Greetings to you, the members and friends of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ.  I am the Rev. Patrick Morris, and I will be serving as the bridge pastor at St. Luke’s for the months to come.  As a bridge pastor, I will be working half-time and performing all the duties as your pastor.  But I also will be walking with you as you seek a new pastor. 
I have been in the ministry for 33 years.  My wife Sharon and I are from Virginia.  Previously, we were farmers in the Shenandoah Valley operating a dairy, turkey, and crop farm.   In 1986, we left the farm in order for me to begin the process of becoming and ordained minister.  We moved to Pennsylvania in 1990.  In 1992, I graduated from Lancaster Theological Seminary and was called as the senior pastor at St. Paul’s UCC, Amityville.  I served in Amityville until 2008 when I accepted the call at St. Paul’s UCC in Fleetwood.  I retired from full-time ministry in August of this year. 
Sharon is also ordained, having served several churches in the PA Southeast Conference.  Sharon also retired in August from her position as the associate conference minister of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference. 
I do not have to tell you how our world has changed since March.  The pandemic has caused upheaval in the lives of our families, at our places of work, in our schools, and  as members of this community of faith.  Hopefully vaccines will soon be on their way, ushering in a more “normal” world with the end of the tunnel insight.  As your pastor, my intentions are to journey with you as we recover.  I look forward to the day when I can look into the faces of people without a mask.   
I cannot wait until I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, and do whatever I want to do without the worry of becoming infected with the virus.  Until that times comes, I covenant with you to be the body of the living Christ at St. Luke’s.  I promise to care for you, to teach you, to encourage you, and to guide you to the next new thing God will be doing in this congregation. 
To that end, I wish you a blessed Advent as we prepare ourselves again for the coming if the Savior.  May we be a people of Advent, waiting with full confidence that Christ will come and redeem us as the living Son of God. 

 Let me go back in time. Not too long, but only six months ago when the virus outbreak hadn’t occurred yet. I was complaining about the 422 traffic, and upset that the supermarket next to my house did not have my favorite deodorant.

Soon after, due to the pandemic, America was under lockdown like many others. When I was indoors, I realized how beautiful and blessed I was to have the life which I otherwise assumed was regular and usual. Little did I know that I was taking things for granted and complaining about the most trivial problems.
When I look back now, I notice many special areas of life whose importance I failed to understand earlier.
1. Freedom
I had the choice to go wherever I wished and do whatever I wanted.
I had the freedom to live life like I wanted to. No holds barred, and no questions asked. It was my life and my choice.
Staying indoors has taught me losing control of the fundamental aspects of your life makes you uncomfortable. These are the things we consider usual and expected. We only realize the value of them when they vanish.

2. Comfort
Life and technology have evolved by leaps and bounds over the years. In fact, life today is drastically different from what it was a decade ago. Back then, you needed to carry a digital camera for photos, self-driving cars hadn’t hit the road yet, and group messages were not even a thing.
Now, we enjoy so many benefits from the comfort of our couch. You can order food, get your car washed, or send a package to your friend without stepping outside your front door.
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3. The fun outside
No matter which city you live in, you have umpteen opportunities to have fun and relax. I had the option to watch any movie I like, go bowling no matter how bad I was at it, or enjoy the adrenaline of a kart race.
Even though I had very many ways to have fun, I compared my city with others. I complained, “My city has no options to enjoy nature. I have to go miles away for a trek.” When I was locked in and resorting to board games, I realize how fun-filled my city actually is.

4. The human interaction
Both introverts or extroverts need at least some form of interaction to feel connected with the rest of the world.

5. The power of teams
Before, whenever we had to solve a problem at work, we would gather in a room and exchange ideas. Many complex issues found a solution because human beings can improve on each other’s thoughts to reach the desired outcome.
Today, facilitating such a conversation is a nightmare. Video conferencing tools provide a viable workaround for one on one discussions and team meetings where everyone shares updates. But they cannot replace a bunch of smart people sitting in a real room discussing ideas at tandem.
Moreover, teams who see each other every day, gel along better. The physical presence creates a bond beyond just work relationships. It is the strength of such bonds that facilitates organizations to achieve massive goals.
I realize the power of teams, even more today when they cannot operate like they used to.

6. The giant web of economy
The economy is like a huge castle constructed of many individual Lego blocks. When you take one out, you feel no difference. Take another out, still not too big of a pinch. Take a few more out, and the entire structure collapses into mayhem.
Different parts of the economy are interdependent, even if they do not seem apparent. Shutting down public transport left many people unemployed and unable to earn their daily wages. A lack of transportation implied goods couldn’t flow freely. As a result, we did not have all the supplies in your supermarket.
Every contributor to the economy helps it remain steady. When everything runs well, you do not notice their contribution. When a few portions break, you understand their role in keeping the whole structure stable together.
So what have been the spiritual insights I have learned from lockdown?
The past weeks of the lockdown have taught me some invaluable lessons I will remember for the rest of my life.

1. Enjoy the present.
I will continue pursuing goals like before, and so should you. But while you are on this journey, don’t forget to pause and experience the happiness around you.
Do not lose the sense of the present by solely focusing on the future.

2. You feel the pain only when something is missing.
Some of the things of your day to day life seem normal and expected. For example:
You expect to find all you need in a supermarket. You expect the pizza to arrive within thirty minutes
Over time, such expectations make you lose the value of little things in life. Don’t take such things for granted. You never know why and how they can be snatched away from you. You only feel the pain when you lose the privilege altogether.

3. Your emotions are defined by what you choose to see.
No matter who you are, what you do, and which part of the world you belong to, you always see what you want to see. If you want to complain, you will find a ton of things around you which aren’t right. If you seek happiness, you will notice so many parts of your life which are a reason to rejoice.
Everyone shows a common reaction when things go well. Someone gives a toast, people clink their glasses, and everyone dances to the music. But you cannot always control the world around you to work in your favor. The market can collapse, a natural calamity can occur, or a virus outbreak can happen. What you can control is how you respond to such calamities to stay strong. Your reaction to such events is what defines you.
The global pandemic due to COVID -19 made our lives harder. But, on the positive side, it has made us stronger.

Pastor John

​For June’s article of Musings, I want to talk about change but from a theological viewpoint. Due to the recent COVID, and now as you will seek an interim pastor, St. Luke’s is experiencing change.

Change is inevitable. Biblically and theologically speaking, change is essential and part of God’s creation. Creation involved change – from nothing, from the formless void, to a beautiful creation. Unlike many world views in which time is cyclical, inescapable, or meaningless, Biblical time is purposeful, forward moving, and climaxing in the fulfillment of God’s promises and plan.

However not all things change. First, God does not change. God is relationally dynamic; that is to say, God is personal and lovingly and graciously interacts with all of creation. God does not change in nature, character, or attributes.

Human condition has not changed. From the fall of Adam and Eve, all humans who have every lived (save for Jesus) have been sinners by nature and by choice. No matter how good or how bad any individual person’s actions may be, all have fallen short of what God expects and demands.

Change, even chaotic change, can be good. Studies in chaos and complexity theory have shown that equilibrium leads to stagnation which leads to death. Change, and even moving to the edge of chaos, is what causes living systems to adapt, find new solutions, and improve. The disturbances caused by change and chaos can be, in fact, life savers. Remember how God brought radical change to Israel, often through her worst enemies.

The key, therefore, is how we evaluate change. Should we embrace it or resist it?

What is actually changing? As America changes rapidly, the church must clearly identify the changes worth confronting. How often are we expending energy simply resisting change that affects our sentimentality about life and culture and our preferences about the church?

How can and will God use change for His glory? As hard as it is, we need to work to see the biggest picture possible – God’s. What is He doing through these changes? What does He want to do in my individual life, in my church, and through believers in America and around the world? How are these changes moving us toward the fulfillment of His promises?

Change is rarely comfortable. I am convinced that more often than not God is waiting for us to seize the moment, “making the most of the time” (Col. 4:5b), internally and externally to our society.
Pastor John

Seems like the world before the pandemic never existed. We're in, by far, the craziest period of time in most of our lives. Maybe 9/11 is up there with the current situation, but even such a tragic event isn't quite as surreal as what we're all going through right now.
I recently came across a good quote- “Mental health is just as important as physical health.” ~Unknown
Our main focus during this challenging time is quite rightly on our physical well-being. But we shouldn’t forget about our mental health considering these are stressful times for all of us. I am sure these questions floated in your minds-
Will we get sick? Will our loved ones die? Will we have enough food to feed the family?
How will we pay the bills? How long do we have to stay in? Will things ever get back to normal?
So many questions, so many concerns.
I want to share some good mental well-being tips can help see us through the challenges that lie ahead.

#1: Be Present
Being present means being fully in the moment. It’s not being distracted but engaging with what is.
So instead of filling your mind with worrisome news, tend to see what is going on right in front of you. In this way, you are there both physically and emotionally, which helps keep negative thoughts out of your head.

#2: Feel and Validate Your Feelings
We all experience an increase in uncomfortable feelings during challenging times.
Invalidating our feelings is harmful to our mental well-being. It erodes our self-esteem and leaves us feeling broken and defective. It makes us disconnect from ourselves, and we begin to make all the wrong choices because we no longer know how we feel and what we want.
Staying mentally healthy during difficult times requires you feel your feelings and allow yourself to process them, which means not fighting or avoiding them.
It also means that you must learn to validate your feelings. This involves you normalizing and empathizing.
You do this by telling yourself that it’s okay to have this feeling, and that any human with the kinds of thoughts you’re thinking or the kind of experience you are having would feel how you’re feeling. Tell yourself that it’s okay. That is reassuring.

#3: Engage with Something Meaningful
We can choose something fun, something silly, something creative, something lighthearted. We can come up with new projects or can focus on being productive in some way. We can improve our relationships by having some fun or being caring toward each other. We can play with our kids.
Whatever it is, choose something. Get present and engage with it.
It will take your mind off things. It will give you a break.
Don’t let a difficult situation confine and restrict you.
This is something most of us have in common: We all want to feel that we are useful in some way, that we have a purpose, that we’re doing something valuable.
And there are so many different things we can do to have that experience. But in order to do so, we need to have space in our minds, which requires us to practice being present, to feel our feelings and to validate them.
In hard times, it's important to remember these four words that have rung true throughout time:
This too shall pass.
Of course, that's not the way it feels right now. Logically, you know the lockdown will end and there will come a day in your life where these times are a distant memory, but emotionally, it feels like we'll be stuck forever.
One the one hand, we're all looking forward to the day when this will be all over -- so those words can be solace if you embrace them. On the other hand, it'd be a waste not to draw valuable lessons you can look to in the future.

Keep Watching via live streaming on www.stlukestrappe.org , which connects to St. Luke’s UCC Facebook page.

Until we meet again……Pastor John

​During my very first week in Greek class with Rev. Dr. Robert Kelley at Pittsburgh Seminary, we were required to memorize the first verses of John 1{ in Greek!}: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then by the 2nd week the entire Chapter One in Greek! This, for St. John, and for you and me, is set in the context of God’s creation, incarnation, and re-creation.

Easter morning demonstrates God continuing to give the gift of life to His people. Easter is the re-creation of God’s celebration of humanity. It is God’s entrusting of God’s self to human beings—to you and to me— through God’s incarnation. Divinity was clothed in humanity so that humanity might be clothed in divinity.  Easter means that you and I are holy and intended to be holy, not as an achievement on our own, but as a gift
from God. This is the gift of Christmas that culminates in Easter—the gift that empowers us to become children of God.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a sacrament? Have you ever looked at someone across the street and said, “Hey, look! There is the sacramental image of God”? What is it that prevents us, do you think, from seeing that image in ourselves and each other? In Jewish tradition, rabbis recount that each person has a procession of angels walking ahead of him or her and crying out, “Make way for the image of God.” Can we even begin to imagine how very different our lives and our world might be if we lived with this as the reality and truth that guides our lives? It would mean that everywhere we go, God’s angels would go before us shouting out loudly and clearly, “Here comes an image of God!”!

And so, what Easter morning means for us is the fulfillment of the Incarnation, that day known to us as Christmas, as “God with us” to share our joys and bear our sorrows. In truth, Jesus 33 years of “God with us” continues today, for us, in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit!

And so, if that is the truth of Easter for us, then it may also be the Easter truth for our next-door neighbor, for those we love, for those we fear, for those who are like us and those who are different, for the stranger, and yes, even for our enemies. It means that we cannot limit Easter to a one-day event. We must begin to think of the “Easter Son-Rise” as a style of daily living and a way of being. We must begin to understand Easter as a verb rather than a noun—and to live out our daily lives with that understanding.

PRAYER
Our Lord and our God, on this day when we celebrate your resurrection, help us to come to understand that
Easter is much more than a one-day celebration each year. Help all of us to know and understand ourselves as
an “image of You.” And empower us to live out our daily lives as your image to our family, friends, neighbors,
strangers, and yes, even, our enemies. Amen.

Grace and Peace, Pastor John

​With St. Patrick’s day in March, I thought an article on Irish culture would be
appropriate. I have been rereading Thomas Cahill’s The Hinges of History series, How the Irish Saved Civilization. It is a fascinating book drawn on the notion of illiterate, semi-nomadic warrior barbarians become an emerald isle of saints and scholars who saved Western civilization? In How the Irish Saved Civilization, Cahill tells us to look to men like Patrick, who was brought in chains to Ireland. He dedicated himself to making sure nobody would ever arrive that way again. Grafting traditional Christian teachings to the positive elements of Irish myths and magic rooted in nature, Patrick planted a message that spoke directly to the Irish psyche and heart. Patrick brought a non-Roman form of Christianity to an island of people fierce in their
traditions of loyalty, poetry, courage, and violence. Which I have argued for years that Ireland is more of Celtic Christianity vs Roman Christianity. Cahill argues the Irish scribes, monks who copied the great literature of the world, who approached their work with pride and playfulness, turning a task that many would consider dronelike into an art form. When the monks take off to
establish monasteries and spread Christianity throughout the world of early medieval Europe, they bring their books. The monks replant the seeds of learning and scholarship in lands barren of these since the fall of the Roman Empire. So, thanks to the Roman Legions and Emperor who could not be bothered with the Emerald Isle due to facing the Franks and Goths on the banks of the Rhine. More and more I have discovered fascinating information on Ireland from the perspective of history and personal genealogy. Did you know one of the oldest composed hymns is an Irish hymn ‘Be Thou My Vision’? One of my favorite Celtic blessings is : Nár laga Dia thu which means ‘May God never weaken you’ These words say volumes about one’s faith! See you in Church, Pastor John