A Note from the Pastor

There was a woman who was traveling and came upon a wide river. Seeing someone standing on the far bank, she waves them down and calls out, “How do I get to the other side of the river?” The stranger shouts back, “You are on the other side of the river”. 

This anecdote came up recently in a book I’m reading called ‘How to Know a Person’. It helps us to see that the problem is not the river, but the orientation. Both people in the anecdote are correct, and the story reminds us that perspective matters. 

I’ve also been reading through a ‘Bible in a Year’ plan and recently heard a scripture from Psalm 10 that spoke to me. Much of this psalm is not especially comforting, but the closing verses reveal something essential about God’s character. O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more. Psalm 10: 17-18 

Over the last month, it has been incredibly difficult to avoid the news about events happening around the United States. I approach this subject with caution, and you may find yourself wondering, as I have: How does Scripture speak in times of unrest like we are seeing now?

In times like this, it can be especially important to remind ourselves of how Scripture defines God and God’s character. A great place to look is in Deuteronomy 10. In some Bibles, the section beginning at verse 12 is titled, The Essence of the Law. This reminds us of who God is and what God requires of us. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Deut. 10:17-19

Deuteronomy speaks of a God who is powerful and above all, yet what draws our attention is not God’s strength alone, but what God chooses to do with that power. With all the authority and might attributed to God, the law does not begin with threats, but with compassion. God directs divine power toward the weak and the vulnerable, offering care where it is least expected, and then invites God’s people to mirror that posture. This is not power exercised over others, but power expressed through love of the stranger, rooted in the memory that God’s people themselves once lived as wanderers, learning to trust God in the wilderness.

When Scripture re-orients our understanding of power and faithfulness in this way, it also raises a more personal question: how do we learn to walk in this posture when clarity or certainty feels elusive? The wisdom tradition does not promise us certainty in every situation. In fact, it probably offers less certainty and more questions than we would want. It does, however, offer guidance for how to live faithfully when our understanding is limited. Like the traveler at the river, Scripture should gently (or sometimes not so gently) shift our orientation. Each time we read and hear Scripture, it should transform us. If God’s power is revealed through care rather than control, then faithfulness may require us to question not only what we see, but how our position shapes what we are able to see. Proverbs 3 invites us into that humility, reminding us that wisdom begins not with certainty, but with trust. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body. Prov. 3:5-8

Scripture is clear: trusting God is never a neutral act. It is a choice that shapes us and, over time, transforms our hearts. Trusting the Lord in this way asks something concrete of us. It asks us to pause long enough to notice where we are standing, to recognize that our perspective is shaped by many different factors. Our fears, lived experiences, and assumptions all influence how we see the world. We are also called to remain open to the possibility that God may be inviting us to see differently. In moments of tension or uncertainty, faithfulness may look less like having the right answer and more like asking good questions: Whose voice am I listening to? Who is being overlooked? How might God’s power, revealed through care for the vulnerable, respond here? Proverbs does not promise immediate clarity, but it does promise that when we lean not on our own understanding and instead acknowledge God in all our ways, God will guide our steps and re-orient our path.

Faithfulness is about allowing God to change what we are able to see from our side of the river. Trusting God re-orients our vision and invites us to remain attentive to how God may be asking us to respond.

Grace & Peace

-Rev. Justin Miller

From your Pastor Affiliate

“Love is patient and kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4)

Hello February! Welcome month of LOVE! Please clear up the cold and snow – and walk with us in LOVE as we begin our Lenten Journey to the cross and empty tomb this month! Help us to love one another the best we can!

Since I’ve retired, things seem to ‘appear’ much faster than they did in the past! I’ve been with the church for three months now – and it seems like yesterday I was starting! Thanks for all the welcome and hospitality! And now we get to celebrate with Justin and Marifer and Lucas as this new journey in love begins for them! PLUS, we have Valentine’s Day – the 14th – to celebrate our love for one another. Just an informational note for husbands out there – a spatula is not a romantic Valentine’s gift!

As we look around our nation and world – and even at our church family and own families- the brief words from 1 Corinthians 13 (the LOVE chapter in the Bible) are so important. We need to take Paul’s words into our hearts, for I believe we need PATIENCE and KINDNESS more than ever in our lives. When we look at the issues grasping our world and nation, wouldn’t some patience and kindness bring a bit of healing? When we look at our church and families, wouldn’t some patience and kindness bring a bit of healing? If each of us could display those qualities even a bit more, hopefully love would grow all over the place. Maybe it means that each of us try a little harder!

For the church Valentine’s Day isn’t the most important date in February though – it is the Lenten journey we begin on Ash Wednesday all the way up to Easter Sunday. It is on this journey that we discover the true and most powerful definition of LOVE – what Jesus did for each one of us!

We hope you will walk this journey of love with us at First Presbyterian Church. For then, just like with Pastor Justin and his family, we will watch LOVE that is patient and kind grow increasingly each and every day! Praise be to God!

In Jesus’ Love, Dan

Music Notes

Psalm 149:3

Let them praise His name with dancing;

Let them praise His name with timbrel and lyre.

I want to share with you some reasons why there have been additions and changes to what you see in the order of worship.  We will often print the text of the anthem in the bulletin.  No matter how skilled the singers are and how hard we work to accomplish clear enunciation, if the music is complex, it can still be difficult for listeners to understand the words.  We sometimes change the Gloria Patri to reflect the season.  Through Advent and Christmas this past year we sang the “Gloria” from “Angels We Have Heard on High”.  We have added either a hymn verse between Scriptures or after the Great Thanksgiving during Communion.  Again, tying music to words is like “praying twice”.

But yes, “singing” praise to God can be accomplished without words being heard.  Liturgical dance is a beautiful way of expressing our praise to God.  We have experienced this at our very own church when dancers were accompanied by voices and instruments during a cantata.  Both the timbrel, a hand-drum similar to our modern tambourine and the lyre, a stringed instrument much like a small harp, referred to in the Psalm were used in ancient times.  Today, we “sing” praises with instruments like the piano, organ, flute, violin and trumpet.

Voluntary music played in the church will almost always be arrangements of hymns.  It matters how the different arrangements color, not only the tune, but the text.  The choices instrumentalists make are based upon the style of music, the mood of the music and the text.  “Soon and Very Soon” lends itself very well to a gospel style.  “Spirit of the Living God” requires a more meditative sound.  The style and text have strong  influences on the mood of the piece. The gospel style is generally upbeat with a swing to it; a more meditative text is slower, sometimes in a minor mode and quiet.  Because instrumental music has a hidden text but not actual words being sung, we will be adding the hymn number associated with the arrangement under the Prelude and Postlude selections.  I encourage you to turn to that hymn in the hymnal and enjoy and explore the relationship between the music and the sentiment of the words.  I think you may hear what I hear as the wind, keyboard and stringed instruments are played. 

Singing Praises to God!

We are so blessed with fine keyboard instruments like the piano and keyboard, but we are certainly missing our beloved pipe organ! Our Moller pipe organ needs either replacement or repair of the control system in the console.  Everything is very expensive, so we are exploring all the possibilities for having a playable organ in our midst again! This will be a very costly and lengthy process, but we are doing as much research as possible to be able to present viable options.  Please keep our work in your prayers.

Peace,

Janet

Christian Education Notes

Ash Wednesday Service

Join us on Wednesday, February 18, at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary, for an Ash Wednesday Service.

Bible Studies

Bible Study will be on a winter break until Tuesday, February 24, at 10:00 a.m. and Wednesday, February 25, at 6:00 p.m. in the Youth Room. This will be a Lenten Series. Below is schedule:

February 24 & 25            The Nail of Pride                   Mark 12:35-44

March 3 & 4                     The Nail of Infidelity           Matthew 26:47-56

March 10 & 11                  The Nail of Envy                Matthew 27:11-18

March 17 & 18                  The Nail of Indecision        Matthew 27:19-26

March 24 & 25                  The Nail of Cruelty            Matthew 27:27-44

M & M (Men & More) Monthly Outing

Everyone is invited to join this group for dinner and fellowship at Wildwood Golf Club, 601 Aberdeen Dr. on Tuesday, February 10. Fellowship begins approximately at 5:00, and we usually order dinner around 5:30. We hope to see you there.

Weather Policy

Winter Weather Update
As we enter the colder months, we want to make sure everyone stays safe and informed when winter weather arrives. During the week:
If the local schools are closed due to weather, the church office will also be closed for the day. Staff will work from home as needed, and you can always reach us by email.
On Sundays:
If it is snowing or the roads are unsafe, we strongly encourage everyone to stay home and worship with us virtually. Your safety matters, and we never want anyone to feel pressured to drive in dangerous conditions.
If the weather becomes severe enough that we need to cancel in-person worship altogether, we will send a notification by email and post it on social media. 
Thank you for helping us keep our congregation safe throughout the winter season. This winter, may we be encouraged by the truth that our worship continues whether we gather in the sanctuary or from the safety of our homes.

Grace & Peace

-Justin Miller

In Case of an Emergency

If you have an emergency after hours or on the weekend, please email Justin at justin@fpcmiddletown.com.

In Celebration of the Birth of . . .

• Henry Patrick Moore, born on December 20. Dan and Jan Hrach are the proud grandparents.

• Lucas Gabriel Miller, born on January 27, to Justin and Marifer Miller.

In We give thanks to God for the life of. . .

• David Kienlen, who died on December 31. David is the brother-in-law of Ann Veith.

• David Scott Triick, who died on December 31. Scott is the nephew of Bill and Joyce Triick.

• Linda Susan Ramsey Coleman, who died on January 5. Linda is the daughter of Thelma Ramsey and the sister of Julie Ramsey.

• Online Calendar

The church calendar is now online! Go to https://www.fpcmiddletown.com/calendar