Blog Archives

Who Are You

1/27/2022

Rev. Judith Cooke

As much as I don’t like admitting it, my life has its share of bad habits. I drink more tea than is reasonable. I leave dirty dishes in the living room. I sneak food under the table to Humphrey. For years, I have beat myself up over my less than stellar traits, criticizing myself as a caffeine-addicted, slob-like overworker (feeding the dog may be a bad habit, but I’m okay with it). When we label ourselves, it is no wonder we do not change. After all, a “caffeine-addicted slob” by definition will drink a lot of tea and leave the mug on the coffee table. Our behavior comes out of our identity. Who we see ourselves as determines how we behave. If we are to change our habits, we need to change how we think about who we are.

So, who do you think you are? What behaviors have become so ingrained that they are now part of your identity? Which of these behaviors do you appreciate? Which do you want to eliminate?

When God created the world, humanity was made in the image of God. While only God can create out of nothing, we still have creative power. We can make artwork, construct cities, create harmony or disruption. This means that you can also shape your sense of self. Who do you truly want to be? Who is God calling you to be? Once you identify this and trust that it is who you genuinely are, your habits will reflect that person.

God created you as a precious and beloved child, who deserves abundance of life, who is called to live with compassion and care yourself and others. May God’s overwhelming love for you shape your understanding of yourself.

How does God see you?

As a precious beloved child. Wants to give you all good things.

Down Deep

1/20/2022

Rev. Judith Cooke

The one gift our son really wanted for Christmas was airpods. Since he rarely asks for anything specific, we knew they were important to him. After unwrapping them, they were rarely out of his ears, as he listened to his favorite band. Two days later, we were on a train to visit family, and he fell asleep against the window. One fell out of his ear and into the dark sliver of space between the seat and the train wall. For 15 long minutes, he, and the kind man behind him worked together to get it out – pushing it with a pad of paper, hooking it with the cover to my laptop, poking it with a pen and then a pencil.

Later when I was talking about how he recouped it, I began thinking of the church. With this pandemic, it feels like so much of what we have “always done” has slipped into a dark crevice where we can barely see it and want it back. We miss worship as it used to be. We miss fellowship hour downstairs. We miss church dinners inside the building. Once the pandemic is over, we will again have in-person, face-to-face ministries, but right now it is easier to focus on all that we no longer have.

While an airpod lost for a quarter hour is the same airpod once it is retrieved, the post-pandemic ministry at NGCC will likely look very different. Of course, we will still have worship, Sunday School, and fellowship, but I suspect they will have adapted. While very few people like change, shifting how we minister is essential if we are to meet people’s needs in a new time. In the thick of this latest covid surge, it may not be possible to envision the specifics. But with God’s help and some creative effort on our part, we will get there. After all, our God has a long history of guiding the faithful through the wilderness to wonderful new lands.

Trusting that God is leading us to a new and meaningful place, may God’s encouragement support us on our journey there.

Rolling Waters & Ever-Flowing Streams

1/13/2022

Rev. Judith Cooke

Life is not fair. It’s a universal truth. Bad things happen to good people. Someone who cheats gets ahead. You get the speeding ticket when other cars were going faster. When children and youth complain that life is not fair, I agree with them and explain that if we want life to be fair, it is our job to be fair to others. The past several years have been very difficult when it comes to fairness. As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, the racial injustices of our nation come to the forefront of our minds. Sometimes injustice is obvious. Oftentimes it happens as micro-aggressions. Other times it is buried in the systems around us. While we all have stories of witnessing or experiencing prejudice, as people of faith we also hold onto stories of divine justice. God’s intention for this world are for justice and righteousness for all people.

Take a few minutes to reflect:
- When have you experienced unfairness? How did it affect you?
- When have you seen an injustice? How did you respond to it?
- What do you hear God tell you about the kind of world God wants us to have?

As people of faith, we know that God cares deeply and passionately about every person, and we are called to share Christ’s love with all others.

Through the MLK holiday, may you be inspired by the grace and love of God.

“But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:24

Star Search

1/6/2022

Rev. Judith Cooke

In secular culture, celebrities are often called “influencers.” These stars are pursued by their fans and the paparazzi, who follow their lifestyles.

On Epiphany, which is January 6, the star that is followed is a very different kind. Epiphany commemorates the Magi who followed the Bethlehem star to the Christ Child. While we may think fondly of the wise men bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, their trip had a difficult side. Following the star put them at risk, as Herod had instructed them to report back where Jesus was in order to kill him.

Today on Epiphany, we are invited to ask ourselves:
-        What star are we following?
-        What light has God placed in front of you?
-        What stars distract you from the divine light?
-        Where is God leading you?

God’s light shines in many places, showing us divine activity and holy moments. May we follow in faith, trusting that wherever we are being led will be meaningful and faithful.

Messages from the Pastor

Who Are You

Down Deep

Rolling Waters & Ever-Flowing Streams

Star Search

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