The Pastor's Page
ASCENSION 2011
Peace, to soothe our bitter woes, God in Christ on us bestows… (ELW #381)
My father died on April 29, and I experienced the great privilege of being at his side when he breathed his last. Returning to St. Matthew Trinity between my father’s death and his burial, I was struck during the worship service on May 1 by how Scripture and liturgy speak to us in our particular situations. This past Sunday, Psalm 116 assured us that “precious in your sight, O Lord, is the death of your servants.”
The “week of weeks,” the seven Sundays of the Easter season, are filled with messages of hope for those who are mourning, and encouragement for those who are discouraged. I hope that you, too, will find nourishment in the word and in the community during this wonderful season.
This Easter season is also filled with joy for our congregation as we welcome new members through baptism and through affirmation. If you would like to deepen your involvement at St. Matthew Trinity, this is a wonderful time to do so. Speak with me after worship or send me an email and we will find a time to talk.
On June 12, at the conclusion of the Easter season, we will celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the church of Jesus Christ. We pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to gather, feed, inspire and send us out to do God’s will in our communities and in our lives.
Peace with our church still dwells in our welcomes and farewells;
and through God’s baptismal power peace surrounds our dying hour.
Peace be with you, full and free, now and through eternity.
~Pastor Mary Forell
LENT & EASTER 2011
It Gets Better
Concerned for despairing young victims of bullying, a number of public figures (including our ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson) have videotaped messages promising that “it gets better.” Some have described their own experiences as victims of bullying, and how their lives have gone on to improve and how they are thriving as adults. As we enter Holy Week, reeling from yet another war in the Middle East, the triple disaster in Japan of earthquake, tsunami and threat of radioactive fallout, plus the continued economic hardships at home, we also need to hear the message that “it gets better.” As you listen to the story at the heart of the good news of Jesus Christ, as you follow Jesus to the cross, remember this: Because of Jesus, “it gets better” for all those who are suffering. God, who raised Jesus from the dead, promises new life to all who are gathered around the cross.
At St. Matthew Trinity we offer many services during Holy Week: beginning on Palm Sunday with the reading of the Passion and Death of Jesus as told by St. Matthew, Jesus’ last supper with his disciples on Maundy Thursday, St. John’s telling of Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday, a review of the stories of salvation ending with the first news of the resurrection at the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, and Easter celebrations at 7:30 and 10:30 on Easter morning. Come participate in as many of the services as you are able, and experience the full impact of the church community focusing on the ultimate gift of God: Jesus, Savior of the world. Allow yourself to be reminded why we can pass on the promise to all who are suffering: It gets better!
Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and ev’ry age,
till earth and sky and ocean ring
with joy, with justice, love, and praise. (ELW #389)
~Pastor Mary
CHRISTMAS 2010
A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Friends,
We are entering the season of the church year when Christians are least in synch with the surrounding culture: It's already Christmas at the department store, but here in the church, we are waiting and hoping.
Out on the street, people are busy participating in the holiday rush, and may already be feeling overwhelmed by "to do" lists. Here in the church, we are waiting and hoping.
People may be feeling quite burdened, because Christmas as we celebrate it in this country is dependent on planning skills that we may or may not possess, spending money we may or may not have, and holiday cheer that we may or may not feel. Here in the church, we know that none of it depends on us: we can't "make" Christmas. We can only wait and hope, completely dependent on the glorious fact that God chooses to open our prison door from the outside.
I hope that you will enjoy the season and not let the cultural expectations get the best of you as you wait and hope for a Christmas joy that only the birth of the Christ Child can bring.
At St. Matthew Trinity, we have lots of wonderful music and stunningly good news to offer. Come and worship!
Pastor Mary
LENT 2010
I woke up thinking about the eye doctor checking my prescription with that big machine: the one where I peer into the eyeholes and the doctor slides different lenses into place until I can focus on the letters. Perhaps the season of Lent is something like that: we make little adjustments, hoping that these changes will help us to focus on Jesus and what Jesus wants for us. We hope that we will be able to see more clearly. Maybe we read the Bible more, either on our own or committing to attend a Bible Study. Or we give up something we are fond of (Twizzlers?), perhaps something we rely on to relieve stress, and then pay attention to the longing for what we have given up and meditate on what we REALLY need that would fill that emptiness. Or we make our lunch instead of buying it, and give the money we save to Haiti earthquake relief.
At St. Matthew Trinity we offer a number of opportunities to help you focus during Lent. The most important may be gathering with other Christians for worship every Sunday morning. Our Bible Studies (Mondays at 6 and Wednesdays at 8:30) continue. Then we add a brief worship service on Thursdays at 10 a.m., during Lunch Time Ministry. And this year we are again going to gather Wednesdays at 6:30 for soup, followed by informal worship at 7:30.
Lent means “spring.” And I am so ready for spring! Come and join your brothers and sisters in Christ in helping one another to find focus and meaning.
Pastor Mary
AUGUST 2009
Chris and I drove to the Midwest for our summer vacation – stopping first in Iowa City to visit our parents and then driving on to northern Wisconsin for a lovely, peaceful week by a beautiful lake. During our drive home, news of the arrest of the mayor of Hoboken and many other political leaders in Hudson County hit the airwaves and it was a particularly difficult re-entry into “real life” to return to the anguish and disappointment of so many at the allegations of flagrant violation of public trust. Since our return, many of you have spoken of the bitter shock of the news and your concern for our community and its future.
So St. Paul’s prayer in the second lesson this past Sunday took on particular power: I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, [God] may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.(Ephesians 3:16-17) We do, indeed, need to be “rooted and grounded” in love – especially now: when cynicism and bitterness threaten to paralyze our city. We need to remind one another that “real life” includes the powerful good news of God’s sustaining love. We need to celebrate the power of God’s love and allow this reality to anchor us as we work together for the good of the city, and all who live and work here.
This coming Sunday after worship, the Confirmation Class and I will head to Cross Roads Outdoor Ministries for a week of Confirmation Camp. I hope our young people will have a wonderful time together with other confirmands and pastors from around the NJ Synod. I also hope that our time together will help them to become increasingly “rooted and grounded” in Jesus and his message of God’s sustaining love which will allow them to be powerful agents of that love in the world.
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Pastor Mary
JUNE 2009
You send forth your Spirit, and they are created;
and so you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
O Lord, rejoice in all your works.
Psalm 104:30-31
Pentecost began with “a sound like the rush of a violent wind” that came and converted a discouraged band of disappointed disciples into sprit-filled proclaimers of good news who were sent out to tell of “God’s deeds of power” (Acts2). At St Matthew Trinity on Pentecost Sunday we baptized a beautiful little girl and embraced the new members being added to our congregation. The Pentecost season will continue all summer long, as we focus on “being the church” - on being sent into the world to live as God’s people, embodying the good news of God’s love. Pentecost season is a time for taking deep breaths, and filling our lungs, so that we will be ready to sing out in praise of the God who calls us into God’s service and sends us out with news too good to keep to ourselves.
The past few months have been intense at St. Matthew Trinity, and filled with transition: the deaths of dear ones and departure of good friends, and the loss of jobs and the births and baptisms and graduations and welcoming of new members are signs that our community is alive with caring and change and renewal. Just as God renews the face of the earth (Psalm 104), and just as God converted that little band of disciples into a worldwide church, so God also renews our community. The changes are not without pain, but we are strengthened by God’s Spirit and encouraged to lift one another up, to comfort the grieving and to rejoice with those who are celebrating.
NOVEMBER 2008
Taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are they who take refuge in God!
- Psalm 34:8
Early
this morning, I was awakened by stormy weather, as wind and rain
rattled the windows of my bedroom. But before snuggling under the
covers and going back to sleep, I thought about friends who are
sleeping in truck trailers and storage bins, vans and abandoned
buildings. And I thought about the financial storms that are troubling
many of us, with the insecurity of jobs and savings, homes and plans.
Where
will we find refuge from the storms? Psalm 34 promises refuge in God.
And as a congregation of God's people, we are called to offer that
refuge, in the name of God. At our last meeting, the Church Council
reflected together on how we can do that.
Surely, the Hoboken
Shelter and the Lunch Time Ministry continue to provide refuge to those
in particular need. And worship provides an opportunity to taste and
see that the Lord is good. And Bible Study and Sunday School and
Confirmation Class assist us in centering our lives in God.
Some
people have also talked about making opportunities to socialize
together (The SMT Social Group on Nov. 5th and the Hob-BOOM! meeting on
Nov. 8th.) On Nov. 20th at 7:30pm, Hoboken Together will provide
training on how to do a Listening Campaign in our congregation, to hear
what is happening with our friends and neighbors in this economic
crisis. (If you would like to be part of this effort, email me at PastorMary@StMatthewTrinity.org
.) And we are talking about starting a group for those who have lost
their jobs or whose jobs are threatened. (If you would like more
information about this group, you can watch the Sunday Bulletin or
email Lisa Winter-Das at Lisa@StMatthewTrinity.org.)
There
is a tendency to isolate in times of stress, but we are called to stand
together and reach out. If you have other thoughts on how to do this, I
hope you will share them with me.
Pastor Mary
FALL 2007
Our
Rock and our Salvation, you are the foundation on which we choose to
build our lives and carry out the mission of the church. Hold us firmly
in your arms when the challenges of the world seek to distract us from
your good purpose. Thank you for the gift to share in your ministry. In
the Name of Jesus. Amen (Daily Text, Moravian Church, August 24, 2007)
Today
as I returned from walking my dog, I overheard a woman say to her son,
"I'm going to go into that church and sneak a peek." Although I advised
that she wait a couple of weeks, until the plaster dust settles, it is
so pleasing to see that the work being done on our building is
attracting attention! I hope that it will draw curious neighbors,
newcomers and former members into enter our "new" old worship space and
that they will find here a vibrant worshiping community whom they can
join in praising God!
As our 150th Anniversary approaches and
the preparations snowball, we celebrate the shoulders we stand on and
the community where we are planted, but mostly the gracious God who
continues to give us life and breath. Come and "sneak a peek" at the
minstry happening here - and stay to join in the celebration of God's
love!
Another ministry is celebrating and anniversary this fall:
the Hoboken Homeless Shelter has been active for 25 years this month.
This is a ministry in which St Matthew Trinity has played a key role
since the beginning, and that continues to call forth the gifts and
generosity of this congregation. Ann and Max Gehler have been active
since the start, with Mark Singleton (currently the Hoboken shelter
Board President) from nearly the beginning.
We are invited to
participate in the Shelter's celebration in two ways this month. First,
a worship service planned by the Hoboken Clergy Coalition, will be
celebrated on Sunday, September 23 at 3pm at St John the Baptist
Lutheran Church on Third and Bloomfield, where the Shelter is housed.
Come and thank God for all the lives that have been changed and all the
healing that has gone on and all the hungry who have been fed through
this ministry! Next, on Thursday, September 27, a gala fundraising
event will take place at All Saints Episcopal Parish on 7th and
Washington. [For information, please write to info@StMatthewTrinity.org ]
Fall is a lovely time, as those who have been away return and new neighbors arrive. We are looking forward to seeing YOU!
LENT 2007
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! [Psalm 34:3]
I
learned this year that “Lent” comes from the same root as “lengthen,”
and refers to the lengthening days of spring. I like that! Because
Lent is designed as a season of learning and preparation – and
lengthening days give the sense of more time in our day, more time to
practice the disciplines of Lent, more time to study and, as someone
said to me the other day, “to work on myself."
As a community, we will be coming together on Wednesday evenings during Lent. If you have children, please bring them! We
will share a simple meal of soup and bread, and then the children will
go and do really fun activities with Pastor Mona, learning and making
cool stuff on Lenten themes. Meanwhile, the adults will head upstairs to study and meditate on the Psalms.
The Psalms are the hymnbook of Israel and of the Church. There are many stories of what the Psalms have meant to God’s people. I
just read that Claus Westermann, a very important writer on the psalms,
was imprisoned as a Russian prisoner of war during WWII. His meditation on the psalms sustained him during his time of suffering. When he was freed, using these insights, he became one of the foremost scholars interpreting the psalms. Martin Luther wrote a lot about the psalms, and they were critically important to the development of his theology.
There are 150 Psalms in the Bible and they cover a huge range of moods and understandings. Some are laments, expressing anguish. Some express anger at God’s seeming absence. Some are songs of praise and thanksgiving. In our study on Wednesday evenings, we will pick a few psalms of different types and explore them together.
I
hope that you can come. But whether you come or not, I hope that the
days ahead will lengthen to provide you time for reflection and
learning, and that this Lenten season will be one of growth for you.
Pastor Mary
PENTECOST 2006
The
three great festival of the Christian Church are Christmas, Easter and
- - - Pentecost! But while American culture has adopted the first two
and made them pretty hard to miss, Pentecost still belongs to the
church alone, and sometimes gets lost among the graduations and
weddings celebrated in the spring.
At
Pentecost, the church celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit that
descended upon the disciples after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension
into heaven (read about it in Acts, chapter 2). Sometimes Pentecost is
called "the birthday of the church" as we recognize that the Holy
Spirit took a scared group of former disciples and transformed them
into the missionary force that spread the Word of God’s love as it was
revealed in Jesus Christ. At Pentecost we announce the Holy Spirit’s
continuing presence and work in our midst.
At
St Matthew Trinity this Pentecost our festival worship will be followed
by a brief congregational meeting - an update on the church’s
activities relating to preparation for our 150th Anniversary
in 2008. Come and contribute your presence and your thoughts as the
Spirit continues to blow through the people of St. Matthew Trinity to
inspire us to share the good news of God’s love in our words and in our
deeds!
EASTER 2006
Lord, if You have to break me to remake me, let Your will be done.
- - Marian Wright Edelman
- - from Guide My Feet by Marion Wright Edelman (Boston: Beacon Press, 1995. p.62)
How
brittle I am. How easily broken. My Lenten journey this year has been
focused through the lens of my fall, my broken ribs, and the amazing,
sometime tedious process of healing.
My
spirit is blown wildly about: from gratitude for the care I have
received from my loving families - my blood family and my church
family, to anxiety over my fragile bones, to wonder at God's healing
power, to a new solidarity with those who live with chronic pain.
Sometimes
I don't feel up to the demands of being a patient - I am newly aware of
my impatience and how much of my identity is caught up in being "able"
to do stuff. Disabled, I wonder who I am.
Psalm 51 brings comfort: "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (verse 17)
God is not confused. God knows who I am. God recognizes each broken child as God's own beloved.
In
this holy season, we gather to remember God's own Son, disabled on the
cross, his body broken and given for us. And we come together, again,
to praise God for raising this One to new life, that all of us may be
re-made in his image.
- Pastor Mary,
April 2006
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| Rev. Mary Forell, Pastor |
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