View From the Manse 2.0 - June 2025

 

I have made a point in recent weeks of drawing attention to the fact that, in the liturgical calendar, Lent is the season that leads to the season of Easter (or Eastertide). Easter Sunday begins the Easter season and is 49 days long; 7 weeks and 7 Sundays- it is a week of weeks. Laurence Stookey writes, “Christ is fullness heaped upon fullness, and so can be symbolized by seven times seven.” If 7 is the number of perfection, Jesus is wholly perfect. He is the image of the invisible God.

          And the 50th day, Pentecost (Pentecost literally means fiftieth day) Sunday, is the beginning of a new creation or a re-creation. On June 8 this year we will celebrate Pentecost (feel free to wear red if you remember). It is on this day that the church was born. It is on this day that we celebrate the Lord bringing together a people for himself.

          We will be spending our Sunday mornings this summer looking at Jesus’ work through the Apostles in the book of Acts. Acts 1 begins with Jesus’ ascension into heaven, but he remains present throughout the book. Luke recounts for us the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. God uses means that will surprise and confound us to spread his message.

          We have gotten a great deal of positive feedback concerning our class during the service on the second Sunday of the month for the 3-6 graders, so we will continue to offer that class (next meeting on June 8). Do you think we should offer this class twice a month? or more? Please let me know.

          Brian J; one of the young men who has grown up in our church and is home from college for the summer has asked if he could serve as an intern at APC while he is here. He will be learning some of the ins and outs of the local church. I hope to bring him on hospital and nursing home visits. I will invite him to sit in on a session meeting or two. He will work in the nursery, serve in children’s church, and VBS. He will assist in worship and, hopefully, at the end of the summer, he will preach a message. I am excited for this opportunity to work with him.

          The elders have been talking about offering some classes on subjects on Saturday mornings for our community, as outreach events. The first one we are hoping to do will be on death, estate, and funeral planning. We have not firmed up a date yet, but when we do, we would love for you to invite folks who would be helped by this conversation.

          Finally, we have been reading a Christian classic together each summer and this summer we will be reading, On The Incarnation, by Athanius. This is the oldest book that we have read as of yet, but I trust it will be a rich reading for each of us. The books will be available soon for $10.

          I am looking forward to all that God is doing in our midst this summer.

          Bryan Fitzgerald, Pastor (bryan@argylepresbyterian.org)

 

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