Brick Church and NY Common Pantry are working together to feed New York families this Thanksgiving. Your support is crucial! We are accepting canned foods (no glass please) or $50 Donations: Donate online here or submit a check made out to The Brick Presbyterian Church with memo "Thanksgiving Drive." Pre-labeled bags are available for pick up starting Sunday, October 19 in the Garden Room, and should be dropped off by Wednesday, November 12.

Emily Abelson is a lifelong member of the Brick Presbyterian Church, whose earliest memories center Brick Church as the place her family and friends gathered. After a brief hiatus studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, Emily returned to Brick as a Day School teacher in 2019, where she quickly discovered her passion for working not only with children, but also their families. This led Emily to pursue a graduate degree in school counseling at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she is now learning how to take a faith-based, art-therapy inspired approach to her work with students. Although Emily has stepped away from teaching at the Day School to focus on her studies, her connection to Brick Church has only deepened. Emily continues to share her gifts through teaching Sunday Church School, designing sets and props for Brick's community theater program, and leading volunteer efforts as a Deacon. Now, she is thrilled to expand her involvement as Youth Ministries Events Coordinator, where she looks forward to creating joyful, meaningful experiences for middle and high school students so that she can help them find the same sense of belonging at Brick Church that has shaped her own life.

Join us during worship on Sunday, September 28 in welcoming our new church officers who will serve as Brick Church elders, trustees, and deacons. You can read their bios here .

Romans 2:12-16   ​This morning, we will explore the view of other religions from a Presbyterian perspective. Presbyterians have a particular reading of Scripture that informs our understanding of the nature of salvation for those of different religions as well as theological differences with other Christian denominations.  Then, in light of these views, we will explore God’s will for meaningful dialogue for our mutual edification. The General Assembly is the highest governing body in our denomination. A few decades ago, they adopted a paper entitled  Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ . It was meant to crystallize our understanding of Jesus as read through Scripture. And it concluded, “ No one is saved apart from God’s gracious redemption in Jesus Christ. ” Salvation comes through Jesus alone,  and yet by no means does this imply, for example, Muslims and Hindus are going to hell. People are not saved because they believe in Jesus Christ, they are saved solely because of Jesus’ love. The paper concludes that we do not have the power to know who is saved and who is not, that is in God’s hands. It would be the highest order of hubris to believe otherwise. These carefully thought-out conclusions are based on Scripture: Acts 10:34-35 – Peter says, “ God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him .” Romans 2:14-15 – “ When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts as their own conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them on the day when, according to my gospel, God through Christ Jesus judges the secret thoughts of all. ” These passages clearly indicate that God doesn’t only look at explicit doctrinal adherence to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Rather, God looks deeper; God looks at the heart. In light of this conclusion, we are free to enter into interfaith dialogue with mutual respect. Historically, interfaith dialogue has devolved into mutual condemnation. During the time of the Reformation, in the 16th century, Catholics were excommunicating Protestants and Protestants were condemning Catholics to hell. In the 20th century, Evangelicals would claim a singular path to salvation through the four-step plan, and mainline Protestants with great self-righteousness would belittle the entirety of the evangelical approach. As an egotistical teenager arguing with anyone I could find, I relished putting others in their theological place. And as a result, God has been putting me in my place ever since! Such as through Scripture like 1 John 4:7: “ Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ” God was telling me that when you see love, you know God is in their heart. And if they know God, they have something to teach me. In a diverse society, it is important that we learn how to engage these matters rather than simply avoid them out of convenience. A robust debate is an opportunity not only for us to share the measure of wisdom God has given to us, but more importantly for us to listen and grow from it. As Jesus reminded me, “ Why do you see the splinter in your neighbor’s eye but fail to see the log that is in your own! ” Given these axiomatic conclusions, we can enter vigorous, respectful debate. We can avoid watering down our faith to mushy affirmations without the fear of being self-righteous or judgmental. Frankly, we have forgotten how to have a vigorous debate in a way that doesn’t mean we hate each other. We have different points of view, and it is through the friction of those conversations that we all can grow. I have heard Congressmen lament the days long past when they could vehemently disagree with one another during the legislative debates but then later share a laugh and a drink at the bar while asking after each other’s families. The same is true with religious dialogue. It is my personal belief that God has planted the Presbyterian Church for its theological excellence and its rigorous, unflinching, spirit-centered interpretation of Scripture. Yet there are clearly weaknesses within our denomination. And God has used people of many different religions to humble me and help me grow. Though we clearly disagree with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters on communion, it was through Father Ray Dunmeyer, a parish priest in Birmingham, Alabama, that I had my first truly powerful communion experience. Presbyterians de-emphasize communion precisely because of our theological differences with Catholics. Because of this, I falsely presumed Presbyterians were more faithful to Jesus’ intentions. But I had never seen anyone like Father Ray preside at the table. His profound humility brought an experience of holiness that I had never known before in this feast. When he broke that bread, I felt the breaking of the heart of God  and  the friendship of Jesus’ table. When he extended to me that wafer (don’t tell the bishop!) and said, “ The body of Christ, ” I felt Christ’s love for me in a way I had never experienced before. Clearly, Jews and Christians have a different understanding of Jesus of Nazareth. But perhaps no single person has taught me more about Him than Rabbi Yossi Leibowitz of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Yossi was a great student of the New Testament; it was simply part of his intellectual curiosity (he taught a class on Jesus at the local college!) and his desire to better understand the people surrounding him in the rural South. He organized a clergy group from the town, and we met at the local Chinese restaurant. He opened my eyes to the Jewishness of Jesus; he educated me on so much that Jesus said—verses that I had known my whole life but never understood the layers, the thousands of years of layers that were in the midst of Jesus’ words. The Muslim five pillars of faith are a compelling example of devotion to God. On my trip to Jordan, I was deeply moved by their call to prayer five times a day. This is where theology can get in the way of good practice. The Presbyterian answer to this would be, “ We are to pray at all times of day and so there’s no need to stop at five specific appointed times. ” The reality is, we Christians often get too busy and simply avoid praying altogether. For me, all these interfaith conversations have been mutually edifying and none of the topics impinged upon the rights and dignity of others. But I believe God demands more of us in our discussions. It is vital that we Americans get out of our echo chambers of self-reinforcing, navel-gazing opinions while at the same time not replacing them with polite silence on topics that have clear implications for those whom Jesus loved. Out of a fear to offend or be self-righteous, we can be so hesitant to enter into debate with others, we may be giving off the wrong message. Beliefs do matter. They are not simply a matter of taste and culture. Wendy’s favorite ice cream is chocolate mocha chunk; mine is birthday cake with those delicious sprinkles. We simply have different taste buds, and there is no inherent value placed on one preference or the other. But there are certain beliefs that clearly compel us to enter into vigorous debate. Especially those that impact the dignity, freedom, and self-worth of others. For example, with Muslims, Roman Catholics, and our PCA siblings at Redeemer Church a few blocks away. Let me explain. Genesis tells us that all are created in the image of God. The prophet Joel told us that the Spirit will pour out on all flesh, which we believe took place at Pentecost. Paul tells us that each is given a gift for the common good, and that there is no longer Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free; all are one in Christ. For Christians in the Presbyterian tradition, through a careful reading of Scripture and years of vigorous struggle and at times mean-spirited, fractious debate, we are convicted that, taken together, these texts unequivocally show us that women are called to the ministry, as are gays and lesbians. It is with the ordination of gays and lesbians as an Executive Presbyter in Birmingham, Alabama, Atlanta, Georgia, and as pastor in Spartanburg, South Carolina, that I spent the bulk of religious debates on. Some of which bore fruit and others not so much. There was a member of my congregation in Spartanburg that grabbed me by the hands and sought to exorcise demons out of me. I spent 4½ hours with him and a group of others carefully unpacking my view of Scripture. Clearly, I was not persuading them. In the end, they left the church and tried to take scores of others with them. I was not only disheartened but angry. There is a part of me that felt morally superior, I have to admit, for which I have torepent. Here is why. That same member and his wife started a meal ministry out of the church. It began by serving a few dozen meals, and 20 years later it had mobilized hundreds of volunteers to take 1,500 home-cooked meals every day of the week to homebound people who otherwise would have seen no person that day. Does that mean they get a pass for their beliefs? No, but also it doesn’t mean I get a pass for failing to have that same drive to feed the hungry and visit the lonely. It is my conviction that God sent us to each other to be in debate, for we both needed to grow. And we can do this without hatred or judgment because Scripture makes it clear we are all sinners! None of us will get it right. So, what will happen to my salvation, and yours, those church members in Spartanburg, and the people around the globe?   There are two scriptures I would like to leave you with this morning that give us hope in the power of God, not ourselves: Ephesians 1:11b:  “ [God] accomplishes all things according to his … will. ” 1 Timothy 2:4: “ [God] wills everyone to be saved. ” Thanks be to God for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Chris Smalley is a seminarian intern at Brick Presbyterian Church for the 2025-2026 year. Prior to discerning a call to ministry, Chirs spent 15 years in consulting and finance. He has a MBA from the University of Michigan and BA in Economics from Adelphi University. Chris is excited to channel God's grace and love in the New York City community, learning from Brick Church's ordained ministers, lay staff and congregation during his placement year.    Raised on Long Island, Chris was introduced to Brick Church at the annual tree lighting in 2013 and became a member earlier this year. In his free time, Chris pursues his passion for the outdoors, deriving inspiration in the splendor of God's creation, hiking national parks across the United States with his dog Captain.

I Peter 3:8-15   ​They say religion and politics are topics best avoided. And surely, at times, this is wise advice. In fact, when Wendy and I were first dating, we steered clear of religion as we met each other’s parents. We have all seen the unfortunate, excessive evangelical fervor which dangles the threat of hell over, frankly, everyone. In fact, more than a few times, I myself have been condemned to the outer reaches of darkness for my particular understanding of the Christian faith.  I understand your reticence to share your faith. But it’s not just you and I. In general, mainline Protestants, over the past few decades, have become more and more reluctant to share their faith. When I was in Idaho, the predominant population was Mormon. The children were excused from school in the middle of the day to go to Mormon school. The youth in our church were jealous because the Mormon youth could articulate their beliefs and offer the equivalent of an elevator speech that summed  up  the essence of their faith. Our youth wanted that same ability. While the complexity of the Christian faith is important to wrestle with, if we can’t sum up the core elements, then we have become too enamored with our own thoughts. Despite our understandable reluctance to share our faith, Scripture doesn’t give us a choice. But it does give us guidance. First Peter tells us, “ be ready to make a defense .” A “defense,” not offense—that is, God explicitly calls us to share the gospel not in an offensive way but, as Peter tells us, “ with gentleness and respect .” We live in a pluralistic society, and our country was designed this way—to welcome people of different faiths and for people to have the inviolate right of freedom of conscience. In fact, our Presbyterian  Book of Order  tells us that we do not wish the government to impinge upon this right, even if it would further the Presbyterian religious point of view. We believe this is inviolate because of what Paul teaches, and the Westminster Confession affirms: “ God alone is Lord of the conscience. ” To further complicate our calling, our society is increasingly dealing with the clash of two factions vying to control the character of our nation. On the one hand, there are those seeking to strengthen not simply religious influence, and not simply Christian influence, but a particular interpretation of Christianity on the populace. On the other hand, there are groups that are seeking to eliminate religion entirely from the public sphere, and Christianity in particular. But we are neither explicitly a Christian nation nor a secular nation. The founders sought to create a new government that would address religion in  a  new way. We have the First Amendment, which tells us that “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof .” Unlike, for example, Saudi Arabia, which is a Muslim nation according to their laws, the United States is not of any one explicit religion. Jefferson explained, “ Religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God… ” However, unlike, for example, China, we are not strictly a secular nation. We are founded upon the principle that faith is critical to a just and moral society. Our Constitution grew out of our forebears’ convictions: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports… In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars.”  — George Washington, Farewell Address (1796) “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”  — John Adams (1798) “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”  — Declaration of Independence Alexis de Tocqueville, in  Democracy in America  (1835), observed the religious underpinnings during his time in the United States:  “Religion in America … must be regarded as the first of their political institutions. … Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot .” Our society is founded upon the premise that a robust religious dialogue (which is also filled with freedom) is fundamental to our nation; furthermore, our Lord commands that we share our faith. But as a direct result of our hesitancy, we have given control of the narrative away—the narrative of what it means in our society to be Christian. In a recent survey, when people were asked to sum up Christianity in one word, not a single person  used  the word that most defines our faith—grace. If you and I were doing our jobs as witnesses for Christ, that would be the first thing that would come to people’s mind. This robust religious discourse was mastered by the apostle Paul. He showed us—in fact, he embodied Peter’s path for sharing the faith with respect—when he was at the Areopagus, a Greco-Roman place of worship. But he doesn’t start by calling them pagans; he sees a statue with the words “ to an unknown God .” He opens this dialogue by saying, “ I see that you are extremely religious in every way. ” He respects the reality that God has touched their hearts. He’s not condemning them for their beliefs but appealing to their current convictions. And then he proceeds to share his own personal understanding: that the unknown God is, in fact, the Lord of heaven and earth and the Son, Jesus Christ. To further complicate matters, Christian discourse in the public sphere has lost its center. Today, the Christian voice becomes loudest when we are debating public policy, which clearly is important. But as a result, we have lost our ability to be present in the public discourse in a way that fundamentally represents not so much the Christian faith but Christ himself. Peter tells us, “ Revere Christ as Lord .” Our faith centers on  … His life, … His death, … and His resurrection. This has clear implications for our call to share the faith. First, Jesus’ life. It is undeniable that he had a deep, fervent, loving, passionate—sometimes furiously passionate—love for the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the despised. Jesus was willing to break the sacred religious laws of his day and stand up to the religious authorities of his time in order to make God’s will clear: God does not abide us standing by when the poor and hungry go without. If we are not standing up for this principle in our society with our faith, we are not reflecting Jesus. Next, Jesus’ death. The fact that God became flesh for our sake demonstrates God’s deep love. It shows us that God wants to know us and wants us to know God. But the reality that God would die a humiliating, painful, shameful, lonely death is profoundly humbling. Jesus died for you and for me—for God so loved the world. God’s love knows no favorites, and no one is canceled; God loves everyone. Finally, Jesus’ resurrection. Despite what seemed like a terrible, ignominious end to a Nazarene prophet, born in a barn from a nothing town, God triumphs. The resurrection of Jesus shows us that God’s forgiveness is so radically powerful that forgiveness comes even for the murder of his own Son. God’s power can overcome all evil, and God is victorious even over death. Which means that Christians, above all, are people of hope. That this faith upon which we stand is good news—good news for everyone. We are filled with a confidence that though we may be long-suffering, we know, as Bishop Desmond Tutu  declared , “ Goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate, and victory is ours through him who loved us. ” Be ready to make your defense but do so with gentleness and with reverence. It is simpler than you know—just keep these three things in mind: Jesus’ life. As we share our faith, we must be ready to stand up for the poor, the hungry, and the rejected. Jesus’ death. As we share our faith, do so with the same humility and servant disposition as Jesus did, and do so with forgiveness in your heart. Jesus’ resurrection. Do not be cynical. Embody God’s grace; freely offer it to everyone. Be filled with hope, for God will restore and bring peace to us all.

Matthew 17:14-20 “ Why could we not cast it out? ” I can hear a measure of desperation  in  the disciples’question. They have seen Jesus perform incredible miracles. They have trusted Him with their lives and, later on, will give their lives for His sake. But at this point, perhaps for the first time, they are facing doubt—doubt about themselves and doubt about Jesus. “ Why could we not cast it out ?” This question confronts a fundamental tension in the nature of faith. Jesus made it clear that he gave them power to exorcise demons, and their failure to do so either points to a failure of their own faith or a misplaced belief in Jesus. For the next several weeks, we are going to explore the nature of faith. Everyone has faith in something. And at some point, everyone confronts this existential question that the disciples are now facing: Is there a fundamental inadequacy with either my set of beliefs or  with  the power of my faith? To further complicate our personal faith, we find ourselves in a strange time. In America, we are dealing with two extremes: the extreme of overzealous, overconfident, judgmental religiosity, which tries at times to inappropriately foist particular beliefs on others; and, at the same time, the extreme of those who seek to demean the very nature of faith as an inherently judgmental and superstitious practice left over from pre-scientific ages. Throughout history, there has always been a vigorous debate about the nature of faith. In the 1500s, during the time of the Reformation, they fought over the nature of saving faith. Was faith in and of itself sufficient for salvation, as Protestants claimed, or was it some combination of faith and works, as the Catholics claimed? Today, there is a debate within the church: whether or not a generic faith in any type of God is sufficient, or must there be an explicit belief that names Jesus as Lord and Savior to effectuate salvation? Since we are all here in church today, I am operating under the assumption and personal belief that faith is an essential part of the human condition. And that faith fundamentally matters, not only for our own individual lives—it is not merely something personal— but a society with a robust faith … is more just, … is more loving, … is more merciful, and brings greater peace and joy for everyone, regardless of their faith. But faith is not simple, nor is it easy. In fact, God designed it this way, which the Bible makes eminently clear through the endless examples in Scripture that show us those with the greatest faith impact experienced profound and powerful failures and doubts. I wonder if the father, who went to the disciples then went to Jesus, had the same doubts. We know he had a desperate need: the life of his son. And he comes to Jesus and prostrates himself: “ Lord !” Certainly, we know this is true of a different person who approached Jesus. That man also had  a  sick child. And Jesus tells him, “ All things are possible for those who believe .” “ I believe; help my unbelief! ”—help that part of me that has a hard time believing. This is the nature of faith. We carry with us a set of beliefs—for those in monotheistic religions, the belief in a God who created all things; a God of great power that watches over us and loves us. At some point in our lives, these beliefs will be tested. We see, as the author of Ecclesiastes lamented, “ The wicked [are] rewarded for their wickedness, and the righteous [are] punished for their righteousness. ” And when we see this, especially when it affects us personally, these doubts can be debilitating. Charles Darwin, who began thinking he would be a country parson, found himself unable to hold onto belief in God—not because of evolution, but because of the death of his favorite child. He could not reconcile the facts. Many of you in the pews today struggle with holding on to the notion of an all-powerful, all-loving God because of how much suffering is in the world. Many struggle with the notion that a man who lived some 2,000 years ago is one and the same as the eternal God who made everything. The disciples saw that Jesus had great power and great wisdom, but their beliefs ran aground against reality: “ Why could we not cast it out? ” Why do good people suffer? Why is there so much injustice in the world? Jesus’ reaction seems harsh—and I think He meant it to be. He had given the disciples great power, which at some point they were able to use. “ You unbelieving generation! ” Jesus was angry because He knew and understood the father’s desperation. Jesus knows how much people need God. And His disciples were not producing fruit because they were distracted by their own fears, by their own desire for power. This doesn’t mean Jesus was giving up on them. At times we are all angry and frustrated, and Jesus is no different. And Jesus’ answer should be of great comfort to all of us who carry doubts. Mine are both global and very personal. There are times when, indeed, I struggle with the notion of an all-powerful and all-loving God, given the extent of injustice and just random bad luck for some people—horrible, devastating bad luck. Even calling it bad luck trivializes the suffering so many people encounter for reasons totally out of their control—whether it was a random event of nature, an unfortunate and debilitating disability at birth, or the  fact  of being born into a war-torn, impoverished country, as opposed to being “lucky” to live in a country with vast resources. But there are also very personal reasons: the death of my sister Rachel at only a few days old, and other tragedies that Wendy and our families have suffered. The people who came to Jesus aching for help undoubtedly knew many multiples of tragedies  more  than I have ever known. And He asks of them one thing: … not certainty, … not perfection, … not a well-reasoned, cogent faith, … not all the answers— Just one tiny thing, so small, almost imperceptible. It is all God has ever needed. It is thought that the vast expanse—the ridiculous, ludicrously gargantuan proportions of this universe so insanely big, that the fastest thing in existence, which is light, would take many billions of years, billions upon billions of years, to go from one side of the universe to the other—it is thought that this universe began as an infinitesimally small particle of matter. That is all God used to create everything. And God looks to us to bring one small thing to the equation. And God will make something amazing out of it. … God did it with Jacob, the liar and the trickster; … God did it with Moses, filled with self-doubt; … God did it with Sarah, the one who laughed; … God did it with Jeremiah, who never stopped whining. … God did it again and again and again. And with you and with me, Jesus can create something fantastic and vast and powerful with just a mustard-seed-sized scrap of faith. Jesus did it with the disciples. Clearly their faith was mixed up; it was a jumble of things. And though Jesus reprimands them, we find comfort in knowing that he does not give up on them. In fact, despite all of their stumbles, he invests the future of Christianity into their hands. So come to Jesus with your nagging doubts, with your frustrations, with your anger, But come in humility, in longing, in hope—for those who did, as the father with the sick child discovered, will find what they are looking for: … peace in their hearts, … hope in their soul, … joy in life, … and a deep trust —not in facts, not in their own right thinking, but in the Living God. Amen.

The survey takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, and must be completed in one sitting.  We are asking all members to complete the survey by the end of September.  In the Presbyterian church, the first step in the process of searching for a new associate pastor is to conduct a mission study.  With a mission study, we as a congregation review our current status as a church to help us discern God's call for our present and future ministry.  It is important to examine and reflect on where we are now as a congregation, before we start looking to the future and to calling a new associate pastor.  To help us with this important task, we are asking all Brick members to complete a survey.  The survey includes both general questions about your experience as a member of Brick, as well as questions specifically focused on what qualities are important for an associate pastor.   The survey is very similar to a survey we used in 2018.  A lot has changed in the world since then, so for members who completed that survey, we hope you will participate again as we value getting your current perspective.  We are also eager to hear from those who were not a part of that previous survey.   Getting a clear picture of who we are as a church and what directions are important for our future will help us in identifying associate pastors who are best positioned to collaborate and grow with us as we seek to follow God’s call. The survey takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, and must be completed in one sitting.  We are asking all members to complete the survey by the end of September.

We are looking forward to great program year of activities for our tween and teen age congregants! Pioneers is our youth group for 5th-7th grade. Students 9th grade and up participate in High School Youth Group. 8th grade students often participate in Confirmation and are always welcome at All Youth events.

At The Brick Church, there are many ways to find community, discover your purpose, and go deeper spiritually including Sunday morning worship services, men’s and women’s Bible studies, robust children’s programming, and meaningful outreach. Getting involved at Brick Church is a wonderful way to connect with our vibrant community and give back in meaningful ways. We invite you to help extend a warm welcome to all who enter our doors by participating in our community and congregational care opportunities. Register He Christians believe that God created us for life together and that the Christian life is most faithfully and joyfully lived in the community of faith that is the church. This community sustains, nourishes and challenges us to greater and steadier faithfulness to Jesus Christ. If you wish to explore membership, you are invited to attend one of our series of three New Member Meetings.

Proverbs 16:1-3 Last week we learned from Proverbs that, “ A cheerful heart is good medicine. ” This saying helps center our thoughts and emotions, reminding us that there is so much in life to be joyful about, and that true joy means not only delighting ourselves but sharing with others. And yet, a sunny disposition can only get us so far, and our emotions are subject to change in a moment. We want a life of happiness and joy, but it won’t come only through a positive attitude. In order to “live long and prosper,” Proverbs teaches us we must commit our plans to God. If last week was about our heart—our emotions—this week is about our mind, our will. The root of the Hebrew word for  commit  means to roll. To commit our plans to God is to roll them over to God, for God’s input, shaping, and approval, which might be thought of as a divine tennis match. Your opening serve is not only the plan you make to win the point, but your choice to lob it in, use a slice or top spin, aim down the line, or in the corner. Once the ball is in God’s court, the Lord’s shot determines your next move. God can slow down the point by taking pace off, send it to the far corner—thus completely changing the point—or blow it past you, saying,  Thispoint, this plan needs to end; it’s time to start over. To roll our plans over to God is to admit that ultimately we don’t have control of our destiny. “ Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails .” — Proverbs 19:21 (NIV). All of us have made plans which have failed, which have gone astray. This can be frustrating and debilitating, but there is a path that does not wallow in defeat and dismay—one which allows your will to remain resolute. If we hold onto our plans ourselves and don’t give them over to God, and they fail, we have nowhere else to turn. But if we have committed them to God, we trust that, if they fail, God is working with them and that a good future will come. In this way, failure is not a step back but a step forward into your new future. But it requires trust in God:  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This quote provides a tremendous amount of comfort, but don’t be fooled by it—it doesn’t promise that things will be easy. It can take a long time and many hard knocks to finally get there. In fact, there’s a whole book devoted to how frustrating life can be. Ecclesiastes is the Biblical counterpoint to the faith of endless positivity. That author asserts the exact opposite of Proverbs, voicing his frustration with the world and God’s lack of action in a rather stark statement: “In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.” Ecclesiastes deals with the truth of our emotions, which are healthy to acknowledge, but we can’t let anxious thoughts deter our will. Proverbs 29:11 tells us, “ A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them. ” The control function comes from our will. Unlike our emotions, our mind’s function is to keep our overall well-being in mind, to keep our life goals ever before us, and to do what we know is right even when we don’t feel like it. When I meet with couples in pre-marital counseling, I always ask them to define love. Often, they will talk about how they feel about someone. And the answers are almost always meaningful. But there is a part they all leave out—the will. Love is not just how we feel about someone; it is a decision we make, and it is right in the vows:  “I promise before God and these witnesses, to be your loving and faithful husband, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.” Love is a decision to do what is good and right for another when our natural inclination of self-gratification might lead us to do otherwise. Love is not only what we do for another because we feel positive emotions toward them. Otherwise, there would be no point to the vows. The vows are the act of committing to God that we will care for them even if we don’t feel the magic during certain times in life. In a marriage, when the initial rapturous romance fades, that’s when the work begins. That’s when it gets hard. And, to tell the truth, that is when true, deep love grows. So too in faith. It is only when tested that its true power is revealed. That is the challenge for our wills: Do we have the courage to place our plans in God’s hands? Because that’s the promise—God will prosper our future if we roll it over. But oh, it can be a long time coming! To begin to make sense of the tension between Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, we turn to Genesis and the story of Joseph. He confronted this exact problem. After being enslaved by his brothers, he rose to a place of prominence in Potiphar’s household. Obviously, Joseph’s plan for his own life was a life of freedom after suffering the horror of slavery. But his freedom was threatened. Potiphar’s wife wanted to have an affair. Joseph refused her advances, for in committing his plans to the Lord he knew he could not betray Potiphar. Upon being spurned, she presented false testimony, and Joseph was thrown into prison. What would you have done if you were faced with Joseph’s terrible choice—go to prison for who knows how long, or submit to a relationship you knew was a betrayal? Joseph certainly knew the pain expressed in Ecclesiastes. But the failure of his personal plan did not turn him aside from being a moral person. This kind of faithful and committed will is what God uses to turn our personal plans into something much greater. In a book published in 1905,  Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry  addresses this problem: “We cannot understand the moral Universe. The arc is a long one, and our eyes reach but a little way; we cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; but we can divine it by conscience, and we surely know that it bends toward justice. Justice will not fail, though wickedness appears strong, and has on its side the armies and thrones of power, the riches and the glory of the world, and though poor men crouch down in despair. Justice will not fail and perish out from the world of men, nor will what is really wrong and contrary to God’s real law of justice continually endure.” When we cannot see justice, we can quickly despair, and in this case Proverbs has a simple but powerful instruction:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” Not just trust, but trust with everything you have. Have the courage to do what is right no matter what, and the Lord’s justice will circle back—either in this life or the next. For Joseph, it circled back in this one. As you know, he eventually became second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt. And as he is reunited with his brothers, he speaks some of the most heartening, tender, powerful words in all the Bible:  “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” Joseph’s homeland suffered a severe drought, but as Pharaoh’s right-hand man he had the means to liberate them from starvation. This is how God’s plans and ours intertwine for the ultimate justice and prospering of all. A committed will is a powerful force for the Lord’s work on this earth, and it is critical to moving through tests and trials to find a future that you and God can both find joy in.

The Brick Presbyterian Church keeps bound records of Orders of Worship, financial statements, and important documents dating back to 1885 in the archive of the Anderson library and in the Senior Pastor’s Study. Spending the summer researching in the library, I had the opportunity to examine these records up close. Though records have changed in style and content since the mid-nineteenth century, with varying format and additional information, the church’s emphasis on record keeping is consistent. The archive is filled with invaluable information: minutes, essays, sermons, even the bodice of Reverend Henry Van Dyke’s wife. However, in taking a closer look at the various bound records, I noticed that the bound Orders of Worship and their respective financial records from the 1937-1938 year appeared to be missing. In researching this abnormally undocumented year, what began as a search for the missing records became the uncovering of 1937’s role in the Brick Church’s rich history.  It is worth noting that while completing my research, I contacted a representative of the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia regarding the location of the 1937-1938 Orders of Worship. The Orders of Worship in question could not be located in either the Anderson library or the Senior Pastor’s Study, where Orders of Worship are normally kept. The Historical Society does indeed possess a copy of the 1937-1938 Orders of Worship and was kind enough to photocopy its first few pages for me. The Foreword on the pages sent to me by the Historical Society call 1937 a “memorable” and “significant” year for the church. Though the Orders of Worship had not been “missing” as I had previously assumed, they had led me on a journey of learning about one of the Brick Church’s most landmark years.  The general climate of 1937, both within the Brick Church and on a larger global scale, was tense. The Great Depression was coming to a painful end, tensions which would lead to the outbreak of the second world war were rising, and the mosaic of New York City was shifting. The Brick community surely felt this shift, with much of the relatively loyal congregation moving uptown. This affected membership and attendance of worship at the time, given lesser modes of transportation and an alleged aversion to using available transportation on holy days. In addition to changing demographics, the Brick Church was experiencing considerable financial hardship as a result of the move and economic depression of the larger city. Despite some of the profound benefactors of the Church, the general financial upheaval caused by The Depression led to less donations from the congregation. In a memorandum identifying posthumous donors to the church, there is recorded a “1937 list” of donors who presumably contributed to Brick’s relocation effort. In addition to financial and societal turbulence, 1937 also saw the end of Reverend William Pierson Merrill’s time as head pastor and the search for his successor. Needless to say, 1937 represented transition. Changes in surrounding society, economy, and location play into 1937’s historicity. In addition to the logistical challenges of the move and adjustments made by the church, there was indeed an emotional component to this period of change. In his last sermon to the congregation in Brick’s 37th Street location, Reverend William Pierson Merrill references Moses leaving Sinai, the place where “he [Moses] had found God”. Merrill recognized that, in many ways, much of the congregation had “found God” in the 37th St church. He urged the crowd to understand that the God of the Brick Church and Presbyterianism in general was not confined to the altar or a physical space, rather accessible wherever there was faith. The resilience of 1937 speaks to a larger motivation in the Brick Church Community: a motivation to strengthen and grow in faith, despite discomfort or hardship. During my research, I also grew increasingly grateful for the diligent record keeping done by archive committees over the years. Each volume, book, and sermon provides a gateway into the Brick church of the past, in turn informing our present and future. Grateful to have located and done research on the 1937-1938 Orders of Worship, I understand deeply the importance of archival and historical work in the context of the church.