forest hill Musings -- weekly reflections on Scripture
Musings -- weekly reflections on Scripture
I began writing these short essays for our weekly e-newsletter. They served two purposes: First, they gave me an initial run at the Scripture that I would be preaching on -- an opportunity to start thinking about the spiritual and life questions that the sermon might address. Second, they serve as advertising; an invitation to folks to join us on Sunday morning and see how my thinking has developed between the first take on my questions and the final sermon that gets delivered.
We've started collecting these at this website so that people who aren't already subscribed to our newsletter can get a sense of what's coming up in worship. Feel free to check back weekly to see the reflection for the week, or click here to subscribe to our email newsletter and have these delivered into your inbox every Friday
Rev. Stephen Fetter
February 2, 2025
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
“Finding Focus”
I write this as our country teeters towards an economic cliff potentially more devastating than anything we have seen in our lifetimes. If the predictions we’re hearing aren’t exaggerated beyond belief, it’s reasonable to plan for the possibility that our lives could be completely upended in the next few months, and that no one will be left untouched. Where is God in this mess?
It’s so tempting to get caught up in grievance politics: look for someone to blame, demand revenge, and relish the thought of inflicting harm back. We want to teach a lesson, assert our rights, demonstrate strength. It’s particularly galling to see our politicians turning themselves inside out to do the bidding of a foreign power in the vain hope that it might head the disaster off at the pass, because it makes you realize how little actual independence we truly have. So much of what we have come to depend on seems to be reliant on the whims of others who are completely out of our control.
January 26, 2025
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
“Finding Purpose”
Good news to the poor,
Release to captives,
Healing for the sick,
Freedom for the oppressed,
The year of the Lord’s favour.
Those are the goals that Jesus claims for his ministry, in this week’s reading from Luke.
After his baptism by John, after his forty days in the wilderness, Jesus comes back to his hometown synagogue to kick off the beginning of the rest of his life. This is when he lets everyone he grew up with know that he’s not going to keep his dad’s carpentry business going any more. He has bigger fish to fry now. He’s going to focus on those five goals instead.
January 19, 2025
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
“Finding Joy”
Turning water into wine – wouldn’t that be a handy skill to have? You could put the Liquor Store out of business, and have a never-ending party. My Presbyterian ancestors, who no doubt strongly supported the 19th century Temperance Movement, would spin in their graves at the thought.
It doesn’t seem like a very pious act of Jesus, does it? Especially not as his very first miracle. Do you think he really wanted to kick into gear by becoming known as a party animal? In fact, most of his other miracles are about healing sick people. There are a handful of outliers – feeding the multitude, for example, or stilling the storm, or catching hundreds of fish – but on balance most of Jesus’ miraculous acts in the gospels are directed towards sick people. This one isn’t. And that’s strange.
January 12, 2025
Baptism of the Lord
“Will you travel by the light of the babe new born?"
Isaiah 43: 1-7
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
I have called you by name; you are mine …
you are precious in my sight and honored and I love you (Isaiah 43:1, 3)
We kick off the New Year this week with a luminous poem depicting God head over heels in love with us. The imagery in this poem sounds like the kind of fresh young love that you see in a Christmas rom com, where the lovers can’t think of anyone else; can’t imagine being with anyone else; can’t imagine any task too daunting to prove their love to each other. Or maybe it sounds like the love of an awestruck parent cooing over their new baby: “I love you to the moon and back.”
I remember feeling like that … both about my own young loves, and about my infants! I hope Mary and Joe felt that way about each other once; they certainly felt that way about their own infant. But I’ve never really considered that God might feel like that too.
When I imagine the love of God, I tend towards more “mature” – or at least formalized – ways of thinking about the love of a powerful monarch. I hope Donald Trump was sincere when he said this week “I love Canada,” for example, but that’s a kind of “love” that comes with strings attached. Trudeau said as he resigned this week that he had always acted out of a love of Canada, and I’m willing to take his statement seriously too. But a politician’s love for Canada is nothing like the love that Isaiah describes here. Unlike with Donald Trump’s statement, there is no “but” after the declaration of love. Trump said, “I love Canada, but …” God doesn’t add in any “buts” here. This is simply an all out, no-holds-barred declaration of affection and adoration. This is a God who sees all our faults; who sees our imperfections and warts and shortcomings – probably more clearly that we see them ourselves! And yet is willing to say “You are precious in my sight … and I love you.” Could anything be more empowering?
That kind of love drives parents to amazing heights of sacrifice. Many parents in our congregation have travelled halfway around the world so that their kids would have a better life … that’s not unusual or surprising. It’s just what parents do!
That kind of love is the foundation for a child’s healthy development too. None of us is ever surrounded by perfect love from our parents, of course. All parents fall short in one way or another. But when kids know they are loved, they thrive. When they know that Mom or Dad has their back, they’re willing to risk. When they know they can rely on a safety net, they have the confidence to develop into compassionate and productive adults. When kids know they are precious in someone’s sight, they can become all they were meant to be, and learn how to become wise and fierce lovers themselves. And when kids can’t grow up surrounded by that, they become stunted, angry and violent.
As we start a New Year; as we evaluate and try to live into all those “resolutions” and “new beginnings” we always seem to make in January; as we try to live in the light of the hope that we celebrated at Christmas – always remember that our life together is grounded in love like that. Not in obligation. Not in demands. Not in guilt, or ultimatums to live up to impossible ideals. Before God asks anything of us, God loves us. Before we can do anything at all, we are precious. Before we have the capacity to contribute to society or God’s creation, and regardless of whatever we might subsequently do or fail to do, we are treasured. That’s where God starts. That’s where this new year starts. That’s where Jesus’ ministry starts. That’s the foundation of our lives, and the ground of our being.
Join us on Sunday as we wonder at how the love of God empowers and emboldens us to become all we were meant to be.
January 5, 2025
Celebrating the Epiphany
“Then hatred he'll banish; then sorrow will vanish”
Matthew 2:1-12
In our whole congregation Christmas pageant last month, Luke the story teller was just wrapping up his story when he was interrupted by the surprise appearance of Wise Ones from beyond the borders of the Empire. Did his confusion catch you unawares? In the Bible, the Wise Ones aren’t a part of Luke’s gospel at all. Luke and Matthew tell the story of Jesus’ birth very differently. Luke’s version includes the shepherds and the manger; Matthew’s includes an angel that comes to Joseph (not to Mary), and the miraculous star that guides foreigners to Bethlehem. Both stories have important things to tell us about the adult Jesus that those gospel writers are introducing; neither story has every element that we have traditionally incorporated into our pageants.
Read more: “Then hatred he'll banish; then sorrow will vanish”