A few months ago, I joined our local Rotary chapter as their Spiritual Representative. Rotary is a 100 year old organization helping professional and business leaders serve their wider community. It's a worldwide organization I knew of (and even received a college scholarship from) but one that was a bit of a mystery to me. Prior to my joining, I couldn't tell you what Rotary did or why they existed. I didn't know their history or who was attracted to the organization. I knew they existed because their meeting times were posted on signs marking the boundaries of towns. I knew they had a physical presence but I was unaware of what went on in their meeting spaces. It wasn't until I was invited to participate in the group that I saw their commitment to service and the different projects they support. I'm still learning more about the organization, but I'm looking forward to bringing my Lutheran Christian perspective into a group looking for new ways to nurture our wider community.

At one of their recent meetings, one of the main topics was how to grow the Rotary group. They're looking to increase membership, and I was surprised with how similar that conversation was to every conversation about membership held in a faith community. People shared their own experiences of the group and how it changed their lives. People also were hopeful the group would grow larger because they wanted others to have the same experiences as them. They also were honest that, a few decades ago, the group was larger, younger and full of a different kind of vitality. But they were also honest that the group wasn't always welcoming to others. And folks lamented how hard it is for people to commit to things in our modern context.

Many times when conversations like this are held, a lot of energy is spent on wish-casting. We wish things were different, but we're not sure how to make it so. We feel as if we don't have the tools, insights or even the permission to make this wish come true. We hope other people with more suitable gifts can do what is needed to make our wish a reality. Our wish is a good wish because we want others to have the same experiences we had. If we felt loved, valued and included, we want others to have the same experience. It isn't wrong to make wishes, yet we often don't realize that we already have the gifts needed to invite others into the place that has given us so much grace. What we need is help seeing how that grace has manifested in our lives and how we can, just as we are, invite others to see that same grace also.

That's one of the reasons why our ongoing sermon-series on cultivating our creative spirit will continue in July. Unlike other organizations, we want to invite others into a deeper relationship with the God who created them, lived and died for them, and will sustain them through all the joys and struggles of life. We can do that by nurturing our ability to see Jesus at work in our lives. Instead of inviting people into church, we can invite them to know Jesus who loves them right now. After we practice seeing Jesus all around us, we'll move into a short series on joy and happiness (and how they're not the same thing). My hope is once we near the start of our programming year we'll move into a series on vocations: what they are, how many we have and how faith is meant for our everyday life. We can, together, learn to see Jesus a little more clearly and in our own particular ways invite others to see Jesus too.

I will seeya in the many different ways we are the church!
Pastor Marc

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I’ve noticed that, for me, creativity is becoming harder and harder. When I play pretend with my kids, my storyline suggestion suspiciously sound like old sci-fi TV shows they haven’t seen yet. When I doodle while listening to a webinar, I no longer draw dragons and interesting patterns. I find myself just tracing the same old circle over and over again. And, when I look for sermon illustrations, I often wonder if the pile of mulch in my driveway would get repetitive if I used it every week. I know I need to refresh my creative juices, but it’s hard to take time to do that. But I wonder if there’s a way we can do that together because I’m sure I’m not the only one who needs to refresh their creativity. Rev. Kirk Byron Jones, pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Lynn, Massachusetts, recently reminded me that our very first picture of God is filled with creativity: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). We meet God while God is busy creating a brand new thing. And God doesn’t stop there. God continues to create, making new things and making people brand new. In baptism, we are given new life – created in a brand new way for this world God loves. This new purpose allows us to participate in God’s creative work in the world. As Rev. Jones writes, “We are all expressions of a Spirit of creativity in whom freedom and joy have their playful way. Creativity is not just what God does. Creativity is who God is. Therefore, the power to create is in us all. Each of us is not just a precious creation of God; we are powerful creators with God. We have holy authorization to use our sacred power to create in every area of our lives: sculpting new ideas, framing new attitudes, and building new relationships.” In other words, we get to be as creative as God because we are part of the body of Christ.

So starting this June, we’re going to get creative. Each week, we’ll spend time in worship nourishing our creative juices. As we move into a new stage of this pandemic, we have an opportunity to let the Spirit’s creativity shape us into the community God wants us to be. And when we trust in God’s creative act, we can trust that we are part of that new creation too.

Seeya in church – either online, over the phone or in-person.
Pastor Marc

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Every week, the Lutheran clergy of Northern New Jersey gather for Bible study, and attending those sessions is my priority. My faith is fed by listening to God’s story as shared in scripture and by listening to the stories of what God’s people are doing all over New Jersey. A few years ago, a retired pastor who attended these sessions shared a story that I’ve chewed on over the last few days. He was a new pastor thinking about implementing some changes in the worship life of his community. He was worried it might upset a few people, and he didn’t want worship to be a source of conflict in the church. While expressing his concerns to the church council, the president at the time gave him some advice. The changes, they said, should be spread over a year so that not everything happened at once. But that council also knew something about human nature. They also assured the pastor that after that year, the changes would be so engrained in the community that it would feel like they’ve always worshiped in this new way.

Now, for over a year, we’ve worshiped online, outdoors and over the phone. We’ve changed how we’ve gathered—shifting our in-person community towards one that was connected through technology. Our worshiping community has changed and includes new people who have never set foot in our sanctuary. We’re not the same local version of the body of Christ that we were on March 8, 2020. Yet, our identity in Jesus continues to be rooted in the grace, hope and love God gives us everyday. It’s been 14 months since a worship service was held in our sanctuary. We’ve gotten above and beyond the one-year boundary that makes a church say “we’ve always done things this way.” I’m looking forward to seeing how this last year changes, enhances and makes our life more faithful as a worshiping community. And we’ll see those changes lived out this month as we return to indoor worship.

On May 23rd, the Rite of Confirmation will be celebrated in our sanctuary. K.E., E.T., their families and guests will be present. Due to the number of guests we expect at that worship, only invited people connected to these two confirmands will be at worship. An online/conference call worship will be available to the wider community.

On May 30th, 10:00 am worship will be held in the sanctuary. We ask that you be masked, practice social distancing and avoid congregating in the lobby (narthex). Pre-registration is not required, but we invite you to contact the church office (201-391-4224 or clc4u2@verizon.net) to let us know if you will be there. It will take some time to get used to worshiping indoors, but I’m excited we get to do this together. Our transition into the sanctuary space will be more than a return to how things were. It will, instead, be the entering into a new future that is big enough to contain what we experienced over these last 14 months. We are here because Christ never left us, and we will continue to go wherever he takes us.

See you in church!
Pastor Marc

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Thanksgiving this year will be different. A few months ago, I was looking forward to the virus staying at the low simmer it was during early August so that I could visit (outdoors) with family and friends. But the situation has changed. During the weekend of November 14 and 15, New Jersey reported the highest number of positive cases for COVID-19 so far. Instead of gathering around a friend’s table, my Thanksgiving will be a much smaller affair. One of the things I’ll miss is all the culinary dishes served at these kinds of gatherings. Each guest was asked to bring something festive, fun and super tasty to serve to everyone else. I love discovering new flavors and dishes by sampling other people’s cultures and traditions. My table this year will look like it usually does – some turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce from a can. But I wonder, if this year were different, what dish would my family bring to Thanksgiving? What would we want to share with others?

It’s in that spirit of Thanksgiving and the sharing of food that leads me to offer to you remarks I spoke at a “Unity in the Valley” event in March 2019. In the days before the event, anti-Semitic graffiti was found in several high schools. Leaders from various faith communities, towns and schools met at Pascack Valley High School to affirm our identity as a diverse community and to support one another. The evening was full of wonderful music, inspiring speeches and words that challenged us to listen to the better angels of our nature. I did my best to honor the interfaith nature of the event while staying true to our faith in Jesus Christ. And at the end is an exercise that you may include in your Thanksgiving meals this year. As you Facetime with family and friends, dial up a long distant friend on the phone, or setup super large calls, I invite you to keep sharing and keep connecting. Even though this Thanksgiving isn’t the holiday we hoped it would be, we are connected to each other through a divine love that will never end. The Jesus who has sustained the church through these last 2000 years is with you, even now. I am always thankful for you and the ways you share God’s love with everyone. And I pray that you will have a safe and healthy holiday during a very strange time.

God bless you,

Pastor Marc

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One of the ways I serve the wider church is by being a member of the New Jersey Synod’s Candidacy Committee. The Candidacy Committee shepherds people who feel a call to become deacons and pastors. We review applications, conduct countless interviews, and require candidates to write a bunch of essays. The candidacy process isn’t easy, but it’s one of the most fun things I get to be a part of. After every meeting, I leave spiritually exhausted but faithfully full because I got a glimpse of the future of the church. I know that we all, regardless of our age, are members of the body of Christ. Yet there’s a kind of joy that comes when we baptize someone new and when we see someone take their first steps to become a future leader in the church. It’s at that moment that we get a glimpse of the Spirit building a foundation to take the faith someplace new. And that faith is centered in our experiencing, understanding, and belief in who exactly Jesus is.

Who is Jesus? That’s a question the candidacy committee asks all our candidates at every stage of the process. We’ve surprised people by asking this question even though they’ve never been to seminary. And, we’ve asked those who just graduated from seminary that same exact question. As Lutherans, we’re supposed to share our faith, and we believe that words have power. The words we use should be centered on the Word. So, we proclaim Jesus in all that we do, teach and say. The question “who is Jesus” isn’t an easy one to answer. But our ability to answer it is essential whether we’re planning to become ordained deacons or not.

So during Lent, we’re going to learn how to answer that question on Sundays. We’re going to figure out how we, in our own words, can let people know who Jesus is to us. Our answer to that question might not earn an A in some theology class in seminary. But it will be enough to help make Jesus real to the people we’re closest to. My hope is that we’ll use a tool familiar to our friends at Pixar to help us share Jesus. Because when you feel the call to be a future leader in the church – to serve on council, to lead a committee, to head that new project that will help change the world, or to become a deacon or pastor in the church – who Jesus is to you will be the center of your story. And that’s a story that all people want to hear.

See you in church!
Pastor Marc

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As a person who preaches every week, I’m always on the lookout for sermon material. What I’m looking for is some activity, experience or observation that can reveal a little of what the Holy Spirit wants us to hear. As you might already know, much of my material is autobiographical. But, I don’t usually seek this material out. Rather, I live my life and then notice what might be helpful is this week’s sermon. Not every one of these notes ends up in a sermon, and many that are in the first draft of my sermons do not make it to Sunday morning. Yet, I’ve discovered that the more I share my faith, the more sermon material I can recognize in my every day life. And this sermon material is not merely a good hook to make you think I’m a good preacher. Instead, the material is way for me to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ is with us every day of our lives.

We’re currently in the “season after Epiphany” and will be in that season until Ash Wednesday on February 26th. The word epiphany means “appearance or manifestation” and describes what happened to the magi when they visited Jesus. God revealed to the magi that Jesus was here and how the presence of Jesus made a difference in their lives. When the magi returned home, I do not believe they were the same people they were before they saw Jesus. Instead, the fact that Jesus was in the world invited them to see their world (and their lives) in a new way. The month of February is a good month to look for the epiphanies of Jesus in our everyday lives. These epiphanies can seem small, but they are a symbol of the relationship we have with God. One epiphany that I like to invite people to use is to see how the washing of your face can remind you of the baptism you’ve experienced. The water on your face can feel simple, but the remembrance can change everything.

One of the things I’ve noticed about searching for epiphanies is that it gets easier the more you do it. The noticing of Jesus does not mean that Jesus is suddenly doing more for you. Rather, Jesus is already there – we just need to work our epiphany- seeing muscles a bit to see how God’s love is all around us. As your epiphanies grow, I hope you’ll take a chance to share those moments with your family and friends. You never know how your epiphany might help others find Jesus, too.

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I received my first pair of glasses when I was about five years old, but I’m pretty sure my eyesight needed help long before that. I don’t remember there ever being a time when I didn’t need help seeing. When I first wake up in the morning, everything is fuzzy. Every light radiates like a star on the top of a Christmas tree, and every object looks like a fuzzy multi-colored blob. The biological lenses in my eye are not quite right so I need help to see twenty-twenty. That’s why one of the first things I do every morning is a put a little plastic lens in my eye. That lens I put on helps me see the world more clearly. Without it, I would struggle to see what’s in front of me.

This January marks more than a new year; it’s also a new decade. From now on when we hear someone mention the “20s,” they’re talking about today. A new decade means new possibilities and new opportunities. But it also lets us reflect on where we have come. Some of us weren’t even born ten years ago. Others were still in school, college, or had just started our first job. Some of us were happily married while others knew they needed to separate. And many of us were surrounded with loved ones who will not be entering this new decade with us. Even if we do not feel that January 2020 feels any different than January 2010, our lives and our world have changed. Yet, regardless of whatever change we’ve gone through, God has been with us through it all. And the Jesus who loved you in January 2010 is the same Jesus who loves you now.

This new decade provides us an opportunity to look forward. We can be honest about everything we’ve gone through. We can admit the ways things haven’t turned out they way they should. And we can take time to worship, pray, and be with Jesus – and to discover how he’s been with us through it all. When we notice that Jesus has always been part of our lives, I believe that’s when we gain a new perspective on the life we’ve lived. That new perspective then becomes a new lens as we look forward to the future that’s about to come. The new lens helps focus us, noticing the ways God is in the world and in our lives. And when we see God more clearly, we might also learn how to love ourselves, world and neighbors in a deeper and more meaningful way. The 2020s won’t be entirely the same as the 2010s. But maybe we can choose to live through the 2020s with our eyes seeing the Jesus who is always there.

See you in church!

Pastor Marc

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For the last two years, CLC has been participating in an initiative by the New Jersey Synod called "Equipping for Vitality (E4V)." This initiative connects us with other congregations in our area to find new ways to live out our faith in our neighborhoods. Over the last two years, leaders from CLC have been involved in workshops touching on hospitality, sharing the faith, ministry to people in the first third of their lives, the practice of generosity and more. The conversations, prayers, worship and Bible study that was part of these workshops will fuel our ministry into the future.

At our last workshop, the E4V team shared a fun video called: The Backwards Brain Bicycle. It was the first time I saw this video even though it has almost 24 million views on YouTube. I want you, if you can, to go watch the video right now at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFzDaBzBlL0 or by googling The Backwards Brain Bicycle - Smarter Every Day. Once you're done, come on back and read the rest of my message for this month.

I know not everyone can ride a bicycle or lived in an area where learning to ride a bike was safe and easy to do. But I'm going to imagine you've heard the phrase "like riding a bicycle" once or twice before. Like the video says, we say that whenever we want to talk about a life skill we, in theory, never forget. The idea is that once we click into a habit, the habit stays with us - forever. We might not use that habit every day or even for years at a time. But we trust that the habit will always be a part of us and that we'll be able to access it whenever we need it in a future.

Now when you think about your time with Jesus, how much of it depends on habit? Habits aren't a bad thing, and I encourage you to have faith practices that are things you do over and over again. I invite you to pray when you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed, before meals, and to make reading the Bible part of your daily routine. But when life gets busy like it might be this month, how much do we let God sit in the background while we take care of the other priorities we have in our life? And when our life suddenly ends up being different, like a bicycle that turns right to go left, is our faith up to the new challenge we find ourselves in?

The season of Advent is, for me, a season rooted in expecting God to do a brand new thing. God's faithfulness and love are always present but it isn't, I think, merely a habit. Jesus' presence in your life is a radical relationship that is dynamic, passionate, and full of unbelievable grace. Can we, as we light candles on Christmas Eve during our 5:00 pm and 10:30 pm worship, re-re-learn just how amazing God's love is so that we can grow into being who God knows we can be?

See you in church!

Pastor Marc

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There are two things I think people notice when they walk into my office. First, I assume people wonder how I get anything done since I have a lot of clutter on my desk. Second, once people stop looking at my desk, I’m pretty sure they notice the bookshelves behind my desk. Besides being covered in comic book bobble heads and pez dispensers, my bookshelves are filled with books. I know it does not look like it but there is a method to the madness. Most items are organized by subject and I (usually) know where every one of my books is. Some of the books on the shelves I’ve had since I was in elementary school, but others are new-to-me, gifts from friends, my family, or rescued from our incredibly well-run Trash and Treasure book nook. I love being surrounded by books, and my office is my ideal reading space. The spot is filled with all the things I’ve read, all the books I’m going to read, and is a record for all the different things I’ve learned. I love discovering the amazing insights others have come up with. Now that the school year is well on its way, my kids’ school recommended creating reading spaces for our kids. According to recent research, kids can learn to love reading by watching how their loved ones read. When we surround ourselves with a variety of books, children learn that there’s more to learning than using google. One simple way we can make our own reading spaces is by keeping a basket of books wherever we love to hangout. These well-curated and well-used baskets can sometimes be all someone needs to learn something new about themselves and the world.

As a church, we’re used to a faith-filled space. If we had to describe what the church is in one sentence that might be how we would describe it. But in the Bible, the word “church” never described a building; it always described an assembly of people. The church is always the group of people the Holy Spirit brings together to follow Jesus. A building is never the church, but a building can be a tool we use to spend time with God. In these holy spaces, we are reminded about Jesus’ love for us and his promise to never let us go. The church does not need a building, but we can use our building to discover the kind of church God wants us to be.

During November, we’re launching a special children sermon series on Holy Communion. The gift of Holy Communion is one of the ways God feeds us grace, mercy and love. Yet communion, as we can see in its name, requires a community. There needs to be an assembly of people, a church, who are committed to being with Jesus, together.

I know November is traditionally a very busy month filled with our 2020 Pledge Drive, many worship events and the Thanksgiving holiday. But we’ll find time this month to remember what makes our building a worship-filled space. We are who we are because Jesus continues to come to us in Word, worship, prayer and communion. And when we embrace our commitment to the gift of Holy Communion, we can then show everyone what living in our worship-filled space is all about.

See you in church!

Pastor Marc

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Please – May We Remind You

Those five words opened the CLC’s first Messenger. Published in November 1959, the four page monthly newsletter advertised events at the church. A speaker from the now defunct Luther Bible Institute was going to talk to parents and Sunday School Teachers. A special screening of the movie Martin Luther was going to take place in the sanctuary. A worship service on Thanksgiving Eve was highlighted as well as a fellowship dinner for new members. That last event was particularly interesting as the chairman of Stewardship planned to let people know the work of the church. After the dinner, teams would visit the new members the next afternoon and ask for their pledge. Some of the events and ministries displayed in the first Messenger are similar to what’s in the pages of this current edition. But some things have changed. The amazing gift of God’s love means that the church can, and does, change. Yet the heart of our mission – the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ – is still central to everything we do. It’s God’s gifts of kindness and grace that lets us be the church in Northern New Jersey. We are here on the corner of Pascack and Church Roads because God knew we needed to be here. We are grateful that, for the last sixty years, CLC has been who it needs to be so that all people can witness what God’s kingdom is all about. Love, grace, service, justice, growth, change, and peace – are some of the themes of faith that have shaped generations of Christians at CLC. And these same focuses of faith will shape us for the next sixty years as well.

As we look forward into the future, we know that CLC will be different in sixty years. New people, new opportunities to serve, new gifts, and new challenges will shape this community into a church that will be exactly who Jesus is calling it to be. This change will not be easy but it will be faithful because God’s gifts of kindness and grace will always be with us. With the Holy Spirit guiding us and Jesus Christ leading us, CLC will radiate God’s love in new and profound ways. The church sixty years from now will be different. But I believe they will be thrilled that we, through our faithful witness, helped lay the groundwork for the amazing ministry they are doing in 2079. Let’s keep becoming the community God knows we need to be. And please, may we continue to remind everyone that Jesus loves them, and he will never let us go.

See you in church!

Pastor Marc

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