First Sunday of Advent

Here are some notes on our worship service for the first Sunday of Advent. 

Today, with the first Sunday of Advent, we begin a New Year in the church. Unlike the secular calendar, the Christian calendar begins today as we anticipate the birthing of the Christ child. In these four weeks building up to Christmas we are called into reflection, waiting, and anticipation.

The theme of our Advent season this year at UCC is “Anticipating” and with each week given a traditional identity we will, accordingly, be Anticipating Hope, Anticipating Peace, Anticipating Joy and Anticipating Love. Each week we will light the candles of the Advent wreath culminating on Christmas Eve in the lighting of the Christ Candle.

We begin our service today with something different for us… Though very common in many Christian traditions, the singing of the Kyrie Eleison is something we rarely do. An ancient practice, we enter into these sung Greek words which mean “Lord have mercy” followed by “Christe Eleison” (“Christ have mercy”) and concluding with Kyrie Eleison. In today’s use we are playing a Kyrie from the Wild Goose Worship Group from Glasgow, Scotland which have the following prayers spoken between the 3 singings of the Kyrie.

God of all time
Forgive us our false busy-ness
The busy-ness we manufacture to make us seem important
The busy-ness we invent to keep us from ourselves
The busy-ness in which we hide because we fear to stand still…
…To be alone…
…Or even to meet you…

(Kyrie eleison)

God of all hope
Forgive us our hopelessness
Our bondage to an imagined, glorious past
Our cynicism regarding the good in others
Our weird talent for spotting the problem before the potential

(Kyrie eleison)

God of all love
Forgive our grudged compassion
Our unquestioning affection for what seems safe
And all our lusts especially those we pretend are heartfelt longings

(Kyrie eleison)

God of all time, hope, and love
Recreate us until we live looking more to Christ than to the clock
Walk by the light without being obsessed with the darkness
And in all our loving, seek to credit and never shame the one in whose name we pray.
Amen.

Delight in Giving by Kels Phelps

On November 4th Kels Phelps, our Youth Director and some Middle School youth gave this talk on our Stewardship theme, "Delight in giving."  Enjoy this...

"Good morning. The first thing I would like to do is to thank you for the incredible opportunity that I have to work with the young people of this church. It has been a wonderful gift to me, and is part of the reason that I value this church community so much.


In preparation for talking about stewardship this Sunday, a couple of weeks ago I administered a survey among some of our middle school students about our programming. I know that this represents just a small slice of our youth ministry, which is a small piece of this church’s ministry as a whole, but I would like for you to hear a little bit about what they value about UCC.

What do we do that you really love?

• I love doing group projects for the whole church - things like the Haunted Hallway and hiding Easter eggs.

• We talk about Godly things seriously. Then we have fun.

• I like youth group. We have fun!

• [We] play games and talk about religious things. [I like] the fishing trip.

• We go on lots of fun trips like the fishing trip and the ski trip and do lots of other fun activities.



What are you most excited about for our future? What is your Vision?

• I'm excited to do the ski trip and the Christmas Pageant.

• [My vision is] that we can do more activities that make us closer.

• I am most excited about the haunted house and my vision is making it the best haunted house ever.

• Have fun!

• Doing cool projects.

• I am most excited about going on more trips.


How can we--as a community--better care for your needs?

• That we can better come together and get to know each other better.

• Well we should bring more friends from outside the church and better snacks.

• Have better snacks!

• Snacks!

• I think we should have better snacks.

“Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.”

Right before we took that survey, I shared this verse from 2 Corinthians (which happens be our stewardship theme this year). I was fishing for responses from the group. “Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop.” Nothing. “I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give.” Blank stares. “That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting.” Wait a second! Arm-twisting? Sob stories? What are you talking about? Bingo. That’s the reaction I was looking for.

We continued our discussion by talking about things that we don’t look forward to, but we know that we really ought to do them. They had all sorts of examples about that: homework, washing dishes, chores... The usual stuff. But, when we got to really talking about it, the general consensus was that those things often don’t turn out to be as unpleasant as we expect them to be.

The example that the kids raised that I could really identify with was washing dishes. For whatever reason, I don’t like to start washing dishes. I let them pile up until it turns into a real job, and then I still drag my feet about it. Eventually, I want to cook dinner and the limited counter-space in our kitchen is taken up by dishes from last night (and maybe even the night before), so I have to wash them. So, I fill up a plastic tub with hot, soapy water, and get down to it. And it’s fine. It’s not particularly unpleasant, and, a few minutes later, my kitchen is filled with clean, usable cookware. The thing is, I know that’s how it works. I know that washing dishes really is easy, and it changes the whole feel of the kitchen. Nevertheless, it still takes some arm-twisting to get me to take action.

For me, the same is true of pledging financially to the church. I had never given to a church before, and I felt like I was just too low on funds to make it happen. The catalytic arm-twisting in this story is guilt. You don’t have to spend much time in the church office to know that a fair chunk of our time goes to receiving and allocating donations. That’s how it works. When I realized that I was not participating in that structure, I felt compelled to make a monetary pledge to this community. I was still nervous, like I said, about not having enough money to cover my expenses, but I set up a monthly recurring contribution via the website. It turns out, I don’t miss the money. And, I feel like I am actually, meaningfully contributing to the day-to-day well-being of this church, which means a great deal to me.

This year, I’ve decided to preempt the arm-twisting guilt and proactively re-evaluate the amount of my pledge. It’s going up. I encourage you to take some time and honestly consider the value of this community to you. Then, have a look at your books. If you don’t pledge already, my experience tells me that it can be done! If you’ve been a pledger, faithful to the needs of this community for years, I invite you to prayerfully consider the amount of your pledge."

Delight in Giving, by Janice Springer

We continue sharing more of people's stories about their Delight in Giving, as we move into the last week of our Stewardship Campaign.  Here are some words from Rev. Janice Springer, one of our part time Ministers of Spiritual Formation...

"I remember an experience from years ago that showed me how much delight there can be in giving.

I was a single mom with three kids and I served a small church part time. There was not enough money, never enough money. We had given up luxuries; now we were beginning to skimp on essentials.

I had always given money to the church (and other organizations) as I had seen my parents do. Tithing had never been negotiable for me. Now I wondered if I could afford to keep that commitment. After some struggle, I decided I would continue my tithe, and trust. I’d pay the tithe first and figure out how to live on what was left.

My efforts to trust, though, were pretty wimpy. I felt sorry for myself. I was sick of worrying about money. I kept company with despair. I felt poor. Then one day, as I wrote the checks for that month’s tithe, my perspective suddenly changed. (Spirit at work….) If I had enough money to give some away each month, I couldn’t be poor! If I had enough money to give some away each month, I must be doing ok! In fact, I must be rich!

The financial struggles went on for a while longer. Each month, when I paid the electric bill, I shuddered. When I paid the car insurance, I practiced deep breathing. When I paid the mortgage, I craved chocolate to lessen the pain. But when I paid my tithe, I smiled. When I wrote that check, I felt strong. I felt safe. I felt powerful. I felt rich. Giving moved me from despair to delight. After all, if I have enough to give some away, I must have enough.

That perspective has stayed with me all these years. The money I give brings help to others. Giving it brings delight to me."

This is Janice's story - what's yours?  Would you be willing to share it? 

Delight in Giving, by Paul DeWolfe

On Sunday, November 11, Paul Dewolf spoke in church on our Stewardship Campaign theme, "Delight In Giving."  Here are his words.  Read his words and then reflect on the times and ways you have found delight in giving.  Then we encourage you to make a pledge to the church by going to www.uccmsla.org

"I delight in giving to this church because of the important role it plays in my life. For me, this church is:


• The place where Ellen and I were married

• The place where our daughters were baptized and confirmed

• The place where they learned that we welcome EVERYONE

• The place where our daughter was married

• The place where we have met our closest friends

• The place where we have said our final goodbyes to too many of them.

This church also plays a crucial role in our community. We practice our beliefs at home and abroad. We help to feed the hungry and we help to house the homeless. We provide a place for people living with HIV/AIDS to gather, share a meal together, and support one another. We stand for peace and justice and equality at a time when many want to roll back the hard fought progress gained in our lifetime. We stand as proof that the liberal Christian tradition is still alive in Montana.

I have been a member now for almost twenty years. During those years I have been a member of the Building and Finance Committee, the Cabinet, the last Capital and Mission campaign, and the current Visioning process. This summer I worked with some incredibly thoughtful and dedicated lay leaders from our congregation to help put flesh on the bones of that Vision. I have seen an incredible new energy come into this church and it gives me great hope for its future.

And yet, every year we still struggle to pay our bills. We build a bare bones budget that barely sustains our current programs. I cannot imagine what goes through the minds of our staff every year at this time when they wait to see if the annual campaign will raise enough revenue to pay their salaries. Our youth ministry would not exist if not for a special gift that will soon expire. Every year we struggle to maintain our existing mission commitments when we should be expanding them. I have to believe that we can do better than this. Our membership roles now include over 720 members, but last year there were only 166 pledges that totaled just over $300,000. We have the potential to do so much more at UCC, but not until we can commit the annual resources to make those good works sustainable on a long term basis.

And so I ask you this: If you do not currently pledge to the church, please do. If you currently pledge, please consider increasing your commitment. I suggest we challenge ourselves a goal of 300 pledges and $450,000. Let’s really demonstrate our commitment to this church and its good works. Let’s give it the resource it needs to sustain and grow its service to us, our community, and those who will follow after us. Then we can all share in the Delight of Giving."

Delighted to Give by Brad Herron

Brad Herron, a member at UCC spoke on our stewardship theme, "Delight in Giving."  Below you will find his speech. 

Gifts abound, they’re everywhere… From my family’s entrance into this church we have found ways --- no, we have been invited to share our gifts with those in this community and beyond. When gifting, people would think the recipient, those who receive the gift, would be the one or ones who benefitted from those actions. In retrospect, however, the inverse is true. My experiences here have driven home that message – giving, whether with time, talent, or tithing, is at the core of who we are as members of this congregation, this community, this world. As Christians we are called to give. And to serve. But know that in giving and in serving, there is delight. I know – I have been delighted.

First, you need to understand – I’m just an ordinary guy. I’m married, have two kids, a dog, and a mortgage. I teach kids about Greece and grammar at Washington Middle School, while trying to find ways to work out, eat more vegetables, and be a good husband and father. I came to this church via the back door – we wanted to find a preschool where my youngest would be loved and nurtured. We found both here at the UCC Preschool, and the more I was around this place, the more I found it to be true about everyone here. So know that I came with no advance theology or years of Congregational church membership. Instead, I was a non-practicing Methodist who hadn’t regularly attended services in years. So knowing that, how does one become a giving member of this congregation? It’s easy. And delightful. Delightful because the act of giving somehow gives me something in return. So what have I given? I will start with the only thing that we all have the same finite amount of….Time.

Time

I participated as a UCC Preschool board member, painted the office of the new, incoming associate pastor and eventually the entire outside of the building with other members and my father, baked awesome chocolate ice box pies for bazaars, took time to bid on silent auction items at those same bazaars even after my wife told me we were not buying anything this year, contributed those same auction items a few years later thus doubling their value and contribution to the church, solemnly attended Ash Wednesday services in preparation for the season of Lent, supported the intergenerational mission trip to Guatemala, raised a hammer to build a home for Habitat, worked on staff alongside Peter, Amy, and Joyce to do whatever needed to be done, organized Christmas pageants, helped with haunted houses, and crafted clay plates and cups. And how did I do all those things? I was invited --- by a member, by a staff person, by an announcement in the bulletin or Crier or email, by a poster or a personal phone call. I was invited and knew, based on my time here at UCC, that I had the chance to give my gifts for the greater good. And I did. And I still do. And I am delighted. Because in giving I got back fellowship, new relationships, fun, spiritual growth, a sense of being needed, appreciation. Delight in giving your precious time.

Talent

What about talent? Whether we recognize it or not, we each have a talent or even multiple talents to give to this church. Whether it is the talent of relating to youngsters or the talent to cook a meal, give that talent with delight. For me, my talent is singing. As I began to hang around the church, I was invited by Jean Woessner, my son’s preschool teacher, to join a small ensemble of singers, those who simply loved to sing. I agreed. That decision has been primary to my faith journey and has radically influenced both me and my family. At that time I had not sung publicly since my wedding day…. I’m not sure why. I only knew that in singing here, I rediscovered a love that had been absent for over a decade. But this love was different. The joy of music here, in church, was different. The camaraderie of singers was wonderful, but it was more than that. As we connected pieces of the music with the message, I understood the gift I was I given and the gift we collectively gave. The rise and fall of voices, the poetry of words, the message – all of these resonated deep within my soul. This was my gift – my voice, raised to the heavens with others. In rehearsal in the music room we decipher, we learn, we practice, we practice some more. And while it might eventually be beautiful there, it becomes something very different in this sanctuary. At that time it becomes a gift. Sometimes in the midst of it, I listen and shudder. The music hangs in the air and I look upon the congregation and realize that they too sense the presence of God – and it changes us. I receive this gift as much as I give – Jeff’s lilting trumpet, Alice’s resonant harp, the fullness of the Chancel choir, the simple, perfect sounds of the bells, hearing my own sons offer their musical gifts to the congregation. All of these gifts, both given and received, are powerful, are moving, and are delightful. What better place to share such gifts than in this place and in this time.

Tithe

Finally, delight in the gift of tithing, not necessarily in a literal sense, but in the sense that you make a conscious decision to give back part of the financial resources God has given to you. For me, it is personal. I give money to the church each month. I write a check. Not an automatic payment, not a credit card charge, but a hand-written check. I bring it to Sunday service, or if I miss services – yes, this steward does not have perfect attendance – I bring my check to the office. It feels more real to me. At that moment when I place it in the plate or hand it to a staff member, I am reminded of what that money does. It pays for the choir director, the lights, the food Kels enthusiastically serves to the high school kids at lunch each Wednesday, fellowship events, the weekly electronic newsletter, our pastors, our music directors. I am also keenly aware that part of it is passed on beyond our walls to the community, the Conference, those in need. Why do I delight in it? Honestly, the church needs it and I know it. I know it is not ever taken for granted or spent lightly. And I know that I personally benefit from it by being active in the church. That delights me.

Closing

We have over 700 members and many more who are not formal members but still support the church. So today I issue an invitation for you to imagine the possibilities if every member or supporter of this church gave even just a little bit of all three – your time, your talent, and your tithe. They are all important. Imagine then if we gave just a little more than last year? I invite you all to put your hands on this church. Imagine the delight we would share if we all did.