500th Anniversary: All That Matters
(Posted October 28, 2017)
As we head toward this Sunday that marks the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, I think back over this past week as an example of what it means when a church comes together to live the spirit of the original Christian Church as Jesus meant us to be.
I want to thank everyone, especially those in our Fellowship, that came together to serve the family and friends of Carol Taylor last Saturday. I cannot tell you emphatically enough how much it means to have an outpouring of love in terms of people willing to give up their weekend to help others. Thank you!
Join Us
Service begins at 10 a.m. All are welcome!
And again on Sunday, with our Real Theology Sunday on Addiction and Opioids, we saw people coming together for the sake of other people. Our thanks once again to members of our Fellowship, our choir and Jim Moriarty and to our guest speakers… Allison Fulton, Dr. Charles Herrick, Anita and Peter Lucsky, and Max. It is an especially beautiful gift to one another to talk of our own vulnerabilities as Pete, Anita and Max did for us. Our panelists also spoke of the level of attention that people in Annie Orr Hall gave to their presentation. Thank you, all.
And that brings us, believe it or not, to the Reformation. You see, it was Martin Luther who saw how far removed from the early church that “the Church” had become by 1517. He saw how divorced from the concept of shared community the Catholic Church of the time had become. He understood that the Scripture was meant to be personally shared by every person, for it to come alive in their own lives. He saw how the Scripture was kept at arm’s length from the people, interpreted by the clergy, and that worship was shrouded in rite that was solely delivered by the clergy. Luther spoke eloquently in those early days of rebellion, stating that: “All that matters is that God’s Word be given free course to encourage and enliven hearts so that they do not become burdened.” The Body of Christ needed to be liberated from “top down management,” and placed once again in the hands and hearts of the people, which Luther did at personal peril. The reformed churches we have today (of which the United Church of Christ is one) retain their sense of congregational interdependence and commitment. This is indeed what I saw this week at First Church. On Sunday we will be looking into the ways that we are succeeding – and also at the times that we have strayed from that path. Join us as we journey. – Pastor Pat Kriss
An Important Reminder: To follow up on our commitment to do our part to prevent prescription drug abuse, THIS Saturday, October 28, you may bring any old or unused prescription and over the counter medications to the Danbury Police Department from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. They will properly destroy these drugs for us.