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Pastor's Blog

Pastor's Blog

Sunset behind clouds over the ocean

As highlighted in Kris Flynn's article in this issue of the Central Beacon, CCC has been blessed for more than a decade by the talent and heart of our worship leader, Steve Duff. In addition to being an accomplished musician, Steve is also an excellent songwriter. Last year, Steve introduced our congregation to a worship song that he had recently composed – The Beauty of It All. Steve included this song in the worship set for the first Sunday of the new year, and being the last song of the set, I came up at the end to transition us to the next part of the service. As I did so, I was struck not only by the beauty of the song but more so by the invitation it extended to see and persistently seek the beauty of God, his creation and his purposes, especially in a time filled with so much doubt, darkness and division. At the moment, I asserted that The Beauty of It All should be our theme song for the year of our Lord 2025. This declaration seemed all the more appropriate as we had just completed a contentious election cycle and were on the cusp of a governmental transition fraught with anticipation and anxiety.

Little did we know that in just two days, the LA fires would reduce whole communities in Los Angeles County to rubble and ash, adding to the fear and anxiety of local and global catastrophes from inflation, disasters, war and deep political and social division. In many ways, these are dark and often ugly times, and one wonders where and how we find beauty amid the carnage. 

However, let's take a step back from the headlines of dread, our often combative social media streams and our immediate personal worries. We can't help but acknowledge that the universe, including our little blue planet, is filled with beauty and wonder, notwithstanding all the ways we have exploited and exhausted creation and the creative gifts God has given us. Beauty truly is all around and within each of us, but we have to choose to observe and pursue the good and the beautiful as an act of resistance against the evil and the ugly. Significantly, this happens much more locally and personally than at an organizational or governmental level.

Side profile of a head with a ear outlined and sound waves across it

My wife, Rhonda, and I recently had the privilege of cruising through the Greek islands with close friends. While on the beach on the island of Rhodes, I decided to try to take some underwater pictures with my cell phone. When I declared my intention, my friends stated: Your phone can do that! At least, that's what I heard.

So, with the confidence of my desire and my friends' affirmation (so I thought), I marched into the water, stuck the camera end of my phone under the surface and snapped a picture – and it worked! Thus further encouraged, I dipped my phone again into the beautifully blue Mediterranean Sea for another shot – only this time, my phone made a weird buzzing sound, a jagged green line shot across the screen and my phone shut down, never to be operational again. As I returned to Rhonda and our friends, lamenting that I had damaged my phone, probably beyond repair, they expressed amazement at what I had done. But you said my phone could take underwater pictures! I cried. To which they replied, what we said was: Your phone can do that? Implying their serious doubt about my phone's underwater capabilities.

This funny and embarrassing story is a perfect example of hearing what we want to hear in order to affirm an action or pursue a desired goal. In my excitement to capture the beauty of the underwater world I was experiencing, I latched on to anything – no matter how dubious – that bolstered my desire and confirmed my intention.

I do this with Google Maps, too, which I use regularly. While utilizing Maps, I frequently have it in my head which direction to turn next. And even though I hear the Google voice stating loud and clear, In 200 feet, turn left; I turn right, fully convinced that I am following Google's directions.

Abstract image of two people facing one another

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul encouraged them with these words:

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. (1 Thessalonians 4:1 (NIV)). 

And the Apostle Peter, in his second letter, had this to say to his readers: 

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory…, (2 Peter 1:12–14 (NIV)). 

In this same spirit, and in light of the current political and social climate, it seems to be an excellent time to remind ourselves of our mission and core values as followers of Jesus walking together with this expression of the body of Christ we call Central Congregational Church. Keeping ourselves focused on the values of the kingdom of God taught by Jesus will keep us from allowing ourselves to be coopted by any party, politician or platform. 

Pastor Scott and Rhonda with friends in front of cruise ship

In celebration of our 60th birthdays, my wife, Rhonda, and I recently had the unexpected pleasure of going on a Mediterranean cruise, visiting ports in Italy and Turkiye and several Greek islands. It was truly the trip of a lifetime, and we will cherish the experience for years to come. If you have never been on a cruise, I highly recommend it. Instead of packing and unpacking as you travel from place to place, your hotel simply goes with you, with all the amenities included – food, lodging and entertainment – as you visit some of the most beautiful and interesting places on the planet.

As we were on the elegant Holland America ship the Nieuw Statendam for fourteen days, the last Saturday of the trip, sometimes referred to as Sadurday, came as something of a shock. As we left the ship, and especially when we returned home, we faced the reality of once again preparing our own meals, making our own beds and cleaning up after ourselves, and longing to return to the onship BB King Blues Lounge for a fancy drink and great music.

While we needed and greatly appreciated the rest and time away, we all know that cruise life is not real life. However, in the context of the daily demands life and the current moment's mayhem, many of us may find ourselves longing for the next cruise or vacation, or at least working primarily for the weekend, as the band Loverboy intoned in 1982. As a remedy to spending our days pining for the weekend or the next vacation the words of Jesus recorded in Luke 19:13 may challenge and comfort us.

Dried cracked earth with pink heart on it

As we head into the warm, lazy days of summer, planning or at least dreaming of a vacation or looking forward to a little slower pace for a few weeks, there is a grief – sharp for some, lingering for many – at what we have lost. Whether our loss is personal or just a nagging sense of foreboding at the state of things, most would agree that we live in troubling times and are experiencing some level of grief at the loss of a perceived time of greater peace, stability and community.

To this point, our CCC family seems to have encountered more than our share of grief lately, as many in our congregation are battling serious illnesses, relational challenges, loss of jobs and, most devastatingly, the death of several of our brothers in the Lord. While the days are longer and the sun is high and hot, more than a few of us are struggling to keep our heavy hearts from growing cold with grief.

Whether we are actively grieving or simply battling a general sense of malaise, we shouldn't be surprised. Not only should we not be surprised by the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Shakespeare referred to life's persistent heartaches and shocks, but a moments reflection will remind us that most of us in the modern West are significantly shielded from the wretchedness of daily life experienced by countless millions in the world today and what the majority of people have experienced throughout history. Nonetheless, we still suffer.

  1. Contemplation in a Time of Conflict
  2. On Surfing and Discipleship
  3. Solid Ground in Turbulent Times
  4. The End Is Near...Or, Is It?

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