"My masters are strange folk
with very little care for music in them."
Johann Sebastian Bach

Bach's quote of frustration with his employers certainly cannot be applied here at Plymouth!

I appreciate the value placed on music and liturgy in our hallowed halls by the "powers that be" and you, the congregation. However, I have seen a more indifferent attitude towards sacred music in my time over the years, unfortunately, even in large institutions. To say this approach does not affect one's spiritual life would be short sighted.

It was not by design, but last Sunday was a perfect example of Plymouth's music resources coming together for one very special day. 

In the morning, we had services of comfort, consolation, and hope supported by a poignant offering by the Plymouth Ringers, ending with a joyful chorale prelude by Bach himself. The Chancel Choir led the final hymn-anthem at the second service. It was glorious. The 6:00 p.m. service was transformed into Laura Nelson's service of ordination. The Chancel Choir returned with a beautiful rendition of "The Ground" by Ola Gjeilo supported by musicians and singers from within Plymouth's walls and the surrounding community. Many in the choir will be traveling to New York City this March 2020 to perform in a concert celebrating the composer's choral works with Gjeilo on piano. Bobby Brannock, the 6:00 p.m. service pianist and music coordinator, was also on hand and added his flair throughout the service.

Because of the dedication of volunteers, the willingness to try new approaches, and appreciation for fine music to enrich our worship services and souls, we are in a very healthy place in the music program. I want to thank all who appreciate and give of their time and talents to all the music ensembles. Together with our volunteers and the rich musical talent from the community (we are blessed to have the fine music curriculums of CSU and UNC so close to us!), I endeavor to continue our current trajectory for many years to come. Thank you all for your support.

"Music is an agreeable harmony
for the honor of God
and the permissible delights of the soul."
Johann Sebastian Bach

Mark Heiskanen
Director of Music/Organist 

It seems a man was very troubled with many problems.
He took an oath promising
to sell his house and all its furnishings
and give them to the poor
if his problems were ever solved.

And there did come a time when his problems were solved.
Life became peaceful again.
But by this time the man was not sure that he wanted
to sell his house and all its furnishings
to give the money to the poor.
He considered what to do.

       Finally he decided.
He put his house up for sale for one piece of silver.
But in order to buy the house
one also had to buy the cat that lived in the house.
The cat sold for 10,000 pieces of silver.
Soon the man had a buyer for the house
and all its furnishings
AND the cat. 

      When the deal was done
the man gave the one piece of silver to the poor
and pocketed the 10,000.

“The Oath”
from Tales of the Dervishes;
Teaching Stories of the Sufi Masters
over the Past Thousand Years
by Idris Shah.)

What do you think? Was he an ethical man? Who did he serve first – himself or the great good? Where was his heart? I think he would have struggled with Jesus saying, “You cannot serve God and wealth.” It is one of his most demanding. We hear him say it twice in the four gospels. Once in Matthew 6 and then again in Luke 16. 

"No one can serve two masters;
for a slave will either hate the one 
and love the other,
or be devoted to the one and despise the other. 
You cannot serve God and wealth.”

His saying echoes his ancestor, Joshua, who asked the people of Israel who were new to the abundance of the land of promise, “Whom will you serve?” (Joshua 24. 14-24) Will you serve the gods of your new neighbors, the Amorites, in this land of abundance? OR Yahweh, the Lord, the God who had brought you out of slavery and through 40 years in the wilderness to live in the Promised Land? Joshua said to the people, “As for me and my household we will serve the Lord.” 
 
Joshua’s question and Jesus’ blunt statement are still relevant for us today. Who will we serve? Yes, we must make a living, do the best we can for our children’s welfare and education, pay our debts, save for retirement. But as we do all of this, who will we serve? God or wealth. We cannot serve both with ultimate allegiance. 
 
I know this is hard stuff. When it comes down to our most important decision making what comes first? Our fears and concerns over money? OR our faith in the abundance of God? If we are trusting the God we know through Jesus who lived out God’s self-giving love, will God ask us to put the families that God gave us in danger, in order to give back to God? I don’t think we serve that kind of God. Remember the God of the Joshua and the people of Israel was the God who delivered the people from slavery and oppression, who preserved them in the wilderness. The God of Jesus was with him through death into resurrection. God has given us the abundance of life that we enjoy. Won’t this God help us make decisions about the use of our money? Doesn’t the God who gives us life here on earth and life eternal deserve our trust as we prioritize the use of all we have been given? 
 
Who will we serve? And where is our heart’s first allegiance?

Blessings on the journey,

Dear Plymouth Friends,
 
I’m writing to you at 5:30 on Tuesday morning, and I’ll soon be getting ready to drive down to the UC Health Cancer Center for my last radiation treatment! YAY! I’m just a little excited to be finished with this chapter of my cancer journey (though I’ll keep reading the “hormone-therapy chapter” through November). But there is a part of me that is also a little sad, because I’ll no longer be cared for by a phenomenal team of folks at the Cancer Center — people who remember my name each day, greet me with a smile, ask about my sons or my weekend or how the fishing was. (What a different world it would be if we all did that for others!)

For the last two months, I have spent a half hour, five days a week, with these lovely people whose primary goal was to irradiate the cancerous cells in my body, but whose more visible aim was to see me as a whole human being and to treat me lovingly. I hope that I and the members of Plymouth’s staff can do that for you! And I so appreciate the cards and prayers you all have sent!

There have been moments when the fatigue and hot flashes and thoughts of my own mortality were pretty overwhelming…and there is a lot going on at Plymouth, too! One of my learnings in this part of my cancer journey is that there is a way to cut through the miasma of fear and side effects. It’s not terribly complicated, and I know some of you are well-acquainted with it already.

One morning as I walked out of the Cancer Center after an acupuncture treatment (which really helps with fatigue!) I was overwhelmed with a feeling that I had been blessed: held up by an acupuncture therapist with a great sense of humor and a broad smile and a positive attitude that won’t quit; held up by a radiation therapist who shared Chris’s WWOOFing experience in Japan with her parents; held up by an oncology counselor who really understood me and all I’m going through.

So, here is the “secret sauce” that I will try to carry with me from this part of my cancer journey: Gratitude is the key to being joyful, even in the midst of a crisis. If we are able to stop and notice the love around us, the glory of God’s creation, the miracle of being alive, we are likely to experience not superficial happiness, but deep joy.

Some of us walk around focusing on what we don’t have or what isn’t perfect. (Eeyore is a wonderful character in “Winnie the Pooh,” but a really poor model for life!) Others of us see the blessings of our lives every day. It’s up to us how we perceive the world.

So, what is today going to bring for you? Blessings or woes? Even in the thick of it, you can turn to see the face of God in what you experience…and give thanks!

Gratefully,

As you may know, my younger son, Chris,* has started his gap year WWOOFing (working on organic farms) in Japan. He is having an amazing cross-cultural experience, and interestingly is staying on a farm for another week with a Christian family with whom he is attending church. At 18, Chris is getting to have his first independent conversations about religion not only with his hosts, but with his fellow workers, who include a Muslim student from Malaysia. In a message this morning, Chris wrote that he was having longer, interesting talks with his hosts, who identified as evangelical Christians who “do not support abortion and I think not gay marriage and people.”

I am thankful that Chris was raised at Plymouth in an environment where he was encouraged by the whole community to think through his faith and to ask questions not only of other people, but of himself. I’m grateful that he counts as friends LGBTQ folks in our congregation: people who have loved him and nurtured his faith. I appreciate that we have raised Chris in a congregation where he has learned the value of intergenerational community, where he has learned that he is not the center of the universe. And I’m grateful for his experiences in Sunday school, youth group, confirmation, and at camp at La Foret, and on mission trips. Thank you all for helping to shape Chris and who he is becoming! Truly, it does take a village, and you have given Chris and our family a tremendous gift!
 
This coming Sunday is Friends & Family Sunday, when you are encouraged to invite a friend or family member to worship: someone who needs the gift of Plymouth. I know that many of us are uncomfortable speaking with friends and colleagues about our faith — even some of us who have advanced degrees in theology — but it’s time to work to get over it, because the stakes are too high. This community, our nation, and God’s world need progressive congregations like Plymouth, and they will die without your participation.

I can hear you asking now, “Why in God’s name would I invite someone to Plymouth?” So, here are some answers:

1. Many families in Fort Collins need an amazing faith-formation program for their kids. Don’t they deserve what Chris had?
2. We need to be a visible, vocal presence for progressive faith in Fort Collins. Of 43 people demonstrating for sane gun laws at Sen. Cory Gardner’s office in August, half were from Plymouth!
3. People have no idea that a church can offer a safe welcome to LGBTQ folks…not a church where we will simply be tolerated or tokened, but truly welcomed!
4. Many Christians, particularly of the evangelical or Roman Catholic variety, are ready to give up on the church and God…because they don’t know a church like Plymouth exists.
5. Each of us has received the gift of Plymouth — relationship to God, community, love, making a difference in the world, giving and receiving care during crises, the list goes on — we cannot horde our gifts or hide our lamp under a bushel.
6. We all want to make a positive impact in the world, and Plymouth is one of the most effective ways of creating change in our community.
7. We are deeply rooted in the Christian faith and tradition, but we have the flexibility to listen to the still-speaking God and to adapt. Our tradition is 2,000 years old; our thinking is not.
8. In our culture, it is hard to find a place to ask meaningful questions about the deepest parts of life: why we are here, who we are called to be in the world, what God is drawing us toward. Plymouth encourages that!
9. There are amazing people in our community who know something is missing in their lives. What if it’s something as important as a relationship with God? You can help.
10. You know that you want one of those nifty Plymouth pint glasses…you and your guest next Sunday will receive one!

 
So, invite a neighbor, a colleague, a family member to experience the gift of Plymouth. You can do it! I’ll see you (and your guests!) at all three services on Sunday!
Peace,

* Chris approved my sharing this…I know better than to use family stories without permission!