This week's author is Charlie Kuchenbrod, Associate Conference Minister for Endowment Ministries for the Connecticut Conference, UCC.
Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you -- unless you have come to believe in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them -- though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
I imagine that composing letters did not come easily for Paul. I envision him dictating a phrase, stopping, thinking, asking for his words to be read back to him, asking again, thinking, adding a phrase and then repeating the cycle. It explains for me why Paul's writing is so dense with ideas. Every once in a while this comes out as poetry, as a hymn to love, for example. Other times it feels quite ponderous.
I also imagine that everything Paul wrote, and said, was crystal clear to him -- and that it tortured him to learn that not all of his readers and listeners understood his message as he intended.
If you haven't guessed already, I feel a certain connection with Paul regarding this. I have had the experiences I attribute to Paul. Well, in my case, I dictated to a machine, not a person, and used rewind and play to review my work.
I also had the tremendous benefit of being able to easily edit and revise my work, and an assistant to prompt me to do so when needed. Despite all these advantages, I have still written things that were perfectly clear to me and not clear to all readers. And who hasn't spoken words with conviction and good intention, only to be misunderstood?
Paul's message continues to be understood differently by different people today, and the diversity of understanding means that some people can be only partly correct in their understanding, if not outright wrong.
But the center of this passage is the affirmation that Christ is risen! If all Christians claim this as a starting point, there is hope yet that love shall prevail in our lives and in the world we share.
Dear God, help us to be patient and kind with each other, as we work toward a shared understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ, and what it means for us as individuals and communities. Amen.
Please remember:
the people of Haiti amidst the devastation of the earthquake, the people who seek to aid them, and the families and friends anxiously awaiting news or grieving for their losses;
Elizabeth Naylor, daughter-in-law of the Rev. Robert Naylor, pastor of the Second Congregational Church UCC in Greenwich, who is being treated for lymphoma;
the family and friends of the Rev. Haines Moffat, former pastor in this conference, who died on January 3;
the Rev. Donald H. Ketcham, pastor emeritus of the West Avon Congregational Church UCC, as he recovers from surgery;
the Rev. Nancy A. Milton, retired minister in this conference, facing back surgery;
the Rev. Dr. Jennifer S. Cook, pastor of the Congregational Church of Thompson UCC, who is restricted in her mobility while recovering from a broken ankle;
our Conference Minister the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree and her spouse, David, and their daughter Elizabeth, who suffered a stroke on December 12 and is hospitalized undergoing rehabilitation;
the Rev. Nancy Allen, associate minister of Immanuel Congregational Church UCC in Hartford, as she undergoes cancer treatment;
the Rev. M. J. Hinchliff, pastor of First Church of Christ, Congregational, UCC of East Haddam, who is being treated for breast cancer;
this nation, that it may continue its difficult work to end the practices of racism;
the Conference's partners working for peace in Colombia amidst violence;
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 Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia, and the Sudan.
To be added to the prayer list, please send an email to Rev. Eric Anderson at: webmaster@ctucc.org.
Naugatuck
Cong'l Church of Naugatuck
P The Rev. Gordon M. Rankin
PE The Rev. George F. Fisher
AP Mr. Fredd Ward
CE Ms. Marjorie Hughes
New Britain
First Church of Christ, Cong'l UCC
P The Rev. Jack Dale Cook
AP C. North
MM J. Gower
CE Ms. Sharon Chamberlain
New Britain
Iglesia Bautista Congregacional
P Ms. Maritza Angulo de Gonzalez
New Britain
So Cong'l/1st Baptist Church
P The Rev. George M. Harris
PE The Rev. Hugh B. Penney
AP The Rev. Tamara Cutri
AP The Rev. Ben Doolittle
New Britain
Stanley Memorial Fountain of Life Church
P The Rev. Ronald F. Brackett
New Canaan
Cong'l Ch of New Canaan
P The Rev. Harold E. Masback III
AP The Rev. Dr. Ivy Beckwith
AP The Rev. Kristin Godlin
CE Linda Allen
MM S. P. Dearsley
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/
Editor's Apology:
The Spirit Calendar was delayed this week by a combination of human illness, madly conflicting schedules, and IT failures. I deeply regret that it is so late, and plan its return to its regular Monday publication in three days.
Eric Anderson, editor
The Spirit Calendar: February 05, 2010 by Mr. Charlie Kuchenbrod, Associate Conference Minister for Endowment Ministries
