We Are All Strangers

In Sunday’s sermon, I invoked God’s commandment that we love the stranger, the foreigner, the refugee, the immigrant. One commandment from over 40 found in Deuteronomy 10 reads,

¹² And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?… ¹⁸ [God] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. ¹⁹ And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.

God loves the foreigner who is among us. That means the person who is not-from-around-here, the immigrant, the refugee, even the person who simply seems different, who is strange. It is the work of our life and of our faith to practice opening our hearts, hands, and communities to the foreigner.

But in following God’s commands, in following Jesus, we become the foreigners. Our scripture readings point to the crimes for which Jesus (and Paul, and Peter, and James, and for which many many other Christian martyrs died) was the crime of sedition. Christians called Jesus Lord, not Caesar. Christians pledge to follow God’s Way first. If our state embraces God’s law—if our state cares for the fatherless, the destitute, the foreigner, the refugee, then we work in tandem with the state. But if not, we become “resident aliens”—that is, foreigners at home, strangers in a now-unfamiliar land. Sunday’s scripture from Philippians 3:17-4:1 includes St. Paul’s “citizenship in heaven,” a “citizenship” that makes us all foreigners as we live out God’s commandment to love, rather than follow the regime’s politically motivated commandments of expediency or self-enrichment. Jesus’ dismissal of Herod as not worthy of his time or consideration demonstrates Jesus’ own commitment to following this Way as him primary mode, his primary objective, as the fulfillment of the Isaiah scroll passage he read out loud in the synagogue in Nazareth as he began his ministry (Luke 4:17-21).

One of my favorite devotional sites, the Visual Commentary on Scripture, has wonderful three-minute visits to art, commentary, and inspiration. You’ll find it here: https://thevcs.org/

This week, the VCS features a work of art called “Love the Stranger.” It is a powerful multimedia message of the challenges and necessity to love the stranger. When you click the link, you can read or listen to the short commentary as you look at the work of art.

Another favorite devotional site, Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations, is also featuring a week called “Welcoming the Stranger.” In the Tuesday’s message, we see that God Godself takes the form of a stranger, a direct challenge, or a face-to-face opportunity to practice welcoming the stranger. You’ll find this meditation here https://cac.org/daily-meditations/welcoming-strangers-in-scripture/

What does God command of us? What does Jesus teach us? Look for the patterns, the “golden thread” that is evoked over and over again throughout the books of the Bible, the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. One of the most repeated—and presumably important—commandments is to welcome and provide for the foreigner. Let us daily affirm our “citizenship in heaven” by doing so.

In peace,

Jen+

Rev. Jen has set her office drop-in day as Wednesday of each week from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. for anyone who would like to stop in and visit. You are always invited to make an appointment for a time convenient for you. Mondays are her Sabbath day.

LENTEN SERIES

We have a range of services and gatherings for Lent, including Wednesday Lenten Series at 12:30 and 6:30 each Wednesday. Each week will begin with a different form of the Stations of the Cross. We will then watch a short 10 minute video from Rob Bell’s Nooma series and discuss prayer practices and concerns. Each meeting will be 45-60 minutes long. Use the on-line newsletter and a printed sheet outlining Lent and Holy Week to fill your calendar for this wonder and moving season. Click here for a full listing of all the Lent and Easter services being offered this year.

LENTEN CRAFTS

We will have materials available for you to decorate your own Paschal candle for your home. Materials will be available Sundays each week March 16 through April 6, so take your time and let the design evolve. If you’d like to make beautiful Ukrainian pysanky eggs for the Easter budding branches in the sanctuary or take home to enhance your home’s Easter egg tree. Those materials will be set out Sundays from March 23 through April 6.

NEW PICTORAL DIRECTORY

We have chosen Universal Church Directories to help us with our new pictoral church directory. Our photography date will be Tuesday, April 8 from 2:00 – 8:30 p.m. in Hamilton Hall. We want everyone included so if you haven’t already signed up, please do so today. You can go online to ucdir.com and use the Church Code: in2012 and password: photos. This will take you to the online signup page. Karen Hirt Mannon will also be signing up people for photos the next two Sundays before and after the service. You may call Karen at (765) 720-2402 to find out what slots are available now. Each family photographed receives a complimentary 8 X 10 portrait and a free directory. Don’t miss this chance to get a professional portrait.

NON-FOOD PANTRY AND PANTRY COALITION HELP NEEDED

March 26, Wednesday, is St. Paul’s Catholic Church pick-up. A 30 minute gift of car and driver is needed between 10:00 a.m. – noon to collect offerings from the narthex of their church (enter from the parking lot, donations are to the immediate right upon entering). You may need to check in with the office first. March 27, Thursday, is the Kroger pick-up. A 30 minute gift of truck and driver is need at 4:00 p.m. March 29, Saturday, is our monthly Non-Food Pantry from noon – 2:00 p.m. Interested volunteers can reach out to Harriet Moore. The Pantry Coalition needs volunteers to help work 2 hour shifts at Kroger on Monday, April 14 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for “Kroger Sweeps Day” distributing shopping wish lists and answering questions, and someone to pick up our part of the collection the next morning, Tuesday, April 15 before 9:00 a.m. Pick-up is easily done with a car. If you can help in any way, please contact Fred Vallowe at vallowef@gmail.com. April 30, Wednesday, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Ashley Square Cinema the Putnam County Pantry Coalition will be showing two short films on food insecurity in Indiana. A panel discussion on the complexity of these Hoosier issues will be included. Admission is free, but the donation of a pantry staple would be appreciated!

TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY

The Book and Bible Group has begun again, meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays with Evening Prayer celebrated at 4:00 p.m.

WOMEN IN THE BIBLE SERIES

You are invited to join an eight-week “Women in the Bible” study. We will meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. through March 26. The series is presented by Professor Sandie Gravett. Details are in Hamilton Hall; register by e-mail to kramer501@msn.com with “Women in the Bible Series” in the subject line.

ALTAR FLOWERS

We now have a poster in Hamilton Hall to sign up for altar flowers. You may donate funds to purchase altar flowers in celebration of a birthday, anniversary, special date, or to honor someone who has died. A donation amount of $30 is suggested. Please make checks payable to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and in the memo field please put this information: Altar Flowers, person’s name, occasion, Sunday date you’d like for the flowers to be on the altar. It is asked that you get this information to Renee well ahead of time. Thank you!

VESTRY MEETING MINUTES

If any of you are interested in what your Vestry is doing, there are two copies of each month’s minutes on the top of the piano in Hamilton Hall. Feel free to read and return!

THIS WEEK’S SHOPPING LIST FOR NON-FOOD PANTRY

Please add baby wipes, disinfectant wipes, and Adult Depends (any size) to your shopping list for the NFP for the month of March. Meals and conversation in Hamilton Hall are going well. Patrons are now able to pick out items they most need. Your contributions help our budget go farther in helping meet the needs of those in Putnam County. The next Non-Food Pantry will be Saturday, March 29 from noon – 2:00 p.m.

KROGER COUPONS

If you have any unwanted Kroger coupons, please bring them to Hamilton Hall and place in the window ledge near the “Little Library”. We would like to make them available to our Non-Food Pantry recipients so that they might be able to take advantage of them to help extend their food budget. Thanks in advance!

FREE DAILY DEVOTIONAL

We have some large print Day by Day daily devotionals in the sanctuary that you are free to take home for your personal devotions–and if we know that people would like copies, we can order the right amount. Many of you may also appreciate the on-line version of Day to Day. Click here.

ON-GOING COVID PROTOCOL

We continue to respond to both our county’s current CDC designation and to the current variant. Masking is optional. Decisions on COVID policy have moved from the Reconvening Committee to Rev. Jen and the Wardens.

We have heard that the daily reflections and scripture readings provided during Lent were appreciated. The meditations are written by persons from Gobin UMC and Beech Grove UMC. They will be in the newsletter each week. Whether you enjoy these every day or as the Spirit moves you, may this resource continue to bring you spiritual food for the journey. Blessings!

Click here to view the readings and accompanying links.

Your prayers are asked for: