CCC Blog

Something to Think About – Better Together

(What follows are words about the recent election with which I ended the sermon on Sunday.  If anyone would like to speak about the election – or anything related to these words about it – please let me know.  I am more than happy to arrange to meet with anyone who might want to talk more.  I also know that Pastors Melinda and Vicky are also willing to do that.  Simply let us know.  Pastor Michael)

We just had an election.  A pretty significant one.  These elections, that come around every 4 years, tend to be pretty significant.  Some were probably dreading it.  Others, looking forward to it.  And many, probably, feeling nervous and stressed about it. And now it’s over.  There was always going to be an outcome.  Some were always going to be happy about it.  Others were not.  The outcome was always going to make sense to some.  To others, it was always going to make no sense at all.  And… we’re still divided.  And if the outcome went the other way, we’d still be divided.  Half would feel that outcome made sense and half wouldn’t.  

If we are divided, it is not because of outcomes like elections, but because we allow our thankfulness and thanksgiving to be dependent on those outcomes.  This recent election simply illustrates in high relief what all of life is like.  Every day there are outcomes.  Big ones and small ones.  Some will go our way.  Some will not.  Some will make sense to us. Some will not.  We will always – naturally - feel more at ease when the outcomes go our way and make sense to us.  But if our thanksgiving - and ability to be thankful – is based on desirous outcomes, we won’t be serving anyone’s interest but our own; not anyone else’s; and definitely not God’s.  

That is why it is so important, to me, that we remember that God loves you.  When God created you, God placed a little piece of God’s own self deep within you.  And the little piece of God’s own self within you is the part of you that God loves best.  And… God loves everyone around you – the person on your side of the aisle as well as the person on the other.  That was true before the election.  It is true today.  And it is true even if that election didn’t turn out that way.  All healing starts here – by accepting the love that God has for all of us.  It is the only way to be of the same mind as Christ.  Only then, we will be imitators of Christ, will we seek the interests of others alongside our own.  Only then can we ever hope to have peace – real peace.

Personally, I’m tired; tired of division, because I will never stop believing that we are better if were not striving to be better together!  And I’m tired when I think of so many people in positions of great influence not seeming to value togetherness like I do.  But I am inspired by Paul and his letter to the Philippians.  So I’m going to choose to do something about it.  Like Paul, I’m going to choose to be encouraging and hopeful, to be positive.  I’m going to choose to see the worth and dignity in every person and to think about how my actions affect others.  And I’m going to choose to be thankful – not because of the circumstances, but just because.  And I’m going to choose to believe that, somehow, someday we might experience God’s peace, even if I have no idea what it may look like or how it’s possible.  I am going to choose to live that way today.  I was going to choose to live that way even if the outcome was different last Tuesday.  And I am going to choose to hope that others around me might want to choose to live that way too.      

Blessings, Michael

The Healing Power of Thankfulness

It scarcely seems believable, but with All Saints Sunday in the rear-view mirror, we are entering the season of Thanksgiving and swiftly approaching Advent.  As you probably know by now, Thanksgiving is late this year which means that we still have three (3) more Sundays before we celebrate it.  Immediately following Thanksgiving (that is, the first Sunday after it), Advent begins and the journey to Christmas commences.

When we meet again, we will also have had another significant election day and regardless of any of the races turn out, our Christian call to unity, reconciliation and love of all our neighbors never has a term limit.  With all that in mind, we will emphasize the “Healing Power of Thankfulness” over the next three (3) Sundays.  We hope you will join us as often as you an – especially on November 24 (we will have a Thanksgiving fellowship potluck following worship and will be doing a special thankfulness exercise during all our services).  

November 10

“Thanksgiving Heals our Disagreements”

Philippians 4:1-7

November 17

“Thanksgiving Heals our Ailments”

2 Corinthians 4:15-5:1

November 24

“Thanksgiving Heals Us!”

Colossians 3:5-15

Blessings – Michael

Something to Think About – “All Saints Day 2024"

This Sunday is one of the most important days of the year in the church’s life – at least this is something I believe.  Not because it is November 3, but because at Central, we celebrate “All Saints Sunday” on the first Sunday after November 1.  On the surface, this is the day we light candles for, and see pictures and hear the names read of, those loved ones who have passed away.  Specifically, we do so for those church members who had passed away during the last year.  But we also offer everyone the chance to light a candle for a loved one who may have died years ago or any time in the past.  For as we know, grief is something we never “get over” as much as we learn to survive and live with.  

I use the word “celebrate” to describe All Saints Sunday for a reason.  Yes, death is about loss, emptiness, disruption, and sadness.   But all conversations about death are really about life.  As long as we live on earth, death will be the final reality for all of us.  How we decide to spend our time now – before that happens – that’s what All Saints Sunday represents.  It is an opportunity to commit to a certain way of living as much as it is about what happens when the earthly life comes to an end.  And the loved ones we remember, who are now part of our cloud of witnesses, are encouraging us to live that fullest life we can imagine, whether there is decades left in it or not.

I hope you are able to make it to worship this Sunday.  It is always an expression of the church at its best.  It is why we are here, after all; to acknowledge the reality of death in the midst of life but also to proclaim life in the midst of death.  Until we see each other this weekend, I wanted to leave you with these words from Michael Singer’s work “The Untethered Soul.”  

You must not be afraid to discuss death.  Instead, let this knowledge help you to live every moment of your life fully, because every moment matters.  That’s what happens when somebody knows they only have one week left.  You can be certain that they would tell you that the most important week they ever had was that last week.  Everything is a million times more meaningful in that final week.  What if you were to live every week that way?

The beauty of embracing deep truths – like death – is that you don’t have to change your life; you just change how you live your life.  It’s not what you’re doing, but how much of you is doing it?  What is it inside you that is so afraid that it keeps you from really and truly living your life?  Life is not something we get, as much as it is something we get to experience.  Life exists with or without us.  It’s been doing this for billions of years.  We simply get the honor of seeing a tiny slice of it.  

                                 Blessings, Michael

Share Your Biscuits

Rev. Melinda McDonald

If we humans will look around in our everyday lives, we can see incarnation - the presence of God through people's caring actions and/or presence. Hurricane Helene brought record-setting water and wind damage into the Appalachian Mountains that caused rivers to rampage through the valleys there, and caused landslides and mudslides that have broken roads and destroyed lives, homes, and businesses nestled in the nooks of Western North Carolina. Serious destruction also occurred in Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. It is in these hard hit areas that incarnation has been happening!

The lesson of sharing is one we teach our children at home. James' teaching, "be doers of the word," intersects with the essence of following The Way of Jesus. The biscuits story is a striking fit for the message of good news! I simply had to share with you the powerful first-hand account of an anonymous father in the Burnsville, NC, area who is experiencing what it means to be on the receiving end of others' compassionate actions. God's presence has been showing itself in bountiful ways. Here is the original version, slightly longer than what was given in my sermon, Share Your Biscuits.

From Burnsville, NC’s Mountain Time on Main Street…  10/21/24

When I woke my boys this morning, I pulled this can of biscuits out of the bed. That was weird.

We have a lot of kids. I've pulled puppies, computers, random friends I've never met, homework, food of all kinds over the years.... but this was a first, the biscuits.  I asked what the deal was with the biscuits, and they told me they wanted them for breakfast. They had hidden them so Kaj wouldn't eat them.

We had the lesson on that, being that we don't sleep with a can of biscuits because now no one can eat them because they were ruined ..... and....that we share our food. Period. We don't hide it.

It brought to my mind quickly what we've seen over and over and over again during this event.

People have shared what they have. They've not hidden anything for themselves. They give, rather than receive. They take care of others’ needs before their own.

We see it every day, all day.

I've seen folks with four bottles of water give three away. Folks opened their homes to complete strangers. Front porches became community gathering spots for food and conversation. Places that used to be public businesses are now flattened and serve as a meeting spot to plan for the next day. Strangers have done our laundry.

Church sanctuaries have become major distribution hubs. The churches that aren't able to meet are meeting in the yard. Our school classrooms have had the mud cleaned out of them and are now housing teams of volunteers to work in our homes. Hotels serve as soup kitchens. The Square has become a place for friends and neighbors to meet up and share a meal and a hug. Retail shops have become therapy centers. Sidewalks have filled up with strangers offering hot meals, supplies, and music. Dog walking has become a huge thing.

Fire departments are doing SO much more than putting out fires. The Sheriff's Department is doing SO much more than fighting the bad guys. The Police Department is doing SO much more than writing traffic tickets and protecting the community from trouble. EMT's are literally going door to door providing much needed services.

People are SERVING people. People are LOVING people.  People are GIVING to people. People are CARRYING the load. They are SHOVELING the mud. They are BUILDING the bridges. They are COVERING the roof tops.

There is a lot that could be said right here. Read between the lines and know we are talking about people taking care of one another. Both physically and mentally. Spiritually and financially.

Most of us have mush for brains right now.

But, we are thankful for the new faces that show up every day.

And.... Don't sleep with your biscuits. Keep them cool and ready to share with whomever needs them. Keep the ice box filled or the fridge plugged in the generator. Keep them ready to be served. Keep them ready to share with whomever needs them.

Someone will need them. I promise.