Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-08-13
A daily e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
To Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
I was at a church conference a few years ago and we church people were challenged to find out about our neighborhood. Who lives in our neighborhood? Who used to live in our neighborhood? What about the land our church building is built upon? Was it farm? Swamp? What about our neighbors 100-years-ago? What about 350-years-ago? Who lived in our neighborhood then?
The point of this exercise it to be mindful of the people who surround us now and who have come before us.
When we are thoughtful about these questions in this country, very often we find ourselves talking about slavery or the expulsion of indigenous people. Some churches in the south were made by slaves. In other old churches, black people were allowed only to sit in the balcony. Churches in Western Carolina were constructed on Cherokee homesteads. My home church was built on Kecoughtan land, part of the once mighty Powhatan tribe.
Being neighborly means thanking God for those who have come before us. Might it mean making amends?
Florence Caplow is the minister of the Unitarian Church on Green Street. She’s asked this question about neighbor before. Below the signature line in her emails are these words:
“Honoring that the UU Church of Urbana-Champaign is within the Indigenous territories of the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Piankashaw, Wea, Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Chickasaw Nations. These lands were the traditional territory of these Native Nations prior to their forced removal. These lands continue to carry the stories of these Nations and their struggles for survival and identity.”
Friends, who are our neighbors now? Who were our neighbors when our sanctuary rose above swampy ground in 1867-69 at Church and State streets? Who raised families here before we arrived?
Blest be the tie that binds.
News:
The Session has called a meeting of the Congregation to hear and act upon the report of the Congregation’s Officer Nominating Committee for 10 a.m. Sunday August 16th. The link for that meeting is
firstpres.church/meeting
CYF Youth Gathering today at 4 pm
Join us on Sunday afternoon from 3:00 to 4:00 for a community service of prayer and discussion. Alan Cook, Ousmane, Sawadago, Michael Crosby, someone from B’hai community, and others will lead us in prayer, followed by discussion. This on-line event takes the place of the Interfaith Forum of Champaign County annual picnic. Find the event here:
https://www.facebook.com/
Humor: (Serious times call for re-creation, joy, and humor.)
Why did the chicken walk across the playground? (To get to the other slide.)
Good Word:
Luke 10:25ff
25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.[a] “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii,[b] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Let us pray:
Help me to love my neighbor, O God.
The guy who roots for the wrong team
and votes for the wrong party. Him.
Help me to love him.
Help me to love the woman
who just threw a cigarette butt
out her car window.
The boy who disregards the old vet,
the man who kicks his dog,
the family that doesn’t mow their grass,
the homeless man always hitting me
up for money. Am I made of cash?
Help me to love my neighbor, O God.
And may my words find expression
in action, by your holy grace, in the
name of your son,
who loves me.
Hallelujah.
Amen.
PEACE to you all,
Matt Matthews
First Presbyterian Church Champaign
A (cool) congregation of the PC(USA)
Church: 217.356.7238; Cell: 864.386.9138
WWW.MattMatthewsCreative.Com
