Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #51

December 26, 2022

Church on Christmas Day? You Have To Be Kidding!

A week ago a friend and ministerial colleague posted a New York Times article on Facebook that discussed whether or not churches ought to hold Sunday services yesterday because it was Christmas Day. Apparently a number of churches are considering not having Sunday worship because of Christmas. Christmas Day has not fallen on a Sunday in quite a number of years. I rather enjoyed going to church on Christmas morning on the occasions that Sunday and Christmas Day fall on the same day. When my daughter pastored a Lutheran church I enjoyed visiting her on Christmas morning. They held a communion service every Christmas and I really enjoyed it.

According to the New York Times article, those churches who were planning to hold worship on Sunday were doing so because it is Sunday and they worship on Sunday. Period! Why should they stop having Sunday worship because it is Christmas? An elder of mine who was raised catholic told me that when he was a boy, Christmas Day was considered a “day of obligation.” Christians were expected to go to church on Christmas Day, no matter what day of the week that it fell on. When did this practice fall out of being a common obligation?

The New York Times reports that Churches who are did not hold worship on Christmas Day were cancelling because of the potential for “low attendance.” When did that ever stop the church? As religiosity declines in the United States, many of us deal with low attendance on a weekly basis. When did low attendance ever stop us?

When my friend and ministerial colleague, Rev. Rhonda Meyers, posted this New York Times article on Facebook she wrote the following personal comment, “…But just as I once said resurrection prayers for a funeral no one attended, I will lead worship on the Lord’s Day even if there are few in attendance. What better way to celebrate the gift of the incarnation than to worship God with songs of joy and words of praise.”

Does large attendance really matter or is Christmas a “Day of Obligation” for Christians regardless of congregational size? I wonder if perhaps in the future, all congregations ought to consider worship on Christmas Day regardless what day of the week that it falls on.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Christmas                                                                #ChristmasDay

#DaysofObligation                                                   #RhondaMyers

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #50

December 19, 2022

The Original Hallmark Movie: A Christmas Carol

Despite angering a few friends who adore Hallmark Christmas Movies, I have written about my distaste for them. There is one “Hallmark-type” movie that I do like. It was written by Charles Dickens and is titled “A Christmas Carol.” For me, this is a Christmas Movie that is worth seeing. Over the years there have been many versions but my favorite version is the 1984 version which stars George C. Scott. Somehow Scott seems just perfect for the gruff Ebenezer Scrooge. As bad a man as Scrooge was, I can’t help but feel sorry for him and I celebrate the spiritual redemption that he received.

How can I feel sorry for him?

He is a victim of a harsh childhood.

Scrooge’s father treated him rather harshly. Scrooge’s little sister, when coming to pick him up for school, assures him that their father is gentler than he used to be. Scrooge’s mother is never mentioned. Was his father harsh because he was a widower? Dickens does not tell us why but clearly his childhood was not pleasant.

Should we not feel badly for those who have had rough childhoods?

Scrooge is grieving.

The person that Scrooge loved most in life was his sister, Fran. Fran died in childbirth, giving birth to Scrooge’s nephew, Fred. Does her death remind him of the death of his mother? Were these deaths unresolved for him? He stayed away from his nephew Fred because he reminded him of his sister.

Should we not feel badly for those who grieve?

Scrooge is lonely.

When we come to meet Scrooge in the movie, he is already alone. His parents have died and his sister is also dead. Years earlier, the woman to whom he was engaged to be married, broke the engagement. Scrooge is left alone in the world except for his nephew whom he avoids.

Should we not feel badly for the lonely?

So why did Scrooge become such a monster. Many folks have been abused, grieved, and been lonely. Not everyone under these circumstances become ruthless monsters who like Scrooge, care nothing about the lives of others. Many people overcome such hardships and become rather compassionate. Usually because they have outside mentors and role models. We can only guess why he did not have resiliency. I suggest that this was because he had no Christian mentor. He knew nothing of God or Christian living. Christmas was not a celebration for him. He did not worship God and so had nothing to celebrate at Christmas. It took the intervention of four ghosts to show him what he once was and what he could become. I can’t help but wonder if he could have spent a lifetime as a compassionate man if only a Christian mentor had been there for him.

Let us who are Christian keep the world from creating other Scrooges. Let us be there for the abused, the grieving, the lonely. Let us show them the Fruit of the Holy Spirit so that they may have spiritual resiliency to overcome such hardships without morphing into other Scrooge type people. If we who are Christ’s people don’t teach the resiliency of the Spirit to those in need then who will?

Maybe this should be our resolutions for the new year; to be there for those in need so that future Scrooges could be averted. What a gift we can give the world!

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#HallmarkMovies                                                     #AChristmasCarol

#EbenezarScrooge                                                  #HolySpirit

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #49

December 12, 2022

A Shout Out To Second Reformed Church in Hackensack

Every year many churches puzzle over how to get neighbors to come and visit for Christmas services. For a large number of churches, few visitors arrive. Many church have simply given up and stop trying to invite newcomers and simply hold Christmas services for themselves. Recently I saw an example of a church that did not invite people in to hear the Christmas story. Instead, the church took the Christmas story outside the church building and onto the church lawn where everyone could see it and participate in it. This church was the Second Reformed Church in Hackensack. I attended this event.

Outside on the lawn we were treated to a petting zoo. We also watched a Christmas play complete with sheep, goats, a donkey, and a camel. The church lawn was very crowded. Volunteers walked around with nametags, ready to answer any questions a visitor might have.

Other things were going on inside the church. Tours of the sanctuary were being offered. Crafts for children were set out in the church lounge. Of course, refreshments were offered. Hot Chocolate, donuts, coffee and candy canes were freely offered. Dozens of children were there. I don’t know how many of the kids were from the church and how many were visitors. It didn’t seem to matter to the volunteers. Each child was welcomed and not seen as a nuisance, but a person to be embraced and celebrated.

On the way out, I was intrigued to see direction signs in both English and Spanish. This old, wealthy and established white church was making major efforts to do outreach to new and culturally different neighbors.

I witness the church at its best on Saturday. I saw a church that didn’t wait for people to come in. The church went outside to interact with neighbors.

The church celebrated hospitality. All were welcome, including children, who are too often seen as annoyances instead of people to be welcomed.

The church made attracting new folks a higher priority than “soothing” current members. A church internally focused can never grow.

Second Reformed Church of Hackensack did it well. I am glad that I was a part of it. I’m glad that I brought my grandson also. He had the time of his life. I hope and pray that all of our churches will imitate Second Hackensack. This church got it right and I hope that we all will begin to likewise “get it right.”

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#LiveNativity                                                             #ChristmasPlay

#Hospitality                                                               #SecondReformedChurchHackensack

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/

Our daily devotional is a re-post with permission from Words Of Hope. Come view our website at www.clintonave.org.

Listen to the Elderly

By Lou Lotz on December 6, 2022

Read: Luke 2:25-38

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. (v. 25)

Anna and Simeon were old. They were past the age of working, managing a household, or taking care of children. Instead, each in their own way, they devoted themselves to God, testifying to others of God’s goodness and faithfulness.

At times, it can be hard for older people to see their value when they can’t do what they used to. There is another, better way to think about old age. Psalm 92 was written long ago, but it describes people you and I know today: “The righteous flourish like the palm tree . . . They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green” (vv. 12-14). Still bearing fruit in old age. Still fresh and green—that’s how I want to be. In old age we may have to live differently, but we don’t have to live less.

We may admire the enthusiasm of youth, which bubbles over like champagne. But from the elderly we can gain deep wisdom that has been aged in casks of experience. There were a lot of eyes in the temple that day, but only old eyes—Anna and Simeon’s eyes—saw the holy child for who he was. —Lou Lotz

Today’s Activity: If you are younger, spend time with an older person. Send a note, make a call, or plan a visit. Ask questions and listen to the answers. If you are older, reflect on how you have seen God’s faithfulness over your life and share your testimony with a younger person.

In this week’s episode Pastor Mark recalls the communion celebration he experienced on the Sea of Galilee on his recent trip to the Holy Land and what our communion-ware says about our image of Jesus and his teachings.

Pastor Mark is a Christian Pastor, author, blogger, and sometimes background actor. He brings all of his years of life experience to ask spiritual questions about the ordinary events of life.

https://rss.com/podcasts/pastormarkchat/731575/

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #48

December 5, 2022

Indiana Jones and Holy Communion

My favorite of all the Indiana Jones movies is “The Last Crusade.” This movie features both Sean Connery as well as Harrison Ford. In this movie the two are seeking “The Holy Grail” which is said to be the chalice that Jesus used during the Last Supper. This movie is a fictional tail that has the chalice guarded by a society of warriors who have been protecting it since the last supper. Drinking from this chalice restores health and liquid poured from it even heals bullet wounds. In this movie, Indiana Jones must pick the correct chalice from a line of dozens if not hundreds of chalices. Most are heavily ornamented with jewels and are made of precious metals. Jones, makes the correct selection, picking the most humble and ordinary chalice. It was, after all, the drinking cup of a carpenter, not of a wealthy man or human royalty.

It startles me that Hollywood in this movie seemed to understand Holy Communion better than many churches do. Churches that I have been a part of use tend to use very ornate communion ware, quite unlike and detached from common dishes. My home church used sterling silver, stored in special jeweler bags and polished before each communion service. Most communion sets I have seen would probably be better fits at Downton Abbey than at a supper celebrated at Jesus’ Last Supper. It seems that we forget the humility of Jesus.

During my trip to the Holy Land I was pleasantly surprised when I was asked to loan one of my souvenir purchases for use during our service of Holy Communion. This purchase, to no one’s surprise, was a coffee mug from a Palestinian store. My coffee mug was used as a communion chalice on a boat on the Sea of Galilee!

At first it seemed strange to have my coffee mug used in such a way, but once the communion service began, somehow it seemed right. Jesus used ordinary dishes at the Last Supper and we were using an ordinary coffee mug, far more humble than the usual Holy Communion dishes. I felt that perhaps we were closer to the real Last Supper than many Communion services that I have participated in.

If there is one thing that Jesus encouraged in his disciples, it was humility. He was God becoming human but a human who was ordinary, not extraordinary by human standards. It is in the humble and ordinary that we really find Jesus, not in the fancy or spectacular. I hope that we remember this during communion and every other aspect of life. The more humble we are, the closer we get to Jesus.

As an epilogue to this story, I wondered if I could ever drink coffee out of my mug after it was used for Holy Communion. Somehow, using it for coffee seemed sacrilegious. When I tried it with coffee suddenly my memory was pulled back to the Sea of Galilee and I re-experienced the joy of that Holy Communion. I’m glad that my mug was used in that way. It was a communion that I bet I will never forget.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#HolyLand                                                                 #SeaofGalilee

#HolyCommunion                                                    #Humility

Our daily devotional is a re-post with permission from Words Of Hope. Come view our website at www.clintonave.org.

The Guest Who Never Leaves

By Laura Sweet on November 30, 2022

Read: Revelation 3:14-22

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. (v. 20)

Even the most congenial host would be dismayed at the thought of a guest who never left! But what if the guest is Jesus Christ himself? And what if he desires close and personal fellowship with us? He is truly the guest we want to stay with us forever!

Christ’s words to the church of Laodicea were not easy ones for the believers there to hear. He reproved them for being “lukewarm” in their response towards him (v. 16). They were spiritually self-satisfied, and did not even realize their true state of being “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (v. 17). Even as he reproved these believers, Jesus invited them to a closer, more intimate relationship. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (v. 20). While this verse is often used to invite unbelievers to repentance, it is actually a verse addressed to believers. Jesus is ready for us to show him hospitality!

We have seen how hospitality was practiced in both the Old and New Testaments and how it’s expected of God’s people. We extend it to both friends and enemies in obedience to God. Hospitality advances the gospel in numerous ways and will be rewarded someday as Christ shows his hospitality to us. Finally, we have the joy of being hospitable to Jesus himself as we open our hearts to him. —Laura N. Sweet

As you pray, think of your own response to the call for hospitality.

PastorMarkCast

In this week’s episode Pastor Mark discusses his recent trip to the Holy Land and the distrust and divisions that he observed existing between Israelis and Palestinians.

Pastor Mark is a Christian Pastor, author, blogger, and sometimes background actor. He brings all of his years of life experience to ask spiritual questions about the ordinary events of life.

Go to this link to hear the podcast:

https://rss.com/podcasts/pastormarkchat/711869/

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #47

November 28, 2022

Tears For The Holy Land

I have recently arrived back from the trip of a lifetime. I took a continuing education journey with other members of the Reformed Church in America to the Holy Land. It has been years since I felt the spiritual high that I felt while I walked through the places where Jesus walked.

In the midst of historical sights I also learned a bit about how Israeli Jews and Palestinians interact and the fear that each group has and the distrust that is apparent between the two groups. Palestinians living in East Jerusalem have special license plates. They are taxed but not allowed to vote. Palestinians living in occupied zones live under martial law and are answerable for their behavior in Military, not civilian courts. They also need permits to leave the occupied zones through check points around the security wall.

Israeli Jews are fearful because they are descendants of those who survived the holocaust of Europe and because of the Palestinian militias that sought to keep them from relocating to Palestine beginning in the late 1800’s and continuing today. Terror attacks by Palestinians have done nothing to relieve the fear that these Jews live with.

Palestinians in the occupied lands live under the daily threat of being arrested and brought to military courts. Their movements and their water supplies are controlled by Israel. They fear overnight incursions into their homes by heavily armed Israeli soldiers. Often these entries happen at two or three in the morning. They also fear that their transportation and work permits might get cancelled and their ability to earn a livelihood will end.

While I was in the Holy Land, all was peaceful. We interacted with both Palestinian and Jew. We traveled through Israel as well as areas in the occupied West Bank. I was grateful that all was peaceful despite at times feeling the tension between the two groups. I was shocked when three days after my return two bombs exploded near Jerusalem, killing and maiming Abraham’s sons and daughters.

It saddens me that these two groups, all descendants of Abraham, have so much to fear from one another. As our season of Advent begins, followed by the Christmas Season, I will be praying more fervently that peace might finally come to this troubled land and all of Abraham’s descendants can learn to respect and love one another and even seek the prosperity of all.

This Advent and Christmas season please pray for peace in the Holy Land. It breaks my heart that people live in such fear and I believe that Abraham, and the God of Abraham, cry when Abraham’s descendants treat each other so badly.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#HolyLand                                                                 #Peace

#Israel                                                                        #Palestine

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2022 Blog #46

November 21, 2022

Thanksgiving: The Fruit of the Spirit

Thanksgiving is just a few day away. I always love the Thanksgiving Holiday. I have some long-standing traditions every Thanksgiving. On the day before Thanksgiving our congregation hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner for those who have no families to share a celebratory dinner with.

On Thanksgiving day, of course, I have to watch “The March of the Wooden Soldiers” followed by the Macy’s parade. A magnificent dinner with family and friends follows that and what follows is great time of socializing with those I care about most. Perhaps, amid the socializing, I will get to watch a little football also.

What are your traditions? Do you celebrate dinner with the family followed by a few football games? Do you look forward to watching the Westminster Dog Show after dinner and begin watching Hallmark Christmas movies?

No matter what your traditions are for this holiday, I hope and pray that at your Thanksgiving table, and after the table is cleared, that you will not just eat the fruits of your feast but also take on the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Not everyone knows what these are so here are a list of them. I hope that you will pray to receive this fruit and will begin to practice them each and every day.

Love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, patience, gentleness and self-control.

It is good that we have Thanksgiving to celebrate the prosperity that God gives to us. Better than physical wealth and prosperity is the gift that God gives us with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Such fruit gives us a Spiritual resilience that can carry us through the most difficult at times and can even improve our relationships with others. Which is better to have wealth but poor relationships or great relationships and more modest material blessings? I think that better relationships are far better than wealth.

As we are on the verge of Advent, Christmas, and the new year, I ask that we all pray for the fruit of the spirit and exercising that fruit. Such practices will go a long way to giving us a blessed holiday season and a peace-filled new year. A full Thanksgiving table is wonderful but a soul filled with the Spirit fruit is even better.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor            

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Thankgiving                                                             #Abudance

#FruitoftheSpirit                                                        #GiftsoftheSpirit

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/