"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NRSV) My mother used to tell me, “Sunday is the day of rest.” She didn’t mean it was a day for sleeping and napping. Sabbath means to stop, desist, and rest. It means having a restful spirit. Do you ever feel anxious? Rest is a gift from God. God rested after creating the whole world. On Sunday, God wants us to have a day of rest — of serenity and calm. This means being still and feeling God's presence. Times of quiet and worship allow us to bask in God's love. My hope for you this summer is to experience God's rest, not just on Sundays, but every day. Summertime can be a Sabbath from worries and anxieties. Let go of your anxious mind and agitations, and bask in God’s glorious creation. Center your life in the holiness of God in every moment. My prayer for you is that this summer will be a time of rest in God. To "be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10).

Mark 4:35-41 You all have heard many sermons on this text about the importance of faith in the midst of the storms of life. Though a sound interpretive move it actually has nothing to do with Mark’s purpose for writing it. It is meant to answer the one question of Mark’s gospel, “Who is Jesus of Nazareth?” We thought we had the answer in Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, The Son of God.” Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son. But for Mark’s audience, and for us, this answer is utterly insufficient, even misleading. Knowing someone’s name and title does give us some information but our pre-conceived notions all too often skew the truth. This was especially true for both the notions of Messiah and Son of God. Peter so misread the title of Messiah that Jesus warned him, “Get behind me Satan.” This retort makes it absolutely clear the danger of jumping to conclusions about Jesus. Mark sets out to give a complete answer and I hope that his answer not only surprises but shocks you. We have political intrigue, hometown gossip, adoring thronging crowds, acts of deep compassion (that will only grow stronger), exorcism of demons, and even still there is more to be revealed. Despite one powerful head-scratching miracle and encounter after another, after today’s passage the disciples are even more bewildered, in awe, and asking themselves, “Who is this guy!... even the winds and the sea obey him!” Such power did not compute with any worldview in which they operated. Not even the concept of Messiah nor “The Son of God” was sufficient to explain this power. The Messiah was meant to be a leader, a powerful king, like David, who would defeat Israel’s earthly enemies. Though the prophets offered hints of something more, the common person believed this messiah would be beloved by God, dear to the Lord’s heart, the best of humanity, but still human. This story adds a cosmic dimension to this person of Jesus; one that would not have been in the minds of those expecting the Messiah or Son of David. Mark has crafted this passage carefully to indicate that Jesus’ actions are about something more than simply controlling the weather. The word for "storm" in verse 37 is the same word used for "whirlwind" in Job 38:1. The whirlwind was the place of raw power clouded from human eyes from which God often speaks but more generally indicates something beyond human comprehension and power. According to Markan scholar, Lamar Williamson, the connotation is that the supernatural is present in the storm. To those in the ancient world the raw power of the wind and the sea represented the forces of chaos that not even the gods could so easily control. In general, the battle of God verses the sea was a recurring them in the Hebrew Bible. More particularly in Jewish thought the Leviathan was a monstrous serpent that represented the ancient malevolent force of the sea. In vain men strive to slay this beast, for that power does not rest within humans. But in Isaiah we learn, “In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.” Only God had the power to tame the sea. There are others who have commanded nature. Take Elijah for example. He calls down fire from heaven to consume a ritual offering in order to defeat the prophets of Baal. Listen to Elijah’s prayer, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.” There is a subtle difference between Jesus’ act and that of Elijah’s. Elijah prays and calls upon God. Jesus gets up and does it Himself. The disciples recognize both Jesus’ direct action and the supernatural status of the sea when they say, “Who then is this that the winds and the sea, obey him?” Jesus is obeyed by this ancient force of chaos. And what is creation in ancient thought? The power to bring order out of chaos. And how did God accomplish creation? By speaking a word, “Let there be light!?” and how did Jesus bring order from this chaotic storm? By a word, “Peace! Be Still!” Suddenly in the eyes of the disciples, Jesus has gone from wise teacher, clever debater and healer to something far more. Note the disciples didn’t actually ask Jesus for help. Rather they woke Him up saying, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing!?”  The devastating and deadly raw power of nature has frustrated and frightened people since the very beginning even to today. We may have felt as if God was asleep over this Coronavirus. It absolutely confuses us that God would not arise to strike down plagues and storms. The fact that nature of which we are a part, and even our own bodies would rise up to destroy us in cancerous ferocity. It is like a family member striking us down. It does not seem right. How can the world be made like this? Genesis seems to agree. Upon being expelled from the garden, suddenly things didn’t work as they were meant to at the beginning. To bring forth fruit from the earth would require toil, that is backbreaking work and furthermore the animal kingdom would bite the heel of man, that is it would rise up against us. The Apostle Paul concluded that creation is fallen just like humanity is fallen. He described it as suffering birth pangs in Romans. Remember that birth pangs were another result of fallen creation. He tells us creation waits with eager longing, like us it longs to be restored. The harmony of all creation will someday be known. Viruses will be no more. That is the promise and the hope. But that time has not yet come. And in those times when we wonder, “Where is God?”, “Is God asleep?”, “Don’t You care that we are perishing?” we would do well to remember today’s story. This passage shows us that even though God has not yet redeemed creation, at times, God will intervene in nature and bring healing. Mark tells a slightly different story of this event than Matthew. Unlike in Mark, in Matthew, the disciples actually ask Jesus to help but before He calms the sea He first castigates the disciples, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” But in Mark, Jesus’ first act, before He says anything, without even being asked, is to calm the sea and then secondarily He teaches the disciples. It is almost as if the Bible is giving us two ways to view God and it is up to us which Christ we believe in – the one who first acts in compassion, or whose first act is to scold us and put us in our place only helping after making us feel guilty for being weak and afraid as are all of us. Mark’s Jesus is closer to us. He is not called “Lord”, like in Matthew, but “teacher”. He does not praise Himself like in John but remains the humble servant. He is asleep in Matthew and Mark, but Mark adds that He is asleep on a cushion. Making Him feel more human, like He was truly tired, exhausted in fact, not just faking it. But even so, in the moment of seeing fear on their faces He rises up to calm the storm. Who is this man? The legions of Harry Potter fans out there will remember a quote from Sirius Black, “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” There is another similar quote from Malcom Forbes, “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” Before these quotes a 19th century English preacher, Charles Spurgeon, wrote the words: I think you may judge of a man’s character by the persons whose affection he seeks. If you find a man seeking only the affection of those who are great, depend upon it he is ambitious and self-seeking; but when you observe that a man seeks the affection of those who can do nothing for him, but for whom he must do everything, you know that he is not seeking himself, but that pure benevolence sways his heart. When all of these quotes are applied to Jesus, we see a person who more than anyone demonstrates a character of such blinding love and humility it can scarcely be imagined. He is Lord, Messiah, and Savior; but it is His compassion for the crowd, His patience with His disciples, and His love for His enemies, that shows, more than any title, “Who is this man, that even the winds and the seas obey Him.”

He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle because the harvest has come.” - Mark 4:26-34 Take a moment and think of heaven. What comes to mind? Billowy clouds, pearly gates, winged angels robed in white, a feeling of warmth of all your loved ones? I imagine it is something different for everyone but as its core it’s a vision of splendor. Now picture the Kingdom of God. At first, we might assume these two are equivalent but when you try to picture the Kingdom of God it is harder to conjure. This is because the Kingdom of God is less a place you go to when you die and more the realization of perfect harmony amongst all centered around the presence of God. Think of the lion laying down with the lamb; the picture is peace with no more enemies. That is a Kingdom of God type vision. This in turn means we can experience a measure of this Kingdom in this life. Heaven is the place we go to be with God when we die. The Kingdom of God is the reign of God breaking into this current world. Because we have fallen so far, Jesus knows it will require poetry, metaphor, and parable to access our imagination to tap into the place in our souls that can still connect. So, He tells us this Kingdom is like a pearl of great price, like yeast, like three measures of choice flour and in today’s passage like a mustard seed. Of course, our immediate thought of this parable is the power of tiny things. An average microprocessor in today’s computers can literally process 2.8 billion calculations in a second. 2.8 BILLION! And those computers can send a rocket to Mars! So, something as unassuming as that processor or perhaps a bacterium, has gargantuan capabilities to build or destroy. But nothing has more power to move mountains than the smallest, simplest idea. Let’s build a railroad to cross this country. Let’s build a building that scrapes the sky. Let’s fashion a country which brings equality and freedom for all. And no idea has more depth nor more power than that of the Kingdom of God. And so, it is like a mustard seed because it is tiny and unassuming but if it grabs hold of you, it grows, and grows, and grows, and grows, and it will never die and it takes over…not only your mind, your heart, and your soul but the whole world just as Jesus did. But to get to this world, to reach this simplest of ideas requires death, death of the old ways of things in your own life and the world, and it requires change. Change in your heart and in your soul and in your mind. Just telling people to change does not work. So, Jesus comes at it sideways with these evocative and perhaps even bizarre parables of yeast, and net, and king, and a pearl and so on. So, the mustard seed, this tiny seed, is not simply a preformed bush but the potential. And the notion of the Kingdom of God, while a tiny and simple idea, is one that must grow inside of us not all straight and ordered. But wildly and unpredictably and bushy. Not like a tall cedar that grows straight and strong but like that bushy plant of the mustard seed, that is filled with branches upon branches that grow in directions and ways and turns that you could never ever predict by looking at that seed before it was planted. In fact, trying to control and reign in its growth can stifle it and kill it. That was the Spanish Inquisition. They literally killed the faith out of people by trying to manage its growth in people’s hearts. That is the travesty of both extreme forms of Christianity on the right and the left– they seek to dictate to people a linear singular view of what Christianity is all about and that was never Jesus’ intention. They are trying to force feed doctrine and faith and dogma down people’s throats. That’s not our job. Jesus told us it’s about one thing: love. Love of God, love of your neighbor, and love of yourself. Jesus taught us we cannot access the Kingdom through purity laws, extensive moral codes, or policies and procedures. That kills the power of story which is how the Spirit seeps deeper into us. The Kingdom of God is not a well-manicured lawn but clumps of wildflowers growing by the roadside in random places. I have come to appreciate those lawns which burst forth full of clovers and wonder to myself why I spent so much time and money trying to weed them out. The Kingdom of God can spring to life anywhere even during a hot breezy day on the golf course with people you just met. If you’ve ever spent time on the golf course you realize the last thing that, particularly a group of men want to do, is talk about anything significant. The cries of agony and despair are not matters of the world but dubbed chips, missed putts, and errant drives. It is a welcome respite from the challenges of life and the green grass, generous sand traps, and majestic trees bring you closer to God’s creation. At least this is the normal manner of things but like that mustard seed that sprouts up and suddenly shoots off in an unexpected direction – the Spirit can work even on the golf course. I had the tremendous joy of playing in a tournament in Princeton with my brother, Steve, last week. As per usual I set my own personal expectations for my game entirely too high. I have hardly played at all these past four years, and I take the game too seriously. But thankfully the Holy Spirit released me from my sometimes-infantile perspective on what is important. In this tournament we played six matches with six different groups of people. In one of those pairings, we played against a father and a son. And though it began like all the others with casual informal conversations, talk of our golf game but something happened that resonated so deeply in the depths of my soul that speaks about how the Kingdom of God is growing here at Brick Church. Once my brother let the cat out of the bag that I was a pastor, both father and the son talked about the church. Neither of them were attenders or would even consider themselves Christians but the more they shared I could tell that not only did they have a deep respect for what the Church does and offers; both of them had a deep spirituality that was very important to who they were. This is precisely what we have been talking about at Brick Church. How can we be a congregation that maintains its center on our faith in Christ, but does so in such a way that people don’t feel that they have to conform to all of our doctrine, but are welcome to share in our prayers to sing our hymns with us, to enjoy our food and fellowship, and to feel that they are a full and valued and respected member of the community? Jesus’ words this morning make it clear the growth is not our job. That is the problem with the extremes of the faith. “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.” The growth belongs to the Holy Spirit. Our job is to plant it. To respect people’s conscience. The Spirit gives it life. I believe this is one of the things Christ wants from us more than anything not so much to force people to believe certain things about Him but to share the exact same kind of love that He shared; to be a people and a place that reflects His invitation, “Come to me all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and give them rest, rest for their your souls.” You see I asked the father what I thought was an innocent question when suddenly in his response I realize that there was a soul fracture and weariness in both of their hearts. The father told me that they had an apartment on the Upper West Side. It was a curious piece of information that I let sit for several holes. Suddenly I became curious why with an apartment on the Upper West Side it didn’t sound like he had ever worked in the city. And so I asked him. He paused for a moment and then suddenly his eyes glistened and I knew then that we were going to break a cardinal rule of the golf course and talk about something that really matters. It turns out it was his other son’s apartment before he had passed away a few years ago. His wife didn’t want to sell it because they could still feel his presence there and could remember him better and find solace and comfort in going there. For the next several holes father and son both shared not only the heartache but a sense of the glory of life, the importance of giving and sharing love which sometimes is only discovered fully through pain. Though they don’t believe all of the same things about Jesus that I do, it seems to me they have the heart of Jesus just right. And I was given this amazing privilege, as a person of the cloth so to speak – they felt open, sharing the tender parts of who they were. I could see that God had made them these two amazing, and loving, and caring, and respectful people, and moments before I had no idea not only what they had gone through but now I had a glimpse of their true beauty as human beings. I know each one of you has a story as a place of pain and it is my hope in my prayer that as a servant of God, as a Church of God, that we can be a bushy and branchy part of the Kingdom that’s open, and welcoming, and as loving as we can possibly be. Amen.

This summer, there will be no worship in the garden. All services will be held indoors in the sanctuary. All Sunday services will be at 11:00 AM. (No services will take place at 10:00 AM.) See you at church!

Dear Brick Church Congregation, I am humbled and thankful as I reflect on the beautiful surprise you organized on Sunday, May 19th, to mark my 30th year in ministry. I had no clue that it was coming! Your kindness and thoughtfulness have truly made this milestone special. The stole with its meaningful inscription is a gift I will cherish forever. Every time I wear it, I will be reminded of this special day and the fact that I was able to celebrate it with this incredible community here at The Brick Church. Reading through the memories and well-wishes on the digital card you organized brought back so many moments and deep connections. I cannot believe it has only been four years since I’ve arrived at Brick Church – so many of you I feel like I have known for so much longer! Your support, love, and encouragement mean more to me than words can express. It is a privilege and an honor to serve as your Senior Minister, and I am deeply thankful for each and every one of you. Your presence in my life has been a profound blessing and this program year has been one of the most invigorating and joyful in my thirty years of ministry and I fully expect next year to be an even better one as we grow in our capacity to share the love of Christ. With sincere gratitude, thank you for making this milestone so memorable. I look forward to our continued journey together, guided by faith and filled with joy. Peace, Rev. Tom Evans Watch the service celebrating Rev. Tom Evans' 30 years in ministry here

I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.'  John 14:25-26 Peter is struggling. His whole life he’s been taught the importance of maintaining certain traditions in order to be a faithful follower of God. As a result, he had a very hard time understanding the essential nature of Jesus’ mission to spread the love and forgiveness of God throughout the earth. Peter needed a thorough convincing and so God sends him a rather strange vision, a sheet descends from heaven with all kinds of creatures that are forbidden to be eaten. But a voice from heaven commands him to eat. Peter refuses three different times, finally declaring, “By no means Lord for I have never eaten anything unclean.” And the vision evaporates. But God would not give up on Peter. Right after the vision, visitors arrived asking Peter to come and share the good news with Cornelius, a Roman soldier well respected by the Jews. The Holy Spirit goads Peter into going and that is when his mind is opened, the moment which changes the world and the trajectory of Jesus’ message. Peter had been won over, so he begins preaching to Cornelius and the gentiles, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality. But in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” This is the greatest plot turn in the whole Bible. Until this point, the Bible tells the story of the Israelites and God’s relationship with them. From this point on it moves into the world. In some ways this single event begins what God promised through Abraham, “Through you all the nations will be blessed.” That is the rest of the story we have been exploring this past month. How Christians grow from a few dozen people to over 2 billion today. The spread of Christianity in East Asia demonstrates the critical importance of taking Peter’s insight to heart. When those sharing the gospel failed to grasp all the implications of this profound truth, they encountered significant barriers and limited success. But when they embraced the depths of this insight they made (or rather God) made tremendous inroads. There are three critical factors for spreading the good news we can draw from Peter’s encounter with Cornelius. First, evangelism must center on respect of local people. Second, it should focus more on the person of Jesus than the doctrines of the faith. Third, it should see people through the eyes of God’s love. RESPECT THE PEOPLE When Peter realized that God showed no partiality at the same time he suddenly had a genuine respect for Cornelius’ openness to the power and Spirit of God. And I believe he saw him more as a person rather than simply a potential convert. Sadly, at times Christians saw potential converts as ignorant hapless pagans. Listen to this quote to the introduction of a 1651 translation of the Bible into Malay, used by Dutch and British Protestant evangelizers, “…for the purpose of converting ‘miserable infidels from their gross idolatry’.” Evangelism failed to take hold in several Asian countries not only when the evangelizers showed such obvious disdain but also when they inserted their own culture into the requirements of the faith. When evangelizers in China forbade new believers from paying respect to their ancestors the emperor of China responded by banning them from the country. People can smell contempt from a mile away! However, during the Qing dynasty, the Pope had an arrangement with the emperor to allow the Chinese Christians to continue to observe ritual duties towards their ancestors. And gave them access which led to success over time. One successful missionary endeavor is that of James Hutton Taylor. In the 1800s he renewed the efforts to spread Christianity in China while bringing western medicine. He demonstrated a deep respect for the Chinese culture through his manner of dress and considerable facility with local languages. In fact, today James Hutton Taylor V is still alive and preaching in China. It turns out the local language is critical not only to demonstrating respect but to giving room for the Holy Spirit. This is seen in the tremendous success of the faith through local translations of the Bible. This was the fundamental insight of the Reformation – no longer will the Bible be the province only of the intellectual and religious elite but it would be accessible to all peoples. It is precisely what helped the gospel to spread so effectively in Scotland and it turns out to be the critical for its spread in Korea, the East Asian country with the widest Christian influence. One of our Brick members shared with me key insights for the spread of Christianity in Korea, that depended upon fully embracing the Korean language of Hangul. She observed that for 400 years until the 19th century this language was underutilized by missionaries which prevented its spread but: In 1882 Scottish missionaries published the Korean language Bible and [in ten years], 578,000 Bibles were distributed. The spread of the Bible helped the spread of Hangul. In addition, Methodist missionaries built the education system. The first women's university (Ehwa Women's University) was created by U.S. missionaries … the biggest women's university in the world…. By putting the Bible in the hands of the people no longer did it need to be filtered through the lens of the evangelizers. Instead as people read it for themselves the Holy Spirit was able to work on their hearts directly and the local people were able to become strong Christian leaders in their own right, not having to perpetually rely on the translations of other languages and cultures. THE LENS OF GOD’S LOVE As Peter explained the gospel to Cornelius, he told him, “…how [Jesus] went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” In reflection, Peter realized the deep love and compassion that Jesus had for all people. He had seen Jesus reach beyond the structures of His religion to give love and respect to a Samaritan woman, to lepers, to tax collectors, to…everyone. And discovering that God shows no partiality Peter would have seen perhaps more clearly than he ever had before in his life the truth of the passage from Genesis chapter one that every single person is made in the image of God, therefore of infinite worth and value. Like with the Ethiopian servant from a few Sundays ago who was moved by the message of radical inclusivity of Christ so too did the Koreans find Jesus compelling. Listen to the insights of this Korean Christian: I believe that the efforts of missionaries who gave equal opportunities to all people and demonstrated and put into practice the value that each individual, regardless of social position, is a precious being of God, greatly helped in the growth of Christianity in Korea. In other words, when the missionaries sought not only to give them doctrine, but the love of God in Jesus Christ, and recognize the inherent dignity of all God’s children the message of Jesus swelled in Korea. FOCUS ON JESUS After Peter acknowledges that God shows no partiality he proceeds to share with Cornelius the person of Jesus – His love and His sacrifice. Rather than sharing all the doctrines of his religion which were manifold, he focused Christ. The same is true for the spread of Christianity in East Asia. There is a touching story of a Chinese Christian author Watchman Nee and his wife. He wrote many books and died in 1972 as a result of being in prison for his faith. He was in jail for two decades and his extreme passion eventually swayed his wife into following Jesus’ message. Listen to his passion: Realizing the effectiveness of Christ's blood in cleansing my sins and being overwhelmed by such love, I accepted him there. Previously I had laughed at people who had accepted Jesus, but that evening the experience became real for me …As I made my first prayer, I knew joy and peace such as I had never known before. Light seemed to flood the room and I said to the Lord, "Oh, Lord, you have indeed been gracious to me." — Watchman Nee, Watchman Nee's Testimony. Mr. Nee saw his particular calling was not to pass on a full religious tradition but to share the message of Jesus. After my illness, God made it known to me that the primary purpose of His imparting messages to me was not for explaining the Scripture, … All that I have written has one aim, which is that the reader will, in the new creation, give himself wholly to God and become a useful person in His hands. It is that kind of Jesus-like self-sacrifice that Watchman Nee demonstrated that has moved people in Japan. In some ways, Japan has been the most unreceptive to Christianity, but surprisingly eight of the Japanese prime ministers have been Christian! In his novel Silence, Japanese Christian author, Shusaku Endo offers a powerful insight into very heart of Christian love and sacrifice. He writes a fictional account of the persecution of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan. In order to prove they are not Christians, those who are suspected are required to trample on a fume, a carved likeness of Christ. If they do not trample the image, they will be brutally killed. Those who do trample it in order to save their lives live with deep shame. As the story climaxes, a young Jesuit missionary has been betrayed to the officials, and he is staring at a fumie. The face he sees in the carving is filled with exhaustion and sorrow. As the young missionary continues to stare at the fumie, the voice of Christ speaks to him. With astonishing grace, Christ tells him to trample the image, because to be trampled on is why Christ is there… — Patrick W. T. Johnson As Christians in today’s world in New York City we can learn a tremendous amount from the story of Christianity in East Asia. It begins with a fundamental truth Peter realized, “God shows no partiality.” This means respecting each person. But at times that has led us in this country to deemphasize Jesus. That instinct grows from our desire to not replicate disdain shown by some Christians throughout history and even in our time. But the witness of the growth of Christianity in places like China and Korea show us that that is fundamentally wrong. What makes Christianity unique and strong is not our doctrine, it’s not our organizational capacity, but it is Jesus Himself.  Amen.

Dear Brick Church Community, In an effort to provide updates to the Congregation on Brick Church matters, we will begin sending monthly informative congregational emails and hosting quarterly gatherings, which we’ll refer to as “Congregational Catch Ups.” The gatherings will take place on selected Sundays after Worship. These will be conversations with myself and Session members about our work on current activities, stewardship progress, and outreach ministries. This will also be a time for you to offer your thoughts and ask questions. We will promote the gatherings in the Sunday bulletin and through the weekly emails. The first Congregational Catch Up will take place on Sunday, May 5th in the Session Room. Hoping you will come and personally participate in your Church’s life and future! You may review the first email updates by scrolling below my signature. In addition to the notes below, I would like to share that both the Trustees and the Session are aware of the sound system issues in the sanctuary. Thank you to everyone who brought this to our attention. The Trustees are going to take the lead on this project while also seeking to upgrade our hearing-assistive hardware. For those of you who attended the spring musical, Cinderella, you know that it was not only an amazing production but great fun with a wonderful sense of community. Four sold-out shows show us the strong interest in continuing this program going forward. It was a wonderful blend of Brick Church members, the school community, and friends of The Brick Church. We are also very grateful for the generous donors who made this a financial success growing our ability to share God’s love in the world. Peace, Rev. Tom Evans Senior Minister MARCH | The Session of the Brick Church held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 12th. Director Fabian reported on the excellent admission and exmission results for the School. Three new initiatives were introduced. 1.) Consideration of a wall plaque for 20-year employees, 2.) A 2024 evaluation of the sanctuary sound system, and 3.) Consideration of a communication platform for Brick members in the form of an online newsletter or magazine to stay informed of important matters and events at Brick. Rev. Evans, most importantly, invited the Session to consider creating a Ten-Year Vision for the church. He talked in terms of a process for Brick to become a beacon of Christ (The Light of the World) situated on the Upper East Side. This means envisioning Brick’s role as a spiritual thought leader and a spiritual home by creating new connections with community institutions and organizations in the neighborhood. The Ten-Year Vision also includes leveraging Brick’s members’ gifts to make a difference in the lives of others. Additional discussions will take place during the upcoming months. APRIL | The Session of the Brick Church held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 16th. On April 16 the Session convened to examine the confirmands. It was heartening to read the Statements of Faith from the confirmands and to share discussions around the table about the challenges of maintaining the Christian faith in an increasingly plural world. The Session enthusiastically approved all students and we look forward to the formal reception on Confirmation Sunday (May 5th). Session approved new guidelines for officers and members working with Brick Church staff to ensure smooth operations and mutual support. We look forward to sharing these guidelines with committees and others moving forward. Session began exploring the timeline for forming a new APNC to elect an associate pastor. At this point, the hope would be to call the new pastor sometime in early 2025.

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Shared during Sunday Worship on May 19, 2024. Lord, on this day of Pentecost, we remember the power of the Spirit’s presence amongst people of different nations and languages. Though they came from different experiences they were united as one. We pray now that our world might find that same unity through the gift of Your love seen most clearly in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Help us to be witnesses to His grace to those who find themselves in the midst of isolation, violence, loneliness, and estrangement. May this part of the body of Christ be Your presence to these people that they might know that Your love has the power to heal all that ails us. May we show them the kind of love You have for them. We pray now for those who are struggling… Even as our hearts are open for those who are difficult times we also turn to the world and we find many corners of it are mired in age-old conflicts for which there seems to be no end in sight. We ask for Your strong intervention that people might beat their swords into plowshares and their spears in a pruning hooks. It is only through the Prince of Peace that we can ultimately find peace in our hearts which in turn gives us the power to offer it to others. We asked that You bring peace and justice to the Sudan, Ukraine, the Middle East, Haiti, and Armenia. We pray know for war-torn parts of the world in which civilians suffer the most. Lord, You tell us not only to weep with those who weep but to rejoice with those who rejoice. We are grateful on this day for the birthday of Your church! We reap the blessings of this gift every Sunday when we come together as the people of God singing glorious hymns to the Hope You offer us. May this lead us to live lives filled with hope because we have the trust in Your power to overcome all things. We pray this in the name of Jesus the Christ the one who was, who is, and who is to come, amen..

Shared during Sunday Worship on May 12, 2024. "As we gather ourselves as a community in prayer, we also want you to have the opportunity to offer your personal prayers confidentially. Immediately following worship, a member of the Prayer Partners team will be available at the front of the sanctuary to pray with you." Let us pray. Sovereign Lord, creator of the universe, sustainer of all life, our rock and our redeemer, our light and truth and mercy and justice, our heavenly Father.  We praise you for your holiness, your truth and wisdom that guide our steps each day.  We give thanks for your presence in our lives through the life, death and resurrection of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in all of our hearts this day.  We are nothing without you. We yearn to hear your voice and call on our lives, to set our paths straight as we honor you with all that we are. We are so aware of the parts of this world living in darkness, in turmoil, fighting wars, facing hunger and poverty, and we pray for your holy light to shine in that darkness.  We know that your faithful loving power will never be overcome by chaos and disorder.  We ask for your peace, comfort and strength for those struggling with illness, broken relationships, failing health or lack of faith.  Bind up the broken hearted with your grace and love. Send us out this day Lord to be your light to others.  We ask for your courage to be the church Jesus called us to be and that we will love and serve our neighbors as He taught us.  Forgive us when we falter and chase the gold shiny objects that glitter so brightly, but have no power to transform us.  Let us allow the Holy Spirit to enter into our hearts to be the transforming power you have promised. In the strong and holy name of Jesus Christ we pray, AMEN.

I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.'  John 14:25-26 After the stoning of Stephen recounted in Acts, things got dicey for Christians in Palestine. They were forced to scatter to different cities throughout the Roman Empire. Philip wound, up as fate would have it, or more likely as God willed it, in Samaria. Philip must have been hesitant for, as we know, the Samaritans and Jews had a volatile and sometimes violent history. He had been charged to spread the word that a Jewish man, named Jesus, was God and the savior of the world. The Spirit must have been burning inside Philip because somewhere he got the courage to preach. Not only did they not run him out of town but, to his amazement, "they listened eagerly to what he said." Encouraged by their responsiveness, Philip built up a head of steam and he exorcized demons and cured the lame. By the time he was done he had transformed the town and because of his work there the passage tells us, "There was great joy in that city." From there God asked Philip to make his way to Gaza and on the road, he encountered the queen of Ethiopia and the servant in charge of her treasury. It almost seems like a chance encounter, but the servant is reading a passage from Isaiah and the Spirit prompts Phillip to approach him. In a moment the Ethiopian shares the passage that had caught his attention, “like a sheep he was led to the slaughter…in his humiliation justice was denied him.” And then perhaps the Spirit also prompts this Ethiopian for he asked a question about whom is Isaiah speaking? The perfect opening for Philip to share the good news of Jesus Christ about whom we believe Isaiah was speaking. Right then and there the Ethiopian embraces this profound and amazing and hopeful message. He doesn’t waste a moment, “Look here is water what’s to prevent me from being baptized!” The Ethiopian receives this amazing gift but right as he comes out of the water Philip is snatched away! This is the end of this Ethiopian’s Biblical story. Just a mere handful of verses. But this inconspicuous, innocent, brief, and simple encounter leads to another story, an incredible story, the rest of the story, from which the ancient intellectual center of Christianity grows, and the modern locus of Christianity emerges. While Christianity wanes in Europe and North America it's been growing in Africa at unprecedented rates in all of history. And it is the precise nature of the heart of the Christian message that has captured the hopes of so many people throughout history but especially at this time in Africa. And it all goes back to the original moment when this Ethiopian was captivated by those few verses in Isaiah which spoke about a suffering servant, which spoke about a servant of God who was willing to die in an unjust manner to save others. It was the same message that has brought hope of liberation to all peoples that have embraced this gospel from the very first followers of Jesus; he offered a unique path. Throughout history leaders have sought to bring hope to oppressed peoples but many of them also did this through the path that that relied on their own versions of death and mayhem. But the only death that was central to Jesus' plan to bring freedom was His own. And I believe it was this that moved the Ethiopian. Working in the royal court he was used to those with power wielding it over others, whereas Jesus humbled and humiliated himself. He was eager to be bound up with a Lord who would not meet violence with violence but was willing to take it upon Himself. And somehow through this brief encounter we believe that this Ethiopian was the first to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the continent of Africa. This message of freedom and hope has been the genesis of the church in many countries in Africa. Our friend and founder of the African Dream Academy, Rev. Sam Enders, told me that Christianity came to Liberia (as a reminder Liberia was created as a place for enslaved people from America to find a free home). It was the 1800’s when the frees slaves arrived. The Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Episcopalians were the first. Natives thought about the heavens and the importance of going to a better place. The contrast of a land where there will be no suffering, no slavery, and no dying. Slavery was at its peak, death and suffering were a way of life.Natives quickly adapted and started national churches. Aladura was the fastest growing. They believed is miracle. They fasted for 40 days once a year. Sierra Leone has a similar story as do several other countries in Africa like the Congo and more. Now it is true that in some parts of Africa Christianity virtually disappeared sometime in the 7th century when Islamic influence swept through this part of the world; for the next 1,300 years Christians would be a small percentage of the population on this continent. And it is also true that the efforts to spread Christianity in Africa in the last few centuries have a problematic and mixed history. Colonial powers that brought the Christian religion to Africa all too often tragically brought more colonialism than they did Jesus, even when filled with good intentions. It has even led some to claim that Christianity is a white European religion that doesn't belong in Africa. But the situation is more complex. Daniel Justice Eshun, (Dean of Chapel, Whitelands College, University of Roehampton, London, UK) Anglican pastor from Ghana makes this startling observation, “…[Christianity] went from the periphery under European missionary leadership to Ghana’s primary religion post-independence.” (Speaking for Ourselves: The Ghanaian Encounter with European Missionaries – Sixteenth–Twenty- first Centuries, Daniel Eshun). In fact, he observes that for the entire 400 years of missionary endeavors, Christianity remained on the margins not only in Ghana but throughout Africa. It was due to attitudes such as that of 18th century missionary Rev. Thomas Thompson whose aim was, “to strike at their false worship and endeavor... to convince them of their false notions and to expose the folly of their idolatrous and superstitious rites.”  (Speaking for Ourselves: The Ghanaian Encounter with European Missionaries – Sixteenth–Twenty- first Centuries, Daniel Eshun). Mind you, this was for wanting to worship on Tuesday instead of Sunday. The withdrawal of colonialism enabled the Ghanaians to shape Christianity in the same way the Apostle Paul shaped it for those in Asia Minor, in other words based on local culture and customs. Not only is Christianity not primarily a European religion, it has a more ancient and lauded history in Africa than it does in not only North America (of course) but Europe as well. This is the rest of the story that the Bible does not tell us – about what happened after Philip and the Ethiopian’s encounter. What we do know for a fact is not the “how” but the “what”. And the “what” is that Christianity in the early centuries found its intellectual center, it's theological center, and its heart, not in its place of birth (that is Palestine) but in Africa, particularly northern Africa. One book called the Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs written in 180 AD tells some of the early hardships Christians faced in Tripoli, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.  By 250 A.D. over one hundred bishoprics existed centered in Carthage.  …God has a long history in Africa and so does Christianity… (Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church) Listen to a few of these names from the first four centuries of Christianity all from Africa, Tertullian, Perpetua, Felicity, Clement of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, Athanasius, and Augustine of Hippo. The two women Perpetua and Felicity were amongst the first Christian martyrs recorded by history outside of scripture. Tertullian, Clement, and Origen are on virtually everybody's list of profound thinkers who helped establish Christian thought in the early centuries. Athanasius is credited more than any other human being with the creation of the Bible as we have it today! And Augustine outside of scripture is the most revered and quoted Christian thinker in all of history whose influence is still incredibly strong today! Christianity not only took hold in the intellectual center of North Africa but perhaps because of this Ethiopian’s encounter with Philip a few centuries later in 330 AD…“King Ezana of Ethiopia declared Christianity its national religion… And though it's presence waned in certain parts of the continent as one writer observed... when the Portuguese landed in Ethiopia in 1493, they found—to their shock—that it was already full of churches!” * This is the amazing, incredible way that God uses people, even misguided people, to transform lives and bring the good news because, despite those colonial’s distorted understanding of scripture, the power of the message of Jesus couldn't be lost on the people of Africa in modern times who find His love, His sacrifice, and His hope irresistible. And because of it the numbers are staggering. According to the Pew Research: At the same time Christianity has shrunk in Europe and North America, it has grown enormously in sub-Saharan Africa … where there were relatively few Christians at the beginning of the 20th century. The share of the population that is Christian in sub-Saharan Africa climbed from 9% in 1910 to 63% in 2010, while in the Asia-Pacific region it rose from 3% to 7%. Christianity today – unlike a century ago – is truly a global faith. (Pew Research) Latin America surpassed Europe as the continent with the most Christians in 2014, and Africa passed Latin America in 2018. (Dr. Gina A. Zurlo). As of 2023 there is an estimated 718 million Christians on this continent. What does this mean for us today at Brick Presbyterian Church and in our country? First, it reminds me of my father’s admonition as I was growing up (much to my chagrin) that the world does not revolve around me! Sometimes in our American context we have the false impression of being the center of all things. Second, it shows us the irresistible story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is a story for all people, from all places, and from any time, for it is a story of hope, a story of love, a story of forgiveness and a story of reconciliation. Third, it is heartening to know that as we hear about the diminishing of the influence of Christianity here in North America and Europe that it is thriving and growing like it has never grown before and places like Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Finally, it offers us a challenge – how can we learn from the Christian witness of people in Ghana, in the Congo, in Liberia, in Sierra Leone, in South Africa and so many other places on that continent? How might you and I share this good news in the way that opens people up to God's loving promises? It shows us that should God prompt our spirit, the way God prompted Phillip’s spirit, don't hesitate to share…you never know however brief a conversation can change the planet forever. Amen. Further Reading: Introducing World Christianity Edited by Charles E, Farhadian, pages 38-50. Speaking for Ourselves: The Ghanaian Encounter with European Missionaries – Sixteenth–Twenty- first Centuries, Daniel Justice Eshun Black Imperialism: Americo-Liberian Rule over the African Peoples of Liberia, 1841-1964 Author(s): M. B. Akpan Source: Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne des Études Africaines, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1973), pp. 217-236 *https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/african-christianity-thrived-long-before-white-men-arrived/

Shared during Sunday Worship on April 21, 2024. God of peace, our hearts are gladdened that we can come before Your presence to worship You. Amid life’s trials, we thank You for hope through Your living and everlasting promises. But our hearts ache, God, that some drown in their efforts to save themselves and in the upheavals of today’s world. For them, we pray, remember Your promises, O God, and give rest on every side. ​God, our Restorer, internationally, nations war against one another and insurgents threaten the thriving of governments and populations. We ask for divine wisdom and self-control for all key players in wars and crises, especially in the Middle East, the Arab world, Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and Asia. For the bereaved, the displaced, the asylum-seeker, and the vulnerable, we pray, remember Your promises, O God, and give rest on every side. ​God, our Provider, in the US, may there also be profound peace and justice at all levels of government. In this year of elections, teach us to speak with civility, guide us to concentrate on issues of collective importance, and grace us with discretion to elect godly leaders. To our institutions (schools, churches, non-profits, and the like), may You multiply resources to meet increasing needs where they operate. For these also, we pray, remember Your promises, O God, and give rest on every side. ​God of love, in our sanctuary and virtual spaces are varying needs and circumstances. With joined hearts, we invite You into our individual and domestic situations, asking that You provide a way out and fill our homes with lasting love and joy. For our own sake, we pray, remember Your promises, O God, and give rest on every side. In Jesus’ name. Amen.