United Church of Pittsford

by Jay Bick

Deuteronomy 16:20
Matthew 5:43-48 and Romans 12:14-19a

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, a national holiday
set aside to remember
and pay tribute
to all of our compatriots who have died in battle.

The commemoration originated in the south, shortly after
the Civil War ended,
and eventually grew
to encompass
the entire nation
and all
of our departed warriors
from every conflict.

In many churches,
worship on the Sunday before Memorial Day
also includes some time
to remember and honor those members and friends of the congregation
who have passed away

selected portions of Ephesians 4

During the course of our discussions in the Discipleship Class
about the Church . . . and what it means to be a member
of the Body of Christ, the Church, we studied scripture,
and reviewed our Church Covenant.

By definition, we realized that our Church Covenant is a vow,
a pledge, a promise, a solemn agreement, words of assurance,
that we share with one another every time we read it together,
as the Body of Christ, the United Church of Pittsford.

In the course of those discussions the students considered

Ephesians 6:1-4

“Dear mom,” writes an 18 yr old college freshman,
“I’m sorry it’s been so long since I last wrote . . .
but I was in a car accident and broke my wrist.

“I didn’t tell you sooner because I didn’t want to worry you.

“I’ve had some problems with my eyes too, since the accident . . .
but the doctor says I should be fine.

“The boy who ran into us with his car was really very nice.

“He wasn’t hurt at all . . . and did all kinds of stuff to help us out . . .
he even visited us after the accident.

paraphrase of portions of I Peter 4
from “Epistles/Now”

As Leslie Brandt states in his paraphrase of a portion of the First Letter of Peter, “Suffering, trails, conflict come to all of us
at one time or another!”

Life can be difficult, painful, scary, and cruel!

We grieve the loss of loved ones . . . and often, ask “why,”
especially when death seems particularly ill-timed and inappropriate . . . such as with the death of a child or a young person;
such as with a death caused by accident, or a random act of nature;

John 14:15-21a

Little Billy was riding his tricycle furiously around the block where he lived . . . over and over again!

A patrolling police officer noticed the child while passing through the area. On his return trip, he was surprised to see Billy still speeding along. Out of curiosity, he pulled over and asked the lad
why he was circling the neighborhood . . . and doing so,
at such a breakneck speed.

Breathlessly, little Billy angrily reported that he was running away!

“If you’re actually running away from home,”

John 20:24-29

Poor Thomas . . . whenever his name is mentioned,
even among non-believers, “doubting” is always attached!

“Doubting Thomas . . .” and it certainly doesn’t appear
as a compliment . . . but as a judgment, a criticism, a rebuke . . .
that skeptical, distrustful, unfaithful Thomas.

Why . . . his reputation among his fellow disciples is nearly as soiled
as that of Judas, the betrayer!

I’m here today to say poor Thomas has been treated unfairly . . .
for, his response to the testimony of his colleagues,

John 20:1-22

The Easter story begins with a sad, sorrowful, broken-hearted, grieving Mary Magdalene heading off, all by herself, early in the morning while it was still dark,for the tomb where the body of Jesus
had been laid.

When she finally arrives, to her horror, she discovers that the tomb is empty, that the body is gone!

Immediately, she races back to where the disciples were staying . . .
and breathlessly reports the horrible news to Peter and John . . .
between tears of anguish, and choked-up sobs of sorrow, fear, and defeat.

Matthew 21:1-11

Once upon a time there was a brutally occupied, and cruelly oppressed little nation, located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

For centuries these people had been conquered by an array of foreign armies, and viciously ruled first by the Assyrians, and then, by the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and now, the hated Romans.

There was no peace, no prosperity, no justice,and no sense of security for the vast majority of the citizens of this nation.

Romans 8:5-11

We live in a world of random terrorist attacks, of sexual predators
that pray on our children, of gang violence that transforms our city streets into battle zones, of economic hardships, of hunger, homelessness, and poverty, and not only elsewhere, but right here in our own country.

We live in a world of broken marriages, battered spouses,
and neglected children . . . in a world of violence, hatred, greed, intolerance, and warfare.

We live in a world of shattered dreams,broken promises,
and heart-wrenching suffering, pain, fear, and grief.