FINLEY
FOCUS
December
2006
Founded 1891
Picture by
From
the Pastor’s Desk
I remember those times in worship when I was
younger when the pastor would ask us to greet those worshipping with us, and
for the next several minutes people would stand up and shake hands and say
hello and then make small talk together.
It always seemed out of the “prescribed ways of doing things,” and in
some instances an intrusive interruption in my worship experience. I never really got used to those “meet and
greet” times, and I am still not used to them today.
One day when I was in Seminary I went to our weekly
chapel service. During the service, the
liturgist finished with the Declaration of Forgiveness, and then said to the
congregation, “Let us pass the peace of Christ.” I thought to myself, “Oh, here we go
again. Another moment of controlled
chaos.” But something interesting
happened this time. Instead of the usual
“meet and greet” that I was waiting for, the congregation turned to one
another, either shook hands or hugged, and spoke these liturgical words to each
other – “May the peace of Christ be with you…and also with you.” It completely caught me off guard. “What is this?,” I asked myself. For the first time I had really experienced
the Passing of the Peace as it is intended to be, as a liturgical practice in
the context of communal worship. It was
a powerful moment in worship for me that I will not soon forget.
The
practice of Passing the Peace has its origins in the New Testament. In the letters of Paul there are several
references to greeting one another with "a holy kiss" (Rom
In the worship of the early
church this took on a specific function in the liturgy. Usually it occurred after the sermon or just
before the distribution of communion.
Its function was to visibly demonstrate that all who were present were
one in the faith and that no sin nor circumstance nor position in life stood in
the way of their unity. Of course, over
time the actual kiss of peace has given way to either a handshake or an
embrace. The purpose, however, is the same: a visible demonstration that we are
members of the one body of Christ, and that we have been reconciled to God
through the cross of Christ, therefore we are also to be reconciled with one
another.
The
passing of the peace is an intentional act by which we express the
reconciliation, unity, and love that come only from God, and by which we are
opened by the Spirit to the power of God’s love to heal our brokenness and make
us agents of that love in the world.
This is why we do it after the Declaration of Forgiveness and Response
to God’s Grace.
Passing the Peace of Christ also connects us to the
larger and older traditions of Christian worship. It reminds us that we are part of something
much bigger and older than we are, and it connects us to the great cloud of
witnesses who have gone before us. It is
to be an intentional action that reflects one of the fundamental principals of Christian worship
– to worship God, not as isolated individuals, but as the gathered together
community of faith.
The true importance and power of Passing the Peace
comes from the fact that it is a vehicle for the gift of God’s grace. It is a channel through which we receive and
share the blessings of God in our lives.
When we say, “May the peace of Christ be with you,” and when we respond
by saying, “And also with you,” we are really giving each other a prayer of
blessing asking God to bless that person with the peace that surpasses all
understanding. As human beings who go
through the ups and downs of life, we all need to know more of Christ’s
peace. We need to hear over and over
again not “hello” or “how are you,” but “here is a gift you need. Here is something for which your soul
longs. Here is the peace of Christ.”
It is important to remember that Passing the Peace is meant to be an intentional liturgical practice, in the same league with everything else we do in worship. Because it is meant to be an intentional liturgical practice, we must be cautious not to reduce it down to a “meet and greet” time. Casual talk about the weather or what one will be doing after church or how your favorite team is doing is not appropriate for this ancient liturgical practice. It is to be an intentional act by which we, after hearing the declaration of our own forgiveness and reconciliation, move closer to others, not just physically closer but most importantly relationally closer, to share with them the reconciliation we have together in Jesus Christ. The words, “May the peace of Christ be with you,” are to be words of blessing upon the hearers to remind them of what God has done for them through Christ, of the free gift of grace given to God’s people through Christ, and of the relationship we all share as brothers and sisters in Christ.
For over a year now, we have made the Passing the Peace a
regular part of our worship service, and I have heard both positive and
negative comments about it. When we
first started it was awkward and uncomfortable, and for some of you it is still
awkward and uncomfortable, but it does not need to be, and it is not intended
to make you feel this way. Its purpose
is to help remind us of our communal nature as God’s people and the grace and
blessing we share together. When it is
done intentionally, I can feel a change in the spiritual dynamics of
worship. There is a tangible and powerful
spiritual change that takes place that not only lifts me up, but also lifts up
the whole worshipping congregation.
I have come to value the
liturgy of Passing the peace and its place in our act of worship as a visible
expression of the grace of God at work, and I have come to appreciate the
richness of this longstanding Christian tradition as what it really is - a
blessing to and for the body of Christ.
I invite you to reflect upon this ancient liturgical practice, and how
it helps move you to be with others. Use
this moment in worship to move from your isolation to your unity. Who knows, maybe one day you just might find
yourself sitting in a completely different place than you are now, worshipping
with people who are no longer strangers, but now friends.
May the peace of Christ be
with you.
Your companion in Christ,
Dan
From
Member Involvement Ministry
Thanks to everyone who organized and participated in
this fall’s RECHARGE. We averaged 40 people each night and had wonderful
programming, food, and fellowship. Special thanks to Dan Matthews,
Finley Family Advent Festival
Join
us for a Christmas Carol sing-a-long, reading of the Christ child story,
learning about the meaning of the Advent Candles.
There
will be crafts for the children.
Please
bring a Christmas “goodie” to share.
Don’t
forget to wear those Christmas sweaters that we know everyone has!
Families
of all sizes are welcome, to share in the joyous start of the advent season. Let’s get together and help keep the
‘Christ’ in Christmas!
If
you have any questions, please see Jill Matthews
On Christmas Eve, we will have our regular 11:00 am
worship service, and a special service at
Sunday, December 3rd at
We also need plenty of
helpers to manage costumes, help actors and generally keep things running
smoothly so we can concentrate on doing a great job sharing our pageant on
Christmas Eve. Call
Don’t Switch off the Light
It happened
at a children’s Christmas pageant. A boy was assigned the task of controlling
the lights. At a certain time in the program the lad was supposed to turn off
all the lights except the one in the little manger. That light, of course, was
to represent the baby Jesus. As might have been expected, when the time came for
the lights to go out, the boy mistakenly turned off all the lights including
the manger light. Quickly, another boy dressed as a shepherd, whispered rather
loudly to the controller, “Hey! You switched off Jesus!”
Fellowship Ministry
Men’s Fellowship
Breakfast December 3, at
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Our monthly Coffee is December 31, downstairs in the Fellowship hall after worship |
Presbyterian Women will meet on Tuesday, December 5 at
Thank
you to all who participated in our Angel Tree. All donations are greatly
appreciated and are due in church by December 3rd.
Youth News
Middle School Youth Group:
December 3 –
December 10 –
December 17 – “The
Christmas Shoes.”
We
will meet at the church at
December 24 – Christmas
Pageant at
No
youth group is scheduled.
High School Youth Group:
December 3 – TBA
December 10 – TBA
December 17 – TBA
December 24 – Please attend
the Christmas Pageant at
ATTENTION ALL SENIOR HIGHS: We’re trying to update our e-mail, phone and
other communication records, so please send
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Nursery
Schedule |
Visitation
Schedule |
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Dec. 3 |
Amanda Argenbright;
Shirley Meijer & Alisha Alcala |
John Gibson & Gloyd
May |
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Dec. 10 |
Leslie & Lance Allen;
Linda Peery |
David Wenner & Don
Markle |
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Dec. 17 |
Allison & |
Darlene Bowles |
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Dec. 24 |
Sue & Jessica
Brubaker; Gina Henderson |
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Dec. 31 |
Coble family & |
Marjorie Shreckhise |
Usher List
Jane Schumin (CH)
Paul Willey
Tom Elliott
Darlene Bowles
Esther Winton
Birthdays and Anniversaries in December 2006
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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1 |
2 |
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3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 Katie Lowe’s Birthday |
9 Justin Orzech’s Birthday |
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11 |
12 |
13 Lance Allen’s Birthday |
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16 |
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17 |
18 |
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20 |
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24 Tommy Allen’s Birthday |
25 Jesus Christ’s Birthday |
26 Ann Schumin’s Birthday & Wes Boswell’s Birthday |
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28 John Steele’s Birthday |
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31 Mike Moneymaker’s Birthday |
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The award-winning recipe from our Crock
Pot Cook-off at ReCharge!
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon crushed red
pepper flakes
5 pounds country-style pork
ribs, pork loin or picnic roast
1 medium onion, sliced
Combine first eight
ingredients in a bowl. Add meat and turn to coat. Place onion in slow
cooker. Arrange meat on top and cover with remaining sauce. Cover and cook
on low for 5-6 hours or until meat thermometer reads 160-170 degrees.
Serve over cooked rice. (Or when meat falls off the bone, remove bone and
excess fat from the crock pot and stir cooked rice directly into the sauce).
December 2006
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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1 |
2 |
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3 Men’s Breakfast Pageant practice at 4¢-a-Meal Family Advent Festival 3:00 |
4 |
5 Presbyterian Women |
6 Chancel Choir practice |
7 |
8 |
9 |
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10 |
11 Session |
12 |
13 Chancel Choir practice |
14 |
15 |
16 |
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17 |
18 |
19 Pray for the Nations 7-8:30 |
20 Chancel Choir practice |
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22 |
23 |
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24 Services at 11:00 am, Christmas Joy
Offering and Communion Christmas Eve |
25 Christmas Day |
26 No bell
practice |
27 Focus article deadline |
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30 |
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