Welcome
Each week one of our pastors or staff members writes a column observing what is going on in our congregation, the Church and the world, and offering reflections on the Christian life and faith. Through this series of columns, we hope to connect your and our story to the enduring story of Christ; to offer pastoral reflections on our ongoing congregational life and mission; to report on news of the Presbyterian Church and Church universal; and to invite further reflection and deeper discipleship. We welcome your comments and suggestions. In other words, our words here are an invitation to continue the conversation.
This Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2:00 p.m., Laura Ward and I will present a two-piano concert. I first met Laura in 1996 when she served as rehearsal pianist for the Sanctuary Choir’s preparations for Verdi’s “Requiem.” From the first notes she played I felt a strong musical connection! Years later we formed a two-piano team, making our debut concert at BMPC.
This coming Sunday’s Congregational Meeting is called after the 10:00 a.m. worship service for the purpose of acting on changes in the Pastor’s Terms of Call and to elect persons to serve in important leadership roles. The Nominating Committee will put before the congregation names of persons who have agreed to serve as Ruling Elders, Deacons, Trustees, and At-Large Members of the Nominating Committee for the coming year.
For the first time in three years we will be gathering in person for an interfaith celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And for the first time in recent memory, that celebration will take place as a part of a Friday evening Shabbat service hosted by Beth David Congregation in Gladwyne. This allows for an incredibly helpful reminder that the fight for justice and civil rights is, of course, not an exclusively Christian one.
On January 13, 1873, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church was officially organized at a meeting of the Presbytery of Chester. Sixteen members comprised the new congregation, including 13 women and three men. Of course, two of the men were promptly elected as the first elders! Presbyterians had been gathering at Temperance Hall on Lancaster Pike to worship before the official church charter was signed, and they continued worshiping there until arrangements could be made for a more permanent location for the new church. The congregation purchased the current plot of land from the Pennsylvania Railroad in May 1873 for $2,500 and began planning for the construction of the first Sanctuary.
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a week of evaluation for me. I look back at the year that has been, celebrating accomplishments, analyzing struggles, assessing what worked well and what did not. I look ahead to the 52 weeks on the horizon, plotting out new hopes and rhythms. It is a week of anticipation and reflection that I look forward to each year.
Here on the cusp of a week filled with beautiful Advent and Christmas services, I am mindful of a less familiar but fascinating descriptor the Apostle Paul gives to people who believe in Jesus Christ. In First Corinthians 4:1, Paul describes us as stewards of the mysteries of God.
“Messiah” is an oratorio composed by George Frederic Handel in 1741 and first performed in Dublin, Ireland. The scriptural text that accompanies the work is based on the King James Bible and tells of the coming of Jesus Christ as the savior of humankind, Christ’s passion and crucifixion, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven. It is one of the most continuously performed choral works in musical history, with most performances taking place during the Christmas or Easter seasons.
