LENTEN LETTER 2021
Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – John 10:10b
Lent, 2021
Dear friends:
Little did we realize last year in early March how our lives would be so fundamentally changed. It is strange to imagine it has been almost a year since we had to modify our “normal” way of life, including church. In spite of the duration and detriment of the Covid-19 pandemic, we embrace the upcoming season of Lent as it offers us the renewed opportunity to reflect on how we and the world have changed, how God has not, and how we might come to have a deeper grasp on God’s love for us in the fragility of life.
Over the centuries, Lent has often been portrayed in a negative way, centered around aspects of denial. While Jesus certainly asks us to do so, pick up our cross, and follow him, what we often forget is that this is not limited to giving up things we like. Denying oneself can also be seen positively as encouraging us to give up negative behaviors and replace them with good and healthy ones. With this in mind, our enclosed calendar for March offers several ideas on how to approach these forty days of Lent from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, not counting Sundays which are always regarded as a witness to the resurrection. Our hope and prayer for all of us this year, and especially during this Lenten season, is that we may grow deeper in our relationship with God as we look forward to the joy of Easter morning!
Blessings,
Pastor Bill
Anchored in the past, sharing Christ’s message today, and growing in faith into the future.
PASTOR'S LETTER 2021
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” – Ecclesiastes 3:1
January 31, 2021
Dear Friends:
One year ago for the pastor’s message in the church’s annual report, I included the following paragraph (italics added):
So our homework for this new decade, starting in 2020, is to realize that even as we are a local family system, we are indeed a part of a greater whole. If we discover that something could be done better, let us seek to do it. If we discern something is going well, let us continue to enjoy it. And if we discern that something has run its course, it is OK to put it aside and perhaps pick it up at a later time. God allows and encourages us to change with the times, as well as providing us with a source of stability in knowing we are rooted firmly in God’s grace.
How little did we know at the time how a global pandemic would compel us to put aside some things and learn new ways of doing ministry in the 21st century! We have learned to pre-record worship videos and post them on YouTube. We have learned to worship outdoors on a weekly basis until the weather became too chilly. We have learned to keep a line of interpersonal communication open as we have been unable to meet in person. We have learned to have meetings, confirmation classes, and Bible study via Zoom. We even elected this year’s consistory via mail-in and on-line balloting. But now with the promise of a vaccine, there is sustained hope on the horizon that at some point this year, we will regain some of that which we have put aside.
Yet now in the midst of all these changes, I need to introduce one more. At the end of this July, I will have completed nineteen years of ministry here at Ramapo Reformed Church. That fact, combined with turning 67 this April, has made me realize it is time to retire, which I plan to do effective August 1st of this year. It is not because of any specific reason, but more so because I just know it is the right time.
With that in mind, I know that God will be with us as we begin the process of getting ready for a time of transition, something this church has done at least twenty-plus times before. And further I know that God will be with you after Debbie and I head out. Even so, I want to take the opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation for being allowed to share our lives together for these past nearly two decades.
As always, thank you again for allowing me to be your pastor for these many years!
Blessings,
Pastor Bill
Anchored in the past - Sharing Christ’s message today - Growing in faith into the future!
ADVENT MESSAGE 2020
By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps … How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? - Psalm 137:1-2,4
Advent, 2020
Dear Friends,
Advent is the season of hope and expectation. But how can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? This is the question posed by the Psalmist in Psalm 137, which described feelings of abandonment and despair when the nation was taken into exile following their deportation to Babylon. Even though we are not in a foreign land, per se, it does seem that we are in exile due to the protracted pandemic in which we find ourselves. This is true especially during the holiday season when it is no longer an option to meet with family and friends in a manner we are used to or would prefer. In addition and even with the exciting promise of a vaccine, the resolution of the pandemic is still far off, and fatigue is a concern for many. Yet could it be that it was into just such an environment that God sent a small child to bring us hope? There may not have been a global health crisis in Israel in the 1st century, nevertheless, the people were under the control of a foreign power, namely Rome. Certainly, the nation hoped fervently for relief. Even so, the people’s idea of a “cure” turned out not to be what God had in mind. Whatever the case, God chose that moment in history to introduce God’s own vaccine, which is 100% effective against the power of sin (caution: side effects include joy, peace, and a new outlook on life).
Still today, we do not fully appreciate how much in need of a savior we truly are. Perhaps, then, the carols we enjoy so much at this time (however we get to sing them) can take on a new purpose and meaning as we continue to sing the Lord’s song in this foreign environment in which we find ourselves. As a result, we have fashioned our December calendar as an Advent calendar, where each day we can build hope as we follow the unfolding story of the birth of Jesus. Please check our website to see updates on how we will continue to worship during the month of December. And in whatever ways are best, we pray we may all continue to bring “Joy to the World” as we look forward in expectation to both the end of this health crisis next year and the celebration of our Savior in a few weeks to come.
Blessings,
Pastor Bill
Anchored in the past, sharing Christ’s message today, and growing in faith into the future.
