May 2024
Come, let us go up to the house of the Lord, that God may teach us the ways of peace and we may walk in his paths Isaiah 2:3
It’s an invitation, way back in the days of the prophet Isaiah. Come, let us go to the house of the Lord. It’s a word you can share with a friend. Over and over again, surveys reveal that 85% of people already at church came for the first time because someone invited them. Someone whom they cared about, and who cared about them, said, “I really like this church. Maybe you’d like it, too.”
But, Pastor, that sounds awkward. OK. So invite them to something specific that happens around here – like worship when the kids sing, that’s always fun. Or a Sunday when we’ll gather after worship for a pot-luck, and then make sure you come and bring something wonderful to share. Or just stay connected with a friend, and share with them sometime that church matters to you, maybe over coffee in between conversation about the food at the county fair and the newest thing happening with your kids.
We’ve got good stuff happening at the United Ministry of Delhi. Most of you know that. But we don’t want to be the best-kept secret in town. We share opportunities here to make life better, more meaningful, more connected to love, to God, to hope, and to ways of peace. There are lots of people who feel very unconnected to all of that. So, listen and let the concerns of your friends touch your heart. And let them know that there are others who will care, who will listen, who will share experiences of God’s power and presence, and who have found a community to belong to. We’d love to have them along for the ride.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
March 2024
Christ be with me, Christ within me; Christ behind me, Christ before me; Christ beside me, Christ to win me; Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me; Christ in quiet, Christ in danger; Christ in hearts of all who love me; Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
These words are a translation, by C. F. Alexander, of part of a song known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate. There are a number of translations around; the hymn/poem is attributed to St. Patrick, the bishop of Ireland in the fifth century. I am not Irish as far as I know, but I do love green. And I do love St. Patrick. This hymn of his is a beautiful and powerful declaration of his steadfast faith in God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each section begins with a bold statement of faith, “I bind unto myself today” the power of God, the faith of the church, the beauty of the world around us, the story of Jesus, etc. And then there is this interlude, which I included above, recognizing and celebrating the presence of Jesus Christ in our daily life, every day, all around us. There is truth here, friends. Truth to get you through the tough days. We aren’t at this alone; Jesus Christ is behind us and before us, within our hearts and in the hearts of all the people who love us. This is why I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with joy. Because at the end of a long, lonely winter, in the middle of the blustery, soggy Lenten month of March, we are reminded of the ancient wisdom of a hero of our faith. Sixteen centuries after Patrick’s life and ministry, the words of his poetry still ring true. Jesus Christ is with us, wherever we go, in whomever we meet. So find a green shirt, grab a green hat for the day, sing a verse of When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, listen to the Pogues, and celebrate St. Patrick on March 17, basking in the good news that we are always in the presence and power of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Please keep each other in prayer. So many of our members are going through tough medical times – surgeries, Covid, RSV, etc. Hold your friends in prayer.
Grace and peace
Pastor Cathy
February 2024
I skipped the fifth grade. Fourth grade was an experimental classroom of some sort and they let me do a lot of work on my own. When they realized that I’d read all the little pamphlets and answered the questions through the end of the series, they didn’t know what else to do with me but to send me to sixth grade. My dad was concerned that I wouldn’t learn American history, because I would miss the elementary American history unit that we got in fifth grade, so I was supposed to read a lot of history books over the summer before I started sixth grade. I read about the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, the pioneers moving westward, and the Roaring Twenties. It was a fun assignment. But there were only two black people I remember reading about in all those books I took out of the library that summer. Crispus Attucks was the first man killed in the Boston Massacre in 1770, and a black doctor came to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s house when they all had what turned out to be malaria and gave them a dose of quinine. Further research, years later, tells me that man was Dr. George Tann. There have been many other blacks involved in the history of this country, but they weren’t mentioned in the books I had available to me as a kid. I appreciate the opportunity to observe Black History Month in February to catch up on some of the stories and connections I missed over the years. I encourage you to brush up on your history this month as well. There are great books you might check out, like Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns, about the Great Migration from the rural South to northern cities. Another great book, Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo, was named one of the ten best books of 2023 by the NY Times. Or choose to watch a movie or two about history you don’t know well – Harriet (2019), Amistad (1997), Selma (2014), Glory (1989), or Hidden Figures (2016). There are excellent kids’ books out there, too – The Story of Ruby Bridges, by Robert Coles, and biographies of Thurgood Marshall or Ella Fitzgerald. I’m especially charmed by books built on spirituals like Let It Shine or Walk Together, Children, both by Ashley Bryan. Beautiful books!
In a similar vein, I hope you’ll consider being part of the Lenten book study with the Cooperative Parish churches on Anxious to Talk About It: Helping White People Talk Faithfully About Racism. It will meet on Monday afternoons at 2 at the Andes United Methodist Church, starting on February 26. I’ll be leading it; if you’d like to ride down to Andes with me to participate, give me a call.
Behold, says God, I am doing a new thing. Isaiah 43:19
May you be blessed with new information, or a new perspective, by engaging with Black History month this year.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
December 2023
Advent and Christmas are especially wonderful because so many people enjoy the celebration. The town shines at night with lights on homes up and down every street. We rejoice because Jesus, the light of the world, comes to us as Emmanuel, and his birth is announced by bright angels and a shining star. But I know that many of the lights I see are put up by people who are celebrating the solstice or are claiming the joy of Christmas because it’s wonderful joy to celebrate. Everyone’s reasons for celebration don’t have to be mine in order for us to share light in the darkness and trees with snowflakes and red ornaments. There are some who celebrate other occasions as well. I wish them all well. I’m happy to share why I observe Advent and celebrate Christmas, and I’m happy to hear what’s important to my neighbors, even if it centers more around memories of Grandma’s cookies than it does around a manger. It’s all grounded in love.
One of the joys of sitting at a table and welcoming conversation, as I do as Pastor with Coffee each Wednesday morning, is the exposure I’m offered of the hopes and dreams and beliefs of so many different people. Sometimes I’m visited by Christians who want to talk about ethics or the cross or last week’s sermon. Sometimes I talk with people who follow a different path to peace and want to tell me about it. Sometimes I’m approached by seekers, people who want to engage with God but haven’t yet found a way that seems comfortable. And sometimes I just have conversations about the weather or dogs. I’m firmly convinced that the way to God, whom I know in Jesus Christ, is love. And love is made real in the world through relationships and through justice. So following Christ, at Christmas and throughout the year, begins with listening, and caring, and sharing – building relationships of friendship and love. Put up your wreaths and your tree, shine your lights from your porch and from your heart. Rejoice with those who rejoice. And may the coming of the Christ child strengthen your faith and open your heart even more widely to care for the world.
Grace, peace, and merry Christmas,
Pastor Cathy
November 2023
October’s beautiful sunny days kept me in denial, but I’m afraid the truth is upon us; it’s mid-autumn, it’s getting dark, and the end of the year approaches. I don’t mean that ominously, but the approach of the holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, in my life – forces me to be aware of the passage of time. Pilgrim salt and pepper shakers, large platters for turkey, and ornaments for the tree tend to get used but once a year. Pulling them out of the cabinets reminds us that we’re still around, still able to give thanks and to experience joy. It also reminds us that there were many regular days in the past 365 which we may not remember precisely, but were filled with events that added to the fullness of our lives. At Thanksgiving, we give thanks for the year that has been. Maybe this year your prayers will include healing from illness, maybe they will include the joy for the opportunity to hold a grandchild in your arms or on your lap. Perhaps the prayers will be more difficult to speak this year because it’s been a tough one; we will read names of people we dearly loved on Sunday, November 5 – friends, family members, people we’ve laughed with and cried with who have died in the past year. Loss is hard, and holidays can be especially difficult times as we celebrate without someone dear to us. Know that your community, your friends and neighbors hold you in prayer as you mourn, that you may find a way to peace. The wisdom of the gift of time is that even the holidays will pass, the intensity of pain and/or joy that they bring will not last, but God’s love will last, and will go on beyond even this life itself. That’s the good news that can keep us going – at Easter or Thanksgiving or Christmas or any and all of the days in between. God’s steadfast love endures forever – those are the Psalmist’s words from three thousand or so years ago. And they are our words as well. May God’s steadfast love hold you fast, encourage you in your weakness, and fill you with peace.
Pastor Cathy
October 2023
As we talked about youth ministry at Parish Council last week, I listened to how many of us had significant experiences at youth group as teenagers, no matter where we were in church at the time. Many of us were in youth groups that included kids from ‘outside’ the regular church families of the day. And many of us are clear that our involvement today with church can be traced back to times of fun and fellowship and deep conversations about faith that happened in UMYF/MYF/Epworth League/Confirmation class/Pilgrim Fellowship/Youth Group, or whatever else your young people’s gathering was called. If you’re under 18, know that we’re hoping to pull together a regular group for you to participate in here at United Ministry. If you’re over 18, please think and pray about being part of a leadership team to work with youth. Popcorn, pizza, movies, mission trips, games, sharing stories, claiming leadership, and the power of the Holy Spirit – all of these are part of what a youth group here could look like. Let’s make it happen.
I just got back from a conference on small church ministry. Here at UMD we worship with fewer than 100 people most Sundays, so we’re considered a small church, as is every other Presbyterian and United Methodist church in the area. There are a lot of small churches in the U.S. today, and we’re generally doing faithful work, loving neighbors, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, baptizing new Christians, making disciples of Jesus Christ of ourselves and of others. That is to say, we are being church. Bigger churches feed more people and probably baptize more babies, but the love of Jesus is shared among us as well as among them, sincerely and often. The small-church conference opened with the reminder that all New Testament literature was written from and to small churches. There were many who were baptized on the day of Pentecost, but they then dispersed to start church communities in their own towns. There were other good insights shared at the conference. Church after the pandemic, large or small, is not going to ever be precisely what it was before. Some people have moved on, some have been disappointed. Others have joined the work of the church through technological improvements we have made because we had to. We regularly have five to eight households join us for worship via our livestream on Sunday mornings. We love seeing people in person in worship, and we know now that people participate in ministry in more ways than Sunday mornings. So we celebrate involvement in our work wherever and whenever it happens – online, filling boxes with food for our neighbors, and in worship with sisters and brothers in Christ whether they’re there weekly or only every once in a while. We’ll be ok, whatever the future holds, if we let the Spirit lead and we follow in love. Amen and Amen.
Reformation Sunday with Friends
We’ll share worship on October 29, Reformation Sunday, with nearby neighbors in Christ. Andes Presbyterian and United Methodist Churches, Cabin Hill Presbyterian Church, Bovina Presbyterian Church, and First Presbyterian here in Delhi will gather here for shared worship, with communion, for Sunday morning worship on the 29th. Pastors and lay people from all the churches will be involved in leading the worship, and there will be a joint choir anthem. We’ll host a coffee hour after worship. It will be an excellent occasion; plan to be there.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Cathy
September 2023
I made corn salad for the potluck on Sunday. It was so good I made it again two days later. My husband declared that he’d never had corn salad before; in truth, neither had I. But in late August in Delhi, New York, the corn is abundant, fresh, sweet, and amazing. So you use it, and enjoy it. A macaroni salad seemed ungrateful, somehow. Using the gifts of God for the benefit of the community is the same thing. Keeping your kindness or your joy in check instead of sharing them shows a lack of appreciation for the gifts of the Spirit. I celebrate that this church does such a good job of sharing our space – with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, 12-step groups, play groups, etc. Our space is beautiful, precious, and useful to so many neighbors in the community. We use it well for our own ministry – meetings and choir and Play School and the Food Pantry, and we share it with others. I invite you to keep your eyes open this fall to wonderful things you and the church might share well with others. And eat the corn. It’s fabulous!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
July/August 2023
I spend my Wednesday mornings at the Farmers’ Market, sitting at a small table with a pot of coffee and a few mugs, one of which is mine, talking to whomever happens by. Sometimes I pass the time with the vendors, while we wait for the crowds to gather; much of the time I visit with people from town, catching up on what’s happening in the community, or with visitors from out of the area, who are charmed by the whole idea of a Farmers’ Market. Sometimes people who stop by my table have a burning theological question to discuss or a problem they need help with. Most of the time, people just want to talk. That’s really what I’m there for. I don’t expect to win people to Jesus Christ in ten minutes by the content of our conversation. I do hope to be a witness to the reality that acknowledging God’s presence in our lives is a daily activity, not just a weekly one. I hope to be a reminder that Jesus’s wisdom and grace can be part of all of our days. I talk more about the weather and the fresh eggs and honey two stands down than I do about the Bible, but my ‘Pastor with Coffee’ sign communicates that the Bible informs who I am. I firmly believe that God in Jesus Christ offers the world God’s love and grace and peace. In response, we offer God’s love to the world. And there’s a lot of the world on the Courthouse Square in Delhi that I don’t often see if I spend all my time in the four walls of my office.
You do the same thing, every day. You are the face of the church, the hands of Jesus Christ, to everyone you meet. You may not see a whole lot of people during your day, but your patience with a flustered clerk at Price Chopper or your listening ear to your cousin who calls upset about the state of the nation is a witness to the love of Jesus, offered through you to the world. Keep offering love; keep serving your neighbor; keep remembering the poor and the lonely; and keep connected to the source of the light you share. And come by some Wednesday to say hey.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
June 2023
The sun is out, the flowers are beautiful, the grass is long, and Rick is headed out soon to cut it. Even from behind a lawnmower, it’s easy to give thanks to God on a day like this. ‘Thanks, God, for the beauty of the peonies and the warmth of the sun.’ But Obadiah and I were out walking late, two weeks ago, and it was dark, very dark. There was no moon, nor could we see the stars, and it was cold and damp. I felt alone, except for the company of my dog. On walks like that, I need to be deliberate about remembering the presence and love of God in my life. God’s love for me doesn’t change in the few hours between the cold night and the warm afternoon. God’s love is a constant thing. The challenge for me is holding onto that truth when life isn’t sunny and joyful. Sometimes life takes us to the uttermost parts of the sea, far from the security of home, far from the certainty of our chosen routine. You and I both know there are times when we feel far away from God and all that is good. Grief and sorrow, anger and shame can all seem to carry us far away from the joy we thought we knew in the love of Jesus Christ. Life can and does bring us difficulty and struggle, and at times it is our own choices whose consequences have brought us down. We can’t always choose to be happy; we can’t always choose to feel good. What we can do is make deliberate choices to remember, to hold on to the truth we know, that God’s grace does not leave us alone. If music speaks to you, sing a hymn to yourself. Read the Psalms over again – Psalm 23, Psalm 139, Psalm 27. Our feelings are powerful, but they are not the ultimate arbiters of reality. God’s love and grace are at the foundation of all that is. Yes, the irises and the lilacs shout their own version of ‘Alleluia’ to the goodness of God in the world, but I recommend that you store a soft ‘alleluia’ or two deep in your heart. Let them come out when fear or sadness threaten to overwhelm you. Let them remind you again just how deeply you are loved.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
May 2023
46Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47
The Surgeon General of the United States reported in The New York Times this week that at least half of American adults experience measurable loneliness at any given time. That’s a lot of lonely people. Loneliness isn’t just an unpleasant feeling; it affects our health. Lonely people are more prone to depression, as we might expect, but they are also at risk for higher levels of heart disease and dementia. God said of the first human being, it is not good for this one to be alone (Genesis 2:18). That turns out to be a basic truth. We are created to be with one another. This is not simply a plea to come to church, though that’s always a great idea, and an excellent antidote to loneliness. It’s a reminder that you are not made to be alone, that the faith community is just that, a community, a place for you to belong and to connect, and that time spent together – over coffee or even over Zoom – is healthy, holy, and a worthwhile way to spend some of your day. It’s also a reminder that there are a lot of people a) who love you and would enjoy hearing from you and connecting with you when you feel lonely, and b) who are lonely and would be encouraged to receive a phone call or a card or even just a text to know you were thinking of them. Loneliness hurts, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Reach out, friends, to your friends and neighbors, to your nephews and second cousins. And do come to church. We love being with you.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
April 2023
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”… 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57)
Death is at the heart of the good news of Easter. The celebration of resurrection is preceded by Jesus’ death, but our focused interest in the day comes, at least in part, because of the impending nature of our own death. A death to which Easter says no. Nope. Not something to worry about. Christ’s resurrection means that God’s love is victorious over even death itself. Death has no victory, because our life in God’s love keeps on keeping on. And that love holds us because we are part of that love – that’s why the church talks so much about loving each other, loving our neighbor, loving even our enemies. Because we belong to each other, we are bigger than only ourselves. It’s what Wendell Berry was talking about in one of the poems for Easter Sunday from our Lenten devotions:
The tomb is empty. There is
no death. Death is our illusion,
our wish to belong only
to ourselves, which is our freedom
to kill one another.
From this sleep may we too
rise, as out of the dark grave,
(from IV, 2003)
We are part of a whole, part of the community of love. So come celebrate Easter with all of us; be part of the worship, part of the joy, part of the excitement of Christ’s resurrection. And then, stick around. We’re celebrating love’s victory over death all year long!
I will be away at a continuing education week-end April 21-23. The preacher for Sunday worship on the 23rd is not confirmed yet, but there will be worship and good news proclaimed.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
March 2023
I invite you, in the name of the Church, to observe a holy Lent.
These words are part of the liturgy for the service we held on Ash Wednesday. A holy Lent is specifically a season in which Christians allow their lives to be marked by disciplines, practices and behaviors which encourage our faith. The whole month of March this year is part of the season of Lent. Adopting a new practice of holy behavior for the season is part of a long tradition in the church. And people take up Lenten disciplines not because they have to, but because it’s good and healthy for our faith to pay attention to how we encounter God, in order that we might live out the gospel more faithfully.
Prayer – Daily prayer brings us regularly into God’s presence. Prayer is not a magic potion or spell that gets us things that we want. It’s a practice of resting in the presence of the Spirit, sometimes speaking, sometimes listening, sometimes weeping and allowing the Spirit to pray for us in ‘sighs too deep for words.’ (Romans 8:26) Taking up a regular discipline of prayer in Lent, early in the morning, late at night, or perhaps on Tuesdays or Thursdays in your pew in the sanctuary (you’re always welcome. The church is open from 9-3, Monday-Thursday, and there are Lenten devotionals and a simple prayer collection available.)
Fasting – A change in routine allows us to step back and notice – notice how we depend on things or chocolate instead of depending on God for our joy, notice how God carries us through difficult experiences, notice what we truly enjoy and what we simply do because we always have. Once we pay attention to these things, we can choose what is helpful and what isn’t for our ongoing life as followers of Jesus.
Gratitude – Adopt an attitude of gratitude. Remembering that all we have and all we are is a gift of God keeps us focused on saying thanks. So a word of thanks each time you sit down to eat. If you already do that, add another word before your head hits the pillow, thanking God for the day and for the people whose lives touched yours.
Giving – Grace is at the heart of our faith, God’s grace given freely to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Giving of what we have is an essential part of our response to that grace, which is our life as disciples of Christ. That is, giving is not an add-on to being a Christian, it’s what we do as Christians. As we give – of our time, our money, and our effort – we grow in faith. UMCOR, UMD, and Doctors without Borders all could use the money you have to give. But the practice of giving strengthens your faith even more than their need. If we are to follow Jesus, we need to hear his words, ‘sell your treasures, give to the poor.’ Give not because they need it but because you need to give, you need to share, you need to get out of yourself and give of yourself to grasp what it is to be part of the kingdom. Lent is a good time, a set-aside time, to begin a regular discipline of giving.
And plan to come to church. That’s always a good practice. We love being with you on Sunday mornings!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
February 2023
I’m going to Hawaii for February! Well, not actually. I’ll be here in Delhi all month long, but my exercise bracelet and its app are taking me on daily walks in Hawaii, as long as I cooperate and include my Delhi walking legs in the story. I even have a friend who lived in Hawaii for a time who will email pictures and anecdotes about beaches and volcanoes to add to the illusion. All of which is to motivate me to walk – to get outside, even in the cold, to get exercise and stay healthy. Which is to say, my imagination will be actively engaged all month long in service to my overall well-being.
Imagination is essential to our well-being throughout our lives. We’re encouraged to employ it often as children, hearing fairy tales about talking foxes and stories about people in faraway lands. But we don’t leave our imaginations behind when we move into adulthood. Our imaginations allow us to enjoy poetry, to make the jump from the feeling of hope to a ‘thing with feathers that perches in the soul’ as Emily Dickinson put it so well. Scripture would be incomprehensible if our imaginations didn’t allow us to see ourselves as sheep when we say ‘the Lord is my shepherd.’ God is our rock, we declare. God is our fortress. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. All of these statements require the use of our imaginations. And our lives are richer and deeper because we haven’t forgotten how to use them.
The fundamental use of our imagination, however, is the role imagination plays in love. Our hearts break when we think of those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake in Turkey or kids who will go to bed hungry tonight, because we can imagine how devastated we would feel in those situations. Imagination enables us to grasp the suffering of others so we are then moved to address their needs and alleviate their pain.
Keep your imagination lithe and flexible; put it to work. Sing songs, read the psalms, read poetry and novels, listen to stories and imagine yourself as part of them. Imagine walking on beaches in Hawaii or the Caribbean when the snow flies. Then let your imagination fuel your love and caring, your giving and your prayer. That is, let the light of your love shine, shine, shine!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
January 2023
Did you bask in love over the Christmas season? Did you experience the awe of the shepherds or the joy of the angels? Did you find your way to the manger, offering your gifts in love and excitement? Or are you like the other wise man or the old woman, Babuoshka, from a child’s story book, still searching for the Christ child, still wondering where you might find a touch of joy or hope? The last weeks of December are filled with emotion for most of us – excitement and joy, yes, but often also sadness and loneliness while the rest of the world is raucous around us. Frustration and anger are not unknown either, if there is much busyness or old unresolved family tensions.
It’s January. It’s time to breathe, to sit back with a cup of tea and let peace wash over you. Because as wonderful or as miserable as your experience of Christmas was this year, the love of God is among us, with us, still and always. That was the best news of Christmas, that God has entered our world, and still enters our world, to bring peace where there is tension and hope where there is despair. Emmanuel has indeed come to teach us to love with all our being, and to let that love be our foundation. That love is the light that shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it. So, enjoy the peace of the winter days, remember the times that are worth remembering, and draw hope from the wells of salvation, the promise of God’s power and presence with us, even in the tough times. And stay warm and healthy.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Cathy
