Rev. Valerie's Reveille

On Sunday, we commissioned and sent off seven Youth Missioners and two adult leaders to participate in a week-long mission experience in Rutland, VT.   All the months of planning, fundraising and team building have finally come to fruition – and it has been raining for a significant portion of the time this week.   I am not sure how much of the work they are doing was outside, but I do hope that the rain will not dampen their spirits or hinder their fun. The intention of participating in a “Mission Trip” is to expose ourselves to a completely different circumstance from what we would normally encounter.   Many times missions involve supporting our neighbors who live in conditions that are much different and poorer (financial or spiritual) than our own.   We are confronted with understanding our own faith (how can God allow this to happen?) and being in authentic solidarity with those who don’t get to “go home” at the end of the week.   By being challenged i...

As we look forward to honoring our dads and grads this Sunday, we can attest to the fact that transitions in life are both exciting and terrifying. There is joy at fulfilling a goal or a dream, which may be tempered by the stark realization that that achievement ushers in a new era of different challenges and opportunities.   It can be overwhelming if we think it is all up to us to discern and define the changes in our responsibilities to ourselves and others.   In those moments, fear and doubt can enter in and take over, but only if we let them. However, if we remember to turn to God at these times for love and support, just as we have throughout our lives, which got us to this point in the first place, we can face our fears and doubts honestly and allow our joy to supplant them.   We can also find examples of others who have faced similar transitions in their lives and found their strength and comfort in their faith in God as well. Over the next several weeks we will ...

The name a community chooses to call itself is very fascinating to me. I sometimes wish I could have been at the meeting where that decision was made.  What names were considered? Who proposed which name?  How were the others persuaded to select the one they did? While I will probably never get those questions answered, I do thank those who came together in faith and fellowship 140 years ago to establish St. Barnabas as a mission church in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey.   I do find it very intriguing that that community chose to pattern their missional identity with St. Barnabas.  He was a Levite (a member of the tribe of Jewish priests), a member of a land owning family and an early convert to Christianity, probably at Pentecost or right after.  He gave up all of his position and possessions to join the fledgling movement to proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer of the world. That sacrifice is impressive in itself, but what I find even more movin...