Welcome to Northminster
Join us this Sunday!
The Latest from our blogs…
April 2021 Pastor’s Corner – It’s Just Not The Same
“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.” (Heb. 10:25)
One of the most incredible aspects of the past year is how businesses and people adapted to the realities of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders. Things we used to only be able to do by leaving the house transformed in a few short weeks into things you could do from the comfort of your couch. Need groceries? Place the order online and you can pick them up without ever leaving your car. Want to eat out? No problem, they’ll bring the food and leave it at your door. The latest blockbuster movie? Catch it on release day right there in your living room. A year ago only the largest and wealthiest churches were live-streaming, but now almost every church is doing so, including ours. These are amazing and wonderful advances and changes, for which there is much to be thankful.
But can we be honest for a moment? As great as all of that is, it’s just not the same. How many times have you purchased the wrong quantity of something because you couldn’t tell how big it was from the teeny picture on your phone? We’ve almost finished a 25lb bag of flour we accidentally bought last April. Being able to use Doordash and UberEats is great… but no matter how quick they are, nothing beats the ambiance of the restaurant and eating it fresh from the kitchen. And Greyhound and Soul were amazing movies… but something gets lost when you’re not seeing it on the big screen.
All of that is even more true when it comes to church and corporate worship. We’ve learned a lot over the past year about what it truly means to be the church, that in many ways we are able to do more “Kingdom work” outside these walls than within them. And we are so grateful to be able to provide the ability to worship together when we can’t physically be present at the church. But, again, can we be honest? It really isn’t the same. And it shouldn’t be the same.
Much moreso than eating out, going to the movies or shopping for groceries, worshipping our Lord and Savior is meant to be done by being physically present with other believers. Yes, the Holy Spirit is still present with us and unites us together even when we’re apart, but there is something crucial and important that happens when we gather together for Sunday worship. Whether it’s singing our praises to the Lord, praying for one another, celebrating the Sacraments, or hearing the Word of God proclaimed, it’s meant to be experienced in-person, not over a screen.
You’ll see throughout this newsletter how we are moving back to in-person worship, ministry and mission. We’ll be talking about it more as the weather warms up as well. Right now, we’re looking at Pentecost Sunday as our “target date” for coming together as the Body of Christ. You are welcomed and encouraged to join us for in-person worship before that date or on it. Please know we’re not choosing to ignore the realities of the pandemic or letting our guard down. We are recognizing that great strides have been taken over the past few months and that we are now at a place where we can, with confidence, say, it’s time to gather back as the Body of Christ and get to work on the mission Christ has given to us in Madison Heights, Amherst County, and around the world. As our website says,
We are a biblically-based Presbyterian church seeking to experience and share God’s love to transform our homes, community and the world. We hope you will join us.
See you soon!
Read more...
Youth Ministry April 2021 Update
Read more...
March 2021 Pastor’s Corner – Casting Your Cares
Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous be shaken. — Psalm 55:22Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:7
How are you doing, really? By the time this month ends, we’ll have lived in this pandemic with the ensuing quarantine and social distancing for an entire year. While some are anticipating that we’ll reach “herd immunity” by April, President Biden is suggesting that we shouldn’t expect a return to “normal” until Christmas. I think we’re all feeling the weight and strain in a heavier, more difficult way right now. It’s the weariness of being under stress and anxiety for a far longer period of time than our minds, our bodies and our emotions were meant to endure. And, of course, on top of the pandemic sits all of the pain and hurts that simply come with being human and being alive — pains and hurts that can be difficult enough to bear when we aren’t in a pandemic, but become nearly impossible to bear due to the pandemic. What are you doing with your hurts and pains (emotional and physical), the anxieties and fears, the weights and burdens of living in these hard times?
As the verses above remind and encourage us, God wants us to bring all of our cares and anxieties to him. But just what does that look like? I’m sure most of us have, at some point in time, cried out to the Lord and verbally thrown everything at him at once. That can be therapeutic — much like the whistle of a teapot lets off the pressure of the boiling water — and if you haven’t unburdened your soul that way in a long time, I absolutely encourage you to do so. But, if you have done that, you’ve probably found the same thing I have: while the immediate pressure release is helpful, the burdens and weights are still there. I’d like to invite you to try an ancient spiritual practice that helps us to hand our cares to the Lord in a more intentional way, a way that invites the Holy Spirit to sustain us more deeply.
The Daily Replay
The process is called The Daily Examen and was developed by St. Ignatius centuries ago. It is a 5-step process of prayerfully reviewing your day and anticipating the day to come. While meant to be practiced each day, it can be prayed at any point during the day. How long you take to work through the prayer is up to you — it could be as short as 5 minutes or as long as you need. Here’s an overview of what the process looks like:
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
Take several moments to breathe, relax, and invite God to be present with you.
Sometimes settling our body and mind is really difficult, especially when we have a lot going on.
One trick is to focus on our breathing. When we breathe slow and deep, we let our body and souls know that it is okay to relax and rest in God’s presence. Slowly take three seconds to breathe in through your nose, making sure to fill your belly with air . . . and then take three seconds to breathe out slowly through your mouth. Pause, then breathe in again. Repeat that a few times.
As you continue to breathe deeply and slowly, acknowledge God’s presence with each breath.
(Pause for a few moments)
2. Review the day with gratitude.
Look back through your day as if you were watching scenes from a movie. What happened? What were you like? What were others doing around you?
What are the good things that have happened today? What can you give thanks for?
(Pause for a few moments)
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
Ask yourself about how you felt at different points during the day.
What moments throughout your day have been difficult or tense?
When did you feel happy, excited, or at peace?
(Pause for a few moments)
4. Forgive, and ask for forgiveness.
Who are you angry or frustrated at?
Are there things you can forgive and let go in order to have peace?
What would you like to be forgiven for?
(Pause for a few moments)
5. Look toward tomorrow.
How might tomorrow be different?
What would you like to ask God to help with?
(Pause for a few moments)
Take some time to wrap up your conversation with God silently.
This kind of contemplative prayer can seem strange at first, but once we settle into the rhythm of it, I think you’ll find your awareness of the presence of God is growing stronger. Instead of just throwing our cares at God, through this process we more intentionally place them in God’s hands. Here are a few online resources to help you with The Daily Examen:
- A video walk-through of the prayer: https://fullerstudio.fuller.edu/prayer-of-examen/
- Using The Examen with teens and children (the above walkthrough is from this site): https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/blog/teaching-young-people-a-daily-way-to-pray
- A deeper look at The Examen: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
Read more...
Ash Wednesday – Out of Dust
Read more...
February 2021 Pastor’s Corner – The Power of Love
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Cor. 13:1–3)
The Longest Shortest Month of the Year
It All Boils Down To…
“Full Of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing” — Macbeth
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19–21)
Rev. David Garrison
Read more...
