Project Thesis

From the Study of Pastor Matt…

Dear Church,

Grace and peace from Holland, Michigan.  I’m writing this blog from the 5^th floor of the Cook Library on the campus of Western Theological Seminary.  This past week has been my last week of an intensive seminar focusing on the project for my Doctorate of Ministry.  It has been a good two weeks of deep thought, rich conversation and countless revisions to written documents and proposals.  I’m learning more and more the art of submission.  The liturgy of a typical day is built around class, chapel, individual presentations, collaborative group work and lectures from professors.  One of the fascinating dynamics is that while I’m 100 plus miles away from First Church of South Holland, there are so many individuals in and around the Seminary that have deep ties to our congregation.  Take Rev. Julie (VanderVeen) Van Til, who was a beloved Youth Director in the life of our congregation.  She now serves as the Interim Dean of Students at the Seminary.  Take Dr. Tim Brown who was one of our Senior Pastors and now serves as the President of the Seminary.  Or even Andrew Bast whose father, Dave Bast was another pastor in the life of our congregation.  Andrew grew up in the parsonage and was “sternly talked to” by Matt Vander Wolf for hitting golf balls in the front lawn (what I do often).  Now, Andrew works in the Office of Advancement for the Seminary.

There are nearly ten individuals on staff at the Seminary that have close ties to our congregation and are all extremely interested in what’s going on in the life of our flock.  I hear the common refrain, “I hear good things about First Church” all the time.  People are genuinely interested and curious about the faithfulness and fruitfulness of our ministry.  I always respond by saying, “yeah, we’re having fun.”  And to be honest, the major thrust of my doctorate of ministry is attempting to collect, capture and communicate that fun.

I’ve learned that there are a lot of congregations out there that are in similar situations as we were five years ago.  Changing communities.  Wanting to stay.  Confusion on how to embrace and assimilate different cultures.  Angst over what music is being played and sung on Sunday mornings.  Long legacy of the past.  Bleak future???  I’m perceiving a hunger for discerning a different path.  Rather than sell the building and following the wealthy migration further and further away and rather than subtly caving to a self-serving consumerist culture, there is a genuine longing for something more.  So, do you want to read my thesis for my project in the Doctorate of Ministry Program?  Here it is:

Thesis – As First Reformed Church in South Holland was forced to confront their ecclesial mortality in their given context for ministry, they entered into a corporate journey of transformation that changed their congregational composition and renewed their congregational structures and practices which have led to a more robust sense of their identity as God’s diverse people and their purpose in God’s kingdom.

A mouthful, right?  Do we have it all figured out?  Absolutely not.  Are we going to fall short along the way?  Absolutely.  But what if we had something to add to the conversation on church revitalization?  What if we could share with others some of our success and some of our failures?  What if we could be a story of hope for the larger Church?  I say, “Oh Lord, may it be so.”  You can help in this journey.  For starters – pray for us.  Who we are and what we do.  And second, bring a friend with you on Sunday.   There are chapters yet to be written.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Matt

Getting Younger All the Time

From the Study of Pastor Matt…

Dear Church,

I think I have made the drive from South Holland, IL  to Holland, MI and back so often that I have every exit memorized.  I was up in Holland this past week working on my Doctorate of Ministry, but came back home for our annual Congregational Meeting.  Went back up to Holland to continue my studies, only to leave again in a few days to preach at First Church on Sunday, then back up to Holland for all of next week.  It has been a whirlwind of a few days to say the least.  For some reason, the Congregational Meeting always creates in me a sliver of uneasiness.  Maybe it’s the budgets?  Maybe it’s the polity, making sure I get everything right?  Maybe it’s because it’s the only time you ask questions in the Sanctuary that aren’t rhetorical?!  In any event, our meeting this past Tuesday night was extremely uplifting for me.  Not only did we pass budgets with flying colors, hear reports of exciting ministries in the life of the Church and conclude the meeting in 60 minutes, but we also affirmed the election of individuals to the Office of Elder and Deacon.  First Church is blessed with a whole battalion of faithful, gifted and talented lay leaders.  I would put our leadership teams up against any Church, no matter the size.  However, when I first came five years ago, the average age of someone serving on Consistory was pushing 60.  Not to say that 60 is bad, or 60 is old, or 60 is past prime.  Not at all.  I am forever thankful to the friends that served their 7^th and 8^th and 9^th terms on Consistory during my first few years on the job.  I learned a lot from these wise sages.  The kicker is that with so many experienced veterans serving, there is little room to develop newer, younger leadership.

Maybe you haven’t noticed it, but over the past five years, the average age of someone serving on Consistory has dropped considerably.  Take last night for example.  We elected six individuals to the Office of Deacon.  Of the six individuals, just two of them had ever served on Consistory before, and one of those two had only served one term.  The other four were all new.  They all were under the age of 35.  Of the six, half had joined our congregation in the past three years.  I don’t know about you, but I get really excited about that.  New people coming to know the Lord and His Church.  New individuals hearing and accepting the call from God into service.  New members taking ownership in their Church.

We also elected five individuals to the Office of Elder.  Three of them are what you might call “regulars” to the Elder Board.  While I do believe terms are a good thing, I wonder if the earliest Church in Acts had term limits to those faithful few that were committed to seeing the Church and the Kingdom grow?  In any event, three of these individuals have faithfully served for longer than I’ve been alive.  Another individual was a long term Deacon, but was humbled, and honored to serve as an Elder.  And the other Elder is nearly 80 years old and has taken time off the Elder Board, but now felt re-energized in service.  Faithful individuals that are taking seriously the call that God has placed on their lives to serve.

I think this is what I love most about First Church.  It’s this wonderfully unique blend of old and new, black and white, Dutch and non-Dutch, grew up in the Reformed Church and never heard of the Reformed Church all coming together to be the body of Christ together.  My friends, let me just remind you what a tremendous gift that is.  It doesn’t happen by accident.  It’s not just a coincidence.  No, it is God doing something in us and through us.  Later next month, we’ll have the privilege of watching these individuals become ordained and installed to these Offices of service.  That morning, like last night is a slice of what heavenly diversity looks like.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Matt

Promise of His Providence

Dear Church,

Does God want my family to be saved?  That was the question posed by Gerre, a student at South Suburban College and active participant in FCM, which hopefully you know, stands for First Campus Ministries.  In fact, if you want to read more about our ministry at South Suburban College, the Reformed Church in America just wrote an article about this ministry for the latest issue of the RCA Today.  You can read the article online at rca.org, and then click “Current Issue,” “Regional Issues,” then we are region of “Mid-America,” then find the article under the heading “a church reaches out to college students.”  Back to Gerre’s question.  Does God want my family to be saved?  She asked this question with a tender smile on her face and a tear welling up in her eye.  Gerre stands no more than five foot three.  She has curly black hair and a smile that invites more conversation.  Any one of the 18 or so of us in the room could tell that Gerre’s heart was breaking for her family that as she admitted, “were not followers of Jesus.”

I had another conversation later in the week with another friend.  This friend too is soft-spoken and gracious.  She came to me because as she admitted, she has no one else to turn to.  This friend shared with me about her relationship with her sister.  While she loves her sister and would do anything for her, their relationship was causing a serious emotional and mental strain for my friend.  Her sister kept taking and taking and my friend kept giving and giving.  My friend confessed to me that she simply has nothing more to give.  I shared with her that I would pray that she would experience a release and a freedom from having to carry so many burdens.  I also threw out a word that I learned in Introduction to Counsel & Care back in Seminary: boundaries.  I told my friend she was not acting selfishly by creating healthy boundaries.

I left both of those two experiences thinking the same thing.  We simply can’t control the actions of others.  We can’t.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we just had a magic wand and we could tap on someone so that they would immediately change their behavior or become someone that they are not, or even hurry up in being a person that they say they are trying to be?  In the end, we simply can’t control the actions of others.  As much as she would like, Gerre can’t control her family’s willingness to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.  And as much as my friend would like, she can’t control her sister from living a destructive life.  And I don’t know about you, but a lot of my stress, anxiety and sometimes even “blahness” is because I’m carrying the burdens of others, desperately wanting to control their actions.  Check that, I know you do that too.  The anxiety over the wayward child.  The fear about Mom’s health.  The stress surrounding a friend’s sinful situation.  Because we love, we end up carrying the burdens of others.

My friends, we can’t control the actions of others.  All we can do is plant seeds of the kingdom of God.  We can continue to love those that are hard to love.  We can continue to pray for those that are living far away from the faith.  We can continue to walk carefully beside others in their pain.  But we can’t control their actions.  So in a lot of ways, there is freedom in not being in control.  There is a sense of release of not being in control.  There is even a sense of joy knowing that it’s not my responsibility.  All we can do is plant the seeds of the kingdom of God and trust that God will do the growing in God’s ordained time.  So for those of you who are carrying something this morning, God has given you permission to release it to His shepherding watch and care.  Or for those of you who are stressing out over a child’s actions, God has given you permission to turn that stress over to the promises of His providence.  Or for those of you who are in a dark place because of things out of your control, God has given you permission to set them down and fix your eyes on His loving gaze.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Matt

Ten Good Minutes

From the Study of Pastor Matt…

Dear Church,

May 3, can you believe it?  Already a quarter of the way done with another year.  At least this week we saw some signs of spring and summer just around the corner.  Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer.  Some of you joined me at Thorn Creek Reformed Church for the annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast held in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer.  Interestingly enough, this day was first set aside in 1952, along with a Presidential Proclamation.  I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded of the importance of prayer.  I need to be reminded that throughout the Bible, we see that prayer actually changed the mind of God.  I need to be reminded that prayer is a spiritual discipline of communication and intimacy with God.  No one would argue that our world is in desperate need of prayer.  From disasters to divorce, from bombings to bankruptcy, from healthcare to hope, we clearly see the need for prayer in our lives.  In his Presidential Proclamation on this year’s National Day of Prayer, President Obama picks up on this idea that for some, we’re praying prayers of thanksgiving and for others; we are praying prayers of lament.  His words below are good for us to remember:

Americans have long turned to prayer both in times of joy and times of sorrow. On their voyage to the New World, the earliest settlers prayed that they would “rejoice together, mourn together, labor, and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work.” From that day forward, Americans have prayed as a means of uniting, guiding, and healing. In times of hardship and tragedy, and in periods of peace and prosperity, prayer has provided reassurance, sustenance, and affirmation of common purpose.  Prayer brings communities together and can be a wellspring of strength and support. In the aftermath of senseless acts of violence, the prayers of countless Americans signal to grieving families and a suffering community that they are not alone. Their pain is a shared pain, and their hope a shared hope. Regardless of religion or creed, Americans reflect on the sacredness of life and express their sympathy for the wounded, offering comfort and holding up a light in an hour of darkness.

On this day, let us remember in our thoughts and prayers all those affected by recent events, such as the Boston Marathon bombings, the Newtown, Connecticut shootings, and the explosion in West, Texas. Let us pray for the police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to protect their fellow Americans. Let us also pray for the safety of our brave men and women in uniform and their families who serve and sacrifice for our country. Let us come together to pray for peace and goodwill today and in the days ahead as we work to meet the great challenges of our time.

I’ve been notorious for letting my mind wander during times of prayer.  In fact, I’m even embarrassed to admit this, but one time I was praying before bed with Sarah and I literally fell asleep mid-prayer.  So, now I’ve been using a prayer journal to jot down and reflect on my prayers.  Whatever works for you – prayer journal, a set time for prayer, recite your prayers out loud, or pray with your spouse.  The point is to be a people of prayer.  This morning, I’m challenging you to spend ten minutes in uninterrupted prayer.  Pray for our church growing, families struggling, missionaries serving, the Good News spreading, sins confessing, children maturing, parents guiding, and governments leading.  Ten minutes of uninterrupted prayer.  And I have a hunch, you just might come out of that experience closer to God.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Matt

“The Blessings of New members”

From the Study of Pastor Matt…                         April 26, 2013

Dear Church,

Do you remember the time when Moses struck the rock and water came out? I wonder if he struck it again would the water stop coming out? And if so, I wonder if I can strike a rock and the rain will stop here!  Seriously, I get the whole April showers bring May flowers, but do April floods bring May Botanical Garden-like flowers?

One of the best parts about my job as pastor is participating in New Member’s class. I intentionally say participate, because each and every time we have a New Member’s class, I feel that I’m less of a teacher and more of a student. Sure, we go through the heartbeat of the Reformed Faith. We talk about our Creeds and Confessions. We talk about what a Consistory is. We talk about the history of the Reformed Church in America. And we talk about our mission here at First Church to “Grow Together in the Grace of Christ.” But the best part about a New Member’s class is hearing people share their story. Ultimately, a New Member’s class should ask the question: Why are you here? What has led you to publically join First Reformed Church? What has God done in your life to bring you to this place at this particular time?

Our current New Member’s class has nine adults and three kids. There are black males and white females. There are white males and black females. There are lifelong attenders of First Church and there are people who just heard of us a few months ago. There are truck drivers and there are stay at home moms. There are people that have never known life outside of the Christian faith and there are people that have spent years inside a prison cell. There are teenagers and there are 60-somethings. Sounds to me like a pretty accurate picture of our sliver of the body of Christ, wouldn’t you say?

Last week, four of them shared their story. After preaching, my emotions are always a bit more sensitive and it showed in our New Member’s class as I was fighting back tears listening to the four stories of grace from four new friends. We heard things like, “I’ve struggled with self-esteem and self-worth my whole life long until I realized that God loved me for me.” We heard things like, “my family judges me for coming to First Church, but after coming here, I’ve never felt closer to God in my whole life.” We heard things like, “I’m not used to all this diversity, but I know that’s the way God wants it and I’m actually starting to like it.” Some had a hard time stringing three sentences together without being overcome with emotion. Some had to pass the baton to their spouse because they couldn’t go on sharing some of the more painful details of their story. It was raw and real and beautiful.

What underlies in each of these stories and each of these individuals is a story of God’s grace. Pain and hardship are not exclusive to age, skin color or background. They find us all. And in the midst of this, each of these friends shared how by God’s grace they came to experience His love more and more through the ministry of First Reformed Church. Afterwards, it was almost as if we should have had a giant group hug. I think we all left the Chapel after our New Member’s class knowing that we all had experienced something rather holy. We all have a story. A testimony. A journey. And my guess is that yours too has been marred with pain and laced with grace. For some reason, some obvious and some not so obvious, God has called us to this body of Christ. To be involved. To be salt and light. To be the hands and feet. So, for those of you that are not privileged to be a part of our New Member’s class, maybe you should take a closer look at your story. Share it. Write it down. Think about it. I have a hunch you just might be more thankful and more aware of God’s grace.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Matt

The Pain of the Boston Marathon

From the Study of Pastor Matt…

Dear Church,

Where is our world going?  That was the question my Mom asked me reflecting on the events of this past week in Boston.  I ran the Boston Marathon in 2009.  What hasn’t been talked about on the news is the culture of running, especially for the Boston Marathon.  There are only two ways that you can run the Boston Marathon.  You either have to raise a lot of money for a charity or you have to qualify.  And, since the latest surge of interest in running, the Boston Athletic Association has lowered the qualifying standards, making the Boston Marathon extremely difficult to run.  Boston is a point-to-point run, meaning you are dropped off by bus 26.2 miles outside of the city and run into the heart of Boston.  In a lot of ways, the Boston Marathon is the Super Bowl of running.  I remember in 2009 when I entered the Expo to pick up my race bib, a volunteer said, “Congratulations, Mr. Waterstone, you’ve earned to run in the Boston Marathon.”  I remember making the left turn on to Boylston Street and seeing the giant blue and yellow banner that read “Finish,” and thinking to myself, I did it, I just slogged my way through the most famous marathon in the world.

More than that, there is a culture and a community to running.  When people go out and run together they talk about anything, but running.  They talk life, family, work, religion, sports.  What else are you going to do while running for three hours on a Saturday morning?  Runners look out for one another.  Runners tend to be disciplined and selfless people.  The emotions of actually finishing a marathon are only outdone by seeing your family and friends at places throughout the race offering support and encouragement.  For the past couple years, I’ve had family and friends right at mile 26 of the Chicago Marathon.  I’m always bolstered up by simply seeing their smiling faces.  To think that is exactly the setting of this past week’s events is a gut wrenching thought.

It is difficult to see God working all things together for good in situations like this.  In addition to sadness, I feel frustrated as well.  Another senseless tragedy?  More loss of innocent life.  An 8 year old boy watching his Dad finish the race.  Seriously?  Where is our world going?  I know Boston is a resilient city and Bostonians are resilient people, but don’t you think we need at least a few days to simply lament.  To cry.  To grieve.  To lament.  That is just about the only healthy response I can come up with at this point.  To ask big questions and trust that they are being heard by an ever-present God.  How long, Oh Lord?  Will you hide your face forever?  How long will my enemies be exalted over me?

Does asking these questions make anything all better?  Maybe, but maybe not.  What is comforting is to know that ultimately, we know that evil does not prevail.  Ultimately, we know that death does not triumph.  Ultimately, we know that Satan is defeated.  We believe this.  We hold on to this.  Easter reminds us of this.  But on days like this past Monday, it sure makes heaven look a lot more appealing, don’t you think?  A place with no violence, no death, no terror, no bombings look a lot more appealing.  And maybe that might get people to think a little bit more seriously about this world and the next?

Like you, I’ve been praying for the families, the runners, the spectators, the law enforcement officials and even the perpetrators.  I pray for healing.  I pray for strength.  I pray for peace.  In a twisted world that seems to be spinning more and more out of control, sometimes offering prayers of lamentation is the only thing we can do.  To hold in tension our concern and frustration with this world, while giving thanks that someday violence and bombings will be no more.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Matt

Turning 30…

Dear Church,

It is good to be back in the saddle again.  Sarah, Willem and I were in Florida last week for Spring Break.  The beach was wonderful.  The 80 degree weather was wonderful.  The time with family was wonderful.  The 19 hour car ride of which I drove 16 hours was not so wonderful.  I have a new appreciation for how long the state of Indiana is.

I also turned 30 this past week, though I’m not quite sure how I feel about it.  And I know if you’re older than 65 and reading this you’re probably saying to yourself, “30!  I can’t even remember 30!”  Still, a new decade and along with that comes change.  When I was on hour 10 of a 12 hour straight drive, I had more than enough time to do a little self-introspection.  My mind drifted to things in my life that I’m proud of and things that I’m ashamed of.  Memories of Classis examinations, memories of Will being born, memories of arguments, memories of vacations, memories of athletic adventures and even memories of friends I haven’t reached out to in far too long.  No matter the memory, change is all around us.  Our families change.  Our jobs might change.  Our health could change.  Our priorities will probably change.

As I was driving through the booming metropolis that is Terra Haute, IN, I realized that in all my reflection, the one constant has been God.  I began to see the thread throughout my story has been God.  At certain parts along my journey, different divine attributes of God have become clearer and more needed.  There have been times when I’ve needed to know I’m loved and forgiven.  There have been times when I’ve needed to know that somehow, some way God is making all things work together for good.  And there have been times when I’ve needed to know that God will provide.  My guess is that you might have a similar experience.  What the most important thing to remember is that God hasn’t moved or relocated.  He hasn’t come and gone.  He hasn’t drifted or wandered.  God has remained constant.  So I guess what I’m trying to say is that while we can pinpoint times in our lives when we’ve felt extremely close to God and other times when we’ve felt a million miles away from God, He has never abandoned us.  Oh, and I thought I would share with you one picture of some of the fun we had in Florida.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Matt

A New Season

Dear Church,

“It’s a new season, it’s a new day, and a fresh anointing is moving our way!” These are the lyrics from a songwriter named Israel Houghton. Truly a new season is coming.  It may not feel like a new season, but I see it. I see it in fresh ministries around the church.  I see it in lives of people who have been changed by the message of the gospel.  I see it all throughout the life of our church, and I believe that we all caught a glimpse of a new season at First Church this past weekend.

For me it started off as a beautiful day; the sun was shining, the temperature was right and excitement had already filled my morning.  We filled the Fellowship Hall with excited volunteers armed with flyers, bags of candy, magnets, and posters that read “free coffee,” “free prayer,” and “I love Jesus!”  Another group of volunteers entered the Fellowship Hall with certain pep in their step anticipating raking yards, trimming bushes, and meeting residents of South Holland.  We prayed together and hit the streets.  One team went to Jewel on 175^th & Halsted and another went to Jewel on Rt. 6.  A third team went to Rt. 6 and South Park with posters and flyers and ran up to cars to invite people to our church for Easter. I ended that day by visiting one of the families whose yard we raked.  The woman I spoke to was so excited about Jesus.  She shared with me how she had been praying and seeking God’s help in difficult times and when she learned that we were doing spring yard cleaning it was a confirmation that God was watching and caring for her.

The weekend continued to get better.  While we always expect to have great services on Sunday, there is an extra sense of great anticipation and expectation on Easter Sunday. The church was filled from the front row to the balcony, the rafters were lifted as we sang as a church that Christ is Risen, and diversity was evidenced by those who entered the choir loft to sing the Hallelujah Chorus—diversity of age, diversity of gender and diversity of race. This weekend was a great weekend.

Weekends like this remind us and confirm to us over and over again how the power of the resurrection affects the everyday lives of ordinary individuals like you and me. It reminds us that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ. It’s through the resurrection that God removes the stones of stubbornness, the stones of fear, and the stones of doubt.  It raises up in us courage, faith, and love to reach beyond where we are to the place that he wants to take us to fellowship and build relationships with those who look different and act differently than us, to serve our neighbors, and to share the good news with those who are lost.  A new season is upon us and we can either watch the new season or we can join in!

Grace & Peace,

Corey Buchanan

The Power of Good Friday

Dear Church,

We live in a culture of death.  Death is all around us.  Ninety year olds die after long lives lived in the faith.  Fifty Five year olds unexpectedly die of heart attacks.  Fourteen year olds die from gang violence.  Death is a pervasive reality that infiltrates our everyday.  I say this only because it seems that we have been inundated with so much death that death doesn’t really faze us anymore.  Maybe it’s because we hear on the news every single morning that a fourteen year old was gunned down on the City’s South side and the horrific reality of death and violence don’t sting like they once did.  Or maybe it’s because we all know someone that right now is in the 15^th round with a killer cancer.  Or maybe it’s because while we might not have one foot in the grave, we see our bodies declining, our memories fading and our reflexes slowing.  To be honest, I wish I were more emotionally moved when it came to death.  Sarah thinks I’m too callused, and she’s probably right.  I wish I were shocked more, moved more, cried more when it came to death.

Today is Good Friday.  No matter how you look at it, that title is somewhat ironic.  Good in the fact that our salvation was birthed on that Friday.  Bad in the fact that it took an innocent man’s life.  Good Friday is a day when we come face to face with the gut-wrenching reality that Jesus died for the sins of the world.  And I think it is really important for our own understanding and relationship with God to come to that painstaking point.  Jesus died.  A brutal, despicable, criminal’s death.  And with death comes mourning.  Jesus’ mother and a few of his faithful friends were there to see him die.  And together they cried, and they mourned.  Their king was dead.  Stop right there and sit in that reality.  Jesus was dead.  Not wounded, not in surgery, not in a coma, but dead.  And some two thousand years later, the death of Jesus still causes a heaviness to fall on my shoulders.  I feel guilty that he died when I’m the one with all the sins.  I feel sad that his mother had to watch her son caked in bruises and blood.  And I feel angry when I think about the soldiers who mocked Him and spat on Him.

I don’t know if those closest to Jesus ever really picked up on his resurrection cues.  I’m not sure if they really got it when He said that the temple that was to be rebuilt in three days was actually a metaphor for his own body.  I don’t know exactly what was going on in their minds as they walked to His graveside service only to see a stone rolled away.  What I do know is that Jesus died.  The irony in His death is that I’ll celebrate Jesus’ death for the rest of my life.  There are hints of celebration and joy and resurrection at the cross.  The cornerstone of our faith is a blood stained cross and an empty tomb and you really can’t have one without the other.  So before we get to the Hallelujah Chorus on Sunday morning, we first need to sit at Jesus’ lifeless feet and understand the gravity of His sacrifice.  When we better understand Jesus’ death, we’re better able to realize the desperate state of our souls.  We needed a Savior.  Our sin needed to be dealt with.  Someone had to pay the punishment for our sin.  When we better understand Jesus’ death, we’re better able to live our lives in gratitude.  If all it took to erase my sin was a little slap on Jesus’ wrist, well then maybe I wouldn’t be all that thankful or live my life in obedience and gratitude to Him.  But it took the death of a sinless, innocent man, which should move us to be more thankful.  When we better understand Jesus’ death, we’re better able to see the larger salvation story that our God is telling.  What I mean by that is Jesus’ death on the cross some two thousand years ago wasn’t some stand alone transaction of grace.  No, it was prayed for and hoped for and longed for throughout the centuries leading up to His death and it has been celebrated every day.  And you and I are caught up into a salvation story that hung on a death and resurrection.  Sure, we live in a culture of death, but the death of Jesus opens us up to a culture of everlasting life.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Matt

The Sound of the Carillon

From the Study of Pastor Matt…

Dear Church,

Sometimes you don’t realize how you miss things until they come back into your life.  When I first came to First Church nearly five years ago, one of my favorite things to notice was the carillon beautifully ringing every fifteen minutes and tolling on every hour.  I don’t remember exactly when it broke and no longer chimed, but it has been awhile since we’ve heard those friendly bells.  Well, this past week, the carillon was fixed.  You know how I think space and place are important when it comes to our understanding and relationship to God, and the carillon is part of that space and place.  I was reading books to Will one night this past week when I heard the chimes telling me it was getting close to 8:00pm and bedtime for Willy! 

I guess I didn’t realize how much I missed those chimes until they started chiming again.  I’m not sure why I like the carillon so much; maybe it’s because I can keep track of time better.  Or maybe it’s because it reminds me that First Church is always going to be here.  Or maybe it’s because I don’t like it when things are broken and not working the way they should.  But I think the real reason why I enjoy the carillon so much is that it assures me that I’m always close to the house of the Lord.  Does that make sense?  It’s almost as if the bells coming from the tower of First Reformed Church are something of a reminder that the Lord is always near; and when you stop and think about it, that is a sermon right there.  The Lord is near.  Around Christmas we use titles like “Emmanuel” to describe God.  Well, what do you think Emmanuel means?  Simply, God is with us.  There is a nearness to our God.  And maybe that’s why I find comfort in the carillon.  The tolling of the chimes reminds me that the Lord is near.  There is permanence and stability and comfort in these bells that remind me of the nearness of God.

I’m a city boy and wouldn’t last two hours living some rural country life.  But you know those scenes in western movies when the mother living on the prairie goes out on her wooden porch and rings a bell or chimes signaling for her family, out working or playing on the farm, that dinner is ready?  And you certainly wouldn’t want to stray too far from home, or else you’d miss dinner.  Well, in some ways, the carillon is that for the Church.  Sure, it is a great time keeper, but more than that, the bells call us to worship.  The bells draw us together.  The bells perk up our ears and cause us to consider where we are and what we are doing.  And, in some sense, as long as we are an earshot away from the bells, we are close to home.  We all have those things in our lives that serve as reminders for us.  Some of us write sticky notes.  Some of us are tethered to the reminders on our phones.  Some of us wear crosses or jewelry or WWJD bracelets.  They all serve the same purpose.  They remind us.  They cause us to pay attention.  They make us lift up our heads from all the work we’re doing and look around.  Whatever we use to remind us, the point is the same.  We need to be reminded.  We need to stop and pay attention.  We need to lift up our heads from our busyness and look around. 

In the season of Lent, we need reminders.  We need things to take our focus off of ourselves and on to the Living God.  We need things that slow us down and cause us to remember.  Things like a blood-stained cross.  Things like an empty tomb.  This is a different season in the life of the Church, where we treat the passage of time differently.  The agonizing moments on the cross must have seemed like an eternity for Jesus.  The long three days from Friday to Sunday morning must have felt like forever to his disciples.  And still time marches on for each of us.  Maybe the bells will cause you to stop and consider the perfect sacrifice Jesus made for you.

                                   

Grace & Peace,                                   

Pastor Matt