Merry Christmas, meditation for Christmas Year B

Geertgen tot Sint Jans, “The Birth of Christ,” circa 1490

In his painting The Birth of Christ, Geertgen tot Sint Jans tells the story of the Nativity through faces surrounded by the play of light and dark. The artist unites the narrative of Jesus’ birth and the deep theological reflection on the Incarnation from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Geertgen tot Sint Jans layers John’s symbolic language onto the Nativity story through his use of light in the image. The infant Christ is a heavenly body, radiating his light onto those who surround the manger, a true light of the human race whose radiance scatters the darkness. His radiance brightens the face of Mary his mother and the angels paying him homage

Check out this video and more resources at the link below for "Faith and Advent" 

Faith and Art

Let the Stable Still Astonish

Gerard Van Honth: Vanderbuilt Art in the Christian Tradition used by permission

Let the Stable Still Astonish

Let the stable still astonish;
Straw-dirt floor, dull eyes, 
Dusty flanks of donkeys, oxen;
Crumbling, crooked walls;
No bed to carry that pain, 

And then, the child, 
Rag-wrapped, laid to cry
In a trough, 
Who would have chosen this? 
Who would have said, "Yes, 
Let the God of all the heavens and earth, 
Be born here, in this place"?
Who but the same God
Who stands in the darker, fouler rooms
of our hearts and says, "Yes
let the God of Heaven and Earth be born here–
in this place"

Leslie Leyland Fields

Art and Faith Week 2 Advent Cycle B

The voice of John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness and gathering great crowds invites us into the Second Sunday of Advent. Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s St. John the Baptist Preaching captures this moment as he presents a wooded wilderness embracing a colorful crowd.  Art and Faith, a site of Loyola Press offers an in-depth look at this painting as a meditation for the second Sunday in Advent.  This is re-posted as a spiritual encouragement.  Click below to check out their site and a number of resources for Advent and Christmas. 

Loyola Press Site

Co-Moderators of PC(USA) call for deep cultural shift on sexual harassment

Co-moderators call for “deeper cultural shift” on sexual harassment and abuse

Anderson, Edmiston urge all PC(USA) church bodies to use preaching, teaching, and policy-setting resources to achieve complete gender equity

DECEMBER 7, 2017

LOUISVILLE

In an open letter (link here) to the church dated December 6, 2017, Anderson and Edmiston cited “concrete tools for addressing these issues” and “strongly encouraged” Presbyterians to “use these [tools] in your ministries.” They listed resources for setting policies, teaching, and preaching.

This “deeper cultural shift,” the Co-Moderators wrote, includes coming to terms “with all the ways we victimize and objectify people, including actions that are often less noticeable. We have to be willing to examine and confess implicit gender biases that show themselves, among other ways, in pay disparities and comments about personal appearance.”

In sum, they concluded, “We must be a church committed to gender equity in all areas of our life together.”

The full text of Denise Anderson’s and Jan Edmiston’s letter:

December 6, 2017

Dear Members and Friends of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),

We write this today as leaders of our denomination—and specifically as leaders who are women—to address the harassment and abuse stories being shared via the #MeToo and #ChurchToo hashtags. For many, this movement has been both empowering and triggering, as people find themselves reliving sexual trauma from their past. We stand with all who have been victims of assault and objectification in the Church and beyond.

While it goes without saying that healthy boundary training, child protection training and criminal background checks are the responsibility of every congregation and council, we are called in this unique time to seek a deeper cultural shift. We are called to stand up against a world that allows predators to flourish and victims to be shamed into silence. The Church is called to be what the world is not: safe, life-giving, and willing to hold people accountable.

Our denomination—through the ministry of the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns and the work of the General Assembly—suggests concrete tools for addressing these issues. We strongly encourage you to use these resources in your ministry:

Resources for setting church policies:

The PC(USA) Child/Youth/Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy and Its Procedures (pdf) from the 222nd General Assembly [(2016)]

Resources for teaching:

I Believe You—a film exploring the stories of survivors of domestic abuse how faith groups might address their needs.

Resources for preaching:

We Will Speak Out sermon guide

Culturally, we must come to terms with the all ways we victimize and objectify people, including actions that are often less noticeable. We have to be willing to examine and confess implicit gender biases that show themselves, among other ways, in pay disparities and comments about personal appearance. While the stories being shared in the media are representative of perhaps the most egregious forms of sexual violence, gender bias must be disrupted everywhere it presents itself. We must be a church committed to gender equity in all areas of our life together.

We humbly ask that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) continue to be a Church in prayer, asking God to bring healing to the victimized, redemption and correction to the victimizer, and a cultural shift to our denomination so that we might have the abundant life promised to us by Jesus Christ.

In Christ’s name,

The Rev. T. Denise Anderson &  The Rev. Jan Edmiston
Co-Moderators of the 222nd General Assembly (2016)

PC(USA) news links

Stated Clerk of PC(USA) issues statement on US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital

Stated Clerk issues statement on Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel

DECEMBER 6, 2017

Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II 

From the Office of the Stated Clerk

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LOUISVILLE

General Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II issued a statement today from the Holy Land – where he is traveling with a delegation of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders, criticizing President Trump’s decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and  to instruct the U.S. State Department to begin planning to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Nelson’s statement is similar to one issued by the National Council of Churches, which had been in contact with him earlier. In its statement , the NCC praised the witness of the PC(USA) delegation and asked for prayers for its safety.

The full text of Nelson’s statement:

Statement by the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
General Assembly stated clerk, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 

Moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would be a grievous mistake. For Christians concerned with peace and justice, Jerusalem must be a city shared by three faiths and two peoples. As long as Israel occupies East Jerusalem and restricts Palestinian human rights, to designate Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is to endorse the violation of international law. We pray for “the peace of Jerusalem” as Christmas approaches, but peace is not achieved by unilateral claims or annexation. There is a profound moral stewardship of the holy sites in Jerusalem that requires the shared decision-making of Christian and Muslim Palestinians as well as Jewish Israelis. Behind the many General Assembly statements affirming Jerusalem to be a shared city is the conviction that Jesus still calls us to be peacemakers.

Claiming Jerusalem as the capital for one people not only damages hope for peace between Israeli and Palestinians, but deepens religious tensions among Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Each of our religious traditions has a long memory. Back in 1947, the original UN plan for two states called for Jerusalem to be an international city, so that religious coexistence there could be a model for tolerance around the world. The nations of the world have respected that good vision by keeping their embassies in Tel Aviv until a just peace can be achieved. For the U.S. government to act alone in the interests of one side is to end any claim that we can be an “honest broker” in a peace process to end the occupation of Palestine. It is for these reasons that we go on record as a church to express our deep disagreement with this action by our government. In this year of painful anniversaries for the Palestinians, it would be another betrayal to abandon the equal claims of both the Palestinians and the Israelis to Jerusalem, a city of historical and spiritual significance shared by Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

• UN General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) designates Jerusalem as a whole and its environs as “a corpus separatum under [a special] international regime,” to be administered by the UN.
• UN General Assembly Resolution 194 affirmed the free access for worship and right of return or compensation for refugees.
• the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 476 stating that “measures which have altered the geographic, demographic and historical character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem are null and void” and “constitute a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

PC(USA) news link

Art and Faith First Sunday of Advent Year B

Art and Faith is a ministry of Loyal Press, the above video is an Advent meditation based on the art work of William Holman hunt, "The Light of the World" 1851.  Below is the link to their site.

Loyola Press Site

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Update

by Rick Jones | Presbyterian News Service

Worship service begins at Monteflores Iglesia Presbyterian Church near San Juan. (Photo by Rick Jones)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Spirits were high as services began Sunday at Monteflores Iglesia Presbyterian Church near downtown San Juan. The people were warm and welcoming to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance delegation that had come to worship and fellowship. There was no power, but that didn’t stop the congregation from lifting its voice amidst a light breeze and brief downpours.

If not for the power outage and the boxes of donated goods in an adjoining room, it would be easy to forget about the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria over 50 days ago. Even without lights and music from an electric keyboard, the musicians turned to guitars and drums to set the tone for worship.

The PDA delegation is spending the week visiting with churches, church leaders, Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives and communities to assess needs and determine how Presbyterians can help.

But before those meeting began, the team split into three groups, worshipping at separate churches within San Juan Presbytery.

At Monteflores, the Rev. Arelis Cardona Morales preached from 2 Corinthians 8: 1-15, and focused on the need to keep reaching out to those who are suffering.

“Even after 53 days of no electricity, we should be asking what have I given instead of what have I received. Generosity is necessary,” she said. “Our generosity makes us feel richer inside. Generosity changes everything. The disaster in some ways has been a blessing. At first, we were so full of fear. But now we see this an opportunity to be together to share and work together among all churches in the presbytery to provide food and water, but also to exchange ideas.”

“Attending Sunday worship was an incredible experience. I saw a silent keyboard, no printed liturgy or lyrics, and happy people! They were delighted to be at church praising their savior,” said Dartha Rivera, a member of PDA’s National Response Team. “Pastor Cardona’s message to share/give/help without fear and see God use each of us was inspiring beyond words. I am convinced the congregation heard and received that message and was spurred to action, for this week, and many to come.”

Electric power is spotty in the blocks surrounding the church. One member was forced to leave their home across the street from the church when Maria destroyed the roof.

Despite the joy of worship, hundreds of people in the area are still without jobs and power restoration could take months if not years.

“This is a poor community and poverty is high,” says Marcos Garcia, a college senior and church member. “Dominican immigrants in the area struggle to find jobs and a source of income. “Most of our efforts are about trying to provide relief for them”.

Garcia says simple things like drinking cold water, are like being “touched by God.” Ice is a precious commodity.

Damage at the Vega Alta Presbyterian Church, about half an hour out of San Juan. (Photo by Laurie Kraus)

PDA Director the Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus and the agency’s associate for domestic response, the Rev. Jim Kirk, worshipped Sunday with the Presbyterian Church in Vega Alta, about half an hour out of San Juan. The church sustained serious windstorm damage that compromised the roof and damaged sanctuary equipment and furnishings. Many church members’ homes were also damaged, along with numerous houses and businesses in this community. Kraus said the congregation, modest in size, is mighty in spirit.

“Without power since Irma, the congregation has served as a community distribution and support center, processing and distributing thousands of meals for neighbors daily for the last five weeks, distributing emergency monies to those in critical need, and other services. The church is also planning, along with ecumenical neighbors in Vega Alta, to host over 2,000 persons for a hot, Thanksgiving dinner,” she said. “New faces are showing up in worship, having seen the face of Christ in the generosity of the congregation’s members, who, in deprivation themselves, have shared what they have with open-hearted kindness.”

Kirk and Kraus also visited the First Presbyterian Church in Levittown, Puerto Rico. The congregation also experienced significant damage to their church and community. Many members were deeply impacted.

“Not only do both congregations have in common the experience of Hurricane Maria, they have the desire expressed in the book of Philippians to, ‘look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others,’” said Kirk. “Both congregations, as well as so many others throughout Puerto Rico, are reaching out to their communities with the love of Christ.”

The delegation itinerary includes meetings with FEMA, the San Juan Presbytery as well as the leadership of the Northwest, Southwest and Synod in Puerto Rico.

—–

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is the emergency response and refugee program of the denomination, committed to the long-term journey of recovery of communities adversely affected by a crisis or catastrophic event. It is funded by the One Great Hour of Sharing and raises designated funds for responding to specific disasters.

To support recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, click here. You’ll be taken to the PC(USA) website to donate securely and quickly.

If you prefer to mail a check (please write “DR000194-Puerto Rico” on the memo line), you may send it to:
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700

You may also call 800-872-3283 Monday Through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EDT), and donate by phone.

PDA visits Puerto Rico

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