Pastor's Pen: Sleepers Awake!

Matthew 25:1‐13

Every morning, people arise ready to face a new day. They make the coffee, read the newspaper and make their morning jog before the darkness turns to light. Then there are the rest of us. The morning comes as an unwelcome intrusion into our rest. When the alarm sounds, we amazingly complete complex mathematical calculations to determine if we have time for ten more minutes of sleep. Even the most chipper morning person that I know occasionally reaches for the snooze bar. Simply put, waking up is hard to do.

At least once a year, we change alarm clocks in our house. We get accustomed to the bells and whistles of one and need another. Thankfully, there are plenty of inventors who are not content to let sleeping dogs lie. I read recently about a clock which launches three puzzle pieces into the air when the alarm sounds. The sleeper must locate the pieces and place them in the correct order before the snooze bar will end the annoying sound.

Why do we have so much trouble awaking? The difficulty has something to do with being so busy. All of us have become productivity mavens over the years, learning to do more with less time. Personally, that’s not my main problem. I’m like that little kid who doesn’t want to go to bed. I think I might miss something exciting. I greedily hold onto yesterday, trying to stretch it out.

Some of us do the same thing in our spiritual lives. We want the love of God. We desire a life motivated by hope. We have experienced the grace found in Jesus Christ. However, we still hold onto our former desires and priorities. We are not ready to be transformed. We cling to old behaviors and attitudes not consistent with our new lives in Christ. When the call comes on Easter morning, we reach for the snooze bar, exhausted.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This does not mean that we add a religious category to an already busy “to do” list. Instead our list becomes transformed. We leave behind those things unpleasing to our Savior, and we do everything from this day forward to the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

Quarterly Reports and Saving Quarters

Numbers are not ministries. Numbers, such as attendance or budget dollars, do not determine the faithfulness of a congregation. Numbers are tools. They help us evaluate our priorities and our impact. The primary function of the numbers is descriptive, and we believe that those descriptions are helpful to the entire congregation.

This month we are providing even more numbers than in the last newsletter. The statistics for our first quarter of 2010 are available. Reading through the numbers, you will probably notice that we are ahead in our income. This is primarily from several annual one‐time payments.

Income and expenses remain a bit ahead of what has been budgeted. The reader will notice that expenses relating to Worship and Music are higher than expected. This is related to hiring guest musicians for Easter. These expenses are seasonal, and the budget will come into balance in the later months.

Meanwhile, your staff is saving the church money. Recently, Pearlie Diesinger noticed that we spend a lot of money on paper. With worship folders, newsletters, and educational materials, the Ardmore Presbyterian Church acts as a small publishing house. Examining our printing costs, Pearlie has found some substantial savings.

Over the years, we have used a very special paper for our worship folders. The company that produces it must cut it to meet our specifications. It has a great quality, but each page cost us 29¢. Our paper expenses were huge, especially for something that was used for only an hour each week. Stacks of orphan worship folders in the recycling bins were stacks of money. Pearlie found a substitute which maintains high quality but costs only 3¢ a page. We save over a quarter each worship folder. At the end of the year, the quarters add up to thousands of dollars in savings.

Every person who gives to the church gives out of finite funds. We desire to be responsible with those funds in order that God may be praised even more.

Looking for God in Harry Potter

The Ardmore Presbyterian Church is pleased to present John Granger in the Chapel on Sunday, May 2nd at 7:00 pm. Mr. Granger will be speaking about faith in the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.

While considered children’s literature, many adults have greatly enjoyed reading the “Harry Potter” books, but few are aware of how the books speak to our faith. Mr. Granger is a classics scholar, who has written extensively on the Christian themes that run throughout the “Harry Potter” series. Some of the books he has written include Looking for God in Harry Potter, How Harry Cast His Spell, and The Deathly Hallows Lectures.

Mr. Granger's lecture will begin a Harry Potter focus for the next few months at the Ardmore Presbyterian Church. The Christian Education Committee is planning a Vacation Bible School this year using the stories to help teach the truths of the faith.

We invite adults and teens to learn how the “Harry Potter” books are filled with Biblical parallels that can help all in navigating their own lives. We hope you join us in listening to John Granger.

See you on May 2nd!

Butterflies and Bunnies are Not Enough

The Apostle Paul says it in the clearest language possible, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). During Easter, the Church celebrates explicitly what we celebrate implicitly every Lord’s Day‐‐Jesus Christ is risen. Trying to articulate our faith, we often resort to metaphor and analogy. The spring reminds us of new life after the death of winter. Bunnies and eggs, associated with renewal and fecundity, dominate our Easter decorations. Even butterflies that no longer lie dormant in their cocoons now grace our bulletin covers, vestments and banners.

Although helpful, metaphors also limit us. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not about the “Circle of Life” from some Disney movie. Death is real and terrible. Jesus Christ’s death was particularly horrific. Nailed to a cross, Jesus bled, suffered, and died. For all practical purposes, death was the final solution. All of the hopes inspired by Jesus should have been crucified with him. Mortality means that everything we love is fleeting, temporary. By definition, nothing should survive death.

Then, something incredible happened. Jesus rose from the grave. God shattered the power of death. The way the world had always worked was no more. That empty tomb where the women gathered that first Easter was completely unprecedented. Bunnies and butterflies just cannot do justice to the reality of the resurrection. In case we missed it the first time, Paul reiterates, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). With Jesus Christ alive today, God proclaims that hope is more than wishful thinking. We are freed from the bondage of every day leading to an inevitable demise. Breaking away, God offers forgiveness and grace unto life everlasting.

Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed.

2010 Holy Week and Easter Services

2010 HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES

AT ARDMORE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION & WORSHIP

• Sunday, March 28 ‐ 10:30 am (Sanctuary)

LENTEN VESPERS AND COMMUNION SERVICE

• Wednesday, March 31 ‐ 7:30 pm (Memorial Chapel)

MAUNDY THURSDAY AGAPE MEAL AND COMMUNION

• Thursday, April 1 ‐ 6:30 pm (Fellowship Hall)

GOOD FRIDAY MID‐DAY SERVICE

• Friday, April 2 ‐ 12:15 pm (Memorial Chapel)

GOOD FRIDAY TENEBRAE SERVICE

• Friday, April 2 ‐ 7:30 pm (Memorial Chapel)

RESURRECTION OF THE LORD EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 4

• 8:30 am ‐ Memorial Chapel (First Service led by Youth)

ALL-CHURCH EASTER BREAKFAST, APRIL 4

• 9:15 am ‐ Fellowship Hall (RSVP to 610‐642‐6650 or admin@ardmorepres.org)
  

Organ, Brass and Timpani Musical Prelude

• 10:00 am ‐ Sanctuary

CELEBRATION OF THE RESURRECTION, APRIL 4

• 10:30 am ‐ Sanctuary

Please remember to bring fresh or silk flowers on Easter Sunday for the “Blossoming of the Cross”.

Palm Sunday with the Grove City College Touring Choir

The Grove City College Touring Choir will be joining us on Palm Sunday, March 28, during worship (10:15 a.m. prelude)

Grove City College is a four‐year, fully accredited liberal arts and sciences college north of Pittsburgh. Its solid reputation is based on a strong academic program, a Christian environment conducive to learning, and a commitment to operate virtually debt‐free.

The Touring Choir was organized in 1959, and has toured annually since then. Directed since 1981 by Dr. Douglas A. Browne, the choir has visited virtually every state east of the Mississippi River, and has appeared at various music educators’ conferences. The choir will sing before (10:15 a.m.) and during Palm Sunday worship. Selections will include Byrd’s “Ave verum corpus,” Gretchaninoff’s “Holy Radiant Light,” Martin’s “When I Survey,” Clausen’s “Hosanna,” and Hogan’s “My Soul’s Been Anchored.”

As a sample of what they sing, here is a modern piece entitled "Vieni Nel Mio Cuore" by Jonny Priano. The text translates...

I'm lost in this wasteland.
Love me,
Guide me,
Christ come into my heart.

Pastor's Pen: Lenten Observations

While growing up, the season of Lent was a puzzlement to me. Beyond the sale of Filet‐o‐Fish sandwiches at McDonalds, there was little to suggest that the season was different from any other. The older I got, the more misunderstandings grew. From the popular culture, I knew more about Mardi Gras than the season that followed. In fact, Lent, for me, was the opposite of that celebration on Bourbon Street. Instead of indulgence, Lent was about denial. Instead of Dixieland jazz, Lent was about funeral dirges. For forty days, people gave up chocolate, caffeine or fried foods. They sat quietly with their hands folded thinking pure thoughts.

Unfortunately, I always enjoyed Dixieland jazz. As a result, I never truly observed Lent. The only problem is that Lent is really not about denial. Lent is an invitation to turn to God. We remove distractions to concentrate on Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Repentance is less about rejection and more about embracing the God who loves us. Yes, we are sinners, and our lives need to change for the better. Still, God’s grace is not dependent on our acts of piety. The cross of Christ ends in triumph, not tragedy.

Whether we observe Lent or not, the time before Easter is a wonderful opportunity to renew our faith. Come to worship, pray together, and read the Scriptures. Examine our lives and remove those things that distract us from living abundantly. Listen to the blues, but let them melt into joyous sounds of the band.