The Connectional Ministries Workgroup is offering two Grants to help congregations and groups committed to social change.  Congregational Mission Grants are available to encourage congregations to create innovative opportunities to share the gospel in their communities.  For more information or to apply please go the Connectional Ministries page.

The Peacemaking Grants originates from the Presbytery’s share of the proceeds from the annual Peacmaking Offering, which is collected on World Communion Sunday, the first Sunday in October. Peacemaking Funds are available for use by individuals , congregations, work groups, task forces and committees to address conflict in the secular and religious community. Applications are due in by the 15th of the month before each monthly meeting of the Peace and Justice Task Force. For more information or to apply, please go to the Peace and Justice homepage.

If you have any questions on either grants, please contact Walter Chuquimia at connect@ptcaweb.org.

February 12, 2008
Passage:Matthew 9:10-17

“And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.’ ”

In 1996, I came down with the flu. That flu turned into pneumonia and a major infection. I ended up bedridden, unable to do things for myself.

In today’s text, the Pharisees were upset that Jesus was hanging with Matthew, the tax collectors and his friends who were also of questionable moral character. Jesus told the Pharisees that those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need a doctor.

Sometimes, we can forget that we still sin, we still do things that separate us from God. We are in need of God’s grace all the time.

The Pharisees were steeped in what they did. They were proud in keeping the law. But in the end, their pride kept them from being  in relationship with God. The ones on the outside, the tax collectors and other sinners, had no pride since there was nothing to be proud about. This allowed them to actually be in relationship with God in Jesus.

It is the sick who need a doctor. May we all realize that it is only in Christ can we be healed.

Dear God, we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed. Help us to rely not on our works, but on your wondrous grace. Amen. Dennis Sanders is the IT/Communications Specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. He is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

February 11, 2008
Passage:Matthew 9:1-9

“And after getting into a boat he crossed the water and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralysed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ Then some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic—‘Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.’ And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. “

In my tradition of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), there is a story about one of our founders: Alexander Campbell.  He was a Presbyterian minister at a time when Presbyterianism was fractured into several groups; old light, new light and so on.  It was so fractured that to recieve communion you had to recieve a chip (think poker chip) from the church that showed he had the correct theology to recieve communion.  As he was sitting in worship, ready to recieve communion, he thought of his friend, a Congregationalist who could not recieve communion at this church because…well, he was a Congregationalist.  It is said that he left his chip at the communion rail and walked out of the church.

I tell this tale not to put down Presbyterianism (I do get make my living from them).  But I do share this story to relate to verse 9 of today’s text, the calling of Matthew.  Matthew was a tax collector.  While we may not like the tax person these days, people in Israel really didn’t like them.  They worked for the Roman Empire which occupied Israel, so anyone Jew who chose to be a tax collector was basically a collaborator.  Then there was the case that many tax collectors took in more money than the empire required and kept the money themselves, making them theives as well as traitors.  So Matthew was not a popular guy. 

And yet, when Jesus says “follow me,” he immediately leaves his booth and follows Jesus.

Jesus wasn’t too choosy in who he picked as his followers.  You would think that Jesus would pick someone of better character than a tax collector, but there you go. 

 Jesus preached a gracious welcome, calling everyone and everybody to follow him.  There were no restrictions to who could follow Jesus. 

Who is welcome to follow Christ?  All of us, sinners and saints, the upright and not so upright, and everyone in between.

Holy One.  You call all of  us to repentance and discipleship.  Help us to accept each other and provide a gracious welcome to all. Amen.

Dennis Sanders is the IT/Communications Specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. He is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

From Carole Rust, Chair of the Environmental Stewardship Task Force:

We want to really encourage EVERY church to come to send representatives to our first big event, an Environmental Share Fair on Sat., Feb. 16 at North Como Presbyterian Church in Roseville from 9:30 - 12:00.

If you don’t have an environmental group at your church send a member of the staff, Session, Education Comm., or other reps so you will not be left out of this fantastic opportunity for your church to network with other Presbytery churches, get resources, learn about the General Assembly’s 2006 Resolution 09-22 “On Calling All Presbyterians to Take Positive and Immediate Steps to Live Carbon Neutral Lives”, as well as hear a great panel of speakers which will include:

• Lisa Herschberger who is a board member for Congregations Caring for Creation, and research scientist who is qualified to provide info on the report by the Governor’s MN Climate Change Advisory Group. She will point us toward actions we can take and let us in on some things currently going on.
• Cheryl Miller is Project Coordinator of the Minnesota Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration Initiative, a scientific-public policy forum designed to improve understanding and management of carbon stocks in the state’s forests, agricultural areas, and natural areas. Her interest is in Green House Gas emissions as they effect the environment and she will discuss a new report from the U of M and ideas for funding multiple-benefit sequestration activities locally and in the state.
• Sean Gosiewski, Executive Director of the Alliance for Sustainability will be on hand to talk about some future opportunities for action and learning including a gathering at Augsberg College and legislative action . 

Churches will have a chance to share what they have been doing and plan to do environmentally and we encourage people to bring both ideas and resources to share! We’ll have light refreshments if you haven’t had time to eat breakfast that morning. Hope to see you on Sat Feb. 16th!! 

February 9, 2008
Passage:Matthew 8:22-34

“And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’ 

28 When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, ‘What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?’ Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.’ And he said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighbourhood.” 

One of my favorite books is the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Early in the novel, the Pensive children meet the Beavers. Mr. Beaver talks about the great Lion, Aslan. At some point, Lucy the youngest child, asks if Aslan is safe. Mr. Beaver responds: “Safe? Course he’s not safe. He’s good. But he’s not a tame lion.”

In today’s text, we see examples of Jesus’ power. He calms storms and expels demons out of people. All of that tends to scare people. It scared his disciples that he could still the sea and the townspeople were scared that this man could send evil spirits into pigs which then drown themselves in the sea.

Jesus is good, but like Aslan, he is far from tame. He has power to overthrown the kingdoms of this world that oppress and destroy.

There is a story that concerning Desmond Tutu that took place during the apartheid era in South Africa. He saw a group of white policemen and shouted to them, “We have already won! Come and join our side!”

Tutu believed in God that was powerful enough to bring down the apartheid government and God surely did.

The God we serve is a good God indeed. But God is not safe.

Good God, you control all of creation. We thank you that you are a God of justice that works to heal all of creation. Amen.

Dennis Sanders is the IT/Communications Specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. He is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

February 8, 2008
Passage:Matthew 8:14-22

When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.’ Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’

Do you remember the Burger King ad from the 70s: “Have it Your Way?” Burger King was trying to go after its chief competitor McDonald’s by saying that they could make a burger made to order.

We like to have things done on our terms. The thing is, when it comes to following Christ, it’s not about having it our way. Three people come to Jesus saying they want to follow him and several times, Jesus challenges each of them by telling them to choose between following Christ or following whatever they have placed first. It’s sound harsh to hear, I mean, should Jesus have enough sensitivity to understand that these men have responsibilities they need to take care of first? But Jesus would have none of this asking these would-be followers to put God first, not their business or aging parents.

In our culture, as it was in Jesus’ day, we have many things to that vie for our attention. We want to follow Jesus, but we want to get some things out of the way first. As much I am tempted to look down on the would-be followers of Jesus, I also have to remember that I’ve been in their shoes at times and so have we all. The wonderous thing is that Jesus still loves us the same and still call us-but if we heed the voice we have to remember “have it your way” doesn’t apply here.

Holy One, we hear your call to follow you and we want to…after we finish a few things first. Remind us that NOW is the time to follow you. Amen.

Dennis Sanders is the IT/Communications Specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. He is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

From Melissa Onyango-Robshaw, Minister of Administration at Dayton Avenue Presbyterian Church in St. Paul:

 “Come share with us the music of the 70 member choir of Kenwood Academy High School from Chicago, directed by Kenneth Lenon. This spirited group will be visiting Dayton Avenue at the 10:00 am worship service on February 10th to share classical and gospel choral music. This is the first of a series celebrating Black History Month. For more information call Robert Morris at 651-227-7389.”

Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, has set the schedule for the 2008 February Forum speaker series. This year’s lecture series is titled, “The Early Christian Experience” and will feature keynote speaker Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson, Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Johnson is the author of over 25 books on Christian origins and early Christian writings. Other scholars making presentations in February include Dr. Rolf Jacobson and Dr. Matt Skinner, both of Luther Seminary in St. Paul. All lectures will cover the period roughly 50 C.E. through 200 C.E. in early church history. This series is meant to present a scholarly, enlightening and entertaining perspective on the early Christian experience in the Mediterranean world and is intended for people of all faiths and educational backgrounds. The series is not presented as a Bible study.

 

• At 2:00 p.m. Sunday, February 10^th, Luke Timothy Johnson will present a lecture titled,   “Early Christianity - Experience of the Divine.” 
• At 7:00 p.m., Sunday, February 17^th, Dr. Rolf Jacobson will speak on a topic titled, “How the Early Christians read Scriptures in Light of the Resurrection Story.”
• Dr. Matt Skinner will wrap up the series at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, February 24^th with a lecture titled, “If Jesus is God then who are we? How the early church understood itself in their world.”

All presentations are free of charge and open to the public. Doors open one hour prior to the start of each presentation for a coffee and desert social hour. Free child care will be provided. Oak Grove Presbyterian Church is located at 2200 West Old Shakopee Road in Bloomington. Learn more at oakgrv.org.

February 7, 2008
Passage:Matthew 8:1-13

When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour.

“Have faith.” Those are probably the hardest words to hear. Having faith is not easy, especially for us church folks. Yes, we can talk about it, but it’s another thing to actually practice faith. In a time when we worry about declining memberships and shrinking budgets, how can we have faith? And yet, here in this passage, we see a centurion, a man that represents the occupying Roman authority, the oppressor, who believed in Jesus enough to heal his servant. The centurion was an outsider, a non-Jew and yet he believed in Jesus. “I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness,” Jesus said after hearing the Centurion’s response. This should not be taken as an anti-Semetic text, but a text of where people place their trust. Many of those who prided themselves on heritage, will not have a taste of the kingdom, because they placed their trust in their bloodlines and not in God. The Centurion, an outsider, a sinner if there ever was one, placed his faith in God and God alone.

Who or what do we place our trust in? Is it the allure of big budgets or large buildings or is it in the God of Abraham and Sarah who promised to make them a the parents of a nation, even in their old age?

Gracious God, forgive us for our lack of faith.  Like the Apostle Peter, help us in our unbelief.  Amen.

 Dennis Sanders is the IT/Communications Specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. He is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

February 6, 2008 (Ash Wednesday)
Passage:Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Piety has a bad rap in today’s culture.  If someone utters this or its sister word, “pious,” we immediately have an image of someone who thinks they are better than everyone else.  

One wonders if piety had the same connotations in Jesus’ day as it does now.  It might just have.  Jesus warns the crowds gathered around him to not be so concerned with practicing an outward piety, but an inward one.  He tells them not to make a big deal with they give alms to the poor or pray or fast, we are to do them in private for God’s glory, not the glory of others.

 The journey of Jesus that lead to the cross is one of sacrificial living- living for others instead of ourselves.  It’s hard to live for others when you are interested in telling others how close to God you are.

It’s ironic that this is the passage for Ash Wednesday, a day when we wear ashes on our foreheads as we do our daily work.  It seems hard to be inconspicuous when you have this smudge on your head. 

But this passage fits, because it reminds us our own limitations, as well as our struggle to live as Jesus did.  When we follow Christ, piety isn’t so much about us than it is about how best to follow Jesus and love our brothers and sisters.  Jesus transforms piety into something that is sarificial and loving and not condescending. In the end, it’s not about me or you.

Holy God, help us live a life of piety; not to seek rewards for ourselves, but our love for you and for our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Dennis Sanders is the IT/Communications Specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. He is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).