This week's author is the Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Minister of Communications and Technology for the Connecticut Conference, UCC.
He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.
On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him
were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this
wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his
hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and
Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they
took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without
honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own
house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his
hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their
unbelief.
Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and
began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean
spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff;
no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to
put on two tunics. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there
until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse
to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a
testimony against them." So they went out and proclaimed that all should
repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick
and cured them.
I'm writing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I'm attending the United
Church of Christ's twenty-seventh General Synod. I was struck by both these
stories today, especially because I can hardly claim to have arrived here
with nothing but a staff. No, instead, I arrived here with two carry-on
items and a checked duffel bag containing several shirts and pairs of socks,
a laptop computer, two cameras, a cell phone, miscellaneous other pieces of
clothing and ancillary equipment, and, of course, money.
Those of you who attended General Synod 26 may remember there's lots of cool
stuff to buy in the exhibit area. I remembered. And I'm not bringing quite
so much money back with me...
What struck me in the second half of the text, however, was welcome.
We've received a grand welcome in Grand Rapids. It may help that the mayor
is a UCC ordained minister, I suppose, but the smiles which have greeted us
with our dangling name tags on the city streets have been entirely genuine.
Arriving on Friday I broke into my own smile to see a large orange banner in
the airport telling me that members of the UCC were welcome here.
I've also listened to a number of stories from members of our congregations
with a common thread: the difference they found in a UCC church, which
invited them in, when they had experienced rejection in so many other
places. It is not just the fact of these stories; it is the tone of wonder
and deep affection with which they are told. The storytellers tend to end in the
same way, too. They conclude by extending an invitation themselves. "I've
found something precious," they say, "and I want to make sure you know you
can have it, too."
I won't be shaking the dust of Grand Rapids from my feet (for one thing,
it's raining today), because I and we have certainly been well received, and
even well heard. More, I will bring back in my heart the memory of those
who've found welcome, and learned to make invitations in their turn. I've
met those whose demons have been cast out, those who have been anointed and
found healing, those who have found welcome and a spiritual home.
I'm coming home determined that Jesus' friends should have no cause to shake
off the dust from their feet against me.
Inviting One, where we seek a home in which to worship you, please guide our
feet to a welcoming house. Where we need to repent, open our hearts to true
self-awareness and to your abundant love. Where we need to cast aside the
burdens that bedevil us, give to us or those around us the power to set us
free. Where we need healing, bring the comfort and balm which are yours
alone to give. And may we, in our season, extend forgiveness, deliverance,
and healing to those around us in this hurting world. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Please remember:
Peggy Wright, retired Assistant to the Conference Minister, who is recovering from knee surgery;
the delegates and visitors working today in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the twenty-seventh General Synod of the United Church of Christ, for wisdom in their decisions and safety as they travel home tomorrow;
the Rev. M. J. Hinchliff, pastor of First Church of Christ, Congregational, UCC of East Haddam, who is being treated for breast cancer;
the people of Honduras, and our ecumenical partners there, in the midst of a coup against their government;
the people of Iran, as they struggle to find a voice in their government;
the leaders of this nation, that they may meet the challenges of the day with insight, wisdom, and compassion;
those suffering due to the ongoing financial woes of the nation, be they struggling to meet an unaffordable mortgage, confronting the loss of a job, or working to find just resolutions to the crisis; and
those serving or living in war or conflict zones around the world, or where terrorists have struck, particularly in Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, and the Sudan.
To be added to the prayer list, please send an email to your Regional Minister or to webmaster@ctucc.org.
Torrington
Center Cong'l Ch., Inc.
IN The Rev. Edward T. Falsey
PE The Rev. Raymond L. Shoup
MM A. O'Brien
CE Ms. Karen S. Albanese
Torrington
United Cong'l Ch
P The Rev. Rhonda D. Myers
Trumbull
Trumbull Cong'l Church
P The Rev. Matthew B. Braddock
CE Ms. Selina Tiesler
Trumbull
Unity Hill, UCC
P The Rev. Judith M. Cooke
PE The Rev. Harold C. Smith
Union
The Cong'l Ch of Union, CT. Inc.
P The Rev. Robert R. LaRochelle
PE The Rev. LaVerne M. Kelson
Unionville
First Ch. of Christ
P The Rev. Thomas F. Dean
PE The Rev. Stoddard B. Williams
To read previous editions of the Spirit Calendar, visit:
http://www.ctucc.org/fido/spiritcalendar/
To learn more about or subscribe to the Spirit Calendar, visit:
http://www.ctucc.org/fido/
The Spirit Calendar: June 30, 2009 by Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Minister of Communications and Technology
