A Message from the Pastor
We had a wonderful celebration of our 170th anniversary on May 19! A big “thank you” to all the folks who helped with the event. As I said in my sermon on that occasion, our anniversary was “ a time to rest for a moment, marvel at how far we have come, refresh ourselves with some food and fresh encouragement from the Holy Spirit, and then step out again in the way of following Jesus into “greater things than these.”
During the coming summer, we will continue our anniversary celebration in worship with a sermon series on some of the important events from our history, and the theological and faith issues they raise. I hope you will join us!
I will also try some different ideas in worship this summer – the details of which are still be worked out. On June 16 I am planning to do a “Holy Humor Sunday” – a day when we can have some fun and some laughs as we worship. This is an idea I have “borrowed” from Nicolette Siragusa – one of our former ministry interns at Lyonsville who now serves as Pastor of First Congregational UCC in Grand Ledge, Michigan.
On July 7, and perhaps some other Sundays during the summer, we will experiment with a worship service that follows the patterns of the ancient practice of lectio divina (a Latin word that means “sacred reading”). On those Sundays we will not have a traditional sermon, but instead will have several ways to experience a passage from scripture, some discussion, and an extended time of silence to reflect on what God is speaking to us through the words we have heard.
Many of us will be away at times this summer. If you travel, I pray that you will travel safely, and rejoin us when you are home again. Remember the words of the hymn Blest Be the Tie That Binds, written by John Fawcett: “…we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.”
Pastor Bob von Trebra
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