Bible Readings for May 31, 2023

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for May 31, 2023: Let's read the Bible together in the next year.  Today our passages are 2 Samuel 17:1-29; John 19:23-42; Psalm 119:129-152; and Prove...

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Award-winning poet Tim Lilburn connects to the land through contemplative practice

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - Award-winning poet...: Union Theological Seminary’s Insight Project hosts interdisciplinary conversation May 30, 2023 Dr. Tim Lilburn “I didn’t know how to be wher...

Sligo Community Memorial Day Service

On Monday, May 29, the Sligo community gathered at the Sligo Cemetery for its annual Memorial Day service. A recording of the service and some pictures from the event are below.

A Memorial Day Message - To Remember Their Sacrifice

On Memorial Day, Pastor Rudiger had the privilege of sharing some thoughts during the Sligo Community Memorial Day observance. Below is the text and recording of his message.

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Before I say anything else, let me tell you how honored I am to be with y’all this morning. As the new kid in school, it’s a privilege to have the chance to share with y’all a few thoughts on this Memorial Day. And I’ll tell you, I was particularly pleased to hear that our gathering was going to be up here in the cemetery. You see, I’ve been involved in a lot of these services over the years, and most have been in churches or at some kind of public monument, but I haven’t been in a cemetery since I left my first church in Fairview, Montana back in 1991. But you know, even though all those other places were fine, I think there’s just something about being in a cemetery that helps me focus on what Memorial Day is supposed to be all about.

And you know, I think that’s really important now-a-days, because, in my opinion, the meaning of Memorial Day has sort of drifted away from its original focus. I mean, think about it, for a lot of folks, today is about celebrating the unofficial first day of Summer, and we do it by opening our pools and dusting off our grills and breaking out our white shoes. And don’t get me started about the sales. That’s one group. And for others, man, today is about celebrating America and veterans,  as though we don’t already have other days in July and November set aside for those very reasons. You see, that’s another group. And for still others, well, today is about celebrating bravery, courage, you know, men and women who did extraordinary things for God and country. Now, from where I stand, I think these are three pretty popular ways people see this day.

And even though I think all three make sense and are actually good things to do, I believe they really miss the point of Memorial Day. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with celebrating summer and there’s nothing wrong with celebrating country and service and there’s certainly nothing wrong with celebrating courage. Still, I believe today is important for another reason. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure Memorial Day is for celebrating at all; rather, it’s a day for us to remember, to remember those who sacrificed the most precious gift God has given any of us and to remember them regardless of the reason why the sacrifice was made. You see, today we have the chance to remember their sacrifice. And let me give y’all three examples of what I’m talking about.

You see, on this Memorial Day, we have the chance to remember the sacrifice of all those who were moved by patriotism and who volunteered and fought and died because they loved their country and who were  willing to lay down their lives for a cause greater than themselves. And I’ll tell you, I don’t think there’s a better example of what I’m talking about than all the men from this area who volunteered to leave their farms and their families in order to fight in the Civil War. Last week, after I told him that I’d be speaking today, a good friend of mine brought me a copy of a chapter from a book entitled History of Clarion County. It was written by a man named Aaron J. Davis back in 1887. And it said that, in 1860, the population of Clarion county was 24,988. And from that number, almost 3,000 fought in what the author called “the rebellion.” And although he recognized that some may have entered the army hoping for gain or adventure, he also wrote about... 

...the lives of the great majority, who had kindled upon their hearthstones the fires of patriotism long before they ever thought of seeing them burn upon the battle-field; who would scorn to traffic for profit where the dead were buried or where the wounded suffered, while they were not armed and equipped to defend the flag; who shared their last pinch of salt, for nothing, with a comrade; who would sooner die than rob a soldier and who would rather stand by the flag and suffer than forsake it. [History of Clarion County, page 144]

Now that’s what he wrote. And I’ll tell you, it’s men and women like these, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers who died for a country and for a cause, today we have the chance to remember their sacrifice. Now that’s one. But they aren’t the only ones. 

Because on this Memorial Day, we also have the chance to remember the sacrifice of those who were moved by an authority far higher and far greater than any state or country and I’m talking about men and women whose dedication to God motivated them to put themselves in danger because they believed Jesus Christ was speaking to them when he said, “Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them.” [John 3:12-13, CEV] For example, have y’all ever heard the story of the four chaplains? Their names were George Fox and Alexander Goode and John Washington and Clark Poling. They were all on the S.S. Dorchester, a civilian liner that had been converted to a troop ship during World War 2. Well, during the early morning hours of February 3, 1943, this ship was carrying 900 people when it was torpedoed by a German submarine in the North Atlantic. And in the face of this crisis, these four chaplains helped the other soldiers board lifeboats, and they even gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out. But for me, I found this part of their story to be the most moving. As the ship was sinking, these four men, two Protestants, one Catholic and one Jew, they joined arms. And they said prayers in English and Latin and Hebrew. And they sang hymns as they went down with the ship. Now, again for me, that’s the very definition of what both the Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ had in mind when they talked about someone being a “good and faithful servant.” I’ll tell you, it’s men like those four chaplains who died because of their dedication to God, today we have the chance to remember their sacrifice. And that’s two.

And finally, on this Memorial Day, we have the chance to remember the sacrifice of all those who died because they were simply doing what they were told to do. I mean, they weren’t moved by a surge of patriotism and they weren’t motivated by a deep and profound dedication to God. Instead they were just caught up in something bigger than themselves and they were sent to a place they didn’t know to do a job they didn’t choose. They weren’t heros, but the sacrifice they made was just as real as those who were. In fact, they were men and women like my mother’s uncle who died during the Battle of the Bulge in December, 1944. Now, in my family, he was always called Clay Junior, because his father’s name was Clay and that’s the kind of thing we do in the south. And even though he died almost fifteen years before I was born, I heard a lot about Clay Junior growing up. In fact, as a kid, I played with some old steel and lead World War 1 soldiers he had when he was a boy. Now, I don’t think my family ever knew how he died. And in the army, well, he was just another one of the 10 million young men drafted and inducted during the war and one of the 407,000 who died in service. And at home, I don’t remember him ever being called a hero, because the word meant something different back in the 60s than it does today. Clay Junior was a draftee who followed orders and who fought and who died in service to his country. And even though my great grandmother Price never called him a hero, she felt his lost every day of her life. Today we have the chance to remember his and her sacrifice.

Why? Because unlike any other day of the year, that’s what we have the chance to do on Memorial Day. I mean, even though in our society, it’s become a day to celebrate Summer and country and bravery, celebration really isn’t what this day is about. Instead, as we stand in this cemetery, it’s really a time to pause and to become quiet and to focus on those men and women who died in service to their country regardless of their motivation. You see, today we have the chance to remember their sacrifice. 

SPC Helps in Clarview's Annual Love Drive

In partnership with Clarview, the SPC Outreach Team collected items needed by the residents. Along with toiletries, it included socks, blankets and materials for craft projects. The congregation thanks the team for spearheading this outreach into our community and all those who made contributions.

The SPC Sanctuary for Pentecost

Below are some pictures of our sanctuary on Pentecost morning. We offer a special word of thanks to Mike & Melody Troup, Jake Stewart, Reese Saylor and all those who made our church an inspiring place to worship. 

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, May 28, 2023

On Sunday, May 28, we celebrated Pentecost. We used 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 to discuss the coming of the Holy Spirit. We also celebrated communion. Below is a video of the service, a recording of the sermon and a copy of the bulletin.  You can stream our services every Sunday morning by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.

Sunday's Message: Because of Pentecost

On Sunday, May 28, we celebrated Pentecost. We used 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 to discuss the coming of the Holy Spirit. Below is a copy and a recording of the sermon. You can stream our services every Sunday morning by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.

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Of course, today is Pentecost, the one Sunday a year set aside to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. And for the last thirty-five years, for the most part, I’ve used the passage from Acts, you know, the one about the Spirit coming like tongues of fire on the disciples gathered in Jerusalem. And even though that’s worked out pretty well about thirty times, this morning we’re going to use another passage, this one from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, to guide us as we talk about why the Holy Spirit should be important to us right here and now and in particular, how it has equipped us to deal with a world that, over the last six weeks, we’ve called challenging.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s really appropriate, because when we look at what was happening in Corinth when Paul wrote his letter, man, it was a mess, and frankly, Paul’s church wasn’t really dealing with the situation very well. Let’s just say, the Corinthian church, a congregation that Paul himself started, well, it had all kinds of issues, including the fact that they couldn’t seem to get along with one another, and they were dividing up for all kinds of reasons. For example, right at the beginning of the letter, Paul kind of summed up their problem, when he wrote this: 

My dear friends, as a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg you to get along with each other. Don't take sides. Always try to agree in what you think. Several people from Chloe's family have already reported to me that you keep arguing with each other. They have said that some of you claim to follow me, while others claim to follow Apollos or Peter or Christ.

Has Christ been divided up? Was I nailed to a cross for you? Were you baptized in my name? [1 Corinthians 1:10-13, CEV]

Now that was the kind of thing happening within the Corinthian congregation. You see, as they struggled to share and live the good news in a world that I think could be described as immoral and callous and totally unconcerned about what Christians thought or felt, this church decided to face its world by dividing into a whole bunch of little groups, with each one assuming that it was O.K. to spend most of its time and energy attacking the other groups rather than working together in order to make a difference in the surrounding world. Now that’s what was happening in Corinth. 

And I swear, if the Apostle Paul were with us today, I think he’d probably say, using the words of that great philosopher, Yogi Berra, that he was experiencing deja vu all over again. In other words, even though he wrote this letter almost two thousand years ago, I’ll tell you, I think we often get messed up with this same sort of stuff ourselves. I mean, like we’ve been talking about over the last six weeks, I think we’d all agree that we face a challenging world, right? Well, can anyone say, with a straight face, that Christians are facing it as one, united body? Personally, I don’t think so, not unless you believe that to be a Christian, I mean, a real Christian, you need to accept a very narrow and selective application of the Bible and a very specific and exclusive political agenda. But if we believe that Paul knew what he was talking about when he wrote, “Now I want you to know that if you are led by God's Spirit, you will say that Jesus is Lord, and you will never curse Jesus,” [1 Corinthians 12:3, CEV], in other words, if you confess “Jesus is Lord, you’re a Christian, case closed,  then I think we’ve got to accept the reality that the Body of Christ has become divided, and that ain’t good. 

But I’ll tell you, I think there’s something else going on that makes these divisions even worse; I believe this attitude and the general direction our society has moved recently, all that has actually allowed and encouraged Christians to fight with one another. I mean, that’s what we do in the world; why not in the Body of Christ? For example, it’s led believers to be downright nasty to folks who are supposed to be their brothers and sisters. In fact, for some, labeling and judging and condemning other believers has almost become part of their faith. And when I say labeling and judging and condemning, I’m talking about using anything at their disposal to win, even if that means calling fellow Christians juvenile names or making broad accusations or passing along vulgar little innuendoes that may or may not be true. But who cares, not if your side, your team, your tribe wins. My gosh, it’s not a lie if you don’t get caught; the ends justify the means; you’ve got to break a few eggs to make an omelet and let’s get real, good guys finish last, right? Well, that sure seems to be what a lot of folks both within our society and inside the American church seem to believe, isn’t it; which may show that, when push comes to shove, our culture has had more influence over Christians than vice versa. I mean, whether we like it or not, ours has become a nasty and an arrogant world, and some of that nastiness and arrogance has kind of made its way into a divided Body of Christ. In fact, I think it’s the same kind of thing Paul saw happening in that congregation he planted in Greece. In other words, when you get right down to it, whether we want to admit it or not, I think the Body of Christ in the United States has a whole lot in common with the Body of Christ in Corinth.

And I’ll tell you, for that reason, I believe what Paul wrote almost two thousand years ago should be as important to us as it was for them. In other words, in the face of the divisions, in the face of the labeling and the judging and the condemning, for Paul, it was and it is all about the Holy Spirit, and I’m talking about the Holy Spirit that came down on those disciples on Pentecost with tongues of fire, it was that same Holy Spirit which can knock down the divisions and bring believers together as the church of Jesus Christ. You see, according to what he wrote, it all came down to the Spirit doing three things for those whom God had called to do his work. And trust me, what the Spirit did then, the Spirit is still doing right now.

I mean, based on what he wrote in the twelfth chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, for the Apostle Paul, first, the Holy Spirit enlightens. You see, in his opinion, it had enlightened those divided Christians in Corinth. And you know, if he were here today, I think he’d say the Spirit enlightens us too. I mean, just listen to what he wrote:

My friends, you asked me about spiritual gifts. I want you to remember that before you became followers of the Lord, you were led in all the wrong ways by idols that cannot even talk. Now I want you to know that if you are led by God's Spirit, you will say that Jesus is Lord, and you will never curse Jesus. [1 Corinthians 12:1-3, CEV]

You see, Paul wanted them to know that, through the Spirit, God had opened their eyes and their minds and their hearts, and as a result, they could see and understand and feel the truth. Now, that’s what God had already done. And because of that, they’d been changed forever. In other words, on one hand, God had set them free: free from their past, free from those idols they used to worship and free from those empty beliefs they once followed. They were now free from the stuff that prevented them from being what they were created to be. And on the other hand, he’d enabled them to know who Jesus really was and is, you know, that he’s not some kind of petty deity interested only in himself and those who follow his rules. No sir, instead he was truly Lord, Lord in every sense of the word. Lord of those who follow and those who don’t. Lord of those who’ve made him Lord and those who haven’t. Man, he’s Lord whether we like it or not. You see, for Paul, their Christian faith is grounded in that confession, in that recognition and not on the amount of water used in baptism or whether Jesus would endorse or oppose a certain candidate or political issue. When you get right down to it, it’s the ability to stand up and say, “Jesus is Lord;” that’s the sign of the Holy Spirit. And this is something we can see and understand and feel. You see, in that way, the Spirit enlightens. And that’s the first thing I think Paul wants us to remember. But of course, that’s not all. 

Because second, according to Paul, the Holy Spirit also inspires. You see, for him, it was the Holy Spirit that inspired those Corinthians to come together in spite of their differences, and that’s why he wrote this:

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. [1 Corinthians 12:4-6, CEV]

You see, after talking about how the Spirit had enlightened the Corinthians so that they could see beyond what they’d believed in the past, I think Paul made sure they knew that the same Spirit was also shaping their lives in the present. And even though those lives might look different, it was the exact same Spirit that was inspiring them all. Now I think that was his point. And I’ll tell you, for me, that’s really exciting, because it means it’s OK to be different; in fact, it’s what God wants us to be. In other words, different people may have different skills and talents, but they all come from the same Spirit. And there are different ways to serve, but they’re all directed to and motivated by the same Lord. And there are different ways God might be working within us, but it’s the same God who’s doing the work. And so, should I assume that my talent is more important and that the way I serve others is more righteous and that my experiences are more spiritual than yours? Absolutely not. Why; because they were and are all inspired by the same Spirit and Lord and God. You see, the Spirit inspires, and that’s the second thing I think Paul wants us to remember.  But again, that’s not all. 

Because third, according to Paul, the Holy Spirit also empowers, empowers individuals to do what they were called and created to do and empowers communities to move away from the pews and go out in order to make a difference in their world. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s exactly what he was getting at when continued his passage by writing this:

The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God's Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us. [1 Corinthians 12:7-11, CEV]

Now that’s what he wrote. And frankly, I don’t think the specific gifts Paul listed are all that significant. I mean, he offered a different list when he wrote just about the same thing to the Romans. In other words, I don’t think we should get hung up with the details. Instead, we need to focus on how these gifts are intended to be used. Again, using the words of Paul, “the Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.” [1 Corinthians 12:7, CEV] Put another way, thanks to the Holy Spirit, we have all the gifts we need to do our job as the Body of Christ. We have all the gifts we need to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors, particularly those who are carrying around burdens that prevent them from being everything they were created to be. And we have all the gifts we need to make a real difference in our community and country, even when we’re faced with rising immorality and declining compassion and stagnating indifference. We have all we need to get the job done. And because of that, I’m about to make a radical statement, but one with which I think Paul would agree. I don’t think we need anymore blessings to do what we’ve been called to do. Instead, we need the insight and the strength to take what we’ve already been given and to develop it and then to use it. And why is this possible? That’s really simple, because the Holy Spirit empowers, that’s the third thing I think Paul wants us to remember. 

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something really important for us to claim, especially today, when we’re celebrating Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. I mean, let’s get real, for a variety of reasons, the church has become every bit as divided as our world and our society. But before we just sort of shrug our shoulders and start with the labels and the judgements and the condemnations right along with so many within our society now-a-days, in other words, before we buy into culture, let’s remember that the same Holy Spirit that rested on those disciples in Jerusalem also rests on us. And then let’s remember that, according to Paul, that Spirit still enlightens and that Spirit still inspires and that Spirit still empowers so that we can become everything we were called and created to be. I mean, as we move past this special day, let’s remember what the Spirit did and continues to do, because of Pentecost. 

Bible Readings for May 30, 2023

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for May 30, 2023: Let's read the Bible together in the next year.  Today our passages are 2 Samuel 15:23–16:23; John 18:25–19:22; Psalm 119:113-128; an...

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Memorial Day

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - Memorial Day: A Time to Remember. A Time for Care. May 29, 2023 “One has indeed personally to come under the shadow of war to feel fully its oppression; b...