Give Us this Day...

During Manda's first interview with the search committee, she invited us to offer the Lord's Prayer on behalf of those who worry each day about their 'daily bread'. This practice has added new depth and power to this familiar part of my own spiritual life.

Throughout Lent, our focus has been on the bread we eat and the cup from which we drink at the table of communion. And, as we transition through Holy Week into the Easter Season, we are invited to think about ways that we are called to feed and serve others.

To prepare for a month of Outreach Committee emphasis on feeding people locally and globally through our giving and our actions, you are invited to participate in a church-wide Prayer Vigil on Holy Saturday (April 7) from 6:00 p.m. until midnight (Easter Sunday). This is an important way for us to be the church in prayer. You are being asked to commit to dedicating a specific time to pray for people who are hungry in the world, at home or on a walk or wherever you may be. You may sign up for 20 minute periods of time and as many people as possible may sign up for the same period. There will be an opportunity to sign up at church on Sunday morning and next week, you will be able to sign up online at fccithaca.org.

Eat This Bread.... Drink This Cup and in gratitude, let us help to bring the bread of life and the cup of the new covenant to those who are hungry and thirsty. Let us pray together, eat together and work together........

Blessings, Laura Lee

Sing a New Song

I've been here over a year now, and people often ask me how I like Ithaca. I tell them that I really like it, and the biggest adjustment is the shift from city life to small town life. I have mostly lived in big cities - Houston, Boston, Dallas - and I really like the variety of food, culture, people, entertainment, and conveniences, as well as a degree of anonymity. I'm discovering, however, that bigger cities don't offer the opportunities for community connections that smaller towns like Ithaca do.

Because we are a smaller community, we are also affected in more immediate and intimate ways by tragic events in our community. And, we also have a desire to respond to those events in ways that bring the community together and facilitate peace and healing. 

Growing up in the South, I learned a great deal about racial tensions, and my friends helped me understand how their experiences differed from mine. And my dad told me about the blatant racism he witnessed in the Houston court systems. In college, my freshman-year roommate's parents forced her to transfer to another school because she, a white woman, was dating a black man.

Living in Boston and now in Ithaca, I've observed that racial tensions are just as present, but they are not often as visible as they are in the South. But they are very real, and our Ithaca community continues to struggle with race and class divides. Wendell Berry, a favorite author of mine, called racism a "hidden wound" - something we don't like to talk about but which is hurtful to all of us.

One reason I have come to love Ithaca is that we have so many people who are working for peace, healing, and justice in our community. I think many of you in our congregation know how powerful music can be in working toward healing. This Sunday, Temple Beth-El is hosting a musical feast that you won't want to miss. "Sing a New Song: Spiritual Voices of Ithaca" will feature local artists including the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers, Voices: Multicultural Choir, the Ithaca Children's Choir, the Calvary Baptist Church Choir, the Jewish Community Choir, the Filipino String Ensemble, and several of our community’s choral groups (including members of  FCC’s and several congregations’ choirs).


I hope you will be there to represent our congregation at the State Theatre on Sunday at 3pm. Contact the church office for tickets - donations are welcome, but we have tickets for anyone who would like to go. Your presence will bless the community, and I believe you will walk away feeling richly blessed.


Have a wonderful week,
Manda

The old in the new

You may have noticed that our congregation has used music from the Taize community in various worship settings - songs like "Nothing Can Trouble" and "O Lord, Hear My Prayer" frame our prayer time; "Eat this Bread, Drink this Cup" moves us through communion, and various other Taize songs have helped us worship in evening Advent and Lenten services.

Tomorrow, the men's breakfast group will be talking about music and faith practice when they meet at 7:45am at the Royal Court Restaurant. When I learned that, I thought that perhaps others of you would like to learn more about the Taize community as well. This 15 minute video gives a nice introduction to the community, and you can visit their website http://www.taize.fr/en to learn more.

I've been reading several scholars (such as Harvey Cox, Diana Butler Bass, and Phyllis Tickle) who study the shifts taking place in how people understand faith and spirituality in our broader culture. They are finding that there is a resurgence of interest in ancient spiritual practices. In her book The Great Emergence, Phyllis Tickle writes, "in the course of birthing a brand-new expression of its faith and praxis, the Church also gains a grand refurbishment of the older one."

We are in a time of exploring and inventing new things, and at the same time, refurbishing older traditions and practices that have sustained Christians through many generations. The popularity of Taize music and the Taize community is one vibrant example. I'm excited to be in a church where we are committed to work together to be a church of both/and - finding a place for both old and new, and learning, growing, and serving together.

Wishing you a lovely week,
Manda

You're Invited!

When I was a kid, receiving an invitation to a party was confirmation that someone else wanted my presence at their special event. On the other hand, if I knew there was a party and I didn't get an invitation, then I felt rejected - I felt like an outsider.

The Center for Progressive Renewal has found that nearly 90% of people who come to church for the first time do so because someone personally invited them. And in my time in the United Church of Christ, I have noticed that many of us aren't very good at inviting others to church - and for good reason! I grew up in an evangelical tradition, and I know the looks people sometimes give when we start talking about church. I also know that the religious right has monopolized the conversation on the meaning and reasoning for inviting others to church. Perhaps you can identify with this guy:

This Sunday, join me for the AfterWord, when we'll talk a bit about cultivating a culture of invitation - because we've got some good news to share about a great community of people who love God, each other, and the whole world. You can even get a head start by inviting someone to join us for Spirit:Uncorked on Friday night at Corks & More, or any of the other opportunities for community, service, spiritual growth, and worship.

Have a great week,

Manda

"Rainbows and Reminders"

Last Sunday, Madison Wright read the account of the giving of the rainbow (and the covenant) from Genesis. In this somewhat familiar and beautiful account, God says these most interesting words: "When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

From earliest childhood, I was taught, like many of you, that rainbows are a sign of God's love and of promises for future generations. But, the text also says it is a reminder to God.

What if the rainbow is a sign of God's repentance for obliterating creation? What if it's really about forgiveness and new starts for God and for all of us? I haven't made my own peace with or sense of this notion, but I do see rainbows differently now. They are a sign that we all need reminders to be more forgiving, to be intentional about changing our behavior, to remember our past and to do something new and different. It's a call to be in right relationship with God and with each other. I invite you to comment on what you think of this disconcerting notion and engage in a bit of conversation.

Whatever you make of it, the next time you see a rainbow, it might be good for you to remember, that it is God's reminder of unconditional love for all of creation for all of time. And, be reminded that we too can reorient and recommit and reconcile with God and with each other! Any day, any time!

Wishing all of you blessings for the week ahead, Laura Lee

Farewell to Meat

That's right, I said it, farewell to meat. So now that I have your attention, no, this is not going to be a post about why you should become a vegetarian. But as I was reading about the origins of Mardi Gras, also called Shrove (Confession) Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, I learned that Carnival is from the Latin carne vale, or "farewell to meat."

Traditionally, many Christians would give up meat for the Lenten season, and they would have one last feast on Fat Tuesday. Today, many people still feast and celebrate on Fat Tuesday, but they don't follow that with a time of fasting during Lent. And many others do use Lent as a time of fasting, self-reflection, and spiritual growth.

When I was growing up, I always thought Lent was a Catholic thing, that time when people talked about giving up chocolate or television or meat. After college, I began attending a church that observed Lent, and I learned that there was value in "giving it up," letting go of something that distracts me from my walk with God. That can be different from year to year - from caffeine, to watching the news, to late night television. One year I gave up stress - meaning that I intentionally took better care of myself.

I suppose that fits better with another practice that some Christians prefer, that of taking something on for Lent. Whether it be a new discipline of regular prayer, reading scripture, attending worship, exercising, eating mindfully and compassionately, or spending more time with a loved one, there are many practices we can intentionally take on to make Lent a more meaningful and fulfilling time.

The United Church of Christ has developed a calendar with suggested practices of each day for Lent - click here to download the PDF. You can print it and put it on your refrigerator or desk. Join us tomorrow evening at 7 as we begin the Lenten journey with a lovely Ash Wednesday service.

For today, feast and celebrate, and say a fond farewell to those things and practices and behaviors that don't serve you well in your walk with God and with others. And if you find you really miss them, they'll be there waiting for you on Easter. Or maybe, just maybe, you'll find you don't miss them after all!

Blessings and peace,
Manda

"The Second Funeral"

My first funeral was memorable, as it is for most pastors. But, it's the second one, two weeks later, that shaped my ministry. This one was for a toddler who had darted into the street, just as his mother's attention was diverted. The mom was 7 months pregnant, and so was I. I felt so helpless and incompetent in the face of this family's tragic loss. So I called my mom and blubbered a lot. When I was done, she said, "Remember, every life is a complete life." Her wisdom got me through that funeral. It also got me through over 350 funerals for people with AIDS, mostly young people and some were babies.

Last week, Jack Gallagher took his own life. He was a friend of Sarah Beckwith's and of Lyndsey Broadfield's. By all accounts, he was an amazing young man with so much promise. Whitney Houston died, only 48 and she was certainly an amazing artist, with so much promise. Our Jewish friends have a saying, "There is something wrong with the universe, when parents have to bury their children." There is something about tragic deaths of young people that deeply affects us all. When young people die, our hearts are touched by this 'distortion of the universe'.

And yet, Princess Diana changed the public role of the English Monarchy; Whitney Houston left an astounding musical legacy; Sam (my little toddler) helped shape this pastor's ministry; Jack gave so much laughter and joy to those who knew him........ Each life is complete. Each life makes a difference. Each life is a blessing.

In times of such loss, we can remember Jesus, who also died tragically and young, but who left the whole world with a legacy of love. His was certainly a 'complete life' that reminds us of the differences we make by living our own.

Blessings to all of you in all of your living this week,

Laura Lee