Pastor Rosenau's Blog

Zero to Sixty

9/8/2015

Here we are - the day after Labor Day. Even if you're not on the school calendar, you'll notice the energy pick back up. At church, we're starting up too, with our fall programming kicking off at the Kirkin' O' The Tartan this Sunday.

The slow lazy days of summer are over, just like that, and we find ourselves going from zero to sixty in a flash. If you are someone who enjoys the warmer weather like me, you're feeling a little nostalgic for the end of summer.

But I can't help but feel the excitement in the air as the fall gets into full swing. It's a time to start something new, or return to the things you love. So hold on tight - here we go!

A prayer after the Charleston shooting

6/21/2015

Let us pray,

God, you came to us, and revealed yourself to us as Emmanuel – God with us. And this week, in a place named for this blessing beyond measure, took place an act of terror most appalling.

We pray for families of the victims, for their grief and sudden loss. We are in awe at their willingness to find words of forgiveness. We pray for survivors, young and old. Heal their lives and their memories.

Oh God, heal this nation! Change us into people of equality, justice and hope. Put an end to systems of racism and inequality that keep the powerful rich and the voiceless poor.

Most of all, change us who gather in this room today. Heal us! Heal me, Jesus, right now. That this place would be a beacon of your light to the deepest shadows of the world; that we would be witnesses of your hope when it seems all hope is lost; that we would know you are Emmanuel! You are with us, and have never left us.

Jesus, so often the world says, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But you said something else: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

As we have prayed for our Christian brothers and sisters, our partners, and friends, we also pray for our enemies and anyone who would do us harm, even when the words we muster are little more than a whisper.

Come, Lord Jesus, Emmanuel.

A Lot of Church

5/28/2015

What would you learn from going to church 46 days in a row? See what this Briton learned here.

A rhythm or two

5/11/2015

Here's a glimpse of what we're working on for May 31st.

Still Drumming

5/5/2015

Westminster's Drum Circle Ministry is going strong! We shared our gifts and led in worship April 26th. Here is the group getting ready for worship with some young fans coming to give their support.

We continue to learn so much as a group - both about drumming and about each other. In particular, our teacher encourages us to let the drums speak for us, especially when we improvise.

At first, I didn't really know what I wanted the drums to say because I didn't really know what I wanted to say. Let the drums speak for me? It took me a while to find my voice. Yes, a pastor who talks for a living had to find her voice.

As we all find our own voices, we are able to share them with each other and the congregation. Our drum circle from the beginning has been about sharing our stories and exploring our diverse backgrounds. I thought we would only do this with words. But, it turns out we can speak through the drums, too.

No Isn't a Four-Letter Word

3/25/2015

You know what it’s like. It’s 5:30, you’re tired from a long day, chasing after a toddler, and hoping to get some nutrition and a burst of energy before your evening meeting. No? Yeah, me neither.

At the end of a long day, or a long week when I’ve shoe-horned as many things in as I possibly can, I often wonder, how did I get in to this?

The easy answer is that I’m busy. But why am I busy? Because there are so many things going on that I want to do. Because there are so many important things in the world that I need (want) to be a part of. Because I want to be able to do it all. Because it’s hard to admit I can’t.

Because I don’t say no.

I find myself in this situation more than I’d like to admit. Then I usually give myself a good talking to, have a come-to-Jesus moment, and cut back a little. That is, until all of the compelling things I want to do start cropping up again.

Then I ran across a blog post by Nadia Bolz-Weber, a sarcastic and irreverent voice of wisdom for my busy day. She writes about The Spiritual Practice of Saying No. She had been answering emails from strangers who reached out to her and finally felt liberated when she decided to answer with a form email saying that she could not respond due to commitments to her family and parish. She had to accept that you cannot manage what other people think of you, and it’s a waste of energy even to try.

She offers a list of different reasons to say no. For some reason, I feel like I need a reason (if not an excuse) to say no. What I really need is to read this list a lot:

“There’s saying no because I’m too busy.
-There’s saying no because I am protecting my schedule from becoming too busy.
-There’s saying no to requests to co-sign on someone else’s bullshit.
-There’s saying no because the request has more to do with a projection than a reality.
-There’s saying no because I want to protect them from their own request being granted (example: no, really, I’m the LAST person you want leading a women’s retreat. Trust me on that.)
-There’s saying no when I really could say yes because I want to be able to be at home doing nothing with my kids.
-There’s saying no because what is being asked of me is simply not mine to do.
-There’s saying no because it will be good to show the other person how to say no.
-There’s saying no so that I can say yes to the next request that might really be mine to do.”

It happens that she also wrote a blog about saying yes, but, funnily enough, it didn’t get nearly as many hits.

Chances are, you need to say no to something, or you will soon. You can use these reasons or come up with your own. Let’s be gentle with ourselves.

And come see Nadia Bolz-Weber in Albany this December.

A White Girl Drummeth

2/11/2015

"Now hit the drum with just your fingers toward the outside of the drum. Keep them loose and you won't have to hit as hard."

There we sat in our first practice of our church's drum circle ministry. As part of my Doctor of Ministry program, I am studying my congregation's journey as a multicultural church. As a part of my research, we have formed a pilot drum circle group to practice over the next few months. After this initial phase, our hope is that it will open up to the wider congregation and grow and spread in our congregational life.

What I learned in my first practice:
-Take my wedding ring off sooner - my fingers were a little sore afterwards

-Wear pants - it's not easy to keep a big drum between one's knees when there's a skirt constricting my movements.

-Don't think too hard - a few times in the practice, we split into parts drumming different rhythms simultaneously. As soon as I concentrated too hard on my part I lost it. When I looked away from my drum and let the rhythm swell around me, I drummed longer.

-We're all learning - our group is made up of teenagers and octogenarians, people born in Ghana, Mississippi, Liberia and even New York. Everyone had something to contribute, and we joined together in harmony.

You are welcome to join us on this beautiful journey as we drum and learn together.

An Optional Commandment

1/21/2015

I just returned from a retreat focused on Sabbath. We read Walter Brueggemann's recent book and had daily devotional practices reflecting on sabbath keeping. We also experienced Sabbath together: eating, praying and playing.

Within the course of our time together, we talked about what a challenge it is to keep the Sabbath. Especially when we talk about keeping a 24 hour period set apart without work in the strictest Jewish sense, the idea seems almost impossible.

And yet, it's what we're commanded to do. In general, we don't treat the 10 commandments as if they're optional. We don't say, "Oh well, I wanted to stay faithful to my spouse, but this was just a really busy week." Or, "Yeah, I usually like to refrain from killing people but sometimes life just gets away from me." We don't think the other commandments are optional, so why the sabbath?

The easy answer for people in my tradition is the good ole Protestant Work Ethic that values work as a way of serving God. In general, yes, I agree work can glorify God. But, so can rest! In fact, scripture commands us over and over again to observe the Sabbath and keep it as a holy day of rest.

There is always more to be done. Work finds a way of ballooning to fill the time you give it. To keep the Sabbath means to give it less time. May we keep this commandment together in our own lives and as a community.

Today's Epiphany

1/6/2015

Today must have been a wonderful day in Barcelona. More than just the usual reasons to love life in Barcelona, today is the celebration of the coming of the Three Kings: Epiphany.

The city celebrates with an extravagant parade after dark with dancers, acrobats, floats, and of course, the three kings themselves bringing gifts.

In Spain, Christmas is a day to go to church and spend with family, not a day for presents. It's the Three Kings who bring the presents on Epiphany. The celebration is joyful with cakes and stars lit in the home, not to mention the parade.

I love the idea of drawing out the Christmas story beyond one day and attaching gift giving, if we're going to do it, to an event that actually occurred in scripture. I also like imagining the raucous procession that could have accompanied the travelers - think, "Prince Ali" from Aladdin - showing all the best performers and extravagances from distant lands.

There was no parade in Albany today. No king cakes or bright stars in windows.

I celebrated Epiphany today in gratitude for that guiding light. Sometimes it is a bright light glaring so brightly at us that we cannot ignore it. Often in my experience, though, it's something much less discernible and even easy to overlook.

There are so many guides we could follow, so many forces competing for our attention. How difficult it can be to see the light that is right in front of our eyes.

Here is a prayer I ran across, that speaks to me today of God's light that guides us even when we are unsure.

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be confident knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow the soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love.
-- St. Therese of Lisieux

December Chaos

12/11/2014

A friend wished me "Happy December Chaos!" this week. With the busyness of these few weeks, we both promised to get together in the New Year.

It's true. With blended families, many holiday celebrations, school, travel, gift giving, and food preparation, it's easy to see this as a month of chaos.

Holiday celebrations are especially stressful for women. This 2006 study found that "Holiday stress has a particular impact on women, who take charge of many of the holiday celebrations."

The commercialism of the season, can also increase stress for middle to low-income families who worry if they will be able to get everything done and how they will afford it. Both men and women feel a duty to provide the best holiday they can for their families.

During this chaos, may you look for and find Christ. Our culture around holiday stress and performance will only change if we change it.

As we find Christ this season, let's feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, take care of the sick and visit those in prison. (Mt. 25) That's where Christ will be.

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