I am contending for you that your hearts will be wrapped in the comfort of heaven and woven together into love's fabric. This will give you access to all the riches of God as you experience the revelation of God's great mystery—Christ. - Colossians 2:2-3 Woven together in love. God has this incredible way of using people's most severe hardships to transform them into people of incredible faith. And of course, one of the hardest places on this planet to endure is prison. It is because God has made us to be in a loving community. As we discovered last week, it is one of the four pillars of a fulfilling life, that those endless weeks months and years behind bars can take their toll on your soul. And so, you either go mad or you look more deeply to God than you ever have in your life. People like Joseph of the Bible, Francis Makemie, 17th century apostle of American Presbyterianism, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, leading theologian and martyr to the cause of faith, all experienced prison that wove into them a profound thanksgiving for God's love and incredible courage to ensure God's future. You remember Joseph. He was sold into slavery by his brothers for taunting them with his dreams that one day they will all bow down before him while wearing this famous coat of many colors, clearly demonstrating that he was their father’s favored child. Eventually he rises as a prominent servant in a prestigious household. But the boss's wife wants to lay with him and he runs as fast as he can but, feeling slighted, her lies land him in prison. Not knowing the fate that will befall him… …“The celebrated 17th century Apostle (Francis Makemie) was plunk in jail”, the history of Brick church tells us. Apparently, he was licensed to preach in certain colonies but not in New York. He found himself here on the way to Boston and was asked to preach to some locals in our beloved city. Not only did Makemie receive his license from The Church of Scotland but the Presbyterian churches in New York would also have to rely on that country for their charter; it took many years of failed attempts. As Turner's book tells us on May 16, 1724, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland passed an act in favor of a Presbyterian congregation in this city. Makemie’s imprisonment and preaching had planted seeds of Presbyterianism, which directly led to the founding of Brick Church over 250 years ago. We are stewards of that history and our first pastor, John Rogers, who graces our bulletin this morning has Makemie to thank for paving the way… …Dietrich Bonhoeffer returned to New York City in 1939 to avoid the coming war in Germany and to reconnect with friends at the Abyssinian Baptist Church and Union Theological Seminary. But after less than two months he felt compelled to return home to be a force of stalwart faith. After being part of an underground seminary, he eventually became part of an assassination attempt of Hitler which landed him in prison. During his time back In Germany he discovered the theme that ties the threads of these stories together and our life today. The power of Christ to weave us together in love. He wrote, “The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us. We have one another only through Christ, but through Christ we do have one another, wholly, for eternity.” On this Kirkin’ of the Tartans Sunday, we see beautiful pageantry and, as the pipers the drums and the tartans flowed into the sanctuary, we are reminded of how people flowed into our doors for centuries. Their distinct colors woven together create something unique. And it is the power of God to weave together diverse, broken, and frayed threads that I want to talk about today. Each of us, our unique selves, are woven into this beautiful tapestry of Brick Church; the threads of our lives are imperfect, the wrinkles and the scars – all of it is used to by God so that we will be woven in love, whatever your heritage – Scottish or not. Look at our diverse fabric. We are a community of members across several generations who have called this church home. We are a community of young people who are finding their footing in this grand city of New York and have come to discover a home of love and support, of worship, of hope, and of service. We are a community of young children who discover for the first time in their lives that “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so!” We are a congregation of single adults for whom this place represents their family; represents their place to call home and in which they have found friends to walk through the struggles of life with. We are a congregation of people who were born on different shores – China, Korea, Singapore, Ghana, France, Brazil and more – but all have come with our same deep passion of formal worship, of service for others, and of love for God. While our individual threads are fragile and stretched, woven together we are as strong as our collective love for God. And it is in a community like this that we discover who we are in relation to another. “We can never achieve this ‘wholeness’ simply by ourselves, but only together with others…” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters Papers from Prison And in our life together, as God weaves us in worship and fellowship there is a group of people we must never forget if our communion is to remain authentic. There is another type of confinement besides prison that can severely damage the soul. And in this case, rather than the person finding their internal strength, they need the love of friends. A few weeks ago, the reformed Brick Congregational Care Committee met, and I learned of their incredibly loving invisible witness. For those here in person God grants us with inestimable blessings: glorious music, scores of children, familiar loving faces, the power of prayer, a sense of purpose, the gift of service to others. This is our soul food that gives us strength, and joy each and every week. But there are others, who have been part of our fellowship for years but are trapped in their homes and no longer able to walk in the park, visit friends, travel the world, or come to church. And some on this Congregational Care Committee, on your behalf, have visited people like this week after week, year after year, to let them know they are not alone, that the church has not forgotten them, that they are still key threads woven in our community of holy love in God’s name. And I have heard some of these homebound people speak of such visits as if they are visits from God. For they know they are not forgotten. But perhaps Joseph had this doubt, perhaps God had forgotten him, if God had left him after he wound up in prison, isolated, and afraid. He must have felt as if he were two inches from the pavement after a thirty-thousand-foot free fall. But God sent him a vision and once again he rose to prominence this time in the whole kingdom of Egypt. This dream allowed Pharoah to save food for the coming famine and now Joseph has power. Power to exact revenge on his brothers. But there is still a hole in his heart, an emptiness from his brothers’ betrayal. They come to Egypt not knowing Joseph is alive, not knowing Joseph controls their fate. And finally, the threads of pride have been erased in his heart and all that is left is the yearning to heal the fracture in his family. And in a moment of incredible tenderness, he reveals himself and tells them, “You meant it for evil but the Lord meant it for good.” God has woven this family back together, for Joseph has forgiven them and they weep and embrace. Listen to what Bonhoeffer wrote while awaiting his fate in prison: “In a word, live together in the forgiveness of your sins, for without it no human fellowship, least of all a marriage, can survive. Don’t insist on your rights, don’t blame each other, don’t judge or condemn each other, don’t find fault with each other, but accept each other as you are, and forgive each other every day from the bottom of your hearts…” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison God has wrapped us in amazing love and the fabric of community relies on the grace Christ has given us on the cross and our willingness to share all that we are with one another, while never forgetting those alone at home. Amen.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ Isaiah 6:8 At ten thousand feet the plane hits cruising altitude and the daredevil leans out of the plane. As she prepares to let go, she rehearses in her mind one more time all the safety checks. “Okay I do have a parachute on my back? I can feel it and I saw the instructor pack it then put it on me. Here is the ripcord. I have it in my hand. Check my altimeter and at 6,000 feet pull it. It’s now or never. Yeeeeehaaaaaaa!!!!!” …Free fall at one hundred miles per hour hurdling toward Earth… The wind is deafening ripping by... (Panic!) Desperately want to pull the ripcord… “Too soon, only 8,000 feet… 7,000 feet, closer hold off not yet. O God, please let the parachute open. 6,000 feet! Now!!! I feel something releasing. Isn’t it going to catch?!!? Whewwww. Floating on air. Peace, quiet. It held!!!” That is the leap of faith. It must have felt like that for Sarah and Abraham. They took that leap out of their homes and waited for what must have seemed an interminable time until they felt the watchful caring arms of God hold them up. Until that moment, in between the leap and the parachute deploying, faith is a free fall of trust that God will catch you before you go splat. That time of free fall is when you truly learn what your faith is made of. Faith, contrary to popular opinion, is not the certainty of the sun rising each day. Faith means taking that proverbial leap into the void of the unknown trusting, hoping, praying that the God you think you believe in is the one true God. And because of courageous people of faith like Sarah and Abraham, the story of salvation moves forward. In these next weeks, we will be looking at key players in God’s plan. People filled with faults and fears but also willing to take a risk no matter when in their lives God reaches out. But this call does more than move God’s plan forward and that is why this sermon series is key for each of us. It actually turns out this willingness to listen and to go is the key to a happier, more fulfilling life. It is the story of people like those of Abraham and Sarah that remind us you are never too old to discover a powerful new purpose in life. Today’s world thinks that youth is the answer, younger and shinier, but scripture has a different point of view, Job 12:12 ESV says, “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.” This quest for youth is at best misguided and at worst destructive. The Fountain of Youth is not a Christian yearning; it is not the source of happiness. It seems we actually get happier as we get older. According to research our 50s are rock bottom and from there we grow happier year by year! My neighbor, Taylor Humphrey, is a professional pollster and has consulted for with several U.S. Presidents and his research concludes there are four things you and I need to be happy as we age. Enough money in the bank – but he said it is not as much as you think. Good health, strong connections with a community of friends and family, and a sense of purpose. Christianity speaks to all of these things but is especially speaks to purpose. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream...” What else besides a driving purpose could have spurred Abraham and Sarah to leap into the void of the unknown by packing up their bags and leaving their home at age 75!! Remember at that time it would have been a trek into the unfamiliar – no McDonald’s on the way. God promised them a gift, a child to be born that would lead to untold number of descendants. Furthermore, their progeny would bless the whole world! And because they leaped, this plan came to pass for them and for us all. Perhaps it was because Sarah and Abraham were not spiritually mature enough for this call in their youth, so God reached out when Abraham was 75 years old. As Proverbs says in 16:31 “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” Because their call would not be easy. From the beginning we see that Sarah was a person of exceptional courage. When Abraham hears God’s call to go from your country and your kindred to the land that I will show you, she goes! She does not insist upon remaining close to her kindred with all the safety and security it brings. When Abraham acts like a spineless jellyfish not once but twice before two foreign kings she does not leave him! Sarah was a person of historic beauty, so much so that Abraham was afraid a king might be willing to kill him in order to take her as a wife. In fact, he encouraged her to play the role of his sister to save his own hide – knowing well that the king would take her for his harem and to his bedchambers. Fortunately, the Lord visits fear and wrath upon these kings so that she is released. Despite serving her up as bait to a king, Sarah continues to stand with Abraham. And yet Sarah also has faults, and not just minor ones. Her trouble begins with a failure to trust. That not-so-heroic part of ourselves is the one that listens to the voice within rather than the voice above. The voice above told her she would bear a son. The voice within told her she was too old. The voice above reassured her and urged patience. The voice within told her that unless she acted it would never come to pass. You remember the story. As a result of her lack of trust and patience she urged Abraham to lay with Hagar. She becomes jealous, probably beats her and then sends her into the wilderness to die. Yes, despite her faults God remains steadfast to Sarah and Abraham. We normally think about our faith in God. But the Bible is really about God’s faith in us and misplaced as it is. God believes in you. In the midst of Sarai’s greatest failure God changed her name. According to some scholars her original name, Sarai, means “strength” or “power”. Her newly given name means “princess”or “royalty.” God was making it unequivocally clear. She would be the mother of kings and nations. Sarah was 90 years old by that time! Purpose brings us happiness because it keeps us close to God; for purpose is simply what God would have us to do. And by remaining close we discover as Paul did in Philippians 1:6, “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Discovering purpose at whatever stage in life is tremendously rewarding. But you have to be willing to leap. A friend of mine from Spartanburg had experienced a devastating loss of purpose. He was a businessman in his professional life. He never had a sense that his job was any more than putting food on his family’s table, which was fine with him. He had always liked working with his hands and over the years had done various projects around the house. So, when someone invited him to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity he said, “Yes”. And, for the first time in his life, after seventy years, he experienced a sense of Holy Purpose in his actions through his gifts. After a few months’ work, he attended the dedication when the house was given over to the proud new owner, and it profoundly touched him. She introduced her boys and explained how this house would be a safe place to call home. She was the first in her family to own a house, and her tears flowed freely, as she was filled with profound thanksgiving for all those who made it possible. As he listened, he felt touched, not only by having a purpose but by being used as the hands of God to do sacred work in the world. The hands of God! What could be more energizing in all the world! Suddenly, his own tears were flowing as his heart sung praises to God for being used in such an awesome fashion. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young.” Take the leap, and let us love all the way to the end. Amen.

Shared during Sunday Worship on October 22, 2023. Father in heaven, We thank you for revealing Yourself to us in creation. We thank you for Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has died and rose again for our salvation. We thank you for Your Holy Spirit, who through Christ has granted us peace with God. Help us to submit to Your will, to confess our sins, and to love one another. Help us to worship You in spirit and in truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Call to Offering Let us be faithful stewards of our time, our talents, and our money. so that our treasure is in heaven and our giving pleases God. With gladness, let us present the offerings of our life and labor to the Lord Dedication Christ has redeemed us by his blood. But we do good because Christ by his Spirit is also renewing us to be like himself, so that in all our living we may show that we are thankful to God for all he has done for us, and so that he may be praised through us. And we do good so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ. —Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 86

Attention 3rd-7th graders! The Children's Ministry Committee is excited to invite you to audition for the lead roles in the Brick Church Christmas Pageant! Join us for a fun and memorable audition, where you'll showcase your talent through group scene work and a short vocal piece. Don't miss this opportunity to shine and be part of a cherished holiday tradition. We can't wait to see your amazing performances!

Shared during Sunday Worship on October 8, 2023. Gracious God, We come before you filled with gratitude for all of your wonderful gifts. You’ve drawn us near to you and near to one another in this, your sanctuary, a place set apart, a place made holy by Your presence and Your Word. It is in this place that You teach us Your story with the world, the story of our salvation. It is in this place that You teach us to give thanks for all of the good gifts that You ceaselessly bestow upon us. We thank you for this place, we thank you for Your story, and we thank You for all of those gifts. We ask, o’ God, that You show up for those who know not of Your lovingkindness. All of those who the world shuns, all of those who feel alone, all those who do not have enough. Be present to them. Welcome them as You have welcomed us, with open arms. Make us to be a people of Your welcome, ready and able to open our doors and give of ourselves. Mold us after You. Our world, Your world, is full of so much pain, so much violence, and so much hatred. Heal Your world, and use us for good as You do. We pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Grace and Peace, Sean

The Brick Church has a rich history of pouring into seminarians each year through our Seminarian Field Education program. This year we are excited to welcome Henry Anyomi, Sean Baz, and Robert (Rob) D’Alessandro Jr. as incoming students. We’re honored that Sean Baz has returned for a second year with us at Brick Church. You may get to know the seminarians by reviewing their short biographies linked below. When you see these faces in Worship and at Brick Church events, be sure to introduce yourself and help make them feel at home.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39 In these past weeks we have been exploring the one theme of scripture: God's salvation history of love. We began in Eden, that place of perfect harmony amongst God, ourselves, and creation. But we quickly moved past this, discovering that perfection is boring and that perhaps giving a finite creature of flesh and blood the power to choose between good and evil makes The Fall inevitable. Next, we realized in the midst of the brokenness of humanity that God is a God of power and a God of liberation and a God of freedom. In the Exodus event we found that God cares deeply for those who find themselves lost, alone, afraid, and suffering at the hands of another. But today, we realize that it's not only the historic Egyptians who were oppressors but it's all of us. When Israel emerged into the promised land, God continually reminded them,“Remember you were slaves in the land of Egypt.” Remember! You were slaves! Remember what it was like, so don't turn around and do that to other people. Unfortunately, no matter how many times God warned them through the prophets the people failed. As their world became a disaster they looked back to God and repented and God reinstated them, but it never lasted –indeed the pattern for all humanity. So there arose a prophecy that, rather than God depending upon the people to be faithful to a law written on tablets of stone, God would send a suffering servant to write the law upon our hearts so that a new, right spirit would be put within each one of us. And this leads us to one of the most compelling and glorious verses in all of scripture. To two of them in fact, “and the word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth” and“for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.” And it is through the Son that the entire story of salvation finds its climax. In His death and resurrection, the world was changed forever! Our fate – our destiny – no longer rested in our own abilities; they were in the hands of God, the God of perfect power of perfect love and of everlasting hope. The resurrection was the sign from God. As mystic poet Julian of Norwich wrote, “All will be well and all manner of things shall be well.” But ever since these stories about Jesus’ life were written down, people have been fighting over trying to understand and control them. Perhaps the most recent important manifestation of this was known as The Jesus Seminar, which gathered together over 100 scholars and lay people to vote on which sayings of Jesus they thought He actually said and which ones He didn’t. They voted through a system of colored balls and in the end, they knocked out about 80% and we are left with, as John Dart of the L.A. Times wrote, “…and emerging … picture of a prophet-sage who told parables and made pithy comments…. Virtually all of Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John were voted down by scholars meeting in Sonoma, including a pulpit favorite, 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.”” And though as a scholarly exercise it might have been an interesting endeavor, it utterly confuses and misdirects the nature of truth found in scripture. Humans are storytelling creatures and the way in which we tell our stories reflects something deep within our souls, something that God has formed inside of us. Writers like J.R.R. Tolkien understood this. He said all those other ancient stories outside of the Bible were seeds of truth that God had planted. About his own stories, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, he says by reading those stories you can tell something fundamental about J.R.R. Tolkien. And I quote, “I am a Christian.” And by reading the stories of God we can discover something fundamental about who God is. Especially those stories of Jesus that more than any other, capture the essence of God. And here is a basic fact of the story of Jesus as Joseph Loconte, former director of B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies, observed, “… herein lies the startling, nonnegotiable claim of the Christian faith, the event that turned a disillusioned band of followers into the most resilient and transformative religious community in history.” And more than anything else those stories tell us that God is a God of salvation: …that God saves us from our brokenness and self-hatred. …that God saves us and gives us a purpose. ….and that God saves us and binds us to all people. Jesus saves us from brokenness and self-hatred… Perhaps you remember that moment in which Jesus is eating in someone's home, when a woman burst in making quite a scene. She's weeping terribly, she comes over to Jesus and she kneels at His feet, and she's covered them with tears and then, perhaps realizing what she's done, she uses her hair and wipes His feet. Clearly Jesus had cleansed her not only of her sin but of that which prevented her from loving herself and, as Jesus said, “those who have been forgiven much love much.” I knew a woman who felt some of this same brokenness inside of her soul and she told me her story of how God delivered her. I was participating in a devotional exercise at a Christian camp. At first it seemed corny and hokey. “Close your eyes and picture Jesus.” She was a teacher, so she pictured Him as a little boy. So, the director said, “Ask Him to come over to you. Ask Him a question.” At this point she is thinking, “How ridiculous!” But she played along. Since He grew up to be a carpenter, she pictured this boy in the carpenter’s shop, bare footed, covered in dust and carving on a piece of wood, very intent on getting it just right. So, she asked Him, “What are you making, because you’re working so hard on that?” and He said, “This is you.” As she continued, suddenly all the other people in the room did not make a hill of beans difference. She said, “You are working so hard on that I must be a lot of trouble.” And He said, “No, this is my joy.” God loves you immeasurably and through Christ we too can love ourselves. Jesus saves us to give us a purpose… Jesus had chosen Peter to be the rock upon which He would build His church. But clearly Peter was more like sinking sand! And when it mattered the most, instead of standing strong and faithful, he ran, he hid, and he denied. But Jesus did not give up on him and when He came back from the dead in a very intimate scene, just Jesus and Peter eating some fish, He tells Peter three times, just like the three times of Peter's denial, “feed my sheep”. And the rest is history. But Jesus did not only give these gifts to the 12, but to you and me. Just like for Peter, at times this calling is impossibly difficult…which can surprisingly bring clarity to God’s plan. It was a young woman her late twenties who teaches in a very challenging environment, thatshowed me how. There were moments as a first-year teacher…“I have students with drugs, in gangs, who have their only meal at school, they try you and try you each day; I should feel for them,but you are angry, but then the anger reminds you…THAT IS THE REASON YOU ARE THERE.” It was precisely in the hardship and horror of drugs and pre-teen pregnancies, the stark reality of broken lives, that assured her God had placed her there. She has thick skin and stubborn resolve. That is what God needed there. Because “if it was easy”, she said, “anyone could do it.” Jesus binds us to all… And finally, Jesus’ salvation not only rescues us from our enemies, but He eliminates the very idea of an enemy. On this World Communion Sunday, we celebrate the worldwide nature of The Church. And nowhere was this clearer to me than when I was served as Executive Presbyter in Birmingham, Alabama. We hosted General Assembly for our denomination. One of our military chaplains, David Terrononi, was serving communion to a Christian from one of the countries behind the communist wall. Here is his story: "Tom, I was assigned to serve communion to the international representatives on the main floor. I was in uniform. After the service, a gentleman with a heavy accent told me that my serving him communion was very emotional for him because, “our two countries are enemies.” He said, “You are an U.S. Air Force chaplain and you served me communion as a brother in Christ.” And then, he embraced me. It was very moving and humbling because he is the moderator of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Havana, Cuba… This …powerful experience …reinforces the strength of the Gospel to cross all boundaries. I saw him a couple days later and he immediately greeted me with, “There’s my chaplain friend…” The entire story of scripture is known as The Good News, indeed it is the best news that we could ever hear, for no matter how many times we fall, no matter how short sighted we are, God's power of forgiveness, of purpose, end of love will indeed save the world. Amen.

Calling all current and former Brick Church high schoolers! The Children’s Ministry Committee is looking for high school volunteers to be “helpers” for our Sunday School classrooms. It’s a great, easy, and fun way to gain experience working in childcare - and you can earn service hours by doing it! Our helpers will be tasked with setting up crafts and activities from the curriculum prior to class, helping our teachers watch and care for kids during class, and cleaning up the room once class concludes. The hours are 10:30 - 12:30 PM most Sundays throughout the school year starting now until May 19th. If you or your child is interested, please reach out to Connor Wright at cwright@brickchurch.org. Thanks so much, and we look forward to hearing from you!

This year, Brick Church is participating in the Red Bag Campaign for students at the African Dream Academy in Liberia. You can make a difference in a student's life by filling up a red bag with school supplies and a few Christmas treats. The bags and more information can be found at the entrance to the Sanctuary or in the Garden Room. This opportunity is available through Oct. 13th. Contact Wendy Evans at wendy.evans0208@gmail.com with any questions. If you don't have time to shop, click here to select from an online registry or donate online here . To learn more and read a special message from African Dream Academy Foundation President, Lydia Spinelli, please click here .

Brick Church and NY Common Pantry are working together to feed New York families this Thanksgiving. Your support is crucial! We are accepting canned foods (no glass please) or $50 Donations: Donate online here or submit a check made out to The Brick Presbyterian Church with memo "Thanksgiving Drive." Pre-labeled bags are available for pick up starting Sunday, October 15th in the Garden Room, and should be dropped off by Sunday, October 29th.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39 For two weeks now, we have been discovering the one theme of the Bible – God’s salvation history of love. We began with paradise when all was perfect but then we followed up with The Fall of Humanity, but very quickly the story moves forward. God has chosen a people, Israel, and today we find ourselves in Egypt, where Israel fled due to famine. That is where our story begins. This story, like many, creates a hero out of the most unlikely chain of events from an unlikely person. A young mother stands on the banks of a river, in the rushes, and pushes her son in a basket on a whim and a prayer. It is necessary because of the simplest of words that create the most horrifying situation. When Israel first arrived in Egypt due to famine, they were welcomed. But look what happened overtime as the text tells us, “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” And because of that Pharoah spoke those ominous words, “They are more numerous than us.” This has been humanity’s eternal challenge and is the grand joy of Pentecost, when people of different races, cultures, and languages come together as one. In this story, God is in stark contrast with Pharoah. Professor Terence Fretheim, expert on Exodus wrote: Knowing means more than acquaintance or being informed; it bespeaks a relationship of depth in which there is a commitment to those who are known... The King of Egypt does not know; God knows. This difference in knowing has a profound effect on doing. Not knowing leads to oppression; knowing leads to salvation. Because “they” were more numerous, Pharoah enslaved the Jews, so God said to Moses: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob… I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…” Even to this day when the Jews recite these texts they do so as if they personally experienced the Exodus event. In reciting the words, “God delivered us!” this story becomes their story, and when the words “remember you were slaves in the land of Egypt but God delivered you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,” they feel the horror of their history and within their deepest selves, also the power and compassion of God for them. And so, this event of liberation has become paradigmatic for oppressed peoples everywhere, that Yahweh by nature is a God of liberation, of justice, and of power. Power not only to defeat enemies, but power to re-unite and rebuild. This summer as Wendy and I spent time in the in the Berkshires, we came across the childhood home of WEB Dubois, the African American thinker and activist whose writings influenced generations of freedom fighters…born on February 23 in 1868 (Nicholas Parker). There is no house left, but it has become a National Historic Landmark, and includes a self-guided tour through the forest. He studied in Germany and earned his doctorate from Harvard. He spoke on voting rights and worked and wrote for justice, not only for blacks in America but for people of African descent everywhere, including, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and was a leading intellectual in the nascent movements of Civil Rights and an ardent peace activist. His work grew from the foundational truths of God. He wrote: "Believe in life! Always human beings will progress to great, broader, and fuller life…” “I believe in Liberty for all men: the space to stretch their arms and their souls, the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine, and ride on the railroads, un-cursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will in a kingdom of beauty and love…” “…I believe in God, who made of one blood all nations that on earth do dwell. I believe that all men, black and brown and white, are brothers, varying through time and opportunity, in form and gift and feature, but differing in no essential particular, andalike in soul and the possibility of infinite development.” God continues to use people in this story of liberation. God could just zap Pharaoh and put in place a new, friendly ruler who would free them, but God chooses servants like Dr. Dubois and Moses. The Presbyterian Church has done something amazing, not only in liberating minds but in closing the rifts between they and us, in – of all places – Lahore, Pakistan. The Presbyterian school there, Forman Christian College, is over one hundred years old, was founded by a Presbyterian missionary, and has been in resurgence in recent years. All students sign a covenant that commits them to respect the dignity of all, maintain good moral values, and to value tolerance as well as education. Rev. Vic Pentz, retired pastor of Peachtree Presbyterian Church, noted, “Muslim students [who make up three-quarters of the FCC student body] are well aware that their education is due to Christian witness.” A Pakastani named Javaid said the greatest difficulty in Pakistan, is interreligious conflict. The Presbyterian schools “provide a model that proves you can live and work together in an atmosphere of mutual respect.” Javaid tells the story of how this is happening: A prominent Sunni Muslim parent in Lahore, Pakistan, came to Veeda, seeking to enroll his daughter in a Presbyterian school in the city. At home a short while later, the girl – now a student at the school – heard a shouting match going on between Sunnis and Shiites in her family’s living room. She marched into the room and said, ‘My teacher has taught me that we are all children of God and should be living in peace.’ The shouting stopped. Healing the disaster of “they” and “us” is the work of God’s people everywhere. And it is not easy. Moses did not want to hear God’s voice. He had fled Egypt for fear of his life; he was away from the suffering and the slavery; he had a nice home and good work, with a nice family; he was settled. But as the saying goes, God comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. Thus, the burning bush for Moses! As a leading intellectual of his time, W.E.B. Du Bois showed how the power of the mind given by God can lead to this liberation. And this is the hope of Brick Church and the African Dream Academy. Since God is a God of the “possibility of infinite development,” Brick Church has invested in this liberation ironically in the land of Liberia! But not only Liberia, through scholarships to our school, and Summer Steps, we also work hard to open the gift of the mind and the love of God for children in New York. In the end, the Bible shows us, despite the modern movie mania, there are no “superheroes,” no perfectly pure Supermen or women fighting for “truth and justice.” God uses these unlikely people, like Moses, as Exodus tells us, “So that you will know “that I am the Lord.”” This means the story is not ultimately about Moses, or us, but about God. The type of God who frees us with the mighty hand and then lifts us up with the outstretched arm. May all of us stretch our arms out wide to continue to tell the story and add new chapter to this amazing history of liberation and of salvation…for all. Amen.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 Last week, we began exploring the one story of the Bible. Scripture is a complex book because there is poetry. There is history and biographies of a sort, and there is apocalyptic literature with terrifying images of monsters. It can be hard to find the thread of what the story is all about, and my hope is by the end of the series, the one story of the Bible known as “The Salvation History of God,” will become clear. We began by exploring paradise, the perfect place in which humanity is at one with God, each other, and with creation, and today human brokenness enters into our story. But despite this reality, we will find that this story ends even better than it began! Better than paradise, so tune in over the next few weeks to discover what that is. But sadly, there is a tremendous amount of heartache and tragedy that leads the way. The story of Adam and Eve in Genesis, chapter 3 gets at the most intractable of problems within the human condition: our ability to shoot ourselves in the foot, so to speak, when all is right with the world. Yet in some ways, it seems the fall of humanity is inevitable; a finite creature of flesh and blood, subject to sleep deprivation, hunger, and disease, endowed with free will? And besides, endless bliss is boring. I love sitting on the beach, feeling the mist of the ocean spray, hearing the waves crash on the surf…but frankly, my patience only lasts about an hour, and then I’m ready to move on to something more exciting. On a visit to Augusta National, perhaps the most famous golf course in the world, at first, I was awed by how perfectly everything was maintained. Not a blade of grass out of place! But by the end, I was frustrated. Show me a weed, please! Surely God made humanity for something more than endless strolls in beautiful gardens. Adam and Eve must’ve gotten stir-crazy. They wanted some weeds. And they wanted to be something more, but sadly they wanted to become something more than they were spiritually ready for, they wanted to become as gods, with the knowledge of good and evil. And there are a few facts within this story – telling things within the story that at first reading, we may not catch – that show how, despite its age, scripture’s keen insight remains perfectly pertinent. Very quickly, the blame game enters the human heart. Eve blames the serpent, and Adam, blames God! “The woman YOU gave me offered me the fruit!” Secondly, perhaps even more tragically, those in power to shape this story in the retelling multiplied sin upon sin! For centuries men twisted this story to justify patriarchy! But it is telling that the Bible does not blame Eve more than Adam, but both equally, and in fact, the Apostle Paul, in the New Testament, blames the original sin on Adam not Eve. The whole rest of the Bible is trying to undo this fundamental brokenness within the human heart, our propensity to push each other down; our fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of God, and ourselves. This becomes clear in Paul’s words to the Galatians. “No longer male nor female; slave no free; Jew nor Greek, all are one in Christ.” Paul is telling the Galatians and us to stop this nonsense. The priorities and the power dynamics have all been leveled. It is meant to be the unwinding of original sin. But we are not yet at the end of the story. And we daily face the nature of this powerful Tree of Knowledge. Will we choose good or will we choose evil? Despite our sin, God doesn’t want us beating our breast all day in anguish. Rather God wants us to add to the goodness of the world, for the only thing that can overcome evil is the power of love. How will you use your power and your knowledge to be a force of good for God’s sake?! How are you going to work to let them know that God; that through God, we are more than conquerors. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “nothing can separate us from God, not death, not earthly powers, nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ, Jesus, our Lord!” God calls us to be people of courage and of action; one man, one woman, one person can make a difference! Look at the life of Stew Clifford, God rest his soul, longtime member of Brick Church, specifically in his support of the Seminarian Program. Through his generosity an entire generation of pastors were nurtured by Brick, and they are now all around the world sharing God’s love. Just last year one of our interns wrote these words: The Brick Presbyterian Church …changed my life and deepened my faith. This program will always be responsible for connecting me with the place and the congregation where I first waded into the waters of ministry, where I felt the presence of God in helping to lead worship, where my discernment became formed. …I had the privilege to be surrounded by an unbelievably hardworking and talented team of ministers and staff. All of these things I will cherish and carry with me throughout my life and especially throughout my ministry, which, in no small part due to this program, I am excited to begin. My Seminarian Internship here has been without a doubt the most important part of my education and formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. That is a legacy that Mr. Clifford left us. Using your resources and choosing good one day at a time can be phenomenally powerful. And resources are not only counted by dollars in the bank. In the ninth grade, my brothers, father, and I spent the summer in San Luis, Colorado living in a trailer with a woman of titanic strength and grit, Thea Adler. She was gruff and foreboding and more than a little scary to a 14-year-old boy. I learned she was a force to be reckoned with. She fought for water rights for the local people, she fed the hungry, she clothed the naked, she lived out the mandates of God. Twenty years later I took a mission trip back to that valley. Thea had passed away by that time, but the story of her love had only grown stronger. Though she had almost no dollars in the bank, her investment in people for her whole life turned her into a legend of good for the choices she made. But of course, the good and the evil are not always so easy to distinguish. At times it is so impossibly difficult to not only do the right thing, but to know what the right thing is. Because God has imbued us with such fantastic potency that we have such astounding capacity not only for good, but for evil. For those of you who have seen the absolutely stunning and remarkable movie,Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, you remember an early scene in which Oppenheimer approaches Einstein with his fear that a bomb might ignite the atmosphere, thus setting the entire world on fire and destroying humanity in one stroke. This turns out not to be the case, as we know from history. But near the end of the movie, Oppenheimer visits Einstein again. “When I came to you with those calculations, we thought we might start a chain reaction that might destroy the entire world.” “What of it?” Einstein replies. The camera holds on Oppenheimer's face for a beat, and then he says the dagger of a line, “I believe we did.” Oppenheimer’s fears eerily reflect the events of Adam and Eve and the situation. Each of us finds ourselves in a daily battle. We have knowledge, we have power, and even in trying to do good we can also do harm. But the Bible’s message is always ultimately one of hope. Hope in God. And this brings us to Maltbie Babcock, Brick minister who wrote another favorite hymn of mine. He tragically died after pastoring here for only a year in the 1901. “Though Babcock only served our congregation for 18 months, he made a lasting impact on both the church and community. In February of 1901, Babcock traveled to Egypt and the Holy Land, and died suddenly in Naples en route home three months later.” (Brick Hymn notes) ….After his death, his wife Katherine Babcock published several of his poem’s including This is My Father’s World. The tune that accompanies it is sweet, endearing us to a God who claims us as children. And the text tells us in whose hands the battle rests. This is my Father's world: Oh let me ne’er forget; that though the wrong seems oft so strong God is the ruler yet, This is my father’s world The battle is not done Jesus who died shall be satisfied and earth and heaven be one Use your knowledge to choose the good and know that when we inevitably fail, the battle and our story is not done until that day when God in Jesus Christ unites earth and heaven into one, Amen.