From “Doubting Thomas, Black Holes, and Belief,” April 28, 2019 sermon by Rev. Nate Klug

From “Doubting Thomas, Black Holes, and Belief,” April 28 sermon by Rev. Nate Klug

 Listen to this week’s sermon by clicking here

From “Doubting Thomas, Black Holes, and Belief,” April 28 sermon by Rev. Nate Klug

The Savior comes back, shows his flesh and bones, and Thomas is not there!

Can you imagine the conversation when he returns?

“Uh, Thomas, there’s something we have to tell you…”

And in response to what the disciples share…

Thomas only asks for what all the rest of them have already seen.

He asks for the Savior, right in front of his eyes.

“I want to see the holes in his hands.”

“I want to put my hands in his side.”

He only wants a risen Christ whose existence he can prove.

Two thousand years after Thomas, we live in a world that has the same thirst for proof.

We value rationalism and scientific experiment.

(It’s part of the history of Kensington, isn’t it?

Nobel laureates and researchers making discoveries, doing world-altering work, in this sleepy town.)

Yes, we live in a world that values knowing as much as possible, and testing things out, and observing with our own two eyes.

Ours is a world that says, just like Thomas…

“Before I buy your story…I’m gonna need all the evidence.”

Maybe you followed the news story two weeks ago, when astronomers released the first ever image of a black hole.

The hypothesis of black holes came out of Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

If too much matter or energy gets concentrated in one place…

The result is a gravitational field so strong, that nothing can escape. Not even light.

In a black hole, the entire constructs of space and time could actually collapse…

Einstein was disturbed by this possibility.

But scientists who came after him kept seeing evidence for it.

The universe seems to be filled with these areas, furiously consuming everything around them.

And even though black holes are destructive, they’re also kind of miraculous in the way they operate.

Here’s how the New York Times science writer describes it:

“As hot, dense gas swirls around the black hole, like water headed down a drain…

the intense pressures and magnetic fields cause energy to squirt out the side.

As a paradoxical result, supermassive black holes can be the most luminous objects in the universe.”

In other words… they’re so dark, that they’re bright!

Can you feel your brain expanding yet?

And the picture that was revealed to the public two weeks ago, is of a black hole deep in the heart of a galaxy known as Messier 87.

55 million light-years away from Earth.

The picture is in our bulletin. Take a look at it for a minute.

What does it make you think of?

Is it “darkness made visible”? That’s from John Milton.

Is it “a smoke ring framing a one-way portal to eternity”? That’s the New York Times.

Or is it a deep wound? Is it terrifying nothingness, utter meaninglessness…

that is somehow illuminated, blazing, brought to light?

Is it paradox? Is it mystery?

And, like awestruck children, we wanted to reach our hands towards it.

Like Thomas after the resurrection, we wanted to see what was almost impossible to see.

To place our hands near its gaping void.

To get as close as possible to its reality.

And so we built telescopes and placed them on six mountains, on four continents.

We placed radio antennae on these telescopes, and did computer analysis on the observations for two years.

We wanted so badly to know.

To see as much as our eyes could see.

To understand as much as our minds will allow.

And, just like Thomas, now we have seen.

Here I am, Jesus says. Here’s my body, here are my wounds.

Here’s your proof.

(How’s your thirst? Is it quenched?)

Of course, astronomers are still gathering more and better data.

And the next image they release of a black hole will be much sharper and clearer.

But still, we are left with the question.

How close does this image, this evidence, really get us?

How close can this proof bring us to wrapping our heads around a place in the universe…

where time and space don’t exist…?

Where the past and the future, and here and there, cease to make any sense.

And John’s Gospel doesn’t tell us Thomas’ full reaction…

but I wonder what kind of feeling Thomas is left with…

after the risen Jesus leaves him that day.

I wonder what he feels like the hour afterward. The next morning.

I imagine him staring at himself in the mirror.

“My eyes have seen him. My hands have touched him.

“I’ve got my proof.

“Am I any closer to the mystery?”

Easter Thanks

Easter Thanks'

Dear friends,

What a great morning we had on Easter! Actually, what a powerful Holy Week it was in entirety, full of all kinds of different ways to experience God.

We had intimate gatherings (Maundy Thursday, with a little over 20, and Easter Sunrise, with 10). We had large, energetic crowds (160 of us from local UCC churches on Good Friday evening). We had over 70 people join us for Easter at 10 am, including many visitors. More importantly than these numbers, we had a chance to worship God vibrantly and step into the powerful set of stories that takes us from the cross to the empty tomb.

I need to thank so many of you who helped out, in obvious and less obvious ways -- from bringing refreshments to welcoming visitors, from singing and ringing to preparing a delicious breakfast, from creating powerful altar designs to simply showing up as you are.

I am grateful to God for this church!

Rev. Nate 

An excerpt from Rev. Nate’s Easter Sermon, “Called by Name.” John 20:1-18.

An excerpt from Rev. Nate’s Easter Sermon, “Called by Name.” John 20:1-18.

For fifteen verses, for 80% of our story…

Mary lingers in the shadows.

Unrecognized. Unnamed.

And if you’ve ever had a season of invisibility in your life…

maybe you know a little of the way Mary feels.

“I’m starting out at a new school. And it’s not at all like my last school.

No one seems to notice me. Or realize what I’m good at.”

Or, “I’ve moved out to California with my partner. And I like the weather.

But I don’t have any connections out here. I’ve been looking for a job for months.”

Or, “I can tell that I am getting older.

People just brush by me on the street now, like I don’t even exist.”

Or, “No one appreciates the work I do behind the scenes.

To keep my household going. To keep my small business afloat.”

Or, “I’m m a person of color…or a woman,

in a world dominated by white masculinity.

By males still racing each other, and getting attention for it.”

Nobody sees me, really.

No one can see me for who I am.

80 percent of the story. Mary is in the shadows.

And if know what it’s like to be in the shadows, for whatever reason…

then you know how powerful it is…

at that peak of alienation…at the moment of starting to lose all strength…

to hear what you haven’t heard for a long time.

Your name. Your very own name!

Verse 16, Jesus says to her, “Mary!”

And she turns.

And in that same instant, when she is recognized…

Mary recognizes Jesus.

“Rabbouni. My teacher,” she says.

Do you get how powerful that is?

In that same instant, when she is seen, for who she is…

Mary sees the one she had been looking for. Her God.

It took us some time to come to the good news today, but here it is.

When God reveals herself…

When the risen Christ chooses to come back, and step out of the shadows…

He doesn’t do it, by saying “Here I am, world!”

He does it by saying, “There YOU are.”

“You, whom the world has not noticed.

“You, whom the others have not named.

“You are seen. You are loved.”

An excerpt from Nate’s Palm Sunday sermon, “Two Parades”

An excerpt from Nate’s Palm Sunday sermon, “Two Parades” (this was not the title listed in the bulletin, because he wrote it after he thought of the title. But this is the title now!). It was a dramatic monologue written from the perspective of a young Roman male, living in Jerusalem.

From “Two Parades”

The whole parade passed by so quickly.

Half an hour, maybe forty five minutes.

Then Yeshua was out of sight…

And we were left standing there with our dusty palm branches, in our undershirts.

Only later did I hear about some of the Pharisees and high priests, who intercepted him closer to downtown.

I heard about the strange word they used, to talk about his followers.

“Disciple.”

What was that, a “disciple”?

I went for a long walk, as the adrenaline wore off.

Finally, early that evening, I got back to my neighborhood.

I ran into my sister on the sidewalk, hanging out with her friends.

“Where’s your fancy cloak?” she teased me. “Why is your face so dusty?”

“Maybe he got into a fight,” one of her friends said.

“Maybe he gave it away to one of his girlfriends.”

I asked them if they’d gone to see Pontius Pilate’s parade. They had.

“It was just like last year,” she said.             

“Only, he seemed a little more nervous for some reason.

“So did the High Priests.

“And we counted more soldiers than ever.”

“And then, at the end of the ceremony,” she said…

“They wheeled a huge war chariot into the middle of the square.

Its cannons were loaded and pointed.

It had scars and dents from previous battles.

And dried blood you could see, still crusted on the wheels.

And they just left it there.”

*

It’s a few days later now. The middle of the week.

Our Jewish neighbors are in the middle of their festival.

You can hear the music, and smell the good food through the windows in the neighborhood.

And all the people I saw at Yeshua’s parade, we are back to our routines, more or less.

The mother is selling wares at the market.

The teacher leading classes. The beggar under the bridge.

And from what I hear, that war chariot still sits in the center of our city square.

I’ve been thinking about that strange word: disciple.

And when I remember back to what I felt on Sunday…

I wonder what it would take, for someone to call me that word.

Every day, I pass by more soldiers at the intersection.

And sometimes I see the Temple leaders talking with them.

Gesturing anxiously. Nodding.

Once, one of them noticed me watching. I got nervous for a second.

And then they saw I was a Roman. And they relaxed, and nodded at me.

There were two parades in my city that day.

I wonder, which one did I really attend?

And when I look around at the society in my midst…

My family. My friends…

My neighbors we have business with…

The children playing in the streets. Pretending to march like generals…

I wonder too, which parade are we part of, right now?

Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Earth Day in Berkeley is a two-day series of events this year.  While the main deal is happening on Easter, the film fest continues on Monday, April 22.

There are films and a guest panel on Monday, from 6-9:30pm, at the David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley.  Tickets are $15 general and $10 student.  More information at BerkeleyEarthDay.org

Here’s an Approach to Global Warming that Makes Sense!

Citizens Climate Lobby is a grassroots, national organization that presents a path and solution to greenhouse gas emissions by working with both parties in congress.  How about that for unusual in today’s political arena?  We heard Mary Selkirk from CCL speak at ACC on April 12.  Mary is clear, committed to her work and the work of CCL; she presented a cogent argument for CCL’s mission and vision for the US.

By taxing carbon pollution at the source and then sending that tax back to every taxpayer, emissions can be reduced due to the negative incentive and economic growth happens simultaneously with more cash in individual’s pockets.  More information and details on how each of us can help:  www.citizensclimatelobby.org.

At-one-ment by Rev. Nate Klug

Dear friends,

As we get ready to move into Holy Week, I’m thinking about Jesus and what his work, and his death, and his resurrection, really means for our lives. Here’s a quote from Franciscan writer Richard Roh. He’s urging us to rethink traditional notions of sacrifice and salvation:

“Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity; Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God.

This grounds Christianity in love and freedom from the very beginning; it creates a very coherent and utterly attractive religion, which draws people toward lives of inner depth, prayer, reconciliation, healing and even universal ‘at-one-ment,’ instead of mere sacrificial atonement.”

If Jesus really was God Incarnate come to earth, it’s hard to imagine he didn’t come to change all of us -- every last person. Are there moments in your life when you see this kind of reconciliation peeking through?

Join us this Sunday as we wave palm branches, and prepare ourselves for the Holy Week journey - one that takes us into the very depths of what it means to feel, to be alive, to suffer and to rejoice.

Serving with you,

Rev. Nate Klug

Fundraising for ACC

Fundraising for ACC

The “Scrip Project” is listed among the designated funds on ACC’s financial report.  This project has been a quiet little fund-raiser for many years; it currently has a balance of about $300.  Recently, the fund has been receiving about $5 per month, but those donations are drying up because Safeway and Lucky are not participating anymore.  Here are some alternative suggestions:

·       If you are an Amazon shopper, you can register with Amazon Smile to have a percentage of your purchases distributed to a charity of your choice (Arlington Community Church, of course!).  This can add up fast, especially if you do a lot of Christmas shopping on Amazon.

·       ShopwithScrip.com:  This program sells gift cards for a number of stores.  (Starbucks, Target, and Safeway are among the businesses shown on their website.)  A portion of the price of the gift card is donated to your charity.

·       eScrip.com:  The current name of the program we knew as Scrip.  There are some small chain stores registered with this program, but no major chains.  Arlington Community Church is still a charity registered with this program.

Do you know of other fundraising programs like these?  Drop a note to Nate, or Nina, or another Council member.

-        Sara Laferte

A Change of Pace

A Change of Pace

Dear friends,

Do you know any French? It turns out that the French word for “slow” is “lent” (no relation to the English word “Lent,” which comes from the Germanic). I always think of that ironic coincidence around this time of year, in our season called Lent, when life seems anything but slow.

Perhaps the value of the liturgical seasons comes not in the way the seasons correspond to our moods, but in the way they sometimes strike our lives at an angle. They intrude upon the ways we would otherwise live, rushing about, high on a dose of busyness, but really barely keeping our heads above water. In contrast, Lent asks us to slow down. 

And we want to, but we don’t always know how. Let me give you an example. I heard a writer talk recently about the way technology is changing our relationship to objects. Where in the past, we would seek out an object for a specific function -- a map, a record player, a typewriter -- now many of these functions are contained in one place: our smartphones. When we pick up our phones to use them, we forget which function we’re seeking. We become distracted by the news, or a text message, and life speeds up as we just try to sort out what we needed in the first place!

One antidote to this may be to become more intentional. More intentional about praying, more intentional about saying “No,” more intentional about structuring our days. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by, in these last weeks of this “slow” season.

Wishing you God’s peace,

Rev. Nate

Hosting Our Community

Hosting Our Community

Dear friends,

It’s been almost a month now since I’ve joined you. One thing I am learning more about every week is how big a role Arlington Community Church plays in our community – and how much opportunity there is still to grow in this area. It’s exciting!

Right now, I’m thinking about signage (not the sexiest topic, I know). But it’s an important one, in terms of raising our visibility and making sure visitors to our building feel connected and informed. We have just installed new interior signs labeling our upstairs offices, and we’ll have interior signs for downstairs set up soon. Thanks to Jacob and Javier for their good work on this!

My next idea is some sort of community bulletin board. Maybe this could live in the entryway downstairs, as people come into the hallway and get their bearings. Could this be a place for the wider community – worshipers, Girl Scout troops, KASEP parents, etc. – to share their joys and dreams?

Let me know what you think! And let me know if you might feel called to help work on such a project.

Serving God with you,

- Rev Nate Klug

A Few Good Helpers Wanted

Annual Easter Morning Pancake Breakfast - Free to All

A Few Good Helpers Wanted 

Our annual Easter pancake breakfast is coming, serving at 8:30 am until 9:45 am

I would welcome the assistance of 2 or three helpers for this event.  Please give me a call at 510-849-0524 if you are interested in helping out.  Also, I am looking for 1-2 electric griddles to use.

- Thank you.  Barry