CROSS CURRENTS ISSUE 01 | VOLUME 2022 | FEBRUARY
F R O M PA S TO R P E T E Greetings St. Andrew’s! Happy February to you! It doesn’t take a groundhog to tell you February has a lot going for it! From 30 Hour Famine to Valentine’s Day to Lotsa Pasta for ICS. It’s National Snack Food Month, Bird Feeding Month, and I’d add the importance of recognizing African American History Month. As Rosa Parks once said, “I had no idea that history was being made. I was just tired of giving up.” While you or I may not have been involved with making history, it’s been very important to me to learn from people of color not only about history, but about how their experiences of living in our racialized society have been very different than mine. I’m grateful to Black brothers and sisters in Christ who have lovingly shared with me that there is a big difference between not being racist and being anti-racist. The Bible instructs us to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). As long as racism exists in some form, I believe it’s our duty as followers of Christ to be anti-racist, seeking to love our neighbors as ourselves, bearing witness to the love, justice, and grace of Jesus Christ. As the Confession of 1967 so eloquently states: “The new life takes shape in a community in which people know that God loves and accepts them in spite of what they are. They therefore accept themselves and love others, knowing that no one has any ground on which to stand, except God’s grace.” (9.22) This month, we are continuing in our worship series called “The Great Embrace.” One area of study for me has been about
leadership, especially during times of change. Even before the pandemic, our culture was riding the waves of something called discontinuous change. Without getting too academic, discontinuous change describes change that happens in fits and starts, big shifts followed by smaller shifts, then maybe a period of stability followed by another “big one.” (This is contrasted with incremental change, which is a process of change that happens steadily at a consistent rate over a period of time. Still change, but maybe easier to manage.) Some people get excited by innovation, others hate having to change, and I haven’t met anyone who enjoys “getting the rug pulled out from underneath them.” While changes can happen all around and even within us, we can be intentional in how we respond! While we may feel like we are losing a lot when changes come, it’s important that we not just see this as bad news. The church of Jesus Christ has persisted for
nearly 2000 years, and in every age the church has been led by the Holy Spirit to embrace the proclamation (kerygma) of the Gospel, the teaching (didache) of “the apostles,” and a devotion to common life and fellowship (koinonia). Join us as we continue to delve into embracing the beliefs and practices that define who we are as God’s people. This year the season of Lent begins in the first week of March. We are hoping that as many people as possible from St. Andrew’s could participate (safely in person, at the church, in homes, in outdoor meeting spaces, or virtually via Zoom…) in a “Lent Experience” group. This will be an opportunity to battle the isolation and loneliness of the past couple years by getting together in a group with others, to enjoy community together, and learning about incorporating Lenten spiritual practices into your life, to deepen your faith and prepare for the glory of Easter! Counting it all joy, Pastor Pete
UPCOMING WORSHIP SCHEDULE
The Great Embrace: The Fundamentals of Christian Community in an Age of Resignation – Acts 2:42-47 February 6 - Embracing Worship and Prayer February 13 - Embracing Testimony February 20 - Embracing Others and Their Burdens February 27 - Embracing Witness