FCC Essex Worship

"After Sunday worship I feel refreshed and ready to start a new week. Worship calms me and makes me want to be a more giving and forgiving person."

"I am here to share my soul, body, and mind with our bigger family who shares our worship to God and the entire universe. This is my worship experience at church."

Worship at FCC Essex follows a traditional liturgy, but God still speaks to the world today from these ancient words and rituals as if they were new. Music and spirit and art and words and silence center us and inform us. Our style of worship brings comfort, soothes the spirit, challenges the mind, strengthens our love of each other, and empowers us for doing good in the world.

Our service is available in person at 10:00 am, of course, and also on live on Facebook, or on YouTube or here on our website later in the day on Sunday.

Other special services of worship are celebrated throughout the year during Advent (Christmas) and Lent, as well as ecumenical events with other churches in Essex and within the UCC.

Home Ministries and Education Worship Sermons News and Events Tower cam About us Our minister and Staff Weddings Calendar Directions Contact us	"After Sunday worship I feel refreshed and ready to start a new week. Worship calms me and makes me want to be a more giving and forgiving person." "I am here to share my soul, body, and mind with our bigger family who shares our worship to God and the entire universe. This is my worship experience at church." Worship at FCC Essex follows a traditional liturgy, but God still speaks to the world today from these ancient words and rituals as if they were new. Music and spirit and art and words and silence center us and inform us. Our style of worship brings comfort, soothes the spirit, challenges the mind, strengthens our love of each other, and empowers us for doing good in the world. Our service is available in person at 10:00 am, of course, and also on live on Facebook, or on YouTube or here on our website later in the day on Sunday. Other special services of worship are celebrated throughout the year during Advent (Christmas) and Lent, as well as ecumenical events with other churches in Essex and within the UCC.	May 22, 2022 Sixth Sunday of Easter
			Acts 16:9–15 Psalm 67 Revelation 21:10, 22–22:5 John 5:1–9

	Reflection By Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay The expression “Rest in Peace” reveals an interesting perspective on the concept of peace. We seem to believe that peace remains elusive until death. There is something unattainable about the absence of conflict during our earthly lives. Suffering, acrimony, striving, and disappointment seem more accessible. We may even point to the prediction of Jesus that there would be trials and tribulations as a promise that is constantly kept. Our expectations of peace persistently aim low. Peace as the absence of conflict is a pale echo of the full meaning of the concept. But what if we considered peace from the framework of this text from John’s gospel account? What if peace were a divine inheritance…our God-given birthright? A gift passed down from the One who gave us life rather than a consolation prize after a life of turmoil? “Peace I leave you,” Jesus says to his disciples. This is not a promise for when they join him at the time their earthly mission concludes; it’s a gift to carry with them and keep close for the rest of their days. In this portion of the Farewell Discourse, where Jesus prepares his closest companions for his absence and their assuming leadership of his ministry, Jesus offers two gifts–peace and the Holy Spirit. The latter will become their new Companion; the former is a way of being as much as a state of being. John Hesselink helps us understand this notion of peace: To separate “external life” or our “total being” from inner peace is to put asunder what God has joined together in the multifaceted reality call shalom. For shalom (or eirene) is never simply religious, inner peace of soul; nor is it primarily the absence of strife or war. In the Old Testament shalom connotes wholeness, well-being, the good life, all of which are a gift of God. In the New Testament the accent falls on harmonious relationships and the restoration of a right relationship, first with God, and then with others. John Hesselink Jesus offers wholeness, well-being, and restoration as a parting gift. A memento of his life like a beloved relative or friend might designate a special trinket to be given to someone upon their death as a sign of their love and affection as well as a means of comforting those left behind. Jesus’ gift on parting would be different as he ultimately departs in life rather than death. His friends, however, will still feel his loss and mourn his absence. The separation will evoke feelings of despair, overwhelm, uncertainty, inadequacy, and grief as demonstrated by their inactivity, doubts, and isolation in the immediate days following the events of the passion and the resurrection. Reflecting on the events that occurred two millennia ago, we forget that the disciples were figuring out what has been presented to us in a complete, organized, and resolved way. They did not live it in that manner however. Even as they delighted in Jesus’ resurrection, it’s hard to imagine they did not also experience some trepidation at these astonishing events. Of course, Jesus anticipates their response. That is the entire point of the Farewell Discourse–to plant seeds of knowledge with the hope that they will bloom at the appropriate time. Jesus reveals what will happen and offers words of assurance and comfort as well as tangible promises to position his companions to carry on in hope and power rather than fear or anxiety: For the gift of peace which is offered is the opposite of the troubled and fearful hearts of the disciples. Peace here clearly means the absence of fear and anxiety… Peace is not only the opposite of fear and anxiety. Nor is it simply a psychological state or evanescent feeling of calmness and tranquility in the midst of trouble. It is Christ’s gift—”my peace I give to you”—the peace which only Christ can give because only he possesses it. It is found only in him (16:33a) and is inseparable from his presence. The world does not know such peace and hence cannot give it….It is Christ’s farewell gift to the church, the inheritance which he bequeaths to his children. John Hesselink Jesus offers this peace repetitively. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” In the second statement, he adds the possessive “my.” This is no ordinary peace, it has been claimed and possessed by Christ. It is the peace of God and is available to God’s children. The disciples will need it as they will not experience the more superficial definition of peace. They will encounter an abundance of conflict, both among themselves and in the world. Of course, so did Jesus. His life was full of conflict with those who were threatened by what he offered. We scarcely need reminding that not everyone aspires to a life of peace. Some people feed off conflict as if it were air or water–essential to life. At the extreme, we observe this in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, it manifests in more everyday, insidious ways such as the person who eschews gratitude for constant complaint or the person who refuses to address their concerns directly with others involved in favor of gossiping behind their backs. Others succumb to the pitfall of comparison and make room for internal conflict. Hyper partisanship in politics is another example of embracing discord over pursuing peace. The disciples may be equipped for their increasing and elevating mission, but that does not make it an easy one. Missing the presence of Jesus only makes it that more difficult. They will be empowered to do the same things–and more–that he did so it’s not the healings, teachings, and other miracles that they will lament as much as the loss of sharing those moments with him. Ministry can be lonely even when surrounded by people. Jesus experienced that and escaped the crush of the crowd for the companionship of the Parent. Following the Ascension, Jesus will be restored to full and unrestrained companionship with the Triune God. He has to look forward to that, when his loneliness will be abated. Jesus also empathizes with his human companions who he knows will miss him in the same way. That empathy leads to action and the other gift that Jesus will bless the disciples with upon his departure: the Holy Spirit. That’s what God’s love looks like. Loneliness frequently surfaces in the Bible, and lack of attention to its characters’ needs leads to shallow interpretations of narratives. Causes and characteristics of loneliness emerge in John 14: abandonment (or being orphaned), fear, anxiety, a desire for wisdom in inexplicable circumstances, the comforts of home, and, supremely, a sense of the presence of God. The chapter presents an approach to this need in a way that bypasses pious platitudes; it mandates [sibling] love “with skin on it,” where hearts can rest in God’s presence. J. Lanier Burns The Holy Spirit is first of all Companion. Just as Jesus first called the disciples with the simple invitation to follow, the Holy Spirit offers us the presence of God among us. Our journey was never intended to be a lonely one. We were created for companionship, with God and one another. The Holy One does not leave us even when we feel abandoned. As the Apostle Paul will later talk about considering loss as gain, here we witness that in action. The loss of the physical presence of Jesus means that he will intercede for us in the heavenly realm and the Holy Spirit will accompany us in the earthly one. God doesn’t subtract; the Creator multiplies. And Jesus trusts that the love the disciples have for him will transcend his physical absence. He expects their love to rejoice for his blessing. He anticipates their love will lead them raise the mantle he bequeaths them. Christ doesn’t leave them an army outfitted with military tools and weapons of war. That’s not the mark of his kindom. He leaves them companionship and peace. He leaves them not with a reminder of his love. After all, he will vividly demonstrate that. He leaves them with a reminder that their love of him should manifest in certain ways. Their love of him demands something of them. This relationship is mutual if unequal. He has prepared an inheritance for them to receive but he has also prepared them to be a people who can give, who can lead, and who can live in peace. Love God.