RevRex.Espiritu.net --- Committed to The Call

reEngage the Faith!

Pastoral Reflection for Annual Report 2011-2012

The Most Wonderful Time

Pastoral Perspective—On the Charge and Benediction of Joy inPrayer and Thanksgiving

Pastoral Perspective – On the In-Between

Pastoral Perspective on The Fellowship of Presbyterians

Peacemaking Offering – Litany of Thanksgiving (adapted for World Communion Sunday 2011)

Pastoral Perspective… On Excellence… From the Start through the End…

Pastoral Perspective: On Times of Transition

Do you know any self-identifying "ex-"church attenders?

Living Every Day In Faith

The Christ Resurrection Event

A Theology of Lament in Worship on Good Friday

He has set eternity in their hearts....

Giving Up for Lent

on our understanding of God's election

The Solitary Vocation

What's next? - the next nexus in the navigational narrative

Hope... in God.... The Source of All Hope

Freeing Truth

Responding to Tragedy

Happiness of Happenstance, Upon a Day of Joyous Birth

What's new?

A Feast for Souls on Occasions of Community Celebration in Spirit

as it was

Passages Along the Journey in Faith

A Debt of Gratitude in the Light of God’s Grace

A Year in the Life: Recounted with Thanksgiving for God’s Faithfulness through Many

Is Now And Ever Shall Be

Order of Service of Witness to the Resurrection - Melissa Q. Espiritu

with hope….

Beauty Will Rise!

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (NLT) [New Living Translation]

Melissa Q. Espiritu

At Three Months On….

Pastoral Prospective on prayersForMelissa.com

prayersForMelissa.com

The Best… of my love….

What am I most grateful for this Thanksgiving?

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

PC(USA) - Presbyterian 101 - Infant Baptism

PC(USA) - Presbyterian 101 - Sacraments

PC(USA) - Theology and Worship - Indiscriminate Baptism and Baptismal Integrity

Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service: New Castle, Henry County, Indiana - Obituary for Mariano G. Espiritu

The Courier Times - New Castle, IN | Mariano G. Espiritu

The Courier Times - New Castle, IN | Religious Perspectives: Holy scriptures useful in dire economic times

Spring Forward with the Promise

The Courier Times - New Castle, IN | Religious perspectives - A pastor reflects with hope on Thanksgiving

On the Continual Calling to be Christians, even for those "not yet" called

Persevering through the Psalms in the Life of Prayer

Elements of Reformed Worship

On that which relates to the notions of Election, Predestination, Soteriology, Salvation

On the Notion(s) of Separation vs. "Boundaries"

Arise, come away....

It's all about... Who....

Pastoral Prospective on prayersForMelissa.com

Ears to Hear... Words of Encouragement

2012-02-16T09:07:00.001-05:00

reEngage the Faith!

a biblical study of confessional essentials

As recently stated in the foreword to a document issued by The Fellowship of Presbyterians, it is worthwhile and timely for us "to identify the statements of our confessional heritage that connect us with the one holy catholic apostolic church and express our distinctively Reformed convictions within that church."

In the Presbyterian Church, we provide new members, confirmation classes and officers of the church who have been elected to serve in leadership a number of resources toward deepening our life in faith lived together in community for the glory of God. One of these is the Book of Confessions which, as stated in the ordination vows for both teaching and ruling Elders as well as Deacons in the PCUSA, promotes "the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do." Leaders vow to "be instructed and led by those confessions as [we] lead the people of God." With Jesus Christ as Lord, church leaders vow to serve together "in obedience to Jesus Christ under the authority of Scripture and continually guided by our confessions."

While the above is true, we have room for improvement in increasing one another's biblical and theological literacy in the church. As expressed by the task force on theology for The Fellowship of Presbyterians:

Casual affirmation of our theological heritage by our generation has severely weakened our worship and witness. We are squandering the gifts our confessional heritage could give us. We confess we have not been good stewards of the Faith. We must now reengage the Faith of the Church in ways that are more deeply committed to its truth and thus its value in ordering our life toward faithfulness.

Beloved, we are in need of re-formation! I wonder how many of us have really mined the depths and/or recently re-examined the jewels of the Christian faith to be found and rediscovered in the Presbyterian and reformed stream of Christianity. How much have we truly treasured the gifts of God given for us in the reformed tradition to uniquely share with our fellow sisters and brothers in Christ in order to bless the world which God so loves?

Contrary to the notion that affirming the uniqueness of our particular expression of Christianity is not as important as promoting our unity and oneness in the Spirit of Christ, we may actually be doing the world and ourselves a disservice by hiding that aspect of our light under a bushel! If in our diversity we are all created in the image of God, then by downplaying our distinctiveness we could be robbing one another of the opportunity to more fully display the richness of the deeply broad heritage and desirably divine beauty of the body of Christ. The Fellowship Theology Taskforce goes on to say:

We reject the proposition that theology divides. Instead, we affirm the proposition that truth tends toward unity.

This depth may be challenging for some. We acknowledge this and we encourage you to read more than once, and to read together with others. This is a teaching moment. Let us use this to deepen our knowledge of the Reformed Faith.

In this season of Lent, let us together approach with confidence the confessions of our faith anew with reverence and awe for the glory of God in Christ! Join one another in Christian Living at Sunday School this winter into spring! See you in C.L.A.S.S.

Pastor Rex

2012-01-03T15:37:00.001-05:00

Certain passages from the Scriptures come to mind as we continue to traverse through the year ending and into the coming new year.

In Numbers 13, the Lord tells the prophet Moses to send leaders to explore the land that the Lord is giving to the people of God. Among those sent in leadership are Caleb and Hoshea (or Joshua). Upon together submitting their report to Moses and Aaron, Caleb speaks out and says, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." But others instead express fear and reluctance, saying, "We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

In Judges 6, the people of Israel again did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Still, in the midst of their disobedience, a messenger of God was sent. The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?" The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" "But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."

This year has marked a beginning for our exploration in leadership to discern the Lord's leading, seeking God's will and favor as a church congregation gathered in the unity and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. In view of the new and changing denominational landscape of the old mainline churches, and particularly in our Presbyterian Church (USA), the leadership of First Presbyterian Church of New Castle, Indiana is embarking on exploratory initiatives to determine our course of action for the near and foreseeable future. Varied trajectories are open before us, available for due consideration. The time is at hand for this process to further unfold over the next year. A number of your Elders in leadership will be in attendance as The Fellowship of Presbyterians convenes their covenanting conference in Orlando this January 2012, following their inaugural gathering which I attended in Minneapolis last August 2011.

Prayer of the faithful continues to be critical along this journey. I pray we continue and proceed with the same mindset as Caleb's. Let us go up and take the land the Lord our God is giving us! And also, like Gideon before us, let us go in the strength we have and be witnesses sent by the Lord, Who is our salvation! As we contend with the challenges before us, may we experience God's success and presence with us in the Lord, our mighty warrior. Let the leaders' journeying continue and let the New Year begin!

In the Mighty Presence and Spirit of the Lord our King,

Rex Espiritu

2011-12-28T14:52:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Or so the song lyrics of the same title go. However, though, in the fullness of time, I wonder if that is indeed true of some others' experience of this season. Is it really all the time all that wonderful for all?

I had a conversation recently with a friend whose family has had many experiences of grief and loss over the years. In sharing with each other about some of our common, similarly emotional moments of remembering loved ones who have passed on to eternity, they made mention of sometimes having mixed feelings about holiday, anniversary and/or birthday celebrations.

There seems to be for some a bittersweet sense of joy and manifest pain of loss present at the same time that characterizes such celebrated life events. Questions unanswered, even such unspoken thoughts rise to the surface of our conscious being. Where might we be now, if not for…? What might this Christmastime be or have been like if they were still here with us today?

One person offered that, in their experience, not necessarily the first, but the second or third subsequent holidays, birthdays or anniversaries become particularly difficult over time. And yet, life truly does and has to go on, doesn't it? There is, as the hymn that ascribes of God's steadfast loving-kindness goes, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Because of the Lord's great compassion we are not consumed. We, above it all, experience mercies renewing every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us of God's great faithfulness unto us amidst the challenges in and through which the Lord identifies with us.

One colleague in ministry says that during times when we may find ourselves at a low point emotionally or otherwise, s/he finds it helpful to give oneself to and for others. Whether it is unto those in need or not, the act of giving in the service of others for their greater blessing actually lifts up our own spirits for our betterment as well.

In and through the wonder of it all, we experience God's grace for us and for our loved ones both living and also on the other side of eternity. In this case, I do resonate with certain themes in the romanticism of the tune.

It is the most wonderful time of year. It is a time of year filled to the full with wonder and awe at the God of wonders who came to be born to us in awfully humble surroundings. That is certainly worth celebrating most wonderfully, even throughout the whole year.

May this holiday season be for you and yours entirely filled with joyfully fulfilling holy days of yuletide reverence to the glory of the Holy One of Bethlehem. Blessings at Christmas for the New Year to come!

In the Spirit of the King,

Rex Espiritu

2011-12-28T14:40:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The words continually ring true. The charge and benediction of my pastor at the end of Sunday morning worship services from my childhood and teenage years even now resound throughout my very being, and maybe especially so in the deep recesses of my heart and mind. I had the honor and privilege of reciting the very same words as a pastor and guest preacher six weeks ago in the sanctuary of my old home church in Mount Vernon, New York. I cannot even imagine growing up and going through life without a regular charge and benediction on a regular basis, particularly at the end of each service of worship. There may be varied incantations but the general gist of it goes something like this:

"Go forth into the world in peace! Take hold of that which is good. Do not pay back wrong for wrong. But support the fainthearted, and help those who are in need of help, for you thereby show due honor to every person. Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus our Lord. And may the love of God the Father, the grace of God the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you and those whom you love this day and always. Amen."

It was a heartfelt moment. It was an emotional event. To have a sudden, immediate, keen awareness of God's hand upon you as your life seemingly flashes by before you. When things appear to come full circle in the unity of all things past and into the present future, one cannot help but stand in reverence and awe at the wonder of the Lord's providential grace in one's life. Still before the Holy One, there is a sense of speechlessness amidst the experience of the eternal presence.

Thomas Merton writes on the Feast of the Dedication of Gethsemane's Church, "Nothing could be more beautiful, nothing could make me happier." Tears of joy, peace everlasting, grace abounding. Such gladness of heart with gratitude to God. "And yet it raises again the unanswerable question: 'What on earth am I doing here?' " Yes, I hear the charge to go. Yes, I heed the exhortation to receive and live the good word. But what exactly am I doing here for God's sake? For what purpose have you and I been called?

Merton goes on to write, "I have answered it a million times. 'I belong here,' and this is no answer. In the end, there is no answer like that. Any vocation is a mystery, and juggling with words does not make it

any clearer. It is a contradiction and must remain a contradiction."

It's like that saying, "The more you know, the more you realize the less you know." Even when questions may be answered, they beget more questions. And so, it is enough to surrender in awe with great thanksgivings unto the One Who is worthy of all our praise.

Therefore, beloved, this Thanksgiving through Advent and always: Go in peace! Do good, not wrong. Support, help, honor, rejoice, pray, give thanks each and every time! We belong here together. This is our lot in life. Let it be so.

To God be the glory,

Pastor Rex

2011-10-20T08:40:00.001-04:00

A few years ago, my wife Melissa read an article in a publication focusing on the notion of being sandwiched between two generations. Upon sharing it with me and in the course of our ongoing conversation, I felt led to encourage her (and myself) to reflect further on it. After writing in her journal(s), she began to experience a sense of call to this time and space in which she acknowledged in her prayer life that God had placed her to bridge the gap between one generation and another other than her own.

Last week, a friend mentioned that they had been reading a book, delving into this subject in another way. "The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions" by Jeff Manion explores the Exodus of the people of Israel as they traversed through the desert land between the bondage of Egypt and the greater freedom of the promised land.

Our own recent forays into this year's lectionary passages from the Pentateuch of the Old Testament give us pause to consider our own plight as a congregation gathered together from one generation to the next. The Books of the Law handed down from Moses through the generations of God's people provide for us an ample compendium of illustrations ripe for our application.

These ruminations serve to engender a renewed sense of call for me to share that the Lord our God indeed beckons us anew to bridge the gap that is before us in imparting the good news of the Gospel from one generation through us onto another. I believe our church is at a critical juncture in the journey of faith together as the Lord leads us further and farther to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person.

We are in an in-between time through which we have been afforded a window of opportunity to choose to discern well and re-up our commitment to the call. We must stand once again for the way, the truth, and the life that our Lord and our God has given us in Jesus Christ that the world may know that the Father has sent the Son, once and for all.

In a recent seminar that our presbytery hosted in preparation for the end of the liturgical year and the beginning of Advent, the study at one point also led into a discussion on this topic. Like the Israelites before us, we are, beloved, chosen ones upon whom the mantle of leadership has been laid in order to effect the transition of God's people from generation to generation to generation for the glory of God to be manifest in the spread of the Gospel through the very end of the age.

May the Lord find us faithful in proclaiming the Word. And may God's presence go with us as we continue to go forth from this place.

Prayerfully yours, and His,

Pastor Rex

2011-09-30T12:39:00.001-04:00

www.fellowship-pres.org

On August 25 and 26 in the Twin Cities area at the conference hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota, what was initially anticipated in early spring to be attended by three hundred people instead showed to be nearly two thousand strong. The inaugural gathering of like-minded evangelicals in The Fellowship of Presbyterians signaled a significant movement of the Holy Spirit already underway among presbyters concerned with recent outcomes of voting by Presbyteries which has effected major changes in polity for the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Throughout the two days filled with several seminars, workshops, breakout sessions, table group discussions and stimulating conversations, I witnessed what I regard to be the incipient beginnings of monumental transformation yet to come and in some ways already in progress. We will likely be experiencing rapid, accelerated changes in structure and organization across the denomination in what I might now more emphatically refer to as the post-denominational landscape of the new millennium.

Nearly twenty-five years ago, I saw and had to participate in the radical re-ordering and massive restructuring of a major corporation. The company I worked for was part of a global conglomerate that at the time was much hindered in its businesses by outdated bureaucratic procedures and multiple levels of organizational hierarchies which impeded their ability to act nimbly and quickly in response to the demands of their various constituencies. The varied units across the multi-national corporation were streamlined from having in some cases thirteen different levels of management down to just five layers of supervision.

I believe that this is not unlike what is currently happening or about to happen in the PCUSA today. It is not just about theology per se, as important as that is, but also the reforms necessary to more practically effect the renewal of missional ministry in the church for the rapidly changing world around us.

On Sunday , October 23, I am envisioning a shortened morning service followed by an informational gathering of the congregation to provide a setting in which we may explore further in conversation these things which are currently happening among Presbyterians in and surrounding the PCUSA. Please keep the efforts of The Fellowship of Presbyterians in your prayers as we all seek the Lord's face together in pursuing the better future God has in mind for us to discover and realize anew.

As the prophet in Jeremiah (29:11-14a) proclaims, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me. And I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord.

In the grip of God's amazing grace, with you, I remain and continue

Pastor Rex

2011-09-27T14:26:00.001-04:00

Peacemaking Offering - Litany of Thanksgiving (adapted for World Communion Sunday 2011)

One: We give you thanks O God,

for you have made us in your image

female and male, black, brown, olive, and pale.

You created us and continue to shape us and teach us to love you,

to love our neighbors, and to love ourselves.

With gratitude we pray….

All: Bread of life, cup of peace, we give you thanks, O God.

One: You set us in this world to love and to serve you,

and to live in peace with your whole creation.

Although we have failed to do so,

you have not rejected us but continue to call us back to your way.

With gratitude we pray….

All: Bread of life, cup of peace, we give you thanks, O God.

One: In Jesus Christ you showed us your love for all,

especially those among us often rejected by others.

Those of us who are poor, immigrants, prostitutes, suffering from illness, those whom

society has deemed

unclear or impure.

You showed us the way to a new community, one in which the last would be first,

justice would be realized,

resources would be shared in common.

With gratitude we pray….

All: Bread of life, cup of peace, we give you thanks, O God.

One: Jesus proclaimed the good news of the reign of God, healing

the sick, feeding the hungry, calling for economic

justice from tax collectors and religious leaders,

preaching about faith guided by the heart, not law.

With gratitude we pray….

All: Bread of life, cup of peace, we give you thanks, O God.

One: Yet we rebelled against his message of compassion and justice,

and he was crucified because we feared such love.

But death cannot ultimately defeat life; many waters

cannot quench love. Jesus rose from the grave,

and in the resurrection we place our hope and

assurance. We joyfully celebrate Christ's life and

resurrection as we wait for the day that Christ is fully

present with us and in us and the world is at peace.

With gratitude we pray….

All: Bread of life, cup of peace, we give you thanks, O God.

One: Gracious God, we give you thanks for pouring out your Holy Spirit upon us. Fill us with compassion that we might be moved to action that your reign might be on earth as it is in heaven.

With gratitude all God's people say….

All: Amen.

2011-08-17T16:09:00.001-04:00

In a quote attributed to William Arthur Ward, pastor Bill Teng from National Capital Presbytery recently shared a thoughtful note of gratitude on the notion that tears "prepare our eyes for a clearer vision of God". I understand and appropriate this to mean that, upon our countenance becoming awash with tears, our eyes are hence provided for a renewed clarity of insight concerning our perceptions and perspective of God. In the aftermath, we gain a keener sense of who God is, what God has in mind and is about doing, and what God has in store for us. Tears "prepare our eyes for a clearer vision of God."

As I read this, again, the passage of Saul on the road toward Damascus when scales fell from his eyes in the process of changing to Paul comes to mind. I am reminded of a personal sense of cleansing that occurs when tears are shed through one's eyes, flowing upon the face, moistening cheeks touched by the very healing power, gracious presence and tendering mercies of God.

This month, as we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I imagine and share in, along with many others in this nation and world, a salutary stream of solvent tears over the years. As we may find ourselves from time to time encountering some sobering times in and through life even over the past decade, the Lord of heaven and earth continually carries and brings us to and through transforming moments by which we experience the very heart of grace whose tears fell down upon the garden's ground at Gethsemane.

We are, dear ones, treasured and beloved children of God in Whose eyes we are forever eternally precious and by Whose hands, arms and shoulders we are always beheld and ever being carried forward with tender care. It is within this context and present, ongoing reality of God's love for us that we are enabled and empowered to exhibit excellence by the grace and for the glory of God.

As the apostle Paul writes to the saints in Philippi, "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8) While many may experience the onslaught of terribly tragic tribulations, ever are we also presented opportunity to rise above situations in the circumstances of humanity to exercise valor and in humility display a depth of determination to persevere together in prayer.

Throughout the highs and lows of life in lives lived by faith, we are called and resolved to relieve one another in Christ toward the redemptive, reconciling purposes of the Lord. Under the sovereign grace of almighty God Whose banner over us is love that shields us, protects us, and covers a multitude of sins, we are set free in the way, the truth, and the life to glorify and enjoy God forever.

Therefore, as ones holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and above all put on love which binds all together in perfect unity. Let your light shine before others that they may truly witness and experience the glory and grace of God at work in and through you for the blessing of many in the Lord. From the very start, on to and through the end, may you exude excellence in the Lord alone Who gives you strength for the journey ahead.

Do not give up meeting together and being wholly present to, with and for one another as some are in the habit of doing. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, praying and sharing in the Word with each other. Raise the standard, lifting high the cross of Christ, fixing our gaze upon the Holy and Anointed One Who is the very healing of our lives—the author, pioneer and perfecter, finisher of our faith. Let tears "prepare our eyes for a clearer vision of God." The One Who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it.

In Christ Jesus our Lord,

Pastor Rex

2011-07-20T16:29:00.002-04:00

Rick Warren, pastor, author of "The Purpose Driven Life", recently remarked on the subject of grief in the following comment posted via Twitter.
(This may be timely even for our community in light of yesterday's accident.)

RickWarren

@RickWarren Rick Warren

You never get OVER grief; You get THRU it. Grief is God's tool for transitioning thru life's losses. Grief is healthy.

19 Jul via Twitter from <http://twitter.com/#!/RickWarren/status/93337220592836609>

Pastor Rick's statements on this topic speak to transitional events which bear some striking similarities of resemblance in my own recent, personal experience—of grieving and otherwise. I have also heard others in grief groups from other settings for whom these same remarks sound resonant with their situations.

The occurrence of grief at the loss of a loved one is an ongoing process that one goes through. Rather than attempting to "get over it", it can be more helpful and beneficial to actually allow oneself to experience it.

Now that may mean different things and/or different ways to do so for different people. But I can tell you that whenever I have tried to either ignore, suppress, or dismiss a wave of grief that may suddenly begin to wash over me, sooner or later it eventually backfires on me and an ensuing backlash seems to imminently happen upon me with sometimes even greater intensity. These bursts of grief can at times be, if you will, a beast of a burden.

As emotional creatures, our humanity appears to bear witness all the more from Scripture with regard to our being "fearfully and wonderfully made" in the image of and by our Creator. The words "human" and "humility" can be derived from the Latin "humus" which pertains to the ground of our being from the soil and dust of the earth. We had best remember this while navigating through the transitions of our lives.

Whenever we are tempted to deny that reality and the truth of where and how God has placed us in the grander scheme of things in space and time, the opportunity presents itself for us to either embrace the experience or be braced by it. We are after all, as the saying goes, only human. Who do we really think we are… to act as if we could control such an involuntary event of the soul? That belies the essence of our substance. What pride and arrogance for us to posit that we can ultimately hold the reins of our destiny!

No, dear beloved ones. The Lord of life is either the one and only Lord over all, or He is not Lord at all. If there is one constant, continually echoing strain of thought from the theology and tradition of our reformed faith, it is that Jesus Christ is Lord. Indeed, a high view of God's sovereignty is the very hallmark of our belief as God's people and children of the Lord. And this bears witness in and through all things, including the experience of grief and loss itself as they might be used as the Lord's instrument to help us in and through times of transition to the glory of God.

So whatever happens, come what may, let the power, presence, comfort and healing grace of God's Holy Spirit carry each and everyone in and through the challenges of the days before us. The times ahead hold the promises of God to find their yes anew in Christ Jesus our Lord!

To Him be the glory,

Pastor Rex

2011-06-16T10:09:00.001-04:00

"I'm an ex-Catholic." That's what some folks from the Roman Catholic tradition are apparently referring to themselves these days. On NBC's Today show, host Matt Lauer and company recently visited the Vatican. In an interview with the archbishop from New York, Timothy Dolan, they remarked in conversation together that for the first time, there's a sizeable group of Catholics who are saying, "I'm no longer Catholic." Father Dolan acknowledged that we've always had a group of Catholics who say, "I'm kind of lax [in attending church]", but "these are people leaving [the church]".

"42% say they don't attend services on a weekly basis. That can't be good news for the church. Have you been able to get your arms around the main reason... the main reason why it's happening?" the archbishop was asked. He responded:

"Those are chilling, sobering statistics and we bishops have to look at it square in the eye. No pastor is going to be content with statistics like that, to get our people back, to excite them about the faith. That remains a high pastoral problem.

Why are people leaving? I think some of them are leaving because of scandal. I think some of them are leaving because of materialism and temptations in life. I think some are leaving because they're on one side or the other that maybe the Catholic church has modernized too much and others because it hasn't modernized [enough]."

It may suffice to say at the very least that this is a multi-faceted challenge for members of the church in leadership to grapple and wrestle with in attempting to address. One aspect that comes to mind has to do with our sense of self. What does it really mean for us to find our true identity in Christ? How do we view and regard "the church"? Do we have right thinking and well informed understanding of God's intended purpose for the body of Christ that is "the church"?

These are questions of ecclesiology and missiology that challenge the ongoing formation of our theology of the church of Jesus Christ. How we view ourselves in the greater missional context of the whole community of believers in Christ worldwide will in a fundamental way impact our actions and/or inactions in matters of religion, faith and spirituality.

One thing I have come to in thinking further upon these things… It's going to take more than just any one person. But it can and does begin with one encouraging another. Do you know any self-identifying "ex-"church attenders? Encourage them to attend again! Find a way to winsomely invite them once more to experience God's ever welcoming, loving, open arms of embrace with kindness and grace.

With our New Castle community's inordinate amount of snow days used this past winter into spring having extended the school year into the middle of June, you and I may be tempted to take as big and as long a break as we can from the regularity of scheduled activities throughout the short summer months we have left. And yet, I want to encourage you and me/myself, all of us to consider and/or reconsider.

The writer in Hebrews (10:24-25) exhorts the hearer of the Word in this way: Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

As king David proclaimed in the Psalms, may each and every one of us in Christ also say: I was glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord!"

Pastor Rex

2011-05-09T03:33:00.001-04:00

"There remains
for us
only
the very narrow way,
often extremely difficult to find,

of living every day
as though it were our last,

and yet living in faith and responsibility
as though there were to be
a great future."
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

http://j.mp/k6SEj0

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

2011-04-25T13:37:00.001-04:00

The Resurrection of Jesus the Christ from the dead

was, is, and continues to be of significant impact

upon and beyond the realm of our understandings....

It's staggering to even try to begin and attempt

to comprehend the full depth, breadth, and gravity of it all.

Earth shaking, ground breaking, universe transforming,

landmark event of Biblical proportions to the utmost in the world

that humanity, all creation, history itself has experienced... ever!

...an extraordinary paradigm shift for the entire cosmos!

....as though the total created order of the space-time continuum

throughout the known and unknown universe

was and is continuously, infinitely, eternally folding unto itself

at the singularity of the Christ event.

2011-04-20T16:16:00.001-04:00

As I have found myself repeating upon reflection through this Holy Week, the saying continually comes to mind that "you can't have Easter without Good Friday." In his piece for Reformed Worship "On Good Friday", Dr. John D. Witvliet writes of our liturgical need for lament in the spiritual life of those seeking to live out their faith in Christ.

Professor Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, states that, ideally, worship on Good Friday ought to "include [a number of] elements. We should narrate Jesus' death. We should sense the profundity of his passion. We should acknowledge the world-changing ramifications of the cross for the salvation of the world." He goes on to say that "lament is a key ingredient in worship that arises from honest, soul-searching faith." <http://www.reformedworship.org/magazine/article.cfm?article_id=620>

As some may imagine, I myself have recently experienced blessed occasions for receiving comfort and peace over the last year as the Lord has led me to find solace in the psalms of lament throughout the scriptures. There is a sense in my own journey of faith, especially of late, and indeed, a deepening experiential knowledge, of that which makes for a more holistic encounter of the holy.

Among all the reasons we might have for coming to worship, we come, I believe, in order to meet with God. I certainly do not come to be entertained, wined or dined. Nor do I attend or intend to be amused. When I come to church, I come with a sense of adventure, awe and expectation that the Awesome Lord God Almighty is coming, too, waiting to welcome and warmly embrace every one of us with such love, mercy, grace and generosity.

Our experience of the divine, while we attempt to live the Christian life as Jesus' disciples, is meant to encompass the whole of what it all means for us to follow the Holy One Who was and is both fully human and fully divine. Can you try along with me to grasp and get this in any way at all, beloved? It seems way too big, writ large, overwhelmingly huge for us in our humanity to wholly comprehend. It's a mystery. It is the mystery of life in faith. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. The sinless, holy God in Jesus Christ went through it all in order to identify with you and me. Huh?!? What was that? Come again? You're telling me… (as the Word tells us) that He Who was and is without sin, suffered, died and became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God! Woe, hold on there, wait a second…. How much love can there be? So much for the whole world to see…

John Witvliet continues to write…

Fairly early in the medieval period, the Roman church was in a process of paring down the typical Sunday service. One of the places for trimming was the lengthy intercessory prayer (even then, the "long prayer" was perhaps too much for people's short attention spans). Yet several liturgists, probably quite conservative ones, stepped in to preserve that lengthy prayer for use on one day of the year—Good Friday. For centuries thereafter, Good Friday was the occasion for the longest and most intense prayer of the entire year.

The instincts of these liturgists have much to teach us. For part of what we celebrate on Good Friday (and the word "celebrate" is crucial) is that Christ has completely identified with us in suffering, even to death (Isa. 53:12; Heb. 4:14-16). On Good Friday we hear again Christ pray the lament of Psalm 22:1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"? On Good Friday, we remember how wondrous it is to have a savior-intercessor who is able to sympathize with our weakness (Heb. 4:14-16; 5:7-9).

What better time than this to practice a spiritual discipline of lament? What better time than this to express solidarity with those who suffer, including Jesus himself? On Good Friday, we lament not to Jesus, but with Jesus.

Dearly beloved ones in the Lord, if Jesus did all this so that He could be identified to be with us, shouldn't we in return take Him up on His invitation and come join with Jesus in solemn intercessions before the throne of grace?

Lord, though we may like the disciples before us fall asleep in the garden of yours and our prayers, may you find us faithful in, to and for the end of your glory in praying for us all.

In solidarity with you, together in Christ, we pray

Amen.

Pastor Rex

2011-04-08T08:35:00.001-04:00

When one has well and deeply loved another, one experiences deeply the recurrent pain of grief suffered upon their loss of the other. The deep sense of loss over time deepens one's gladness with gratitude in joyful appreciation for the blessing of precious moments shared together in love. The inherent preciousness in such depth of relationship encountered abides in eternity.

2011-03-16T12:54:00.001-04:00

"Giving up for Lent."

I sometimes wonder at meanings we may give to words and phrases arranged and/or uttered in a particular way.

Take the sentence fragment quoted from the title above. Is it referring to what one may be giving up during the Lenten season? (I read a Facebook status recently that stated something like, "It seemed to work well for me last year, so this year I am again giving up fasting for Lent." :) Which leads me to wonder what anyone might indeed be "giving up for Lent." And not just giving up, but doing in place of. That is, instead of just refraining or abstaining from a particular item and/or activity, the person "giving up" something substitutes another thing or action in its place. For example, when fasting, the time one would have spent eating may instead be devoted to praying.

Another way one might interpret "Giving up for Lent" is to take it as a report of how contributions are currently coming in so far this spring. (In other words, one could understand it to mean that the giving of tithes and offerings is up higher for the forty days in the months of March and into April.) In this case, I would imagine that these words could be found especially encouraging as among some favorable signs of health and recovery for the leaders of a church congregation to consider with recent challenges in the world's economy.

In these lengthening days of Daylight Savings Time throughout the season of Lent, how will you be spending your time? What are you "giving up for Lent"?

During this season from Ash Wednesday leading up to Holy Week and Easter, I am "giving up for Lent." I am giving up to God the events of the last year or two in the life of my family and household of faith. I am increasingly continuing on in giving up any semblance of any effort on my part to try to make it through the rest of my life by myself on my own apart from dear friends and family in the Lord in our community. I, literally, give up! I am giving up, so that, to paraphrase the lyrics of a song by The Beatles, I may more than just "get by with a little help from my friends."

Friends, what is more, I am giving up everything I have experienced and may continue experiencing for, as the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians (3:8), "the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." As James (1:2) tells us, "Consider it all pure joy!" Give it up! Give it all up. Give it all over to Jesus. He can take it. He'll take what ever we may have to offer our Lord. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) He'll carry us on through toward greater grace and heights for God's glory and our good. This Lent, let one and all giving up for Jesus be ever so

in His Peace,

Pastor Rex

2011-03-15T10:20:00.001-04:00

According to Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, written by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Office of Theology and Worship, "No one is saved apart from God's redemption in Jesus Christ. Yet we do not presume to limit the sovereign freedom of God . . . Thus, we can neither restrict the grace of Jesus Christ to those who profess explicit faith in Christ nor assume that all people are saved regardless of faith.
Grace, love and communion belong to God, and are not ours to determine." W. A. Visser't Hooft wrote, "I don't know whether a Hindu is saved: I only know that salvation comes in Jesus Christ."

This may be unsatisfying for those who wish to leave no question unanswered. Hans Küng and other Catholic theologians have criticized it as being irresponsibly neutral. It is, however, in harmony with the attitude of humility that Jesus commanded in discussions about the reach of salvation. Repeatedly, he cautioned against judging, that is, thinking that we know God's judgments. Jesus' parables and other statements about the last day are full of surprises and reversals. "Reformed theology has always taught that salvation is ultimately in God's hands, beyond the pale of human understanding." According to John Calvin, "We must leave to God alone the knowledge of his church, whose foundation is his secret election."

The admission that we do not know the limits to God's wondrous grace does not lessen the joyous responsibility of Christians to share the good news of Christ with others. To be a Christian is to be claimed by Christ, to know that we are loved by God, and to be called by God to a life of purposeful service. To withhold this knowledge is to be indifferent to the needs of others. As Christians we are entrusted with the biblical story of God's way in the world, and especially with the good news of Jesus. We must tell that good news to others — not because we do not respect them, but because we love them. Many non-Christians may be better, godlier persons than we are; but we are the ones who have been called to share the story. We are to share it humbly, without coercion, trusting the Holy Spirit to use it to touch the hearts of those [with] whom we speak.

Pasted from <http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/theologyandworship/issues-grace/>

2011-02-17T11:02:00.003-05:00

...can perhaps be caught and held in a picture....

like a photograph of a bird in flight... Such is the solitary vocation. For, of all.... the solitary knows least where they are going, and yet more sure, for there is one thing they cannot doubt: they travel where God is leading them. That is precisely why the solitary doesn't know the way. And that too is why, to most others, the way is something of a scandal. (Thomas Merton)

2011-02-17T03:16:00.001-05:00

As we have traversed through wintry snows and icy storms, the intensely frigid cold of this winter's weather appears to have taken its toll upon our region. Even today it took some doing to drive over some still frozen patches of recently iced country roads and driveways in our area. By the time you read this, some warmer temperatures may very well have melted the ice on our streets, signaling the seasons' incipient passing from winter into spring. In the wake of Epiphany, the order of the day through ordinary time with the days' continued lengthening is for us to approach the Lenten season in faith.

What's next up for each of us in our journey together? As a people of faith in the One Who continues leading us onward and upward in Christ, what does the next season of mission and ministry hold for this gathering of believers in Jesus? To what and where might we find ourselves following our Lord anew for God's glory?

One exciting answer could be that God is yearning to expand our horizons and stretch our fellowship to welcome in more meaningful ways and with deepening relationships some among us who have been worshipping with us for some time now. It has been awhile since I/we have had the blessing, honor, pleasure and privilege to receive and recognize folks expressing interest as inquirers to explore joining with us in the ministry and mission we are called to undertake together in community.

As we find the early disciples in Scripture when first following Jesus, they took care to invite and come alongside others who would also then follow their Lord together with them. In the gospel of John (1:41-42), we see afterward that the first thing Andrew did was to tell Simon of the Messiah and then bring him to Jesus. Might our Lord be calling us to re-up with renewed intentionality our forth-telling and bringing of one another to Jesus Christ? What equipping and action will we experience and take toward the evangelization of each other in this fellowship?

I am sensing in these days a warming up to God's embrace of us as we face the future with hope and faith, love and joy in the Lord. The thawing out of the very sinews of our faith is taking place in order for us to exercise our religious muscles once again for the sake of God's kingdom. Something else needs to be put aside so that we may make room for the new thing our Lord is doing in our midst. As the saying goes during this time of year, "What will we give up for Lent?" What would Jesus have us do anew?

The blessing of renewing one's spiritual disciplines in preparation for the greater works God has prepared in advance for us to walk in is waiting for us to discover just around the corner. As a conference seminar and intensive workshops in emotional intelligence have emphasized for me recently, a growing and deepening self-awareness of where one is in the journey and in conversation with others can be key to discerning well with effective wisdom and insight to bear upon our success in navigating through life's challenges.

From a personal as well as corporate wilderness experience of exile, through times of unease and distress as individuals and a community of faith, into exuberant life as God's vibrant people, we are called anew to be the Lord's witnesses of God's grace in this place. And as is stated elsewhere by some leaders in a letter to Presbyterians:

"…it is in our places of brokenness that the work of Jesus Christ has always been most miraculous. …in the certain faith that this is Christ's Church, …we engage in the re-formation of this church into the church we are being called to be."

To God be the glory!

Pastor Rex

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2011-02-17T03:12:00.001-05:00

"Our hope in God pulls us into the future. Hope allows us to affirm the reality of the abundant life that is ours in Christ. Hope allows us to stand with those in pain and to hold them until they are able to feel the love of God for themselves again. Hope allows us to work to bring God's reign upon the earth even when we see no results. Our hope begins and ends in God, the source of all hope."
- Mary Lou Redding

http://j.mp/fDPuMa

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2011-01-19T14:38:00.001-05:00

you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free (John 8:32)

These are words that ring true. They are Jesus' words. True words. Freeing words. Words of truth. Truth that sets you free. Free to live the truth.

In an address given at the 2010 conference of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology, Joseph D. Small, Director for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Office of Theology and Worship, shares from a piece entitled "Internal Injuries: Moral Division within the Churches". In the course of his discussion, he asks the following question.

"What would it mean, within our churches, to serve truth consistently, purposefully and articulately, and equally important, to organize this service?"

In answering the question, he posits that living the truth "requires more than the effort of individual pastors and congregations; it requires organizing this service." The question then begs the query of: How might this service become effectively organized? Here, Joe Small refers to the work of Václav Havel whom he describes as "playwright, essayist, dissident, resister, prisoner, and then, improbably, last president of Czechoslovakia and first president of the Czech Republic." Drawing from Havel's "The Power of the Powerless," in Václav Havel: Living in Truth, he suggests that:

Organizing this service entails the creation of a different culture within the church. "When those who have decided to live within the truth," says Havel, "begin to create what I have called the independent life of society, this independent life begins, of itself, to become structured in a certain way." What is this structuring like? Havel begins with a term borrowed from nonconformist music and art – "second culture." For him, second culture refers to a broad ranging expression of independent and suppressed culture in the humanities, social sciences, and philosophical thought, as well as the arts. The second culture is a way of being that does not accede to "the way things are." It resists prevailing patterns and expressions by creating new arrangements and articulations. A second culture resists the predominant culture by way of innovation rather than negation.

Two things resonate with my own thinking upon pondering this further in my own recent reflection.

One refers to the parables of Jesus from Scripture about the kingdom of God, particularly that of the leaven. In the gospel of Luke (13:20-21), the Word tells us:

He also asked, "What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough."

To borrow from Havel's usage, the very "second" culture introduced however tiny or slightly into the batch would eventually transform the entirety of the culture in which it resides, rising to newness of life unlike its previously known existence. I believe this is what we as the church in this community is and are called to do and be—living witnesses of the truth that would set us and the world around us free.

The second resonance of thought through personal currency of lamentation emerges as increasing understanding of a growing emphasis on fostering creativity and encouraging generativity. I have observed increasingly a growing sense of call among our leadership to expect great things of God and, in cooperative partnership with one another in the Lord, attempt great things for God. As we may appropriate from the psychology of Erik Erikson, there has been an expressed need to nurture and guide younger people and contribute to the next generation.

One of the things impressed upon me through my own theological experience of seminary education at Princeton is an audacious boldness in taking on the challenges of learning to live the truth in the context of varied ambiguity. That even and especially in the midst of uncertainty and doubt, we are called in leadership to forge ahead into uncharted waters. Despite any naysayers, expressed pessimism, rampant criticism, and no matter come what may, whatever the circumstances, regardless of any situation encountered, leaders are tasked to move forward together in faith, placing their trust in a Sovereign Lord Who engenders hope for the better future yet to be more fully realized and revealed by God. God Who is with us and is for us. And if God is for us, the apostle proclaims, who can be against us!

Next month, your leaders, officers of the church have set a date to meet in a kind of leadership forum by which we might begin to discern together the leading of our Lord for the next season of mission and ministry at First Presbyterian Church in New Castle, Indiana. I exhort all in the gathered community of faith with us to entreat the Lord in prayers for wisdom and insight to bear upon our proceedings that God's kingdom might be advanced further to the glory of God. Pray without ceasing as the apostle Paul says. Keep P.U.S.H.ing up to the heavenly realms in the Spirit! Pray Until Something Happens.

2011-01-10T10:21:00.001-05:00

The Faith & Politics Institute's Weekly Reflection For the week of January 10th, 2011
Towards a theology of hospitality...
"In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of nation we are and what direction we want to move in... My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He once wrote, 'Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.'" - Robert F. Kennedy, bearing news of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in Indianapolis, Indiana, April 4, 1968 Holding Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, her family, and her staff members especially close to our hearts in prayer, we pray also for everyone else wounded or worse in Saturday's shootings in Tucson. May our nation gain wisdom through the awful grace of God.		Website Past Reflections The Faith & Politics Institute 110 Maryland Ave, NE Suite 504 Washington, DC 20002 (202) 546-1299 Office (202) 546-4025 info@faithandpolitics.org
Our Vision Leadership that brings people together Our Mission The Faith & Politics Institute advances reflective leadership among members of Congress and congressional staff to bridge the divides that arise in a thriving democracy.

2010-12-23T11:25:00.001-05:00

Oh, happiest of days

This is not

Joyous, yes

Happy of happenstance, no

For one whose birth

this day holds

Half day across

inter-national dateline

World still

turning round and round

Nearly half century

of beloved, now gone

Joyful gratefulness presses on

Fleeting happiness ever eludes

Oh, but what flowers could so bloom

For now in the winter of such a one's discontent

To behold the fruit bearing forth of union's progeny

To gaze upon blazing, beauteous glory

Of being blessed with raising blessings

To be held, captivated by such beautiful ones nesting

Abounding with grace amidst wounded emptiness, vacancy

Still may content with hope to be

In plenty and in want, in any and every situation

Yet may persevere in faith to move forward

No matter come what may, whatever circumstance befallen

Out of such ashes, beauty arises

So happiest of days

Though this may not be

Always and forever precious moments

In time will they be

2010-12-16T10:37:00.001-05:00

"What's new?" "Anything new with you?" "What new thing is going on in your life these days?" These are among the greetings I sometimes hear people say upon seeing someone they know that they might not have seen in awhile. Shopping around Christmastime, browsing at post-holiday bargains, going to the theater, visiting a museum, or maybe stopping by the gas station and/or convenience store, we may inevitably encounter friendly acquaintances with whom we've not caught up recently and utter a query along these lines.

Indeed, what is new with you? I'm interested to know. But why? I wonder... Is it natural curiosity? Am I being nosy for some reason? Is it interrogatory hubris, hidden arrogance under a façade of compassion on my part? Do I really care? I suppose some, if one were to probe inwardly, honestly, may not, really. It's just something to say for the moment in order to eventually pass the time on to the next thing that you're actually on the way to do. Each wants to only briefly acknowledge the momentary interruption, yielding instead, to the presiding purpose of our predetermined progression for the time at hand. And so we might humor one another with surface conversations for the sake of exchanging niceties and exercising customary manners.

Then again, what if there truly is something in us yearning to discover something fresh and new that would enliven things a bit? What if there was even a remote possibility that something radical, however small it may seem at first, was happening in another person's life that could come to mean the world to us? Could it be that some of us, if not all of us, deep down inside are looking to find a new event—a new experience—that brings fresh joy and fills our hearts anew to overflowing? Not merely a distraction, but a welcome intrusion is instead wanting, waiting to be embraced by us in our very presence. Is it just coincidence, or might there be an underlying theme—an ongoing current throughout humanity's existence which resonates with a deeper truth about who we are and who we are becoming along life's journey? Perhaps in the process, we are being given the opportunity to receive the very precious gift of having a companion along the way to share, if but for a moment, that we are not alone on the road of life and that we are blessed to be able to experience mutual encouragement on the way.

As we enter into and embark upon a new year of proclaiming hope, peace, joy, love and life in the light of Advent shining through the ages, our sensibilities and notions of living out our lives in faith are challenged once again to break forth from the drudgingly dreary doldrums, yet also beautifully cheery snows of winter, toward the ensuing, burgeoning brightness of spring. The experience of Revelation as relayed by John through his writing down of the last book in the Bible has one verse that echoes, in my mind, throughout time and space: "Behold, I AM making everything, all things new!" (Revelation 21:5)

Upon all of creation's history, these words from The Word reverberate with resounding resonance through the millennia, impacting our continuance and condition in the here and now of the new millennium. Our state of being, whether we are aware of it or not, is greatly affected by the truth of this continually occurring event in the perpetual providence of divinity. The apostle alludes to this in somewhat similar vein when the Pauline writer addresses the saints in Colossae regarding Christ's supremacy that in Him all things are being held together up to this very moment and beyond. (Colossians 1:17) Nothing happens apart from the goodness and steadfast faithfulness of the One Who is holding all of this and every one of us together. As Paul also wrote to the saints in Rome, we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) Likewise, the prophet in Isaiah (43:19a) tells us, "See, I AM doing a new thing! Now it springs up! Do you not perceive it?" Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is!

Ancient words, eternal words from the everlasting Word give us glimpse of eternity. Whether we are reading the daily news or encountering neighborly conversation, the normal, regular routines of our lives can afford us the opportunity to gaze upon the glory of God in Christ through our current circumstance or present situation. Cultivating an awareness of the very holy presence of God, even and maybe especially in seemingly ordinary, mundane activities can help us, like a little child, enter into the wonder of the heavenly realms. Thy will be done, Thy kingdom come, here on earth, as it is, in heaven.

The next time you come upon a friendly encounter in which you find yourself saying, "What's new?" you might consider, as you may be prompted in spirit, that you are in the midst of a holy occurrence—a precious moment in sacred space as you willingly engage in the gift of conversation with mutual encouragement for the journey ahead. Indeed, beloved ones, may you and yours experience such blessings upon Christmastide through Epiphany and beyond for the New Year at hand.

With the Wind of the Spirit,

Pastor Rex Espiritu

P.S. And, oh, say, by the way, what's new with you? :)

The Rev. Rex Espiritu serves as senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church, New Castle, Indiana

2010-11-17T14:43:00.001-05:00

Dear friends, it was wonderful to be part of celebrating a Thanksgiving meal in our family of faith as many in our congregation sat at tables together this past Sunday at First Presbyterian Church, New Castle, Indiana. We have such beloved folks with big hearts for serving one another in the Lord that I have to say, I am filled to overflowing…. My tendered heart is full from such magnanimous generosity poured out among and upon us that I feel remiss in not having more said about it.

Some may be familiar with The 5 Love Languages from the New York Times bestselling book by Dr. Gary Chapman that speaks to how we may have love shown, one to another. Among five key categories found from his research, Dr. Chapman espouses the following to be universal and comprehensive. We all may primarily identify with one of these: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

I have found that for me personally, at times, I seem to have differing love languages for showing as compared to receiving love. For example, I may tend to give gifts as a way of showing love to a loved one, but not necessarily experience it as much in receiving gifts for myself. What speaks love to one, may not be primarily taken as love by another. My late beloved wife, Melissa's primary love language was, without a doubt, Acts of Service. And if I didn't know any better, I would suggest another sub-category for our congregation to have as a primary love language to be that of Serving Meals.

Our recent efforts over the past year of providing meals as gifts to serve and enjoy being together with people in our larger community is telling and worth sharing. While ministers may converse regarding what they sometimes refer to as the discerning and development of one's pastoral identity, I might identify and relate this conversation piece as speaking to a particular church group's congregational identity. In this vein, I would name Serving Meals as evidenced fruit borne of an apparent, distinctive attribute of our identity in the body of Christ in Henry County. This, I believe, is part of our love language with, in, to, for and through community. It is certainly worthy of further exploration and possibly increased validation with words of affirmation as well as in quality time spent together in dialogue and conversation over meals served unto one another in love.

In such settings over meals together at table with others, with respect to and of one another's stories… There is power in the telling. There is comfort in the sharing. There is relief in the giving. There is healing in the receiving. These are among what I consider to be fundamental outflows of God's love made manifest in, through and among us in this fellowship of faith. Even as it's said that the family that prays together stays together, we could say the same of the church that serves and fellowships over meals together staying together.

Here I am reminded of a verse from the Psalms (68:6a) in which the Psalmist proclaims, "God sets the lonely in families..."

One tradition that Melissa encouraged us to adopt early on in our family life, which I must confess has not been observed as much in some recent times, was to seek intentionally to invite someone outside of our family into our home for a holiday meal. As I recall, we started this practice some time prior to one New Year's Eve early on in our marriage. We would pray to God for the Holy Spirit to lay upon our heart and place in our mind a person or persons whom the Lord would be pleased to have us celebrate and share a meal together with that might not necessarily, ordinarily have other plans at the time. We would always find our Lord faithful to answer that prayer with such affirmation and confirmation in the process that it became a hope-filled, mutually fulfilling endeavor for all present in the set apart occasion.

As we reflected upon the ministry, proclamation and celebration of Word and Sacrament with Holy Communion on Sunday prior, I am encouraged to exhort us, beloved, to renew our devotion in the Lord together concerning these things as we contemplate further the Lord's leading into the near and better future God has in mind for us. Might the Lord our God have you and me, our families in this season together celebrate along with others over a shared meal in our homes sometime during the holidays? Someone, or some ones, possibly outside our conventional circle of friends, whom the Lord may be pleased for us to share in the blessing of God's grace….

May the Lord add to our number those who are being drawn by His Spirit to fellowship with us and help us rediscover and grow in the knowledge of who we are and Whose we are, becoming ever more so

In Christ,

Pastor Rex

2010-11-17T07:47:00.001-05:00

so much love
when first met
rekindles treasured memories
caught again aflame
passion set blazing
one another blessing
God with us
so now journeying
on life sharing
our beloved daring
to behold caring
in our hearts
Lord, evermore carrying
world without end

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2010-10-20T08:30:00.001-04:00

"When I thought of an art gallery…" he said, "…I imagined a world where life and death existed together. My hope is that the world might look a little different after entering and re-emerging from this space." --Lee Ufan, a Korean-born, Japan student, Europe worker, world artist whose museum in Naoshima opened this year and whose works can be seen in harmony with architecture and nature

Upon re-reading these words above quoted in an article I read from an inflight magazine en route to Seoul this summer, it occurs to me that I myself have been in a sense through a gallery of sorts in which life and death exist together and by which we are re-emerging in time and space with re-formed perspectives. My view of the world is looking different now than it ever has before. Words appropriated from Scripture come to mind: "Love is stronger than death!" and echoing from the first question and answer in the Heidelberg Catechism found in our Book of Confessions: "Our sole comfort in life and in death is that we belong wholly to the Lord our God." With Word and Spirit in, through and upon us, we persevere in prayer to the glory of God.

A number of folks in our congregation have endearingly asked, not just how I am doing these days following my father's and my wife's passing over the past year, but how my family's faring, and specifically, how are the children. For the most part, considering how much we've endured, my children are doing remarkably well, academically and otherwise. Each has moments when waves of emotion may come and go, though overall, we continue to feel and know God's grace carrying us through. We are thankful to have my mom (their "Lola") with us in the aftermath of our loss. The love and care we have experienced together as a family of faith in compassionate community has been very heartening for us, even especially now in hindsight of the last several months. It is with a deeply grateful heart that I write to you in these weeks leading up to the end of the church's liturgical year.

As I type, we approach the end of a fourteen hour flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi en route to points of interest in India where I and eighteen other fellow pastors in the Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program are embarking on the culminating study tour of our inaugural fellowship sponsored by the Lilly Endowment. These are among the same ministers who have sojourned with us in the midst of a very challenging ordeal, providing gratis pulpit supply, prayers and much support during such trying times. Along with other clergy spouses during our voyage to Mexico a year ago, Melissa and I bonded with these treasured colleagues in ministry. While I was not entirely sure just a few months prior whether the Lord would have me go on this trip that had been planned over two years ago (given what my family has been going through in the nine months leading up to it), I believe that in honoring the covenant we made with one another in our fellowship, this will be yet another transformative experience for us, much like my family's pilgrimage to the Philippines this summer was spiritually. As such, in my absence, I am pleased to once again welcome to preach for our Sunday worship services at the end of this month the Rev. Dr. Bob Hunter and the Rev. Dr. Rose Niles through the generosity of Lilly Endowment, Inc.

The fact that I am led of the Lord to travel apart from my family at this time serves as indication concerning where we are in the journey of God's healing grace through the ongoing process of grief. Though we may have come far to this point, we have yet a ways to go. I have informed church leadership in recent months of a number of counseling opportunities afforded to me and my family in this season of ministry. We are currently on a waiting list with Brooke's Place in Indianapolis. This is an organization that provides grief support groups for families with children, free of charge. There is much high regard and good reports about the work of this organization. Their philosophy of care resonates with respect to carefully directed attention tailored especially for children. In addition, I have begun the first of six free sessions over the next six months with a licensed counselor as part of the benefits for ministers of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). While this benefit is also available to my college-aged dependents, they also have counseling available to them on campus.

It is remarkable for me to try to comprehend what the Lord has done in our ministry together at First Presbyterian Church, New Castle, Indiana. I am experiencing now a greater freedom in the Lord to venture anew in fresh, renewing ways for the mission and ministry we have been called to accomplish together here. Please keep on keeping on praying more and more increasingly so for God's revelation and for the Lord's revival among us yet to be and already being manifested in our midst. I know this is not me, but the Holy Spirit working all things for good. May we all be lifted up in the Lord's presence to greater heights for God's glory.

In Christ,

Pastor Rex

2010-09-16T09:02:00.001-04:00

When something or someone dear and precious is taken from us, especially with regard to a significant and abiding relationship, a deep and profound sense of loss can be experienced that influences and affects the lens through which we see, perceive or comprehend our current circumstances. We cannot help but to not have any situation we might encounter from that point on become somehow understood in the wake of such an event as seminal as that in our life's journey.

Even, and maybe especially, events leading up to and prior to our experience of loss can be seen in a new light. It is as if blinders that we had not been aware of previously had been suddenly removed and the scales from one's eyes taken away. Not unlike Saul's experience on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, a "Come to Jesus" moment ensues upon us and we hear the Lord speaking to our heart and soul with renewed clarity and strength of conviction.

An opportunity for reflection and introspection occurs to us and, if welcomingly received, submitted and surrendered to, and taken advantage of by being given ample time to process through, can allow us to listen well to the voice of the spirit within us. Our interactions, focus and perspectives are then exposed to new light shed upon us in the Lord under the severe mercy and greater grace of a sovereign God.

Such has been my own experience over the past year. There has been at once a deeply profound remorse and regret at my own failings before the Lord and others such that at times in the recent past, I could not bear the weight of guilt, grief, shame, brokenness and sadness apart from sensing, knowing and experiencing the love, prayers, encouragement and support of many upholding us in the Spirit.

It is a terrible thing to face the Lord Who truly sees us and meets us in the presence of one another, speaking the truth in love, presenting an opportunity to fess up, be real, and come clean over and over again, and as the apostle Paul reminds us, to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." It can be, as one of my late, well-loved and much appreciated seminary professors might say, "a deeply humbling, transforming moment."

All this is to share a perspective with you that from this moment on, I am pursuing the Lord and seeking to serve God's people in this time and place with a passion and purpose that I am not sure I have ever experienced before. If the enemy of our souls had thought that by taking away my most precious beloved we would be deterred from rising above our situation and beholding the Lord sustaining and lifting us up further for God's glory, he's got another thing coming. Out of these ashes, beauty will indeed most assuredly arise! Watch out as the Lion of Judah moves us with a fresh fire in the fervor of the Spirit of the Lord. As it says in the Scriptures, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall accomplish this!

Thank you to all of you who are embarking on the journey together with one another anew as evidenced by many who attended this past Rally Day Sunday's activities. It is with a deep sense of gratitude and awe that I pledge to serve alongside with you as the Lord equips us to serve one another in love. May the joy of the Lord be our strength as we seek in partnership to rebuild our community through Christ, renew our fellowship in the Spirit, and transform people by God's grace. To this end, I remain and continue

Prayerfully yours, and His

Pastor Rex

2010-08-18T13:10:00.001-04:00

It has been a record year in the life of the Espiritu household at New Castle, Indiana. Much has gone on in our lives together as a family that is worthy of time spent for shared reflection in retrospect toward preparing and propelling us forward in faith with renewed zeal, fervor and vision for the glory of the Lord our God in Christ.

On 9/11, 2010 marked the passing of my father Mariano G. Espiritu. Six months later on March 13, following an intense bout with cancer, my wife Melissa would go on to be at home in eternity with the Lord. On what would have been Melissa's 50^th birthday weekend in July our family celebrated our youngest child Sara Joy's 7^th birthday near the Golden Gate Bridge in the San Francisco Bay area where Melissa and I had spent some wonderful times together early on in our marriage. And on the 23^rd anniversary of our wedding in August afterward, our six daughters and I remembered their mother upon our arrival in the capital of the Philippines where I was born. These are among the milestones and memory markers we have been enduring through our shared journeys of faith over the past year.

During our time this month in the land of my birth, we visited a museum honoring some recent martyrs for the cause of liberty and justice through peaceful democratic reforms opposing a previous dictatorial regime's human rights abuses. One of the names listed on the memorial stone wall there was that of my mother's older brother. My uncle Francisco, an outspoken leader for freedom in his township, had been tortured and killed when abducted by some henchmen of one of the Marcos regime's political cronies on the eve of the snap election(s) that had been apparently rigged in favor of the incumbent dictatorship a few decades ago. It was at this place of honored remembrance that we found another, for us, notable name recorded among the earlier vocal leaders speaking out against the then emerging dictator's crimes against humanity. At a time when other ecclesiastical leaders among the clergy in the Philippines were silent, the Rev. Cirilo A. Rigos voiced opposition against the oppression of what would later manifest as martial law.

Before Melissa and I ever met, this Presbyterian pastor who ministered to my sister and me and our parents during my early childhood in Manila had also ministered with Melissa, her parents and sisters while having had his training in ministry at their childhood church in Rochester, New York. Upon reading of his justice work in the plight of the Filipino people, we so very much sensed the Lord's Providence in our lives together through the generations as God's will continues to be worked out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Not unlike I would imagine the greatest generation's remembrances of seminal events in the North Atlantic theater of World War II might be along the beaches of Normandy and elsewhere in Europe, our family spent significant times toward the end of our last week along the shores of Subic Bay and the island of Corregidor remembering the remarkable events of WWII in the theater of the South Pacific among the waters between Asia and Australia. After touring an old lighthouse and presiding over a brief memorial service at an old Spanish mission's island chapel, it was there by the dock at the end of the pier on the south side beach of Corregidor that we were blessed to share in solemn solitude the spreading of my father's ashes upon the wind over the waters at the mouth of Manila Bay near the South China Sea. It was more heartening for me than I had expected or could ever dream for us to experience honoring the memory of my father and his service during WWII in this way at this time and place. We were blessed with such good weather and people with us on that special day among all the days of our travels.

Thank you, Beloved, for your prayers and support of our family in the work of grief and faith this year. In the words of General Douglas MacArthur, not only "I shall return," but we are glad to have returned home. In God's Grace and Peace, with you and yours, together we continue

Pastor Rex

2010-05-21T08:05:00.001-04:00

There

a deep dull ache

as far down

as the ocean's depth

the towering tip

of a tremendous iceberg

submerged

in immensely vast seas

of utter grief

No place else to be

will not ever be forgotten

not to be lost for ever more

a colossal displacement

a huge void

an infinite, unfulfilled emptiness

a large, inestimable volume of silence

an unspeakable expanse

the extent of which is unfathomable, unknown

Yet

there

One Who is, was, and is to come

able

Immeasurably more

Exceedingly, abundantly

Far above, all

any could

ask, think, even imagine

glorious, holy, anointed, mighty

to save, heal, fill, restore

blessing, power, glory and honor forever and ever

Now and not yet

2010-04-06T17:37:00.000-04:00

A Service of Witness to

Celebrate the Resurrection and the Life in memory of

Melissa Q. Espiritu

July 10, 1960 - March 13, 2010

Organ Prelude Trumpet Voluntary Jeremiah Clark

Andrea Hughes

Musical Offering My Tribute/God is So Good

Ed Dimangondayao

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Sophie and Daniel Buchanon

Opening Words Pastor Bob Maravalli

Prayer of Invocation

*Songs of Praise Awesome God

Blessed Be Your Name

Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone

Old Testament Lesson Psalm 118 Pastor Rose Niles

Personal Reflections Carmen Cash

*Song of Thanksgiving Great Is Thy Faithfulness

New Testament Lessons

John 14:1-6 Pastor Clark Hobbey

2 Corinthians 4:15-5:7 Pastor Jeff Gramza

*Hymn It Is Well With My Soul

Romans 8:18-39

Musical Offering With Hope Steven Curtis Chapman

Levi Velasco

Meditation "Is There Life After Life?" Pastor Bob

Prayer and The Lord's Prayer

Offering of Music You Raise Me Up

Levi and Diane Velasco

Ed Dimangondayao

Andrea and Bryan Hughes

Charge

Benediction

*Song of Assurance In Christ Alone

Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend

*Declaration of Victory over Death

*Postlude Tocatta Widor

* Please stand as you are able.

2010-03-24T05:03:00.001-04:00

This is not at all… how

We thought it was supposed to be

We had so many plans for you

We had so many dreams

And now you've gone away

And left us with the memories of your smile

And nothing we can say

And nothing we can do

Can take away the pain

The pain of losing you, but ...

We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no

And we can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

There's a place where we'll see your face again

We'll see your face again

And never have I known

Anything so hard to understand

And never have I questioned more

The wisdom of God's plan

But through the cloud of tears

I see the Father's smile and say well done

And I imagine you

Where you wanted most to be

Seeing all your dreams come true

'Cause now you're home

And now you're free, and ...

We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no

And we can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

There's a place where we'll see your face again

We'll see your face again

We have this hope as an anchor

'Cause we believe that everything

God promised us is true, so ...

We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no

And we can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

There's a place by God's grace

There's a place where we'll see your face again

We'll see your face again

We can cry with hope, say goodbye with hope

We wait with hope

And we ache with hope

We hold on with hope

We let go with hope

(by Steven Curtis Chapman)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 / Hebrews 6:9, 10:23

2010-03-16T05:36:00.001-04:00

In and through these last three months of my beloved wife and sweetheart Melissa's journey of now ultimate healing in eternity, we listened and reflected many times together with the songs of Steven Curtis Chapman, as we have done through much of our 22 years of marriage together in the Lord. As a couple in Christ, we have been so blessed to share with each other the deep love of Jesus and the profound grace of Christ our Lord.

On a recent album, lyrics from the title track resonated with certain themes in our devotions….

Out of these ashes... beauty will rise

and we will dance among the ruins

We will see Him with our own eyes

Out of this darkness... new life will shine...

and we'll know the joy is coming in the morning...

in the morning...beauty will rise!

I can hear it in the distance

and it's not too far away.

It's the music and the laughter

of a wedding and a feast.

I can almost feel the hand of God

reaching for my face

to wipe the tears away, and say,

"It's time to make everything new."

(from "Beauty Will Rise" by Steven Curtis Chapman)

I am envisioning today's service of witness to the resurrection and the life as a celebration, in part, in memory of my bride, but more part of the festive tribute of the Bride of Christ, looking forward to that Day of Christ Jesus when we, together with all the saints throughout time and space, will celebrate at the Great Wedding Banquet Table in eternity. Soli Deo Gloria!

Looking forward to worshiping our Awesome God on this awe-filled day that the Lord has made for us to rejoice and be glad in, I am

Persevering in the Grip of Grace,

Rex

Worthy is the Lamb!

2010-03-15T14:17:00.001-04:00

New Living Translation (NLT)

7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.[a] This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204:7-12&version=NLT

2010-03-14T09:45:00.001-04:00

in the peace bubble... onto eternity with the Lord at 3:00 p.m. EST 13 March 2010 rest well my beloved sweet Melissa in the everlasting arms

---

Melissa Q. Espiritu, of New Castle, went onto eternity to be with the Lord Saturday afternoon, March 13, 2010 at her residence. Arrangements are pending at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle.

http://hinsey-brown.com/pages/details.cfm?obituaryID=547

Viewing at Hinsey-Brown on Monday, March 15 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

and Tuesday, March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Service of Celebration in Witness to the Resurrection and the Life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, New Castle, Indiana on Tuesday, March 16 at 2:00 p.m.

2010-03-09T13:47:00.002-05:00

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

As you are aware, we have been much challenged of late. Upon recent reflection, words from the apostle Paul resonate with us here, in hope…

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we've been going through… We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And God did rescue us from mortal danger, and will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in God, and God will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety. (2 Corinthians 1:8-11)

Three months ago this week, as we prayed to know more what we were facing, we were given a more definitive diagnosis of gastric cancer. More than twelve weeks ago this day, I remember… from our conversation with Melissa's oncologist, upon asking what kind of timeframe we might expect to have left, that if we got to three months, it would be a miracle. Well, now, here we are, continuing on, day by day, witnessing God's grace abounding[1], and treasuring every shared moment together as God's perfect gift[2] as we experience love and care, tenderly expressed for one another.

Today along with yesterday and the past weekend has been marked with very low energy for Melissa. We are praying, hopeful for her to regain strength as we aim to have her receive more frequent, moderately high dosage Vitamin C IV treatments (semi-weekly).

Sensing that her body needs "a break" from some of the harder regimens of meds and supplements she had been taking to date, we have also begun letting her rest more and decreasing much of the amounts of prescribed, naturopathic intake while still maintaining appropriate pain management as necessary.

Now and through the days ahead, please pray for Melissa:

for the healing, rest, comfort, peace that her body needs;
for her energy and strength to increase;
for her ability to receive increased nutrition, calories needed, and for her to have healthy weight gain;
for our family's adjustment into this new season of her healing journey.

With renewed faith, hope and love for one another in the Lord, we continue

Prayerfully yours, and His,
The Espiritu's

[1] so that, as the Word tells us, in all things, at all times, having all that we need, we would abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8)

[2] every good, perfect gift, coming from above from the Father of the heavenly lights Who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17)

2010-01-21T14:24:00.001-05:00

21 January 2010

News that is pressing… of which we're pressed to hear… and then, News that is reforming, restoring, renewing News for the new year

The First Presbyterian

Pastoral Perspectives

"New Year, New Body"

"I AM healing Melissa"

"God is able"

"God is faithful"

"God is on the move"

"Peace, I give to you"

"Do not be afraid"

"I AM with you"

"I AM for you"

As I write this, I am realizing that today is my father's birthday. My Dad would have been 89 years old on this day. A day in which I find myself facing one of, if not the most challenging trials of my life, ever.

Seven weeks ago today, my beloved, sweet Melissa was recovering from acute renal failure and we were being given a preliminary diagnosis of possible ovarian cancer in her abdominal area. Six weeks ago today, her oncologist informed us that this was instead not only stomach cancer, but an unusual, very rare and highly aggressive form already in its late, advanced stage four. As you may imagine, this was devastating news to be delivered, especially for our family with six children, the eldest in college and the youngest age six.

In our prayer life together and individually through the past several weeks, we have been blessed with ears to hear in the spirit some timely words of encouragement listed in the upper left column. You need to know that Melissa and I have gone from praying, asking God to please heal Melissa, to thanking God for the healing we are now already witnessing in Melissa.

At our most recent follow-up visit two weeks ago with her oncologist, we were amazed, realizing how remarkable it is that she is still with us. A week ago, she had energy enough to attend part of our daughter Hannah's swim meet competition, rooting for the Trojan team to "win one for Momma 'E'"!!! :)

No matter what the outcome, our prayers continue to be that God be glorified and faith be increased among us. I remain steadfast in this new season of faith to minister to my wife and family, first and foremost to the glory of God. My family and I thank God for you, each one and all for the love, care, support and compassion we share and experience together as we forge ahead with the challenges of this new year in the Lord Who heals us of all diseases. To God alone be all the glory. In Christ, Pastor Rex

2009-12-25T23:54:00.001-05:00

Pastoral Leadership Fellows and Friends

Dear friends and colleagues in ministry,

I've been meaning to send you a more direct communication such as this for the past few weeks. At present, I can think of no better thing on this early birthday morning/eve/overnight of Christmas Eve as I turn 45 than to let you know how much you mean to me and for my beloved wife Melissa, especially at this time. I am so grateful for us to have had the time to be with and get to know one another this past year, and especially last month as we traveled together in Mexico.

As you most likely know now, Melissa and our family are faced with a daunting challenge of her having been diagnosed with late advanced stage stomach cancer. We have just this week elected to place her under hospice care at home for at least through the extended holiday season for the next couple of weekends ahead.

Last night, we had a wonderful time of gathering with family and friends in our community of faith, together experiencing soaking prayers for Melissa's healing with some gifted intercessors and worship leaders in our home. It was a joyous time of praising the Lord and ascribing glory to God as we acknowledged and proclaimed that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). God is filling us, through fervent prayers and a spirit of zeal and supplication in these days, with such hope in Christ as we place our trust in the Lord with all our heart (Proverbs 3:5-6). As the outcome of prayers for Melissa's healing are realized on this and/or the other side of eternity, we will praise God with thanksgiving all the more knowing the Lord is worthy of all glory, blessing, honor, power and might as unto the Lamb.

Thank you for all the kind expressions of love and care we continue receiving through this our beloved fellowship. We are so encouraged by your faithfulness and generosity, imparting such grace and peace unto us, and giving us such timely words of encouragement. Please find the attached PDF file containing a personal reflection piece posted two weeks ago on my blog site(s) which can also be found on the web site/page online at prayersForMelissa.com under "Words from Rex". To receive updates via e-mail, you can register online via CaringBridge.org for subscription. You can also join the Facebook group "Praying for Melissa Espiritu and the Espiritu Family" for more frequent updates as well as via Twitter.

We are ever so filled with comfort and gratitude for your continuing prayers and support as we journey forward with the leading and in the power of the Holy Spirit. May the name of Jesus be magnified all the more in our lives to the glory of God.

And may the Lord's blessings be upon you and yours in sacred spaces as we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child at Christmas.

Grace and Peace,

2009-12-09T06:43:00.002-05:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… Last night, in the Christian church sanctuary, I watched my dear, sweet Melissa, my beloved wife of 22 years weep with me as we watched two of our older daughters, Hannah and Grace sing together with their fellow student an original Christmas song composed by our own L. Grace Espiritu and performed with her sister Hannah at their high school's annual holiday choirs concert. We watched and listened, a sight and sounds to behold, indeed, as our eldest child, Christina and I held on to her mother's hand with deep love and affection. We experienced the joy and the reason for the season of celebration as the hope-filled words of the gospel rang through the lyrics of timeless songs, echoing the good news of life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Light of Life that has come into the world shone upon us in a fresh, new way that brought tears to our eyes in light of terrible news concerning the recent plight of the body of my dearly held loved one.

Given the grave situation at hand, I cannot help but tremble as I write. My God, these ought to be the best days of our lives together when the best of our love in life would shine brightly before us for the glory of God. Newly, never before witnessed, unfathomable depths of grief in our immediate family have come upon us as we now together cry out with heartfelt prayers to the Lord our God, the One Who heals us and in Whom alone do we find our healing, comfort and peace. In the Lord alone, we find strength to carry on in the face of such stark, unsettling news. Melissa has been diagnosed with an unusual form of stomach cancer: a rare type of gastric adenocarcinoma with Littinus Plastica. A Google search brings up the following singular web page excerpt:

Describe diffuse type gastric adenocarcinoma

=subtype of gastric adenocarcinoma

Features

1. Tumor infiltrates as single cells

2. Signet ring cells

3. Diffuse lesion with littinus plastica/ leather bottle appearance

4.Seen in younger pts with equal male: female

5. less clear genetic/environmental association

6. worse prognosis

Pasted from <http://cueflash.com/decks/pathologypt3>

We have been informed that there is no conventional cure currently known for this condition. Any modern medical treatment or therapy prescribed for this illness would be only palliative in nature. We have become aware of some alternative support measures that anecdotally may have some promise.

We ask, therefore, with intercessions before the throne of grace for dear friends and family to join with us in pleading before God, calling upon the Lord. At this time we are in urgent need of your prayers for healing, wisdom, grace and mercy. In this our time of need, we place our hope and trust in the Lord our God Who is able to make all grace abound, so that in all things, at all times, having all that we need, we would abound in every good deed to the glory of God. For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love the Lord, who have been called according to His purpose. And so we take heart and courage to face these trials in a Sovereign Lord and Gracious God Whose compassions, tender mercies, loving-kindness, steadfast faithfulness and unfailing love are renewed every morning with comfort and strength for the day.

Please pray for Melissa, my beloved wife and mother of and along with our six children, Christina (19), Hannah (17), [Lydia] Grace (15), Tabitha (12), Priscilla (9), and Sara (6), as well as her husband, their father. She and these, our lovely loving precious daughters, young ladies, growing girls and tenderly treasured little ones are being upheld in prayer. We trust in the Lord Whose healing, reigning and abiding presence is ever with us even through all eternally.

Now, to the Holy and Anointed One Who is able to do immeasurably more, exceedingly, abundantly far above all we could ever ask or think or even imagine, to Him be glory in the church and throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

With The Best… of my love….

Rex (for Melissa) Espiritu

[and our girls]

2009-11-19T14:41:00.001-05:00

During this season of Thanksgiving, there are many things one may recount as noteworthy items to be grateful for. Some usual, more typical notions of life, health, family and friends among others may come to mind. However, as I further contemplate what elicits gratitude in my heart this morning, a most singular thought occurred. If you had to name one thing, just one thing you would give thanks for, what might that one thing be? I wondered as I wandered on the way today, asking myself in the Lord's presence at this very moment, "What am I most grateful for?"

Now, the way the mind works sometimes, it could either go through a number of tangential paths, following some rabbit trails, perusing through a few strawberry patches and smelling the flowers along the way. Or it could suddenly turn quite focused, set in a single direction, determined to press forward on a particular trajectory. In a few moments, the latter alternative became my own experience. It wasn't long before I found myself wanting to draw upon foundational tenets of personal conviction from past spiritual growth and development, and theological formation in my own journey of faith.

In the liturgical calendar of the Revised Common Lectionary, this Sunday in November, just before Thanksgiving is designated for the celebration of the reign of Christ the King. It marks the end of the liturgical year, culminating in the observance of Christ's kingdom and rule over all, with an eye toward Jesus' coming in Advent. From a Christian, reformed perspective, standing in the stream of a tradition with a high view of the sovereignty of God, this is cause for great celebration! The fact that God rules, the truth that Jesus is Lord, and the certainty of the Spirit's reigning presence among us, along with the sure hope and promise of Christ the King's return in glory—That's all too awesome for even the slightest exuberance in this expressed personality to be contained.

In this vein, one might begin to surmise that this is the one thing I am most thankful for. To be sure, the idea that God is in control can indeed be a strong source of comfort for us no matter what situation we may encounter. A deeper probing of the heart reveals a more personal, profound sense of gratitude. When I read God's love letter to me in Scripture, I find myself giving thanks mostly for the words I hear the Spirit of Jesus saying to me through the Gospel of John (15:16). "You did not choose me, but I chose you…" The Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, Creator of all including my own very being, chose me! To know and be known as the Lord's, to love and be loved by the Lord, to choose and most of all to be chosen by my Lord and Savior—That continually abiding experience of God is what I am most profoundly thankful for today. As the lyrics of the song "Knowing You" written by worship leader Graham Kendrick goes, "Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You… There is no greater thing. You're my all, You're the best! And I love you, Lord." I give thanks most of all for You!

Beloved, what are you most grateful for today? In words similar to the apostle, Paul's letter to the saints in Ephesus, I pray that you and your loved ones know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. May you know the Lord's blessings anew in Thanksgiving!

2009-10-21T15:43:00.001-04:00

As we celebrated in this season of homecoming with our sisters and brothers in Christ through anointed worship and praise led by Buchanon Unity ministering in music with us last Sunday, I am continuing to be filled, basking in the afterglow of the Holy Spirit's blessing upon our offering as the Lord leads us anew in the journey of faith. One of the sayings we shared in song together was the saying, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…" Having sung and said that, let me say a thing or two here about "sayings" so….

Have you ever stopped and wondered how often certain witty sayings may come to mind given various situations one may encounter on a given day?

In my own experience, the thought was brought on recently upon noting John Wooden's 99th birthday as reported by the L.A. Times in which one article listed 99 things about this former UCLA basketball coach. A significant portion of the Twitter-verse (as the universe of Twitter is sometimes referred to) was, on that day last week, all a-Twitter with many a wise quote shared by fans and admirers of this legendary man. Even now, a week or so later, a search on Twitter reveals many social media network users sharing their favorite quotes of his with one another and a whole world of other followers.

It is worth noting here that our own C.L.A.S.S. (Christian Living At Sunday School) offering on Sunday mornings at First Presbyterian Church includes a group led by John Lansinger in gleaning from John Wooden's life as they read through his book, "A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court" together. His lifetime of observations and reflections are not only to be applicable in the game of basketball, but they hold treasures of wisdom and insight to be savored beyond the world of sports, with lessons to be learned and applied for his whole life to be lived well. And not just for himself, but for others' lives as well.

All this got me thinking further this week as we approach the sometimes so-called "Stewardship season" and how that kind of language reflecting a particular sort of narrowed mindset is in need of reformation. How we refer to certain notions of living faithfully in the world can reveal a lack of understanding on our part of the bigger picture, showing an aspect of our lived theology that is in need of correction.

The following two corrective sayings come to mind: "Stewardship is not a Sunday. It's a lifestyle." "Reformation is not only for a time. It's an ongoing process." That is, stewardship is a transformative way of living from day to day. It is, in effect, responding with love and care for others, in gratitude of heart, for and by the grace we have abundantly and extravagantly been given in Christ. And reformation is, really, a continual changing of heart and mind to become more and more like Jesus. As the Latin saying goes from the time of the great reformation, "reformata et semper reformanda". We are, as Christians in the Reformed tradition, reformed and always reforming according to the Word of God.

The last Sunday of October is marked on our church calendar as a time when we celebrate, recognize and observe the Reformation. As I shared with our confirmation class a few weeks ago, this year is especially significant in that we are remembering the 500th birthday of the one regarded as the father of Presbyterianism, the venerable reformer, John Calvin. Let us celebrate well by continually, ever more so, living into the lives God has called us to live with one another. Not just for ourselves, but for the world around us in desperate need of the sure hope we have in the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so in new ways with sayings that reflect God's glory and which effect His redeeming grace in Christ for the world. Amen. --Pastor Rex

2009-10-05T05:50:00.001-04:00

Home > Presbyterian 101 > Distinctions > Infant Baptism

Infant Baptism The Bible declares that God claimed humanity as God's own "before the foundation of the world." (Ephesians 1:4) Both believers and their children are included in God's covenant love. Children of believers are to be baptized without undue delay, but without undue haste. Baptism, whether administered to those who profess their faith or to those presented for Baptism as children, is one and the same Sacrament. The Baptism of children witnesses to the truth that God's love claims people before they are able to respond in faith. (Book of Order W-2.3008) Baptism, therefore, usually occurs during infancy, though a person may be baptized at any age. Parents bring their baby to church, where they publicly declare their desire that he or she be baptized. When an infant or child is baptized the church commits itself to nurture the child in faith. When adults are baptized they make a public profession of faith. Baptism distinguishes children of those who believe in God's redemptive power from children of nonbelievers. The water that is used symbolizes three accounts from the Bible's Old Testament: the waters of creation, the flood described in the story of Noah, and the Hebrews' escape from slavery in Egypt by crossing the Red Sea. All three stories link humanity to God's goodness through water.


Baptism signifies the faithfulness of God, the washing away of sin, rebirth, putting on the fresh garment of Christ, being sealed by God's Spirit, adoption into the covenant family of the Church, resurrection and illumination in Christ. (Book of Order W-2.3004) Unlike some denominations, Presbyterians do not require a person to be entirely immersed in water during baptism. Baptism is received only once. Its effect is not tied to the moment when it is administered, for it signifies the beginning of life in Christ, not its completion. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believes that persons of other denominations are part of one body of Christian believers; therefore, it recognizes and accepts baptisms by other Christian churches. Baptism is almost always administered as part of a worship service. In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), baptism must be authorized by the session of a particular congregation and performed by a minister.

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2009-10-05T05:24:00.001-04:00

Home > Presbyterian 101 > Distinctions > Sacraments

Sacraments

Denominations often differ over what they recognize as sacraments. Some recognize as many as seven sacraments, others have no sacraments in the life of the church. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

"The Reformed tradition understands Baptism and the Lord's Supper to be Sacraments, instituted by God and commended by Christ. Sacraments are signs of the real presence and power of Christ in the Church, symbols of God's action. Through the Sacraments, God seals believers in redemption, renews their identity as the people of God, and marks them for service." (Book of Order W-1.3033.2)

"The early Church, following Jesus, took three primary material elements of life--water, bread, and wine--to become basic symbols of offering life to God as Jesus had offered his life. Being washed with the water of Baptism, Christians received new life in Christ and presented their bodies to be living sacrifices to God. Eating bread and drinking wine they received the sustaining presence of Christ, remembered God's covenant promise, and pledged their obedience anew." (Book of Order W-1.3033.1)

Baptism

"In Baptism, the Holy Spirit binds the Church in covenant to its Creator and Lord. The water of Baptism symbolizes the waters of creation, of the flood, and of the Exodus from Egypt. Thus, the water of Baptism links us to the goodness of God's creation and to the grace of God's covenants with Noah and Israel. Prophets of Israel, amidst the failure of their own generation to honor God's covenant, called for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream. (Amos 5:24) They envisioned a fresh expression of God's grace and of creation's goodness -- a new covenant accompanied by the sprinkling of cleansing water. In his ministry, Jesus offered the gift of living water. So, Baptism is the sign and seal of God's grace and covenant in Christ. (Book of Order W-2.3003)"

"Baptism enacts and seals what the Word proclaims: God's redeeming grace offered to all people. Baptism is God's gift of grace and also God's summons to respond to that grace. Baptism calls to repentance, to faithfulness, and to discipleship. Baptism gives the church its identity and commissions the church for ministry to the world." (Book of Order W-2.3006)

"The water used for Baptism should be common to the location, and shall be applied to the person by pouring, sprinkling, or immersion. By whatever mode, the water should be applied visibly and generously." (Book of Order W-3.3605)

"Baptism is received only once. There are many times in worship, however, when believers acknowledge the grace of God continually at work. As they participate in the celebration of another's Baptism, as they experience the sustaining nurture of the Lord's Supper, and as they reaffirm the commitments made at Baptism, they confess their ongoing need of God's grace and pledge anew their obedience to God's covenant in Christ." (Book of Order W-2.3009)

"As there is one body, there is one Baptism. (Eph. 4:4-6) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recognizes all Baptisms with water in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit administered by other Christian churches." (Book of Order W-2.3010)

Lord's Supper

"The Lord's Supper is the sign and seal of eating and drinking in communion with the crucified and risen Lord. During his earthly ministry Jesus shared meals with his followers as a sign of community and acceptance and as an occasion for his own ministry." (Book of Order W-2.4001a)

Around the Table of the Lord, God's people are in communion with Christ and with all who belong to Christ. Reconciliation with Christ compels reconciliation with one another. All the baptized faithful are to be welcomed to the Table, and none shall be excluded because of race, sex, age, economic status, social class, handicapping condition, difference of culture or language, or any barrier created by human injustice. Coming to the Lord's Table the faithful are actively to seek reconciliation in every instance of conflict or division between them and their neighbors. (Book of Order W-2.4006)

The Lord's Supper is to be observed on the Lord's Day, in the regular place of worship, and in a manner suitable to the particular occasion and local congregation. It is appropriate to celebrate the Lord's Supper as often as each Lord's Day. It is to be celebrated regularly and frequently enough to be recognized as integral to the Service for the Lord's Day. (Book of Order W-2.4009)

The invitation to the Lord's Supper is extended to all who have been baptized, remembering that access to the Table is not a right conferred upon the worthy, but a privilege given to the undeserving who come in faith, repentance, and love. In preparing to receive Christ in this Sacrament, the believer is to confess sin and brokenness, to seek reconciliation with God and neighbor, and to trust in Jesus Christ for cleansing and renewal. Even one who doubts or whose trust is wavering may come to the Table in order to be assured of God's love and grace in Christ Jesus. (Book of Order W-2.4011a)

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2009-10-02T08:52:00.001-04:00

Home > Theology and Worship > Theological Issues > Indiscriminate Baptism and Baptismal Integrity

Indiscriminate Baptism and Baptismal Integrity

by Ronald P. Byars

The most critical liturgical issue facing our denomination is, in my judgment, centered on the Sacrament of Baptism. The problem is not a matter of form or of liturgical texts. The problem has to do with the professions of faith and vows asked of parents presenting their children for Baptism, and with the promises made by the congregation.

Four years after my ordination to the ministry, I drove all the way across the state of Michigan for an interview with the Committee on Ministerial Relations of the Presbytery of Detroit, meeting in the church which I now serve as pastor. My growing dissatisfaction with the denomination in which I had been ordained had led me at last to seek ministerial standing in a church that seemed to me to represent a responsible, catholic orthodoxy. This was, of course, the heyday of Karl Barth, who had made a powerful impact on American Presbyterianism. Barth had opened Calvin in a new way, rescuing him from scholastic "Calvinists" who had so often distorted his work. Through Barth's rereading of Calvin, I found it possible to connect with a classical-but certainly not fundamentalist-Christianity.

Changing denominations was not an altogether easy matter. Among the issues I brought to that decision was a concern about the sacraments. I had been accustomed to a church that celebrated the Lord's Supper weekly. I had also been accustomed to "believers' baptism." Those commitments had been important to me, and I could not in all honesty become a Presbyterian until I had worked out an acceptable frame of reference with regard to these sacraments. Imagine the joy when I discovered, reading the proposed Service for the Lord's Day that Calvin had intended, as a key part of his reform project, to restore the broken unity of Word and Sacrament! Further exploration made it clear that Calvin's project-though it had failed at the time of Reformation-had again come up for review in Reformed circles. Baptism was a bit more difficult.

What justification is there for baptizing infants? Karl Barth, whom I much admired, found none. Does the sacrament work ex opere operato? In other words, do the right words, the right intentions, and the right substance combine to wash away original sin, as Roman Catholics believed? Could one, hypothetically, baptize a child surreptitiously, without the parent's knowledge, and expect that something real had occurred? This point of view did not persuade me. If that's what Presbyterians believed about Baptism, it was an impediment that I would have to consider very seriously. Was Baptism just a sort of blessing ceremony? If that's what it was; then it made sense to baptize any and every child. That view seemed to be an entirely inadequate and unsacramental view of Baptism, with no justification in Scripture. Were the parents making a confession of faith on the child's behalf, which the child might later confirm? That was what I understood to be the traditional Lutheran view. I did not understand how parents could make any confession on the child's behalf, nor why they should be asked to do so.

I began to read what Presbyterians said about Baptism in their official documents. It became clear that, in their practice of infant baptism, Presbyterians intended to focus on God's action. Just as Jesus had said to his disciples, "You did not choose me but I chose you . . . .", one can see in the Sacrament of Baptism God's act of choosing. Whatever the age of the person being baptized, it's God's choosing that is the crucial action.
Adults, as well as infants, will have to decide many times after their baptism whether or not to choose God back!

This all made perfectly good sense-but what grounds might there be for presuming that a given child was an object of God's choosing? Why this child and not every child? The answer given was that God chooses people who have responded in faith, but also chooses the children of those who are members of the faithful community. This also made sense-not only by analogy with the Jewish precedent of circumcision-but in embracing the biblical idea of "covenant." God ordinarily chooses us, not one by one, but as part of a people who are knit together. Those people share a common destiny, and a common journey. The children journey with their parents, who journey with a community.
When the parents make a profession of faith, they do so not on behalf of their child, but as a statement of their identity as members of the covenanted community, and their intention to form the child's faith as best they can within that community.
Under those circumstances, there is at least a reasonable prospect that a baptized person will grow into her baptism in due time, making a profession of faith and choosing back the God who first chose her.

For me, these ideas came together in a kind of "aha!" moment. Infant baptism was about the status of the children of believers-members of the covenant community-and not about children in general! Baptism was meant neither to save the child from some peril in this world or the next, nor as a sentimental blessing upon newborns, nor as a way for the parents to profess the child's supposed "implicit" faith by proxy. It was an act which incorporated into the body of Christ the children of persons who were already a part of that body. Presbyterians did not do "emergency" baptisms, nor did they recruit neighborhood children for the Sacrament. Even though they presumed that God held other people's children in equal affection, Presbyterians did not seek to baptize them. Baptism is about our own children-chosen, with us, to be part of a community set apart for a servant role. That was the insight that turned everything right for me. I embraced what was to me a new and richer understanding of the Sacrament of Baptism, and did so in good conscience and with enthusiasm. My appreciation of the richness of the Reformed tradition, with its deep reverence for the God who moves toward us before we move toward God, grew by leaps and bounds with these new insights.

In my early years as a Presbyterian, the actual practice of Baptism seemed to conform reasonably well with what was written in the official books. Those who brought their children to be baptized were church members themselves. By profession and practice members of the covenant community, they presented their children to be incorporated into that community and shaped by its faith. It was true that some parents who requested Baptism for their children appeared to have a rather casual attitude toward the practice of the faith, but I understood that even in a covenanted community, there would be stronger and weaker members. The fact remained that the church was their community, however much or little they valued it, and it made sense to extend that belonging to the next generation. More often than not, their children actually came within reach of the church's influence. Their parents brought them to the nursery, then to Sunday School, then they came to youth groups, then to Confirmation class in a more or less reliable sequence. Then, dating perhaps roughly to the 1960s, something began to change. At first, the change was so slight that it was almost imperceptible. By the 1980s, it was inescapable.

While certainly in every generation some have fallen away from the faith and out of the church, this phenomenon became more nearly the rule than the exception beginning, perhaps, in the 60s. Some studies have shown that as many as 50 percent of young people confirmed in Presbyterian churches since the 1960s have dropped out of any church relation-and sometimes that figure seems low. As a whole generation turned against western civilization and all the institutions of what seemed a racist and corrupt society, they rejected the church whose identity was so intertwined with the history of western culture. In particular, they rejected churches like our own, which had served almost as an informal religious establishment since colonial times. This phenomenon has been well-documented and much discussed, and by now we have all heard the news and gotten the point.

The acute phase of this antiestablishment mood did not last so very long, but the impact of it continues. Most of the 60s' generation eventually made their peace with society-or at least made their peace with employers, the business community, and the free market system. Most did not return to church. They married and had children. Some of them wanted their children to be baptized-perhaps for "religious" reasons, perhaps without quite knowing why. Others were indifferent to such a rite, but their parents coveted it for their new grandchildren. More frequently than ever before, it began to be grandparents who telephoned the pastor to arrange for baptism. The parents of the child to be baptized lived in another community or another state, and had no church connection.

Ministers who failed to perceive that a change occurred continued to do more or less as they had early in their ministries-they baptized those they were asked to baptize, as they had always done when it was safer to presume that at least one parent was a member of the Christian church. The difference-frequently overlooked-was that at least half the time neither parent had any current relationship with the church. They may have had a past relationship. They may have had a nostalgic relationship. They had no present relationship with the church and no plans for establishing one. Still, more often than not, ministers kept on baptizing-eliciting professions of faith that rang hollow, and promises of support from congregations who suspected, if they did not actually know, that neither they nor any other congregation would have an opportunity to keep such promises.

Without consciously intending to do it, our practice has the effect of transforming our Reformed theology of Baptism. In colonial times, the Puritans had compromised for a time with what they called the "Half-Way Covenant. When few children of the church grew up to make professions of faith, the question arose as to the status of their children. The Puritan decision-makers decided that the children of baptized persons might also be baptized, even, though their parents could make no profession of faith. The Puritans may have contributed to their own problem by imposing excessively rigorous requirements on those who might otherwise have made a profession of faith. In any case, it may be that we Presbyterians, having never actually decided to do so, have in practice instituted our own "Half-Way Covenant." For how many generations will we baptize the children of baptized persons who have opted out of the church?

Once upon a time, when I chaired the appropriate presbytery committee, a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor approached me. He said that he had been reading Calvin's Institutes, and wanted to become a Presbyterian. There is, of course, a certain triumph in making a proselyte (as Jesus himself remarked), but it seemed a moment for caution. I asked the pastor whether he knew any Presbyterians. He didn't. I suggested that there might be some value in meeting some and hearing what they said and reading what they were writing before making a decision based on reading a sixteenth -century document, no matter how marvelous that document! It seems that there has been a growing distinction between what Presbyterians say in our official documents that we believe and do, and what we actually do and perhaps also believe. To understand what Presbyterians believe about Baptism, one may learn more by careful observation than by studying theological works or confessions of faith, or even the Book of Order.

Issues Facing the Church

It is important to recognize that Presbyterians (and others) have a problem here. The key issue for Reformed communities has always been that the church baptizes the children of its own members, and not children generally. Surely I am not alone in my dismay that we are becoming a church that baptizes anyone's children "on demand" as it were, without consulting our own theology of Baptism. There must be many Presbyterian ministers and elders for whom there are matters at stake here of such importance that they feel their personal integrity to be on the line.

Some will argue with the official position of the church, as stated in the Book of Order:

When a child is being presented for Baptism, ordinarily the parent(s) or one(s) rightly exercising parental responsibility shall be an active member of the congregation. Those presenting children for Baptism shall promise to provide nurture and guidance within the community of faith until the child is ready to make a personal profession of faith and assume the responsibilities of active church membership.3

The "ordinarily" in this citation does not mean that a session or minister can choose to ignore it. The same paragraph identifies the exception indicated by that word. If the parents are not on the active roll of the baptizing congregation, "A session may also consider a request for the baptism of a child from a Christian parent who is an active member of another congregation" (my emphasis).

There may be those who justify ignoring this requirement of the Book of Order because they have a theological quarrel with it. They may argue that there is grace in the Sacrament whether the candidate is appropriate or not, and that by offering the Sacrament generously to the children of unchurched parents, those parents may find themselves touched by that grace and turn to Jesus Christ and to Christ's church. There is no way that I know either to prove that point or to disprove it. There is no doubt that grace works in mysterious ways. Although personal experience and anecdotal evidence do not support the likelihood of such a response, neither can it be ruled out. Certainly there must be occasions in which there is such an occurrence. Nevertheless, one might argue with equal force that the Sacrament offered indiscriminately, with no apparent commitment to the discipline it implies, will cheapen it in the valuation of those for whom it is no more than a social ritual, an appeasement offered to relatives, or a ritual to which they attach their own idiosyncratic interpretation. It would not be so very difficult to make the case that baptism under such circumstances reduces its value in the eyes of congregations. Hearing solemn promises made lightly over and over again when it becomes apparent that there is no follow-through gradually teaches congregations that such vows are perfunctory and not serious. This, in turn, affects the way they make their own promises. One of the things against which our Reformed forebears rebelled was an empty ritualism-not rites as such, but empty forms, made on demand without personal engagement.

The great risk is that the church will lose the power to say what its own rites mean and what they require. Out of a fear of appearing exclusive or ungenerous, we forfeit our stewardship of the sacraments and offer them on demand to whomever asks for them, asking no questions about why they want it, and leaving it to the "consumers" to interpret their meaning. So, grandparents ask for Baptism because they believe it to be necessary in case "something" should happen to the child. Parents want it because they saw a "christening" in a television show. TV writers, novelists, and neighbor-hood hearsay define Baptism and say why it should be desirable. A person whose mother attended Catholic parochial school feels that she needs to fulfill an obligation--she's just not sure why. In just such ways, a confused society with only sentimental memories of "family rituals" takes over the church's prerogative to teach and define the meaning of its own sacraments.

Challenges of the Culture

What is at stake here is not only the church's right to define itself, but its ability to do so. Our society is at once intensely secular and extravagantly religious. The secularism challenges us, but the varieties of piety that have taken hold of people's imaginations may threaten Christian faith even more. People long for "spirituality," but they loathe discriminating among available spiritualities and are not well equipped to do so. They feel free to mix and match from this source and that, blending doctrines and pieties with no concern for consistency. Recognizing the importance of rituals in human life, bookstores sell volumes on creating one's own. The traditional Sacrament of Baptism might retain a certain charm or satisfy a need for those who sense the desirability of a birth ritual, but have neither the competence nor, perhaps, the confidence to create their own.

In such a theological climate, the church needs above all to be clear about who we are and Whose we are, and to claim the right to say what our rites mean and what they do not mean. There are seasons in the history of the church in which the integrity of its mission stands or falls with its ability to define its own boundaries. The difficulty of articulating a clear message of identity is magnified exponentially in a culture that believes itself already to be acquainted with Christianity, however much that acquaintance may be distorted. The old liberal cry that invites people out of their various Christian fundamentalisms to create new and modern versions of the faith that satisfy the requirements of their personal experience is useful only for those few for whom fundamentalism has been the problem. Most of the population is more likely to have a hazy religious background than one that is excessively certain. Our time requires not a call to personal interpretation, which has already been carried to extremes, but rather a measure of clarity, and certainly that clarity should begin with the church's rites of initiation, of which the Sacrament of Baptism is the foundation.

Baptism by immersion is clumsy and difficult-which is, perhaps, a word in its favor, since the Christian life itself is clumsy and difficult. It has the virtue of visually dramatizing Christ's death and resurrection, to which the person baptized is joined. Baptism as we customarily practice it is more nearly reminiscent either of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit or of an act of washing. Nevertheless, whether by immersion or affusion, at the essential core of Baptism is a testimony to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As sweet as the little child may be, and even though the harsh realities of life may seem far removed from the tenderness of the occasion, this Sacrament necessarily points to the fact that those who are united with Christ become part of a body that must be prepared to lose its life in order to gain it.

Can baptizing children whose parents are outside that body, and who will in all likelihood withhold their children from the nurture of that body, possibly do justice to a gospel that calls us to support one another in laying down our lives so that we might find them? Can such baptisms in any way model for either parents or for congregations a gospel that summons us to share in some way the self-offering so strikingly evident in the cross?
Grace is free, but can we justify encouraging people to line up, hands outstretched, for free grace with no suggestion that they need to live by that grace and into it? Or, that they need to labor with the church to realize the fruits of that grace in their own lives and in the lives of their baptized children?

Sometimes, the most loving way to deal with those who want something of us is to say "no"-or "not yet." Certainly, the petitioners may go away angry, but they will know at least that the thing for which they have asked is something which we hold to be of real value. My response to requests to baptize the children of unchurched parents is to suggest that there are several steps involved in planning a baptism, and the first step is for the parents to sort out their own spiritual commitments.
Once they settle that question, it's appropriate to consider the next step.
Arranging the baptism follows, unless it has become apparent that they cannot in good conscience attempt to lead their children where they themselves have no desire to go.

A broad, tolerant, inclusive church is one that has great difficulty with setting boundaries. We are terribly fearful of rejecting or appearing to reject anyone, because we know the graciousness of Jesus Christ and his openness to all sorts of people, including notorious sinners. My appeal to the church is not to become ungracious or exclusive, nor to erect high walls that only a few can climb. Nevertheless, I believe that the church of Jesus Christ in North America is in a missionary situation. Ours is perhaps more difficult than the situation of those who bear the mission to some corner of the world where the gospel has never been heard.

We live in a terribly ambiguous position, in which the great majority of people in the nation perhaps think of themselves as being, in some way, Christian, yet have nearly no knowledge of the content of that faith and minimal experience with the church.
When they (or their parents on their behalf) request baptism for their children, they seldom really know what it is they are asking for.

If we provide it on their own terms, do we not contribute to a religious complacency that presumes that the church exists simply to provide services at high points and transitional moments in life? Do we not miss the opportunity to make at least a gesture in the direction of affirming that the Christian church is more than a generic religious institution, in which even its most sacred rites are available to the general public? Don't we miss the opportunity to demonstrate that the church makes certain claims which may run against the grain of the culture?

It may be that I have not entirely shaken off my early formation in a "believers' church." My approach in this matter may be more "sectarian" than "churchly." Still, can even a "people's church" (as the established churches of Europe conceive themselves) use inclusiveness as an excuse to refuse to define itself or to distinguish its identity from other cultural institutions? There seems to me an acute danger to a church that is afraid of defining its boundaries for fear of offending those who might interpret such a definition in ungenerous terms.

Choices-from Moderate to Radical

What are the options? The options I can think of range from moderate to radical. A moderate action for a church that senses the danger of losing its integrity in this matter would be to focus on the issue far more powerfully in seminary courses-not simply to teach the polity of the Book of Order, but to teach the theology behind the polity and to raise pastoral and missionary issues with self-conscious directness. This is a moderate approach, because it would probably take at least a generation to see much effect, if then. The political pressures within congregations will consistently work against a serious implementation of our baptismal theology.

A similar and supplementary approach would be for presbytery session records committees to compare session approvals of baptisms with church roll books to see whether particular sessions are respecting the baptismal theology to which our polity commits us. If not, I do not suggest punitive action, but visitations to sessions for the purpose of beginning a process of continuing education in this matter.

Another approach would be for ministers who share a commitment to Reformed baptismal theology to covenant together to support one another in finding ways to deal with this issue in their congregations. This approach will be effective only to the extent that one can find such colleagues!

The far more radical approach would be for the church to call for a moratorium on infant baptisms until such time as the moratorium shall have caught the attention of ministers, sessions, and congregations and caused them to reaffirm a Reformed theology of this Sacrament. I do not expect such a thing to happen. However, as radical as it is, it may be worthy of consideration. In the past, when theologies of baptism have lost their credibility, parts of churches have broken away to create a new baptismal discipline. That is not an attractive option, and we should do everything possible to avoid it.

Another option, of course, is simply to go along with the tide as it surges through our congregations, refusing to think about the issue, much less adhere to our polity, for fear of offending people whom we dare not risk offending. We could revise our theology to one that so focuses on grace that it becomes unthinkable to withhold either Baptism or the Lord's Supper from anyone who wants either, for whatever reasons. The responsibility to be stewards of the sacraments, delegated to the church, could be given back to God. The responsibility of stating the terms of church membership could be laid aside. The church could abandon the task of defining itself or its faith, and simply offer whatever it has, on any terms, to whoever asks for it. If we choose that option-as perhaps we already have-honesty would require that we revise the forms of baptism so as not to cause either parents or congregations to perjure themselves.

Will we continue with the Reformed requirement that parents presenting children for Baptism make a profession of faith? Will we continue to require that congregations be present, and promise to support the Christian formation of the child? This is the most pressing liturgical question before our church.

NOTES

1 Service for the Lord's Day and Lectionary for the Christian Year, (Philadelphia, The Westminster Press, 1964). This pamphlet also cites the Directory for the Worship of God, in The Constitution of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Part II: Book of Order (New York: Office of the General Assembly, 1961), VI, 1.

2 Sydney E. Ahlstrom, A Religious History of the American People, (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1972), pp. 158 ff.

3 Directory for Worship, Book of Order, W-2.3014.

Ronald P. Byars is a graduate of the University of Nebraska and Yale Divinity School, with a PhD in history from Michigan Sate University. A Presbyterian minister since 1966, he served congregations in Michigan and Kentucky. He was pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Michigan 1993-2000, and now serves as Professor of Worship and Preaching at Union Theological Seminary — Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia.

Byars, Ronald. "Indiscriminate Baptism and Baptismal Integrity" Reformed Liturgy & Music. Vol. XXXI, No. 1, 1997. Pages 36-40.

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2009-09-12T10:22:00.001-04:00

Mariano Espiritu

January 21, 1921 -

September 11, 2009

Mariano G. Espiritu, age 88, of New Castle, passed away Friday, September 11, 2009 at his residence, following an extended illness. He was born January 21, 1921 in Paranaque Rizal, Philippines, a son of the late Apolonio and Felicidad (Garcia) Espiritu.

Mariano was honored to have served during World War II under U.S. General Jonathan Wainwright, who commanded American and Filipino forces in the last days of Corregidor and Bataan in 1942, thus surviving the Bataan Death March. He graduated from Far Eastern University in Manila, and spent much of his productive work life as a lawyer for Mobil Oil Company in the Philippines. He was well respected as a gifted, compassionate leader who exhibited a passion for justice, seeking to resolve conflicts and reconcile issues between labor union workers and corporate management employees, with an eye toward maintaining fairness to each party and equity for all concerned.

At great personal expense, he lived out his convictions in advocating for the marginalized masses of workers as a small, fledging nation grew its business through some tumultuous times in the marketplace of Southeast Asia. Down and out of work, he was subsequently vindicated, restored with back compensation and promoted in employment by the company to provide further counsel for management's successful labor relations. God had brought him to deep lows and raised him to great heights for such a time as this.

Mariano also served as President of the National Oil Workers Union while in the Philippines and was an active member of the Filipino United Church of Christ, where he also served as the President of the church choir. Immigrating to America in 1972, Mariano resided in New York and was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Mt. Vernon, NY. In 2007, Mariano and his wife moved to New Castle to be close to their son and his family.

He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of over 52 years, Natividad L. Espiritu of New Castle; a daughter, Marina Espiritu Lutz, and her husband Charles of Newark, DE; a son, The Reverend M. Rex (wife, Melissa) Espiritu of New Castle; granddaughters, Laurella E. Lutz of Newark, DE, Christina Espiritu at Huntington University, Hannah, Grace, Tabitha, Priscilla and Sara Espiritu, all of New Castle; a sister, Maria Espiritu Nannie of Seaside, CA; a niece, Nila (husband, Ed) Dimangondayao of Oak Forest, IL, nephews, Dr. Vicente (wife, Doris) E. Velasco III of Phoenix, AZ, Noel E. (wife, Gigi) Velasco of Providence, RI, and Levi E. (wife, Diane) Velasco of Wheaton, IL; a half sister, Prescila Espiritu of Reno, NV, and a half brother, Efren Espiritu of Hawaii.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Leonila and a brother, Godofredo.

A Service of Witness to the Resurrection in Celebration of the life of Mariano will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, September 14, 2009 at the First Presbyterian Church in New Castle with the Reverend Dr. Rose Niles officiating. Friends may call from 4-8 p.m. Sunday at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle. Burial will follow in South Mound Cemetery-West Lawn Addition at a later date. Memorial contributions may be given to the First Presbyterian Church, 1202 Church St., New Castle, IN 47362 or at www.newcastlefpc.org or with envelopes available at the funeral home. Online condolences may be expressed at www.hinsey-brown.com

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2009-09-12T10:10:00.001-04:00



Friday, September 11, 2009 Mariano G. Espiritu Friday, September 11, 2009 Mariano G. Espiritu, age 88, of New Castle passed away Friday, September 11, 2009 at his residence, following an extended illness. He was born January 21, 1921 in Paranaque Rizal, Philippines, a son of the late Apolonio and Felicidad (Garcia) Espiritu. Mariano was honored to have served during World War II under U.S. General Jonathan Wainwright, who commanded American and Filipino forces in the last days of Corregidor and Bataan in 1942, thus surviving the Bataan Death March. He graduated from Far Eastern University in Manila, and spent much of his productive work life as a lawyer for Mobil Oil Company in the Philippines. He was well respected as a gifted, compassionate leader who exhibited a passion for justice, seeking to resolve conflicts and reconcile issues between labor union workers and corporate management employees, with an eye toward maintaining fairness to each party and equity for all concerned. At great personal expense, he lived out his convictions in advocating for the marginalized masses of workers as a small, fledging nation grew its business through some tumultuous times in the marketplace of Southeast Asia. Down and out of work, he was subsequently vindicated, restored with back compensation and promoted in employment by the company to provide further counsel for management's successful labor relations. God had brought him to deep lows and raised him to great heights for such a time as this. Mariano also served as President of the National Oil Workers Union while in the Philippines and was an active member of the Filipino United Church of Christ, where he also served as the President of the church choir. Immigrating to America in 1972, Mariano resided in New York and was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Mt. Vernon, NY. In 2007, Mariano and his wife moved to New Castle to be close to their son and his family. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of over 52 years, Natividad L. Espiritu of New Castle; a daughter, Marina Espiritu Lutz, and her husband Charles of Newark, DE; a son, The Reverend M. Rex (wife, Melissa) Espiritu of New Castle; granddaughters, Laurella E. Lutz of Newark, DE, Christina Espiritu at Huntington University, Hannah, Grace, Tabitha, Priscilla and Sara Espiritu, all of New Castle; a sister, Maria Espiritu Nannie of Seaside, CA; a niece, Nila (husband, Ed) Dimangondayao of Oak Forest, IL, nephews, Dr. Vicente (wife, Doris) E. Velasco III of Phoenix, AZ, Noel E. (wife, Gigi) Velasco of Providence, RI, and Levi E. (wife, Diane) Velasco of Wheaton, IL; a half sister, Prescila Espiritu of Reno, NV, and a half brother, Efren Espiritu of Hawaii. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Leonila and a brother, Godofredo. A Service of Witness to the Resurrection in Celebration of the life of Mariano will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, September 14, 2009 at the First Presbyterian Church in New Castle with the Reverend Dr. Rose Niles officiating. Friends may call from 4-8 p.m. Sunday at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle. Burial will follow in South Mound Cemetery-West Lawn Addition at a later date. Memorial contributions may be given to the First Presbyterian Church, 1202 Church St., New Castle, IN 47362 or at www.newcastlefpc.org or with envelopes available at the funeral home. Online condolences may be expressed at www.hinsey-brown.com Sept. 11, 2009
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2009-09-06T06:49:00.001-04:00



Friday, September 04, 2009 Religious Perspectives: Holy scriptures useful in dire economic times By REX ESPIRITU First Presbyterian Church Friday, September 04, 2009 As we continue to face the challenges of our current global economy, it seems fitting on this Labor Day weekend to reflect upon the Word given to us concerning the fruit of our labors. In this day and age when gainful employment appears scarce for many, particularly in our region, the encouragement of ancient words can be a solid source of comfort in times of need. No matter what financial situation we may find ourselves in, regardless of our current economic circumstances, the holy scriptures provide for us a strong sense of purpose, dignity and identity in the One in whose image we were made. The apostle in Paul's letter to the saints in Ephesus writes that "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10) And in the Hebrew Torah, we read and hear God saying, "Let us make humankind in our image." (Genesis 1:26). From the first account of creation in the Pentateuch to the Epistles of the New Testament, the words of Holy Scripture echo through the chambers of our existence in time and space, proclaiming who we really are and what we have been created for. The Labor Day holiday reminds me of my father, who spent much of his productive work life as a lawyer in the Philippines. My Dad was well respected as a gifted, compassionate leader who exhibited a passion for justice, seeking to resolve conflicts and reconcile issues between labor union workers and corporate management employees, with an eye toward maintaining fairness to each party and equity for all concerned. At great personal expense, he lived out his convictions in advocating for the marginalized masses of workers as a small, fledgling nation grew its businesses through some tumultuous times in the marketplace of southeast Asia. Down and out of work, he was subsequently vindicated, restored with back compensation and promoted in employment by the company to provide further counsel for management's successful labor relations. God had brought him to deep lows and raised him to great heights for such a time as this. Likewise in our own community, we have an opportunity this week to rise to the occasion and take up a cause for which we as people made in God's image may advocate for God's children among us. The Psalm (127:1) of Solomon tells us that "unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain." As such, leaders in our community have sensed the call of the Lord to fasting and prayers of intercession for the safety of, wisdom and grace for teachers, staff and administration, students and parents in the school systems of New Castle and surrounding areas. I encourage you to join in praying together with your fellow sisters and brothers in communities of faith. Ask the Lord how God would like to use you in these days as we seek His face for the better future of our community. On Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., Sept. 13, many of us will be praying on site with insight at various area schools. In addition, over the next week leading up to that day, various church congregations are designating a day of fasting and prayer in a joint effort to intercede for God's blessing of folks in our schools. For more information, contact Tisha Sledd, Director of Women of Hope at 765-593-9767 tishasledd@yahoo.com or visit the web site of the Henry County Ministerial Association at www.HCministers.org
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2009-02-23T10:09:00.001-05:00

"We are marching, we are marching, we are marching, oh—ho, we are marching in The Light of God. We are marching, we are marching, we are marching, oh—ho, we are marching in The Light of God."

This March, we continue marching forward together with a spring in our step as the Lord leads us by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit through the season of Lent in the Light of God. It is a wonderful journey of faith in our fellowship for such a time as this when we watch what Jesus does (WWJD) anew in, through, and among us for God's glory and our good.

Last Sunday's dinner and a movie event was filled to overflowing with God's blessing of our extended community together with children, youth, young adults, singles, couples and families who participated in and for a delightful evening together. Many were invited through friends on Facebook and personal invitations by members to neighbors, co-workers, and others in various venues and relationships.

May God bless us as we continue to go ahead with God, seeking His face in the days to come. Glory to God for the promise of renewing hope!

In Christ,

Pastor Rex

Going Ahead with the Godhead to the Glory of God

Lenten Lectionary Themes and Readings

3/1: The Promise of Good News Genesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15

3/8: The Promise to Follow Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38

3/15: The Promise by Command Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22

3/22: The Promise for Life Numbers 21:4-9; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21

3/29: The Promise toward Glory Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33

4/5: The Promise through Passion Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 1:1-11

4/12: The Promise in Resurrection Jeremiah 31:1-6; Acts 10:34-43 Matthew 28:1-10

The First Presbyterian

Sundays in March 2009

2009 Lenten Season

Spring Forward with the Promise

Sermon Series — Spring Forward with

The Promise of Good News
The Promise to Follow
The Promise by Command
The Promise for Life
The Promise toward Glory
The Promise through Passion
The Promise in Resurrection

Sundays in the Season of Lent

1st Sunday in Lent March 1	1
2nd Sunday in Lent March 8	2
3rd Sunday in Lent March 15	3
4th Sunday in Lent March 22	4
5th Sunday in Lent March 29	5
Palm/Passion Sunday, April 5	6
Easter/Resurrection Sunday, April 12	7

A rolodex of friends on Facebook including singles, couples and families were invited to "Fireproof Your Relationship" at our dinner and movie event on February 15.

For now we see through a glass darkly; but then we shall see face to face… (1 Corinthians 13:12a)

2008-11-22T21:02:00.001-05:00



Saturday, November 22, 2008 Religious perspectives - A pastor reflects with hope on Thanksgiving By REX ESPIRITU First Presbyterian Church Saturday, November 22, 2008 During the months of November into December, there are two scenes I envision at times that give me pause for reflection. One is marked by a frenzied business observable on black Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Another by contrast is more subdued and somber to the eye. In the economic climate of this election year, the latter view draws my heart and mind toward further exploration. These days, I can imagine folks trudging slowly through the commercial marketplace of life in the cold arctic tundra of the North American holiday season. In my mind's eye, I can see people just going through the motions, trying to get by and make it to the other side of their current financial predicament. If I were able to probe more deeply into the psyche, I can maybe even perceive of myself or a neighbor nearby in the world of our emotional thought life doing the same. In a mystical moment, I turn to look and stare outside the window of the pastor's study. And I wonder to myself, thinking, you know, this could be a picture of any two of us: a neighbor next door, and me. There we are, just getting by, attempting to make it through the winter of our discontent, hoping the heating and utility bills remain low enough with today's price of gas. As the freshly fallen snow comes to rest upon the frosty frail ground, I think about what has befallen us in recent days, not only as a country first, but also as a planetary population of humanity. In the ongoing global saga of the human race, it appears we now face especially in the U.S. the consequences of our consumerism, materialism, greed, and neglect of stewardship. In an ever-expanding quest for more to satisfy our insatiable thirst for instant gratification, we can now conceive of ourselves being undesirably and undeniably depleted of resources, burned out in the never-ending pursuit of "happiness" and "the good life" of a sought after American dream at others' and one another's expense. In a self-centered, self-serving, increasingly individualized and secularized culture of entitlement, we may search for a quick easy fix where none exists for our rescue no matter what kind of planned bailouts our elected officials and expert economists may devise and attempt to implement. And skeptically, cynically some might suspect these unparalleled propositions could once more be earmarked on their and their cronies' behalf. While the wearying winds and wintry weather wears on, the opening words of that timeless classic English novel among the writings of Charles Dickens comes to mind from 'A Tale of Two Cities': "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness..." Sometime after Election Day, when fires were burning in southern California, I read of one pastor from the west coast who shared a curious phrase with the rest of the virtual universe. I was intrigued by their short thought provoking statement, promulgating over the internet through their status update comment in the electronic realm of the world wide web portal sites of Facebook and Twitter notifications that "it is a fecund time." A time in which we are - as a multicultural, multinational, globally interconnected people on earth - at a crossroads, with many burdens to bear and much fruit-bearing yet to be borne, if only, for the time being, in our imagination(s). And yet, something has been a brewing. Change is a coming, and has now already come. In the midst of an unprecedented economic downturn upon our 232 years young democratic republic, accompanied by its intricate effects on the global economy while wars on terror continue, did we really just now, only a moment ago, amidst all the suffering and chaos, witness the increased rising of voting by a generation of citizens, young and old alike, exercising their civic duties anew toward the breakthrough of service in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people with the advent of the first African-American President-elect in the new millennium? This is huge! This is big! This is heavy! In the tsunami's wave and wake of centuries following a dominant Western culture of enslavement and intercontinental prejudice, it is in a word, monumental. Those among us of different colors who, in this society of wealth and privilege, have personally experienced bigotry in their lifetime are faced with a new reality. In the face of one cross-cultural person of prominence with whom we may now find ourselves identifying as a transforming, presiding influence, we could very well be experiencing a paradigm shift toward a new political and even newer religious landscape. Our lives and life together in this multi-national country of firsts, I sense, has turned a proverbial corner and will now and forever, never be the same again. This is first, in a sense, an undiscovered country. There is yet more to be fully revealed and realized in its larger ramifications for the dawn of a new era in inter-national leadership and human relations. This, I believe, is a God-given opportunity of a new and great adventure for us all to consider and experience together as a people being and becoming transformed by grace. As I heard Dr. Martin E. Marty remark from his theological distillation of Niebuhr last week at a seminar and luncheon in Indianapolis with Senator Richard G. Lugar on the subject of religion and politics, we are as sober-minded leaders in community, together tasked with renewed zeal and fervor to approach the times with "hopeful realism and realistic hope." And biblically, the apostle Paul's writing in Scripture informs us that as a people of God, we are called to such a hope that does not disappoint. Especially on the occasion of the first major holiday weekend celebration following a historic presidential election during a uniquely American season of Thanksgiving, I cannot do otherwise, but find myself giving thanks. For such a season as this, I am beginning to believe that we have been raised and blessed to seize the day and make for a fruitful, fruit-bearing time. With stark challenges to tackle, wonderfully awful agendas to aspire toward, and massive obstacles to overcome, we shall indeed, Lord willing, overcome as a nation, indivisible. It starts with the audacious optimism of expressing our profound gratitude for not only what we have and where we are now, but also for what we do not have and where we are not now in a place to be. It is a decision over a contrast of choices in which we can choose to acknowledge and submit to the sovereign Lord of history, or acquiesce and submerge into a sorry state of ungodly affairs, void of purpose or direction. In this day set aside for giving thanks, we are afforded an opportune window of time in which to pledge anew our allegiance for one another's better future under the Almighty in Whom alone as our currency suggests we would trust, even as the early pilgrims did with their newfound friends on that first Thanksgiving celebration together upon a New England terrain. May we, each and every one of us, find ourselves appreciating where and when we are with this truth in mind: That we are all children of a loving God - our ever-caring provider whose grace is sufficient and whose mercy abounds. In view of this, it is appropriate for us once again to recount our blessings with grateful, thankful hearts. As we continue to wait in the hope of Advent, let us renew our commitment to the Lord, ourselves and neighbor alike in the redeeming and reconciling work of ministry and mission for the common good. As the Word of Scripture imparts comfort, may the Lord bless us and keep us to find favor and peace with one another on earth as it is in heaven. The Rev. Rex Espiritu serves as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in New Castle.
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2008-05-17T08:52:00.006-04:00

I recently had a brief e-mail exchange with a brother in Christ with whom I have been friends in our adult lives as husbands and fathers for over sixteen (16) years. As Christians, both he and I have come from more conservative, evangelical, reformed backgrounds. Somewhere within the somewhat lengthy reply/ies in our conversation(s) over e-mail, the discussion touched upon the notion on my part of "everyone being on a journey..." and how [it is that] God would have us treat others [pastorally and graciously] as led by the Spirit of the Lord according to God's Word.

After our last communication, I read the following quote attributed to German theologian Karl Barth in his seminal work(s) of Church Dogmatics which provides food for thought along a similar, if you will, eschatological vein--that is, in referring to the sense of "the now, and the not yet", all of us are at the same time throughout our lives lived for God's glory both 1) not yet now what we will be; and yet, also in a sense 2) now already what we are to become. Barth speaks to this in terms of referring to those who are called and as yet "uncalled", and uses this line of thinking to lead us to consider "an openness towards others".

April 26 — “... our calling to be Christians, as plainly shown in the New Testament in the figure of Peter, must take place again and again. No man who is called does not also have to see and understand himself as one who has still to be called and therefore as one who stands alongside and in solidarity with the uncalled. Is it not inevitable, then, that our self-understanding as Christians should constrain us on this side, together with our knowledge of the existence of Jesus Christ in its universal significance, to an openness towards others in which we reckon with the fact that they are what we ourselves still are even as Christians, namely, those who are not called but are still to be called?" — Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics IV,3,2 page 494

One might also relate this to [the ecclesiology in] Calvin's writing(s) on the visible and the invisible church--that the practical application of our theological idea(s) of, in more contemporary terms, "who is in[side], and who is out[side]" of the church, the "called out ones" (EKKLESIA), could prove at times to be somewhat problematic. This is where one might begin to find one's self approaching [if not already over] the edge of what critics of Barth's theology regard to be [among/in concert with] universalist ideologies.

reformata, et semper reformanda
At this point in my own journey of faith and formulating/developing/reforming theology of/on ecclesiology, the bottom line for me here is praxis. The practical outworking of my biblical understanding in how I perceive, or maybe more accurately, how I choose to perceive of others becomes paramount. In order to work out [the process of] my [own] salvation with fear and trembling, I might believe the Lord my God to be more concerned in the end about how I loved and continue to love others, how I believed in and continue to believe for the best in others, and how I prayed and continue to pray for the calling of others who are now and/or yet to be in Christ. As the apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, it matters more how and that we have love(d) well in, through, and for our Lord God Who is love (1 John). Paul prefaces his treatise on love with these words: "And now I will show you the most excellent way...." (1 Corinthians 12:31)

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NIV) So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

2008-02-19T16:55:00.004-05:00

February 2008

February 16 — “The psalms train us in the very prayer of Jesus, for it is to the Psalter that he turns on the cross. As we are absorbed into the Psalter, our religious imaginations are fused to his. Just as important is the way the repetition of psalm and canticle shape us to find our way forward through rather than around, above, or underneath the given form of the scriptural witness. ... And the effect is significant, for when we look up from the Psalter and cast our eyes on the cross, this life of prayer has trained us to look into the fathomless depths of his crucified form rather than compulsively searching for brighter, more pleasant alternatives.” — R. R. Reno, “The Daily Office”

http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote.htm#february16

2007-07-07T11:27:00.000-04:00

Praise

As God's people gather for worship, through Scripture or song, we focus our attention on God and away from ourselves.

Confession
Worshipers today, like the prophet Isaiah, cannot come into the presence of our holy God without realizing our own sinfulness. When we confess, we do so for ourselves and for the church as a whole.

Assurance
Scripture calls us to confession; Scripture also assures us of God's inestimable love.

Illumination
Before attempting to listen for the Word of God, we pray for the assistance of the Holy Spirit to open our ears to hear and our hearts to receive what God is saying to us through Scripture and interpretation.

Word
The Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, comes from the pages of Scripture. Interpretation of God's Word comes through Spirit-inspired speech, drama, music, dance, or other forms of communication.

Prayer
Part of our response to the living Word is Spirit-prompted prayer, possible in many varied forms and formats.

Thanksgiving
Our greatest rejoicing can come only around the Table of the Lord as we share in communion with Christ and with God's people. When that is not possible, offering of ourselves and of our tangible gifts can be a beginning response to the Word.

True Worship
When the liturgy of the church is concluded, our true worship begins. Everything we know about God teaches us that true worship, lifestyle evangelism, is an intentional living of each day in prayer and mission, in our home, our work, our study, our recreation: glorifying and enjoying God forever.

http://www.pcusa.org/today/believe/past/june01/sidebar-1.htm

2007-06-17T13:15:00.000-04:00

“Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ” affirms the Saving Lordship of Jesus Christ in unmistakable declarations:

Jesus Christ is the only Savior and Lord, and all people everywhere are called to place their faith, hope, and love in him. No one is saved by virtue of inherent goodness or admirable living, for “by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” [Ephesians 2:8]. No one is saved apart from God’s gracious redemption in Jesus Christ. Yet we do not presume to limit the sovereign freedom of “God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” [1 Timothy 2:4]. Thus, we neither restrict the grace of God to those who profess explicit faith in Christ nor assume that all people are saved regardless of faith. Grace, love, and communion belong to God, and are not ours to determine. [lines 155-168]

This statement has received deep appreciation and approval throughout the PCUSA, clearly proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the Reformed understanding of salvation.

2007-05-24T00:22:00.000-04:00

Some parents in the congregation have recently been having a conversation regarding the need for youth ministry not only to the young folks in the ["un-churched"] community around us, but also [and especially?] to the ["churched"] youth within our member families' fellowship(s). One parent spoke about the need for "separation" in the duties of a church youth leader between their responsibilities to devote time in ministry to member youth in the congregation vs. their time spent volunteering with Young Life and elsewhere in the larger community. The question begs itself--How does one do this with integrity for the missional calling of the Lord upon us in ministry together without showing favoritism to any particular group(s) with whom we are called to minister? Upon further reflection on this, the following thoughts recently came to mind:

...rather than using the word “separation” in our conversation(s), the word “boundaries” might be more useful to our dialogue on the topic of “Young Life vs. Youth Group”. A “boundary” for me connotes a more facilitating sense of flexibility and permeability in material for membranes that may provide for a more gracious definition. The word “bounds” implies an indication of limits and an acknowledgement of one’s own [human] limitations in the larger context of God’s boundlessly amazing grace. I am, myself, continually working on the challenges of my own “boundary issues” toward a healthier integrative balancing act between the work of ministry and personal home and family life in the Lord. As such, I wonder whether there may be a healthier approach to this--a truth that would help free us to be true to ourselves in our sense of God's call upon us to missional ministry. The way, the truth, and the life in the Spirit of Jesus Who would lead us in wholeness, integrity, health, wellness, peace -- SHALOM -- as we live the life we are meant to enjoy for God's glory and not just for our own good, but the good of others--all of us together.

Following is a quote from a poet/philosopher from the previous century which for me provides further insight on this matter:

May 4 — Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupation?
Who can spread his hours before him, saying,
“This is for my God and this for myself;
this for my soul and this other for my body”?
All your hours are wings that beat through space from self to self.
— Kahlil Gibran
http://pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#may4

And also, a somewhat related quote from a much earlier century:

May 8 — The Christian prays in every situation, in his walks for recreation, in his dealings with others, in silence, in reading, in all rational pursuits. — Clement of Alexandria

http://pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#may8

2007-04-27T10:22:00.000-04:00

Song of Songs 2:10-13
My lover spoke and said to me,
"Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, and come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."

Elements of Reformed Worship

2007-03-31T15:07:00.000-04:00

http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#mar26

March 26 — The great weakness of North American spirituality is that it is all about us: fulfilling our potential, getting in on the blessings of God, expanding our influence, finding our gifts, getting a handle on principles by which we can get an edge over the competition. And the more there is of us, the less there is of God.

Quotations for March are excerpts selected from Eugene Peterson’s letters to a friend collected in The Wisdom of Each Other: A Conversation Between Spiritual Friends (Zondervan, 1998)

2007-02-28T19:20:00.000-05:00

A Pastoral Perspective – On The Word Written Life

This past weekend I had the honor and privilege of rooting for my nephew, Aaron Michael Snoberger at the statewide tournament for high school wrestling competitions in Huntington, West Virginia. As a senior, Aaron had ranked fourth in the state among high school students in his weight class prior to Ash Wednesday.

Now, upon this past first weekend in this season of Lent, I am proud to share with you as his uncle that at Saturday’s final matches, he won third place in the whole state of W.Va. I cannot express to you enough what a thrilling rush it was to root for him and his teammates as well as other wrestlers against very formidable opponents. I marveled at how each of these young people struggled on those mats through the process of working due diligence toward victory, doing their best to succeed, even in the face of some interim defeats. Their perseverance and determination leading up to the concentrated intensity of three two-minute rounds for a maximum of six minutes in those circles was something to behold. I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ own wrestling with the devil through three rounds of temptations going back and forth with the Word of God as He exhibited for us what it means to live and embody The Word Written Life.

Amidst the resounding rumbles and loud shouts of parents, families, and communities, they were cheering them on with strength, vigor and vitality to encourage and empower them in their journey through the ring. It was, for me, an image of what we are supposed to be about in our mission as Christian families and communities in the body of Christ, enjoying the experience of being there, rooting for each other, encouraging each other’s growth and development for ministry, praying in support of one another in the journey of faith to the glory of God. This is what many among us are endeavoring and encouraged to do this spring season in our Lenten Life Together through the mission and ministry of small groups.

Well, as I stood there shouting from the top of my lungs, almost losing my voice last week, it seemed as though I could well imagine what it might have been like for the Son of Man to have His heavenly Father urging Him on right there from the stands in the distance, as near to Him in Spirit as Aaron’s dad, Bill was, pulling for his son throughout the trying times of the contest of his time.

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus spent about six weeks – forty days, in the desert to be in communion with God and to reflect upon his upcoming ministry. While there, the devil confronted Jesus. This reminds us that goodness is not the same as innocence. Goodness is realized following an experience of struggling with evil. It is in the testing of such trials and temptations that the power and glory of Christ endures and overcomes by God’s Word and Spirit.

Beloved, we have been given an invitation to experience through a season of preparation in Lent the blessings of The Word Written Life. Jesus knew His Father and God’s Word written by the Holy Spirit intimately enough to apply effectively in time of need when faced with the devil’s temptations. He knew enough to recognize, discern, distinguish and differentiate truth from falsehood when Scripture was being misused and/or misapplied by the enemy. The value of the training He received and exercised earlier in life equipped, enabled and empowered Him to intuitively employ techniques against His opponent in a tough and trying situation. It was by training in his nature with the leading and power of the Holy Spirit to engage in spiritual warfare using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. In this Lenten season, I encourage you to join with others in Christian community over six weeks of fellowship in a small group. Let us discover The Word Written Life in our experience of life together.

In Christ,
Pastor Rex

Year C 2007 February 25
Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

2007-02-16T05:11:00.000-05:00

Christian Perspectives – On the Business of Busy-ness
This article was submitted for publication in The Courier-Times newspaper and is adapted from a posting on the blog rex.espiritu.net

In “Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life” internationally renowned author, priest, respected professor and beloved pastor Henri Nouwen wrote:

One of the most obvious characteristics of our daily lives is that we are busy.
We experience our days as filled with things to do, people to meet, projects to finish, letters to write, calls to make, and appointments to keep.... The strange thing, however, is that it is very hard not to be busy. Being busy has become a status symbol.[1]

If being busy has indeed become a status symbol, I wonder why at times, when I keep finding myself saying it. The casual conversation at the supermarket or when you meet someone at Wal-Mart can go something like this: “Hi! How are you?” “Oh, fine. Really busy these days.” “Busy enough keeping busy, huh?!?” And so goes the next sort of repartee one might encounter on any given day at the store. Busy, busy, busy. Even on my personal web site at rexespiritu.net I have a brief bit on this:

Come on by and say, "Hello!"
In the context of today's culture in which it seems our society is ever all the more marked by busy-ness, and as one who is being continually challenged in my pastoral vocation to be pastorally accessible, I invite you to come by and visit my blog site and/or web site, chat for a bit over a warm cup, a bite to eat, and/or a brief virtual byte over the net. Of course, if you are actually physically in the area, please feel free to stop by the church office and say, "Hello!" in person yourself! I am one who enjoys taking interest in how God is working in others' lives, drawing people into a deeper experience of the Lord's power and presence for God's glory and our good. So, come on by and say, "Hello!" ("You've got mail!") My aim/msn/yahoo instant messenger/messaging screenname is: rexespiritu

It appears as though being busy is just the way it is these days. But something in me seems to want to throw up at the idea of resigning myself to some godforsaken state of trans-conscious nirvana in which the business of busy-ness, if you will, winds up robbing me of the life that God intends for us in Christ. As another quote attributed to the same work of Henri Nouwen goes:

Jesus wants us to move from the “many things” to the “one necessary thing.” It is important for us to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to leave our many-faceted world. Rather, he wants us to live in it, firmly rooted in the center of all things. Jesus does not speak about a change in activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart. This change of heart makes everything different, even while everything appears to be the same.[2]

As I found myself preaching a few Sundays ago, I was realizing anew myself that this is a process which involves a paradigm shift not just in our doing, but more importantly in our very being. The Word of God proclaims through us in Christ the good news of the Gospel that says to the world around us, “Look and see!!! I AM making all things new!” And indeed many among us are continually experiencing the truth of this Word authored by the Holy Spirit of God being written anew in our life together at this special time and place called New Castle in Henry County, Indiana. If we were to “take time to stop and smell the roses,” so to speak, even in the midst of being snowbound, we may well appreciate where and when the Lord God has put us for such a time and place as this.

I do not want to take for granted the uncommon gift and service of such a column as this in and through which ministers are given an opportunity to be published in The Courier-Times from week to week as a public forum for the free expression of ideas with a Christian perspective. As such, I thank God for all those who preside over and work at this publication. And I praise the Lord for the gift of this community in which we serve one another in life together. Dear ones, Let us not be too busy to taste and see it – That the Lord is good indeed and that God’s love continues to endure among us.

In Christ,

Pastor Rex Espiritu

[1] http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#jan22
[2] http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#jan31

2007-02-13T09:39:00.000-05:00

January 23 —
Listen my people,

mark each word.

I begin with a story,

I speak of mysteries

welling up from ancient depths,

heard and known from our elders.

We must not hide

this story from our children

but tell the mighty works

and all the wonders of God.

Psalm 78:1-4

2007-02-13T09:33:00.000-05:00

January 19 — Christian nurture is not a hobby; it is not designed for the naturally religious; it is not made for those who are making sense already. No, it is for those who have lost their way, for those who are desperate because they cannot put everything together and make their lives truly worthy. — Paul Holmer, Making Christian Sense

http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#jan19