Ongoing Response to COVID-19

Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2021-02-24

Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Friends,
 
Remember to register for in-person worship on Sunday. For now, we’re keeping numbers limited to 50 souls. Call the church office. When you feel safe, come on back.
 
* * *
 
Join us for the Wednesday night mid-week Gathering. Our Spiritual Formation Team has some good conversations in store for us. Our lives and  our cultures are composed of many overlapping stories. Too often we focus on a single story, excluding cultural influences, other perspectives and the rich tapestry of different experiences in the world. This single story is limiting and makes us misinterpret people, their backgrounds and their lives. It can also lead to judgement, disconnection, and conflict.
Join us tonight at 7:00  to explore how our faith invites to deepen our relationships to more than a single story.  A  popular TED talk will be  followed by reflection hosted by our Spiritual Formation and Compassion, Peace and Justice Committees.  
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.
 
* * *
  
(An Ash Wednesday essay that is still useful for Lent…)
 
Enough of Dust and Ashes
by Dean Myers
 
On Ash Wednesday 2020, I knelt before a priest as his thumb inscribed a black-as-death cross on my forehead. His words captioned my rough cross with the ancient admonition, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
 
For Ash Wednesday 2021, my church is offering my wife and me a baggie of blessed ashes for in-home use. We may impose them upon one another while that priest and those words are Zoomed to us. If I lived alone, I could impose them upon myself.
 
I think, Something about self-imposed ashes, or about a couple imposing ashes upon one another, feels emotionally and liturgically crass.
 
I also think, How could I possibly not remember that I am dust in this, our long season of pandemic? How could I, denied access to my community of faith, not remember that even the best moments of our one life shall in time return to dust?
 
COVID-19 has imposed dust and ashes upon me forever.
 
I am wondering what to do this Ash Wednesday.
 
… God! I have had enough of dust and ashes!
I’ve had enough numbers of COVID-19 cases and death, hospitalizations, and ICU capacities. I’ve had enough news of climbing positivity rates, and agonizing, lonely deaths, and symptoms that linger for months.
 
I’ve had enough of the dust and ashes of economic crisis and emotional trauma and daily family stresses and month-upon-month separations and schools struggling to do their best and masks and controversies and political posturing and the denial that made it all worse.
 
And, imposing even more upon us than COVID-19 has, are the dust and ashes of our assaults upon ourselves. I have had enough of Black citizens killed by police, of police killed by anarchists, of democracy threatened by self-serving power, of our planet suffocated by greed and indifference, of too many of us captivated by callously-crafted conspiracy theories, and of all of us likely to distrust anyone distanced from us ….
 
Nevertheless, I confess that I cannot let Ash Wednesday slip by unacknowledged. In the face of the suffering and death COVID-19 and the rest have imposed upon us, my face will bear witness to my trust that the cross triumphs over dust and ashes, including mine. Remembering my dustiness, I will repent of my despair, and trust Jesus. Forever.
 
* * *

CYF will be hosting a Spirituality Center in the church chapel for the season of Lent beginning this Sunday. Open House hours will be Sundays 11 am-2:30 pm. Come for some quiet reflection time by walking the labyrinth, contemplating scripture, and creating at your own pace. One household will be admitted at a time. Check in and temperature recordings will be necessary as well as face masks while in the building and chapel. Sanitizing wipes will be at each station for further protection between visitors. We hope you will find it a blessing for this season of inward contemplation and examination.
Sunday School continues. Follow this link for a virtual version of the Lenten Spirituality Center Lenten Spirituality Center

* * *
 
News
 
Have you seen this labyrinth?
https://labyrinthlocator.com/locate-a-labyrinth?action=locate&organization=Urbana+Park+District+-+Crystal+Lake+Park&city=Urbana&state=IL&postalcode=&country=&radius=&submit=Search
 
* * *

Circles meet Thursday, February 25

Circle of Joy 9 am…
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.
 
Circle of Faith 1 pm…
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.

Circle of Peace 7 pm…
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.
* * * 
 
Humor (Hard times really need godly laughter): 
 
From Jane Alsberg…
 A man went fishing but quickly ran out of worms. He thought his day’s fishing was over until he saw a cottonmouth with a frog in his mouth. Remembering that frogs make a great bait and realizing that he was unlikely to get bitten by a snake whose mouth was full of frog, he grabbed the snake behind its head, grabbed the frog, and put it in his bait bucket. Then he realized he had a problem. How could he release the snake without being bitten? Being a problem solver, he found a solution. He grabbed his bottle of Jack Daniels and poured some whiskey in the snake’s mouth. Once the snake relaxed and went limp, the fisherman released him, and continued with his fishing. A little later, he felt a tap on his foot and looked down. There was the same snake with two more frogs in his mouth.
 
From Marilyn Shimkus… 
Intelligence is like underwear. It is important that you have it, but not necessary that you show it off.
 
From Bill Marble… 
I hate it when people say age is only a number. Age is clearly a word.
 
From Claudia Kirby… 
Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong preaching on the devil. One said to the other, ‘What do you think about all this Satan stuff?’ The other boy replied, ‘Well, you know how Santa Claus turned out. It’s probably just your Dad.’ 
 
 * * *
  
Good Word 
 
Luke 12:48b               
From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.
 
 LET US PRAY
 
Lord, I read that from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required . . . Compared to a billionaire, I don’t have a lot, and I’m glad less might be required of me. But compared to the rest of the world, I’m wealthy; so, more will be required of me?
 
More?
 
Less?
 
 Forgive me for thinking my way out of discipleship.
 
My cup runneth over. Let every thing I do be another way of saying thank you, thank you, thank you. 
 
(Help me.)
 
AMEN.
 
* * *
 
Much, much love to you all.
 
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church
 
* * *

Lenten Daily Devotion
Wednesday, FEBRUARY 24, 2021
PSALM 104:14-26
Psalm 104 is a majestic creation psalm, describing the interdependence of the creatures of the earth and God’s manifold wisdom in creation. The psalm evokes a sense of wonder and awe as we consider the creation that surrounds us.
Practice: Read Psalm 104:14–26 slowly, two or three times, and consider its many references to the creation around us.
Journal: Note in your journal any movement toward God or away from God that is evoked as you pray this psalm.


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Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2021-02-24

Daily Lenten Devotion from “The Presbyterian Outlook”
Tuesday, FEBRUARY 23, 2021
PSALM 36:5-9
Psalm 36 is a profound affirmation of God’s unconquered, life-giving power amid the brokenness of our lives and of all of creation — “you save humans and animals alike.” This affirmation is foundational for our prayers throughout the season of Lent. It undergirds the movements of our spirits that we discern — movements both toward God and away from God. It is important to affirm God’s life-giving power even as we recognize movements away from God, because it is especially during experiences
of despair, fear or anxiety that we need this psalm’s assurance of God’s steadfast presence. The promise of resurrection out of death is foundational to our faith as we journey through Lent toward Easter.
Practice: You are invited to pray with Psalm 36:5-9.
Journal: Note what surfaces in your awareness in your journal.
 

 
                                                       

 
The Heart of Mission
February 23, 2021
 
We have dipped our toes into the “in person worship” water. It was wonderful to see those of you who were there! However, if you are not able to be around people, we still have our “flagship” 9 am service online. And, Mindy has set up a wonderful Spirituality Center in the Chapel where individualized prayer and worship can happen in a safe and socially distant way. The pictures above show a little of it. A Reformed understanding of worship is that we worship and glorify God and then we walk out of the doors of the sanctuary into the mission field. What happens inside informs all that we do outside. So, worship and mission go together.
 
Continuing from last week, I will give you a scripture lesson and some daily mission tasks from the One Great Hour of Sharing material to help focus you on your Lenten journey. You might want to have a small coin bank (Fish bank, First Pres bank) to collect small coins as you do these activities. If you cannot give coins, think about acts of service you can do for others.
 
There is a lot of mission going on at First Presbyterian Champaign! May your Lenten walk take you exactly where God wants you to be!
 
Peace,
 
Rev. Dr. Rachel Matthews, Mission Coordinator
 

 
Wednesday, Feb. 24, What did you water for today? Using the map above, find the projects related to water, and say a prayer for each. (See the full map at pcusa.org/oghsmap)
 
Thursday, Feb. 25, Using the online OGHS map, look at the states where PDA is working. (One right now is Texas!). Read about one near to you and one far away, and make a generous gift for each as you offer a prayer.

Friday, Feb. 26, Health is one of our most important needs. The pandemic has made thousands of people sick. Say a prayer for each person your family knows who has had COVID-19. Then offer a prayer for those you do not know.
 
Saturday, Feb. 27, Find the international locations where PDA is serving. Prayer for these countries and give a gift for each. (This could be a least coin.)
 
Sunday, Feb. 28, Most people around the world don’t have access to the many varieties of fruit and vegetables we have. Gift one gift for each type of vegetable in your house.

            Prayer of the week: Gather us all around your banquet table, O God, with all who hunger and thirst. May we join, together, to share the abundance you’ve intended for all. Amen. Lectionary: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Psalm 22:23-31; Romans 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38
 
Monday, March 1, Climate change is forcing farmers worldwide to either adjust their farming methods or move away. Give a gift for each type of animal you saw today. (Goldfish count.)
 
Tuesday, March 2, Thousands of “front-line” workers risk their lives daily to help those who have COVID-19. Say a prayer for the doctors, nurses and other medical staff who care for the sick.
 
Other mission activities you can do this week:
Make a commitment to adopt a local mission agency that partners with our Community Mission Deacons. Pray for our CMD which meets tonight at 4:30pm over zoom. The list of agencies is at the end of this email.
 
Join Frontera de Cristo on their Coffee, Conversation and Compassion zoom Thursdays at 6pm.
 

 
 
Join a Presbyterian Women study Thursday morning, afternoon or evening. They are studying Lament. They are zooming and always welcomes visitors. Check the daily email for zoom links.
 
Pray with Presbyterian Education Board (PEB) in Pakistan and/or join the Pakistan study group which meets every Wednesday afternoon from 1:30-3:00:
 
 
And, finally, pray for our sister congregation in Cuba. Our Cuba Steering Committee meets this Thursday at 5:30pm over zoom.
 
Let us keep all our mission partners in our prayers, those who are waiting to go back to their place of ministry and those who are able to work where they are. Listen for God’s call to you in their ministry.
 
Our PC(USA) Mission CoWorkers:
 
Mark Adams and Miriam Maidonado Escobar (Mexico)
Farsijanna Adeney-Risakotta (Indonesia)
Jeff and Christi Boyd (Central Africa)
Bob and Kristi Rice (South Sudan)
 
Our regional and global mission partners:
 
Kemmerer Village (and Camp Carew)
Lifeline Pilots
Marion Medical Mission
Mission Aviation Fellowship
Opportunity International
Friends of Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan Presbyterian Cuba Partnership
Special Offerings of the PC(USA)
Theological Education Fund
Young Adult Volunteers
 
Here in Champaign – Urbana:
 
CU at Home
CANAAN S.A.F.E. HOUSE
CANTEEN RUN
COURAGE CONNECTION
DREAAM
eMPTY TOMB, INC
FAITH IN ACTION
JESUS IS THE WAY PRISON MINISTRY
THE REFUGEE CENTER
RESTORATION URBAN MINISTRY
SALT & LIGHT
 
Here at First Presbyterian Church
 
FPCC Amateur Preachers
FPCC Environmental Committee working with Faith in Place
FPCC Presbyterian Women
FPCC ESL
FPCC Children, Youth and Families
FPCC Mission Possible/Go and Serve
FPCC Mission Team, World Mission and Community Mission Deacons

 
 
A picture containing drawing Description automatically generated
 

  302 W. Church Street
  Champaign, IL 61820
  217-356-7238
  info@firstpres.church
 
 

 
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Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2021-02-22

Monday, February 22nd, 2021
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Dear Friends,
 
In-person worship got off to a sublime start yesterday. When you are ready, sign up by calling the church office, and join us. We are taking all precautions. We are still in a pandemic.
 
* * *
 
CYF will be hosting a Spirituality Center in the church chapel for the season of Lent beginning this Sunday. Open House hours will be Sundays 11am-2:30pm. Come for some quiet reflection time by walking the labyrinth, contemplating scripture, and creating at your own pace. One household will be admitted at a time.

Check in and temperature recordings will be necessary as well as face masks while in the building and chapel. Sanitizing wipes will be at each station for further protection between visitors. We hope you will find it a blessing for this season of inward contemplation and examination.

Sunday School continues. Follow this link for a virtual version of the Lenten Spirituality Center Lenten Spirituality Center
 
 
* * *
 
“Labyrinth”
by Matt Matthews
Sunday, February 21st, 2021
 
I took off my shoes before stepping onto the labyrinth.
 
I took my fat wallet out of my pocket, my keys, my phone, and stuck them in my shoes. I needed to lighten my load to curve around the path drawn on a massive canvas tarp covering the chapel floor. The path led to an empty circle at the center of the wider circle, like a holy flower, such simple, elegant curves.
 
Mindy Watts-Ellis created this Spirituality Center. A few activity stations line the walls. A journaling center. A place to pray prayers, to think thoughts. She has made the chapel an oasis. Her hand-made labyrinth is the big, beating heart of the room. 
 
I left some things behind, but I carried some things with me. I didn’t shed my clothes—my purple dress socks, black suit pants too thin for this climate, purple shirt, purple tie. A pastor’s Lenten uniform. I carried with me the memory of ashes on my forehead, the gritty feel of sin rubbed into the skin of my skin with warm oil that might as well have been the grease of somebody’s blood. I left my wedding ring on. I could have taken off my watch. My late mother gave it to me. I wear it and think of her. Sometimes the crown catches on the edge of my pocket and pops out when I reach for my phone and this heirloom watch stops dead, becoming a dead, tickless weight. My phone keeps perfect time, but I can’t trust that unreliable watch. I laugh about it, and the laughing is the perfect way to remember Mom.
 
My mask has become part of my face and fits like a muzzle, chafing my ears, steaming my glasses, reminding me of contagion, the distances that separate us, the barriers behind which I often hide, the nearly 500,000 dead, and counting. I sometimes forget to wear it. I sometimes forget that it’s on.
 
The pen that Johnnie Ebelein gave me was in my breast pocket. I could have left that in my shoe. She wanted me to have it to sign copies of my first novel. It was her husband’s. I had visited Al at the VA nursing center. I loved making him laugh. His generous smile covered his face and his whole body shook when he laughed. He’d want me to have it, she said. I carried it in my pocket when I preached his funeral. Nothing makes you feel like a novelist like a polished Montblanc. 
 
A few steps into the labyrinth, I realized I should have shed these things. I should have left these encumbrances behind. One pares down for a spiritual journey. One travels light. I learned this by reading the desert fathers and mothers. But even they brought pen and paper and probably some dishes.
 
And my glasses. I didn’t leave them behind in my shoe. My wife has worn glasses since she was six-years-old. Sometimes she accidentally sleeps with them on. I took my glasses off as I made my way slowly around, because I see well enough without them, but I kept them in my hand should I need to thread some needle or distinguish between a comma and a decimal point. This is important when it comes to negotiating salaries and such.
 
I took stock of the things I carried onto that canvas labyrinth, the lent in my pockets, the Tim O’Brien story in my head about the things our young soldiers carried in their heavy packs into the jungles of Vietnam. I carry a silver cross. Since I graduated seminary and Jeff Kellam gave it to me, it hangs on the chain around my neck. I never take it off, especially not for TSA agents, and I didn’t take it off for this journey. I am a man burdened by clothes and glasses, the accoutrements of pandemic and convention, history, the weight of my vocation. Even naked, we bear scars. We carry memory as much as it carries us. These things tip the scale.
 
There’s music piped into hidden speakers, piano music with lots of dissonance. It’s ethereal, but repetitive and it began to grate on me. An image came to mind of a child testing her frustrated motor skills with an eraser rubbing a hole in the page of her homework. Nothing breaks a spiritual vibe like thoughts of homework. 
 
Breathe, I told myself. 
 
Let go. 
 
Transcend. 
 
On one wall, there’s a small fountain trickling over smooth black stones. Cold, grey light illumines the room but dimmed incandescent bulbs add ambience, warm things up. The weather conspired to make the day particularly Lenten. A platter of sand and a tiny rake sit on a nearby table; patterns raked into the sand create the likeness of a sea swirling around an archipelago of small stones. I’ve imagined being shipwrecked on an island like that. The rake changes the shape of the current, and the one who sits long enough with the sand and the rake is changed, also, which is the point. Or, missing the point, he falls asleep on the soft chair with the soft music in the dull light of this empty room.
 
That’s the danger of spiritual things. Not that it leads to sleep, but to dreams, a midnight of the soul. Only people who love God wrestle with God in the night. Only they know that special kind of pain. The wrestling begins in their dreams, and soon spills over into the rest of life, commencing in their commute, in the garden, rolling that heavy stone up that terrible hill again and again and again. The spiritual journey leads us to our knees in prayer, in service, in surrender. It’s a sacred journey, a yellow brick road, a stairway to heaven, a path of glowing coals, a bed of nails. The faithful have marked the path by setting their footprints in the concrete. The encouragements are like bread crumbs. Barbara was here. DS+AS=4ever. Drawn hearts are fixed in the concrete. Rainbows. Handprints. Paw prints. Shining suns and shooting stars. No one knows how to spell out danger or warning or woe. So, they draw a cross, which most of us mistake for a simpler version of a smiley face.
 
Lord have mercy.
 
At the corners of the canvas tarp are tea candles sitting on round mirrors. The candles aren’t real. A battery makes the light shine, makes the flame flicker. And the green palm fronds aren’t real, either. Just plastic. And the cloth bag with silver coins isn’t real. The dime-store coins are plastic. And the crown of thorns is just for looks, and the communion chalice is empty. There’s no bread, not even a plastic loaf, on the paten. One’s faith journey often feels unreal, or surreal, or all-too-real. I just followed my purple socks on that canvas path, followed these curved lines carving a path around and around to an empty center. Real spiritual journeys cut into flesh and bone. Tears and blood are involved. I’m getting off easy in sock feet in this warm chapel.
 
But I’m game for adventure. I work in metaphor and sacrament. And I’m hopeful this journey might yield fruit as journeys are wont to do, relieved that flesh and bone and blood won’t be involved.
 
Labyrinths were set in stone on cathedral floors. There’s not one in Notre Dame, but there is in Chartres. The faithful have wound themselves into the center, and unwound themselves back out saying prayers along the way, losing themselves, gaining Christ, shedding burdens in their mystic perambulation, following their feet. Some pilgrims have been known to crawl the journey. On hands and knees. Close to the ground. That doesn’t guarantee the journey is more significant, only harder on the lower back and don’t forget those knees. No matter how you travel, you won’t get lost on a labyrinth. Walking in one direction, you come to the center. Turn around, and follow your steps in the other direction, you find your exit, or entrance, back into the world. It’s not a maze. You can’t get lost.
 
Unless—you get lost in your thoughts. 
 
I did. I was verily swept away.
 
I looked down. 
 
I took small steps, following my purple socks, winding in. I forget what I was thinking about, but I knew where my feet were. I knew where I was going. 
 
I lost myself in prayer. A Billy Joel lyric slipped into my brain from the song Allentown about what’s real, iron and coke and chromium steel. Reality is a big word. An economic word. Joe Friday had no idea what he was asking when he said, “Just the facts, ma’am.” I slipped back into a prayer. Nothing is more real than prayer, and remember I am a professional.
 
I did not orchestrating these thoughts bouncing around my brain. I simply let them come, and I let them go. I was responsible for following my steps, that’s all. That’s real, too. In my prayers I didn’t bother with big words, mostly just, Oh God. Oh God. I say, Yes, Lord. Yes. Very conversational. The air smells like jasmine and dirt and history and bread and night. It smells familiar. You smell things on labyrinths.
 
Jesus is walking with me. We’re in step. It’s evening. We’re on the way to a garden. He’s quiet, worn. I can’t help him. I can’t carry his load. I don’t want to. I don’t even want to carry my own. I blink. My purple socks lead the way. I’m following them. It’s morning now. There is bright sun. I’m walking with Jesus again. I’m at the edge of a few pedestrians walking down an empty dirt road. It’s warm and I am delighted to be walking through a warm day. Champaign, Illinois, is a million miles away from warm days in February. These companions are arguing religion. Jesus is setting them straight, talking about the Old Testament, reminding them of the stories and the stories about the stories. They are entralled. Jesus is happy. His steps are light, though His companions shuffle heavily. They’re coming home from a crucifixion. His. I won’t let them in on Jesus’ secret. They don’t recognize Him, but I do, my incognito Capital Letter Friend. I’m happy to be walking along. I’m wearing Bermuda shorts and red Nikes over my purple dress socks. The colors clash. They are clad in Bible clothes, their father’s bathrobes, flip flops from the Dollar General. Our companions will recognize Him soon enough in Emmaus, their hearts burning strangely within their chests after He breaks the bread and disappears. 
 
Who knew this labyrinth would take me down this road?
 
Walking the labyrinth in science fiction novels gets you from one world to the next. Characters jump dimensions. I know the feeling. My socked feet remained firmly on the path, but the scenes changed. I’m on the beach behind Frank Henry’s house. We’re twelve-years-old. We’re rigging a sailboat, pulling lines through blocks, tying figure-eights, getting ready to shove off into a nice breeze. Blink. I’m in a church. Blink. I’m with my dad and he’s trudging through snow with much of his division, hands up, terrified, freezing, Germans with rifles pointing them to the road that will take them to prison camps. Blink. I’m sitting on a pew with my sons. Blink. I’m in tears. Blink. Blink. Blink.
 
It’s a labyrinth, I remind myself. I’m safe. 
 
Mindy was sitting in the hallway to welcome other guests. She was the hall monitor. But I was the only one in our Spirituality Center. I was alone with my Sunday thoughts. Alone with the people crowding through my imagination. I was marching with a defeated army. Walking with Jesus on ancient roads. Feet in the sand pushing a Laser sailboat into the harbor on a windy, warm day. If you follow the steps of the Shaker dance, turning, turning, we come our right. Tis a gift to be simple. I trust this dance. I trust the One who walks with me.
 
Not all paths are safe, but this one is. This path is safe. I kept walking, keeping my purple sock feet between the lines marking the path. Time had stopped but my walking had not. You keep moving on a labyrinth. It’s not about speed, but progress. You keep inching forward. 
 
Breathe. 
 
Pray. Be. Listen.
 
Walk. 
 
 
* * *
 
Come try out the labyrinth. Let me know where the journey takes you.
 
,
Matt Matthews
First Presbyterian Church Champaign
A (cool) congregation of the PC(USA)
Church: 217.356.7238; Cell: 864.386.9138
matt@firstpres.church

* * *

Last week’s photo received several guesses, but none correctly identified Linda Sandquist.
The photo challenge will take a break during Lent. We’ll see you in a few weeks!

* * *

Lenten Daily Devotion from “The Presbyterian Outlook”
Monday, FEBRUARY 22, 2021

PSALM 8
Psalm 8 invites us to consider our place in God good’s creation — a lofty place, “a little lower than God.” Though we are not God, the psalmist affirms human dominion over God’s good creation. It is important to note that the word “dominion” does not connote domination, much less exploitation. It conveys, rather, that we are caretakers of God’s creation, who care for it as God does. We play a representative role that carries responsibilities for stewardship on God’s behalf; thus, exploitation is hardly in view. As Clint McCann writes in his essay on Psalms in “The New Interpreter’s Bible,” “God and humans are partners in the care of creation, because God has made a risky choice to share power!” A risky choice indeed!
Practice: Pray this psalm with special attention to our stewardship of
God’s creation.
Journal: As you meditate on this psalm, attend to movements toward
God and away from God that surface in your awareness, and note in a
journal what the psalm evokes.


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Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2021-02-19

Friday, February 19th, 2021
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
Dear Friends, 
 
In Paul Lake’s poem “in Rough Weather”, he’s in a storm, with his brother, in a small boat. He looks back as the boat is on the verge of floundering and all he holds dear, he holds doubly dear. 
 
It’s a beautiful line.
 
That’s how we often feel when we are in a wilderness. We look back on our lives and all we hold dear we hold doubly dear. Have you ever been in a wilderness, feeling lost, sore afraid? 
 
Rachel and I will explore “wilderness” in Sunday’s sermon. 
 
* * *
 
See you Sunday. 
 
PEACE and much love,
 
Matt Matthews
864.386.9138
matt@firstpres.church
 
* * *
 
A suburban wilderness…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3bcBBA9_68
 
More music…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obkrMiyDrbs

* * *
Lenten Daily Devotions from The Presbyterian Outlook
 
Friday, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
JOHN 4:1-14
“Eternal life,” a key concept in John’s Gospel, refers not just to life after death but to a rich quality of life available now in relationship to God in Christ — life that partakes of the goodness and joy of Godlife that is full and enduring. Fullness of life, symbolized by the vivid imagery of living water, is God’s intent for us in the present, as well as the future.
However, many realities can keep us from the fullness that God intends — realities such as fear, anxiety, self-hatred or social conditions of oppression on account of racism, classism or sexism, to name but a few.
Practice: You are invited to pray John 4:1-14 in light of your particular
circumstances. Slowly read the story two or three times and ponder deeply
its images. You might even imagine that you are present at the well in the
story as Jesus converses with the Samaritan woman. What do you observe?
What movements of your spirit and emotions emerge as you ponder this
story? Are they movements toward God such as liberation, hope or joy? Or
movements away from God such as anxiety or even despair?
Journal: Note what surfaces in your prayer with this passage in
your journal.

Saturday, FEBRUARY 20, 2021
ISAIAH 43:1-5
Isaiah 43 is written to exiles in Babylon who long for homecoming, thus it is a potent word for exiles in our own time and place who long for the same. This passage is one of the most powerful expressions of God’s love for Israel – indeed, for all people – in Scripture: “You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.” Isaiah 43 is perhaps especially poignant in our present pandemic moment, when so many are feeling isolated and alone.
Practice: You are invited to read Isaiah 43:1-5 slowly, two or three times,
taking time to meditate on images that most capture your attention. What
do they disclose to you about movement toward God, and away from God, in your life at present?
Journal: Note what surfaces in your journal.

Week 1…
HYMN OF THE WEEK: “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need”
PRAYER FOCUS: Reception — How can I receive God’s forgiveness for my own weaknesses and failures? In what ways is God speaking healing and grace into my heart?
ACTION: Pay attention to creation this week. Go for a walk and observe the Creator’s handiwork. Look out a window and take notice. Look for photos of landscapes in regions far from where you live and give thanks for the beauty and variety of creation.

Sunday, FEBRUARY 21, 2021
PSALM 46:1-11
Psalm 46, one of the most beloved of the Psalter, inspired Martin Luther’s celebrated hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” It articulates deep trust in God amid turmoil and chaos — realities with which we are all too familiar in our current historical moment. There are many ways to pray with this psalm.
Practice: You may wish to follow the practice of reflecting on images that compel you, or you may want to focus on certain lines of the psalm, such
as the words from verse 10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Suggestion: Repeat these eight words eight times, each time omitting the last word
until you are left only with the word “Be.” This is a powerful, contemplative way to pray this psalm.
Journal: Note in a journal what surfaces in your awareness, what thoughts or emotions are evoked as you engage this Scripture in prayer —
movements toward God or movements away from God. Whichever the case may be, rest assured of the loving presence of God.


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Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2021-02-18

Thursday, February 18th, 2021
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Friends,
 
It was amazingly good to see about a dozen of you yesterday in our first-ever “drive-by” imposition of Ash Wednesday ashes. We all have soooo much to look forward to. 
 
Another few dozen of you were at last night’s Wednesday vespers led artfully by Pastor Eric. 
 
* * *
 
Remember for those of you who feel safe, our in-person worship service will resume on this Sunday at 10:15 in the sanctuary. See below. Please note that snow is in the forecast. The north west door into the parking lot will definitely be open, and we hope a salted path will lead up to it.
 
* * *
 
Here’s a poem that points us to Easter. Consider it as, together, we make our way with Jesus to Jerusalem.
 
Manifesto: The Mad Farmer 
Liberation Front
by Wendell Berry
 
Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.
Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion — put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie easy in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
 
“Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” from The Country of Marriage, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc1973. Also published by Counterpoint Press in The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry, 1999; The Mad Farmer Poems, 2008; New Collected Poems, 2012.

* * * 
 
News
 
Please sign up for the book study. (Call the office.) 
 
BOOK STUDY!  You are invited to a congregation-wide four session book study. 
 
WHAT? Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (One World, 2015). A father talks to his fifteen-year-old son about the realities of inhabiting a black body.

  • WHEN?  Thursdays, February 18 and 25 and March 4 and 11 at 11:00am to 12:00 noon. 
  • HOW? Sign up by emailing or calling Patty Farthing in the church office. We will meet on-line via Zoom. 217.356.7238 /  Patty@firstpres.church . Borrow books from our public library in paper, digital or audio form. 
  • WHO? Everyone in our congregation and community is invited. Pastor Matt Matthews will facilitate. Our Compassion, Peace, and Justice Committee/ Spiritual Formation Committee will host.             
  • WHY? Jesus asks us to love each other.

* * *
 
Destin Lembelembe, one of our recent high school grads (Urbana, 2019) has a new sales job selling knives and he needs thirty of us to attend his first sales pitch. Rachel and I have agreed to be at his virtual presentation, and I hope some of you will agree, too. His email follows. Be in touch if you’re willing. It’s nice to give our young people a boost when we can. 
 
destinsoccer.lembelembe@gmail.com
 
* * *

In-person Worship begins on February 21st at 10:15.  After careful discussion and prayerful deliberation, the COVID-19 team and the Session have recommended that we resume limited in-person weekly worship on the First Sunday of Lent, February 21st at 10:15 a.m.  
 
For those of you who feel safe to attend, please pre-register by calling the church office at 217.356.7238. Registration will run from Monday morning to Thursday noon the week before each service. (We are preregistering not only as a means of contact-tracing, but also to keep attendance at or under fifty [50] people, including worship leaders and ushers. That is the limit prescribed by state public health guidelines.) 
 
Remember, your Session is doing everything it can to keep everyone safe during this season of pandemic. While the end may be in sight with local and statewide numbers trending downward, not everyone is vaccinated yet and Covid-19 is still deadly. Some experts guess our nationwide death toll due to Covid may total over 600,000 by later this Spring.
 
The best way to safeguard against getting Covid is to limit one’s exposure to it and to get vaccinated; while we have prepared as safe a worship environment as possible, and all participants will be required to check in, wear masks at all times, and sit at a distance of six feet from other families, we cannot guarantee that somebody won’t get sick. Those who come to worship come at their own risk.
 
These in-person services will be, essentially, services of welcome, scripture, prayer, and preaching. These brief—40-minutes, or less—services will include no spoken liturgy, no congregational singing, and no choir. The preacher will speak from behind a plexiglass barrier. There will be no indoor fellowship, and no coffee or food service before or after the service.
 
This may not sound like a very welcoming or, even, friendly invitation, does it? You know what I mean. So, make wise decisions for you and your family, stay away if you are high risk or don’t feel well, and know that I look forward to “seeing” some of you online at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday (FirstPres.Live), and others of you face to face at 10:15 a.m. 
 
God is good.
 
* * * 
 
Humor (Hard times really need godly laughter): 
 
From Marilyn Shimkus:

John Travolta tested negative for coronavirus last night. Turns out it
was just Saturday night fever.
 
* * *
 
Good Word (a familiar passage that you’ll hear on Sunday):
 
MARK 1:9-15               
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
 
12And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
 
                  14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
 
 LET US PRAY
 
(Thank you, Linda Peterson)

May the blessing of light be on you 
(Scottish Blessing Prayer)
May the blessing of light be on you, light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you like a great peat fire, so that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it.
And may light shine out of the two eyes of you, like a candle set in the window of a house, bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm.
And may the blessing of the rain be on you, may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there a shining pool where the blue of Heaven shines, and sometimes a star.
And may the blessing of the earth be on you, soft under your feet as you pass along the roads, soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the end of day; and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lie out under it.
May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be out from under it quickly; up and off and on its way to God.
And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly.
 
* * *
 
Much, much love to you all.
 
 Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church

* * *

Lenten Daily Devotional from The Presbyterian Outlook
Thursday, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
ISAIAH 55:1-5
Isaiah 55 invites us to ponder the abundance of life in God, in marked contrast to the scarcity we experience in a world that so often seems short on resources. While in Babylonian captivity, exiled Israelites were faced with the scarcity of basic necessities of life, as are many people around the globe and in our own country, especially amid a pandemic.
Practice: You are invited to pray Isaiah 55:1-5. Ponder deeply the images in
this text and sense the movements toward God and movements away from
God in your life that your reflection evokes. Where is there scarcity in your
life? Where is there abundance?
Journal: Take note in your journal of movements away from God and
movements toward God that surface in your awareness.


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