At the very center of the Pentecost celebration is God the Holy Spirit. Many Christians have a hard time describing who or what the Holy Spirit is. Years ago, the Spirit was often called the Holy Ghost which left many with a “spooky” impression about the Spirit.  Rolf Jacobson, in his book Crazy Talk: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Theological Terms notes, “The Holy Spirit can be hard to understand and pin down, because the Holy Spirit doesn’t get as many headlines as the other two persons of the trinity. While God the Father stars in creation and throughout the Old Testament, and God the Son got the lead role in all four Gospels, God the Spirit is like the musical score of a movie—you don’t notice it unless it’s not there. It’s time to get over our heebie-jeebies about a holy ghost-thing with a sheet over its head and realize that the Spirit is well-documented biblically and essential doctrinally.”

 Do you remember the Spirit’s presence in these familiar Bible stories?

• The Holy Spirit was at work in creation. (Genesis 1:2)
• Mary, the mother of Jesus, became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:35)
• The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in his baptism (Mark 1: 10)
• Jesus breathed on his disciples, leaving them the Holy Spirit. (John 20:22)
• Christ commanded us to go forth to teach and to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28: 18, 19)
• After Jesus ascended back into heaven, God the Holy Spirit came in the dramatic form of wind and fire on the day of Pentecost, empowering the disciples to speak in tongues, understand other languages and preach the good news about Jesus. (Acts 2)
• The Spirit continues to work in our lives giving us gifts to use in serving God (Romans 12:4-8,  I Corinthians 12: 1-11)
• As Christians grow in faith and mature in discipleship, our lives show forth the Spirit’s work. These “Fruits of the Spirit” are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)                                                                                                                     When we as a church are at our very best, you can bet that the Holy Spirit has been moving among us. Come, Spirit, Come!                                                                                                                                      Happy Pentecost!            In Christ,   Nancy                               Nancy Mikoski

Introduction

Praying for others is responsibility of all Christians. It is a concrete way to obey God’s command that we “love our neighbors as ourselves.” Praying for others while actually with another or others can be a powerful experience of life in the Body of Christ.

How it works

1. To begin this practice of prayer, think about with whom you’d like to pray. Invite that person to join you in this practice.  If they live with you or near you, try to establish a time each day to pray with each other.  If this is not possible, figure out how often you can be together for prayer.
2. When you are together, say a quick prayer asking God to be in your midst.
3. Next, take turns talking to each other about what is going on in your life, or what has been on your mind that day. If you have a particular prayer request, let the other person know what it is.
4. After each person has had some time to share, transition into a time of prayer. You and your partner or partners can decide if you’d like to light a candle or in some other way mark this transition.
5. Some people like to hold hands as they pray. Others will be more comfortable being near their partner but without physical contact. Either way is fine.
6. One person begins by addressing God and then praying for the other person. You can thank God for that person, for who they are to you, for their wondeful qualities. Next thank God for the good things that are going on in that person’s life. Finally, share with God any struggles that person is experiencing.  Ask for God’s love and intervention in the other person’s life, while also acknowledging that often we don’t know what to ask.
7. Give the other person a turn to pray aloud for you, too.

Suggestions

Some people become nervous praying aloud.  It is helpful to remember that prayer does not have to be done in fancy language. You can talk to God just like you talk to the people around you. You don’t even have to close your eyes or fold your hands or kneel if you don’t want to.  Most people find that it becomes easier with practice and that praying for another and being prayed for is quite powerful.

If praying with another aloud is new to you, you can have an index card in front of you with the following phrases, to help guide your prayer. “Thanks God for ___________(person’s name)”

“Thanks for ______________(their good qualities).” “Please help them with __________(struggle, concern or need).

If you are praying with more than one other person, you can either have each person pray for everyone else in the group, or establish a pattern such as praying for the person on your left.
Praying with and for another can also be done on the phone or on Skype. You can also pray for people through e-mail, each person talking about their own day and concerns and then later in the day, writing an e-mail prayer for the other based on what they wrote.

You may recall last fall as we rolled out our “An Open Door” capital campaign that the manse needs major work to be a safe and healthy home for the Associate Pastor whom we hope to call soon. The siding will come off because it has rot and it has lead paint. The roof will come off because it leaks. The windows will come out because they are ill-fitting and are not energy efficient. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, there is a lot of work to do and I hope that you will help communicate to your friends and neighbors that we are renovating this wonderful house and not demolishing it. When the work is complete the Cor-ner House will offer a gracious welcome to those who will live and visit there. I hope it will be more than a house. I pray that it will be a home.

Leland Foster Wood wrote a home dedication. May these words be a blessing for our Corner House manse as well as for each of our homes.

“We dedicate this home…to love and understanding; may its joys and sorrows be shared; may its doors open in hospitality, and its windows look out with care for others.

We dedicate this home…to work and leisure: may its walls reflect affection and laughter; may its duties be performed in love, and its table remind us that God works with us to supply our daily needs.

We dedicate this home…to the appreciation of all things good and true: may its books bring wisdom, the pictures beauty, its music joy and inspiration.

We dedicate this home…to rest from the working world: may it be a haven of relaxation and recuperation, forgiveness and happiness.

Dear God, bless this place, not for richness of material nor beauty of design, but for welcome and warmth. Here let steadiness replace nervous haste and the Holy Spirit be with all. Amen.”

As we watch the progress on the Corner House, please also pray for the progress of our Associate Pastor Nominating Committee. We trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding their work and pray that the Spirit will be present in the interview process and will guide each candidate to their true call.

In Christ,

Nancy

Nancy Mikoski

It’s that time again when we make no-sew fleece blankets to present to our graduating High School Seniors. If you know how to tie a knot and cut a straight line, you are hired! Volunteers may pick up blankets which will be pinned and ready to be cut and tied on Sunday, May 6, after worship or during the following week. You will find the blankets, with instructions, in room 206. Please call Mary Finlayson at 737-9444 or email her at Finlay1018@verizon.net if you have questions or can help.

We need over 20 blankets to hand out on June 10!

So what might our response to the resurrection of Jesus be this Easter season?  I’d like to suggest that we turn our attention to working and praying for peace and justice.  In the next couple of weeks, there are fantastic events that can open our eyes to the needs of God’s people near by and far away. With new understanding may come new ideas and new inspiration about how to live as God’s Easter people.

The first event will be held this Saturday, April 21.  It is Revive!  This peace and justice revival will include preaching, praising, singing and learning about how we followers of Jesus can do justice right where we are.  Christians from various churches and denominations will gather for Revive! on Saturday from 10am to 6pm at Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton. The event, including lunch and dinner costs $20. For just one meal the cost is $15.  If you can only attend part of the program and don’t want a meal, the suggested donation is $10 for adults and $5 for students.  Please go to their website to register: www.revivejustice.org I hope that Pennington Presbyterian will be well-represented at Revive!

The second event takes place on Friday evening, April 27. I hope to introduce you to Archbishop Elias Chacour, an outstanding leader and peacemaker in Israel and Palestine and a dear friend of our family. Gordon and I believe so strongly in his peacemaking work that we founded a non-profit organization, Pilgrims of Ibillin, back in 1995 to support the work of building peace on the desktops of children.  We have led numerous groups of teens and adults to Israel to participate in his peacemaking work over the years. My mother, Dorothy Allison, found her life as an older adult enriched by the friendships she established as a long-term volunteer at Chacour’s schools. Archbishop Chacour will speak on the topic “What are the Things that Make for Peace?” on Friday, April 27 at 7pm at the Catholic Community of Saint Matthias, 168 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Somerset, NJ. A free-will offering will be received. Chacour will also be available to sign copies of his books Blood Brothers and We Belong to the Land. Car pools from Pennington can easily be arranged.

When Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection he said, “Peace be with you.” What an honor it is for us to live and help spread that message of peace in our community and in the world.  What kind of peace-making is God calling you to engage?

In Christ,

Nancy Mikoski

The Apostle Paul wrote some words to the Christians in Rome that talk about the “so what” of an Easter faith. He described for them what difference it makes. Christian poet Leslie Brandt has taken Romans 6 and put it into modern language.

 ”Regardless of our past, no matter how atrocious our wrongdoings, whether our sins be unconscious or even deliberate, our Lord’s sacrifice is sufficient and God’s forgiveness is compete. Whereas we shall always be sinners, and failures will plague us from time to time, the forgiven and reconciled children of God will dedicate themselves to obedience and good works.

We are now, even as sinners, the sons and daughters of righteousness. We have, in effect, been crucified with Christ and raised with Him from the dead. We are new people, focused upon new goals, compelled by new ambitions, committed to new objectives.

This means that we cease yielding to self-interest and self-concern, seeking our own gratification at the expense of others. This is the way we lived in the past. We have now been reborn. All things have become new. Having received the gift of God’s love, we love and accept ourselves because God loves and accepts us, and we dedicate ourselves to loving our fellow persons as ourselves.

Whereas we were once slaves to self-concern, we are now set free from its de-structive bondage to be the followers of Jesus Christ. While we celebrate our redemption, even while we fail at times to reflect and communicate the loving grace of God, this is the stand we take and this is the goal we pursue.

We have discovered through sad experience that there is nothing to be gained through self-service. It resolves only in disillusionment and aching emptiness. The gift of God is life forever. Service to God, and to our fellow person for God’s sake and by His grace, fills life with joy and meaning and purpose.” (EPISTLES NOW by Leslie Brandt. Pgs 18,19)

On Easter we will celebrate that Christ rose from the dead. Let us remember why he rose, and find our lives filled with joy, meaning and purpose all year long. See you at Rosedale Park for the sunrise service at 6:30 am and in the sanctuary at 10:15 am!

Christ is Risen! He is risen, indeed!

In Christ,

Nancy

Nancy Mikoski

 Introduction

Encountering great works of art can often evoke a sense of awe, wonder, or mystery – particularly if the subject matter focuses on Jesus Christ or some other person or story from the Bible. Rembrandt’s many faces of Jesus or Salvador Dali’s mystical depictions of the crucifixion can inspire the viewer to pray. A painting or a sculpture can provide profound insight into God, the story of salvation, our lives, our social context, or all of these at the same time. Making art can also prove to be an avenue for prayer.

 How it works

a. Find a piece of art online, in a book, or on display in your home, in a church, or in a museum.

b. Allow yourself five to ten minutes in order to focus on the piece of art without distraction.

c. Spend some time gazing at and reflecting upon the piece of art. You might wish to focus on only one feature or dimension of the piece of art.

d. Think about how this piece of art speaks to you and evokes certain feelings from you.

e. Use your experience of interacting with the piece of art as a basis for prayer.

f. Another way to pray with art is to pray while making art. If you already engage in making art, such as through painting, woodworking, photography, or knitting, ask God to guide you as you select a new project. If you don’t often make art, gather some art supplies. These could include paper, markers, glitter, clay, fabric, cardboard,feathers, colored pencils, glue, old magazines.

g. Appreciate the beauty of the wood, clay, or fabric.

h. Let your experience of being creative and making art connect you more closely to God the Creator.

i. If you are not engaging in an art form that you do regularly, simply begin by choosing some things to use. Quietly think about your day and what situation or person you would like to lift up to God in prayer through art.

j. Let your mind wander and begin to use the materials in front of you. When you have created something, gaze at it for a while and talk to God about what you see and what you feel. Let this be a prayer.

Suggestions

You may find it helpful to check out an art book from the local public library. You could also find a book, painting, or sculpture in your own home or in the church. A trip to an art museum might also prove enjoyable this month. You could also search for works of art online by going to your favorite art museum’s website or by using an online art website like “artwebsites” or “Web Gallery of Art.”

When making art as a form of prayer, do not become judgmental about the piece of art. This is not about perfection, but expression. You can share your art with others, save it for yourself, or throw it away.

Resources

“artwebsites” – which provides links to a large number of art museums and works of artists worldwide can be cound at:

www.daphne.palomar.edu/mhudelson/artwebsites.html

The “Web Gallery of Art” offers a huge selection of online art. One only has to type in a keyword, an artist, or a theme to find a multitude of digitized paintings at: www.wga.hu

We continue to meet each Thursday evening, and have reviewed personal information from over 70 candidates for our Associate Pastor position. Last Thursday we reached a milestone–conducting our first phone interview. Several more are scheduled over the coming weeks, as we begin to deepen our knowledge of individuals whose written responses have shown potential. We plan to continue to receive resumes/PIFs into March. May we ask for your help in two areas? Please pray for us and for the candidates regularly, that we may all sincerely and honestly seek to discern God’s call. Second is this: one of our members, Amy, often needs a babysitter on Thursday evenings, and sometimes has had to miss meetings. It would be so helpful to have a volunteer or two that she could call on. (Amy Pszczolkowski, amypiz19@yahoo.com, 609-737-6580). Thank you!

Alison Young, for the APNC

Members include: Alison, Amy, Bill Guthrie, Emily Cocco, Hope Anderson, Kevin Subers, Kim Newport, Rob Thornton and Thomas Lehman-Borer.

Here is our week at a glance

Palm Sunday – April 1 – 10:15am

Wednesday Morning – April 4 – 7:30am

Maundy Thursday – April 5 – 7:30pm
The word Maundy comes from Latin for “mandate” referring to Jesus’ command for us to love one another.
The service this evening will focus on the Last Supper, Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet and his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Adult Choir will sing and communion will be served.

Good Friday – April 6 – Noon
Ecumenical Service held at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church on Main Street.
Nancy Mikoski will be preaching.  Eucharist will be served.

Good Friday – April 6 – 7:30pm
The focus of this service is on the crucifixion of Jesus.
It will be a Taize style worship.
Candles, music,meditation and prayers around the cross.

Easter Sunday Sunrise Service – Rosedale Park – 6:30am
Dress is very casual. Bring lawn chair or blanket.
Worship will be on the grass facing the lake.
If it is raining, the service will be held under the pavillion.

Easter Morning in our sanctuary – 10:15am
This service celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
It will be a Festival Worship with the adult, youth and bell choirs
plus brass instruments providing the music.
Communion will be served.