the coming weeks, as we prepare to renew our stewardship commitments to God’s church, I encourage you to reflect on God’s faithfulness to you as an individual and as a member of God’s creation and let it inspire you. As you celebrate what you are already doing, prayerfully consider ways in which you might more faithfully participate and give of your time, talent and treasure.

May God continue to richly bless you!

From the Vicar….

I sincerely thank each and every one of you for making my transition here a smooth one.  My home and office are wonderful!!  I could not have asked for a better welcome, and I’m enjoying meeting everyone & learning more about life here at Zion.

We’ve just begun a study on “Opening the Book of Faith” in the Prayer & Praise group.  This book is a part of the initiative adopted at the 2007 ELCA churchwide assembly to promote fluency “in the first language of faith, the language of Scripture, in order that we might live into our calling as a people renewed, enlivened, empowered, and sent by the Word.” (Opening the Book of Faith, vii)  Prayer & Praise meets twice monthly, on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 7:30pm – come join us!

I will also be leading a Bible Study on Stewardship beginning Tuesday, September 9th.  We will meet weekly on Tuesdays from 6:00pm-7:15pm, and the study will coincide with Zion’s Stewardship Campaign, “Faithful, Hopeful, Loving.”  Among the stewardship principles we will study more closely are:  giving is a spiritual matter, giving is an expression of love and gratitude, and earthly possessions are temporary.  I look forward to seeing you there!