Pastor's Pen: Homecoming 2010

As the calendar turns from August to September, there is often a bit of sadness. Summer vacations are over. The nights get longer. The weather turns colder. Labor Day comes and goes, and we offer a sigh in honor of those great days at the shore. Thankfully, the melancholy doesn’t last. Suddenly, we are in the middle of the excitement and bustle again. We see new opportunities and look at old ones with new eyes.

With all respect to Dick Clark, I always thought that the New Year started in September. Maybe, it’s all those years of schooling. For some reason, brand new spiral notebooks and unsharpened yellow pencils have always inspired optimism in me. Maybe I’m weird, but new pencil boxes, new scissors and a new bottle of glue suggested that life had limitless possibilities. The slate was wiped clean, and life began anew.

We are poised at the start of a new program year at the Ardmore Presbyterian Church. There is a spirit of anticipation, as we prepare for a new year of worship, study, service and stewardship together. Already I’ve seen many of the committees working hard to get ready. The leadership and staff of the church are excited to get things started.

On September 12, we celebrate Homecoming. It’s an annual event which culminates in a picnic at South Ardmore Park, but homecoming begins much earlier in the day with worship. We come before God and acknowledge that “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm127:1). All of our enthusiasm and excitement rests on God’s love and grace for us.

Ardmore Presbyterian Church desires that everyone be a part of the excitement. Following worship, we will gather on the lawn to learn about the various ministries of the church. Peruse the tables and think about your own time and talents. Choose a ministry or find inspiration to develop another. With your participation, APC can continue to be a faithful and vibrant community.

Join us on Sunday, September 12 beginning at 10:30 am. God has some wonderful things planned our church.

Grace & Peace,
James Hodsden

Pastor's Pen: Ordinary Time

Presbyterians don't talk much about the liturgical calendar. That's not a bad thing. Our Puritan forefathers thought special days or seasons could easily lead to distraction. Our focus would be on rituals instead of God. In fact, many Puritans jettisoned Christmas and Easter along with the rest of the calendar in the name of faithfulness.

We don't go so far. Instead, we seek compromise. We keep the seasons and the holidays (holy‐days), but we remain completely unaware of the overall drama told by the calendar. Every year the Church rehearses the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, continual presence, and the eventual return of Jesus Christ.

Even with this outline, there remain times in the calendar which are unclaimed. The Church
has traditionally named these misfit days and seasons, "Ordinary Time." Here in August between Pentecost and Advent, we are in the middle of Ordinary Time.

Personally, I like Ordinary Time. It may not have the bustle of Holy Week or Christmas Eve. Still, I like to know that God is at work even in the ordinary. Cutting the lawn, commuting to work, or enjoying a quiet lunch with my wife are times that Jesus has redeemed. When nothing is written on the day‐planner, a Sunday is always the Lord's Day, and the Church will always be gathering for worship.

Ordinarily we must deal with the stuff of life, and our salvation means that God is with us even there.