Dear Friends,
My father used to tease of and to me, “You’re so open-minded, your brains have fallen out.” I fear the same accusation could have been leveled at the early church.
The farther we venture into the Book of Acts, the more expansive and open the church becomes. This unapologetic welcome was not universally welcomed. Think about the people we’ve met thus far this Easter season: Peter, formerly a denier who became the church’s chief spokesperson; Paul, formerly a persecutor of the church who later gave his life for it; Dorcas, formerly dead but alive again, Gentiles, formerly unwelcome in the church later given equal standing.
Notice that each is described as “formerly.” They each were one thing, a meme, a hashtag, who became multi-dimensional, completely-changed disciples of the Risen Lord. The early church became increasingly open-minded—thought not easily and not uniformly.
On Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, the church opens its door even wider. After a falling out between Paul and a preaching partner, Paul decided to backtrack and visit cities and villages where he had once preached. He was stymied. Time and again. Stuck in place, wondering if maybe his work was over or his plans misguided, he was invited in a vision, not to go back but to go forward. “Come over to Macedonia (now Greece) and help us.” (Acts 16.9-15)
Rather than revisiting already-established churches in places he knew, Paul was called to boldly go where no disciple had gone before: Europe. He and his disciples sailed for many days, arriving in Greece with no clear direction or plan. On Sunday we will read of his riverside conversation with a woman named Lydia, a wealthy businesswoman who was Christ-curious. She and her household were baptized, and her home became HQ for the ministry in Greece—Paul and his accomplices came and went from her home as they ventured deeper and deeper into this new land.
So open-minded, their brains have fallen out? No, so faithful their ministry expanded and expanded—creating room for those who would previously have been rejected.
This is a big weekend for us.
Tomorrow we invite you to the season’s final concert: Fulcrum Point Brass, featuring our friend Stephen Burns. The concert is at 4:30; it is free and open to the public. Please come.
On Sunday, not only will we meet Lydia by the river, we will affirm the baptisms of two young disciples, AudreyAnn and Paige, who will stand before us to profess their faith. We will meet the sabbatical pastor. We will plug the coffee pots in and revive Coffee Hour after worship.
(My sabbatical officially starts June 1. So, though we will formally welcome the sabbatical pastor on Sunday, he will not begin his ministry with us until June.)
What will I do on sabbatical? I’ll try to sleep past 5 a.m. I’ll reacquaint myself with cooking and entertaining. I’ll travel to visit family and friends. And I’ll write. I am working with a small team of creatives—writers, artists, musicians, poets—to provide materials for a new narrative lectionary for preachers and congregations of many denominations. A “lectionary” is the cycle of readings used in public worship—we currently use a three-year lectionary. This new lectionary digs deeper into the stories and themes of scripture—dwelling for more than one Sunday on a biblical figure, or a lengthy narrative. It’s an exciting project for me as a preacher, and a wonderful challenge for me as a writer. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Meanwhile, the resurrection calls us to push open doors formerly closed, welcome those formerly rejected, open our minds to ideas formerly verboten. I wonder who is calling us to a new place, a new idea, a new way resurrection possibility? “Come to _______ and help us!” someone is begging. Who might that be?
See you Sunday,
Pastor JoAnn Post
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