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Pastor's Commentaries
Sharing God's Love | Other Faith Traditions | Between Palm Sunday and Easter
Sharing God's Love
"I read a preacher's story the other day about a woman who received an inheritance.
She went to her pastor and asked, if the church received an unexpected gift, how the
money could be used. The pastor thought for a minute and said, 'You know the
wallpaper in the ladies restroom really needs to be replaced.' She wrote him a $500
check to pay for the project and gave the rest of her planned $100,000 gift to a
local charity that had a bigger dream for how to use the money to do real ministry
in the community."
Michael S. Piazza and Cameron Trimble in Liberating Hope:
Daring to Renew the Mainline Church
Sometimes in the church it really does seem that our dreams end up being way too small.
Sometimes in the church we can end up getting bogged down by minutia and details instead
of living out a meaningful mission. But as far as I can tell, here at Pilgrim Church,
small dreams and a small mission are NOT a problem.
A couple of years back, we developed a new ad hoc mission statement: Feeding the hungry,
body, mind and spirit. And these aren't just high-sounding words for us - these are
instead a reminder and guide for concrete and visible actions. There's the food
pantry every second Saturday and the new food pantry we're helping to get started
with our friends up at Fairmount Church. There's our fall picnic and family festival
where 50-plus neighborhood kids and their families enjoyed a cookout lunch, a "bounce
house," lots of games - and everyone went home with a "snack sack" from the Kansas Food
Bank. There's the rummage sale that offers low cost goods to several hundred people
each year.
There's our Thanksgiving dinner on November 20. And then, of course, there is weekly
worship, where we hear the scripture, sing praise to God and offer prayers for one
another and the world.
But as important as our acts of service may be, we see them as a part of something bigger.
We are here to share God's love. We are here to proclaim the good news of Jesus and to
invite others into healing relationship with him. We are here to be a Christian
community - brought together by God for our mutual encouragement and for service to the
world. We believe that despite its human shortcomings, Pilgrim church is nothing short
of an outpost for God's kingdom. Our dreams are big - and we trust that God will help
them grow bigger still.
In November we celebrate two important Sundays. November 6 is "Bring-a-Friend" Sunday.
This is a great opportunity to bring someone to church or to visit the church if you
haven't been here before. Then on November 20 we will welcome pledges, celebrate our
new ceiling (the old one was falling down) and share Thanksgiving dinner with anyone
who would like to join us.
We're not trying to welcome new people just because we want more bottoms in the pews.
And we're not inviting generous giving just to keep an institution alive. Those goals
are too limited and those dreams are too small. We're inviting new people and
encouraging generosity because we think that being a part of God's mission in this
place and time is exciting, transforming, fulfilling and joyful. We hope you will join us.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Ruth Wagner Bradshaw
Other Faith Traditions
How do Christians relate to other faith traditions? Some believe that Christianity
is the only true way to God. Others believe that all traditions are equal - that
there are many paths leading up the same mountain. Still others find a middle
ground: They acknowledge that Christianity makes some unique claims about God and
God's way; but they also recognize truth in other religious traditions.
This question of the relationship between different faith traditions recently came
into sharp focus when a Florida pastor threatened to burn copies of the Muslim holy
book, the Koran. Islam, the pastor said, is evil - and so burning the Koran is the
right thing to do. This set off waves of protest not only in Middle Eastern
countries, but also right here in our own country. And here in the United States,
many of those protesting were not Muslims, but Christians.
Why would Christians feel so strongly about defending another religious tradition?
Perhaps the answer lies in a central teaching of Jesus: "Love your neighbor as
yourself." Muslims, and indeed all people, are our neighbors. And so we treat
them with respect, we listen to their ideas, and we try to discover what they might
have to teach us. We know that God is more than any of us can fully understand,
and that only God is fully righteous. This means, of course, that we know without
a doubt that we ourselves are neither all-knowing nor all-good. Or in other words,
when it comes to what we say about God, we try to be humble and open to guidance
and correction.
It seems entirely possible for us to be rooted in our own faith, but still open to
dialogue with other faith traditions. In fact it is probably true that the more
deeply rooted we are in Christian belief and practice, the more easily we will be
able to constructively engage the beliefs and practices of others. We do not have
to agree with the teachings of other faith traditions - but we can listen
respectfully and explore how they compare with our own tradition. And we can share
our own beliefs in both words and actions. As the old song goes: "They will know
we are Christians by our love." In the world today, with all its uncertainty and
injustice, this witness of love seems more important than ever.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Ruth Wagner Bradshaw
Between Palm Sunday and Easter
It is tempting to jump from Palm Sunday to Easter - to go directly from the waving palm
branches and singing children to the wonder and joy of the empty tomb. Our work and
school schedules help us along by keeping us busy in the days between these two holy
festivals - and so it's not too difficult to just skip over the events that happen
between Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his rising from the tomb.
And yet the days of Holy Week, between Palm Sunday and Easter, are as important as
any in the whole church year - and what Jesus did between Palm Sunday and Easter is
absolutely central to who Jesus is and to what he does for us and the world. Jesus
did not run away in the face of oppression, nor did he respond with violence.
Instead he faced his enemies with courage and resolve, he bore the brunt of human
sin, he became a victim so that victims everywhere could know for sure that God is
with them no matter how terrible their humiliation and pain.
We live in a culture that seems to encourage us to try to be happy all the time.
We are offered entertainment twenty-four hours a day and we are encouraged to
distract ourselves from pain and grief and sorrow. But this isn't realistic.
Life includes good times and bad - and often these are all mixed together.
What Does It Mean Today?
Last week my son Peter attended a funeral for a classmate who was killed in a tragic
car accident. At this service, the minister talked about Jesus weeping for his friend
Lazarus and about how Jesus is still weeping with us and for us whenever we are
suffering. Through his life, his death and his resurrection, Jesus allows us to
see that God weeps with us. If Jesus had always been happy and if nothing bad ever
happened to him, how could he have shown us the depths of God's love?
This year at Pilgrim we will have several opportunities to mark the events of Holy
Week. On Palm Sunday we will have a palm parade, we will read the story of Jesus'
passion from the gospel of Luke and we will sing traditional Lenten hymns. Then
on Maundy Thursday, we will have a Seder dinner similar to the one Jesus shared
with his disciples in the upper room. After supper we will celebrate Holy Communion
using matzo bread and grape juice from the meal. Finally on Good Friday, we will
have a light lunch at noon, "stations of the cross" service at 12:30 and the
sanctuary will remain open until 3 pm for personal prayer.
I hope that you will be able to participate in some or all of our Holy Week activities.
I hope that we will all take time for prayer and meditation in the days between Palm
Sunday and Easter.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Ruth Wagner Bradshaw