The 10:30 service can be viewed online: HERE

A copy of  September 23rd Thursday Thoughts can be viewed: HERE

Dear Congregation:

On vacation with my German friends, Ali and Christiane, we visited the Techno Museum in Winterthur, Switzerland.  Truth be told, we would not have chosen this kind of museum but it as a Monday and all the other museums were closed.

The first floor of the museum contained hands on experiments with electricity and magnets, while that was fun, the second floor was of even greater interest with exhibits challenging how we see.

 

Several exhibits had geometric figures on discs that you could rotate.  The signs on the exhibits told us that the geometric figures on the discs take on a life of their own as they spin around.  Our brains attempt to process this ever-changing information and will construct figures that do not actually exist.  “Whenever our sensory receptors transmit conflicting information to our brain, it faces a pro

blem of interpretation.  It tries to solve this dilemma by relating what we see to what we already know.  If that doesn’t really fit together, it can lead to perceptual delusions.  Conflicts rise when we see something that does not correspond to our prior knowledge.  Then there can be misinterpretations and we can succumb to a deception.  (Swiss Science Center Technorama)

 

In many ways, it feels like our world is spinning more and more out of control.  Bombarded by more and more images, data, pieces of information, could it be that our brains are having difficulty seeing what is actually right in front of our very lives?

The ancient practices of our faith – praying, singing, reading scripture, worship — are meant to bring our focus back to the one who unconditionally loves us.  We step away from the spinning of the world, for a few moments to refocus and to remind our hearts and brains of the truth that will set out feet on solid ground, our eye son the life and teachings of Jesus.

 

Rev. Dr.  Barbara Kershner Daniel

Senior Pastor
Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ
bkdaniel@erucc.org
301-662-2762