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 After two thousand years and more, one might reasonably assume that we have learned all there is to know about the Bible. But it is the story about God so there will always be more to understand. Over the next several weeks we shall distill this book into one theme and hopefully by the end of this series you will have a grasp of that plot line – God’s Salvation of humankind. It is complex so most of it is written as story, humankind’s way of making meaning out of diverse events and finding purpose. I used to be concerned with finding meaning from scripture by determining which events I thought were true and which were just stories. But a medical doctor turned preacher convinced me I was on the wrong path when he said, “I no longer try to turn it into a completely explained rational phenomenon… I wanted everything explained as medical student, but the further I went along… the mystery came back in; science does not explain everything… The further I got down the path of faith, the less important explaining it all seemed to be; I am happy with mystery but want to keep exploring it.” Story and art have that same power to become something greater than the sum of its parts. True art is more than the sum of its colors and shadows of light and dark; true art comes to us in the form of a lightning rod attached to your soul. When I first saw Van Gogh’s Starry NightI felt as If I was transported to this magical, mysterious place. I feel that lightning rod, that mystery, that meteor on my soul when I hear the first chapters of Genesis. And for me whether or not Adam and Eve are real people is beside the point; either way I most powerfully and passionately, perhaps more than anything, believe in the story of Genesis 1 and 2 and the whole story of God’s love found in the Bible. And it is an incredible story. The greatest story ever told. There are heroes, and villains, fantastic miracles, epic battles of good versus evil, human frailty along with historic courage, poetry and poignancy, tales of romance and treachery, God… born, God… murdered, God… resurrected, humankind… saved. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Our story, this story starts at the very beginning. No,not like fairy tales, or action movies. The actual beginning of EVERYTHING! We find ourselves in paradise, the Garden of Eden where there is perfect harmony between God and us, between people and the planet. All that is needed is there. It is a vision of shalom, a wholeness, a unity of all things. And God has fashioned all of it out of overflowing love. I have felt this universal harmony while standing atop the Grand Tetons in Wyoming and gazing at the Snake River below, the majesty and grandeur, the beauty is mesmerizing. Perfect. And in our story today there is true humanity found, uttered by Adam as he seeks to find a partner to dwell in paradise, apparently even paradise isn’t perfect until you find someone you love; when Eve finally comes you can almost feel his heart mend and soar, “At last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” Now it truly is perfect. Now it is complete. There are no clothes, because there is no shame. It almost cannot be imagined. A world without shame, without guilt, without fear. This is the world God created for us. This is how we were meant to live and be with one another. The whole rest of the Bible is about getting us back to this place… But in truth to something even better, BETTER THAN PARADISE! These chapters of Genesis were written during the time Israel emerged into the Promised Land and while they were living amongst their enemies in Babylon. This story was written with a purpose; to combat the false narratives these other cultures were telling. There were popular tales from other religions and cultures, such as the Epic of Enuma Elish and the Epic of Atrahasis they told of ancient battles amongst the gods fighting for supremacy. Stories of evil, gods slain, whose carcass created the heavens and the earth. Stories about the nature of humanity not made out of love, but rather made to be slaves of the gods out of the blood droppings of a despotic tyrannical and nasty jealous god! In contrast, what does this beautiful story of Genesis teach us… But the heavens and the earth are created by the will of God, and that they are beautiful, and that they are good, and that they are very, very, very good, and that humanity far from being created to be slaves out of something evil, that we were created out of love to offer joy and praise. But it is not only authors, ancient or modern, that weave stories, but each one of us! The stories we tell of ourselves in our family are the ones that shape who we are today. My story is that of being born in the jungles of Brazil. It is not simply a fact, but it creates a certain solidarity with people from that place, and for the poor and the oppressed since this is why my parents were there. It is a soul place for me and Portuguese – though I cannot speak it –ignites a part of my brain that centers me in a sublime rapturous peace. The same peace I knew as a child with my brothers and my parents. When all was good and we were all together. But just like paradise it didn’t last but that is a story for another time. You have a story that has a beginning that has shaped and molded you as well. You have the Adam – like place in which you feel, “At last, at last, at last, at last….” This soul longing of people or places was grafted by God into the human spirit that can make you experience the womb-like safety of being enveloped in love. It is your beginning, and you would do well to understand it. Brick Church has a story thanks to Deanne Turner, Margaret Stocker and others. We know the story of past pastors, and we continue to tell the story of grand elders like Ellsworth Stanton. They capture something of the core of this place, and as we weave the stories today they shape who we will be tomorrow. Brick Church has this beginning. In its January 4, 1768, issue the New York Mercury reported: On Friday last, being the first day of this year, the Presbyterians of the city, in communion with the established Church of Scotland, opened their Brick Church, lately erected on the green. The Reverend Mr. Rodgers conducted the worship and preached from these words of the Prophet Haggai: ‘I will fill this House with my Glory, saith the Lord of Hosts.’ There was a very crowded audience and by the solemnity of the occasion and the address of the Preacher, the whole assembly seemed to be impressed with a mixture of Seriousness, Gratitude and Joy, more easily conceived than expressed, and highly becoming the dedication of a House to the worship of Almighty God. That was 255 years ago! This place, this church was founded to fill the earth with praise to our maker. In fact, it is thought the first chapter of Genesis was used in worship for this same purpose: to praise our Creator! In fact, all creation was made for this purpose. As the Westminster catechism tells us. “What is the chief end of humankind? ‘To glorify God and enjoy God forever’!” And Brick has been pursuing that purpose all these years, and who knows how the story unfolds for the next quarter millennia… What we do here, in our time will write the next chapter. It has been an historic story both for this country and this denomination. During the Revolutionary War the British occupied Brick Church and frankly made a mess of it, but after the war our first pastor, John Rogers, in a supremely Christian act welcomed back the loyalists to the church. As a sign of thanksgiving none less than George Washington wrote Rogers a letter (which hangs in my study) of thanks for Rogers’ effort to heal the nation. John Rogers was also the denomination’s first moderator! The Day School too has its beginnings, some 80 years ago and because of that vision not only have we nurtured good Presbyterians, but we have shaped generations of leaders within this city and around the world. There is a story of etiquette classes in the mid-1900s. A concept that sounds archaic to us and yet it was just last year a woman from East Harlem who attended those some 50 years ago was expressing her thanks and joy of having had that opportunity. A favorite hymn of mine was written by our most famous pastor, Henry Van Dyke in the late 1800s, Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy!” Mortals, join the mighty chorus, Which the morning stars began; God's own love is reigning o’er us, Joining people hand in hand. Ever singing, march we onward, Victors in the midst of strife; Joyful music leads us sunward In the triumph song of life. That’s God’s promise. That God will triumph and restore us. This text discloses the reason for the story of Adam and Eve and of us all, thanksgiving, joyous rapturous thanksgiving for this incredible God, the gift of life and of this world. Next week our story takes us to the Fall of Humanity. Despite the tragedies this creates we will find that God’s power of goodness is more than a match for the frailty of the human heart. 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 God’s story of salvation teaches us that the cosmos was created out of overflowing love, and this world we are given is very, VERY good! In an act of supreme generosity, each one of us was crafted with a spark of the divine within us. Even though we have strayed, God remains steadfast, assuring us that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Read below for the story of salvation in Ten Words in the Bible. Creation: Out of love, God created the universe and made humankind in the divine image. When God finished, God rested and declared it very good! Original Sin (time unknown): Humanity rebelled and was expelled from paradise, and creation suffered from the disconnection. Our perfect relationship with God and with one another was severed. [Genesis] Patriarchs and Matriarchs (about 2000): Despite our pride and neglect, God remained faithful and continued a loving relationship with humankind. God did this through a certain couple, Abraham and Sarah, their child (Isaac), and grandchild (Jacob). Through Jacob's twelve children rose the nation of Israel, and through them, God will restore and reconcile all of creation. God chose them out of abundant grace, and Abraham's trust in God. [Genesis] Exodus (1600-1200): God's people, the Israelites, because of a famine, were forced to go to Egypt. At first, they were welcomed, but then the Pharaohs turned evil and enslaved God's people for 400 years. God heard the cry of the Israelites and freed them to the promised land. The land [called Palestine, Canaan, and Israel] is a sign of their good standing with God and is intimately connected with their identity as a people. [Exodus] Judges (1200-1000): When the nation of Israel arrived at the promised land, it was inhabited. Through various battles, Israel possessed Canaan. The nation of Israel was a loosely knit group of 12 tribes (named after the sons of Jacob) that shared the belief in God but had no leader. The nation as a whole constantly disobeyed God at this time and went through a cycle of success, apostasy, defeat, repentance, and reinstatement. Certain Hebrews emerged from the tribes, called judges (Gideon, Samson, and Deborah), who helped them through these crises. [Joshua and Judges] Kings (1000-587): The Hebrew people, because of constant wars and fear of neighboring countries, wanted a king to unify their nation and make it less vulnerable to outside attack. God had been their king up to this point, but reluctantly, God agreed to give them a king (God was reluctant because God knew that human kings would abuse the power given to them). At first, despite the kings' deficiencies, it seemed the nation was stronger, but soon there was an argument about who the successor would be, and the nation split into two countries called Israel and Judah. [I, II Samuel; I, II Kings; and I, II Chronicles] Prophets (1000-500): Many of the kings were extremely wicked and led the people away from God. Because of this, the prophets arose to tell the people to return to faithfulness in God or else their nation would be destroyed. [Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and Hosea] Exile (585-540): The prophets were right, and the Hebrews were taken away from their promised land given to them by God and exiled to Babylon. They were now a people without a home. [Ezekiel and Lamentations] After about 50 years, they were returned but were no longer in control of their own land. [Ezra, Nehemiah and Daniel] Messiah (0-30 A.D.): The entire history of God's people is a continual story of humankind's disobedience, disaffection from God, repentance, and reinstatement. The prophets and others realized that this would always continue unless something or someone could stop this cycle. They recognized that only a change in the nature of a person could effect a more permanent change, which could avoid continual separation. Thus, they prophesied that one would come who could permanently fix humankind's sin and separation from God. This Messiah who came was God's very Son. He died that we might be permanently restored to a right relationship with God. Apostles (30-70 A.D.): Before Jesus ascended back into heaven, he charged a group of people, the apostles, to spread the good news not only to Israel but to everyone. Thus, through Israel, all of the world was restored into a right relationship with God if they say "YES!" to the person and the work of Jesus. It was through the work of the apostles that Jesus' name was spread throughout the Earth, particularly the work of Paul. [Romans, Galatians, and Corinthians] Prayer of Confession Lord, You have loved us immeasurably through Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. He has blessed us with salvation but we have sought other paths to find meaning and hope. We have allowed our fears to erode our trust in You and the path to life that You have given us. Give us strength to live as people of Your way, filled with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Confirmation is a year-long opportunity for 8th graders to spend time with their peers, discuss the Christian faith, and get more involved in the Brick Church community. At the end of the year, students may choose to join The Brick Church as an active member. Confirmation Class meets Sundays at 9:00 AM starting October 1st.

The Youth Ministry plays a vital role in fulfilling The Brick Church's mission. In our youth programs, The Brick Church empowers students to live out their Christian faith in a complex world, to build relationships with one another and with caring adults, and to offer service to a world in need. We invite all youth to join our Tuesday Night Dinner Program, Super Bowl party, Ice Skating party, Ski Trip, and mission opportunities throughout the year.

The Brick Church Children's Ministry offers engaging Sunday programming designed for children from ages 3 through 7th grade. Our dedicated and enthusiastic volunteer staff will guide your children through inspiring Bible stories, nurturing their spiritual curiosity along the way. Our inclusive programs feature a variety of activities, including family dinners and worship, Sacraments Class, Advent Crafts, the joyous Christmas Pageant, as well as special services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for families to celebrate together.

Parents with children aged 0-2 years are invited to register for our Sunday childcare services at The Brick Church. Our top priority in the childcare program is to provide exceptional care, ensuring that each child receives dedicated attention and support. The nursery is staffed by highly skilled professionals from The Baby Sitters' Guild, guaranteeing a safe and nurturing environment for your little ones.

Daniel Jacky will serve as the Wilson Family Sacred Music Intern for the 2023-2024 church year as he begins his studies at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University. In the past year, Daniel was awarded as the inaugural AGO Organ Scholar at Duke Chapel where he had experience both conducting and playing the organ for a variety of liturgies and concerts throughout the academic year. Originally from Ohio, Daniel graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory in 2022 receiving degrees in Organ Performance and Mathematics. Daniel has extensive training and experience and in continuo accompaniment and is particularly interested in the sacred cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach. A message from Dr. Raymond Nagem: I'm delighted to welcome Daniel Jacky to the music team at Brick Church as Wilson Family Sacred Music Intern. Daniel comes to us following a year as organ scholar at Duke University Chapel, where he played and conducted for services and accompanied the chapel choirs. He will begin a master's degree at Yale University in September. Please join me in giving Daniel a warm welcome from our church community here at Brick!

Registration is now open for the 2023-24 Youth Choir season! Led by Julianna Grabowski, the Youth Choirs offer advanced musical training and extraordinary leadership opportunities for children. They sing in worship on Sundays as well as signature Brick events such as the Park Avenue Tree Lighting. Rehearsals are on Wednesday afternoons starting September 13th.

The 19th century short-story writer and Civil War veteran, Ambrose Bierce, in The Devil’s Dictionary wrote a humorous, somewhat scathing social critique, disguised as a resource book. Listen to these entrances: “Love, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage.” The book is also quite cynical! “Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.” Clearly math has never been humanity’s strong point! “Cabbage, n. A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man’s head.” Apparently, men were just as obtuse in his day! But it is his definition of hospitality that concerns us this morning. “Hospitality, “The virtue which induces us to feed and lodge certain persons who are not in need of food and lodging.” In Bierce’s time, as perhaps in ours, what passed for hospitality was exchanging social favors amongst the well-to-do. This is the opposite of what Jesus had in mind when He spoke of welcoming others, indeed in His ministry and the way He lived His life. Far from exchanging social niceties with His peers, He spent time with tax collectors, lepers, sinners. Essentially the people others refused to. He entered their homes, ate and drank with them, despite the naysayers. He enjoyed life with them. This welcome Jesus calls us to is not as simple as saying hello to a passerby. It is not a generic reception. It is tailored to the person on your doorstop; welcoming “a prophet as a prophet” He says, “a righteous person as a righteous person”. Specifically, Jesus means that each encounter you have is a chance to experience God’s plan for your life. For to welcome them for who they are means exploring the intention of God. In the Middle East, welcoming the stranger is an obligation that has been embedded in their culture, since even before the time of Jesus. I remember on a trip to Jordan in the midst of floating on the Dead Sea, looking at the river Jordan, peering over Mt. Nebo, where Moses first saw the Promised Land, the most memorable aspect was the reception we had in every town, market, and hotel. The stranger is treated as an honored guest because you never know who they might be. Perhaps this practice stems from the ancient encounter that Sarah and Abraham had with three strangers at the Oaks of Mamre as told in Genesis 18. Abraham spies three strangers from the comfort of his tent. He runs to greet them and offers them, not his leftovers, but the very best (i.e., most expensive) cakes and meat from his larder. Jonathon Sacks, the once Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, observed that the Hebrew Bible contains only one command to love the neighbor, but no less than 36 to love the alien. And because of our fragmented world, that person may be someone across the globe, across town, or even at the end of your pew. And a gracious welcome has the power to change the world. After extending his hospitality, suddenly these three strangers seem to be more. Somehow, they know his wife’s name and declare, “In due time your wife will have a son.” In fact, it has ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women, so she laughs saying, “After I grow old shall I have pleasure?” She could not believe in a future filled with the promise of a child. She could not conceive of a world full of joy. Especially not one that came about from being nice to a stranger. Out of the blue in this story, suddenly the voice of God speaks, “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?!” Apparently not, for soon Isaac is born and the history of salvation begins. But serving the “aliens” of this world brings us pause. We hesitate to help a person on the subway because we’re not sure if they are faking it. Not too far down the street from one of my old houses there was a driveway with a sign that read, “No pulling in the driveway. Especially stalled cars. This means you!” But Abraham shows us how to open ourselves up to the stranger. He bowed down to them. If three strange men appeared on your lawn, what might your reaction be? A) Run inside, close the blinds and hope they didn’t see you B) Turn on the sprinkler system to teach them a lesson, or C) As Abraham did, run to meet them, bow down while saying “If I find favor with you let me serve you.” Somehow, rather than fear them, Abraham considered it a privilege to welcome the stranger. Karen Armstrong, world-renowned expert in religious studies, explains how Abraham did not simply exhibit the age-old aphorism, “be kind to strangers”. Rather, he acted on one of the deepest truths folded into the very fabric of the universe. [Abraham’s encounter of God at Mamre] expresses a truth which is central to monotheism, the sacred does not manifest itself only in holy places. We can also encounter the divine in other human beings. It is essential therefore that we treat the men and women with whom we come into contact, even complete strangers, with absolute honor and respect because they too enshrine the divine mystery. This is what Abraham discovered when he ran out joyfully to meet these three travelers and insisted on giving them all the refreshment and comfort he could. [Jerusalem: Once City Three Faiths] Dignity. Respect. In some ways in our world today there is a vast chasm that has opened between cultures, religions, races, economics and more. But this passage suggests that dignity and respect may be the key to crossing this chasm. One German philosopher, Gadamer, went even further explaining there is a fundamental distance between all people because you can never truly get inside someone’s head, walk in their shoes, you can never truly understand their perspective. But as people of faith we believe there is a power that can bridge the divide, that can cross the existential gap between us all; the power of the Holy Spirit. And as you can see in Abraham and Sarah’s encounter, and Jesus’ way of life, the Holy Spirit’s binding power comes through, extending hospitality, actively welcoming. It is not sitting on our metaphorical front porches waiting for someone to knock. It means chasing down the encounter as Abraham did and bowing down to the divine within them. I never knew the power of welcome until we moved to Magnolia, Arkansas to pastor First Presbyterian Church. At first, I thought they were being fake, I was not used to people being that nice! Sterling Lacy, an Elder there, was a shining example. Every person he met he vigorously shook their hand while looking them in the eye with an inviting smile and enthusiastic hello. He sang in the choir, and (despite his propensity to fall asleep and snore during the sermon!) he would spy a visitor any the congregation and make a beeline to the back of the church to catch them before they left. In 1994, he stood up and challenged the session to ensure that where all the other churches pushed them away we would welcome those with AIDS, as we would have welcomed the Lord Himself. My goal is to become 1/10th as gracious as Sterling Lacy and I will be able to meet my Lord with a head held high. Brick has this spark. People come to the Tree Lighting and are hooked for decades. And people from many walks come to our campus. In fact, on Easter, we had agnostics, Sikhs, Jews, and atheists. Several of them came to me and remarked how much joy the entire service gave them and how welcome they felt. That warms my heart to know that they know we love and respect them, whatever their path in life and that we do so because this is precisely what our Lord taught us to do. A few weeks ago, people raved about the Strawberry Festival, especially those from the neighborhood. As I was passing out hotdogs one woman came to me, “I am Jewish, but If I were a Christian this would be my church!” May we welcome all as we would welcome the Lord Himself, and we too will discover the healing power of God to bring all people into the divine fold of love. Amen.

But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds. - Matthew 11:16–19 This passage discloses a fundamental tension in faith, a tug of war between… …the call to self-denial and the call to feast. …our sinful nature and our divine spark. …the stern demands of God and the infinite grace we receive. …a God who demands everything and a God who gives us all. …God who punishes our iniquities and a God who forgives our evil deeds. Throughout history the church waxed and waned between these extremes, most notably in the Middle Ages. There was an order of monks, the flagellants, who whipped themselves to suppress pleasure, physical joy, and wrong thoughts, while ecstatic mystic women prayed themselves into moments of ecstasy in God’s presence. This tension is manifest in the dynamic lives of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. John famously emerges from the wilderness, eating locus and wild honey, not to mention wearing a scratchy hairshirt! His first words are scathing, “Repent...You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Because of John’s austerity and wrath-oriented message they accused him of being possessed! But Jesus fared no better in the rumor mill of his time, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” We need to hold the tension between these extremes because without, both our faith becomes problematic. This is not a milquetoast middle. Think of a high-tension wire that you need to walk across. Simply holding it in the middle will mean the ends are limp and dangling. But if you pull it taut on both sides, suddenly it can be crossed. This is the path of faith which means a strong understanding and experience of sorrow and joy. A faith only of sweetness and light can become just as shallow as a life only lived for personal pleasure. A faith so immersed in guilt and shame becomes necrotic and ultimately denies the goodness of God. A faith which demands nothing of you turns God into the vending machine. A faith which leaves no room for our personal pleasure becomes an act of self-loathing. Throughout the Bible, God, like a good parent, reprimands and comforts. Sometimes like I feared my grandma Rian, who would not hesitate to put me on the Deacon’s bench as a child, we should fear God. For that fear helps us to be faithful and honest. And yet, despite this dual witness in scripture, there is a decided bias. God’s “yes” is louder than God’s “no”. The final word is not judgement but grace, and the final description of you is not “sinner” but “beloved child of God”. Not only is the final word of God “yes”, but the primary word for you and me now, today, even in this world as it is, is not sorrow but joy! And we can see this in the life of Jesus. Most of the depictions and even the scriptures convey Jesus as a very serious, somewhat moody – filled with compassion, yes – but scary, or often just plain dull. We have the impression from centuries of interpretation that Jesus was a solemn man who only went about preaching and doing miracles and speaking profoundly but in fact our passage shows us that this was not the case; the gospel writers clearly recorded another side. The criticism that He was a drunkard, and a glutton conveyed His ability to enjoy the simple things in life and to do so with a sense of camraderie with whoever is willing to sit at table with Him. In this text we see quite SURPRISINGLY that JESUS represents the joyous side of the religious movement at the time within Judaism and John the more ascetic. Jesus had of course deep respect for John, but He chose a different path. He chose the sinners and tax collectors; because let’s face it; they are more fun! And life is meant to be filled with joy! Christianity’s central message, after all, is known as “the good news of the gospel” Good news! “I’ve got good news good news / good news good news” as the song goes. Of course, the irony is for everyone to have true access to this good news requires in the end the most horrific events of bad news. But this is key. Jesus did not suffer this terrible fate on the cross to say we all must live lives of bad news, but of good news. And in this mystery, Jesus transforms the very nature of suffering and pain so that it becomes the primary path to freedom and joy. Thus, the duality, the tension of the faith is God’s plan to redeem and restore us all. So, Paul rejoices in the Lord always. He rejoices in his physical infirmity. In the feuds with fellows Christians. In his tragic shipwrecks. In the beatings from the Romans. And while in prison he sings; he sings songs of praise. I have seen this same joy in prisons in men’s eyes, bodies, hearts, and souls. It was the music on Sunday worship at Trenton State Prison, and they had given their lives to Christ, and, yes, that sounds very evangelical, but it was also very true. And so, though they were in earthly bondage, their spirits, as was Paul’s, were free. And this is the truest of all good news we will ever know. It is good news when a college acceptance comes. When a promotion comes through. When a health scare is averted. But as wonderful as they are, they are fleeting, and they can all be lost. The college may not work out. The health problem return. And promotion becomes a firing. But this good news of the gospel cannot be lost. It can only be found. This means, oddly enough, the Bible also wants us to rejoice even about the trials, not just the ‘feel good’ stuff. For it all comprises God’s plan to bring us greater wholeness and peace. So, Paul wasn’t the only one. James wrote in his epistle, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” This fundamental tension of faith between joy and sorrow prevented C.S. Lewis for years from accepting the good news. He wrote, “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust.” But over time through conversations with Tolkien and reading George MacDonald, he came to see, “The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.” Thus, he saw the central truth of Christianity and wrote Surprised by Joy, which describes his conversion. And like most of us, he had confused the extreme demands of Christianity as a life bereft of happiness. But instead as the title conveys, he was surprised by the joy! But the Christian does not suddenly become unfailingly happy. Happiness and joy are distinct. Joy comes precisely through the work of suffering, suffering out of love. Thus, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. As Lewis wrote: To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Thus, we come to know this joy is discovering that you are loved by the essence of love itself. Some years ago, our family experienced a loss. And the comfort of family and familiar pleasures could not release me from the sorrow. It was a sorrow like a cave in which I could not even see the way out. But Sunday rolled around like it did every week. I did not want to lead worship. I felt vulnerable, afraid, and did not want to draw attention to myself. So, I was surprised, that as soon as we sung the opening hymn, Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, a healing joy washed over me, cleansing tears flowed through me. The sorrow for the loss was still present but the love of God had transformed the pain. God wants us to enjoy life. But if that means only pleasure it will become hollow and empty. True joy only comes through true love which as we know can bring pain. But the final word from God is love. Amen.

Presbyterian worship in New York City began under the Dutch West India Company, which founded a trading post, New Amsterdam, in 1624. What mattered to the Dutch was trade, and New Amsterdam offered an ideal harbor for their worldwide mercantile empire. The North River, now the Hudson, led them to the riches of the interior. In contrast, Pilgrims from England had arrived in the New World in 1620, seeking religious freedom. Of course, England coveted the lands which the Netherlands had claimed as the settlement of New Amsterdam. Presbyterians migrated south from Puritan control of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, again in pursuit of religious freedom. In 1642 Francis Doughty and Elder Richard Smith established a meetinghouse in what is now Elmhurst, Queens, and in February of the following year they moved to New Amsterdam and were for four years known as “the church within the fort.” In the Dutch city of New Amsterdam, Presbyterians were relativity unrestricted. At the conclusion of the several Anglo-Dutch wars, New Amsterdam became New York. In the 1664 Articles of Capitulation, the Kingdom of England agreed to uphold freedom of conscience among other freedoms. However, in 1701 Edward Hyde, subsequently known as Lord Cornbury, became the governor of New York and New Jersey. In 1707 he ordered the prosecution of Reverend Francis Makemie, leader of the first Presbyterian Synod in America for preaching without a license. Makemie languished several months in jail before being acquitted. Presbyterians in New York City first gathered for worship in 1706 in private homes until they built the Presbyterian Church, the Wall Street Church, on the north side of Wall Street, in 1719. In 1738 a movement now known as the First Great Awakening began, spearheaded by the “grand itinerant” preacher George Whitefield. The movement encouraged introspection and a commitment to a new standard of morality. It was ideal fodder for a Presbyterian, and it also incited division and rancor in the church between traditionalists and new revivalists. There was political unrest around the city as well. The conclusion of the Seven Years War, aka the French and Indian War in 1763, left the British short of cash. The Sugar Act of 1764, Stamp Act of 1765, and the Townshend Acts of 1767, attempted to raise revenues, but these measures stepped on the toes of the American colonists and raised issues about “taxation without representation.” You know where that led. In the midst of all the turmoil that was going on, The Brick Presbyterian Church came into being as a place of worship, reflection and solace for the citizens of the City of New York.

Some Presbyterian churches in New York are named for their seniority: First and Second. Others for their location: Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue. But only Brick Church is named for its building material. Why was a brick building so startling? In the years before the American Revolution, Presbyterians worshipped in a modest wooden building on Wall St. The congregation lived nearby and walked to church. As the city grew, the Wooden, or Wall Street, Church congregation outgrew its building. So the session decided to build a second church for those who had moved northward to the edge of the city. They chose a small lot on the corner of Beekman and Nassau and erected a glorious brick structure in 1767. The first service probably took place on New Year’s Day, 1768. Today a Pace University building sits on that land, just south of where the Brooklyn Bridge empties into Manhattan. It’s across the street from City Hall Park. Eventually the two congregations under a single session split up. The Wall St. Church was the antecedent of First Presbyterian Church and The Brick Church became the official name of the Beekman/Nassau St. congregation. So you could say that First is either our mother or sister church. Of course we didn’t stay in that location. When the neighborhood around City Hall Park changed, the leaders decided to remain a parish church that people could walk to. They built the next church on 5th Avenue and 37th St., then a residential area popular with the congregation. Once again the session chose bricks. This second building was completed just before the Civil War. Today Lord & Taylor occupies that site. But Presbyterians kept moving. In the 1930s, the corner of Park Ave. and 91st St. was an appealing location in an area where many members lived. The third brick building for The Brick Church – our present church – was completed in 1940. There have been two constants throughout this history that are likely to continue far into the future: dedication to serving the membership where they live, and doing so in fine brick buildings.