Author: HRPC Office

September 19, 2021 Mark 9:  33-37; James 3:13-18

                I want to start out this morning by reminding you, Hunting Ridge Presbyterian Church, that you are blessed to have 11 teenagers in your midst. They are bright and active, leaders in their schools, athletes and actors, musicians and dancers, computer whizzes and mostly joined at the hip to their phones!  And we have 8 elementary aged children participating in our KIDS TIME.  For a congregation of just over one hundred on our rolls, and an average pandemic worship attendance in the 40’s, it seems to me that more than 20% of our church family are between 5-17 years old.  You may not see them regularly, but they are participating in church activities. I have opportunities to meet with pastors of other churches in the Presbytery who simply shake their heads when they are asked about the youth in their church.  Leaders are asking themselves, “Where are the children and the youth? How is it that the Presbyterian Church across the country has become so gray?”  Clearly, Presbyterians are not alone in that phenomenon.  There are all kinds of studies and reports about the aging of the mainstream Protestant church, and even of evangelical churches, in some part due to the aging of baby boomers like me!  But right here you have an opportunity.  You have an opportunity to intentionally include the young people in our midst, to learn from them and with them, to share your faith and your faith practices with them, to work alongside them in service to our community. 

You remember the story about Jesus blessing the children even when the adults around him thought the kids were interrupting something important.  Jesus clearly saw the children as important and valued them as a part of the community.  This morning we heard about another experience with a child and Jesus.  The child’s presence provides a teachable moment for the disciples, and I hope the presence of children and youth can teach the adults of our church family as well.

Continue reading “Welcoming the Youth” →

Mark 8:27-38    (Micah 6:6-8)      September 12, 2021

There are times when a plan or a decision must be made and we find we have a different opinion than that of a person we love.  Often each one of us is pretty sure that our way of doing it is better, faster, healthier, or easier.  Because of the close relationship, we are comfortable offering our own perspectives and expertise, and we tend to feel freer to disagree with someone we love.  We are more likely to be polite or acquiescing with a person we are not as close to, keeping our perspective and our expertise to ourselves. 

By the time we get to the midpoint of the gospel of Mark, the disciples and Jesus have been together for enough time to develop a close relationship.  That does not mean they were always on the same page regarding the content of the teaching and the recipients of the gift of healing or the overall direction of the ministry.  There were plenty of times that Jesus’ words or actions caught the disciples by surprise.  In the gospel of Mark there is a commonly held understanding that the disciples are in the dark about who Jesus really is.  It has been identified as the messianic secret—something that Jesus knows, and they do not grasp.  It also happens to be something that readers of this gospel know since we already know the end of the story.  Throughout the gospel, the disciples make certain assumptions about Jesus being king-like or governor-like.  That is their vision of where all of this is heading— they are looking for Jesus to take over and run things “the right way”.  The interchange on the road which we read this morning reveals some strong feelings on the parts of Jesus and the disciples, feelings which do not appear to be held back or minimized in any way.

Continue reading “Discipleship 101” →