March 4: Rev. Dr. Andrew McDonald on “Ritual Goodbyes”, helping our family and friends have a sense of home before and after we die.

                    February 29 – Palm Sunday story
                    March 7 – Last Supper
                    March 21 – Road to the Cross
                    March 28 – Crucifixion

On these Lenten Wednesdays, choirs will begen at 6:40 and conclude at 7:30. There will not be WOW on Wednesday, March 14 during LPS spring break.

On the mountain, Jesus is transfigured.  He starts to shine.  Dazzling white, so bright, no color at the paint store comes even close.  Then  Elijah – who, by the way, is supposed to be dead — comes to consult with him!  Moses – dead even longer – shows up right in front of their noses, listening to Jesus! Out of a cloud comes the voice of God, speaking to them!

Theologians have a term: mysterium et tremendum.  It is an experience of God:  mysterious and attractive yet overwhelming and terrifying, all wrapped up in the same event.  It is about the love and fear of God.  While we are attracted to God’s love, this overwhelming love is also terrifying in the lengths to which it will go for us.  That is their experience of Jesus.

As quickly as it came, the cloud dissipates.  The two visitors disappear.  Jesus clothes go back to normal.  And it is time for the return trip down the mountain. Time to pull up their socks, clean up from lunch, pick up their packs and head back home.  It looks like everything is back to normal.

But it will never be the same again.  The voice of God echoes in their memory: “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”

I believe this story.  I believe this story, in different experiences, can happen to us.  We do not know when. You cannot force God’s hand. The mystery of God is free to speak when and where it will.

Our experience may be more subtle than this story, but it happens.  We recognize it when all of a sudden, a new dimension of who Jesus is, and what he means, opens up to us. A glimpse of God’s wonderful and terrifying love shines through.

What matters is not how we had an experience of Jesus.  What matters is that the words of God echo in our minds and hearts: “This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him.”   He leads us to a new life  – filled with the mysterium et tremendum of God. It is symbolized at the center of our sanctuary.  The mystery is symbolized in the cross.

Andrew McDonald
Senior Pastor

If you look at our Presbyterian constitution, (Book of Order) today, you will see this reflected in fully half of the six goals of the church, called the Great Ends of the Church, namely,

• the preservation of the truth;
• the promotion of social righteousness;
• the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world. (F-1.0304)

To be absolutely clear, as a church or denomination, we do not advocate for one political party or another. And we do not support individual candidates. But being involved in issues of moral importance in the public realm is a Christian calling from God and a Christian duty.

A highlight of this month is our examination of a central moral issue of our time – civility. The national culture has been hijacked by rhetoric that divides people. I have heard painful testimony of people who have lost friends because they are in a different political party. This type of uncivil atmosphere is far too prevalent today. National politics has set a destructive tone of division.

Stop and think – how can we discern truth if we cannot hear different points of view? How can we find wisdom or seek God’s guidance without listening for important facts and values that others perceive? Perhaps the most important moral issue of our time is finding ways of speaking that allow political discussion at a higher level of discourse. We need a renewed rhetoric of moral discussion. We need to start insisting that our politicians honor one another. Simply put, we need to find and advocate for a new sense of civility.

I find Westminster a very rich and fulfilling spiritual home because of the diversity of political and social perspectives. People treat each other with respect and dignity in the midst of their diverse beliefs. It is fitting that we take this strength and grow stronger.

So this moth we are not only bringing in a number diverse political figures to talk about this topic, we are also hosting James C. Davis, author of In Defense of Civility. This is going to be an important discussion. I hope we as well as our guests are inspired to think again about how we talk about important issues. The nation needs to reshape its style of debate, so we can find shared purposes along with shared sacrifices, for a better future. Or to put it in historic Presbyterian terms, I hope we can discover for our generation how we can exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Andrew McDonald, Senior Pastor

Join us for a one day ski festival at Mt Crescent Ski Area in Iowa. Friends who don’t attend WPC are welcome. This trip is for 6-12th graders – no professional skiing experience is needed. Register by turning in a $50 deposit, WPC Medical Release/Information Form and Mount Crescent Release of Liability form to Tiffany by January 8th. Adults & youth must complete all paperwork to be registered. Additional payment can be made the day of trip – once we have all reservations, we will know the exact cost.

•  ‘Playing St. Nick for 25 years’