Baptism at Christ Church

It was baptism time last Sunday at Christ Church. The McClain family gathers around the baptismal font as the baptismal candidate takes a snooze... 

From the Vicar's "sermon barrel"...

Give it a rest

While Fr. Chip is away, we reach back into his "sermon barrel" for a few words on this coming Sunday's Gospel. This is an excerpt of a sermon he preached in July, 2012 at Milford United Methodist Church.

I'm curious about something. What is it with iPads and smart phones and even laptop computers, that even when they're on vacation, people can't leave them behind? I can't tell you the number of times I see people sitting at the side of the pool while on vacation, or in a hotel lobby or simply driving in their car, with a phone plastered to their ear or tapping away on an iPad or smart phone, and almost in every case doing something that really didn't have to be done that very moment.

We're losing something precious in this culture of always doing, doing, doing. When all time is potentially work time, then no time is really protected for rest and renewal. We're losing one of the sacred gifts God gave us - the very rhythm God intended for human life: that rhythm of moving back and forth between work and play, action and rest, between doing and just being.

If you review the 6th chapter of Mark, you'll see the rhythm I'm talking about illustrated beautifully in the life of Jesus. Jesus sends his disciples out on a preaching mission, and then, after they return, leads them into the wilderness to rest. Before long, the crowds follow them, and Jesus ends up feeding the 5,000. Powerful miracle, to be sure, but is that the end of the story? No. After the supper, Jesus sends the crowds away and goes off alone into the mountains to rest and pray. The next day, he's out teaching and healing once again.

You see the pattern?

Jesus made it a regular habit to leave his responsibilities behind. That didn't mean he was lazy or irresponsible - far from it. It meant he knew his capacities - he knew his limitations. He knew that even the Son of God needed time off. He knew that he could not sustain a ministry of teaching and healing if he did not regularly get off to himself to refresh, to renew, to be fed by prayer and healed by rest. Jesus purposely chose a rhythm of time with others and time alone, of time getting things done followed by time spent accomplishing nothing.

It's curious how we Christians proclaim that every area of life is under the Lordship of Christ, and yet fail to follow his call for a life lived with Sabbath rhythms. When's the last time you put aside the iPad, the smart phone, the laptop - or even less technological ways of "staying in touch, staying busy" to just BE? We claim to believe that we are saved by grace through faith, but if we live as if we expect to be saved by our hard work, we can expect only one final outcome. It's called burnout.

Think about what happens when life is literally "all work and no play." Not only do we become "dull boys and girls" to round out the old saying. We lose our proper perspective on life. We lose our true identity - who we really are and what we're really all about. Are we really about making money, producing, doing, spending? God save us from such a wretchedly low understanding of what makes us who we are!

There is a better answer to the question of who you are. You are a child of God in Christ! That means your worth has nothing whatsoever to do     with how much you accomplish or how hard you work. What a revolutionary idea! Christ proved our worth when he spread out his hands on a cross for us. We have identity and worth even when we are not working!

Let me leave you with a story to think about. There is a legend that one day the apostle John in his old age was found playing some silly children's games with his disciples. The leaders at Ephesus were scandalized that someone who had actually traveled with Jesus would waste his time in such foolishness. To answer their charges, John sent for a bow and arrow. He chose a strong man from the group to fit the arrow to the string and draw the bow. "Now hold it like that," John told the man.

After a few moments, John said, "What would happen to the bow if you kept it drawn tightly like that?" One of the folks looking on said "Soon the tension would warp the bow or break it." With that, John said, "Exactly! And so it is with the human spirit if it has no rest. In the end we will either warp or break."

Are you so busy in your life, that life for you is like that ever-straining bow? Today, Jesus gives us a reminder. You need regular rest, time out, no doing, just BEING. Think of the bow. And give it a rest.

Fr. Chip

Joint picnic set for Saturday, Aug. 8

Liz Malone and Lynda Swartz have graciously offered their spacious backyard in Hampton Falls for a joint picnic for both our congregations on Saturday, August 8. They've hosted groups as large as 100, so they have plenty of space - and they have room for badminton, volleyball, whiffle ball and even have stakes for horseshoes. We'll publish more specifics as the date approaches, but for now, save the date! It will be good to share food and fellowship - and their home is conveniently located at 14 Kensington Rd. (Route 84) just off Route 1.

Fr. Chip's vacation plans

The first of two vacation periods for our Vicar starts this coming week. Fr. Chip will be away from July 13-24, and again Aug. 29-Sept. 7. The Rev. David Plank will cover the Sunday in July he will be away. Coverage plans for August are still in the works. During both periods, neighboring clergy will be covering emergencies, and our Shared Ministry office will be the contact point.