The Brick Church Women’s Association funds a scholarship program to assist Church members and Church staff, with financial help for an accredited degree granting program. The grants are “quality of life” scholarships, given to help with the cost of items such as books, fees and transportation. All applications will be considered, and information is confidential. Grants are not automatically renewed. If you have received a scholarship in the past, you must reapply by the deadline to be considered for the upcoming year. The deadline for completed applications is May 4th.  Please complete the confidential form here . With your application, a general financial disclosure will be requested. Artwork by Joni McKown Art.

Registration is now open for Spring Musical Theater classes! Featuring artists from Brick Church Community Theater, these performing arts classes will help students increase their confidence, build self-esteem, and explore self-expression in a supportive environment.

Submit by Tuesday, March 31 The Women's Association is collecting donations ($30 suggested), to purchase Easter Lilies for the Sanctuary. Make your donation to be included in the Order of Worship on Easter Sunday.

This past fall, the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee undertook a mission review to help guide a search for two new full-time Associate Pastors.  It sought in particular to assess the congregation’s current identity, needs, and direction since the last mission review, done in 2018-19, and who God is calling us to be now.  The Committee’s process included administering a 98-question survey to the congregation administered by Holy Cow! Consulting which resulted in completed surveys from 240 separate congregation members (representing 100% of Brick’s most recent average Sunday attendance); convening three open forums; conducting a focused youth survey; reviewing mission and vision statements adopted by Session; examining the Church’s 2024 Annual Report and audited financial statements; doing demographic and community research;, consultation with the Senior Pastor, leadership in the Presbytery of New York City, and past pastoral search committee leaders; and prayerful consideration of what we learned. The new mission review confirmed that the Church’s identity is rooted in a long history of worship, education, service, and music, and continues to be expressed through multiple sustained ministries and significant outreach efforts.  The Day School remains a major part of the congregation’s educational commitment and is now fully integrated into the Church’s governance and operations. Other highlights include active Sunday School, confirmation, and adult education programs, a distinctive seminarian training process, many fellowship activities, and participation in a large number of internal and external groups and organizations.  These strengths are supported by well-maintained physical assets and an endowment exceeding $60 million (although much of its use is restricted to particular programs).  Declining stewardship participation patterns have presented some challenges, but other income sources have maintained operations well.  The Session and Trustees believe the Church can and should strengthen stewardship—and so far the 2025 stewardship campaign reflects this effort. This information and congregational growth strongly support the need for the current searches.  The Church currently has one full-time Senior Pastor with just under 50 full time equivalent support personnel (including the Day School leadership and staff), plus limited temporary pastoral assistance.  While the Church has engaged an Interim Associate Pastor with a strong background in youth ministry, she is currently not a permanent hire.  In the meantime, membership has notably increased since 2022, with particularly strong representation of young families, and Sunday School enrollment is robust.  The breadth of the Church’s ministry programs and leadership expectations, and the congregation’s growth trajectory, make hiring two full-time Associate Pastors essential. The Holy Cow! survey we administered (benchmarked by Holy Cow! against the most recent 2,800 congregations across the United States which had completed an equivalent survey)indicates that Brick Church has a “Transitional/Transformational” climate. This means that there is high satisfaction (although only average energy) in the congregation, with some anxiety about the future.  It reflects an authority-centric pattern in which leadership performance significantly shapes congregational experience.  The congregation also has what Holy Cow! describes as a “Paraclete” profile.  This is an intellectually open and reflective culture that values structure and ritual and often expresses mission through ministries that bring healing to people’s lives. The survey also revealed some uncertainty about the congregation’s expectations, however.  In some ways it indicated a desire for growth and change that may outpace the level of comfort members actually have for what the congregation might be required to do to reach its goals. But key priorities are clear. They include developing a comprehensive strategy to reach new people, strengthening ministries for healing and pastoral response in times of need, creating more opportunities for meaningful relationships, and fostering spiritual generosity for stewardship. The congregational forums, while not large by attendance, provided useful additional perspective. Participants emphasized strengthening stewardship engagement, expanding pastoral care outreach, engaging younger adults both with and without children, and leveraging the Day School’s success in growing church membership. They urged a broad search focused on the best candidates with clear communication skills, a compelling pastoral presence, deep scriptural grounding, administrative ability, and a joyful, empathetic approach to ministry.  They also highlighted the importance of having at least one associate pastor with deep experience in early childhood and youth ministries, and another with strong pastoral care skills for older members and congregational care initiatives. The youth survey reinforced expectations that pastors should help youth feel that they belong, grow spiritually, connect faith to everyday life, and build strong peer relationships. The youth who responded put a premium on caring, devout, and engaging leadership. Based on the full mission review, the Committee believes that Brick Church is seeking new pastors who are enthusiastic and joyful in sharing God’s love.  The congregation appears open to candidates beyond ministers currently serving in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), provided that they meet the requirements for service as Ministers of Word and Sacrament in our denomination. But whatever their current roles, the ideal candidates will need to be able to navigate theological diversity and New York City culture.  They must be comfortable honoring tradition while pursuing change within it.  They should have the skills to build community, equip lay leaders, and strengthen stewardship participation and spiritual vitality. Collectively across both positions (not necessarily all in each candidate), the congregation wants strong capabilities in children, youth, and family ministry; in pastoral care; and in communications.  Ideally, our candidates will have other complementary strengths, such as preaching skills, to allow for additional flexibility in the Church’s work year-over-year. In the broadest sense, we will therefore be seeking two new Associate Pastors blessed with gifts of listening, leadership, and joyfulness that can fit both the congregation’s traditions and its aspirations.  We look forward to your help in achieving this goal.   We invite you to review the full  2025 Mission Review Report and Survey Findings  below to better understand the themes, priorities, and hopes expressed by our church community. If you would like assistance in interpreting the survey findings or have questions about how they are informing the search process, please feel free to reach out to any member of the APNC or to Rev. Evans.

The Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (APNC) has worked prayerfully and thoughtfully to define two roles that reflect both the strengths of our church and the opportunities for where God is calling Brick to grow next.   Children’s, youth, and family ministries stand as some of Brick’s strongest assets and most vital growth opportunities, and the  Associate Pastor for Children and Youth  will hold primary responsibility for building upon these programs to shape a vibrant, spiritually rich experience for our community. This pastor will oversee the Sunday Church School for approximately 250 children, coordinate with the children’s music ministry, and lead key annual events such as the Sacraments class, Third Grade Bible Ceremony, and Christmas Pageant. Beyond administrative planning, the role focuses on forging deep pastoral relationships with parents and non-member Day School families, while collaborating with staff and committees to create holistic programming for middle and high school youth that fosters faith exploration, leadership, and service. In addition to guiding youth through milestones like Confirmation and integrating them into congregational life, the Associate Pastor will partner with the Senior Pastor in strategic visioning and regularly participate in worship, including preaching and the administration of sacraments.     The Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care and Community Ministries  will provide a vital pastoral presence, offering compassionate one-on-one support and crisis care while spearheading churchwide initiatives for spiritual formation. This pastor will be responsible for developing a clear, trackable vision for pastoral care that meets the emotional and spiritual needs of members across all generations, while also guiding prayer ministries, Bible studies, and adult education. Beyond internal care, the Associate Pastor will equip Deacons and lay leaders, collaborate with the Mission Outreach and Grants committees to foster hands-on service opportunities with mission partners, and design strategies to attract and integrate new members and Day School families into the life of the church. This role also involves contributing to stewardship through the lens of spiritual engagement, partnering with the Senior Pastor on strategic visioning, and participating regularly in worship leadership and preaching.    If you know a pastor who you believe would be a strong fit for Brick Church and may be open to a new opportunity, we would be grateful for your recommendation. Please share their name, contact information, and any helpful context with the APNC at  apnc@brickchurch.org .

Join us in making a difference! As part of our Annual Day of Discipleship, we are hosting a toiletry drive for the New York Common Pantry. Help us meet the needs of our community by donating travel-size antiperspirant/deodorant, hair combs, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and adult socks. Please note that if you prefer, you can also contribute non-perishable food items (no glass packaging, please). Donations can be dropped off at the church until the morning of the Day of Discipleship. Together, let's extend a helping hand to those in need!

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

Reading of Rev. John Rodger’s Sermon from December 11, 1783 (edited for length) A Sermon preached in New York, December 11, 1783 Appointed by Congress as a Day of Public Thanksgiving throughout the United States By John Rodgers, D.D. Founding Pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York New York: Printed by Samuel Loudon   “ The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. ” The subject of this divine poem, from which I have taken my text, not obscurely points us to the occasion on which it was penned. It was the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon. This is what is meant by “ the captivity of Zion ” in the first verse. It is generally supposed, and with great… You will readily perceive, my brethren, with what ease and propriety these words apply to the design and duties of this day. They contain the very language the God of providence has put into our mouths and teach us what notice we are to take of the dealings of his gracious hand toward us. If you will please to attend, I will: 1. Point you to some of the great things our God has done for us, and for which we have cause to be glad this day. 2. Show you how we ought to manifest this gladness.   Let us consider some of those great things our God has done for us, and which it becomes us to notice and acknowledge this day. These are different according to the different points of view in which we consider ourselves: either as creatures of his hand, as sinners under a dispensation of grace, or as members of society. But to enter into a particular consideration of each would be as vain as to attempt to count the stars in the firmament or number the sands on the seashore. You will expect, therefore, only a few of the numerous instances of the great things our God has done for us. “ Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation .. ”   He has graciously and fully defeated the designs the court of Britain formed to deprive us of our liberties. They laid plans with such art as to deceive the nation into favorable sentiments of their measures and led them to aid in the accomplishment of their purposes. The redress of grievances was all we first sought. Oh, with what joy and gratitude would we have received it at their hands at any time before the summer of 1776. But this is not all heaven has done for us. God has broken our connection with that people long practiced in venality and grown old in corruption. He has delivered us from their unjust claims and future practices and given us a place among the kingdoms of the world. Under the auspices of his providence, we have risen into existence as a people and taken our station among the nations and empires of the earth—an event of such magnitude that it forms a new era in the history of mankind. We have nothing to do now but wisely improve this event, to render it a fruitful source of happiness to ourselves and millions yet unborn.   The early and just alarm our country took at the measures pursued by the British court strongly points to the watchful care of providence over us. The unanimity among the colonies in opposing these measures—among all ranks and degrees, with very few exceptions—is another remarkable display of divine kindness. It is true these were natural effects of unconcealed designs and manifest injustice, but the hand of heaven is clear: Britain acted in a manner so undisguised and impolitic as to alarm and unite us. They could have attempted their purposes with more ease, less expense, and greater certainty, had they concealed their designs. Instead, they enforced their claims by the terrors of the sword. Thus we were called to resistance and obliged to resistance by the principles of self-preservation. The appointment of proper men to meet in Congress, and the prudence and firmness of their measures, shows both the wisdom of that august body and the providence directing them. The military ardor that inspired all ranks across the continent—spreading like a flame from colony to colony—must be resolved into the hand of heaven. You will recall the resistance at Lexington, where the first American blood was shed, April 19, 1775; the well-fought battle of Bunker Hill on June 17 following; and the confining of the British army within Boston and its environs for nearly a year until they stole away with shame.   …Another great providence was the raising of a proper person to command our armies. Congress’s choice of the illustrious Washington was heaven-directed: the man raised up for the work of leading our armies and saving his country. His influence, the confidence he inspired, and the success that attended him demonstrate the goodness of God and his personal merit. God also provided officers of inferior rank and enabled an army to be gathered and commanded, despite our having neither arms, ammunition, nor skill at the outset. The contempt our enemies had for us led them into conduct ruinous to themselves and advantageous to us. …To this may be added the smallness of the army they at first sent out against us. They imagined that a few thousand men would accomplish their purpose. This misjudgment gave us leisure—after hostilities began—to prepare, in every necessary respect, to oppose and defeat them. They themselves, in this early period, contributed not a little to teach us the art of war. And after we had taught them to fear us, and they had augmented their numbers to more than sufficient to crush us, their pusillanimous caution became, in the hand of Providence, no small means of our salvation. Who that reflects upon the dark scenes through which we passed from this period until the glorious battle of Trenton on December 26th (and dark indeed they were), and who that considers the awful poise in which the fate of America then hung—destruction awaiting us on every side—while also considering the complicated difficulties and hazards that attended that well-timed enterprise, with its signal success and extensive consequences, can help exclaiming in the language of our text: “ The Lord has done great things for us whereof we are glad. ” …It also deserves notice that the means on which our enemies placed the highest dependence often had the directly opposite effect. This was remarkably true of their cruelties: burning towns, laying waste to settlements by savages, murdering citizens, destroying churches, and the like. They designed these terrors to break our spirits and force submission, but their effect was to rouse and animate the country into more determined opposition. Their treatment of us as slaves excited our indignation, contempt, and resentment. They taught us their incapacity to govern us in wisdom or virtue and confirmed the necessity of maintaining our independence or perishing in the struggle. It is much to be lamented that the troops of a nation once considered a bulwark of the Reformation should act as though waging war against the God Christians adore. In the course of this war, they utterly destroyed more than fifty places of public worship in these states—burning many, leveling others, and defacing still more by converting them into barracks, jails, hospitals, and riding schools. Boston, Newport, Philadelphia, and Charlestown all furnished melancholy instances. And in this city, of the nine places of worship fit for use before the war, there were but nine fit for use when the British troops left it, and many were left in ruinous condition. …Again, the formation and completion of that social compact among these states, commonly styled the Confederation, is another instance of the great things our God has done for us. This is what gives us national existence and character. Before it, we had no permanent union, nor were we regarded by other powers as a distinct people. By this event the thirteen United States, though differing in situation, customs, manners, and local interests, became one people. Their interests are united into one common interest, and they stand pledged to each other for the united defense of every state and the privileges of the whole. This teaches the sacred obligation each state and every individual is under to support and strengthen this federal bond. Under Providence, our all depends upon it. Once more, God’s raising us up such powerful friends among the nations—who have generously espoused our cause—is another instance of the great things he has done for us. We were unable in every respect to contend with the mighty nation that made war upon us, but Providence so ordered events that it was the interest of the great nation who first took us by the hand, and indeed of all maritime powers of Europe, to favor our cause. They acted by human policy, but God—whose kingdom rules over all—was accomplishing his own gracious purposes concerning these States. Another instance of divine goodness, which we may not pass unnoticed, is his providing in this State so good a Constitution for securing our rights and privileges. It has imperfections like all human institutions, but upon the whole it is equaled by few and surpassed by none in wisdom, justice, and sound policy. The rights of conscience—both in faith and worship—are secured to every denomination of Christians. No denomination can oppress another. All stand on the same common level in religious privileges. Nor is this confined to Christians: the Jews also have the liberty of worshiping God in the way they think most acceptable to him. No man is excluded from the rights of citizenship on account of his religious profession—nor ought he to be. What great things has the God of Providence done for our race! By the revolution we celebrate today, he has provided an asylum for the oppressed in all the nations of the earth, whatever the nature of the oppression. And he is thereby accomplishing great things that open the way for the more general spread of the gospel in purity and power, and in due time the universal establishment of Messiah’s… There is not, within my recollection, an instance in history of so great a revolution effected in so short a time and with so little loss of lives and property as that in which we rejoice. It has cost us blood and treasure; but considering the magnitude of the object, the unequal terms on which we began and pursued the contest, and its glorious issue now secured by treaty, the cost is less than we had a right to expect.   We ought to express our gladness of heart for all these great things our God has done for us in the following ways: God’s beneficence is designed to form us to a similar temper toward our fellow creatures. Even if many are unworthy, our own unworthiness has not barred the mercy of heaven. We must especially beware of resentment and revenge. True greatness rules the spirit. The religion of Jesus breathes benevolence and inspires it in all genuine believers. This benevolence should manifest especially amid religious distinctions. It is not to be expected that all will be united in opinion—but we may be united in affection. Where we cannot agree, let us agree to differ. Love is the peculiar mark of Christ’s religion: “ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another. ” Nor must we forget the case of those deserving citizens who lost their all by this struggle—many while hazarding their lives in the field. Add to this the case of widows and orphans made by this contest. Their situation demands attention not as charity, but justice. Can no plans be formed for employing such members of the community—the best method of providing for them? Can luxury and dissipation spare nothing for those in need? The approaching winter enforces this duty with an urgency language cannot express. …God has put within our reach all the blessings of civil and religious liberty. Perhaps no nation has ever had so fair an opportunity to become the happiest people on earth. Yet misery as well as happiness lies before us, unless the present state of things is wisely improved. The eyes of heaven and earth are upon these States. The situation is solemn and dignified. The path is plain: we must cement and strengthen the federal union; support the honor of the Great Council of the nation; execute salutary measures with unanimity; establish the credit of this new empire upon strict justice; and keep faith sacred and inviolable. …Industry and frugality are of the highest moment. We must make the Constitution and laws the great rule of our civil conduct. The government to which obedience is urged is of our own framing—a government for which we fought and bled, and fought and bled with success. The magistrates who administer it are the men of our own choice. Therefore it is both duty and interest to strengthen the hands of government as the sure path to national happiness. The order and dignity with which the change of government was introduced on November 25th—the day the deliverance of these States was completed by the evacuation of this city—have attracted admiration and even the acknowledgments of enemies. This should encourage us to persevere in virtue, order, and reverence for lawful authority. …God calls us to testify joy and gratitude by lives devoted to his fear and service. This is the most acceptable manner of expressing thankfulness for any favor. One end of God’s goodness is to lead us to repentance. Every instance of beneficence is a cord of love thrown over the soul to draw us to himself. “ To offer praise to God ” and “ to order one’s conversation aright ” are treated as the same: “ Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me; and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God .” Virtue—political and moral—is essential to the preservation of our hard-earned privileges, especially in a democratic government. Prevailing vice will sap the foundations of liberty sooner or later. And the sons of profaneness cannot now sin at the cheap rate they once did. Guilt is greater in proportion to the great things God has done for us. Therefore, I beseech you by these mercies, in addition to all the grace of the gospel, that you break off your sins by repentance and study to walk before God as becomes those for whom he has done such great things. Which may God of his infinite mercy grant, for Jesus’ sake. Amen and Amen.

Shared during Sunday Worship on January 25, 2025. Gracious and loving God, we come before you, trusting you to open our hearts and prepare our lives to receive Christ anew.  Prepare us to recognize your presence among us. Teach us patience when waiting is difficult, courage when hope feels fragile, and faithfulness in all the ways you call us to serve. Help us set aside the distractions and fears that keep us from trusting your promises, and draw us deeper into your peace.   Where we are weary, grant us rest.  Where we are anxious, speak your calming word.  Where we are uncertain, lead us by your light.  Shape us into a people who welcome Christ not only with our words, but through lives marked by love, justice, compassion, and humility.   As we continue to pray for those on our Prayer Matters list, we lift up members and staff facing illness, injury, surgery, dementia, loneliness, chronic pain, and grief. Surround them with your healing presence, strengthen them in body and spirit, and remind them they are never alone.   We intercede for all whom Jesus came to serve: the poor, the imprisoned, the blind, and the oppressed. Use us as instruments of your mercy and justice.  We pray for the leaders of nations, that they may seek truth, pursue peace, and act for the common good.  Break down systems that harm and exclude others and use us as instruments of your justice and mercy.   We offer these prayers trusting in your unfailing love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Shared during Sunday Worship on January 25, 2025. Holy Creator, whose warmth sustains us through the deepest cold: we thank You and praise You for the gifts of creation, redemption, and daily provision. We acknowledge Your presence here and everywhere—Your constant generosity, Your enduring love, and Your sovereignty over the source and purpose of all things.   We rejoice in the joy found in Your presence, for it is a joy that becomes our strength. We are grateful for the light of Christ which has dawned upon us, revealing Your grace and truth. Thank You for the diversity of gifts You have poured out upon this congregation, allowing us to reflect Your glory in many beautiful ways.   We thank You for the guidance that planted Brick Church in 1767. We remember with gratitude the people of God who found a way to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ in the early days of New York City. We thank You for the strength You provided to help build this nation; we thank You for endowing us with the truth that all are created equal and for the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.   We praise You for the pillars of this church, both literal and metaphorical. For the generations of families who have sustained this home of faith, we give You thanks. Our children and their parents thank You for their fellowship, their schooling, and their teachers. We bless You for our directors of music, our staff, and the leadership of our music ministry, choirs, volunteers, elders, deacons, and trustees.   For the simple blessings of this week—for breath, for community, and for the promise that Your Spirit of Love is always at work—we offer our praise.   God of Mercy, we lift up the world You love. We pray for the universal church, that we may live as one body—suffering when one part suffers and rejoicing when one part is honored. We pray for those struggling with honesty, those who deny the reality of sin, or those acting in self-interest. We pray for lost souls, that they may find salvation and turn from actions that cause harm.   We continue to pray for those on our Prayer Matters list. We remember those struggling with: Physical Affliction: Cancer, injuries, surgeries, heart attacks, chronic pain, and limited mobility. Challenges of the Mind and Spirit: Dementia, Alzheimer’s, vertigo, and the frustration of forgetfulness or limited speech. The Weight of Isolation: Loneliness, loss of hearing, and the deep grief of losing loved ones. We especially pray for children who are abused, bullied, or ostracized. We remember with heavy hearts those in our neighborhood schools who have recently lost their lives to suicide. May they feel the embrace of this community and the profound comfort of the Holy Spirit. Finally, we intercede for those Jesus came to serve: the poor, the imprisoned, the blind, and the oppressed. Grant the leaders of all nations the wisdom to seek truth, the courage to act with justice, and the heart to pursue peace.   In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Isaiah 6:1-8 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.  Psalm 8:3-5 “ If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy. ” — St. John Vianney (the Curé of Ars)   “ And though all that remains of the Temple is one wall, still to stand and pray in that spot is to feel the presence of three thousand years of Jewish prayers. ”— The Rabbi Sacks Legacy   “ As he gazed at the icon of Mother Mary, he felt the Holy Mother’s arms opening wide and welcoming him .” — Professor Bruce Beck, Hellenic College of the Holy Cross   As we continue this sermon series on the wonders of life, last week we discovered how, through a deeper appreciation of nature, we could be more connected to God and more connected to ourselves. This morning, we find that some of the most traditional ways are still amongst the most powerful—finding God through sacred ritual. For me, one such moment took place at the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat near Barcelona. It is a short train ride from the city to the foot of the mountain. You then find yourself in an absolutely spectacular setting, followed by a fairly rigorous hike of about an hour to the abbey. The physical exertion adds to the awe of the location. We arrived just in time to enter the abbey as a service was about to begin. It was packed—standing room only. As these children began to sing, a hush—a holy hush—enveloped the space. Their voices reverberated off the ancient stone, and the sound was of such crystal-clear purity that you imagined you were being entertained by angels. These diverse religious experiences all point to a similar thread, known in Hebrew as  Shekinah . Most religions and denominations have special pathways to cultivate an experience of the divine through space and place, or through deep listening made possible by the arrangement of prayers, candles, and incense. Shekinah  means “dwelling” and refers to God’s immanent, sometimes numinous, presence—a spine-tingling, hair-raising, ecstatic and surreal moment, Precisely Isaiah’s experience. He described a uniquely powerful moment of encountering God in the temple—one unlikely to be replicated for you or me. So where does that leave us? The temple has been destroyed, and God is not traveling in a pillar of fire as in the wilderness. But of course, the Temple’s destruction did not lead to the disappearance of the experience of God, but rather to its expansion across the world: “ After the destruction of the Temple, the synagogue became a miniature Temple… Jews discovered that holiness does not depend on buildings of stone but on acts of faith, study, and prayer… The Temple was never about a building. It was about creating a society of justice and compassion that would bear witness to God in the world… When the building was destroyed, the mission remained. In place of the physical Mikdash, the Rabbis taught, every home can be a sanctuary and every heart a fragment of the Temple. ” — Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, teaching on Tisha B’Av There is a thread not only throughout Scripture, but across the planet, of transcendent moments in which people of many faiths describe similar encounters with the surreal, the sublime, and the sacred. I will share with you several stories from a variety of traditions that I pray will help you find the practice that attunes you to these  Shekinah  moments. Art is an underappreciated vessel for the sacred in our Presbyterian world. As Pope Francis said: “ A work of art can open the eyes of the mind and heart… something bigger, something that speaks, capable of touching the heart, of communicating a message, elevating the soul. ” And the Orthodox Church has a powerful theology that connects people to God through art known as icons, described by Dr. Bruce Beck as “ windows into heaven. ” Until about fifteen years ago, I had absolutely no knowledge of this. On a journey I took with several clergy—a Baptist preacher, a Catholic priest, a Presbyterian minister, a Lutheran, and a rabbi—we found ourselves at the Orthodox Cathedral in Boston. There we were introduced to Dr. Beck, who shared the story of how he became an Orthodox Christian. He began as a Southern Baptist in Athens, Georgia, came to Boston to pursue a PhD, and met his wife there, an ancient Greece scholar. Through her studies, she was drawn to Orthodoxy and eventually converted. When their first child was born, he agreed to raise the child Orthodox. When his wife was too tired to take the baby to church, he would carry the child in a sling and walk quietly in the back of the sanctuary. He first noticed something changing when he found himself tearing up as the Gospel texts were read. He had studied those same texts academically, yet they had never moved him emotionally. Then one day, as he gazed at an icon of the Holy Mother, he felt her arms opening wide and welcoming him. He described this as a non-verbal experience of what he called  material holiness —the belief that the material world can be used by God to help the faithful in their journey toward God. He went on to describe the process of iconography: “ Iconography as a sacrament results from the icon’s and the iconographer’s communion with the Divine. The iconographer must engage in a spiritual discipline of fasting, abstinence, prayer, and Eucharist to prepare for a project. To execute an icon requires something of an ascetic lifestyle, which is why many iconographers are Orthodox monks and nuns. ” We Presbyterians are deeply concerned with things making sense, with a rational approach to theology and religious practice. I believe this is laudable and essential. I come from a family of academics, and I was a math major. For much of my life, I had a utilitarian approach to feeling- and experience-based religious practices. I was skeptical of them. But as I grow older, I find myself less concerned with explanations and more interested in exploration. I first heard this articulated by Dr. Peter Gomes when he was chaplain at Memorial Church at Harvard. He knew people like me well. In one conversation, he said something that has stayed with me: faith should be outlandish. He said, “ I want it not to make sense. When people come to my church, we do not do explanations. My goal is to keep the flame lit, not to explain the nature of fire. ” As people continue to hunger for more  Shekinah , old traditions are being repurposed and reinvigorated. A colleague of mine, the Rev. Bob Hurst in Alabama, told me about his encounter with Anita Diamant, author of  The Red Tent . They met at Mayyim Hayyim, a  mikvah —a place used by Jews for ritual immersion. Traditionally, women used the  mikvah  following their monthly cycle, and it is also used in conversion and other life-cycle events. But this  mikvah  has been re-envisioned as a place to encounter God. Diamant helped renew interest in this ritual, especially among Reform Jews in the Boston area. Many who have used it report powerful experiences of God. What is fascinating is that this most physical of Jewish rituals—one that literally places people in contact with their bodies—has facilitated profound encounters with the transcendent. Diamant said, “ A ritual that forces people to get out of their heads has facilitated the most powerful spiritual experiences .” For Muslims, it is the sacred Black Stone, believed to have fallen from Paradise and given to Abraham by the Angel Gabriel, touched or revered in imitation of the Prophet Muhammad. How can we learn from these traditions that are outside of our historic Christian practices as Presbyterians? Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote in  The Dignity of Difference : “ The test of faith is whether I can make space for difference. Can I recognize God’s image in someone who is not in my image…? If I cannot, then I have made God in my image instead of allowing Him to remake me in His. ” That is, if we affirm that everyone is made in the image of God and they have a seed of the Spirit planted within them, and even if they don’t have the same doctrine or faith that I do, they have something to teach me, something to share with me that I need to learn from. And it is not all about head knowledge. [[Time Out!]] [Occasionally in football the quarterback will call an audible and change the play. I’m calling an audible in the sermon and shifting texts! After all, tomorrow is Martin Luther King Jr. Day] I recently reread what is, for today’s geopolitical context, a world-altering text. It made me think about today’s world and how sad I am about the state of war and politics across the planet. The problems in the Middle East and Europe and Asia and Africa and in our country are not new; they have been with humanity always, but God offers a promise, a radical promise. In the nineteenth chapter of Isaiah, we are told a recounting of the idolatrous sins of Egypt and Assyria, both enslavers and conquerors of Israel. God promises wrath and judgment upon Egypt for its idolatry and past enslavement of the Israelites. But then the passage takes a radical turn. God promises not only to save Egypt and Assyria, but to bless them alongside Israel: “ Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my heritage. ” God’s power will make peace between nations, cultures, and religions long at odds with one another. These moments of reconciliation are among the most powerful ways of knowing the  Shekinah  of God. Which reminds me of our Christian understanding of God’s  Shekinah . And it came in the form of an infant who was laid in a manger. And he powerfully manifested the presence of God through bringing justice and dignity and hope to those who are despised by the world. He showed us that God’s justice and God’s holy presence are inextricably linked. And that when people experience the justice of God, they also experience the holiness of God. Jesus promised that wherever two or three are gathered in his name, he is in their midst. I would argue that whenever people gather—whether they know it or not—in the pursuit of harmony, forgiveness, and understanding across divides, they are gathering in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. I am convinced that the path to healing this world is the path of respect, of listening, of understanding people who are not like us. It is the bridge that will be the forerunner to Isaiah’s vision of the healing of the nations. I am deeply grateful for the faith God has given me, for the family who instilled it in me, and for the privilege of serving the Presbyterian Church. It is my greatest honor. Yet I also know that my experience of God is incomplete. I do not know everything about God, nor does the Presbyterian Church. Every encounter I have had with people of deep and respectful faith—Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus—has enriched me immeasurably. Their willingness to share their own sacred ways of encountering God has expanded my heart and my understanding of the Shekinah, and given me hope for a new world. Amen.

When New York City became the first capital 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 Thomas 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. The 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.