CLICK HERE to read the June 17 edition of Thursday Thoughts

CLICK HERE to read the June 3 edition of Thursday Thoughts

CLICK HERE to read the May 27 Thursday Thoughts

May 27, 2021

Dear Congregation:

The Tuesday morning Bible Study group has been studying the theme of community as expressed in the Book of Hebrews.  This week we discussed the theme of Sabbath Rest.   The scripture passages we looked at spoke to the ways in which God invites us into rest and we do not listen.  We do not listen to the life-giving power and restoration that comes when we enter into Sabbath Rest with God.

Much of our time focused on the theme of rest being a pause.  A pause from our usual activities.  A pause from work.  A time when we stop, pause, and do something else that will connect our spirits with the Spirit of the Living God such as meditating, listening to music, sitting by running water.  We reflected on how the pandemic was a long pause from our usual activities and perhaps we have learned during this pause that we can let go of some things that were not serving us well.

We also spoke about the importance of the pause in music, as a time of anticipation for what is yet to be.   “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  (Hebrews 11: 1)

As I begin vacation, taking my own pause, I am excited not only by the chance to rest and reconnect with family and friends, but I am also hopeful about what I may learn and experience during this pause.

I wish you all the best as you take your own pauses in these days ahead.

Worship:        Trinity Sunday

This week’s scriptures seek to reckon with the mystery and power of the God whom we worship and who calls us into new life and service.           Psalm 29 uses an abundance of images from creation to describe God’s power and majesty. In Romans 8:12–17, Paul draws on this paradoxical nature of our relationship with God who is powerful enough to defeat sin, but also intimate enough that we can refer to him as a parent. John 3:1–17 presents us with the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus, seeking to understand this new rabbi’s power.

The Rev. John Shillingburg will be preaching and leading worship this Sunday.

Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel, Senior Pastor

Evangelical Reformed Church, United Church of Christ

15 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701

301-662-2762

E-mail: bkdaniel@erucc.org

CLICK HERE to read the May 20, 2021 Thursday Thoughts

May 20, 2021

Dear Congregation:

ERUCC continues to be a blessing and support for our younger adults as they explore their faith through a variety of ways – worship, Sunday School, youth group activities, community service, and travel.  In 2020, we were unable to travel to the UCC National Youth Event or welcome our German partners.   We hoped and prayed that 2021 would provide the opportunity to engage in travel once again.

As I write this, we have Plan A and Plan B for a trip July 22-31.  Plan A is to visit our partners from Klein Schwechten in Germany.   We will be traveling to Ravensbrueck and staying at a youth hostel that is close to the concentration camp that housed, mostly women.  During our week together, we will join in outdoor activities, visit Potsdam, and hold conversations about our lives under the pandemic.

As of this writing, Germany is not open to US visitors which may lead us to Plan B which is spending a week in Memphis, TN at First Congregational UCC.    This program will involve an immersion in the civil rights movement, particularly related to labor.  We would be visiting the Civil Rights museum and engaged in their food ministry, bike repair ministry, and other mission projects.

Whether we do Plan A or Plan B, our youth will be immersed again in a transformative experience.

Due to COVID, we have been unable to do our usual food raisers.  While each family provides financial support for their son or daughter to participate, we count on our fund raising efforts to make these trips as affordable as possible.

I am asking you to consider making a gift towards our summer activities.  I am asking you to continue to invest in our youth by contributing online and marking your gift “youth” or write a check to ERUCC and put “youth” in the memo line.

Thank you.

Pastor Daniel

Worship          Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2:1–21 “I will pour out my Spirit….”

Pentecost, as described in the classic text in Acts 2:1-21, is a high holy day of the life of the church. Pentecost is the day we celebrate the founding of the Christian church.  More than that, on Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit into the life of the church and into our own lives.  The power of the Holy Spirit is reinforced in the gospel for this day, John 15:26-27 and 16:4b-15, when Jesus explains what the Holy Spirit will do for the faithful.  Romans 8: 22-27 implies creation itself has been in a period of birth, bringing something new into the world.

You are invited to wear red, to symbolize the fire of the Holy Spirit,  as you come to worship in the building or worship at home

Food for Thought:   

Come Holy Spirit, come. Renew your church. Ignite our hearts. Open us to new understanding. Propel us to greater ministry. Breathe on us.  Come, Holy Spirit. Come!

Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel, Senior Pastor

Evangelical Reformed Church, United Church of Christ

15 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701

301-662-2762

E-mail: bkdaniel@erucc.org

CLICK HERE to read your May 13, 2021 Thursday Thoughts

May 13, 2021

Dear Congregation:

Activity in our buildings is starting to pick up and we are excited to again welcome our twelve steps groups, the Religious Coalition, and some smaller weddings and dinners.

One of the ways in which our space stands out from some other spaces, besides being clean and classic with a phenomenal kitchen and sound and video, is the radical hospitality we extend to those renting and using the space.  Prior to occupying the new space, we held conversations on building use policies.  In those conversations, we made a commitment to extend hospitality to those coming into our “home.”  The warm welcome that people received from Amy and our church members and friends was an extra bonus for renters.  It left a positive lasting impression.

Amy and I are looking for some volunteers who would be willing to be on a welcome team as people come in to use our space.  For some of these events, we do need to pay for an events person to be present to coordinate the activities and provide support.  We also have some events that do not require the same degree of attention and these are great ways for you to offer ERUCC hospitality.  Then there are some of the larger events that will require extra hands.

Email Amy (aaguilar@erucc.org) if you are willing to help for events.   Thanks, in advance, for considering this request.

Worship        

Love Leads the Way

In his prayer in John 17: 6-19, Jesus is sure of one thing: everything comes from God.

Food for Thought:  

CLICK HERE for the Thursday, April 29 THURSDAY THOUGHTS

April 29, 2021

Dear Congregation:

I hope you have enjoyed reading through the 2020 Annual Report of ERUCC.  It was rather incredible to see how active we were, even amid a very unusual year.  We figured out how to be the Church, to worship and even expand participation in services, engage in Christian education and nurture, continue our advocacy work, and engage in mission in the community and around the world.  We found creative ways to be in community as we cared for one another.

The 2020 Annual Report was included in your worship packets that were delivered or being delivered before Sunday.  Please review and comment.

I invite you to participate in this Sunday’s annual congregational meeting.  We will have the link to the meeting live at 11:45 so that you can see and chat with one another online and see those who are attending in person.  I am thanking Jeff Schaeberle and Jeff Baker for the work they have been doing to make sure everyone can see and hear.  Many thanks to Peter Brehm, President of the Consistory for his leadership and to Allen Flora and Phil Selby who will be presenting the financial reports. Allen and Phil have spent hours and hours of time providing information and direction in the stewardship of resources.  We will also have an opportunity to thank those who have been serving in leadership on our behalf.

Here is the link for the meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82129963921?pwd=Y25uYlpxV2RtdVJKN3R0Q0xpamo2QT09

Meeting ID: 821 2996 3921

Passcode: 498766

Hope to see you on Sunday – in-person or online.

Worship                           Abides

John 15:1–8 “Every branch that bears fruit God prunes to make it bear more fruit.”

Jesus explains that God is like an expert gardener – an image well understood by the people who lived in Jesus’ agrarian times. Today we can still identify with this imagery’s meaning in our lives. We might already know that if we do not stay connected to the source of life we will not flourish. We will not bear fruit. The connection, to the source of life and community, is vital to our Christian faith. When we forget, how do we become reconnected?                                                                                I John 4: 7-21 tells how important it is to abide in God.  God is love, and when we love one another; God lives in us.  Love is the fruit that we, the vine, produce.  We are called to love our brothers and sisters, as God has loved us.

This Sunday we will be sharing communion, please prepare your worship centers with bread or a cracker, a cup of water or juice or wine.  Following worship, we will have our annual congregational meeting to review church finances and activities for 2020.                                        

Food for Thought:   

“We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.”   (Brené Brown)

Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel, Senior Pastor

Evangelical Reformed Church, United Church of Christ

15 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701

301-662-2762

E-mail: bkdaniel@erucc.org

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR THURSDAY THOUGHTS

April 22, 2021

Dear Congregation:

Tuesday afternoon, Derek Chauvin was found guilty for the murder of George Floyd.  While celebrations erupted about the country, for me, it was a sobering moment to acknowledge just how difficult and hard and steep is the climb for justice.  As one of my friends said, “I don’t think the verdict ought to be celebrated.  It is sad for all…. The fact that we even have to be talking about this as an issue is the saddest part for me.”

This verdict is one necessary step on the journey as we honor those in law enforcement who work so hard to serve our community with respect and for all citizens.  The verdict is one step on the journey to ensure that all our citizens, of every color and background, can live in safety.  There is still much more work in law enforcement as well as in our society to erase racial profiling and excessive force against persons of color.  There is still much work to be done in overcoming the effects of white privilege in discriminating persons of color in employment, housing, and medical care.

President Biden said the decision could be “a moment of significant change.”  It can be, if we continue to devote ourselves to this needed and necessary work of justice.  Donna Murch, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University, said, “The real victory here is not the incarceration of Derek Chauvin.  Putting another person in a cage is not how we change the world. But stopping the killings of Black people with complete impunity, saying that Black lives matter — this sends that signal.”

Worship Notes                                     Love in Truth and Action

John 10:11–18 “I know my own and my own know me.”

Jesus identifies himself in terms that people of his day and culture could understand – “I am the good shepherd.” Being a good shepherd is linked to knowing the sheep and laying down one’s life for the sheep.

In Acts 4: 5-12, we find Peter and John in prison.  Power to speak, power to act, power to be bold, power to follow, power to love: all are connected to a belief in the saving power of the name of God and the name of Jesus Christ.

Food for Thought:   

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”   (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel, Senior Pastor

Evangelical Reformed Church, United Church of Christ

15 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701

301-662-2762

E-mail: bkdaniel@erucc.org

CLICK HERE for your Thursday, April 15, 2021 Thursday Thoughts

April 15, 2021

Dear Congregation:

In last Sunday’s sermon, I reflected on how Jesus shows up, appears in person, walks through the locked doors of our hearts and minds and breathes new life and peace on us.  I reflected that Jesus appears every time words of hope, prayer, praise is shared by the followers of Jesus.  Jesus appears in person every time bread is broken, and people are fed.

Today, I give thaks for the ways in which our congregation and other congregations, are showing up for our community.  One of the many strengths of Frederick is the many ways in which businesses, non-profits, and government turn to the faith communities as partners in creating a healthier, safer, and more equitable Frederick.  In the past year, I have participated in discussions with members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Frederick Partnership on equity and inclusion in our community.  The faith community has continued to be a voice for justice and care for our homeless population and the Hayward Road Emergency Family Shelter is a great example of partnership between churches, foundations, businesses, individuals, and government.  Most recently, I have participated in numerous discussions about equity and accessibility in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

The faith community brings a needed and necessary voice to these discussions and I am grateful that we are being included in the conversation.

Last week, 135 of our neighbors showed up at ERUCC to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.  ERUCC embodied the love and care of Jesus as we offered our usual hospitality.  People felt safe entering our building and their experience continued to be positive.  As we talked about prior to opening the new space, one of our core values was to offer radical hospitality for everyone who came through our doors, that we would see each person as a beloved child of God, and we would embody the love and care of Jesus.

Thanks, ERUCC, for the many ways you show up.

Worship Notes:          Love Means Showing Up

            Luke 24:36b–48 “Peace be with you.”

Here it is again – another story like last week from John’s gospel (John 20:19–31) when Jesus encounters the disciples after the Resurrection and greets them with a word of peace. This encounter, however, doesn’t seem to calm the disciples but stirs them up. When does being a Christ-like peace bearer stir things up?

Acts 3:12–19 recounts Peter’s sermon following his and John’s healing encounter with a person who has been lame since birth (v. 2).

Food for Thought:   

When there is shattered glass in my heart,

when the road is long and dull,

when the past has bent, the future vanished,

when I seem to walk from darkness toward darkness—

I pray not that the story be changed

but that my eyes be open

to you,

here beside us,

opening our eyes.

(Steve Garnaas-Holmes)

Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel, Senior Pastor

Evangelical Reformed Church, United Church of Christ

15 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701

301-662-2762

E-mail: bkdaniel@erucc.org

CLICK HERE for the Thursday, April 8, 2021    THURSDAY THOUGHTS

Dear Congregation:

We are in the process of working on the annual report for 2020. As leaders of various committees and groups and staff prepared reports, it was clear that even in the midst of the pandemic restrictions, ERUCC was able to be the church.

Our re-opening team provided guidance for our church activities as well as how we could safely provide space for community groups.  As you know, we see our buildings as an extension of our ministry to a whole variety of groups and during the pandemic we were able to provide space when other buildings in the community were closed.

Yesterday, we were able to provide space for a vaccine clinic.  135 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine were administered with many of the doses going to underserved members of our community.  While we had offered our space for a clinic as soon as vaccines were available, this opportunity came through our friends at Grace UCC who were unable to host the clinic.   It went so well that another clinic is planned for April 21^st.

This clinic went well, due in large part, because of the work of Amy Gervase Aguilar, our church administrator extraordinaire.  There are few things that happen at ERUCC without her touch.  She maintains the schedule for the buildings and most times serves as the one who welcomes our guests.  Yesterday, was no exception as people were welcomed and honored.  While we have been unable to rent much space during the pandemic, Amy has figured out how we can rent out beautiful commercial kitchen.  Not only does this bring income to ERUCC, we are pivotal in empowering young people in starting up their catering and food truck businesses.

In the ERUCC email blast you received earlier this week, we thanked as many people as we could for their work and leadership in the past month or so.  I did not want the week to go by without calling special attention to Amy’s work and how grateful I am that she is with us.  May 1 marks her second span of four years working with ERUCC having previously been on staff from 2009 – 2013.   Will you join with me in thanking her?

Worship Notes:          Love Is a Response to Grace

                        John 20:19–31 “Peace be with you.”

In this story, Jesus appears to the disciples when they are locked away in fear and breathes upon them with a word of peace and empowerment.                                                                                                        Acts 4:32-35 describes how the early followers of Jesus were so unified that they shared their possessions and cared for another so that no was in need.  The Gospel lesson is from John 20: 19-31.  When Jesus appears to his followers after the resurrection he shows them his hands and side.  Then he breathed on them and blessed them with the Holy Spirit.  Thomas arrived later after Jesus had left and said he needed to see for himself.  Jesus came to be with them again when Thomas was with them and encouraged Thomas to touch his hands and sides.

Food for Thought:   

Though the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the      people, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”   After he said   this, he showed them his hands and his side.                —John 20.19-20

The Damaged One emerges from trauma with peace.                                                           His wounds, his brokenness, evidence of what such peace endures.                                              Through doors of pain, walls of despair, he comes with peace.                                                           Yours, beloved, he comes through.                                                                                    Gravestone, locked door, unbelief do not keep him from you.                                         The wounds still gape. The room is fraught—  but he is not.                                                Now and yet to come, he’s here.                                                                                                         Now your pain can breathe.

            (Steve Garnaas-Holmes, www.unfoldinglight.net)

Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel, Senior Pastor

Evangelical Reformed Church, United Church of Christ

15 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701

301-662-2762

E-mail: bkdaniel@erucc.org

CLICK HERE to read the Thursday, March 25 Thursday Thoughts.

March 25, 2021

Dear Congregation:

After hundreds of years of slavery, it is the Israelites’ final night in Egypt before leaving for their long journey to freedom.  Moses stands before the people and instructs them to tell their children to remember and tell their story of how God led them from bondage into a new land.  A book was created known as the Haggadah, which means “telling.”    The Haggadah is the script for the meal that our Jewish friends will celebrate beginning the night of March 27.

Mark Gerson, in the Wall Street Journal in his article, “Passover and the Power of Jewish Continuity,” writes, “As much as any other book [Haggadah], it has been responsible for assuring the continuity of Judaism. The Haggadah does this “horizontally,” by creating an experience that every Jew in the world shares at the same time, as well as “vertically” through history…If the Haggadah were just a holiday manual or a dinner program, it would have disappeared a long time ago…The Haggadah has enabled the Jews to tell the story of the Exodus to their children for more than 100 generations because it isn’t simply to be read.  Rather, the Haggadah involves a combination of activities: listening, speaking, being heard and responding anew.  It is truly a conversation, in which the participants converse with those at the same table those at Seders all over the world and those who sat at Seders in the distant past.”  (Saturday, March 20-21, 2021)

In the Christian tradition, we tell our sacred story of the last week of Jesus’ life through worship that begins on Palm Sunday.  We have rituals to enhance our telling of this sacred story as we wave palm branches to signify Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.  We gather on Thursday and enact the last supper Jesus’ shared with the disciples and break bread together.  On Friday, we remember Jesus’ death on the cross.  Then, on Easter, we gather once again to celebrate Jesus’ rising from the dead and the gift of life.

This is our story and like our Jewish friends, we have the responsibility to remember the life and death of Jesus and share the story with our children.   Our retelling of the last week of Jesus’ life testifies to the work of God through Jesus and our life as a community of followers of Christ.

I invite you to join the journey through Holy Week once again.

Worship Notes:                               Palm Sunday

Mark 11:1–11 “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

This week marks the beginning of the week when we tell the story that is central to our faith.  It begins with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and continues with his arrest, trial, and death.  Next comes the Resurrection.  We will hear of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as we read from Mark 11: 1-11 and then of his passion as we read from Mark 14 and 15.

Food for Thought:   

“Remember finally, that the ashes that were on your forehead are created from the burnt palms of last Palm Sunday. New beginnings invariably come from old false things that are allowed to die.”  (Richard Rohr)

Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel, Senior Pastor

Evangelical Reformed Church, United Church of Christ

15 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701

301-662-2762

E-mail: bkdaniel@erucc.org