Thursday Thoughts
Joy as Resistance
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 02/27/25
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In This All Together
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 02/21/25
This past Sunday our congregation met on zoom
for the second week running. February seems to have an agenda to keep us close
to home as it refuses to release its icy grip! I, for one, am thankful for the
ways that technology enables us to still be together even when parking bans are
in effect.
I want to revisit a word of encouragement from this past Sunday’s Bible study - encouragement that we don’t isolate ourselves right now with all the turbulence that is taking place in our country. The author of the letter to the Hebrews encouraged their readers in the same way. They wrote,
And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25).
We are being flooded right now with various assaults on human and civil rights, including assaults on the rights and dignity of our trans and queer siblings, immigrants, women, and the poor. I have spoken to many people this past month who are afraid for people they love or for themselves and are unsure of what our collective future looks like. If this is you and your tendency is to isolate when you are afraid, let me encourage you to stay connected. Stay connected to this community or to other communities that give you life and help you remain hopeful.
Jesus and the early church lived through difficult times. Their country had been colonized by Rome, the masses were being impoverished through unfair taxation, the wealth disparity between the majority and the tiny wealthy class was profound, and the wealthy minority had undue influence on the faith communities. Humanity keeps circling back to this, don’t we?
But, we are not alone! We are surrounded by a community of faith, a cloud of witnesses, and the Holy Spirit. And, like all the people of faith before us who have walked through other difficult times, we will better navigate what God is calling us to now if we navigate it together. And what is God calling us to now? To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).
Friends, we are in this all together - let us love one another and love this world, remembering that we don’t have to rely on our own strength to do so.
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
PS - I am going to share below a list of places from which I am finding support and seeing good work right now. If you want to help me expand this list, simply email a recommendation!
This past Sunday our congregation met on zoom for the second week running. February seems to have an agenda to keep us close to home as it refuses to release its icy grip! I, for one, am thankful for the ways that technology enables us to still be together even when parking bans are in effect.
I want to revisit a word of encouragement from
this past Sunday’s Bible study - encouragement that we don’t isolate ourselves
right now with all the turbulence that is taking place in our country. The
author of the letter to the Hebrews encouraged their readers in the same way.
They wrote,
And let us consider how to
provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting
to meet together, as
is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see
the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25).
We are being flooded right now with various
assaults on human and civil rights, including assaults on the rights and
dignity of our trans and queer siblings, immigrants, women, and the poor. I
have spoken to many people this past month who are afraid for people they love
or for themselves and are unsure of what our collective future looks like. If
this is you and your tendency is to isolate when you are afraid, let me
encourage you to stay connected. Stay
connected to this community or to other communities that give you life and help
you remain hopeful.
Jesus and the early church lived through
difficult times. Their country had been colonized by Rome, the masses were
being impoverished through unfair taxation, the wealth disparity between the
majority and the tiny wealthy class was profound, and the wealthy minority had
undue influence on the faith communities. Humanity keeps circling back to this,
don’t we?
But, we are not alone! We are surrounded by a
community of faith, a cloud of witnesses, and the Holy Spirit. And, like all
the people of faith before us who have walked through other difficult times, we
will better navigate what God is calling us to now if we navigate it together.
And what is God calling us to now? To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with God (Micah 6:8).
Friends, we are in this all together - let us
love one another and love this world, remembering that we don’t have to rely on
our own strength to do so.
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
PS - I am going to share below a list of
places from which I am finding support and seeing good work right now. If you
want to help me expand this list, simply email a recommendation!
- The
Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. AWAB has a resource library, a blog, and a bi-weekly newsletter
they send out. These are invaluable resources for knowing how to best
support our LGBTQ siblings.
- The Trevor Project - The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis
intervention for LGBTQ+ young people.
- The Rhode Island State Council of Churches - The RISCC is a multi-faith advocacy organization that offers
invaluable resources on community justice work. They have some important
upcoming training events and publish a regular newsletter you can sign up.
- Dorcas International - Dorcas International offers wrap around services to refugees.
They also collect donations of volunteer time, goods, and money to support
the RI refugee community.
- Comprehensive Community Action Program (CCAP) - CCAP is a local, private, non-profit organization fighting
against poverty. We give food monthly to their foodbank and one of our
members runs the garden at the Cranston location (all garden produce goes
into the foodbank). There are opportunities for volunteering in the
foodbank and garden, and they offer a wide variety of wrap around services
for financially vulnerable folx.
The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. AWAB has a resource library, a blog, and a bi-weekly newsletter they send out. These are invaluable resources for knowing how to best support our LGBTQ siblings.
- The Trevor Project - The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis
intervention for LGBTQ+ young people.
- The Rhode Island State Council of Churches - The RISCC is a multi-faith advocacy organization that offers
invaluable resources on community justice work. They have some important
upcoming training events and publish a regular newsletter you can sign up.
- Dorcas International - Dorcas International offers wrap around services to refugees.
They also collect donations of volunteer time, goods, and money to support
the RI refugee community.
- Comprehensive Community Action Program (CCAP) - CCAP is a local, private, non-profit organization fighting
against poverty. We give food monthly to their foodbank and one of our
members runs the garden at the Cranston location (all garden produce goes
into the foodbank). There are opportunities for volunteering in the
foodbank and garden, and they offer a wide variety of wrap around services
for financially vulnerable folx.
Keeping Faith
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 02/13/25
In just 16 days it is time to plant spinach and peas in my garden. It’s hard to believe that it is nearly the beginning of the 2025 gardening season, especially when I look out at my garden to see a crust of snow over the entire surface - snow that will supposedly be topped with more snow this weekend. This time of year, I find it hard to imagine that we will ever be in anything but winter. And yet, if those seeds are to go into the soil on March 1st, I need to be ready. If I don’t buy the seeds because the snow has discouraged me, I won’t be able to plant them. And if I don’t plant them, then come June I won’t be harvesting peas and spinach. All this to say - the snow on the ground today doesn't determine for me whether or not I will be prepared to plant my garden.
In the letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul encouraged the Galatian church to keep up the journey of faith, no matter what discouraging things were happening around them:
“So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at the harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith” (Galatians 6:9-10).
Friends, in this season of uncertainty and tumult, remember that our calling is to follow in the footsteps of a man who welcomed children, healed outcasts, forgave sinners, shared table fellowship with people who needed transformation, touched the untouchable, and raised the dead to life. He lived in a time of colonization and oppression, and yet did not give up the work to which he was called - and I think it fair to say that his harvest was great.
The snow may be on the ground now, but I am preparing for the next thing my garden needs. As people of faith, let us also not lose heart, but keep doing what is right.
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
God is Wide Awake
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 02/06/25
Writer Anne Lamott has a book on manageable writing steps called Bird by Bird. The title of her book came from her father’s encouragement to her brother when he had to tackle an overwhelming report on birds in elementary school: “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
I can empathize with Lamott’s brother, particularly in these past few weeks as I’ve found myself whiplashed between serving in the Dominican Republic and in Cranston, and between all the many, many pressing needs that have found their way seemingly abruptly to our doorsteps. How do I best live out my faith in this world when it seems like all corners of the world need something from me right now?
Bird by bird.
Day by day.
Moment by moment.
Breath by breath.
Preaching through the book of Revelation last summer reminded me of some very important truths. First, oppressive empires never win in the end - only the God of grace and mercy does. Second, oppressive empire can harm along the way - but we are still called to faithfully walk in the footsteps of the Prince of Peace. Revelation 17:14 reminds us that it is a slaughtered lamb that wins the ultimate cosmic battle and that as we walk alongside that lamb we are “called and chosen and faithful.”
Friends, as we navigate these unprecedented times, times that continuously ask of us the work of Matthew 25 (to be life-giving community to the “least of these”), we are not alone. The Lamb always walks by our side. And so, as we walk through these days breath by breath, may we always remember that the God who created this world remains faithful. We just need to touch the project every day and take it piece-by-piece.
This week, if you find yourself in a place of
overwhelm, I encourage you to remember the words of Psalm 121 and to remember
that God is wide awake.
I
lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord
is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all
evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and for evermore.
Blessings,
Pastor
Amy
Make a Wish!
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 01/16/25
This past week in our worship service I asked
the children to make a wish for our church’s birthday before blowing out
birthday candles (not 125 candles - that can wait until June!). I also invited
the adults to close their eyes and make a wish. Since it is tradition not to
share one’s birthday wish, I didn’t ask anyone to do so.
So, all week I’ve been curious what people’s wishes were! I’ve also been thinking about what the hopes and wishes were of our ancestors in the faith who founded this congregation 125+ years ago (our Sunday School started three years before the congregation was officially founded).
In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul encourages the Romans to live together in unity and service, remembering that God, from God’s grace, has gifted each one of them for the purpose of service. Paul concludes this section on spiritual gifts with a wishlist of his own - a wish list for how the church might live together.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all (Romans 12:14-18).
In many ways, this wish list still applies
today. As people of faith who walk in Jesus’ footsteps, we still are called to
walk in harmony and empathy with one another and to live out love in a world
that so often deals out hate. These two callings can look so many different
ways - just like the spiritual gifts Paul writes about can manifest themselves
in a vibrant rainbow of ways. To live in love can mean advocating for housing
access or it can mean listening to a friend who is struggling.
As we head into 2025 and our 125th anniversary as a congregation, what are our wishes for this church, for our faith, and for this world? Perhaps they are wishes for freedom. Perhaps they are wishes for joy. Whatever they are, light a candle and lift your wish like a prayer. We don’t know what this year will bring, but we can absolutely trust that God hears us.
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
