Dear Friends,

The SFC elders would like you to know that this Sunday (May 7) during our Meeting for Worship we will be doing something a bit different.  As we prepare for changes in our shared future, we want to take time to reflect on the nature and purpose of our SFC community. We’ll begin by looking at our church community in its Silverton context. Later, we’ll consider our place in the larger Quaker community. Finally, we’ll look at how each of us is part of the community that is our church.

• May 7 – Silverton Friends Church and Silverton/Surrounding Areas
• May 21 – Silverton Friends Church and Quakers
• June 4 – Silverton Friends Church and Us

There will be opportunities to sit in silence, to discuss with others if you wish, and to share with the body if you are led to do so. Our desire is to hear how the Holy Spirit has been leading and shaping our hearts and desires around outreach and service in the place where we are planted. This is not a time to share about individual perspectives on human sexuality, or about our relationship to Northwest Yearly Meeting.

Queries that might shape our prayer and conversation could be things like

• How are we showing God’s love to this community?
• What is our community? Where does it begin and end?
• In what ways can an explicitly Quaker church speak into the life of this town?
• How does Silverton experience SFC?
• What wild hopes, dreams and visions do we have for ministry in this place?
• If we were true to the historic calling of American Quakers, what would we be doing in 21^st century Silverton?

We hope you will be part of our worship in song, silence, and listening this Sunday.

In Christ,

Your Elders

He has risen!  He has risen, indeed! Hallelujah!

At the beginning of this week, I had the pleasure of spending time on a personal retreat at the Mt. Angel Abbey.  As always, on personal retreats, I take my Bible and a plethora of books that I hope will inspire or speak to me. Usually, I carry more books than I will ever have time to read.  And it seems, I end up focused on just one book the entire time (if only I could pick that book before retreating – I would have a lighter bag).  This time the book was “The Book of Joy.” In it Archbishop Desmond Tutu says something that was profound for me and I believe speaks to our condition, and the importance of Christ’s Resurrection on those first to experience him after he rose.  I would like to use this quote to help us center down and focus our time this morning.

“Despair can come from grief, but it can also be a defense against the risks of bitter disappointment and shattering heartbreak.  Resignation and cynicism are easier, more self-soothing postures that do not require the raw vulnerability and tragic risk of hope. To choose hope is to step firmly forward into the howling wind, baring one’s chest to the elements, knowing that, in time, the storm will pass…Despair turns us inward. Hope sends us into the arms of others.”

[Reflect]

Let us pray…

Our text for this morning is the resurrection account from the Gospel of Matthew 28.  I am reading it from The Voice translation.  You may follow along as I read.

Matthew 28  (VOICE)

28 After the Sabbath, as the light of the next day, the first day of the week, crept over Palestine, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb to keep vigil. 2 Earlier there had been an earthquake. A messenger of the Lord had come down from heaven and had gone to the grave. He rolled away the stone and sat down on top of it. 3 He veritably glowed. He was vibrating with light. His clothes were light, white like transfiguration, like fresh snow. 4 The soldiers guarding the tomb were terrified. They froze like stone.

5 The messenger spoke to the women, to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.

Messenger of the Lord: Don’t be afraid. I know you are here keeping watch for Jesus who was crucified. 6 But Jesus is not here. He was raised, just as He said He would be. Come over to the grave, and see for yourself. 7 And then go straight to His disciples, and tell them He’s been raised from the dead and has gone on to Galilee. You’ll find Him there. Listen carefully to what I am telling you.

8 The women were both terrified and thrilled, and they quickly left the tomb and went to find the disciples and give them this outstandingly good news. 9 But while they were on their way, they saw Jesus Himself.

Jesus (greeting the women): Rejoice.

The women fell down before Him, kissing His feet and worshiping Him.

Jesus: 10 Don’t be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. Tell them I will meet them there.

11 As the women were making their way to the disciples, some of the soldiers who had been standing guard by Jesus’ tomb recovered themselves, went to the city, and told the chief priests everything that had happened—the earthquake just after dawn, the heavenly messenger, and his commission to the Marys. 12 The chief priests gathered together all the elders, an emergency conference of sorts. They needed a plan. They decided the simplest course was bribery: they would pay off the guards 13 and order them to say that the disciples had come in the middle of the night and had stolen Jesus’ corpse while they slept. 14 The chief priests promised the soldiers they would run interference with the governor so that the soldiers wouldn’t be punished for falling asleep when they were supposed to be keeping watch. 15 The guards took the bribe and spread the story around town—and indeed, you can still find people today who will tell you that Jesus did not really rise from the dead, that it was a trick, some sort of sleight of hand.

16 The eleven disciples, having spoken to the Marys, headed to Galilee, to the mountain where they were to meet Jesus. 17 When the disciples saw Jesus there, many of them fell down and worshiped, as Mary and the other Mary had done. But a few hung back. They were not sure (and who can blame them?). 18 Jesus came forward and addressed His beloved disciples.

The disciples don’t know what to think or how to act. Nothing like this has ever happened before.

Jesus: I am here speaking with all the authority of God, who has commanded Me to give you this commission: 19 Go out and make disciples in all the nations. Ceremonially wash them through baptism in the name of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 20 Then disciple them. Form them in the practices and postures that I have taught you, and show them how to follow the commands I have laid down for you. And I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age.

As a pastor, I have been with people in times of despair, in times of grief, in times of bitter disappointment and shattering heartbreak (as Archbishop Tutu described in the quote from our centering time.  As well, I too have experienced those times.  But this week as I have been engaging in this Easter text, I tried to put myself in the shoes of those first responders, those first on the scene.

For three years, Jesus had intimately walked with these women and men that he was discipling.  He lived with them, he ate with them, he simply was faithfully present in their lives and knew them like family.

But just as when we experience loss of a close friend, a relative, a spouse, despair, grief, disappointment, and heartbreak can set in – and rather quickly.  Just think of the days after a memorial service or the news of someone passing, life often doesn’t make sense.  We are going through “all the feels” as people say today.

The Marys and the disciples in our text haven’t had all of this set-in quite yet.  Unlike for many of us, they watched a public execution of their friend.  They stood by as bystanders and watched death overcome a beloved friend.  It was graphic, it was bloody, it left a mental picture that could not be erased.  For them Jesus was dead because they could not imagine anything else.  Their mind would not allow it.  Ours would not either if we would have been there.

This is why studies show brutal violence of this nature on the TV and movies sticks with us and continues to cause pain and anxiety in our lives.  I remember one time telling Sue I needed to stop watching CSI because of the mental images that I could not erase.  But for these bystanders of Jesus’ death – it was more than palpable  – it wasn’t on a screen or at a movie theater it was in real-time – in person – the smells, the images, the emotions would not be erased.

They had buried Jesus on a Friday and spent a full day trying to make sense of what happened all while trying to remember the Sabbath.  It probably wasn’t happening.  Hope had died and life had to go on.

Have you ever simply run through the motions of worship or work because your mind was so focused on someone or something else?

Maybe you came here this morning with that feeling?

Just as God knew their pain, he knows ours. He has a plan (often he tells us and we simply miss it). He also has some surprises that our completely out of our boxes, that catch us off guard.

As an artist, it reminds me of when I visit an art museum.  Inside I am very excited, I don’t always know what to expect, what I will see, but that is part of the experience.  I still remember the first time I turned the corner and saw one of my favorite pieces, Chagall’s “White Crucifixion” at the Art Institute of Chicago just a couple summers ago.  I almost had to sit down.  I was overcome by the emotions, the beauty, the awe of seeing a painting I had only previously encountered in books or online.  I heard that last year, Pope Francis had the “White Crucifixion” brought to the Vatican so he could spend time with it and fully experience it.  Much like Henri Nouwen did with Rembrant’s “Return of the Prodigal Son.”

Or this week when I was at the Abbey, I found myself wandering the grounds trying to make sense of life, only to be surprised by a beautiful and engaging piece of art in some nook or cranny  —  and what was interesting was that they were often images of Christ that stopped me in my tracks.  It was like Jesus was surprising me around every corner.  And it took my mind, my emotions, my physical presence and refocused them.

The Marys in our story had very similar experiences. First, they ran into a glowing figure of light – a divine character or image – what we would call an angel.  Their response was to be terrified.  Sometimes what is around the corner of our lives is a messenger preparing us for what is to come.  And when we have been through a lot, one more thing can be disabling – like the women we freeze like stones  (physically, mentally, and spiritually).  And just as the Marys we can become terrified.   But if we are willing to see what God may have in store…what God is doing…we may be in line for a surprise around the corner.  If you noticed in the story the Mary’s were both terrified and thrilled at the same moment.

I don’t know about you, but I know I have been in this place on many occasions – actually, I am in this place right now.  We can be both terrified and thrilled about what God is doing in our lives.  We don’t always know what is around the next corner.

But our text this morning teaches us one more important lesson – and it is probably the most important of all…

If you listened carefully to the text you noticed that when Jesus showed up there was a different response than the one the angels received.  When Jesus surprised the women and some of the disciples, they fell down, kissed his feet, and worshipped him. Hope had returned and they recognized it.  They may have been deeply despairing, grieving, disappointed and heartbroken, but they were fully aware and able to recognize Jesus when he appeared in their midst.  And their response was IMMEDIATE WORSHIP in that moment.

The text says, that a few “hung back”.  I think I would have too.  “They were not sure (and who can blame them?) They did not know, not for sure, what to do or how to be.”

God has given us a great picture of how we respond to his surprising ways – doesn’t he?  Some will recognize him and worship immediately – like my awe at seeing Chagall’s White Crucifixion – it knocked me off my feet and into a place of awe and worship.   Some will not be sure or even skeptical and will need some more proof (like we find out later with the disciple Thomas).

And Jesus doesn’t address only those who worship right away – actually he commissioned them all…right where they were at…in their doubt…in their grief…confused….stunned…wondering if they would wake up sometime soon because this was all a dream…

And in his commission to all of us after his great surprise…he turns the table once again.  He says, for three years I have made you my disciples, I have taught you, I have been with you in the good times and the difficult ones, I have had some surprises along the way, but now the HOPE that I have brought and taught is now in YOU!

As Archbishop Desmond Tutu said in that quote from our centering time:

“To choose hope is to step firmly forward into the howling wind, baring one’s chest to the elements, knowing that, in time, the storm will pass…Despair turns us inward. Hope sends us into the arms of others.”

When we choose to take up Jesus’s great commission we are bringing the Hope of Christ to our neighbors – the hope of Resurrected lives – the hope of resurrected families – the hope of resurrected communities – the hope of resurrected work situations, relationships, marriages…the list is endless.

You know what this means? Jesus is commissioning us to be this His surprise in someone else’s life.  He wants us to be the surprise around the corner for those in  despair, for those grieving, and for those disappointed and heartbroken.  He wants us to embody His presence in their lives.

• That means we have the privilege of creating the same community with others that the Triune God has exemplified for us.
• That means we have the honor to take out the basin and serve, wash, and receive others into this way.
• That means we have the duty to form that community in the ways (practices and postures) which Jesus taught.

And if we do it…there is one more surprise from Jesus.  He says,

“I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the ages.“

That means if we are being Christ to others he will continue to show up in our lives each and every day.  Not just surprise or unexpected visits once and awhile, but as Quakers we know that he will be with us each and every day through our neighbors, our friends, our spouse, those with whom we work, live, and play …He will be with us – surprises and all.

That is Good News and worthy of Worship!

Let us pray…

___________________________________

Easter Message from Silverton Friends Church – April 16, 2017.  by Robert S. Henry

For many years the churches of Silverton, Oregon met on Palm Sunday to worship together. This year we are bringing back that tradition. In partnership with Immanuel Lutheran, First Christian, Oak Street, Silverton UMC, and Silverton Friends, we will joining together for a community celebration.

The blessing of the palms and processional through Silverton will begin at First Christian Church (403 N. 1st St.) at 10am and end at Immanuel Lutheran (303 N. Church St.), where worship is planned to begin at 10:30am. After arriving at Immanuel, we will gather in their sanctuary for a special Palm/Passion Sunday service with special readings, music, and communion focused on Jesus Christ. Afterwards, we will fellowship together around cookies/cinnamon rolls and coffee.

We are excited to join together with our community for this event!  Plan to come and wave a palm branch as we walk the streets and celebrate together!

Please Note: There will be NO service at Silverton Friends Church on April 9th as we are encouraging everyone to attend this special service!

A little Quaker history lesson for this International Woman’s Day:

On July 13, 1848, five women sat around a mahogany table and planned a revolution. Six days later the revolution began; in the small town of Seneca Falls in upstate New York the world’s first woman’s rights convention was held, and a Declaration of Women’s Rights was proclaimed and signed by one hundred participants. Any question about the historical significance of this event was soon dispelled by the vehemence of the reaction, as both the press and the clergy denounced these desexed females for stepping out of their sphere.

Ash Wednesday, Father, is your reminder.  We are dust…we are your children, the glory of your creation. We shall return to dust…we shall return to your arms, and receive the welcome of daughters and sons.  But in the meantime, with your help, like the dust of this world, we shall settle everywhere, and make your presence felt. Unpeopled hearts, by your grace, shall become homes.  The journey to heaven, Lord, begins with the dust of Ash Wednesday: with dust set aside as a reminder, but also with the dust of bus and subway, of street and avenue.  We are people on the move, and what do we do, or do not do, to the least of our fellow travelers, we do to you. 

Liturgy for Ash Wednesday (Home Celebrations, Moser)

Join us on throughout the day on Ash Wednesday (March 1) from 8am-4:30pm in the Silverton Friends Youth Room. This space will be set apart and open for personal prayer and reflection. This year we will provide a simple self-guided meditation, ashes for imposition, meditative music and various art pieces for focus.

Come enjoy the space for as long as you need.

This coming Sunday (Feb. 26) we are excited to present two opportunities for Worship at Silverton Friends Church.

Starting at 9:30am in the *New* Green Room we will offer our Unprogrammed Meeting for Worship. This is an opportunity to center ourselves on listening and expectant waiting in a traditional Quaker manner.

At 10:45am this week we will be offering a Taize Meeting for Worship led by Phil Mullins and our Taize Worship Team. The focus of this special service will be “Love.” If you are not familiar with Taize Worship, it is a prayer service consisting of meditative singing, Scripture readings, and periods of silence in order to reach a contemplative state.

Pastor Bob’s Book Study returns on Thursday, January 19th, 6:30pm, upstairs at Main Street Bistro, Silverton for three consecutive Thursday nights. Consider joining us for a lively discussion!

After a well attended first study on Rob Bell’s “How To Be Here” in the fall, we are looking forward to a second study that looks more closely at how we live out our Quaker faith and being each an original.

The second study will look at the book “Living the Quaker Way: Timeless Wisdom for a Better Life Today” by Philip Gulley. Pastor Bob had the honor of interviewing Philip Gulley about this book when it was first published in 2013. Here is a link to the Philip Gulley Interview.

From the back cover of the book:

“In Living the Quaker Way, Gulley shows how Quaker values provide real solutions to many of our most pressing contemporary challenges.  We not only come to a deeper appreciation of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality, we see how embracing these values will radically transform us and our world.”

This class is for anyone who wants to better understand the practical ways to live out the Quaker faith in our day to day lives. We hope you will plan to join us on Thursday night when we will cover the first 57 pages (Intro and Chapters 1&2).

“This is nothing less than the gospel itself…a much needed book.”- Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Due to weather cancellations next Sunday (Jan. 22) our Meeting for Study Hour returns at 9:30am (meeting every other Sunday). This quarter we are offering two classes:

Option 1: Quaker Conversation about Race (facilitated by Kate Pattison and Mark Rediske). This is a continuation of the class we started last quarter.

We have embarked on a  journey to learn about race in America, to understand the history of our country (Oregon specifically), how systems of oppression and privilege touch everything we do, and identify the intersections with our faith and life as a follower of Jesus. We are learning about the Black Lives Matter movement, understand how social media has changed what we witness, and how Jesus encountered oppressive powers and social constructs. Everyone is invited to participate and we will use a variety of resources to inform the discussion and learning.

Option 2: *NEW* The Voice of Matthew (facilitated by Pastor Bob) This is a conversation-based study on the text from “The Voice of Matthew” by Lauren F. Winner.

The Voice of Matthew is a unique retelling of the life of Jesus from the perspective of a Jewish believer who wants to connect the past with the future. The writer of this retelling is Lauren Winner, a young Jewish woman who has become a follower of Jesus. She is an extremely talented writer and a lecturer at Duke Divinity School that brings an intellectual edge to the biblical story. At the heart of this retelling is an accurate rendering of the traditional Bible text with historical and cultural expansions of the story that are placed in italic type to help the reader differentiate the expansions from the Bible text. 

Each Sunday we will look at a single chapter of Matthew and discuss the text’s implication for our daily lives.

PLEASE NOTE, on the opposite Sundays of our Meeting for Study we offer our Unprogrammed Meeting for Worship at 9:30am in the *new* green room. Come join us in a time of “expectant listening” and silent worship. Our next Unprogrammed Meeting will be this Sunday, Jan 15.

Come sit with neighbors in Quaker silence as we reflect on the events of 2016 and prepare for 2017. During this time we will hear a reading from scripture, ponder some queries in silence, and finish with a short round of “Thankfuls” as we acknowledge the abundance of God.

There will be childcare for littles who have not developed the practice of silence. Please RSVP if you anticipate needing someone to watch your children so we can plan accordingly.

What a weekend of weather! We hope everyone is safe back at work and school this morning! It was VERY disappointing and a difficult decision to have to cancel this week’s Meeting for Worship and Preschool Christmas Program due to safety issues, but it was necessary.

We are extremely thankful for those who assessed and did the hard work of trying to clean off our sidewalks before ultimately needing to cancel. Thank you to William and Jaime Hudson and Mark Rediske.

Currently, Meg Feicht and our SCS Preschool is looking to find a new date and time for our Preschool Christmas Program (be watching for details). It will most likely be after the new year, so we will simply keep the celebration going!