Most of the year I pay no attention to bicycle racing, but in July I sit glued to my television watching the Tour de France.  There is something about the combination of extraordinary athleticism, cunning strategy, powerful tradition, and beautiful scenery that is mesmerizing.

I have been trying to find a spiritual message in all of that .. and what I keep returning to is the remarkable focus that is displayed.  Most obvious is the intense concentration of the leading riders, but behind each of those leaders is a team of supporting riders, and they are as intensely focused as the leaders are.  Behind each of the teams of riders is another team of support persons — mechanics, trainers, coaches, exercise physiologists, whoever.

I find myself somewhat ambivalent about all of this.  On the one hand, I deeply admire the enthusiasm, discipline, and persistence that are displayed.  On the other hand, this is, after all, a bicycle race, and it is not difficult to think of more weighty needs in the world that might be served by all of that enthusiasm, discipline,and persistence.  Plus the Tour is plagued by all of the hazards of professional sports: too much money, too much press attention, too many drugs.

Still, I have chosen to love the Tour.  There is enough human energy to have a great bicycle race and address the problems of our times; there are enough people who love racing to outnumber those who are exploiting the sport.  And there are few enough events in the world that are beautiful, challenging, exciting, and fun.  Vive le Tour.

Did you sing “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder” when you went to camp?  Did you know that the ladder was part of a dream that Jacob had when he was running away from a feud with his twin brother?  Wait .. there’s more to this story …

Stone Pillow

Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24

Several years ago a sociologist of religion, Kirk Hadaway, wrote a book called Rerouting the Protestant Mainstream about the qualities of congregations that were thriving in spite of the overall drop in membership and attendance in Protestant churches. One of those qualities that has stayed with me was this: in a thriving church, people expect God to be present in worship.

I thought of this observation when I read the words of Jacob in today’s lesson:

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We have yet to find a real ‘cottage’ in Northfield , but reminiscent of a relaxed summer at the lake, one group has already met, outdoors on a deck, and 3 more are planned for August.

Our first one was a real success–just the right number of people:  11 plus Sandy and 2 hosting Woehrlins. We had a combination of “oldtimers” plus very committed relative newcomers and 3 very new attenders. We used “What is your church history and how have you arrived at First UCC?” as the question for the circle which led to an interesting focus for two new parents (different families) had rejected the Catholic Church because they had a lesbian daughter and were looking for a welcoming congregation.  Two other sets of parents present had gay children, so we had a very interesting conversation on that subject.  Sandy shined, as usual, told a lot about herself, the process of her coming out to the congregation and some history of ‘open and affirming’ in the denomination.  At that time the focus was on peace and justice and equality issues not the ‘moral’ issue that the national debate has evolved into.  A lot of honesty was present.

 Next meetings with Pastor Sandy:

§ Saturday August 2^nd, 9:30-11:00 a.m. at the home of Matt and Sarah Forster (408 E. 2^nd St.) Childcare available.  Reservations with number and age of children especially important! 

§ Tuesday August 5^th, 3:00 p.m. at the home of Liz and Jerry Hankins (2004 Park Pointe Court)

§ Tuesday August 19^th, 7:00 p.m. at the home of Bobbie Peterson  (514 Union Street - Bobbie has recently moved to the home her Jacobson grandparents lived in)

Alas, the Fighting Saints baseball game gathering didn’t work out because of scheduling conflicts…another summer! 

Members and friends of all ages gathered on July 2 to eat fresh strawberry shortcake and listen to piano and flute music.  If you missed the Strawberry Festival, you’ll enjoy these pictures.  Here are Jean Parsons, Patte Rhodes, and Barbara Crouter.

  The kitchen crew had fun, too — Charlotte Smith, Adrie Mohrig, Cathy Cammack, and Cynthia Lund.

Dam Nguyen and daughter Annika had a good time, too — though they look a little tuckered out …

Today’s political reporters often ask candidates trick questions that are designed to trap them into saying something controversial or unpopular.  The Pharisees did the same thing to Jesus, but he was pretty adept at out-tricking them …

Trick Questions

Matthew 22:15-22; Psalm 100 

They were out to trick him. It was as simple and timeless as that. They wanted to ask him a question that would incriminate him no matter how he answered it. It was the first century equivalent to “When did you stop beating your wife?”

They hoped that offering some compliments before the question would put him off guard. “We know you are sincere …” they said … even though they, themselves, were not the least bit sincere.

Jesus wasn’t fooled by any of it.

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Please click on the July 2008 Chronicle for church news and interesting events happening at First UCC this month!

Fighting Apostles go to bat for CAC

An inspired Fighting Apostle squad accepted the Church Softball All-Star Game Challenge and delivered in full measure, pounding out another 17 runs in a 17-5 win over New Covenant last Sunday.

For those participating in the challenge, the Apostles recorded 34 runs in the last two games and would be happy to present your check to the Community Action Center at the July 13^th event. Tristan Cox and Greg Muth will be representing us there.

There were lots of heroes in last week’s game, our one-legged pitcher, Doug Morris, for one, who valiantly hurled the win despite a pulled hamstring and no extended warranty on parts and labor. Mark Beaver continued to deliver at the plate as did Tristan Cox, Jacob Newman, Matt Forster and others.

But the real story of the game was Eli Szydlo. He had three hits and two runs scored, but more importantly made pivotal, if not determinant play in the field to seal the win. New Covenant was threatening with a late-inning rally, when a screaming liner was hit right at him in  right field. He barely had time to react, but he coolly gloved it for an out that took the starch out of our opposition. We countered with six runs in the top of the seventh and coasted to the win.

We are off this week, but will resume play on July 13^th when we play the Rejoice Prophets at 6:10 p.m. at Sechler Two. It is better than reality TV.

You might not expect a minister to dislike a Bible story — but I really am disturbed by the Old Testament story of Abraham being instructed by God to sacrifice his son Isaac.  So this is a sermon of protest, I guess …

 My Least Favorite Story

Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13:1-5

One of the curious gifts of coming to faith as an adult was seriously encountering many of the stories in the bible for the first time. Some stories turned out to be full of meaning and delight for me – the story of Esther, for example, whose courage saved her people, or of the Syrophoenician woman who challenged Jesus when he tried to brush her off. Other stories, however, turned out to be horrifying; what Biblical Scholar Phyllis Trible [1984] called Texts of Terror.

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We had an accident with our pulpit Bible– the big one that we read out of every Sunday morning.  The shelf it was placed on during a funeral was underneath a leaking water container, and the book got soaked.  It was open — so Genesis 1 through Psalm 89 were particularly drenched.

Quick to the rescue came my friend and Carleton Librarian Carol Eyler.  With help from her colleagues, she located a service that will freeze dry (really!) the Bible to make sure that no mold develops and the pages stay flat (and not “cockled”– which is that wrinkly post-moist thing that paper does).  And she arranged to have it shipped — complete with dry ice to make sure it doesn’t get moldy — to the book hospital in Illinois.

So a big THANK YOU to our friends at Carleton for this bit of community service.  We’ll let you know when the Bible is back!

Due to the Memorial Service for Phyllis Clifford-Albers, which takes place on Tuesday, the Strawberry Festival has been postponed.  The new date is July 2 at 2:30 pm. 

 The guys are great players, but I enjoyed watching the Future Fighting Apostles at the game last night.  

If you haven’t been to a Fighting Apostles softball game this season you are missing a lot of fun.  Not only is it exciting to watch the guys play, it’s  fun to watch the fans.  It’s a great sense of community and a wonderful opportunity for some intergenerational fun. 

PS…They won the game last night:) 

These guys can hit:

    The Fighting Apostles used the entire field last Sunday to defeat Little Prairie 17-6.

    We hit them hard. We hit them soft. We hit the lines. We hit the gaps, and we even hit one off the fence, thanks to Doug Morris. But the point is we hit, and we hit, and we hit.

   In fact, three of our guys — Doug, Tristan Cox and Mike Schlottmann — each hit inside the park homeruns. Mike’s was notable not only for his well-stroked ball that rolled to the fence, but also for how artfully he tip-toed around the bases trying to avoid outrunning Dave Burton, the base-runner in front of him. It was like “me and my shadow” as they crossed home plate a split second apart.

    The defense was solid. Greg Muth turned in the play of the game. An outfielder who was asked to plug a hole at second base, Greg pounced on the first ball hit his way, scooped it up and came up throwing, delivering a strike to first base for the out.

   Those participating in the Church All-Star Game Challenge for the CAC will note the 17 runs scored. We’ve challenged folks to contribute one dollar for every run scored in last week’s game and in tonight’s contest against New Covenant. Check the website early next week to see how we did and let your conscience be your guide.

Submitted by Scott “Manager of the Year” Richardson

Sometimes stories in the Bible, especially from the Old Testament, seem harsh to our modern ears.  Still, there is something for us to learn from this tale of Hagar and Sarah.

Hagar and Sarah

Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17  Hagar and Sarah

This summer we are following the story of the Patriarchs of the faith: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But as we do that, we are also following the Matriarchs of Israel: Sarah and Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah. They are an interesting bunch, these women of the ancient past. They often appear by wells or springs, particularly when they are about to become wives. They are often barren, but those who are to have children receive divinely sent annunciations of one kind or another. Some engage in trickery or deception to further the careers of their husbands or sons.

It is hard to know, from our modern perspective, just what to make of all of this.

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The United Church of Christ National Disaster Ministries is already offering help to the victims of Midwest Storms and flooding.

You can help by making a contribution — either through First UCC or online — to help with the expenses of rescue, clean-up, and rebuilding.

You can also volunteer to help — some opportunities have already been posted, and others will be announced soon.

And we can all support the victims, rescue workers, and volunteers with our prayers.