The signs of new life surround us:  the trees are beginning to bud, bulbs have sprouted and blossomed, the sun shines warmly on our skin.  After a long, snowy winter the arrival of spring is something we are grateful for.  What a joyous time of year!

In a similar way, we also celebrate the new life here at Payson Park Church.  Here in this Easter season our worship themes continue around the miracle of the resurrection as we marvel at the mystery found at the empty tomb.  Christ is risen!  God   offers new life and hope to the world! 

It’s by such grace that this community moves forward as our life together deepens through worship and service.  From our    mission projects like the much loved sandwich making workshop on the 14^th to our Earth Day celebrations on the 21^st to our strategic planning meetings where we are discussing ways to expand our ministries, there are signs of transformation all around.  As A.B. Simpson states, “Easter is New Year’s Day to the soul,” and I am grateful for all the ways we work together as modern disciples to share the good news of God’s undying love and compassion. Thank you for being a part of Payson Park Church.  Together with God we give life to this congregation, our second century of worship and service to the wider community now just beginning.  May we forever trust that it is for the good of God’s great creation we work, our individual lives    transformed in the process.  Christ is risen!  With Christ we rise!

With love and gratitude,

The Rev. Dr. Lael Atkinson

 

Each month we gather around many tables together. We gather for committee meetings; we gather at Coffee Hour; we gather in God’s Garden. In large and small groups we meet and talk, working for the life of the church. At these gatherings we not only share our “business” concerns but also our personal lives. No matter how or when we gather here at Payson Park Church, it is always as members of a community of faith, striving, as we proclaim, to “walk in the ways of Jesus.” It’s with this ultimate purpose in mind we can admit there is one table around which we gather that is more important than all the rest: it’s the table set before us as we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. What a blessing it is to gather this way! Through Communion we celebrate our unity with God and one another, as well as with other Christians around the world. In prayer and contemplation we are joined with the One who calls us into new community, offering us a chance to recommit ourselves to “the living body of Christ.” What a privilege! It’s with this sense of gratitude that we can move through 2011 together. With our new slate of Officers, committee chairs, and committee members approved at the Annual Meeting, we will gather around many tables in the months ahead. May our thoughts and words always be inspired by the table set by Jesus: the table of abiding love and communion with God. Amen. January 2011 As the days of Christmas lead into the season of Epiphany, we shift our attention from the baby lying in the manger to the early events of Jesus’ life. From the baptismal scene in the Jordan River, to the first miraculous act at the wedding in Cana, such stories illustrate the ways Jesus reveals God’s healing and reconciling nature. Whether teaching in a synagogue or reaching out to those in need on the streets, we see that God’s grace is for all people no matter what one’s age or ethnicity, culture or creed. As God’s beloved child, Jesus leads us to recognize that we, too, are cherished and loved as God’s unique and blessed creation. Of course there’s a hitch. While the invitation comes continuously through the Spirit’s presence, we must prayerfully respond to such grace. What will we do? Can we receive this unconditional acceptance and inspiration? Might we allow it to change our lives? It’s never too late. That’s what we learn at the manger right on to scene at the empty tomb. New life and love are continuously offered as the Christian message shows us that no one can stop the power of peace that’s offered by God. As we begin a new year together here – indeed, a new decade – it is my prayer that each and all of us may say “yes!” to such exuberant life. Just as Mary and Joseph gathered with the shepherds and Wise Men, so we, too, have the opportunity to build new community here at Payson Park Church and beyond. May we all be opened this year to new life and greater love by God’s inspiring and sustaining power! Prayerfully from The Reverend Lael Atkinson

Faithful Reflections:  Weekly Bible Study & Discussion

Are you looking for a way to think about your faith and how it applies to your most practical decisions?  Would you like a chance to talk about your spirituality with other people?  Faithful Reflections is a class that provides just such opportunities as Lael leads us in a time of meditation and conversation about the coming week’s scripture passage.  With the Lenten sermon series titled What’s Your Story beginning in late February, these classes will be especially thought provoking.  Join us for one class or each week, Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:00 pm as we gather in the Parlor for light supper and great sharing. [Note:  in case of snow, please call the Church Office at noon to find out if this event has been postponed]

 

The first word I learned to spell was ―candy.‖ When we were on family excursions, my father would ask my mother when we stopped at a store, ―C-A-N-D-Y?‖ For a while his secret code worked, but soon enough I caught on. I’d pull their coat sleeves, repeating the let-ters with his same questioning tone: ―C-A-N-D-Y?‖ With the advent of my father’s death on April 13, many sweet memories fill my mind: the way he’d reach into his pocket as we got older and give each of us a dime so we could choose our own treats on those family treks; or the crinkle of the bag he held on Valentine’s Day as he’d lift out five small hearts filled with chocolates at the dining room table; or the sound of our squeals when he’d bring in the pan of fudge we’d begged him to make some Saturday nights as we watched ―The Honeymoon-ers.‖ From ferry boat rides to fishing trips, camping adventures to tennis games, I shared many special moments with my father, alone as well as with my two brothers, sister, and mother. Of course it is in this time of loss I hold such memories close. In the quiet of my mourning, I cherish times shared, grieve that there weren’t more, and feel deep sadness that my father’s life on earth is now ended. I’m also grateful for your many prayers that surround me. As people ask, ―Is there anything I can do for you, Lael?‖ I find myself answering, ―Reach out to someone and let them know you care.‖ In the spirit of life everlasting and of God’s love that never ends, live with courage, make connections, build community. We hold the gift of life in our hands this very moment. May it be sweet, rich, full, even in times of sorrow. May we share it with trust and joy, together and with God, all in the light of the empty tomb. This is the Easter promise. Thanks be to God. Prayerfully from The Reverend Lael Atkinson

How are your New Year’s resolutions holding up? Did you make any special commitments for the forty days of Lent? Now that we find ourselves entering the season of spring, I’ve had a new idea. What about Easter Resolutions? Why don’t we make commitments related to this central celebration in the Christian year? Could we consider that? Easter Resolutions: promises that inspire us to embrace the transforming love found in the empty tomb. They could be something large or small. For example: is there a relationship in your life you know needs some special attention? Or: would you like to take better care of God’s creation by taking a greater interest in environmental issues or your own physical and emotional health? Or: do you sense you could be helping those in need by giving more of your time or money to nonprofit organizations or to the church? Easter Resolutions: it’s an idea that can challenge us to think more practically of ways the resurrection leads us to live with less fear and more passion, as the life and teachings of Jesus live on in the world through the very actions we take, personally and communally. This is the good news of our great faith: the love and grace of God cannot be killed. Jesus is risen! Let us then fly! With love from The Reverend Lael Atkinson

Did you know that only 20% of Americans attend church services regularly? Do you realize that 86% of those who find a new church “home” do so because they were invited to attend worship by a neighbor or friend?

Those statistics come from the Reverend Paul Nickerson, Associate Conference Minister for Evangelism, Mission and Justice Ministries of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. Challenging members of local churches to share the joy of our spiritual communities with the “un-churched,” Paul stresses the need to reach out to friends and neighbors to help our communities thrive and survive. How are we doing this at Payson Park? In what new ways might we try?

It’s with these questions clear in our minds that we continue celebrating the Easter season. With signs of new life surrounding us in nature and through the great message of resurrection, we can be inspired to share the love of God and church community in new ways. On Saturday, May 2, “Sunday School Musical” will be shown in the late afternoon. On May 10 our worship will be filled with special music as we recognize the care and nurture offered by mothers and others. The following Sunday at five o’clock, a “Variety Show” will be presented, an hour of entertainment that you may participate in or simply enjoy. From worship services to weekly fellowship and educational events, Payson Park is filled with vitality and new life. How will you choose to participate? Might you consider inviting a friend or neighbor to join you?

I ask these questions in the spirit of gratitude. It is wonderful to be with you here at Payson Park Church in this time of challenge and new life. May we continue to grow together spiritually, emotionally, and as a healthy, thriving organization, all through the grace and goodness of God!

Faithfully from,

The Reverend Lael Atkinson

Signs of new life surround us: bulbs have sprouted and blossomed, the trees are beginning to bud, the sun shines more warmly on our skin. After a long, snowy winter, the arrival of spring is something we are grateful for. What a joyous time of year!
In a similar way, we also celebrate the new life at Payson Park Church. Here, as the season of Lent leads us to Easter morn, our worship themes move to the miracle of the resurrection as we marvel at the message of new life and healing found at the empty tomb. Christ is risen! God offers new life and hope to the world!
Of course, before those words flow from our lips we must move through the events of Holy Week together. By listening to the words of scripture portraying Judas’ betrayal on Palm Sunday and the passages describing the trial, execution, and death of Jesus on Good Friday, we face the reality that the one we call Savior and Lord was rejected by the world. It’s with that knowledge we contemplate how we, too, reject God’s presence in our lives. How is it we turn away from the love and grace of God? When do we choose to ignore the teachings of Jesus?
With the days of Lent still unfolding, these are questions that invite us to reflect upon our commitment and confess our failings so that we might become more loving, dedicated Christian men and women. That is why I hope you will consider attending the Sunday and special worship services in these upcoming weeks. This is a time we seek renewal and grace together, that by the light shining from the empty tomb we may truly live as God’s creation, proclaiming to the world, “God is alive! Love never ends!”
In hope and with love from,

The Reverend Lael Atkinson

Christ has no body now on earth but yours;

yours are the only hands with which he can do his work,

yours are the only feet with which he can go about the world,

yours are the only eyes through which

his compassion can shine forth upon a troubled world. 

Christ has no body on earth but yours.

 

With the arrival of November, we approach the beginning of the holiday season. “Where did the year go?” some of us may be wondering. “I can’t believe the holidays are just around the corner!”
So often thoughts of this time of year can bring feelings of dread. Our schedules become unusually full, our lists of things to do long and overwhelming. With Christmas decorations already lining the shelves in some stores, we may feel like groaning. “Ugh. The holidays are here already!.”
As people of faith, we can choose another attitude. This is a time of year rich with meaning as we prepare to give thanks for the abundance in our lives, recognizing our place in God’s unfolding plan of hope and reconciliation. From the opportunity to vote at the beginning of this month, to our celebrations on Thanksgiving Day, to the start of Advent on the 30th, we are met with a host of opportunities to give thanks for our freedom and faith, putting into action our Christian convictions. These are weeks filled with the chance to let people know, in word and through silent witness, how the teachings of Jesus inspire us to live.
And so it is my prayer that here at Payson Park Church and beyond we will truly embrace an “attitude of gratitude,” giving thanks in new and authentic ways for our life here together as well as for our family and friends, our work and our leisure, our world and our nation. Celebrating our faith and growing sense of community, I hope we can rededicate ourselves to the mission of the church, opening our eyes and our hearts to the love that is here. There are many programs this month that will seek to help us do this. In Sunday worship services, our November Adult Education series, and in the gathering of the new group, “Caring for Creation,” we’ll be contemplating the transforming power of gratitude and the joy of keeping things simple — all so that God’s transforming Spirit may thrive at the heart of our days.
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” May Cicero’s words inspire us to be a grateful and generous people, now and in the weeks to come.

With love from The Reverend Lael Atkinson

As another fall seasons begins, leaves on the trees turning color, you are invited to enter this community in new and deeper ways. From Sunday worship services, to weekday committee, fellowship, and educational group gatherings, you can explore your faith and find new friends quietly or through lively interaction. Payson Park Church is a place filled with opportunities to think about how the Christian story inspires us to live.
“Why church?” you might wonder. “Can’t I think about these things on my own as I enjoy this beautiful season?”
Of course you can. But here at church we touch another dimension of existence, one that is hard to replicate elsewhere. Rabbi Harold Kushner puts it this way in his book, Who Needs God?
What does religion offer that we lonely human souls need? In a word, it offers community… It is under the auspices of religion, and almost nowhere else in our lives, that we can meet people as brothers and sisters… Religion is community. It is the way people learn to relate to each other and to belong to each other in truly human ways.
That is what is unique to our gatherings here at church. We form a community. It’s here we learn how it feels to share not simply good times but also hard times. We reach out to God with faith and hope — and we reach out to each other. We may think this should be easy at church, but often we’re reminded it’s not. Whether we’re sharing a personal concern or working through a committee’s agenda, we face obstacles and challenges, feel obstinate or rebuffed. In short, we feel human.
Isn’t this precisely where the Christian message can help us? Jesus, the one we turn to for guidance, was human. No matter how one might question or assert his divinity, the stories describing his encounters with people were human experiences. He had good days and bad days, experienced tender moments and engaged in heated debate. Through it all, Jesus connected openly with others, never hiding his hope for the world: that we might come together in unity and peace, working for the good of all of God’s creation. That is what we have the chance to do together here at Payson Park Church. I hope you’ll join us in this exciting endeavor!
With love from The Reverend Lael Atkinson