Lamplighter: November/December 2008
A Note from Pastor Steve Quinlan
“Good Will to All”
It’s good to ponder again the birth of Jesus. As the story is told, at the nativity the heavenly messengers delivered this word: “peace, good will to all.” Is there any more beautiful or more important message?
God’s intentions are only good; good will to all. The Spirit of God, the universal energy of life, is present and active in all creation, urging everything and everyone toward the highest good. That is the definition of love itself. In the creation stories of Genesis the Spirit who is God calls each entity into being, and upon seeing the divine intention take form declares, “It is good.” God’s purpose, God’s intention is “good will to all.”
To say it very simply, God loves and wants to do good. The story of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the story of God’s undying good will, God’s love toward all. Jesus knew and put into practice, God’s good intention toward all of humanity. As the Christ, Jesus embodies the gift that God wills for all people — indeed for all things. Jesus was one with the good will of God. He boldly declared, “I and my father are one.” And Jesus shows us in his life just how powerful and liberating such unity with God can be.
Here’s news! You too can be one with the goodness and love of God. The ancient wisdom teaches, “Whoever is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with God.” The aim of the Christian life is to be in such deep communion with the goodness and love of God, that your life becomes a manifestation of that goodness and love. The business of life is to shine with the brightness of God. This starts when, with a small step of faith, you embrace the truth of God’s good intentions for all. This small step begins to put you in harmony with the unfolding of God’s good creation. Step-by-step, from faith to faith, you enjoy and manifest ever more fully God’s goodness, just as Jesus did. It’s God’s intention, that you should become as Jesus became and do as Jesus did. As the apostle John puts it, “as he is, so are we in this world.” Jesus himself said, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do…”
To be one with God means loving everything and especially everyone that God creates. The call to love comes bundled with the power to love. They come from the same Source of love. The power to love comes not from your will to love, but from the acceptance of the infinite love that God has for you. Imagine that divine love is a stream of positive energy, always flowing out from God. When you let that stream flow into you, then the flow can continue from you to all around you and back to God as well, sort of like a completed electrical circuit! The power to love is the electricity in the circuit. Although the writers of the bible had no idea of electrical circuits, getting in the flow of love is a very biblical idea. As John says, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us… We love because God first loved us.”
Standing in the flow of God’s love so that you may have the power to love is a matter of training and practice. You have to condition your mind and heart. You have to practice. You have to regularly remind yourself that God is Love and loves you at all times, telling this to yourself over and over again until it becomes a habit of thought. Constantly offer thanks for God’s love. Sing of God’s love in your heart. Meditate on it. Resist negativity. As the Bible says, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Doing these things, you are training your mind and heart to be open to the flow of goodness and love. Soon you actually will begin to feel that God is good and is loving you at all times. Then you can let it flow by passing it on. Worship and praise. Speak or sing your love to God. Share in the sacraments. Then do some loving thing. Say a kind or encouraging word. Give some gift. By acting in loving ways, you create space in yourself to receive even more of the flow of love.
In this Christmas season, I invite you to meditate on the goodness and love of God. I invite you to open your hearts to the positive intention of Spirit. Taste and see that God is good, and trust that the love of God, the goodness of the universe is for you that it might also be through you. At Christmas, celebrate God’s “good will to all!”
In Christ,
Pastor Steve Quinlan
Deacons’ Report
Well, fall is definitely here with all the falling leaves that we have to clean off our lawns. It’s a little disconcerting to see all the bare trees, but I am not a person who looks forward to winter, except for Christmas, which is my favorite holiday. This is also the busiest time of year for the Deacons, with the Harvest Dinner, Thanksgiving and Christmas Baskets, and of course the Angel Tree.
The Annual Harvest Dinner was held October 25th and we had a very good turnout with approximately 50-60 people sharing a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. The Deacons want to thank Terry Jefferson and Mike Cahoon who donated a 45 pound turkey which they raised themselves and it was delicious when served along side my “special stuffing”. We enjoyed butternut squash, which was donated by McQuesten Farms and potatoes donated from Wilson Farms. It’s wonderful that we have two local farms growing all that fresh produce that we enjoy every year. We enjoyed some great desserts, including cheesecake and of course Peter and Kristel’s “Famous Apple Crisp”. I want to thank all the Deacons who worked hard to make this a very special event and to all of you who were able to join us for good food and great fellowship.
Food Pantry
The Deacons will be handing out the Thanksgiving baskets on November 22. We estimate that we will serve approximately 25 families this year, although that number may be higher, with our present economy. We are blessed again this year that St. Francis will again be donating complete turkey dinners for those 25 families, and we will supplement the baskets with other food items. Fortunately the Boy Scouts have their annual food drive on November 8, which will help us tremendously to stock the shelves for the coming Christmas and winter months. Our thanks to Pastor Steve who mans the Food Pantry on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Even with the food drive donations from the Boy Scouts, we are always in need of staple items such as:
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Peanut Butter and jelly
- Cold Cereal
- Canned vegetables such as peas, corn and carrots
- Canned meats such as Spam, tuna, and chicken
- Canned or bottled gravy
- Macaroni and cheese, as well as Spaghetti-O’s and other canned pasta
- Chicken noodle soup, as well as other canned soup
The above items are the types of food that we need on a regular basis. When we run short of items, we supply a list in the Bulletin, but you can always donate any time. If you are in doubt of what we need, just contact any Deacon, the phone numbers are on the back of the Bulletin.
The Angel Tree
Just after Thanksgiving, the Deacons will put up the Christmas tree at the back of the church, which will be decorated with Angels. Each Angel will have the age of the child, whether they are a boy or girl, with ideas and suggestions for gifts. When you pick out an Angel, please fill in your name beside the number of the Angel. We ask that you deliver the Angel gifts (with the Angel tag attached) to the church no later than December 19. We are blessed to have the help of Barry Bean, a former marine, who collects Toys for Tots and delivers them to our church to be distributed to our Angels. Keith Vessels from Romano’s also collects Toys for Tots at the restaurant and helps fill the gift bags. We cannot do what we do without their help and yours. You would be amazed at the system that Linda Peeples and Lorraine Jordan have established to bring order out of chaos the day before and also the day we distribute the gifts and Christmas baskets. This year we will be distributing them on December 20. This is a huge undertaking, and our largest community outreach. We cannot do this without your support and donations. If you have any questions, please contact me at 424-9616 or any other Deacon listed in the bulletin.
We are about to embark on our busiest time of the year, but it can also be a very rewarding time as well. Christmas is a wonderful time of year, a time for giving and sharing what we have with others not so fortunate, especially the children. We do our best to see that the children have a wonderful Christmas. The Deacons thank you for supporting this outreach program, which involves the entire community, including both elementary schools. Again, if you have any questions about our work, not just at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but throughout the year, please just contact us and we would be happy to answer them.
In His Service,
Marge Dabrowski
Advent Sermon Series
Advent is the four-Sunday-long period of preparation for Christmas. This year, as we prepare to celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Jesus, Pastor Quinlan will lead the congregation through a fresh interpretation of the Christmas narratives, asking, “What is the meaning of these stories?” The sermons will be based upon the classic biblical texts, and will draw on the work of acclaimed Jesus Seminar scholars, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan. Professors Borg and Crossan “explore the beginning of the life of Christ, peeling away the sentimentalism that has built up over the last two thousand years around this most well known of all stories to reveal what the gospels actually say.” (from the book, The First Christmas, What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’ Birth)
Hanging of the Greens
Come join us on Saturday, December 6 for the annual hanging of the greens. We’ll meet at the church at 4:30 p.m. and we’ll put up wreaths and various other decorations for the Christmas season. Immediately following this, around 5:30 p.m. there will be a potluck dinner downstairs.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Join us on December 24 at 7 p.m. for our traditional candlelight service on Christmas Eve. We look forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A Stewardship Note from Pastor Quinlan
Dear Friends in Christ,
“Great is Thy Faithfulness” is the title of a familiar hymn, but you may not know that these words are taken from a less familiar bible passage. In Lamentations 3:22-23, the prophet Jeremiah declares, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.”
Stewardship is all about how we respond to God’s faithfulness. The winds of change may blow through our world; human fortunes may rise and fall, but God’s love and care for us is steadfast and unchanging. Even when we are weak, and feel our faith is failing, God’s compassion never fails. God’s kindness toward us is inexhaustible. The dawning of each day brings with it new opportunities and unexpected blessings; “morning by morning new mercies I see.”
How should we respond to such boundless love and faithfulness? Isn’t an offering of thanks and praise a fitting response? Isn’t it right that we should gratefully present to God a gift as a sign of our commitment to live as God’s faithful people?
Your offerings of money and service, combined with those of many others serve the highest purpose of spreading the good news of God’s great faithfulness and love. All that we do as a church and every cent we spend are directed toward that end. With your personal commitment, you let all the world know; great is God’s faithfulness!
Soon you will be receiving in the mail more information about our church’s annual financial stewardship campaign as well as a financial commitment card. I invite you consider the many ways God blesses, and how you can respond in gratitude and commitment. We will dedicate all our gifts and commitments to God in worship on Sunday, November 23rd.
Thanks, and God bless you.
Pastor Steve Quinlan
New Website
We have created a new website for our church:
Through the use of some new innovative software, we have simplified the process for updates and we will be updating the site on a sub-weekly basis. Right on the front page, there is a collection of the most recent announcements. If you check the website during the week, you can see a preview of the upcoming sermon on Sunday including the scripture passages. If you have any feedback, question, or discussion about a topic on the home page, feel free to click on the comments link and add your own comments. Also, be sure to check the calendar to find out up-to-date information about upcoming events.
Birthdays
November 19: Bradley Couture
January 9: Alyssa Hilson
January 15: Jennifer Couture
January 20: James Dabrowski
January 25: Elaine Durand
January 27: Jan Hilson
January 31: Kyle Hilson
