Shared during Sunday Worship on October 20, 2024. Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are the creator and the redeemer, the beginning and the end of all things. You are the source of all goodness, beauty, light, and truth. During this Festival of Hymnody, we give you thanks for the church’s ministry of music. We are grateful for all those you have inspired to make music to the Lord, from the biblical Psalmists to the present day. We thank you for those in our congregation who use their talents to lead us to sing your praise and adore your beauty. For these bountiful gifts, O Lord, we silently offer our gratitude.  Holy God, you are the sovereign of the universe, the ruler of the world. Be with all people and all nations, so that we might live together in ever greater conformity to your justice and peace. We pray especially for our own country. Heal the fractions, the resentment, the ill-will, and the mendacity that divide us. Give our fellow citizens cool heads and thoughtful minds. Give us the wisdom, justice, and tolerance we need to live in peace with one another. Protect our leaders. Preserve our democratic institutions. We pray, too, for our city. We thank you for all of its marvels: its culture and art, its businesses and economy, its buildings and parks. In your mercy, be with those who cannot access these goods: the impoverished, the houseless, the oppressed. Empower us, as your holy people, to secure the flourishing of all. For our nation and for our city, O Lord, we silently pray.  Faithful God, you have loved us from all eternity, and you have drawn us into fellowship with yourself and with each other. Be with your church throughout the world. We pray especially for our congregation and our school. Thank you for all the volunteers and staff who keep our community afloat, for the many Marthas whose tireless work so often goes unseen. And we thank you for the teachers and students of the Brick Church School. Send your Spirit upon them and guide them into all truth. Finally, we pray for those in our community who are sick or weary; we pray for those who are brokenhearted; we pray for those who are exhausted; and we pray for those who are lonely. Bring your healing and comfort to each one of us. For our congregation and our school, O Lord, we silently pray. We pray all these things, heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit; one God, mother of us all. Amen.

Matthew 5:14 There is a wonderful principal in thermodynamics which explains that every “body”emits radiation. Humans, rather than emitting visible light, radiate infrared, which is also known as thermal radiation. Practically what this means is that when you sit next to somebody you literally give them warmth. It is the light that you cannot see that is being emitted from your body that does this whether you intend it or not. Your presence brings warmth to another. The more people you gather the greater the warmth that is shared. For those who have the Spirit of Christ within them, the light of Christ is radiated to all those around them. So, if as a congregation we follow the way of Jesus in the world by feeding, by healing, by crossing boundaries, by sharing love, by standing up for others, we inevitably share the warm glow of Christ’s presence. There are many different descriptions of Jesus as light, one of the most intriguing is “ the Morningsta r”. It is the planet we know as Venus. This is often the first light that appears in the eastern sky before sunrise.  This means that we pray that God will enable us to be the first light that brings those in the land of deep darkness hope for the days ahead.  At some level this happens as an institution, but even more it happens through your presence in the world. It is a tall task that Jesus asks of us. New York is a busy place and all too often the frenetic nature of life here shows on our face. What is to be done? People will spend untold amounts of money to try to stay younger looking, to have that youthful glow. The glow is indeed captivating. But there is a more fundamental glow that God intends for us. You have seen it in people’s faces; it is the glow of compassion; the glow of love. And it is not something that isn’t found on your skin but it is a glow that comes from your heart. Indeed, it is the most beautiful thing to see. But like a piece of wood that is not ignited, that barely emits any heat, so too do we fail to glow when we are not ignited by Christ’s presence. Thus, time spent in prayer in whatever form, be it walking in the park, reading scripture, listening to transcendent music or spending time with your pets; these can all ignite that spark. By the way it will also help us tremendously to not only exist but to thrive here in this amazing and wonderful city. This is all to the end as Jesus remarked, “ So let your light shine before others so they may give glory to your father in heaven. ”  Amen.

2nd-7th graders! The Children's Ministry Committee is excited to invite you to audition for the lead roles in the Brick Church Christmas Pageant on Sunday, October 27 at 12:30 PM in the Sanctuary! Ages 3 - 1st grade, we’re excited for you to be angels and Christmas critters. All are required to register in the link below. Join us for a fun and memorable audition, where you'll showcase your talent through group scene work and a short vocal piece. Don't miss this opportunity to shine and be part of a cherished holiday tradition. We can't wait to see your amazing performances!

Shared during Sunday Worship on October 13, 2024. Eternal God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, from Your fullness we have all received grace after grace. You give us life and nurture us with the fruit of the earth. You place us in families and neighborhoods, and You give us our friends. You provide us with culture and art, wisdom and beauty, to delight our senses and ennoble our spirits. And through the work of Christ and the Spirit, You draw us into fellowship with Yourself. For the sheer abundance of Your gifts, O God Most High, we give you thanks in the silence of our hearts.   Sovereign God, You rule the world with wisdom, and You call all people to enact Your justice and peace. Yet when we look at Your world, we see war and disaster, strife and suffering, violence and oppression. We pray especially for the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East. God, in your mercy, bring those horrors to an end, so that all people—whether Ukrainian or Russian, Palestinian or Israeli—may live in peace. And in our own nation we pray for those impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Guide those who are providing relief and assistance; comfort those who have lost family or friends. For the world and our nation, O Lord, we silently pray.   Holy God, in Christ You adopted us as Your children, and through the Spirit You empower us to share in Your life. Be with Your Church throughout the world. Help us to be united in love, so that we might better witness to Your grace and truth. We pray especially for this congregation, O Lord. Guide our ministers, elders, deacons, and teachers as they seek to build up our community. And enable all of us as we seek to live out our mission to be a beacon of hope and a spiritual home in our city. Finally, be with everyone in our congregation who is anxious or overwhelmed, sick or suffering. For the Church and our community, O gracious God, we silently pray.   We pray all these things, heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Spirit; one God, mother of us all. Amen.

Hebrews 1:1-4 Light has always captured our imagination. By it, we can see the world around us; it brings warmth to our bodies, and without it, life on this planet would not exist. Its power to refract creates depth and beauty to the world around us. And because of its special properties—the gift of color, all the colors of the rainbow—bless our planet and make exquisite art possible. In the morning, its presence brings us joy. And surprisingly, in the evening, as it grows dim and flickers, it brings us a sense of peace. Arguably, it is the most amazing aspect of God’s creation. For these reasons, virtually from the dawn of humanity, light has been used, oddly enough, to describe that which we cannot see with our eyes, feel with our fingers, or taste with our tongue—that is, the very essence and nature of God and the so-called "light of God" in our hearts. The power of light inspired the author of Hebrews to describe Jesus as " the reflection of God’s glory ." But with the little knowledge of Greek that I have, I believe the word is better translated as  radiance , which conveys a critical distinction. Just like the light that comes off from the sun is not a reflection but emitted by the sun; it is a part and parcel of the sun; so too, Jesus is not a mirror reflection of God but the emanation, the radiation of God out into the world. As by simply being alive, we radiate heat constantly, we cannot help it, so does the very existence of God radiate Christ. Hebrews describes Jesus with this word because when people encountered him, they felt like they had encountered God. And as a congregation, we have been called by Jesus, as have all Christians, to radiate the presence of Jesus. As He said in Matthew: " You are the light of the world… No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. " There are three particular ways that Jesus radiated the nature of God that I would like us to focus on as we seek to be faithful to his challenge. We are called to radiate the holiness of God, the irenic peace of God, and the righteousness of God. God is righteous. This means simply that God always does what is right and will not tolerate evil. God acts in history, as God did in the exodus to liberate the people of Israel from the oppressive and enslaving actions of Egypt. Jesus shined light on the injustice in His time by standing up to the powers of His day, risking and ultimately losing His own life because of it. God’s righteousness always seeks justice and equality and calls the church to act on His behalf. Because this world is not perfect (it cannot be), we know there will be unequal distribution of food, health, education, and more. So as a congregation, we seek to shine a light on the fundamental injustices of our time; to feed those who are hungry through the Tuesday Night Dinner Party and the Grassroots Grocery program. Because we know the power of education, its ability to help children become and realize all of their potential, we strive to not only offer the very best for our children, but we support Stanley Isaacs Center, which advocates for children and offers programs that help them thrive. But this matter is too important to us to simply leave it to others. So through Summer Steps and through the scholarships to the Brick Church School, we seek to position children from various backgrounds to be able to develop the gifts of the mind that God gave them.Because we know that not everybody has sufficient resources to carry them through comfortably to the end of their days, we give grants to Search and Care, whose mission enables older adults to live out their lives in their homes. Irenic Peace And yet simply making things fair in this world is not sufficient. Jesus did something far more powerful. The light of His truth drew people together like moths are drawn to a flame. When He sought to make things right, it was in order to forge peace. And a particular type of peace at that—not merely the absence of conflict but a peace that forged harmony across the boundaries that separate people. It was to create a new community, a kingdom-of-heaven type community, in which the people at the table are from every swath of humanity. This is the beautiful vision that scripture paints both in the Old and New Testaments, that in God’s kingdom there will be people from east and west and north and south; from all the nations of the Earth in one place with one purpose—to praise their maker. There is something fantastic about the property of light. Sir Isaac Newton, perhaps the only real rival to Einstein’s greatness, discovered that pure light is made of all the colors of the rainbow. A prism can divide that light, can separate it, but if you bring all those colors back together and put them through a prism, suddenly you have pure light once again! Humanity divides itself, separates itself from one another. But the radiance of Christ is prismatic, in that when all the colors of the rainbow come together through the prism of Christ’s love, they radiate the pure light of God most beautifully. This is why the session, as part of its ten-year vision, seeks for Brick to become a community that reflects the full diversity of our city, so that we might reflect the pure light of God more brightly. And finally, we seek to radiate the righteousness of God and the irenic peace of God so that all may know the holiness of God. Holiness of God Luke tells of the aging Simeon, near his death, who finally received the gift he had been waiting a lifetime for: to see the Salvation of God. When he saw the infant Jesus, he was struck by the holy presence of God, " Mine eyes have seen the light of your salvation! " Even as an infant, Jesus radiated the glory of God. Many whom Jesus healed experienced God’s presence, and when Thomas, the doubter, placed his fingers in the risen Jesus’ flesh, he proclaimed, " My Lord and my God! " (Oddly enough, it was the demons who had the easiest time recognizing who He was). As a congregation, one of the ways we can most powerfully radiate the holiness of God is through our worship. The world, and we ourselves, desperately need it. The gift of science has been an incredible blessing to humanity, but its misapplication has eroded something that humanity has known from the very beginning. There is something about the world, something powerful, something palpable, but yet that cannot be measured. There is something greater than ourselves, beyond the physical. Thus, Einstein, arguably the greatest scientist in history (Sorry, Isaac!), had this to say: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead… To know what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as… the most radiant beauty… this feeling is at the center of true religiousness."  Albert Einstein , The World as I See It (1931) To be religious is less about a set of prescribed actions, beliefs, and organizational principles as it is about being drawn, like a moth to the flame, to the mysterious presence of God. In this country particularly, we have allowed the beauty of the mysterious, numinous presence of God to all but disappear from our conversations and from our lives. According to scripture, this means we are robbing ourselves and our children of their true humanity. And I believe many of our problems are due to this deficit. If I fail to eat healthy foods, my energy and my physical self suffers. I cannot run as fast, or work as hard because of it, and I am susceptible to disease because of it. So, what do you think it does to us if we fail to feed our souls? To experience the holy gives us perspective on the problems of life; it empowers us to be people of strength, and it balances us and blesses our children. But even more, it is at the core of why God created us, as the Westminster Confession proclaims: " The chief end of humankind is to glorify God and enjoy God forever. " And I believe this is why Brick’s worship is more traditional, more formal, and focuses on a particular type of music. Holiness means distinct, separate from our normal lives. And so, our worship is deliberately crafted to not sound or feel like that which you encounter in your daily lives. It is meant to help us encounter the majesty, the wonder, and the mystery of God. We have two pieces of music with this aim in today’s worship. There is a beautiful ancient piece of music,  O Oriens , which evokes the holiness of God, as seen in the person of Christ, who is known in scripture as the Morning Star. " O Morning Star, splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. " The setting you will hear in today’s worship is exquisitely crafted to evoke a sense of the mysterious, the eternal, and the beautiful. The anthem you will hear immediately following this sermon,  Ana Manim , Tagalog for  Our Father , offered a capella, masterfully blends voices, evoking the holy peace of our Lord. Receive these both to feel the radiant light of God’s love. Amen.

Colossians 1:9-14; Psalm 27:7-14​  Grace to you and peace from God our Creator, Christ our Savior, and the Holy Spirit our comforter. It is an honor to be here at Brick church and a challenge to preach here in my son Tom’s church- quite a pulpit to fill. As you know, Tom comes from a family of preachers. His grandfather Edwin H. Rian, my father, his father, Robert Maxwell Evans, his sister-in-law, Mary Tiebout and then there is me who when my sons were growing up accused me of talking to them in sermons.  I also want to thank you for your wonderful support of Tom, as a pastor is only as good as his/her flock. Your church is blessed with a wonderful staff as well: your associate pastor Adam, parish associate Caroline, theologian in residence Charles, seminarians Rob and Henry and of course the amazing Director of Music, Ray, and is gifted choir who uplift us by their music.  Your vision for the future of Brick Church as a spiritual home for all is inspiring indeed.  All  today is really inclusive since animals are invited for today’s Blessing of the Animals service, followed by a potluck and a wonderful evening Service of Peace and Light. It is also fitting today that you are having the installation and ordination of church officers. These women and men have responded to God’s call through the Brick Presbyterian Church to serve this church, community, and the wider world. Their decision is a yes to God.!   My theme for our reflection this morning is  God-Centered Decisions: Doubt! Discern! Decide!  Every day of our life since we were very young, we have been making decisions, choices, and acting on the basis of them.  Right now, in our country we face important choices with the coming elections.  Some of our decisions are easy, others are momentous decisions that have long term consequences.  The following are some of the questions people have asked me in my ministry as a pastor, missionary, professor, or chaplain as to what decision they should make. Where should I go to college? Should I cheat on an exam? What career should I pursue? Who should I marry? Should I have children? If so, how many children and when? Should I get divorced if my husband has affairs? Should I move my family to accept a promotion? Should I have chemotherapy or surgery if I have a terminal cancer diagnosis? Should I tell my wife I have AIDS? Now that I am dying, should I tell my husband and kids that as a teenager, I had a baby who I gave up for adoption who just found me several days ago and wants to meet my family? Should I join a cult that values me when no one else does? If I used black magic, can I still be a Christian? Should I give money to a just released prisoner from charges of murder one who came to the church for help? Should I quit my job because I am so stressed out? Change professions? Move to another country?   We all have had moments of crisis in our lives when we are not sure what to do. Remember the word crisis in Chinese comes from two characters: one for fear and the other for opportunity. Crises can be an opportunity to grow or retrench-the choices involved can be life defeating or life enhancing. Some may be a matter of life and death.  Decisions are multi-dimensional and sometimes they are simply a case of following the lesser of two evils. What we call tragic choices. Other times the right decision may be quite clear, but we do not wish to follow it. A decision may involve numerous complications and ramifications that we cannot clearly discern, unexpected events beyond our control.  Making the right decisions does not simply involve developing a code. What virtues shall I seek and what sins should I avoid? The Talmud had 365 negative commandments, as many days of the year and 248 positive commandments, as many as the bones of the body according to Jewish tradition.   However, the person who is a slave to a code, him or herself may become codified. This is the type of self-righteous person about which Thoreau once remarked, “ If we see a person approaching with the intent to do us good, we should run for our life .” However, we do not want to go to the other extreme of avoiding all codes or laws, as comedian years ago Sam Levinson described in viewing, e.g., the 10 commandments. “ Some people are looking for moral guides from the 10 commandments, some for laws, but most people are looking for loopholes .”  In any case, decision making is not simply a matter of following the law, a set of rules and regulations. Hard decisions can also be complicated. How to act and what to do in the face of complex situations. I want to share with you a true story. A couple, the husband, a pastor and the wife an active Christian educator were serving a church, and all seemed to be going smoothly in their lives. He then shared that he was gay, divorced his wife and went to live with his partner. Several years later her husband contracted AIDS. Subsequently, she was killed in a car accident and at her funeral her former husband's partner  stood up at the time of testimonials to say that she had called him when learning that her former husband had AIDS, offered to care for her former husband in whatever ways were helpful but even more than this asked his partner, " What can I do to help you? " Tragic situations, complicated decisions, even those can be an avenue for showing God's love.  The question for us to consider is how do we make God-centered decisions? How can we know God’s will? What should we do? Let me suggest 3 steps: doubt, discern, and decide.  DOUBT:  Doubt is good; we all have doubts. More dangerous is someone who believes they have all the answers or better yet listening to someone who is certain they know what the right decision is for you.  Even the apostle Paul struggled with making decisions. Romans 7:19, “ For the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do .”  …Marty Martin wrote in his book  The Absence of a Cry  about the reality of our doubt. He discusses what he calls summer and winter Christians. We cannot escape the winter of the heart which is at the core of the believer’s struggle. Summerstyle believers shun the doubter and offer a Christianity of cool comfort, living on the surface of some perfect world.  Winter Christians (hanging on by their fingernails), often find themselves alongside the atheists living on the edges of doubt but still struggling to include a “yes” to God. We need not eliminate a summer Christianity, but neither should it be allowed to have the only voice. So, as we face our doubts, we struggle to discern what we should do. DISCERN:  Discerning for us means seeking God’s will for our lives in a broader sense but also in specific situations informing what we should do. Susan Farnham, an episcopal lay leader, years ago wrote a book  Listening Hearts  about discernment. She convened a group of Christians to discuss how we can discern God’s will and make the right choices. This group read for almost a year various books on spiritual discernment and direction. They created a model which embraced Ignatian spirituality and Quaker clearness committee resources.  The best decisions are God-centered because good decisions do not only consist of experience, technical information and weighing the immediate consequences but have broader implications which are long range and transcendent.  Making God centered decisions involves understanding and then acting on God's will for us.  To understand and act on God's will in a particular situation and concerning a specific decision requires a lifelong practice of seeking God's will and having a personal relationship with Christ. Each choice that we make influences the next one as well as providing a base of experience to draw on when we meet a major crisis.   Paul promises that God has revealed the mystery of His will through Jesus Christ. In various parts of the NT, especially Romans and Ephesians and our lesson for today from Colossians Paul outlines the general will of God. This provides the context for the specific decisions we make.  What is God's Will?  1.  Believe in Our Personal Salvation Thru Jesus Christ.  This perspective means that what we do each day is building for eternity. Decisions are not just temporal. For example, how is my job contributing to life in eternity? How does Christ shine through my marriage? Looking onto Jesus our eternal contemporary not only steadies our direction and pace, but it sustains us with an eternal present. We have no regret for the past or anxiety for the future. We live each day to the fullest.  2. Lead lives that are holy and blameless.  Lives that are good, pure, upright, truthful, charitable, kind, tender-hearted, reflecting the right attitude, i.e., with fortitude, patience, joy, and thanksgiving as the passage in Colossians describes it. What action will reflect a holy life? Telling my wife the truth or a lie about where I was last night? Betraying or encouraging a business partner? Going on a ski trip or making a contribution to a homeless shelter?  3. Be God's children.  This means having a personal, intimate relationship with God. who treats us as a member of the family. When I decide to listen to a friend's troubles instead of going to a movie I am acting as if we are all members of one family--God's family. When I am faced with a choice between reconciling with a competitor at work or getting even with him for past hurts which will contribute to uniting all things under God? So, we are then asking about the specific and temporal in light of the eternal.  But we wonder, is it really possible to know God's will? To be truthful it is very hard sometimes to understand God’s will. We could describe three main difficulties: limitations of our own knowledge; paradox of God's will and human freedom; and the substitution of our will for God's will.  Limitations of our knowledge  As Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 13 “ …we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. " We have a lot of confusion in our minds about the will of God – we may have a PhD in our profession, but our knowledge of Christian faith and God’s will may be at the sub-kindergarten level.  It is often because we cannot see the whole of life that we do not understand God's will; it is complex and complicated.  Second, it is difficult for us to know God's will because of the  paradox of human freedom and God's will.  The crux of much of our lack of understanding in knowing God's will is the theodicy question, i.e., how can God be all powerful and loving and allow evil? The argument goes somewhat as follows: If God is God, and if God has power and if God is merciful and gracious, why are children hungry and violent wars continuing? Why does not God assert God’s self? Or as Woody Allen put it, “ If God is Lord of the world when you look at what a mess it is in, God must be an underachiever. ” Generally, in struggling to resolve the paradox of God's ordination and human freedom we go to one extreme or the other. However, it is precisely in the midst of this paradox that one of the most important teachings of the Reformed Tradition, i.e., predestination, appears. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1 that God has foreordained us from the beginning of time, we are in God's hands and yet at the same time we are given freedom and responsibility. We need to hold these two truths in tension with one another.  The third difficulty in knowing God's will  is substituting our will for God's will.  Often, we want something so much that we substitute our will for God's plan, or we feel God's will in our life would not be acceptable. It is interesting that often when people do not want to do something they hide behind the phrase, “ If God wills .”  I can remember, for example, in the small church in Chapeco, Brazil, where we worked as missionaries, we would ask people to teach Sunday School, or lead a Bible study group, or meet with the young people. Very often their response would be, " Se Deus quiser ” (if God is willing). Well, hardly anybody showed up to teach Sunday school or lead a Bible study, so I guess God didn't want much to happen. True or false?  As a chaplain at Columbia University when I was organizing a Christian student group on campus, I would have students come to me and say, " Well, I have a big exam tomorrow. Is it God's will for me to study for my exam or to go to the Bible study? " Well, usually those students had not studied all along. So, it already was a false dilemma. Second, I would ask them, " Do you think it is God's will for you to be a student? " And generally, they would say, " Yes ." Well then aren't you supposed to be the best student that  you  can be? Prayer and Bible study should not be an escape from studying, but rather give us the power, and the perspective and the motivation to go and do our studying. Throwing our minds into neutral is not more spiritual; we should pray to excel at what we are doing rather than using prayer as an excuse for not using the talents and gifts that God has given us.  DECIDE : Having gone thru doubt and seeking to discern God’s will then we must decide– no decision is a decision.  As we come to the point of decision here are some steps we can take:   1. Pray. 2. Study the scriptures. 3. Listen to your conscience. 4. Use your common sense. 5. Seek the advice of Christian friends.  6. Know God's overall plan, purpose, direction and priorities for your life. 7. Test out your understanding – BE BRAVE. ACT.  The writer of Chronicles expressed it this way, " We do not know what we should do, but our eyes are fixed upon thee. " (2 Chron. 20:12) What we are ultimately talking about is not simply individual choices but how we choose to live out our daily lives. Let us remember that we will make mistakes, we may make many bad choices, but we always live under God’s mercy. James Stewart wrote: " I beg you to be sure of this, that however hard and difficult and sacrificial the road of God’s will may seem, it is down that thorny and unlikely road that there is waiting the great discovery, the very thing which has been sought elsewhere in vain. The peace of being able to forget oneself, the happiness of a heart content, and the serenity of God which passes understanding. Our true life, our Christian effectiveness, our share in the joy, which is the Spirit's most characteristic fruit, will always depend on the degree in which we surrender, or fail to surrender, our inclinations to the final control of God. Spiritual power will always vary in direct proportion to spiritual dedication. In our burnt offerings of ourselves on the altar of God’s will is the song of the Lord with the trumpets ."  As George MacDonald, the Victorian poet, author and pastor expressed it:  I said, Let me walk in the fields. God said, Nay, walk in the town.  I said, There are no flowers there. He said, no flowers, but a crown.  I said, But the sky is black,  There is nothing but noise and din.  But He wept as He sent me back,  There is more, God said, there is sin.  I said, But the air is thick,  And fogs are veiling the sun.  He answered, yet hearts are sick  And souls in the dark undone.  I said, I shall miss the light,  And friends will want me, they say.  He answered me Choose tonight.  If I am to miss you or them.  I cast one look at the fields,  Then set my face to the town.  He said, My child, do you yield?  Will you leave the flowers for the crown?  Then into His hand went mine,  And into my heart came God,  And I walk in a light divine.  The path that I feared to see.  AMEN, AMEN.

Matthew 8:5-13, Mark 9:35 When our daughter Liz was an infant, we were living in Alexandria, Virginia; I needed work that was flexible so I could work on seminary applications and that paid enough to support a family. I had just finished teaching math in high school; I knew that wasn’t going to cut it! So, I opened the Washington Post and began looking through the want ads and came across an intriguing opportunity: “ Wanted: busboy for the  Gaslight  restaurant .” (Teacher pay was even worse in those days!) It was a fine dining restaurant with a seven-course meal that changed every single evening. You could even get a free limousine ride to the restaurant with a party of four or more. Eventually, I made my way to the waitstaff. It was a diverse group: we had someone from Turkey, another from Ireland, someone from France, Guatemala, and Argentina. I learned my one Turkish word from Haluk— “ Evet ,” which means “ yes !” The two South Americans were both named Armando, and I remember them best. We enjoyed sharing stories about South America since I was born in Brazil. But something they said over 30 years ago now still rattles around in my brain. Somehow, we got to talking about the profession of waiting tables. They both said in their home countries, waiting on tables, cleaning, and in general working in the hospitality industry, was not considered a lower position, unlike in the United States. And I could tell by the way they interacted with their customers that they really saw this work as a calling. To give someone, for an hour or two, a wonderful experience with good food, good conversation, and attentive service modeled the words of our Lord from today’s scripture: “ who would be greatest must be servant of all .” Of course, it doesn’t work if you’re actually trying to become great. It’s something like bragging, “ I’m the most humble out of all the people I know.” It must stem from a true desire to serve another human being. To do whatever you can to give them a few moments of happiness, a lifetime of wellness, or a momentary respite from the craziness of life. This was Jesus' great example. As the very place of His birth—a feed trough in a cave of sorts—suggests, Jesus was meek. In a world full of powerful people, full of themselves, it is hard for us to believe that one so humble can be so great. The carol, "Gentle Mary Laid Her Child" asks that very question: Gentle Mary laid her child   Lowly in a manger;   There He lay, the undefiled,   To the world a stranger.   Such a babe in such a place,   Can He be the Savior? Jesus showed us it is the very nature of God to serve. Think of the different types of people that Jesus served: A Syrophoenician woman from a different culture and a different religion. Lepers, the ones that others avoided. The paralytic. The blind man. 5,000 hungry people. Several of them would have been considered His enemies or at the very least His stark opponents. A tax collector. A ruler of the synagogue. The Roman official from our text this morning. We must not minimize the power of that witness, especially for the Roman official. Especially in the way we treat our enemies in today’s world. Listen to this description of the relationship between the Jews and their Roman oppressors at the time of Jesus. King Herod died when Jesus was a toddler. Immediately after Herod’s death, the Jews protested their harsh treatment under his rule. Their protests soon became riots. The new Roman official at the time, Sabinus, put down the rebellion and then burned down the porticos of the Temple and looted the Temple treasury. The Jewish response to Sabinus’ punitive measures was to rebel again, but this time more successfully. They besieged Sabinus within Herod’s Palace. With the Romans under siege in Jerusalem, revolution broke out across Israel in the form of guerrilla warfare. Peace was not restored until the legate, Varus, arrived as the new governor of Israel with four additional legions under his command. He vigorously crushed the rebellion and swiftly crucified 2,000 Jewish rebels. Following in the footsteps of his cruel predecessors, Varus became known for his harsh reign and high taxes. To say the least, there was bad blood between Jews and Gentiles—the Romans in particular. Violence towards one’s so-called enemies has increasingly entered our society, and the bad blood it is creating is escalating. Last week, there was yet another attempt on the life of former President Donald Trump—a terrible act. And then we see Springfield, Ohio dealing with bomb threats, closing schools, government offices, and hospitals, for goodness' sake. Threats of violence are coming from so many quarters, and it is being fueled by dangerous rhetoric. But the disintegration of civility comes from a widespread failure not only to control our speech but to live out Jesus’ call to servanthood. Paul describes the practical means to do this in His letter to the Roman Christians: “ Hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ” So far, Paul’s words seem reasonable; hard to achieve, but ones we would all aspire to. But then he turns the screws, and specifically shows us that servanthood doesn’t mean only serving the people that are easy to serve; it doesn’t mean only serving the people that deserve to be served. Listen as Paul continues: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them... Do not repay anyone evil for evil... If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves... If your enemies are hungry, feed them... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Jesus encountered a great enemy of His people, a leader of Roman soldiers, the ones who have devastated families in horrific ways. And yet, Jesus tells this man, pleading for healing for his servant, that He will come right away. And the official says, no, that’s not necessary. He has faith that Jesus can do this miracle from anywhere. Right then and there, Jesus declares that his child has been healed and goes on to explain before the crowds,  “I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is promising His enemy, in front of the crowd—those with all the reasons to hate this man—that He has a promised place in the kingdom of God. That is the essence of servanthood. It is the essence of love. It is the essence of God. It is the essence of our calling. As a congregation in one of the most powerful and influential cities on this planet, we have a challenge—to set a pattern that is starkly different from the way our world deals with difference and disagreement. I cannot share all the details, but I saw it happen this summer through one of our staff. There was a person in our community quite upset with our congregation. And over the course of several weeks, they sent me and several others very harshly worded emails and spoke to several of our staff with rhetoric far outsized to the situation. But this one particular Brick Church staff person never responded in kind; they truly listened to the critiques that were being offered and sought to remedy them. They were not defensive, nor condescending, and they were not demeaning. They served this person in the neighborhood as if they indeed were an honored guest. Through this servant nature, after the manner of Christ, the door was left open for reconciliation. I believe because of that, a few weeks later we received an apology.  “ I am ... embarrassed. In the moment, you treated me with grace and dignity. You were professional and courteous. And it's not about me; it's your grace and dignity, kindness and inclusivity. I hope that you will forgive me .” And of course, we do. We know we’re not a perfect institution, and we’re not perfect people. And in fact, she pointed out something we needed to change, and we have fixed it. But even more, we do so because that is why we are here—to offer the same forgiveness that each one of us has been given. Amen.   Reference: New Hope Lafayette. "Jesus and the Gentiles."  New Hope Lafayette ,  https://newhopelafayette.org/jesus-and-the-gentiles/ . Accessed September 18, 2024.

Listen to Rev. Dr. Thomas Evans discuss The Brick Church Strategic Vision as a preview of his 2024-2025 sermon series for Sunday worship. The Session of The Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York recently approved a strategic vision encompassing: Our Purpose: To be a beacon of hope that shares God’s love in Jesus Christ. Our Mission*: To lead, inspire and enable the public worship of God in the Presbyterian tradition. Our Vision: To be a church that is a ‘spiritual home’ reflecting the fabric of our City. *Partial; Full mission statement linked here . The Session also defined: Our Values: Traditional with an innovative heart united as one known for a generous orthodoxy. Our Commitments: To create a welcoming environment that holds respect for diverse perspectives nurturing spiritual development at every age. Our Behavior: Empathy, support, belonging living our faith through community service, engagement, and collaboration. View the Brick Church Strategic Vision here:

Shared during Sunday Worship on September 22, 2024. God, our Father and our Mother, You tire not in satisfying us with good things and we have come to give You praise. For our families, friends, and neighbours, we thank You. We don’t always appreciate what You are making out of our relationships, but we trust Your expert hands. God, we also thank You for Christ’s redemptive work in our individual lives and in this household of faith. May this good work continue in us, according to Your promises.  Christ, our Lord, You know what it is like to be put down. We lift up prayers for all the children of the world whom You love dearly. Nourish and nurture them with Your word and natural food and help them to grow as they should. Fill their hearts with Your joy and may they, in turn, fill us with their laughter and life. Faithful God, children are numbered among the worst-hit wherever there is injustice and instability. Protect them and amplify the cries and the voices of those who may be speaking out now. You are just, God, may Your stream of justice run across the earth.  Holy Spirit, Breath of God, our hearts cry out for child-like faith to hold on till the end … Where we lack foresight, illumine us. Where we are lost, guide us. Where we have no confidence, anchor us. Where we ail, heal us, Lord. Hear our prayer, for You are good and You are God and You know just what do to. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Join us during worship on Sunday, September 29th in welcoming our new church officers who will serve as Brick Church elders, trustees, and deacons. You can read their bios here .

Mark 8:27-38 Much of modern America does not know what to make of Christianity. There is a regular diet of surprising and even disturbing actions from various Christians within the community of the faithful. Perhaps the strangest to us are the snake handlers. What I might consider to be a rather obscure verse:  “Those who believe: ... will pick up snakes in their hands... it will not hurt them”  has become, for these Christians in Appalachia, a way to test their faith. Sadly, two of the leading snake handler preachers, a father and son, both died because of their faith. And then there are the Christians who so believe in the healing power of God that they refuse modern medicine for their children. In fact, one young lady, Maria Walton, believes her parents should be prosecuted. As an infant, they refused a simple medical treatment that would have healed a hole in her heart. But now, as a twenty-something, she faces the rest of her life on a respirator. But it’s not just what we might consider obscure sections of the Christian faith that’s problematic. The Bible’s account of miracles, angels, and ancient floods confounds the modern world’s increasing problem with seeing beyond that which you can measure, taste, and touch. And so, it has led much of the world to believe that Christianity as a whole is an increasingly irrelevant holdover of a superstitious, pre-scientific world. The critique of educated modern society’s avoidance comes from a surprising source: Kenneth Minogue, a world-famous scholar from the London School of Economics who was himself a skeptic. But, as he wrote,  “[I am] impressed by the grandeur and complexity of Christian intellectuality. He was sad that contemporary culture is embarrassed when the subject of Jesus and distinctive Christianity comes up.” He wrote,  "The result is cultural deprivation: We have blocked off religious questions altogether, because they are empirically unanswerable... we have a culture which very largely carries on without seriously considering ultimates.” Counter to the trends in our culture, you and I find ourselves at Brick Presbyterian Church this morning. And I believe it’s because we share a desire to engage with ultimate questions, and we have found something here that shines a light within our hearts and on the dark corners of the world. It’s not that we think we’ve got all the answers, but we do believe that there is somebody who illuminates the path. And what we believe about this someone matters. Long ago, Jesus asked His disciples,  “Who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am?” Brick has a profound opportunity to seek to answer this central question of Christianity in such a way that many who have turned away from organized religion will feel drawn to struggle with us to answer ultimate questions. Do we seek a narrow, strict, and exclusivist definition, or do we draw from the breadth of scripture? Some sectors of Christianity hold on to the passage from John’s gospel:  “Unless you are born again you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven”  as the sole standard to determine whether or not someone has faith and trust in Jesus. But such an action vastly oversimplifies an infinitely complex God. Fortunately, as a congregation, you are as wide as the world out there. A few weeks ago, we sent out an email to the congregation asking you to answer,  “Who is Jesus?” Here are some of your answers: Embodiment of God's eternal love. Jesus is the Son of God, the Word incarnate and is uniquely bonded with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Questionable as to being the Son of God. A model of courage. The third Jesus, the radical, mystical teacher who taught His followers how to change the world... revealing a spiritual guide of profound depth and inspiration that speaks to anyone who believes in the importance of peace and love. Like a best friend from childhood, someone you would fully trust with yourself and your children. My Lord and Savior. Jesus is the light of the world. It is this final answer (that Jesus used to describe Himself) that I believe will most enable us to live into our calling as a congregation, to become a spiritual home for all Since we are already a congregation filled with widely diverse opinions, yet united, God has prepared us to receive people and to welcome them from many different perspectives. For the rest of the sermon, then, we will explore Jesus’ self-understanding as the light of the world. He is the light that illumines truth. He is the light that shines in the darkness. He is the true light that enlightens everyone. He is the light that illumines truth Jesus embodies truth and wisdom. In his time, Jesus was called  Rabbi , which means teacher. He brought insight into the nature of God and the nature of humanity. Today, there are many around the world of vastly different faiths who recognize Jesus’ deep wisdom. They find inspiration from His teachings about the nature of God’s love, His call to humility and service. They easily recognize that He not only talked the talk but walked the walk. For those of many different doctrines, the wisdom of Jesus can be a source of strength for our journey in this world. He is the light that shines in the darkness John tells us that people love the darkness rather than the light. We know that there is a penchant for humanity to oppress and subjugate. But as Isaiah proclaimed,  “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” While telling us not to judge others, He also showed how to hold people accountable. India had long experienced the darkness of subjugation, but the light of Christ’s truth inspired Gandhi to lead a path for liberation and justice for the people of India. Rather than freedom found through violence, Gandhi learned from Jesus’ path of nonviolent resistance. In turn, great preacher Dr. Martin Luther King learned from Gandhi’s application of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. He saw clearly that Jesus shines the light in the darkness, but does so as the Prince of Peace, and so Martin Luther King and others applied His principles to help bring justice and freedom for people of African descent in this country. Many in our country are both tired of division yet desperately want a world filled with more justice and equality. Jesus shows us how to walk that difficult path. He is the light that is the true light that enlightens everyone George Fox founded the Quakers on this beautiful phrase from John’s Gospel:  “The true light that enlightens everyone.” Fox described Jesus’ presence as an inward light that is in each of us. This is one of the most amazing and hopeful aspects of the Christian faith—we don’t think it’s just true believers that exude the presence of God, but that everyone, no matter who they are, has that light inside of them. And just as surprising, we believe that light shines the brightest when people find themselves in the shadowiest corners of our world. I remember one December, as a pastor in Magnolia, Arkansas, we had a woman in need come to the church. It was her electric bill she wanted paid—$98. She was behind on her gas as well, but being cold was not the problem; without electricity, there would be no Christmas lights. That was the one vestige of Christmas they could hold onto, with the children’s father having spent all their money on gambling and then leaving them. Unfortunately, the church had spent all our money helping others that year. There would be no lights for her babies. As she walked out, I said,  “If anything comes up, I will call you.” I didn't believe anything would, but I guess it helped cover the silence. I slumped in my chair, morose and dejected. I wondered how, especially at this time of year, the world could be so cruel. Soon after she left, the phone rang. A parishioner wanted to come by and talk. Glad for the distraction, I said it was a good time. A few minutes later, he showed, grasped my hand enthusiastically, and said,  “I just wanted to know if anyone you know needs any help.”  Then he turned around and left before I could say more. As I brought my hand away, I realized there was something in it: a Benjamin, a $100 bill, and those children got their lights. I got to meet those children, and when I looked into their eyes, I could see the light of joy in them—that light that enlightens everyone was blazing forth inside of them. But I saw it even more powerfully in the eyes of a thankful mother.That man’s name was Jim Arnold, and he gave that hundred dollars to the church because the light of Christ had made a difference in his life—the light of Jesus’ love, the light of Jesus’ forgiveness, and the light of Jesus' hope. He gave that money to the church because he wanted others to bask in the light as well. “Who is Jesus?”  A question I believe is as critically important as it has ever been for our world. For He is the light that will help people see the truth about themselves and about God; He is the light that will transform the dark places of this world into places of peace and justice; He is the light that shines in everyone’s heart, in which we discover the most beautiful shining light of the presence of God. Amen.

Support the Brick Church Fair by purchasing a Family or Business Ad in the Program Guide! Please purchase your ad and submit your photo/ artwork no later than Wednesday, October 16, 2024. (All ad revenues support the Women’s Association outreach ministries). Artwork by Joni McKown Art.