CLICK HERE to read the Thursday, January 7, 2021 Thursday Thoughts

January 7, 2021

Dear Congregation:

Like you, I am still reeling from yesterday’s events.  I am trying to process all that I saw and heard and wondering where our country goes from here.

What is clear is that we need leadership in the nation, the world, our community, and our church that is willing to do the hard work of building relationships of trust and respect.  It is clear that we all need to take a deep breath and focus on the values we proclaim as people of faith and as a country.  Then, we must do the even harder work of standing up to bullying, injustice, misinformation, and attempts to create an alternative universe.

We have seen so much of what we value ridiculed, challenged, and yesterday we saw an attempt to destroy our democracy.

There can be no silence.  There can be no “I had no idea this was going on.”  There can be no sitting comfortably in our lazy boy chairs or watching from the sidelines.  We have the responsibility as citizens and as people of faith to do this hard work.

Stacey Abrams of Georgia spoke of how she has been working, for years, to go to where people are, to listen to them, to hear their concerns, and build relationships.  She admits that this is hard, time consuming work but it is the only way we can building a community.  And you know where she learned these skills?  From her parents.  Her clergy parents used this model as the way they met people and created church community.

We know how to do this work and we must do it.  Our lives depend on it.

Worship Notes:         Baptism of Christ Sunday

Today is Baptism of Jesus Sunday, an invitation to enter into the mystery and wonder of Baptism. Baptism is important to our identity as Christians, as it is the defining moment in which we enter into the Christian family. This day invites reflection on the relationship between God and Jesus, defined in Jesus’ baptism as special and different from all other relationships. Consider what it means that God says to each of us, “You are my beloved child.”

Mark’s gospel is characterized by urgency – events happen at a rapid pace. In these opening verses, John the Baptizer bursts on the scene in our Gospel lesson, Mark 1: 4-11, with a shocking message: Israel must repent and return to God’s ways.  In the defining moment of baptism, there is a new beginning for Jesus and for all who would follow him in the days and years to come.

Genesis 1:1–5 gives a vivid picture of the work of God the creator. Water is an image of power, both life-giving and destructive. A wind from God (God’s Spirit) brings order out of the watery chaos. God creates by speaking and calls the creation “good.” Creation is beloved and God is pleased with it.

We will be reaffirming our baptisms this morning.   If you are worshipping at home, please have a small bowl of water at your worship centers.

Food for Thought:              

“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”   (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)

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 December 31 Thursday Thoughts

December 31,  2020

Dear Congregation:

I do not need to remind us that it has been a long and hard year.  What I do want us to remember, lest we forget, that throughout it all, God’s grace and strength has been our guide.  We have found comfort and hope in God’s word.  We have experienced encouragement as we have walked with one another through fear and anxiety.   We have learned how to be resilient in ways we never imagined.

May we enter the new year with hope and with the knowl3dge that no matter who we are or where we are on life’s journey, God is with us.

I invite you to share in this prayer from the UCC Worship Ways for the New Year:

God of Creation and Wonder, you formed us in your image.

You gave us your Son who taught us how to live out your teachings.

Give us the strength and wisdom to make this world your world.

Open our hearts to the possibilities of the new year.

Remove any cynicism or mistrust we may be clinging to

and fill us with the hope of a new beginning. Amen.

Worship Notes:            Epiphany Sunday                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               On this day our church will celebrate Epiphany, a name that comes from a Greek word meaning “to make manifest” or “to display.” During the season of Epiphany, Christians rejoice in the gift of saving love and the unfolding vision of wholeness that God has made manifest for all people in Jesus the Christ. Our call is to participate in proclaiming this good news.                                                                                       We will read from Isaiah 60:1–6 as the prophet declares that “nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”  The Gospel lesson describes the story of the arrival of the magi to pay homage to Jesus, Matthew 2: 1-12.                                                                                                                            We will be sharing in Holy Communion.