When New York City became the first capitol of the United States in 1789 the newly elected president needed a house for his family while residing here. A stalwart of the Brick Presbyterian Church happened to be living in a very stately mansion at 1-3 Cherry Street, and he offered it to President Washington. The church member (later Clerk of Session, President of the Board of Trustees and Elder) Samuel Osgood (1747-1813), was originally from Massachusetts, had previously studied theology at Harvard, been a colonel in the American Revolution, and was active politically. President Washington appointed Osgood to be the first Postmaster General for the new Federal government. Osgood’s second wife, Maria Bowne Franklin, whom he married in 1786 and by whom he had five children, was a member of the important Quaker Bowne family, and she was the widow of Walter Franklin, the previous owner of 1-3 Cherry Street. Her first cousin happened to be the established Quaker cabinet maker .omas Burling. He was chosen to make furnishings in the Federal neo-classical style for the mansion, thanks to a grant from the congress, which detailed every item owned by the public in an Articles Furnished list. .e furnishings later went to Philadelphia to the next presidential mansion. Burling’s shop was a few doors down from the Brick Church, then called the New Church, on Beekman Street. It was convenient for Washington, Jefferson and Knox to drop by, and one of their visits there was recorded in a newspaper at the time. Burling privately made furniture for these men as well as for the Clinton family and for Robert R. Livingston, who administered the oath of office to Washington. Additionally Burling’s partner made furniture in the prevailing style, replete with Federal motifs of eagle, stars, laurel leaves and classical columns for the recently refurbished Federal Hall on Wall Street. Going back to 1776, also known to General Washington was the minister, Dr. John Rodgers, of the New Church, which had become a jail and then a hospital in the hands of the British during the American Revolution. With the exception of a few loyalists, its members rushed from the city and did not return until the British departed on Evacuation Day in the fall of 1783. A pillar for the Brooklyn Bridge now replaces 1-3 Cherry Street. Fortunately the Bowne stationers building can be visited in the South Street Seaport restoration, so a bit of history of the neighborhood remains. Sadly, the Brick Church and Burling’s shop on Beekman Street have long vanished. So too has the resting place for Samuel Osgood, who published on religious subjects, and was buried on hallowed ground in a vault in the yard of his church on Beekman Street.

Abraham had no good reason to believe God. At least not from what he knew. Sarah was famously decades past childbearing years and journeying to some unknown place that would become his descendant’s legacy seems desperate at best. Thus, Paul’s powerful phrase, “hoping against hope.” This is the hope that borders on the irrational, except this call was coming from God. Abraham’s hope was uniquely insightful. Remember at the outset Abraham did not truly know what kind of God the Lord was. He lacked the benefit of the Bible. He hoped in a new type of God. Not the gods so many others believed in. Most of the people believed in gods that were vengeful, despots, licentious, petty, not a god that would go out of the way to bless a relative nobody. Perhaps Abraham was one of the first to truly hope in God who would bless humanity, a Lord that was merciful and was steadfast, trustworthy, and true. In other words, a god of love. And though Abraham was relatively well-off compared to others of his time, we should not think he lived an easy life. As social theorist, and clergyman Thomas Hobbes quipped in the 17th century, “Life is nasty brutish and short.” And for Abraham that also meant the end of his line – no rational basis for thinking he would have an heir. But he wasn’t a fool. One theologian wrote, “It is a great mistake to confuse hope with optimism. The optimist looks on the bright side, expects a happy ending. Hope, on the other hand, simply refuses the foreclosure of despair, resists the absoluteness of impossibility.” He hoped against all the evidence to the contrary. Abraham was old. It ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. But for twenty years he continued to believe in this ridiculous, indeed impossibly ludicrous future that kept him focused on the Promise Land. He hoped against hope that God would indeed fulfill, “The unquenched yearning of the human heart for nothing less than everything.” The titanic theologian of the 13th century Thomas Aquinas explains, “[Imagine] the intrepidity required of [Abraham] as, taking a deep breath, he weighed up what was at issue in leaving home and the familiar world behind and setting out into the unknown, trusting God's obscure promise that the apparently impossible was, indeed, his destiny. And off he goes, seventy-five years old and childless, hoping against hope that 'all the families of the earth' will find blessing through his progeny.” (Hoping Against Hope: Abraham’s Dilemma, Nicholas Lash) In other words, hope is the belief in the impossible. Indeed, we hope against hope in the impossible love of Jesus Christ. Paul’s words from Romans are indeed the summation of all Christian hope. The impossible love of God. A God of galaxies, a God of goodness. A God of all knowing, a God who knows us all. A God of infinite power, a God of intimate tenderness. A God who demands everything, a God who gives us all.​ Even a destiny, an eternal home, a heaven, a place of perfect peace. When our daughter, Liz, was two years old, she had this habit of trying to leap head first out of our arms when she wanted to get down. And the only reason she did this brave and foolish act is because she had perfect confidence in our care. We would not let any ultimate harm come to her. This is the hope we have, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." (Julian of Norwich) And trusting in God’s ultimate care gave Abraham the moxie to go from his country and his kindred to the land. And it is the same bold hope we need. But notice Abraham didn’t remain on his proverbial front porch hoping the future would change. He had to live into; he had to act!!!! But I want to tell you two stories. It is one of impossible hope and deliverance by God. A journey in some ways more treacherous than Sarah and Abraham’s with a hope no less absurd. Now I don’t know about you but just watching the evening news is enough for me to lose hope. I want to turn it off, never to turn it on again. But a few decades ago, a man was watching the terrible news about the Hmong people who were being slaughtered in the war in Laos. He went to his session and told them “People are dying!” And they took action. Fast forward almost thirty years. I met a young man named Huau, a pharmacist, who at five years old made a treacherous journey. He told me how his rural farming family had to flee Laos for Thailand. For five years the fate of his family was in his hands, to learn both English and French to give them the best chances to be resettled in a desirable location. I asked him, “How did you not give up hope!?” “I never thought I would fail. I never gave up hope. How could I with people like those of your Church making sure I wouldn’t… I am here because a member of your church, was watching the news, hearing about how terrible things were in Laos and he decided to do something about it. You know why I am here? Because there are people in this world who do things they don’t have to do.” Here in New York someone acted with the same hope. Like the news, the prison systems seem to be a place where hope goes to die. But hoping against hope, several of you committed to helping forge an educational ministry which results not in a GED, or a college degree, but a master’s degree! And such a program helped educate an inmate, Mr. Absalom, and he obtained a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree while in prison. He helped bring young people into the prison to talk to them about the impact of gun violence. He spoke candidly about the poor choices he made, the regret for his crime and the continued suffering it caused. “Because of a choice I made 20 years ago, I was not there to be a father to my children, and unfortunately, my children fell into the same cycle. My 17-year-old child, my son, lost his life.” Colin was granted parole after 25 years of serving time for his crime. But there was a wrinkle. He was Jamaican-born and came to the states when he was 11 years old. And though the New York prison system believed he was reformed and worthy of being returned to society, the Federal system was going to deport him. That is when the next level of hope – of hoping against hope – went into high gear. One of your members with countless phone calls, emails, visits meetings and more would not be daunted by trying to do something that had never been done before – convincing the governor to pardon someone currently incarcerated. And she succeeded and changed his life and his family’s life forever, because she hoped that God would work. She hoped in a world in which people, and systems, can change. “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” (Emily Dickinson) Let hope in God perch in your soul; so that you may act. Do it with childlike boldness, with the wisdom of the aged, with bright-eyed belief, and steely-eyed determination. Do so because we have the sure and certain confidence that through God in Jesus Christ, the impossible is certain, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed to us all. Amen.

The Bible is the most amazing book in the history of the world. Without question it is the most read, studied, and translated book in all of history. But there is a problem with it. No instruction manual on how to use it. II Timothy claims that all of it is useful. But with stories about talking donkeys, children taunting bald men and being attacked by a bear, and claims that the sky is held up by pillars makes Paul’s claim in Timothy spurious at best. It seems unfortunate that God does not use the latest modern technology which I experienced to great blessing a few months ago. I was driving familiar territory on the way to Princeton, but construction had blocked the normal route. I fired up Google Maps and thank goodness it had been updated! Right away I was back on the best path to finish my trip! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God sent updates to scripture? These updates could answer directly some of the more thorny problems of the modern age. When is war appropriate in today’s world given our supreme destructive capabilities but without letting innocents to be massacred? Should we use genetic modifications to cure diseases in-utero? How much should I pledge to the church? How should we balance compassion for desperate families with the need for enforcement of laws? What is the right degree of separation between church and state? Did Jesus truly mean it when he told us to forgive others 77 times 7! A few years ago, was 29-year-old Brittany Maynard of Oregon justified in taking her own life so that she was in control of her fate rather than the cancer ravaging her brain? These are not simple questions. It would relieve us of a great deal of anxiety and grave mistakes If God would only send us the Bible 2.0. And yet, somehow the Bible is meant to be our unique and authoritative guide. I know many of you struggle embracing this concept with the clear problematic view of women amongst other things, the seeming wanton violence that God’s very self commits and the outdated science it includes. Thomas Jefferson’s solution was to mark out those passages he didn’t like! …by cutting and pasting with a razor and glue numerous sections from the New Testament as extractions of the doctrine of Jesus. Jefferson's condensed composition excludes all miracles by Jesus and most mentions of the supernatural, including sections of the four gospels that contain the Resurrection and most other miracles, and passages that portray Jesus as divine. (Wikipedia). Jefferson tells us his motivation: In extracting the pure principles which he taught, we should have to strip off the artificial vestments in which they have been muffled by priests, who have travestied them into various forms, as instruments of riches and power to them. …shall I say at once, of nonsense. Although God has not given us a user manual, nor those constant annoying updates, of course God in His wisdom has given us something much better – the Holy Spirit. On this day of Pentecost in which the Spirit poured power into the hearts of the disciples and more, this same Spirit gives us the means by which to understand the Truth of scripture, Truth with a capital “T”! It is through reliance on the Holy Spirit that we are able to discern how the Bible’s instruction from one age translates into guidance for our life today. John Calvin writes, “the Word will not find acceptance in men's hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit.” And the Westminster catechism observes, “Only the witness of the Holy Spirit in the human heart can finally persuade a person that scripture is the word of God.” We must rely on the Spirit in reading scripture because words on a page without the infusion of God’s presence are nothing more than wasted ink. Unfortunately, we can see this truth through the history of errors and evil committed through abuse of God’s Word. According to legend, Origen, an ancient theologian, castrated himself based on Jesus words, “If you’re right eye causes you to sin tear it out.” Jesus was speaking metaphorically not literally! In the medieval ages kings quoted Romans 12, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” in order to justify complete authoritarian control over their subjects. Obviously, God did not intend these words to give dictatorial control to kings. Knowing God’s will for us today is not as simple as reading words on a page. God seems to have made it doubly difficult. Not only does the Bible not update itself but it also comes to us through the culture of its day and the eccentricities of its authors. But of course,God has a reason, a plan, which will do something more wonderful and more challenging than we could ever receive in a Bible that was updated or one that was dictated. The key comes from a word that Paul invented for this passage – Theopneustos. It is a conjunction of the word “God” and “breathed”. “All scripture has been breathed into being by God.” God breathed into the hearts of humans. God inspired them and then they wrote it. God did not dictate the Bible. Timothy does not read, “All scripture was written by God.” This is how Muslims understand their sacred texts. Muslims believe that the Angel Gabriel dictated the Koran to Mohammed. Reading scripture as a disciple is a process of getting back to that same moment, that same experience that inspired the text to begin with. In order to know God’s meaning, we too must be breathed into by God. Knowing the Truth comes from being connected to the source of Truth. Every Saturday morning as a teenager when I went to the fridge for some breakfast, I would find a Post-It Note with chores and instructions for the day (my mother was no dummy, she knew a teenage boy sooner rather than later would be in the kitchen!). I didn't exactly rejoice upon seeing the list but after I had finished it, I knew I was square with the house and the day was mine. But God demands more than this. We are purposely not given a list to follow but something deeper. In Jeremiah, God declares, “I will put my law within you. I will write it upon your hearts.” Ultimately, Truth is not a list of propositions about God that the Bible teaches us. Truth is something that comes alive within us. It is a seed God plants within us. It is like the student who sits at the piano for years with her incredible teacher. She takes in all the instruction she can, she practices endlessly, and then one day her instructor is absent, and she plays, something new, something born from all she was taught but from not rote memorization, the music is a part of her, and it comes to life through her both in a unique way, but one born from her mentor. Paul writes that we are to be transformed. God wants us our obedience to come from within. Scripture is meant to shape us, not to dictate to us. Certainly, God wants us to obey the Word because these are divine commands, but more than that God wants us as Paul writes, “To grow up into the full stature of Christ.” Which comes from the indwelling of the Spirit. This is why we can’t update scripture. In the same way that Google updates its map software, God leaves us room for us to grow. By leaving a gap between the age in which scripture was written and our day we are forced to seek out the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are forced to consider the implications of these difficult questions that face us today. This dialogue, this wrestling between the text and today’s world engages the depth of our heart leading us into a prayerful seeking disposition. That is the crucible in which we become obedient from the heart, in which we grow up into the full stature of Christ. Second Corinthians 3:3 explains, “and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” This leads to God’s ultimate intention. We are not to believe something because it is in the Bible but because we have been convicted of its truth from within. The Holy Spirit’s quickening presence in our reading of scripture should guide us. Each time we open its pages we should come with the words of that hymn on our heart: Open my eyes, that I may see Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me; Place in my hands the wonderful key That shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now I wait for Thee, Ready my God, Thy will to see, Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine! Amen.

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:17 Did you ever get caught by a cloud? Perhaps it was a roaring soaring Cumulonimbus with its puffy majesty and towering power that suggested a mighty tempest on the horizon. You can feel the pressure change, the wind begins as the thrill of a coming storm sets in. Maybe it was a Cirrus whose plumy contrails evoke the delicate beauty of an artist’s long brushstroke, painting the sky with feathery delight. Or perhaps a fluffy puffy Cumulus, the fun one, in which turtles, and mushrooms and elephants unbelievably dance across the sky. I love clouds. There is a cloud-appreciation society (with over 50,000 members) and its founder Gavin Pretor-Pinney has a delightful Ted Talk, Cloudy With a Chance of Joy. “But I think they’re beautiful, don’t you?...It’s just that their beauty is missed because they’re so omnipresent, so commonplace that people don’t notice them …unless they get in the way of the sun.” Clouds are an amazing piece of God’s creation. They bring shade on a sunny day, delight on an afternoon walk, a warning of storm on the way, not to mention the practical gift to thirsty crops of their life-giving water. There should be moments, and days, and occasional weeks in which we all stare at the clouds or whatever brings you the simple sheer joy of being alive. Last week on a perfect day many had filled such a prescription and I walked to the Bethesda Fountain. It was such a day I knew throngs of people would be snapping selfies, playing music, blowing giant bubbles and simply relishing life for a moment. It was a beautiful and heart-soaring moment. To see so many find so much. A time to stare at the clouds and to wonder at the beauty of life. Heavenly. The disciples had an even more fantastic day. Jesus, who died, the rose from the grave is whisked into the clouds! Incredible. Wonderful. Glorious. But for the disciples it was a time to look to earth. Immediately after Jesus ascends into heaven angels appear castigating the disciples, “Why do you stand looking up to heaven?” Surely any one of us would have been gawking at this amazing sight. This was less of an actual question and more of a command. Time to get busy. A few years ago, I was standing at the airport counter waiting to check in when the gate agent did something very strange. He started dancing and moving back and forth. He could see I was thoroughly caught off guard, so he pointed to my shirt, “I’m getting busy!” At that moment I remembered! I was wearing a t-shirt from my mom that said, “Jesus is coming! Get busy.” Since then, this phrase has rattled around in my brain. How often we forget. Though we don’t all have the shirt, we all have the job. And it reminds me that at times we just need to act! The disciples had been given a job, a mammoth job, take Jesus’ gospel to the end of the earth. And to perhaps no one’s shock more than their own, mission accomplished! They did it! It would be too easy for them to remain in the spot both literally and metaphorically, bask in the memory of his power keep their gaze to heaven, wait for another sign, for the wind to change, stars to align, sore feet heal, and frail hearts to grow strong. Jesus has shown them the way. Over the past several years He taught them about God’s kingdom. He showed them how to channel the Spirit’s power. He demonstrated the nature of love He demanded; He has handed over the reins to them. The training wheels are off. It is called the “Acts” of the Apostles, not the musings. Another ancient book known as the Didache, which shares teachings of the apostles, didn’t make it into the Bible because their acts, i.e., their actions speak louder than words. For the disciples the actions required were clear, travel from town to town, preach the good news, heal the sick, and show the way. We have an equally pressing mission today. People need the grace that Jesus can give, the fellowship that the Holy Spirit provides, and the love that God pours out so generously. They need it, and they need it badly. The statisticians have finally discovered what we have always known. That being a part of a loving community can be the difference between life and death. Those parts of the country in which people are more engaged in regular worship attendance Church won’t erase your problems. But it can give you hope, give you purpose and empower you to give it to others. And so, we too have to get busy. Though it has not come directly from Jesus’s lips your commission is clear. Bloom where God has planted you. One friend of mine found her call in the midst of her teaching job. Some of her students were living in motels, as she said, “with a parking lot for a playground and a TV for a babysitter.” She knew it was time to take her head out of the clouds, and her friends as well, and together they provided food, activities, and more for the children. And, by the way, better jobs for the parents and eventually a real home for many of them. Rather than simply wallowing in the state of the world and laying blame at others’ feet they got busy. And they changed lives. Your calling may be as simple and powerful as living your faith in the place where you work. Several members have shared with me the struggle of being a Christian in this secular world. They don’t feel comfortable talking about their faith but still want it to matter where they work. It does not mean pounding on the Bible. It does mean having a servant’s heart toward your workers. It does not mean telling them how to live their lives. It does mean showing them by how your live yours. If you follow His call, people will notice. When you repay no one evil for evil, tame your tongue, honor others, judge not, love your enemies and show the compassion of Christ. If you live these in your place of work people will notice, and wonder, and that’s when you let them know and invite them to Brick. We all have this mission and there are times when we will be tempted to abandon our ethics because Jesus is asking more of us than we feel we can give. And He knows this, and there is a time to get even busier but there is also a time He gives us to stare into the clouds. It is the time when the well has run dry, our purpose is lost, and our cynicism reigns supreme. There was a funeral here a few years ago. A very successful woman with a gold medal from the King of Sweden!! She described herself as having her head in the clouds! She was clearly not flighty in mind or temperament; there was a very earthy and rooted embracing of life and all it offers; but she explained that that is where her faith is, in the clouds. When she looked to the clouds, when she lifted her head to the heavens, she felt God’s presence; God’s beauty; God’s creativity. God’s both out of reach, you can’t touch the clouds; but it is also right there; you can see it, anytime you want!!! So, we need the cloudy moments of delight not to stay stuck in heaven but to be rooted on earth. God has crafted an amazing life for us all. Duty and beauty and both are sublime. Immanuel Kant, perhaps greatest philosopher of modern age, famously wrote that two things filled him with awe -- the starry heavens above and the moral law within. There is a rhythm to this thing called faith. At times it will feel like the Christlike agony of sacrificing it all, but in the very next the resurrection of eternal joy. Sometimes in the same moment. Amen.

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:17 Ezekiel, written by a prophet from the 5th century B.C., is arguably the most obscure, compelling, bizarre, damning, and hopeful book in all the Bible. Like Revelation, it is filled with bizarre, arcane visions difficult to interpret, so much so that ancient readers essentially warned people not to read it. There is an old tale of a child who picked up a copy of the book of Ezekiel at his teacher’s home and suddenly understood the true meaning of the extremely obscure and much-debated Hebrew word hasmal in chapter one verse twenty-seven which is meant to describe the very substance of God…Instantly, fire came out from the hasmal and incinerated him. St. Jerome from the fourth century who gave us the Latin version of the Bible wrote, “…The beginning and ending of Ezekiel …are involved in so great obscurity that like the commencement of Genesis they are not studied by the Hebrews until they are thirty years old.” It is Ezekiel’s descriptions of God that prompted this treatment: and seated above the likeness of a throne was something that seemed like a human form. Upwards from what appeared like the loins I saw something like gleaming amber, something that looked like fire enclosed all round; and downwards from what looked like the loins I saw something that looked like fire, and there was a splendor all round. Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendor all round. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. (Ezekiel 1:26-28) These descriptions of God help convey the central concern of this book, the sovereign glory of God. It is critical to know that Ezekiel wrote this from exile in Babylon as the Israelites longed to return home. The state of exile fundamentally shaped the Israelites in this time. It was through exile that the notion of God’s glory became so powerful because it felt so incredibly absent. Rabbi and professor of Tamara Ezkenazi described this state: Exile. It is not simply being homeless. Rather, it is knowing that you do have a home, but that your home has been taken over by enemies. Exile. It is not being without roots. On the contrary, it is having deep roots which have now been plucked up, and there you are, with roots dangling, writhing in pain, exposed to a cold and jeering world, longing to be restored to native and nurturing soil. Exile is knowing precisely where you belong, but knowing that you can't go back, not yet? There is a feeling akin to exile that many are feeling in our country today, like we have a home that we love but it has been taken over. Except it’s more like an exile in place, in which you haven’t left home but home has left you. This exile is felt all around by diverse political and religious dispositions. Civic discourse has fallen to the altar of the machinery of the aggrieved. The shootings, so many horrific shootings, which I won’t try to solve or lay blame on one particular group (for it’s really all of us) are a symptom of a void in the heart of our country. And I think in some ways it is the same void from which Israel suffered. In Ezekiel, God is furious at Israel for failing to properly honor the Lord’s sovereign glory, that is why they are feeling its absence. That which has brought them joy, and pride, and hope, and life is gone. And there is a particular reason God is especially angry in how His glory has been neglected for those dear to Him have been abused. The Shepherds of Israel have not only failed to protect the sheep, but the weakest sheep have been ravaged. As God proclaims: You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, In our text today, God accuses the Shepherds, who represent the kings, of not only failing to protect the sheep, that is the people of Israel, but slaughtering them for their own benefit. That is the feeling today. That there is a group of people in our country who, like the kings of Israel, are slaughtering the values we aspire to most greatly. That everyone truly is equal. That we are a country who has been made strong through the depth of our compassion. And made weak when we do not embrace those values for everyone – as we failed to do for women, for African Americans, for Native Americans. But at our core, we the people, especially the people of New York City, believe in what our great Statue of Liberty extols. Ironically on the plaque she is named, “Mother of exiles!” Mother to those who feel no home and no place. And this is what she proclaims echoing the words of Ezekiel, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” The power of this statement today is for all spiritual immigrants. It is for all of those who feel like exiles, all for whom God has a heart. And in all this clanging noise too often we fail to hear those crying out for love. As Christians, this is what we believe will heal, our own broken hearts, the hearts of those filled with hatred, and the hearts of those filled with despair. As Paul wrote: if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. And our path from exile begins with loving the weak, the sick, the injured, the strayed, and the lost. Love as the answer to our ills certainly seems simplistic. But the Church, despite its waning over years, is still a tremendously broad and powerful institution. And love is an infinitely scalable commodity. If Christ’s church throughout this country joined together with all people of compassion to love those who needed it most, indeed things could change just as they did through Jesus’ love so long ago. But this is not only an emotional love. It is a love of action. If each church in its area of influence found those most vulnerable sheep and loved them through addiction, homelessness, mental health challenges, and more, things could change. But it must be as Paul describes, it must bear all burdens, it must insist on the way for others, the love must endure all challenges. As a congregation we are called to do what can we do to offer this love to the most vulnerable sheep. So they may longer not feel they are in exile. Tuesday Night Dinner Party is an incredible start. It is an act of selfless love not only seeking to feed the hungry but to nourish their souls through friendship and fellowship. And it very well may be God is preparing us to do so much more in this arena. For once in a church, we have more volunteers to make this ministry run than we need…for now. There may be many more God will call into Watson Hall to be fed in body, mind, and spirit. In fact, we should pray for them to come. So we can reach out to these sheep close to God’s heart and let them know someone cares, that someone is willing to do something for them, that they matter to us, to our city, and most of all to our God. Like Israel we yearn to feel that God is on our side again. We would do well to heed the words of Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, he was purportedly asked if God was on his side. “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side,” said the President, “my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” God’s heart is with the weakest, most vulnerable sheep and in the end, in the midst of all the terror of Ezekiel, God promises that these sheep will be healed, fed, loved. "I will feed my sheep. I will rescue my sheep. I myself will search for my sheep. …And I the Lord shall be their God." God makes it clear. In order to hallow the sovereign glory of God – central theme of this book, and in some ways the theme of the whole Bible, is done through loving these beloved sheep, in word, and in deed. Amen.

The disciples are clearly having trouble wrapping their brains around the reality of a risen Jesus. At this point in Luke’s gospel most of the disciples had only heard what they considered idle tales of gossip of Jesus’ resurrection. But upon seeing Jesus, they believe He is a ghost. A ghost was a more likely scenario to them than a person rising from the dead. After inviting them to see His wounds, something shifts in their souls. This beautiful phrase – joyous disbelief – captures so much about the nature and power of the gospel. It reminds me of one of my favorite childhood movies, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For my young brain, Roald Dahl’s description of Charlie Buckets’ life enthralled me. He had a loving family, but they were so poor that his grandparents, all four of them, lived with them and were crammed into a single bed. Then of course the mesmerizing Chocolate Factory with this reclusive confectionary genius had a contest in which all the children from around the world vied for a Golden Ticket to gain entrance into this wonder. I still remember the moment in which Charlie peeled back the wrapping of the chocolate bar. The joyous disbelief on his face was incredibly mesmerizing, powerful, exciting, and enthralling. It is this unbelievable thrill that I imagined the disciples experienced upon discovering that the reality of Jesus was unbelievably more amazing and joyful than any of them could even dare have conceived! Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God! Which means that God truly is a God of forgiveness, love, and not to mention incredible power!! The best thing, like Charlie, that could possibly be conceived is real!! That is why we sing and say with such abandoned joy on Easter, “Jesus Christ has Risen Today!!! A-a-a-a-le lu u ia!!!” It was in this state of joyous disbelieving that they were finally able to understand Jesus’ teachings. He unfolds Old Testament prophecies, and you get the sense that this time it was sinking in. Notice that before they understood, prior to an intellectual agreement, they felt the joy of knowing the risen Christ. In fact, this joy, this encounter with the risen Christ, seems to be a pre-requisite for understanding and acceptance. First comes our encounter with God and then comes our belief. The great Swiss theologian Karl Barth describe faith as a crater. The meteor of God strikes our souls, and it leaves an impression, a powerful mark on us that cannot be easily done away with. This means that divine encounters normally precede belief. God is so much bigger than we can comprehend. We cannot find God in a mathematical proof. Perhaps not surprising then before the joy, there was doubt, and fear and a failure of faith. Jesus reminds them that He told them all of this was coming to pass! But they dared not believe Him, just like all too often we dare not trust the true promises of God. Failure to trust is the great blockade of faith. John’s gospel depicts a similar failure but in his account the disciples were huddled behind locked doors even though Jesus had already risen. They failed to have the courage to trust, which resulted in complete inaction on the part of the disciples. Doubt is part and parcel of faith. But faith might be best understood not so much as firm convictions based on evidence, but the courage to act in the midst of doubt, and in the midst of lack of convicting evidence. This is why it is called the “leap of faith” we leap into the unknown, trusting in the power of God to bring about goodness. Thus, God cannot be truly comprehended or accepted apart from a golden ticket encounter with God. The truth of God in Jesus Christ is simply too absurd. I like to think of myself as a person of science. I love to read popular books on string theory, biology, quantum mechanics, geology and more. Besides the enthralling concepts they include, I am fascinated and somewhat in awe of the brilliance of scientists who can piece together seemingly disparate facts like puzzle pieces that when properly assembled, make a clear picture. The great scientific insights almost always fly in the face of accepted views of the world, so it takes a type of intellectual integrity and courage to make these leaps. But when made they make such plain sense of the facts one is compelled to believe. But there is another aspect of this world and life in general that to me is even more compelling, that discloses even deeper truths of the world and our place in it. Mystery. Einstein himself believed the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. In an article entitled “The Opposite of Faith isn’t Doubt, its Certainty”, Jesuit thinker, Kevin O’Brien, muses on the importance of mystery. He first acknowledges that Thomas’ insistence to touch Jesus’ hands and side as proof of His resurrection is a perfectly normal human response. Perhaps Thomas wanted to believe his friends but it sounded too desperate and deluded and so he wanted to use his senses as we all do when we seek to understand reality. But we cannot stop there. O’Brien writes: We live in a hyper-rational ...society where many assume that things not observable by physical senses and not understandable by the human mind either don’t exist or have no importance. ...But Christians are called to go beyond the limitations of our physical senses, and to experience another reality: the reality of God’s presence and active involvement in our lives. Jesus gave the disciples proof of His resurrection, and it led them to slack-jawed amazement, the “joyous disbelieving” Luke describes. This experience is the acknowledgement that even in the midst of seeing God right before us there is a mystery and wonder that is beyond our full knowing. So, without Jesus showing us His hands and His side how do we come to embrace this mystery? C.S. Lewis wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” We may not see the risen Lord, but we can we see all the amazing light He shines. Jesus reassures the disciples He is not a ghost by showing His hands and feet; by eating. How are we convinced that Jesus is not a ghost? Not a wispy figure of our imagination, but real, powerful, active, and alive? Ghosts don't leave footprints, but God does. Everywhere. Just like Jesus ate that piece of fish for the disciples’ benefit, He sometimes leaves footprints in strange places for ours – like home appliances. As a single mother of four boys, you can imagine that at times money was tight. At one point all five of us, me, my three brothers and mom were in schools with tuition. One particular week we weren’t sure where gas and lunch money were going to come from. It wasn't a dire situation, the next paycheck would come soon, but nonetheless money was scarce. So of course, we decided to do laundry. The first load produced a dollar bill, a few pennies, a dime, and perhaps a quarter. It must have come from my jeans I thought. The next load was about the same with a few more dollar bills. As we moved through several loads of laundry the money kept coming. By about fourth load we were checking our clothes thoroughly in advance of washing them for any spare change. It didn't matter; the money kept coming. I even considered re- washing some clothes but thought that might be pushing it! In all I think we netted about $25. In this case the money helped. Along with paying for some gas and lunches, instead of Charlie’s chocolate bar I think I bought a Reese’s Cup. But it is still a Golden Ticket mystery of God’s providence even to this day, a gift of God’s love. There are many aspects of discipleship that require hard work. But this joyous disbelief requires nothing but awe. God reaches out to us in love and sometimes walks through walls or makes money from a washing machine to give us hope. To me it's something like watching The Masters victory a few weeks ago. In this life we think we are trying to be Jon Rahm, the ultimate winner, that we are trying to win The Masters of faith, but Jesus is the victor. We are to be the Jim Nantz, the announcer, who gave the play-by-play describing the astounding feat Mr. Rahm accomplished. Remember no matter what happens, God is already won the victory!

In this Eastertide, the season in which we celebrate the power of the resurrection, we will engage in a delightful exploration of God’s word. (At least delightful for those enthralled with logical proof and science!) We will take one of the more seemingly innocuous statements in our text to its logical conclusion and discover the inevitable victory of God!! Swept up by Pentecostal fervor, Peter stands up, raises his voice, and addresses the crowd with the first Christian sermon. “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem…” So powerful were his words that over three thousand converted to the faith that day. In the midst of his reverie, Peter painted amazing images, “The Spirit will pour out on all flesh… The sun shall turn to darkness… You will not abandon my soul to Hades.” But as I studied this passage none of them caught my attention. Upon the first reading I passed right by it. “God raised him up…because it was impossible for him to be held in death’s power.” Impossible? Hyperbole has become so overused these days that such statements often don’t sink in. Which of the following is truly impossible A) The sun won’t rise tomorrow B) You will win the lottery C) American Idol will be replaced by reruns of Gilligan’s Island D) Jesus could be held in death’s power? Peter was telling us that there was no way, no conceivable possibility that Jesus could remain in that tomb. We would have a better chance of waiting for Brownian motion to align all the molecules in a book on the same vector and cause it to levitate, something that will take between a googol and googolplex years. Trust me, that is a really long time. On what basis did Peter make such a bold claim? I set out to analyze the persuasiveness of his inductive argument which I and all parents do at home every week. For example, last Christmas my daughter made this argument. “There is one cookie left. I am a growing child. Dad is a little plump around the middle. Therefore, I deserve the cookie.” Her argument did not persuade me, despite the fact the premises were true. I thought my argument was much better. I responded, “Dad bought the cookies. Liz has had twice as many as him. Therefore, Dad is a generous benefactor and deserves the cookie.” However, Wendy entered the fray and denied the truth of my premises. “You did not buy the cookies. I haven’t had any and I made them. Therefore, I deserve the cookie.” Her argument, while the most persuasive, lost out. While we were debating, Matthew snuck in and ate the cookie. Now that we’re all hungry for cookies from this apocryphal story, let us analyze Peter’s argument. First, we must identify the premises. Peter asserts the following: - David said, “You will not abandon my soul to Hades.” - This statement could not have been about David since everyone knows where his tomb is. - God swore an oath to David that an ancestor would be on his throne. - Jesus is David’s ancestor. - God was with Jesus as attested by the deeds of power he did among them. - Thus, it was Jesus David was talking about. - You witnessed God raise Jesus up. - Therefore, It was impossible for Jesus to be held in death’s power. If you accept Peter’s premises his argument is persuasive. However, I believe there was much more to Peter’s assertion, so I wanted to explore the implications of his claim. If something is impossible it is because it contradicts certain facts or laws of the universe. Peter’s statement suggests that Jesus remaining in death would violate the very structure of the universe. If Jesus were to remain dead, it would mean: - that God’s image in us could be destroyed. - that God could lose. - that God’s love was not unconditional. - that evil had won. It would mean no God, thus no creation, therefore non-existence. Ergo, impossible! It was impossible, because for God only that which is good is possible and all that is good comes to pass because that would be good, let us call it the “sum of all good”, much like Feynman’s the sum of all histories. Feynman, that free-thinking physicist, asserted an hypothesis about the paths of particles called the “sum of all histories”. Take that photon of light which has just reached your eye. You may believe it went from point A – that lamp overhead, to point B –your eye, but according to Feynman, that photon has taken not just one path to your eye but every possible path to your eye. For God, not just one good thing comes to pass but all possible good takes place. For God “possible” simply means that coming future. And it was good that Jesus be raised from the dead. For all things work together for good for those who love God. Which means in turn God has something new in mind for you as well. For all things, all things work together for good. Let us look to Paul’s argument. Since it was impossible for Jesus to remain in death, if we remain in Jesus, it is impossible for us to be in death. And by following His will, by living out His love you will become one of those infinite paths of goodness God will take to bring the power of life to the world. That old saying “might makes right” is reversed. Because of the sum of all good, that which is right will always prevail thus “right makes might”. Pray to find out how He would use us to bring goodness to the world. It was impossible because it is the nature of love that it cannot be destroyed. This means for you and me two thousand years down the road of time this event can bring life, true life, to this dying evil world with the power of love. Think about the stories of martyrs of the faith who even in death continue to bring life to the church. That ancient theologian, Tertullian, wrote, “The blood of the martyr is the seed of the church.” Think about the power of life, the deaths of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King. Perpetua was martyred in 203 A.D. yet still today Christians are inspired by her courage to remain steadfast in the faith. Before her execution, her father tried to convince her to renounce the faith. She replied: Father, said I, “Do you see (for examples) this vessel lying, a pitcher or whatsoever it may be?” And he said, “I see it.” And I said to him, “Can it be called by any other name than that which it is?” And he answered, “No.” So can I call myself nought other than that which I am, a Christian. Through these deaths, the seeds of their lives grew even stronger. That is the power of life that in the face of its greatest enemy, it becomes strongest. It would be impossible because Jesus is life. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life”. Through Jesus all things were created. Jesus encapsulates the very spark of life which will and must break through. Despite the evidence of endless cubic miles of lifeless space, despite the fact that the only life we know of in this universe relies on a razor thin crust of soil, despite the force of death and decay that takes every human life, it was impossible because life is stronger than death! Picture the moss and vine that swallow dead stone over centuries with life. Jesus is the force of life that over time will swallow all death with his life-giving power. South Africa was long entrenched in Apartheid. Last week we heard of Desmond Tutu’s courage for Christ.This week we reflect on his wisdom. Despite the reality of murder and death in the world, and especially in South Africa, even back in 1955 Archbishop Desmond Tutu believed in this principle. Goodness is stronger than evil; Love is stronger than hate; Light is stronger than darkness; Life is stronger than death; Victory is ours through God who loves us. Tutu is a prime example of someone stepping into the eddy of God’s will and being drawn to a new day and the breaking through of goodness and life. From Peter’s statement we have concluded: - That evil will lose. - That life is stronger than death. - The all possible good comes to pass. - That love triumphs all. - That the world will be restored, reconciled, redeemed. That is the power of the resurrection: the power of the source of life, Jesus Christ. All these wonderful truths deduced from the seemingly simple statement, “It was impossible for Jesus to be held in death’s power.” Isn’t theology grand! Amen.

Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. II Corinthians 4:10 Jesus Christ has risen! (He has risen indeed)! As we recite these ancient words of Easter greeting, we mean many different things. Some of you say these words with utter conviction that Jesus bodily rose 2,000 years ago, and others of you are not so sure, while others of you are convinced that it did not happen. But regardless, we all find ourselves here this morning and I am convinced it is something more than nostalgia, vain hope, and uplifting music. We are all searching. For meaning, for consolation, for fellowship, for love, for hope. Hope in this world. And we are here because we want to know what did Mary Magdalene see when she looked into the face of this Jesus? When she grasped his feet and proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” And what did Peter, and the other disciples, and the seventy and more, who are claimed to see the resurrected Lord. We want to know because each of us has a hole. A hole in our heart and in our soul, a void, a fracture. I know because I have read these prayer concerns you share on Ash Wednesday. Your heartache, your fears, your worries, your pain. And as successful as any of us are, we still have this hole and we know when people met Jesus, He filled that hole with such love, power, truth and compassion that they left feeling as if in the face of Christ they had seen the face of God. People saw in the face of Jesus the power, truth, and love of God, and as they came to know Him, they came to know more God. Not more about God, but more God. That is what the human soul hungers for. And Jesus’ presence was the bread of heaven to these hungry souls. More people have come to see and believe in a God of love, hope, and mercy through this Jesus of Nazareth than anyone or anything in all of history. And this is what we want today. To know and see the presence of God. This is the purpose of our faith. It is not to ascend to heaven. The stairway to heaven has become a wrestling match of sorts within Christianity and the religious world in general. Many proclaim exclusive doctrinal certitude that you need to be in my religious camp if you want to know the way and get to the good place. Wars have been fought. Children disowned. Kingdoms toppled. But Heaven is no more the goal of faith than sitting in the Lincoln Center is the goal of opera. We go to the Lincoln Center to hear the music; we go to heaven to experience the presence of God. And so, the end of faith is not a place but a presence. And it comes not through doctrine but through an honest, open search. It was the way Jesus lived, the depth of His compassion, His willingness to sacrifice, His love for the outcast, indeed for everyone. But it was also what they saw in His face when He looked in theirs. He saw them as children of God. That each of infinite value, unique, beautiful,and wonderful. This is why Mary grabbed His feet, to know that love. Zacchaeus the outcast, Peter the fumbler, the doubting fearful father, the woman with the 12-year disease, and so many more became whole in body, mind, and spirit, and left praising God. But the good news is we don’t have to wait until heaven to see God. God sightings are not just for those 2,000 years ago. Jesus showed the disciples and us that people can see and know His presence in our face as well. I have spoken to people throughout this country and indeed this planet. And what the Bible tells us has proven to be true again and again. We are the body of Christ. And even if our faith is shaky, when we show others His love, they see His face in ours. And they praise God as they finding healing and hope. Thus, we climb the stairway to heaven step by step by being and seeing the face of Christ. He can be seen in the eyes of an enemy through a figure larger than life. Listen to this description of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu: I grew up in South Africa during Apartheid… He stood up time and again against the brutality and repression of the Apartheid government, and spoke up for peace, equality and freedom, at a time when doing so could lead to a person being tortured and murdered by the state. He has spent his life working for peace in our beautiful country. Once, he jumped into the middle of a lynch mob and saved a person who the crowd believed was a police informant from being burned and stoned to death. He can be seen in the face of a random stranger on the street. One very practical and analytical pastor told me she experienced God in the face of a homeless man, after the death of her husband. I received a holy nudge… I teach people not to give money on the street… I saw a guy… with a thin blanket shivering… I see this guy and he reminds me of my husband. And so, I walk up to him and said are you hungry; he wanted a biscuit and coffee; I looked at him; in some ways he reminds me of my husband… I am a sucker for blue eyes… I had peace knowing that at least in part God put him there for me. His face can be seen in a heroic nurse who travels the countryside. I was with church members visiting a deeply impoverished neighborhood. They showed me a picture. It was of a young boy, utterly emaciated, on the verge of death; surely from that picture he was going to die at any moment; and his parents faces showed the sorrow they felt at knowing no hope. But God works wonders. And we entered those doors it was to see a delightfully plump young boy and his parents who faces beamed. They beamed because Cora from Canada was there. She was the face of God to them; She is a nurse and discovered their boy was diabetic and she got electricity, a refrigerator and a supply of insulin that brought him back from a certain death. He can be seen in the face of an English professor. Some have gifts they don’t see as divine because it is simply what they do in daily life. One Charleston college professor was caught off guard when a fellow church member asked him to help her write her obituary. She was dying and did not know him or the pastor of the church very well at all. The request was a surprise, not only because he had no interactions with her, but he had never done anything like this in his life. He presumed she asked because he taught English. During the visit they came to know one another, and indeed it was clear she had only a few days left. They decided not only to write the obituary but plan her funeral as well. Again, something he had never done. Though she was not a regular attender it became clear that she could use a visit from the pastor and a final communion as well. The pastor, professor and another elder came to her room and together they shared the sacred meal. At the end she lifted her hands and with enthusiasm and clarity beyond her physical condition she declared, “I am ready to go!” And a few hours later she died. He can be seen in the eyes of your mother. One daughter of a church member was lying with her mother as she died. She had been catatonic for years. Never spoke a word nor moved a muscle on her own. She asked me to come over the pray for her mother. She explained she was an atheist, but her mother would have wanted someone from the church to come and pray. We had a nice visit, I offered to pray and that was it; or so I thought. A few days later her daughter called to let me know she had passed away. But she was also shaken beyond the loss. I could hear in her voice and so I asked. “I have been an atheist ever since college. But what happened to my mother has me wondering. Her breathing was growing infrequent. Several times a minute. Twice a minute. Then a full minute with no breath. And then it happened. She took a lung full of air, and my mother who has not spoken or moved a muscle in years sat straight up in bed, pointing of in the distance; her face which never had any expression suddenly was filled with peace, and she laid down and died. I think she might have seen God. I think so as well. We may have different convictions, but we are all here to know the power and the presence of God. Jesus Christ is alive. Yes, He reigns in heaven, but He is alive in all the faces of those willing to risk as He did in order to bring hope, faith and life. Jesus Christ has risen! (He has risen indeed!) Amen.

Confirmation Is Not What It Used To Be. “During the years Paul Wolfe taught Confirmation classes as Senior Pastor, we had no youth pastor, no seminary interns, no group discussions, and no Youth Sunday as we know it. The program consisted of formal weekly lectures and a test by the Elders at the end. The concept of bonding did not exist. Pizza was not available in the neighborhood for another ten years,” said Tom Robinson, Elder and Co-Chair of the Stewardship Committee. The Session meeting left an impression on Grace Diggs, who was confirmed in 1967: “What I remember vividly was how formal and scary the interview with Session was. We also had a very long list of questions and answers we had to memorize. Confirmation and our first Communion took place at 7 a.m. on Easter, and there was no time to celebrate – many of us had to change into choir robes for the next worship service.” The histories of Brick Church say little to nothing about confirmation. It is not a Presbyterian sacrament and is not mentioned specifically in the Bible. Each church seems to treat this coming-of-age ceremony in its own way and adapt it to the changing needs of its congregation. Faith Formation And The Eternal Questions Today, Rev. Adam Gorman says, “Confirmation is a time for the group to bond and tackle the challenges of faith formation together. We encourage open-ended questions about what the Bible means and wrestle with the answers.” “Confirmands ask the same questions that many adults do: Is Jesus really the Son of God? If God has a plan, why are bad things allowed to happen? Can you still be a Christian if you don’t believe every Bible story?” “We use the Bible as a lens through which to see the world, the lens of Christ. And through our belief in God and our relationship with Christ, the Bible and its stories help us to become better, kinder and more loving people.” Sharing Food And Ideas The class meets for two hours most Sundays of the school year and once a month participates in Takeout, a youth worship service. On regular Sundays, students spend the first half hour of confirmation class praying, eating and discussing their written reflections on the topic of the week as well as life’s recent highs and lows. Then they learn hymns and sing with Amanda Smith, Director of Children’s Music. Learning To Pray The second hour is devoted to the curriculum, spiritual practices and discussion. Topics include creation, Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, prayer, feeding the hungry, what it means to be a disciple of Christ, what it means to be Presbyterian and many more. Rev. Gorman has included in the curriculum a practice many people don’t know about – the “squeeze” prayer. After Confirmands have discussed their week’s highs and lows, they gather in a circle and hold hands. Each person in turn prays out loud for the person to the left and squeezes their hand when the prayer is complete. Everyone has a chance to pray what is on their heart and to pray for their neighbor on their left. This intentionally helps them become more comfortable with prayer and teaches them how to pray for thanksgiving, petition and intercession. Parents: The Greatest Influence Despite this extensive program, “Parents and home are still the number one place where kids learn their faith,” Rev. Gorman says. “So parents can influence the family by their daily behavior and – of course – bringing their children to church.”

Stories about church governance are not usually found on Page Six, but Session minutes from our founding years would certainly have qualified. 60 – 80% of them concern the (mis)behavior and moral failings of our members! The Session investigated offenses against both morals and religion, holding trials with witnesses if warranted. In the 1768 trial of a woman accused of intemperate drinking (the most common charge), her character witnesses said that she took only a daily quart of beer with a gill of rum “to refresh Nature” but they had never seen her drunk. The Session dismissed her anyway until there was evidence of genuine repentance. They also discussed the disappearance of a red and white handkerchief, blue silk stockings and a blue cloak later made into a coat and trousers for a person who was, presumably, not the owner of the cloak. Members’ faith came under scrutiny as well. In 1820, Mrs. Maria Townsend was asked to renounce her belief that even sinners would be forgiven and allowed to enter heaven through the grace of God. Presbyterian theology of the day was far more focused on sending the wicked to hell. She refused to recant, began attending Trinity Church, and was excommunicated by our pastor Dr. Gardiner Spring (see illustration–right). She responded with a polite note. This all seems extraordinarily intrusive today. But until the late 19th century, Elders were responsible for monitoring the congregation very closely. They visited members in their homes, tested prospective members on their knowledge of Presbyterian doctrine, and – at least in the early years – decided who would receive the token allowing them to take communion. The current denominational structure and division of labor among Elders, Deacons and Trustees along with clergy has evolved over time but much remains consistent. Even in Dr. Rodgers’ day, there was a hierarchy of presbyteries and synods that led the denomination. In 1809 when Brick Church split from the Wall St. Church, we had a full slate of officers. As we saw, Elders assisted the clergy in encouraging correct religious beliefs and moral standards. Trustees oversaw finances and the Charity School. Deacons served the poor and needy. There were no term limits: many officers served for life. Today we elect officers for staggered 3-year terms, voting at the Annual Meeting on a slate prepared by an All-Church Nominating Committee. The numerous committees that run the church are then assembled from elected officers and the general membership. The Brick Church congregation includes an amazing array of financial, legal, managerial, creative and artistic talent that has benefited our church and community. A quick look at our Annual Reports shows the range of committees and their members. In fact, 30 % of us have been an Elder, Deacon, Trustee or committee member. This essential work is also greatly rewarding personally and spiritually. If invited to serve, do say yes.

Most of us who walk through Brick Church’s doors will not feature in tomorrow’s history books. But some of our fellow members and co-religionists have made a difference in history. Here are a few of them. Celebrity Funeral He wasn’t a Brick Church member. He grew up a rather casual Presbyterian in the Midwest. Recalling his childhood, he said, “We were good Presbyterian boys when the weather was doubtful; when it was fair, we did wander a little from the fold.” But he was a good friend of our multi-faceted Dr. Henry van Dyke and other clergy. And his name was Mark Twain. His funeral took place at Brick Church on Fifth Avenue on April 24, 1910. The New York Times headline captured the essentials. Family of Revolutionaries King George III called the American Revolution a “Presbyterian war.” He could have been referring to members of the large, prosperous Livingston family who risked their lives and property to support the revolution. Perhaps their exposure to Presbyterian committee work helped them organize the revolution and subsequent government. William Livingston was an organizer of the Sons of Liberty, member of the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention, later General of Militia in New Jersey and then its first Governor. His brother Philip signed the Declaration of Independence. Another brother, Peter Van Brugh (PVB) Livingston, was a member of the Committee of One Hundred, President of the first Provincial Congress and Treasurer of New York, as was his kinsman and fellow church member Peter R. Livingston. Both PVB and Peter R were Trustees. Near the door to the chapel on Park Avenue is a stone from the Beekman St. church carved with PVB’s name and the date 1767. Builders of Our Architectural Heritage John McComb Sr. was the architect and builder of the first Brick Church on Beekman St. His son John McComb Jr. designed the New York City Hall, Alexander Hamilton’s country house, “The Grange,” in Harlem, and renovated and expanded the Beekman St. Church in 1822. McComb Jr. was a Brick Church member, Deacon and Trustee. Leading 20th Century Diplomat and Statesman John Foster Dulles, son of a Presbyterian minister, grandson and nephew of U.S. Secretaries of State, exerted global influence as lawyer, treaty negotiator, UN delegate, policymaker and Secretary of State under President Eisenhower. He also served Brick Church as Elder and Trustee. His resume is long indeed. After WWI, he opposed demands at the Versailles Peace Conference for punitive reparations from Germany. After WWII, he negotiated the Japanese peace treaty and was instrumental in organizing both NATO and SEATO to counter the threat of communist expansion. He also supported peace movements, helped draft the preamble to the UN Charter, and chaired the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. IBM’s Watson – The Person, Not the AI Chess Master He was not a natural salesman, and his career path did not follow a straight line, but Thomas J. Watson became the face of IBM and the force behind its long dominance. His name and IBM were synonymous – no wonder the company named its leading edge supercomputer for him. He led IBM from 1914 until 1956, the year of his death. At Brick Church, he was an Elder, Trustee and donor of Watson Hall, among many other philanthropies. There are also Watson Halls at Lafayette College and Elmira College, near the small NY town where he was born.

“Children were treated as smaller adults, little men and women who happened to be dressed in bibs and pinafores.” This sentence explains much of the difference between Christian education for children at our founding and today. There was no “Jesus Loves Me” or colorful illustrations of Bible stories. In fact, there was no Sunday School for members’ children at all. Just like adults, children were expected to know and understand the foundation of the Presbyterian faith. They learned the Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1648, 107 questions and answers designed to educate children and others “of weaker capacity” (according to a preface written by the Church of Scotland). Even so, we must respect their capacity for memorization. The Shorter Catechism has a lot to recommend: it is thought-provoking, fairly easy to understand, and gets right to the point. You may have heard of question #1: Q. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. A question about prayer provides an eloquent definition:​ Q: What is prayer? A: Prayer is an offering up of our desire to God, for things agreeable to his will, in the Name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies. How did 18th and early 19th century Presbyterian children absorb all this? The family had the primary responsibility for teaching. There was also a weekday class for children on the shorter catechism, and they were quizzed during pastoral home visits. In addition, our first pastor Dr. John Rodgers held Thursday evening lectures which were intended for older children but usually drew an overflow crowd of all ages. By the mid-1830s, members’ children were learning the faith at Sunday School. They took part in devotional exercises, studied a passage from the scriptures and on the fourth Sunday of the month, focused on the shorter catechism. 1837 was a watershed year for Christian education at Brick Church: for the first time the idea arose of adding a small amount of play to the Sunday School’s rigorous program of study. Unfortunately we don’t know what kind of play was allowed. Today Brick Church hosts one of the largest urban Sunday School ministries in the country. We average between 275-300 children registered each year, 2 years old through 7th grade with 100 volunteer teachers. For our younger children, play is an important part of learning. They dress in costume as Biblical figures and act out Bible stories. As tangible reminders of Bible stories, they make crafts—their own colorful coat for Joseph, listening ears for the story of Samuel, and Pentecost headbands—and biblical stories are taught through music and song as well. Older children focus more on discussion—wondering about the events of the Bible and how God may be speaking to us today. They are encouraged to wonder and question as they seek to make their faith their own. ​