December 2015 Pastor's Point of View Article
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? Advent is a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas. What are we waiting for? For thousands of years the Jewish people waited for the coming of the Messiah. God answered the longing in their hearts, but did not send the Messiah they expected! Not a mighty warrior...instead a humble, humiliated man who died with these words on his lips: “Forgive them Father, they (us too?) do not know what they are doing.” What are we waiting for? In these United States of America, we are waiting for Christmas, a day filled with lavish gifts, hearty meals, and the loving embrace of family. But for so many Americans—that day has yet to come. What are waiting for? The long-awaited Messiah who God sent to his people, Jesus of Nazareth, announced that he was ushering in a world of peace; a world where the poor would be blessed, the blind would see and the oppressed set free. Yet, this world is overflowing with violence and poor, blind, oppressed people! What are we waiting for? When I, your pastor, asked myself that question before writing this article, these words came to me: “And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” The Messiah who God sent to Israel was not the Messiah they expected. The world we live in is not the world Jesus envisioned. Yet the world we live in, the bodies we inhabit, the families we are part of; this all we have. No denying how messed up this world is. No hiding from it. Let’s turn and face this screwed up world that God loves. Take a deep breath and say an even deeper prayer. What are we waiting for? I wait for faith, hope, and love to be born in my heart and yours and in the hearts of people around the world. And I mean the whole world! Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, Confucianists, etc….etc….After all, God did not send Jesus for Christians to cling to. God sent a Jewish man to the Middle East, a man of grace, peace, and justice, a man destined to die for the sins of all people, a man to be embraced by the whole world, and his name will be Christ the Lord. May your advent be blessed and your Christmas merry! Pastor Michael You should have received a letter from Stewardship Ministry Team chair Paul Ohori.
Here is an excerpt from that mailing if you did not receive it: “How does our renewal in God change the way we listen to God’s words? How do we respond? We close our worship service with the words Sending God’s Word into the World. That is a quite a commitment! During the rest of the week, do we reflect on His words and act accordingly? Do we make positive changes in our relationships with others? In Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer, we ask God to give us serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed and the wisdom to know one from the other. In this season, let us pray for wisdom to better understand the needs of our church and others and make positive changes in our stewardship - the act of responsibly overseeing, protecting, and preserving what we value. Paul Ohori. Note: there will not be a luncheon after the stewardship worship service this year. Women’s Choral Festival Returns to FPCE
Sunday, November 8 3:00PM, Sanctuary The FPCE Music Ministry is pleased to once again host the regional Women’s Choral Festival in our sanctuary this month. Last year’s event was very successful, filling the pews with singers and audience members, and filling the church with beautiful music. This festival began as an outreach event by the University of Pittsburgh Women’s Choral Ensemble in an attempt to get college & university ensembles sharing music with each other. At the time, it was held at Heinz Chapel on the Pitt campus. Over the years, it has expanded to become a celebration of all types of women’s vocal ensembles, including high school and community choirs. It has been held at Pitt, Seton Hill University, and now for the second year at FPCE as part of our Music Ministry’s Concert Series. (Incidentally, we’d like to expand the series to include more than this festival and the ESO concert. Share your ideas!) Participating in this year are the following groups: Duquesne University Pappert Women’s Chorale, University of Pittsburgh Women’s Choral Ensemble, Czarica Milica Serbian Women’s Choir, Belle Voci community choir, and the North Hills High School Women’s Choir. We hope you’ll join us for this free event! Hello brothers and sisters and friends of FPCE,
I trust you have some family/friend plans for this Labor Day weekend. Make sure to include Sunday morning worship (10:00 A.M. this is the last one) in those plans. Shaun, Sunny and I have put together a beautiful and meaningful service. The focus of the liturgy is thanksgiving for creation – it is a beautiful and meaningful liturgy. On this Labor Day weekend we will honor the first worker – the Lord set this amazing cosmos to spinning! Also – my sermon will focus on a strange and challenging passage…a rather uncomfortable conversation between Jesus and a mother with a very sick daughter. (See Mark 7: 24-30) See you in church! Pastor Michael Good afternoon brothers and sisters….
“Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God.” Abraham Joshua Heschel, Jewish theologian… Come to worship this week. (10:00 a.m.) Let’s catch a glimpse of a new heaven and new earth together. It will be a blessed morning. See you in church! Pastor Michael PS. If anyone finds out where summer went – please let the rest of us know. I’m sure Desmond’s last day of his 7th grade year was just a week ago. (Right?) ![]() Hi all – Last Friday, when I wrote this little message to you it was another sun-filled day and I quoted Psalm 118: 24 – “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.” This morning – another blue sky and warming sun pouring themselves into all of us – I thought of a song from one of my top two music groups - U-2. They sing: "It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away, it’s a beautiful day.” Even if you can only step outside for 5 minutes, or look out the window if you can’t make it out of doors. Soak in this day the Lord has given. Let your heart sing – It’s a beautiful day!” I’m looking forward to this Sunday. More wonderful music, more meaningful liturgy, and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The message will focus on Jesus’ declaration – “I am the bread of life….whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” Soak those words in as if they were beams from the shining sun. It will be a beautiful day. (Worship with us, 10:00 a.m. this Sunday.) See you in church! Pastor Michael This year’s Community Day for Edgewood Borough is scheduled for Saturday, August 29. For the first time, FPCE has decided to sponsor a game booth run by various members/friends of the church. Not only will we be handing out prizes from the game, but also brochures about our church to Community Day participants spreading the word about FROGS, upcoming events, etc. Come down to Koenig Field and support our game booth from 12Noon to 5PM.
![]() Hello everyone, On days like this we are inspired to declare: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!” Bring that joyful spirit to worship this Sunday. A couple of classic hymns and newish one that we love to sing... My message will focus on healing conflict. Just hearing the word “conflict” can create an upturn in our level of anxiety. But conflict is step towards a healthier you, healthier relationships, even healthier international understanding. I look forward to seeing you at 10:00 a.m. Sunday. The hour of worship will be well worth your while…. See you in church! Pastor Michael ![]() Good afternoon brothers and sisters of the FPCE family, The sun is shining, The flowers are shouting their colors aloud for all to see and hear. The birds are chirping. And I am in the final stages of preparation for tomorrow morning’s worship experience. I believe tomorrow morning’s readings are exciting. They describe events that changed the world. Whether people believe the events that are described, doubt them, flout them or ridicule them – the two events changed the history of the world – and still can! That is the amazing thing about this book we call the Bible. The words are alive – to inspire, to guide, to comfort, to confront, to challenge – you and me. I look forward to singing, praying, learning and growing with you. I hope you can you make it. See you in church! Pastor Michael ![]() Hello everyone, I believe we are thoroughly watered….as it says somewhere in Isaiah “The waters are rising up to my neck!” I can assure that the sanctuary here at FPCE is welcoming and dry place to be on Sunday mornings. Please come this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. I am doing a sermon series on the many and varied things that occur in our lifetimes that cry out for healing. This week - “Healing the hurt of loss.” See you on Sunday! Pastor Michael |
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