Author: The Rev. Dr. Kirby Lawrence Hill

I am always grateful when elders and deacons are getting ordained and installed (as recently happened at BMPC), and we all get to hear the vows they take. But there is one question that always brings me up short, because it was also a question for me when I got ordained as a pastor over four decades ago. “Will you in your own life seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, love your neighbors, and work for the reconciliation of the world?” Okay, on my personal to-do list: an oil change for the car – check; cleaning out the gutters on the house – check; and working for the reconciliation of the world – checkmate! It is a good thing to recognize that we, by ourselves, are lacking the capacity to carry out the expansive ministry to which God calls us.

And yet, in spite of all the problems with a model of ministry in which God partners with folks like you and me, and with congregations like ours, God seems to be committed to carrying out ministry within and through regular (and even irregular) disciples of Jesus Christ. I guess a spirit can’t actually be called hard-headed – maybe God is just deeply committed to such a model of ministry. Evidently, God wants to take things to the next level. We sense God’s loving presence now and then, but God desires for us to embody divine love. We have experienced heavenly grace, but God wants us to become a means of grace. We have been touched so often by God’s generosity that we ought to be able to trust in the God who will lead us into the future. This heavenly method, which utilizes human partners, appears to be part of the mission – transforming others while also transforming us in the process.

Such a theology sounds better as an abstract idea than it does in reality, particularly when a very gifted, dedicated, and effective senior pastor has announced her plans to retire at the end of October. I look forward to the opportunity to share gratitude for Agnes’ ministry. However, I do want BMPC folks to understand that, by God’s grace, this congregation, with great continuing lay and staff leadership, along with a broad and profoundly effective ministry currently in place, is very well-positioned for a coming transition. With what I have experienced with God, I am confident that BMPC will not only make it through the transition, but that God will work within and through this congregation during the transition in ways that lead to our spiritual growth.

For the changes that lay ahead, BMPC is going to need a generous dose of the Holy Spirit to empower and unify us as the body of Christ. We’re going to need boldness and commitment. We’re going to need God to help us focus less on our reservations and more on our prayers. If we might be so bold, we might suggest all of that as God’s to-do list. Somehow, I can imagine God going over such a to-do list – check, check, check, checkmate. That doesn’t mean we lose. Somehow, God’s win is our congregation’s win, even when it feels like we are getting closer to losing someone whom God has used so well in our midst. I am confident God will provide the faith and all the other gifts we need for the coming journey. God does better with a to-do list than we do.

God created us without the ability to foresee what will happen in terms of our health in the future. If we did have that kind of foreknowledge, I don’t know whether it would produce more or less anxiety for us. Part of the process for making these kinds of plans involves separating helpful and unhelpful information (there is a lot more of the latter than the former).

BMPC’s Caring Ministries team, including our parish nurse, Carol Cherry, our social worker, Kathryn West, and the director of the Middleton Counseling Center, Kiki McKendrick, and myself, have been putting together a symposium that will have plenty of helpful information to guide members and friends in knowing how to be well-prepared for whatever lies ahead. Many of us do have the capacity to think, to explore, and to plan. Some of us have delayed putting together a plan because it is uncomfortable to consider physical and/or mental decline. Whether we have procrastinated or not, part of the difficulty in making such plans lies in the ever-changing nature and costs of healthcare systems.

When a story is told, how a main character is introduced usually allows a reader to gain insight into who that person is. The four gospel accounts in the New Testament each have their own way of introducing Jesus. Two of the accounts start with birth narratives. Luke’s nativity account is beautifully written and is the inspirational piece we usually hear on Christmas Eve. The lowly shepherds are the first visitors who get to see who Jesus is in this account. Matthew has a much briefer birth narrative, but it is quickly followed with a more detailed account of the first visitors that this gospel writer mentions. They are the magi, sometimes referred to as wise men.

One of the hymns about them refers to them as three kings, but even though there are three gifts mentioned that they bring to the Christ child, Matthew doesn’t tell us an actual number of how many folks came looking for the one who had been born as the King of the Jews. To refer to the magi as ‘kings’ is probably misleading. They were likely astrologers, coming from the East, perhaps from Persia. They were certainly Gentiles, which is part of the reason why Matthew includes their story. That God helped them to know of such a significant birth that it would be reflected in the heavens above gives gospel readers a sense of the importance of Jesus’ birth. However, Matthew is interested in making the case that Jesus came not only for people of Jewish heritage but for people throughout the world. You might remember that Matthew is the account that begins with Gentiles being the first beyond the holy family to see the Christ child. Matthew is also the account that ends with Jesus giving the great commission, where Jesus instructs his followers to make disciples of people from all nations. The story of the magi is what gets referred to as ‘Epiphany,’ a Greek word for revelation. Through this story, we grow in our understanding that Jesus’ coming had significance far and wide. It is a big story that begins with a little child.

In our part of the church, Epiphany is observed on January 6, twelve days after Christmas. Some people celebrate the twelve days of Christmas, from Christmas Day to January 5. In different regions, Epiphany is observed with a king’s cake, placing grass outside for the magi’s camels to eat, or other fun customs. For us, it is a time when we continue to explore the significance of the birth of the world’s most famous poor child. This Sunday, January 5, will be a time when we in worship reflect on this story found in Matthew 2. We will explore how it continues to help us more fully understand the person of Jesus Christ, where we would be wise to direct our gaze, and to whom we should kneel. Those are fitting things to ponder as we enter a new year.

One of my favorite things I get to do here at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian is to join the Deacons’ Helping Hands team as they are stationed in front of the sanctuary to greet and assist folks coming to worship. It is not easy for some to get from the circle drive and navigate their way into the sanctuary to find their pew. The Helping Hands team is there to offer some joyful assistance, and Sunday by Sunday, they get to have brief conversations with some of our older members who are delighted to be coming to worship even with the challenges they face.

Every two years, we honor those who have been members of BMPC for fifty years or more. We will do that this Sunday at a luncheon following the 10 a.m. worship service. There are 183 BMPCers who have been members for five decades or more. Not all of them will be able to attend the luncheon this Sunday, but we celebrate every one of them!

Think about what was happening in 1974, fifty years ago. Our country was in the midst of the Watergate crisis, which resulted in the first U. S. President ever to resign. The last troops who had fought in Vietnam had just recently come home, although the peace treaties would not be finished until 1975. A show called ‘Happy Days’ debuted on television, and we were finding out who ‘the Fonz’ was. ‘The Sting’ won Best Picture that year. The top hit on the radio was ‘The Way We Were’ by Barbra Streisand. In sports, the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup, and Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record.

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian had just finished celebrating its centennial observances. David Watermulder was Senior Pastor, but some of our long-term members had joined when Rex Clements was in service here. These members have been supporting this congregation for more than 2600 Sundays. The two main Presbyterian denominations (the old southern and northern churches) would not even become the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) until 1983. These long-term members remained steadfast even when there were denominational, presbytery, and congregational controversies. There were economic ups and downs along the way. They supported plenty of stewardship and capital campaigns. They maintained and built our extraordinary mission, educational, and music programming by which we are blessed today. Many of them served on multiple committees and/or as officers. Think about how many times they took baptismal vows on behalf of those who were experiencing God’s grace being poured out upon them! They broke bread and shared the cup sacramentally and socially. And here is a great thing – they are still doing it, even if some can only attend virtually instead of in person.

I draw inspiration from these 50-plus-year folks for their faithful dedication. I hope all our members will think about how to live out faithfulness to the ministry of Jesus Christ in this place as we make our stewardship pledges, volunteer for a variety of ministry positions, and try to be an example for those younger ones who will still be here when BMPC celebrates its bi-centennial 49 years from now.

One of the great analysts of human behavior was named Theodor Geisel. Some of you know the name by which he is primarily known—a hint: his middle name was Seuss. Yes, Dr. Seuss, that writer of children’s books, demonstrated great insight and communicated it in wonderfully humorous ways. In one of my favorites, which is 70 years old this year, Horton Hears a Who, there is an elephant named Horton. Of course, elephants have large ears, so Horton can hear that which others could not, which in this case were the cries of distress from microscopic beings who lived on a speck of dust. Once the large elephant discovers the existence of these tiny Whos, he shows he also has a large heart and takes responsibility for their well-being, placing the speck on which all of Whoville exists on a soft clover.

But as Horton the elephant begins to express his concerns for the Whos, the other animals, not wanting to be bothered by such a possibility, begin to ridicule him for his belief that these beings merit any attention or care. These animals exaggerate their behaviors that hurt the Whos as they express their incredulity that someone believes such small matters matter. They were more interested in what was convenient and what they thought made their lives better than what was right and fair. At one point in the story, Horton finds the clover on which the Whos live after the other animals had hidden it, and with great relief and urgency, he cries out: “My friends! Tell me! Do tell! Are you safe? Are you sound? Are you whole? Are you well?”1

The Hebrew word, ‘shalom,’ found in scripture, generally gets translated as ‘peace.’ But shalom is much more than that – it is a reality where all are safe, sound, whole, well, as indicated by our friend, Horton. Bryn Mawr Presbyterian is blessed to have staff who seek to express concern for our members’ well-being. All five pastors meet weekly to talk confidentially about the pastoral needs of folks within the congregation and how to show appropriate love and care. We also email and text one another with updates in between our meetings. We have on staff a half-time nurse, Carol Cherry, and a half-time social worker, Kathryn West, who provide physical, mental, and spiritual health and well-being resources. We also have our Middleton Counseling Center led by Director Kiki McKendrick, with 13 therapists and two spiritual directors, which offer counseling and support groups. There are laypeople involved in various ways that also seek to reflect God’s care on concerns, large or small. All these staff and lay people work to enable the membership and beyond to be safe, sound, whole, and well.

We realize there are times when those four words do not describe how individual lives are going. If you ever lose a loved one or a job, if you are facing a health or a relationship crisis, if you or someone you know has suffered abuse or a chemical dependency, or if you are facing financial constraints or legal charges, you can trust someone on the caring team with sensitive information. A person or team could walk you through a challenging time, referring you to helping agencies as appropriate. Contact info is on the website for each part of the caring team. So, like Horton says, “My friends! Tell me! Do tell! Are you safe? Are you sound? Are you whole? Are you well?” When someone is not safe, sound, whole, or well, we, like Horton, plead, “Our friends! Tell us! Do tell!” so we can seek to respond in ways not just reflecting Horton’s care, but what goes beyond that with God’s care.

1 Theodor Seuss Geisel, Horton Hears a Who!, Random House, 1954.

On your phone, on the internet, and on television, you can constantly check how the stock market is doing, along with getting analysis about the prospects for a bull or a bear market. As someone interested in how my retirement investments are doing, I check on them regularly. However, there are other things we affirm as having value that are harder to measure regarding how they are doing.

This last Sunday, Frank preached about the story of Abraham and Isaac, where Abraham was close to sacrificing his child. Those of us who are parents can’t imagine doing that. In fact, most of us have lovingly made other kinds of sacrifices for the well-being of our own children. And yet, we might not show that we value other children that God loves by checking to see how they are doing and making adjustments for their benefit.

Each year about this time, the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases assessment information on how our nation’s children and youth are doing regarding educational, economic, social, and health outcomes. Their ‘Kids Count’ 2024 annual report has national and state measurements that show where there are improvements and where there are growing challenges that impact the lives of young people. The states in the northeastern part of the country tend to rank pretty high compared to other states, but among the 50 states, Pennsylvania only ranks 23rd on 16 key indicators for the well-being of children and youth. Some of the areas of concern in our state are repercussions from the pandemic: a decrease in the percentage of young children who are in preschool, declines in reading and math scores, and higher death rates for children and teens. Firearm-related deaths are the leading cause of death among teens. There are slightly higher rates for low birth weight babies. There have been some improvements over recent years, with slightly lower child poverty rates and teen births. If you want to check out the information for yourself, here is a link: Interactive 2024 Data Book – The Annie E. Casey Foundation – The Annie E. Casey Foundation (aecf.org)

Occasionally, I will hear someone advocating for policies that would improve the lives of children who say, “We need to do more for children; they are our future.” That statement is true, but it sounds pretty self-centered. The policies and investments we adults put toward all children (not just those in our own families) determine much regarding their present and future well-being. Jesus certainly loved and valued all children. One of the ways we can follow his lead is by at least being aware of and responsive to what affects the overall well-being of those who are so vulnerable in our midst.

There is an evaluative tool called the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, which seeks to measure the impact of stressors in one’s life that might lead to resulting personal vulnerability. In using the tool, you can choose from a list of emotionally challenging events that you have encountered in the previous year. The list includes things like the death of a close friend, a change in living situation, and uncertainty about the future, among others. The ratings suggest that if you come up with a score over 300, you will be highly susceptible to stress-related illness. 1

It had been a harrowing time for Jesus’ disciples. Just over the previous seven weeks, they had gone through experiencing a death, terrible loss, chronic fear, certain fatigue, and significant anxiety about what the future would hold for them. It is a little hard to rate the stress level for the disciples – the test doesn’t have the option for the stress induced when one of your closest friends is resurrected. But I put in events that they had been through just over the previous seven weeks, and their stress score would have been well over 400, which means they were all fortunate not to have had a heart attack or stroke.

After Jesus’ resurrection, knowing what his followers had been through, he urged them to wait in Jerusalem for when God’s Spirit would be poured out upon them to enable them to carry out their calling. It was on Pentecost morning that the Spirit came in a powerful way. Jesus’ closest followers, the very people who had shown a significant lack of courage, unity, and common purpose when the confusing events of Jesus’ execution took place, were in a waiting room of sorts that Pentecost morning. Within themselves, they clearly did not have what was needed to hold together as a group, much less become a world-changing organization. They were in dire need. Their leader was gone. They showed no capacity to carry forward his ministry. They were dead in the water. But the same God who brought Jesus back from the dead brought those who loved Jesus back to life as well.

Mysteriously, wondrously, sounds of wind filled the room. Could it be the same as the wind of creation, the wind of God, which once again was bringing something to life? Something that can’t be seen, something that moves, something we feel, something whose effects we do see? Then there was fire, yet another symbol of God’s presence, going back to the story of the burning bush. Somehow, suddenly, they were on fire for God, filled with a desire to tell what had happened in Christ’s coming, filled with a God-given ability to communicate even across the normal bounds of languages. The disoriented, the tentative, the timid, and the orphaned were filled with the same Spirit that had enlivened Jesus. The Spirit of the resurrection suddenly took hold of them, and they were utterly transformed, from a wavering and fearful paralysis to a focused and passionate boldness. Peter, who so recently couldn’t bring himself to admit to one person in the middle of the night that he even knew Jesus, was now in the light of day publicly proclaiming that before thousands of people.

Could it be that the wind of God is blowing still? Was it only a brief spark of a holy flame that appeared a long time ago? Or are there, by the Spirit of God, new connections with God and others that move us out of our experiences of stress to stress that there is good news God has for all? This Sunday, May 19, is Pentecost Sunday. It is also when our confirmands will be joining the church. Something tells me the Spirit of God is still needed around here and that, by God’s grace, there is a wind that blows, a fire that burns in our midst, that can bring a new birth of God’s love, God’s presence, and God’s gifts!

1 https://www.simplypsychology.org/SRRS.html

It was a joy to attend and participate in Easter services at Bryn Mawr this past Sunday. The outdoor early morning service had a totally different feel than the services in the sanctuary. Did you see the cross in the churchyard covered in flowers? Did the glorious ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ and Easter hymns ring in your mind for a while? But now, Easter Day is over. However, I hope the ramifications of it are not!

We live in a world where many storytellers don’t include the concept of resurrection in how they define life and death. Some of their stories assert that death ends life in hopeless finality and futility. Some of these stories are even filled with cynicism and disparagement of a life of faith and service.

As I think about what it must have been like for Jesus’ disciples soon after his death, I imagine they were ready to believe just that kind of storyteller. After all, the natural order of things certainly indicated that when someone gets killed, that person stays dead. The non-Easter storyteller told them that violence and death were the strongest powers, and nothing could change that, so they might as well accept it. They must have also felt that their dreams, their hopes, and their future were all dead because Jesus was dead. That had to be an extremely painful loss, which would make it unlikely that they would be ready to embrace the vulnerability of new hope anytime soon.

But the events of Easter beckoned them and us to listen to a different storyteller. Death would no longer define life, but rather, life could now define death. We are not called to follow a dead hero but a living Lord. Yes, things currently may look like they did prior to this past Sunday, but Jesus is risen, and we can dare to see new possibilities for transformation. We reach what we think is the tragic end of a defining story, but Jesus is risen, which opens the way to amazing new beginnings. There may appear to be no way to move forward, but Jesus is risen, and we are empowered to believe that God can make a way out of no way. Yes, the ways of death and despair seem to be most powerful in our world, but Jesus has risen, which points us toward the idea that life, peace, and hope can blossom.

Let’s dare to listen to and allow ourselves to be shaped by the resurrection storytellers, and we’ll discover a Lord who brings everlasting life, love, joy, and meaning to our hearts and our world. We, as part of humanity, do so much to discount the amazing story of God’s life-giving power, but Jesus is risen! With a resurrection story that redefines us and our world, the impact of Easter is far from being over! Alleluia!

Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Miriam, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna – these are names of just some of the senior adults that God used in significant ways as told in scripture. Even if they had retired from work to support their livelihood, God still actively engaged them in ministry in a variety of ways. I am thankful to get to support senior adults at BMPC in ways that enrich and engage them in active ministry in service to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here are some upcoming initiatives having to do with senior adults (keep reading even if you are not a senior adult):

The Senior Adult Council, chaired by Pam Haynes Walsh, seeks to support, nurture, and foster spiritual enrichment and fellowship among BMPC seniors. It does so through sponsoring social and educational programs, events, and trips, as well as supporting local seniors in need, offering mission volunteer opportunities, and promoting intergenerational activities. If you are 60 or older, the council asks that you take this 5-7 minutes survey to inform our council about member interests.

BMPC is partnering with a non-profit agency, Surrey Services for Seniors, to provide senior adult enrichment and educational programming in the Foerderer House starting in mid-March. Surrey Services has similar programming in other locations already, and we look forward to this programming that will be on our campus for BMPC and members of the broader community. There will be open houses for this upcoming programming occurring in the Foerderer House (the house adjacent to the Radnor parking lot) this Sunday, January 28, from 11-1 and on Wednesday, January 31, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The programming will have on-site staff, but will need significant volunteer support. If you are interested in exploring volunteer options, here are two links with information.

pdf Volunteer Roles at Bryn Mawr ( 140 KB )

Volunteer Roles at Bryn Mawr pdf Surrey Volunteer Application ( 114 KB )

Surrey Volunteer Application This next opportunity is not limited to senior adults! The BMPC Caring Ministries team has invited back Laurie Lewis to present at a symposium entitled, “What to Say to People Who Are Hurting.” She has written a book by that title, and she was a retreat leader for our Deacons a couple of years ago as they focused on this topic. She will share lessons learned through years of experience to help us grow in our capacity to encourage, listen, and be a supportive presence in everyday encounters of life. This event will take place on Saturday, March 2 from 9 to noon. To request more information or to register contact, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

It is a joy that God is using BMPC members and facilities in so many ways! God’s care for and use of people of all ages certainly continues!

A number of years ago, a woman named Sara Miles wrote a memoir called Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion. It was about her experience of coming to faith. She had grown up in a family of atheists. But she was a journalist who was by nature curious, so one Sunday morning when she was walking by a church in San Francisco, she went in and sat down to see what was going on in a worship service. It was a church that practiced open communion, and she found herself transformed by receiving the sacrament. She shared her experience saying, “I think what I discovered in that moment when I put the bread in my mouth and was so blown away by the reality of Jesus was that the requirement for faith turned out not to be believing in a doctrine, or knowing how to behave in a church, or being the right kind of person, or being raised correctly, or repeating the rituals. The requirement for faith seemed to be hunger. It was the hunger that I had always had and the willingness to be fed by something I didn’t understand.”

God created us as beings who need to be fed, who have yearnings that emanate from within us that inform us of our need. Our hunger tells us we need physical food. But we also have a hunger to feel connected with others, to be in communion with them because God made us to be relational beings. To have needs is not a bad thing if there is plenty available to meet those needs. When we come to a dinner table with our stomachs already full, we might enjoy just a taste of a delicious dish. But when our hunger is met with something delectable, particularly in the company of those we love, it is fulfilling in more than just the physical sense.

This first Sunday in November is when we observe All Saints’ day. During our 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. worship services, we will, with grateful remembrance, name those from our congregation who have died in the past year. Our once-a-month Evening Worship at 5:00 p.m. that is geared for all ages will focus on the sacrament of communion. During our congregation’s 150th anniversary celebration, we have been aware that we stand on the shoulders of people of faith who preceded us. In a mystical way, we are still in communion with them. In the Apostles’ Creed, we affirm our believe in the communion of saints. That term is not limited just to those who have been beatified by a particular part of the church like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Teresa of Calcutta. We’ve known other people that get referred to as saints because they are so generous with their time and assets or because they are extraordinarily patient around difficult people. But what the word ‘saints’ refers to as used in scripture and in the Apostles’ Creed includes all people throughout time who have been made holy by Christ’s redemptive work. That includes people with plenty of spiritual inadequacies like you and me. It also includes those who have preceded us in earlier generations.

We hunger for bread, for connection with God, and for connection with other people of faith, here and beyond. I want to share with you imagery of the afterlife. I’m not sure of its source. In this image hell is portrayed as people being eternally seated at a great banquet table of sumptuous foods, yet none of them are able to bend their elbows, so they can’t indulge themselves of the tantalizing feast. Heaven is portrayed in much the same way. There is a great banquet table filled with delectable delights. Here too, the people are unable to bend their elbows. Yet because they understand that they can feed each other, the banquet becomes heavenly.

Come this Sunday to have multiple hungers addressed in hopes that the Last Supper becomes the Lasting Supper. And for those whose old-fashioned clocks don’t automatically reset, remember to ‘fall back an hour.’