My minister father frequently uttered pithy sayings and pieces of Scripture, one of which was the text from Matthew 6:34 about today’s trouble being enough for today. Of course, given his generation, such sayings were usually offered in the King James Version of the Bible, so his quotation of Matthew 6:34 was: “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Read more »
August 17, 2022
Take your trouble to Jesus
My minister father frequently uttered pithy sayings and pieces of Scripture, one of which was the text from Matthew 6:34 about today’s trouble being enough for today. Of course, given his generation, such sayings were usually offered in the King James Version of the Bible, so his quotation of Matthew 6:34 was: “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Read more »
For the past five decades, the Rev. Jim Wallis has been exploring the complexity and possibility of two of his favorite words, “justice” and “faith.” Wallis, the founder of Sojourners magazine who now directs the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University, recently delivered a talk at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., exploring whether American democracy is even possible given the threats to voting rights, civil rights and any number of other challenges Americans are facing. 
The return to in-person worship is underway, and one can almost hear David’s joy echoed in Psalm 122, when he proclaimed, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” 
What do working for the common good and crafting have in common? They both require the commitment, flexibility and hope to let something new emerge from something old, raw or broken. In 2018, North Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia, a congregation with long-held commitments to social justice, created a new ministry that weaves both crafting and activism together. They call it “craftivism.” And its mission is simply to craft for a cause. 
Those who attended the Synod of the Covenant’s Equipping Preachers recent webinar learned how well humor can work, even when it’s delivered from behind the pulpit. 
The tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, are 21 years in our past. The consequences of that infamous day continue to bring suffering and pain. Today we remember those who perished and seek to live in such a way that the lives lost bring good amid ongoing division and mistrust. 
For Monday’s Between Two Pulpits broadcast, Dr. William McConnell, interim director of Special Offerings, celebrated the start of the Young Adult Volunteer program year by talking to two YAV alums who were equal parts passionate and practical about their own YAV experiences. 
“The language of feasting is often the language of the church,” the Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney said to open a recent lecture in Watts Chapel at Union Presbyterian Seminary. “The expectation in Black church culture is you go to church to be fed to do the work you’re called to do.” 
The key to social media is “social.” The goal is establishing a connection to people online with the hope that repeated connections develop into relationships. The least effective use of social media is to treat it as an electronic bulletin board full of announcements. Social media is not a bullhorn. 
William Tennent probably never dreamed we would get to this point. The same could be said for John Witherspoon.
Tennent, some may recall, is considered by many to be the father of Presbyterian higher education in the United States. It’s been almost 300 years since this forward-thinking Presbyterian pastor established his ministerial Log College in Pennsylvania to educate and prepare commoners for ministry. The college was his response to the first “Great Awakening,” a revivalist movement in the early 18th century that aligned with the Presbyterian goal of “always being reformed.”