I want to thank each person for your part in our discussion and vote at Sunday’s Congregational meeting.

During the meeting we briefly reviewed minutes of 2011 Congregational Meetings, reviewed MCCSJ’s finances and circumstances, laid out the options for where to go from here, and then discussed each possibility thoroughly.

After praying together, you voted, with the resulting decision to close MCCSJ (Although other options were discussed, no other option received the overwhelming support needed to move forward).

As we talked about the decision to close, some of us spoke of the remarkable love and acceptance we’ve found and shared within this community and the powerful ways MCCSJ has affirmed us on our spiritual journeys. Some expressed the deep sadness and grief this decision brings. We listened to one another with love and compassion, acknowledging the loss as we held hands in a circle.

I don’t know if I made it clear at Sunday’s meeting, but let me do so now – I am very proud of and grateful for each of you. Truly. I love each one of you, and thank you. Showing up for the work of making hard decisions takes a great deal of strength, courage, and integrity, and it’s an important part of a life of faith. I sincerely thank you for your prayers, your presence, your comments and your tears – on Sunday, in the days leading up to the meeting, and since.

Last evening, I discussed the congregational meeting and vote with Rev. Stedney Phillips who is with Rev. Elders Ken Martin and Lillie Brock at a meeting of the UFMCC Office of Church Life and Health. Their prayers and love have been with us all along this journey, and they’ve been aware of the work we’ve been doing here to seek out options and to come to a decision about MCCSJ’s future.

Rev. Stedney asked me to let you know that they concur with our decision to close the church at the end of February. I am thankful for the support Rev. Stedney has offered me and the Board in suggesting possibilities for the congregation to consider at this meeting, and in offering continuing guidance and assistance for us in the days to come as we move into the tasks of church closure.

After years of being church together, letting go of MCCSJ will be hard.

My prayer is that we will continue to support one another in the midst of this change, knowing that the Holy One’s walk with each of us continues, and that God’s love and hope is too great and too powerful to end when we close the doors of this local church at the end of February. The work of The Church and of Metropolitan Community Churches will continue in other places, times and forms. May we each find hope in knowing that many faith communities have already extended their welcome to us, here in San Jose and in nearby cities.

My prayer for each of you, for each of us, is that throughout this month we will worship honestly, support Karl and the Board in church closure tasks as we’re able, and…  …that we will lovingly, patiently, kindly, and repeatedly, affirm for ourselves and for each other the knowledge and faith this community has taught us: that we are and will always be valued children of God, loved beyond measure, in every circumstance. The Holy One is – and will continue to be – with us, making a way and holding us near even as we seek what’s next to be revealed on our journeys.

If and when we find the way hard, let us do what we do so well at MCCSJ – love one another. Let us allow God’s love to move in and through us, and trust that the God who brought us together in the first place and who created this wonder-filled world, is not finished with any one of us, and is preparing us for new things.

I will be available after worship every Sunday in February, to listen, to pray with you, to provide resources and help as needed, and to offer support.

Please plan to join together on Sunday February 26th in Celebrating MCC San Jose and our hope in the possibilities awaiting each of us.

Today and always, may God, The Great Beloved, The Holy One, Spirit of Truth and Light, hold you and sustain you.

With love and many blessings,
Rev. Rebecca

Mark 1:21-28 They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded by his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a person with an unclean spirit, who cried out, “What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked this one, saying, ‘be silent, and come out!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing and crying with a loud voice, came out of that person. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching – with authority! Jesus commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him. At once Jesus’ fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

“Doubt is a Doorway to Truth” in Glimpses of Grace,
by Madeleine L’Engle

The great metaphysical poet, John Donne, writes, “to come to a doubt, and to a debatement of any religious duty, is the voice of God in our conscience: Would you know the truth? Doubt, and then you will inquire.”

If my religion is true, it will stand up to all my questioning; there is no need to fear. But if it is not true, if it is man imposing strictures on God (as did the men of the Christian establishment of Galileo’s day) then I want to be open to God, not to what man says about God. I want to be open to revelation, to new life, to new birth, to new light.

Revelation. Listening. Humility.

Remember – the root word of humble and human is the same: humus; earth. We are dust. We are created; it is God who made us and not we ourselves. But we were made to be co-creators with our maker.
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I don’t know who first said it, but I’ve long appreciated the quote: “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s certainty.” I was reminded of this recently when I reread the Madeleine L’Engle passage we heard a few moments ago. There is something sacred about holding up one’s doubts and speaking them. There is something real about one’s relationship with another when you are willing to take the risk to say what causes you concern, and what you are having a hard time accepting. Likewise, my late pastor, Jerry DeJong used to say “It’s ok to be mad at God. God can take it!” I’ve probably said that to a few folks too. And the point is, anger and frustration, disappointment and doubt- these are all real, if uncomfortable, ways we can experience others in relationships. When we aren’t willing to honestly speak of these feelings, they divide us further and further from sincere and authentic, trustworthy connections with those we could be close to. This is as true of our connection with God as it is of our connections with family and friends, lovers and companions. It is as true of our relationship with God as it is of our relationship with our deepest and most sincere selves.

Please Pray with me: God of all, we trust that you love us, unconditionally. In this time of change, we ask you to meet us in the words I speak and in the meditations of our hearts, for YOU are our rock and our hope. Amen.

We lose authority- the authority that rests in truth telling and actions reflective of our words – we lose that kind of authority when we avoid the honest confrontations, or uncomfortable conversations that are necessary at times. When we avoid news we’d rather not hear, or deny truths that are plain to us, simply because we wish they weren’t true. “Jesus taught them as one having authority” in the synagogue in Capernaum… and yet “not as one of the scribes.” I wonder… What was the difference for those in the synagogue? What made Jesus’ teachings stand out to the people listening in that familiar setting?

Over the last few days the MCC Bay and Valley Network gathering occurred at Pacific School of Religion. I was only able to participate in a very small amount of the event on Friday, but on that day, along with Marjorie Pearson, Bryce Current and a number of other familiar folks, I participated in one of the workshops led by my favorite PSR professor, Rev. Dr. Jay Emerson Johnson. He called the workshop “A Strange Book, Thank God!–Reading the Bible for Theological Insight and Spiritual Liberation”. Jay is an entertaining and insightful presenter and a strong biblical scholar and theologian, so I always enjoy his classes and presentations. This time he shared some helpful comments about Biblical Authority that seem pertinent to today’s text, message and meeting.

Among other things Jay told us how Christian perceptions of the Bible have changed over time, noting that it is a new idea in the history of Christianity to treat the Bible as authoritative scripture – by itself. He described this tendency to give more authority to the texts – as something that came about after the Protestant Reformation, when there were so many different forms of Church that the institutional church itself could no longer be looked to as the source of authority for interpreting God’s message… and this change drove some to see the biblical texts as the only reliable authoritative source. This modern claim of Biblical authority has come with the baggage of expecting the Bible to provide a uniform and clear, single voice answer to the questions of faith, yet Jay sees this as problematic, since the texts of the Bible contain many different perspectives and interpretations of God in relation to humanity – on a wide range of different subjects.

Although one can always count on Rev. Dr. Jay to include many fascinating and compelling side notes, the bottom line of his talk was to emphasize the importance of the relationship between the texts we call the Bible and the way believers have – since the early days of the faith- made meaning of them in community. He reminded us that the Bible is, and was from the start, intended to serve the Church- to help the communities of faith that gathered, and that this process occurs, (quote) “When people gather together and read and interpret these tests together making meaning, that is what is scripture.”

At one point Rev. Dr. Johnson quoted the great Reformation Theologian Martin Luther as saying “The Bible is not the word of God, but this book can become the word of God if the gospel is preached from it.” The Gospel. The Good News.

In today’s passage from the Book of Mark, we hear about Jesus – who had just gathered his first disciples to make them “fishers of humanity” and has arrived in Capernaum, entering the temple and beginning to teach… and it’s there that he is accosted by the person with an ‘unclean spirit’. Jesus’ teaching is recognized as having authority by those who have been listening to him teach them differently than those they usually listen to. And Jesus’ teachings resonate with a kind of authority that catches the listeners attention.

In that context of speaking and listening, Jesus’ authority is recognized by the listeners… and when he then responds to the one with ‘unclean spirits’- even more people recognize and acknowledge his authority.

What does that mean? That Jesus taught and cured a possessed person- with authority? Something about what he said …and did … caught the attention – and respect – of the people there. Clearly it wasn’t because Jesus had a position of authority. Nope. He was a poor working class wandering healer, teacher, and justice seeker with no formal credentials for teaching in the temple. But something about him allowed him to make meaning from the texts he was raised with – the Hebrew texts… and in doing so, to speak to the hearts and minds of the people who had been seeking more than they’d found in their shared faith tradition.

Jay Johnson asked us to consider what criteria we bring to our own interpretations of the texts from our traditions. He asked “How do we as a faith community discern how we are going to make meaning out of the multiple interpretations of these Biblical texts?” I share those questions with you today, both as we consider the texts of our traditions, and as we consider together what our faith calls us to do. How do we find meaning and guidance? What criteria do we use?

Jay suggests one criterion for determining where faithful communities can find meaning and guidance from God is [1] to look for the results of the interpretation of the given text. Does the interpretation you’re thinking of help life flourish? Does it expand love? Does it lead toward an increase in justice? What fruit does it bear?

Other criteria could include asking if the interpretation fulfills the intention Jesus spoke when he said “I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly.” Does the interpretation of the text lead to a more abundant and life giving understanding of God and of humanity? Jay also brought to our attention to St. Augustine’s thinking about biblical interpretation. Augustine was one of the most influential theologians in Christian history – and he said “You can interpret the Bible anyway you want as long as it promotes love of God and love of neighbor.”

So, Rev. Jay’s point was that working with and making meaning from Biblical Texts involves discernment- a filtering process, if you will. A process that helps us distinguish between what is of God and what is not as we read the words and images of the Bible recorded by people of faith in times and places very different from our own.

So, let’s talk a little about the ‘unclean spirits’ Jesus exorcised from the person in the Book of Mark. What does it mean to have authority over unclean spirits?

What are those ‘unclean spirits’ in today’s text about? How do we understand them?

For me, the story itself hints at what these spirits might be like, for it tells of Jesus in the Synagogue teaching, gaining the respect of his listeners… and then this person with the unclean spirit is present and speaks as though to accuse Jesus of intending harm to them “Have you come to destroy us?” the possessed one asks, while acknowledging Jesus as the Holy One of God. Jesus’ reply is not to the person possessed by this ‘unclean spirit’ but to the unclean spirit itself, who he addresses as though that spirit was the one accusing Jesus of ill will toward them.

Which tells me, that the ‘unclean spirit’ had something to do with the person’s belief that Jesus intended harm. In this first public act of his ministry, Jesus teaching in the temple at Capernaum encounters the demon of distrust and fear… and ultimately silences it, telling it to come out, to free the person it had inhabited. In his first public act of ministry, Jesus teaching in the synagogue is confronted by a very deep fear stirred up in one person who also recognized and named his authority. Something about recognizing Jesus’ authority must have triggered that fear. Something about his ‘new teaching, with authority’ must have raised up the shadow side of that person enough for it to become more evident than the ‘cleaner’ qualities of the person it had overtaken. Have you ever had someone react to something you’ve said so defensively that you could tell your comment had hit a nerve- even though you didn’t mean what they heard? I imagine Jesus’ experience with this person’s ‘unclean spirit’ was something like that. His teachings triggered what wasn’t healthy or whole – rubbed salt in a wound. Brought fear to the fore-front. And Jesus saw that this was not the whole of the person, and acted to bring healing.

Most of us are probably familiar with cultures in which a demon, an unclean spirit, is just that – a ‘spirit’ unlike the one it possesses, and which corrupts the person making them miserable to themselves and/or others.

From a 21^st century western North American perspective, I relate to this notion of an ‘unclean spirit’ through my own experiences and those of people I’ve been close to. I remember times when my own fears and self-doubts grew, like an ‘unclean spirit’ within me, overpowering my more usual inclination toward hope and trust. In particular, I remember feelings of jealousy in from a very different time in my life. That Jealousy was at times so powerful that it amplified what I believed to be a painful truth so much that it was unbearable. I would only to realize later how distorted that perception had been, and how that very skewed view of a situation was a greater threat than the thing I feared which kept me stuck.

These many years later I can look back and easily see how those times of being ‘green with jealousy’ felt like being possessed by something outside of myself. Those uncomfortably fearful feelings had gained power every time I ignored them or tried to tell myself they were foolish. They gained power every time I allowed myself to listen to their twisted logic without naming them. They gained power every time I accepted them as true without asking the questions I needed to ask or facing the fears they raised. They gained power every time I tried to bury them, rather than calling them out into the light of day. In the moment, those experiences of such a powerfully negative emotion overshadowed everything else I knew to be true and trustworthy. I hated the feeling, and also could not shake it off, until it passed on its own. Learning to talk about hard things diffused those demons, and took away their power over me. So did learning to trust my inherent value as a person. To know that my worth could not be determined by another human being.

I’ve also known folks to be overtaken by the powerfully ‘unclean’ spirit of cynicism; a spirit that speaks with a very convincing certainty of hopelessness, which destroys the joy- if not the life – of the person so ‘possessed.’ We can probably all name other familiar ‘unclean spirits’ – substance addictions, addictive gambling or shopping or eating, body image distortions that lead to self-destructive behavior, the memories of past injury that can continue to immerse us in feelings of victimization. There are so many examples! Being freed of such ‘unclean spirits’, such ‘demons’ – is an incredible healing. It is no wonder to me that when Jesus healed this possessed person, those around saw in that action evidence of Jesus’ divine authority.

Cleanliness- in a spiritual sense- is about purification. It’s about clearing out what keeps us from being open to God and trusting in the possibilities of being touched by love and hope. Getting there, when we feel overwhelmed by fears and expectations of disappointment or of harm, getting from that place of overwhelming dismay and despair to hope and trust again – it can be like entering a refreshing shower, having a sudden sense of ease and surrender, or waking from a nightmare into a new day.

Madeleine L’Engle writes: “If my religion is true, it will stand up to all my questioning; there is no need to fear.” and “I want to be open to revelation, to new life, to new birth, to new light. Revelation. Listening. Humility.” And then “…but we are made to be co-creators with our maker.”

I shared these reflections about Biblical Authority and the authority of Jesus’ teachings and healing ministry because they seem to speak to the challenges before us today. We are challenged to be in discernment about what is true for us, individually and in community. We are challenged to distinguish between the fears – and other ‘unclean spirits’ – that might interfere with our ability to trust and know God’s Holy Spirit moving in our midst. We are challenged to remember that we are indeed called to be Co-Creators with God, in making meaning of our faith and of our lives, and in responding when confronted with whatever or whoever is threatened by our truths. Our faith calls us to be open to new ways of interpreting and making meaning from the texts and traditions that have become familiar to us.

May the Holy One always guide us on this journey. Amen.

Our last day as MCCSJ–Sunday, Feb 26
Celebrate with us our years of service!
Potluck and Remembrances
10:00am through the afternoon.

Sunday Morning Services at 10:00am, February 12, 19 and 26,  in the Fireside Room. Enter on E. San Fernando at 11th Street or from the parking lot. (408) 279-2711

Need directions?
Please click the following link for information about how to get there.

Jonah 3: 1-5, 10 The word of YHWH came a second time to Jonah: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach to them as I told you to do.” Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of YHWH. Nineveh was a city large beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah moved on into the city, making a day’s journey. He proclaimed, “Only forty days more, and Nineveh is going to be destroyed!” So the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. … And God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behavior. And God relented by not inflicting on them the disaster that threatened them.

Psalm 62:5-12 In God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from God, who alone is my rock, my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. Only in God – my deliverance, my glory; my refuge is God. Trust in God always, my people; pour out your hearts before God, our refuge. Humankind is but a breath, mortals are just an illusion. Put them on the scales and the balance is thrown off; they weigh less than a breath. Do not trust in extortion, or put false hopes in stolen goods; do not set your heart on riches even when they increase. For God has said only one thing, only two do I know: that to God alone belongs power, and that you, YHWH, are loving – you repay all people according to their deeds.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31 I tell you, sisters and brothers, the time is short. From now on, those with spouses should live as though they had none. Those who mourn should live as though they had nothing to mourn for, and those who rejoice should live as though they had nothing to laugh about. Buyers should conduct themselves as though they owned nothing, and those who have to deal with the world should live as if all their dealings meant nothing – for the world as we know it is passing away.

Mark 1:14-20 After John’s arrest, Jesus appeared in Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Change your hearts and minds, and believe this Good News.” While walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw the brothers Simon and Andrew casting their nets into the sea—for they fished by trade. Jesus said to them, “Follow me; I will make you fishers of humankind.” They immediately abandoned their nets and followed Jesus. Proceeding a little further along, Jesus saw the brothers James and John Bar- Zebedee, putting their nets in order. Immediately Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee standing in the boat with the hired help, and went off in the company of Jesus.

Today’s scriptures are all about change- predicting it, anticipating it, fearing it, and finding hope in it…. and remembering the Source of Hope, regardless of how calm or disturbed the seas may be.

It seems so appropriate that while we remain in the season of Epiphany – awareness of God with Us continuing after the Christ Child’s birth and affirmation by the Three Magi/Wise Ones/Kings – we also become aware of how this manifestation of God in our midst must – and is- changing us; calling us out of any complacency, ease, or business-as-usual to address the revolutionary fact that God calls us to embrace change leading toward greater wholeness… every day.

Please pray with me: God of the green pastures and still waters, God of the rain and of the rainbow, you restore our souls. You lead us in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake. Even if, even when, we walk through the shadows that come with change, death, transformation… you are with us, you abide with us and remain with us, guiding our feet and hearts. Be in the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts today, Holy One, that as we share & hear this message we might recognize your movement among, within, and between us. Amen.

This week I chose to have all four of the lectionary scriptures read. As I was reading them over earlier in the week in preparation for this message, I noted how each of these passages speaks to the the theme of Epiphany- God manifest among us – and also to a very January- suited subject, which, for good or ill, has become an integral part of the Christian tradition. I’m talking here about the “End Times”; the Apocalypse; the study of which theologians and other religious scholars call eschatology.

I say that the End Times is a very “January suited” subject because of the Ancient Roman God Janus, for whom this month was named. In the religion and mythology of Ancient Rome, Janus was the god of beginnings and transitions – and so also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time. He is usually depicted as a god with two-faces since he looks to the future and the past at the same time. This is also true of beliefs about the end times in Christian tradition – for whatever we individually or collectively believe about traditional teachings on the End Times, theologians generally tell us that eschatology can embrace seemingly opposite experiences- those of change, loss and closure… as well as those of possibility, opportunity and hope — at the same time.

In ancient Rome the beginning of a New Year was one of many occasions presided over by Janus… and in our own time and context, I think it is interesting- and fitting, that this month Bill McBride began our sermon series by preaching on New Year’s Day about various Christian doctrines of the Apocalypse! Today’s scriptures and message build a little on these themes, bringing food for thought that I hope will also be nourishment for the journey ahead.

For we are, again (or still), in times of significant change.

We read today’s four scripture readings with two alternating voices because I wanted you to experience these readings as I did this week – as though they were in conversation with one another. The first two passages are from the Hebrew Bible- what we used to call the “Old Testament” … the third and fourth passages are from the Christian texts- the ‘New Testament’.

In the scriptures chosen for today’s Revised Common Lectionary readings, a ‘conversational’ pattern repeats in the old and New Testament passages. The first reading, in each part of the bible, is about the threat of an End Time. An Apocalypse of some kind is predicted or warned about. “Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed” we hear in Jonah. And in 1 Corinthians- Paul’s Letter to an early Christian church – we hear him proclaim that “…time is short” and “- the world as we know it is passing away” as he instructs the followers to live as suited to such urgency.

Do you remember what I said last week about prophets? At one point I quoted Frank Honeycutt, who wrote in Christian Century magazine, “The thing about serving as a prophet is that you are forever stuck between what God wants and what the people want. It’s a rather tiring vocation.”

Prophets have, indeed, often carried sobering messages people have not wanted to hear; Messages about God’s displeasure with things as they have been, about critical changes needed. Messages about the consequences of resisting necessary change. Messages that can be a source of fear, which may use urgency or fear as a motivating tool. That’s pretty much what we hear in today’s passage from Jonah and in the 1 Corinthians passage as well. And, although I’m not fond of negative motivators, I’m honest enough to admit that, perhaps, there may be times and places where this approach may be necessary. Perhaps there are circumstances in which we human beings get so used to things as they are, that we can no longer conceive of markedly different ways of being, and need the dramatic wake-up call of a dire apocalyptic message. Perhaps?

Certainly many a social activist involved with demonstrations and protests against injustices has been motivated by the felt urgency of needed change- and has called out- like the prophets of old- to wake up those who seem asleep to the wrongs of the world and its destructive systems. Yesterday, for example, I found a brief paper I wrote in seminary about the use of apocalyptic imagery in teaching and preaching about environmental stewardship – noting the tendency to take an apocalyptic approach to raising public awareness of environmental crises… Of course there are many more examples of folks predicting a destructive future based on continuation of past practices….we can probably all think of others.

But that is not the entirety of the message offered this morning! That is not the entirety of what today’s scriptures have to offer! Instead, I want to point out to you the other face of the Janus god… the face that looks forward and offers hope… for this has also always been a key aspect of Christian eschatological beliefs (thoughts and practices associated with End Times). Forward-looking hope is also offered time and again, as it is today.

In today’s lectionary scriptures as we heard them- in dialogue with one another- Jonah’s prophecy of Nineveh’s destruction is followed by a positive resolution as the people of that community recognize the need to make changes pleasing to God, averting “the disaster that threatened them”… Then we heard from Psalm 62 some of the most beautiful language in Biblical scripture about finding deliverance and hope in God! “Trust in God always, my people; pour out your hearts before God, our refuge.”

And, as if in response to Paul’s message to the church at Corinth in which he warns that ‘the world as we know it is passing away,’ we hear in Mark’s gospel Jesus, years earlier, ‘proclaiming the Good News of God,’ saying “This is the time of fulfillment! The reign of God is at hand! Change your hearts and minds, and believe this Good News!” and with those words we are reminded that the world as we know it and have known it… is not yet all it could, or should be. Is not yet the Kin-dom of God we long for. That there is so much more wholeness and possibility, so much more to hope for than what we’ve settled for! And so, Jesus tells those seeking only fish from which to make a meager living… “Follow me; I will make you fishers of humankind.”

These scriptures – in dialogue with one another – have so much to say to me today. I hope you find them speaking to you as well. At my other workplace this week we were, in a single day, confronted with changes whose outcomes we could not predict. It was deeply unsettling and caused a lot of fearful acting out among professionals looking back at patterns from the past, and doubting that these changes could lead to anything good. And yet, within 48 hours we saw evidence of how our team is valued, and many began to acknowledge and work toward possibilities for greater stability, resources, and understanding long desired. Sometimes good can only come out of change, even when the change is painful.

In that work setting, the positive results came from a member of the team speaking truth to power and taking a risk because of belief in hopeful possibilities many others could not yet see. This team member was able to convey a sense of urgency to decision makers – saying hard things that needed to be said. It was an uncomfortable process… but it yielded results and slowed – (and may have stopped?) – a downward spiral of discontent and despair among the staff. It opened up the possibility for others to risk seeking something different rather than settling for dissatisfaction. At that job I saw Jonah’s story in action- that story of speaking uncomfortable truths to a people who could have turned on him… and I felt the powerful hope that can come out of unexpected, and even painful, endings.

Sometimes it does seem to take a sense of immediacy and urgency to shake us out of what we’ve come to expect and to believe we need. Sometimes it is only the urgency – the threat of destruction or great loss –that can awaken us to hopes and possibilities we have forgotten to believe in …or wish for.

In Mark’s gospel when Jesus appears in Galilee after his cousin John the Baptist was arrested… Jesus takes a different approach than Paul or Jonah did in those texts. Instead of focusing on how the known world is passing away, instead of focusing his message on the endings which are also happening at the same time and must happen to pave the way for what can be, Jesus frames his message as an invitation to Hope! Instead of saying ‘the world as we know it is passing away’, as Paul says later to the church in Corinth, Jesus says “This is the time of fulfillment! The reign of God is at hand!” Wow!

Kind of a different feeling to that – isn’t there? That sounds exciting! And hopeful. And it isn’t that Jesus is unaware of his own cousin John’s death. It isn’t that Jesus is unaware of the risk of doing things a new way, or of acting against the status quo…. no. Instead, there’s plenty of reason in scripture to believe that Jesus understood the great changes occurring, knew himself to be a catalyst for those changes, and recognized that painful endings might be required. Yet, he’s not focusing here on the loss of the familiar, even though he IS focusing on the need for change. Instead, as he proclaims the changes unfolding in his wake, Jesus proclaims them as ‘Good News’ and invites and encourages and admonishes the people to ‘Change your hearts and minds, and believe this Good News.” And they did! These responsible, hard working, fisher people ‘went off in the company of Jesus,’ and learned to bring hope, rather than merely more fish, to a world in desperate need of it.

Change can be excruciating… without being bad. That almost seems counter-intuitive, but I’m here to witness that it is very often true that when we let go of what is known, or what we’ve settled for, what we’ve come to expect as ‘normal’… that’s when we can most clearly see and potentially find what our hearts have longed for, what we have forgotten to continue hoping for.

Next week after worship, we’ll be joining together for a congregational meeting in which we will look at and discuss some possible ways of moving into the future. And, I hope, we will make some decisions. Things are changing here. Quickly. Change will happen whether we want it to or not. There are End Times in our near future here at MCCSJ… We can decide as a community whether and how to follow the possibilities Hope offers. We can decide as a community, whether hope looks as we’ve come to expect it, or if it shows up in a different form, leading us into the unknown. I invite each of us to spend time in prayer this week in discernment about how God is calling us to live out our longings for spiritual and faith community.

I’ve been talking with our Board for a few weeks now about my own calling to find more balance and wholeness in the life I live and the ministry I share with others. My end time with MCCSJ is coming soon so that I can again seek the hope of my heart too long delayed: time for unhurried prayer and spiritual practice, time for nurturing the relationships I’ve worked to establish with family and dear friends. Time to study, to make art, to create a home by living a more human and humane pace. My last Sunday with you will be Sunday February 26th. Five weeks from today. I won’t find it easy to leave, but I know my leave-taking is part of where hope lies.

I know that God is doing a new thing here at MCCSJ. I know it can seem risky, even frightening or unsettling, and certainly – (for some)– quite wearying – to be in the midst of this kind of change again, and to acknowledge the finite ends of resources this church has come to rely on as a safety net. I also know that each person in this church has within the potential to seek and find and be – with others – the kind of faith community you need, want, and may, perhaps, have been longing for. I also believe, strongly, that there is more urgency now than there has been in the past for this church… and also that there is reason for a great deal of hope along with this urgency, including possibilities for letting go of what is known, in order to follow and co-create what could be. Jesus called his first disciples to ‘Change your hearts and minds, and believe this Good News.” I believe that call can speak to MCC SJ today as well.

I’ll be praying for this church in the weeks and months to come as you move forward into and through this time of transitions. I would also appreciate your prayers for my journey, as I prepare to leave this work and faith community I have come to love.

A few years ago I wrote: “the study of End Times- is important because it provides an avenue for us to explore the Hope which is a core precept of …faith in the face of life’s never ending challenges. Since the early days of the early church, when Jesus’ much anticipated return did not occur as expected, considering end times has helped Christians grapple with the hope implicit in Christ’s coming again within the everyday context of lives often marked by hardship, grief, pain, injustice and other sorrows.”

Considering these things can offer a vision of hope if we remember to look forward to what might become, especially when we feel most drawn to find comfort in looking back. May this New Year bring newness of life for all the members and friends of MCC San Jose. May it be so. Amen.

Join us on Sunday, January 29th after worship for our first Potluck  Lunch and Congregational Meeting of the new year. MCC San Jose has been facing significant financial challenges for some time now. The Board of Directors is discussing various options for MCC San Jose.   We will be discussing these options and gathering input from you who are a part of our community of faith.  To move forward, we must make decisions very soon.
Your voice and views are important and  caluable, so we hope you will make attending this meeting a priority.

Be sure to be with us on the 29th to participate in planning and deciding what our next steps will be.  Bring a dish to share, if you can, and join in the fellowship and discussion.

Sunday, November 27, 2011, 10 am Worship. First Sunday of Advent! HOPE Rev. Rebecca Anderson preaching.

End of the month potluck gathering after worship. Plan to stay a bit if you can, to share a meal of leftovers and participate in a thanksgiving activity.

Sunday, December 4, 2011, 10 am Worship. Second Sunday of Advent! LOVE Rev. Rebecca Anderson preaching. Church Board meets after worship.

 Sunday, December 11, 2011, 10 am Worship. Third Sunday of Advent!  JOY Rev. Rebecca Anderson preaching. Gift wrapping party to prepare gifts for teens with families affected by HIV/AIDS. Let’s make this wrapping party a true celebration! Bring holiday baked goods to share if you can, and come to have fun in community!

 Sunday December 18, 2011, 10 am Worship. Fourth Sunday of Advent!  PEACE Rev. Marjorie Pearson preaching. Special musical guests from the Rainbow Women’s Chorus!

 Saturday December 24, 2011, 6:30 pm Christmas Eve Worship with Grace Baptist Church.

 Sunday, December 25, 2011, 10 am Worship. Christmas Day! Rev. Rebecca Anderson preaching. An informal service of celebratory lessons and carols. Feel free to bring friends and family to this special gathering.

Join us this Sunday,

Please bring photos or mementos of loved ones past, or those who have been ‘Saints’ to us… marigold flowers for our Day of the Dead Altar are also welcome!

 Reverend Rebecca will preach on The Beatitudes: Matthew 5:1-12 ; “Blessed Are…”

 **Meet and eat after worship. Let’s treat one another to a celebratory Autumn Potluck to nourish our spirits and bodies.

 AND, PLEASE plan to stay so we can complete the MCC SJ Timeline exercise we began in August !

 We’ll review what we’ve already done and focus on moving forward through the 1990’s, and from 2000 to the present.  Who are our saints of the recent past at MCCSJ? Let’s remember them in this on-going celebration of our church identity and history!

Tickets ($8, $15 for two) are on sale now for treats and a chance to sing Karaoke style. There will be a drawing (no additional charge) for items donate. You need not be present to win. (MCCSJ board members and staff, both paid and volunteer, are ineligible to win.)

Do you have items to donate? Can you donate a dessert? Please call the church—408-279-2711.