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Called by Name

Mon, 28 May 2007 17:35:46 -0700

Delivered on January 7, 2007. Text: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Rev. Lee Ann Bryce Community Christian Church January 7, 2007 Text: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 If you�ve flown anytime recently, you�re well aware of all the security restrictions in place. Metal detectors and x-ray machines and strict procedures are a way of life for us now, aren�t they? Last week, I arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport to catch my flight back to New York. Like most folks, I�ve learned well all the things you have to do when you go through security � take off your shoes, take off your coat and put them in the gray plastic tub, along with your cell phone, keys, and any bags you happen to have � remembering to take your lap top out of the bag. Then you watch as all your stuff disappears into the x-ray machine to be carefully perused by the guards on duty. Then you go through the metal detector yourself, waiting, until the guard motions to you to proceed. You keep your boarding pass in your hand, of course, to present to the guard so you can prove you have a reason to be in the terminal. For the most part, it all goes smoothly, unless someone slips up. Which, unfortunately, is what I did that morning. When I put my shoulder bag into the gray tub, I forgot to keep out my boarding pass. So, when the guard asked for it before I could proceed through the metal detector, I quickly reached toward my bag to grab it really quick before my bag disappeared out of sight. "Stop!" he shouted out and I froze. Not just me, but pretty much everyone around froze and looked at me. This area that a minute before had been bustling and noisy was suddenly eery and apprehensive. It only lasted a second when everyone easily sized up that it was no big deal. But, it got me thinking. I think the old world where we thought we were safe and secure is gone forever and that�s never more apparent than when you�re at an airport. We don�t really know what�s going to happen next and it makes us anxious and afraid. How many of us who think of ourselves as people of faith could say the same thing? "I don�t know what�s going to happen next in the world, and it makes me afraid." It�s one thing to trust God, to feel God caring for us when life seems stable, secure, and safe, but what happens in those times when the old world where we thought we were safe and secure dies and the winds blow and the world shakes and fearful change and terror seem to be at every hand? What happens to our faith when we are afraid? Fear. Christians should recognize that word. In fact, if I had to put the Gospel of Jesus Christ into one phrase, I think it might be, "Do not be afraid." What is the first thing the angels said to the shepherds in Bethlehem when Jesus was born? "Do not be afraid." What are the first words the angel spoke on Easter morning? "Do not be afraid." What did the risen Christ said to his disciples first? "Do not be afraid. I am with you always." But it�s one thing to say it, and it�s another thing to believe it. As a matter of fact, in this kind of world, why shouldn�t we be afraid? After all: � Every day the news is filled with stories of terrorist bombs in hotels and market places, and who knows where the next one will explode. � In the past decade or so, many people have seen their once secure retirement savings evaporate in the instability of the stock market and scandals like Enron. � Even in our schools, police guard the hallways and students often are afraid of violence in the cafeteria and gym. � And when a security guard in a crowded airport shouts, "Stop!" people freeze with fear. The fact of the matter is we are afraid. Our fear is not just about terrorism or violence or financial security. Those are symptoms of a deeper fear that we are frail and temporary creatures set in an uncertain space. The philosopher Pascal expressed it well when he said, "When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and after, this little space which I fill and even can see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces of which I am ignorant and which know me not, I am afraid." Why is it that the prophet Isaiah could with such confidence speak the words that we sang earlier from Isaiah 43, "Do not be afraid, I am with you,"? I think it�s because Isaiah knew that God is not some distant deity, some impersonal force loose in the universe, a God pulling the strings of history. God is more like a mother who listens in the night for the cries of her children. "Do not be afraid," says the Lord. "I have created you. I formed you. I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine." This is the God who knows your name, who knows the number hairs on your head, the God who remembers you and does not forget you, the God who, even when the winds howl and the seas roar, listens for your voice, knows your cry, and says to each of us, "Do not be afraid. I know you. I have called you by name. I am coming to help you. You are mine." It is one of my greatest joys to baptize a child. I�ll hold this tiny person in my arms and as I put the water on her head I�ll call her by name and say, "I baptize you in the name of God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer." In baptism, we believe that God calls our name, that our names are forever joined with God�s name. The hard truth of the matter is that none of us knows what the life of a baptized baby will be like. We pray that her life will be full of joy and health and peace, but we also know that, because she is a human being, she will also face pain and loss and sorrow. We know, as the prophet Isaiah knew, that faith does not protect us from the realities of life. The child will, like all human beings, pass through the waters of life�s hardships. But we also know that God knows her by name; that God created her, formed her, redeemed her, and calls her by name. God will never forget her, will never leave her alone, will come to her and will be with her at every turn. I close with a story I read recently. Back in 1976, America�s bicentennial year, a writer came up with an intriguing idea. "Our nation is 200 years old," he thought. "I�ll bet I can find someone is alive today who is old enough that when they were a child, they remember someone who was then old enough to have been alive at the founding of the nation, a living link to the beginning of the country." And sure enough, he found such a person. He was a Kentucky farmer named Burnham Ledford, who was over 100 years old in 1976 and he remembered when he was a little boy being taken by a wagon to see his great-great-grandmother who was then over 100 herself and who was a little girl when George Washington was inaugurated as the first American president. When the writer asked Burnham what he remembered of his great-great grandmother, he said he remembered being taken into her house. She was feeble. She was blind. She was sitting in an old chair in the corner of a dark bedroom. Burnham�s father said, "We brought Burnham to see you." The old woman turned toward the sound and reached out with long, bony fingers and said in an ancient, cracking voice, "Bring him here." Burnham said, "They had to push me toward her. I was afraid of her. But when I got close to her, she reached out her hands and began to stroke my face. She felt my eyes and my nose, my mouth and my chin. And all at once, she seemed to be satisfied, and she pulled me close to her and held me tight. "This boy�s a Ledford," she said. "I can feel it. I know this boy. He�s one of us." In an even deeper way when we are baptized, God holds us close and says, "I know this one. I called this one by name. This one belongs to me. Fear not. I know you by name." It is indeed a hard and dangerous world. It would be a lie to say that we know when terror may strike again. No one can say with certainty that the jobless will find employment or that the homeless will find safe housing. God does not promise to lift us out of the surging waters of life. What God does say is that we will not be alone. God formed us in the womb. God knows the numbers of the hairs of our head. God calls us by name. When we go through life�s waters, God will be with us. When all hell breaks loose around us, there is God, holding our hand, calling us by name. "Fear not," says the Lord. "I know you. I have called you by name. You are mine." Amen.

About the Pastor

Mon, 28 May 2007 17:15:56 -0700

Grace and Peace to you! I was called to be Pastor of Community Christian Church in September of 2002. I came from the "Wild West" of Texas, via the majestic Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Though the Genesee Valley is a great change for me, I am thrilled to be in New York and have embraced the beauty of this marvelous place, feeling immediately at home. I believe that God calls us all on a journey toward an ever-deepening understanding of the Holy. The church is a place where we can share with one another, lean on one another, and encourage one another as we celebrate each other�s joys and share each other�s pain. And somewhere along the way, in the process we receive bread for our journey. I am so blessed to be a companion on the journey along with all the other people who make up this community of faith. I often think to myself that I would choose to attend this church even if I weren�t Pastor, because it�s a very active, exciting, and uplifting place to be. All my life I�ve looked for a church like this where genuine care and concern for one another is coupled with deep commitment to faith in Jesus Christ. These things lead our church outward to serve the larger community and to try and make this world a better place. I hope that you find much on this website to interest, inspire, and encourage you. And I hope that you�ll come see for yourself what Community Christian Church is all about by joining us for worship soon! Peace, Rev. Lee Ann Bryce

Who We Are

Mon, 28 May 2007 13:28:35 -0700

Parishoners' Profile

Convinced that "in Christ there is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for all are one," Community Christian Church supports and encourages the full participation of all people, male and female, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, or physical ability, in the life and leadership of the church. We are accepting of everyone, wherever you may be on your spiritual path. We know the grace of God extends to all people, not just those who hold one particular set of beliefs. We need each other�s perspectives in order to be nurtured into the fullness and wholeness of life that God offers.

We enjoy sharing our individual faith journeys with each other. On any given Sunday, you will find a racially diverse congregation comprised of people from all walks of life. Our church is founded on the right and responsibility of each member to follow the word of God according to the dictates of conscience, under the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.

I was called to be Pastor of Community Christian Church in September of 2002. I came from the �Wild West� of Texas, via the majestic Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Though the Genesee Valley is a great change for me, I am thrilled to be in New York and have embraced the beauty of this marvelous place, feeling immediately at home.

The Way We Worship

Sunday Service - Sunday morning worship with communion weekly starts at 11:00 a.m. September through June; 10:00 a.m. in July and August. Special Seasonal Services - During Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter additional services are provided for the congregation. Taize - This monthly Sunday evening candlelight prayer service is in the tradition of the Taize community of France. It�s comprised of songs, Bible reading, contemplative prayer and periods of silence.

Our Theology

Mon, 28 May 2007 13:14:41 -0700

Organized in 1897, our congregation is a theologically progressive and growing community of faith, committed to increasing the love of God and neighbor. We seek to honor diverse beliefs through inspiring worship and music, Christian education and spiritual formation activities, fellowship opportunities for all ages, and service to the community and world.

We are not a �creedal� church. You do not have to subscribe to particular theological beliefs or support a particular perspective on social issues in order to be a valued member. As a congregation dually affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we believe that we can best respond to God�s call in Christ by covenanting with one another to be a church and making decisions at the local church level. Therefore the local congregation owns its own property, chooses its own ministers, and in all significant matters of faith and practice, the congregation makes its own decisions.

We are not afraid to wrestle with the ambiguities of what it means to be a Christian in our contemporary society. As human beings, the answers that we clutch too tightly can become substitutes for God. We believe that our questions are just as sacred as the �answers;� we believe that God embraces our doubt as well as our faith; our weakness as well as our strength. The Bible is taken seriously, not literally. Seekers welcomed!