mid-week meet-up: Jesus being provocative

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! In today's Lenten daily devotional reading, NT Wright reflects on a controversial passage in Matthew 15:21-28. In this passage, while Jesus is in a Gentile region, a Canaanite (Gentile) woman approaches him and asks him to deliver her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus refuses her, saying that his mission was for Israelites. But she insists. Jesus responds, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Jews in Jesus’ day sometimes used the disparaging word “dog” to refer to Gentiles. 

Wright asks the question that many readers of the Bible have asked of this passage: Why would Jesus use that word to describe her?  

I have heard many interpretations of this passage that I think are just flat-out wrong. Some have said that this is an example of Jesus sinning, demonstrating that he was not (as Christians claim) sinless. Some have said that this demonstrates the humanness of Jesus, that he shared an implicit bias of many from his Jewish culture and had to be corrected by the woman. Those are “easy” surface-level interpretations but miss the point of what Jesus is doing here.  

We have Jesus on record having other interactions with Gentiles that would have been very scandalous to his Jewish audience. Already in the Gospel of Matthew before this moment with the Canaanite woman, Jesus had healed a Roman centurion’s servant and had delivered a demon-possessed Gentile. Then, of course, there is the time Jesus was found at a well privately teaching a woman (which would have been scandalous enough) who also happened to be a Samaritan. Jesus was obviously very open to Gentiles. While it is true that Jesus came to fulfill the Messianic expectations of the people of Israel, he made it very clear that his ministry was also intended to spread to the Gentile world (Matthew 21:43).  

What I think people often miss when reading this passage from Matthew 15:21-28 is that Jesus often used moments when he interacted with individuals in order to also teach onlookers an important lesson. The clearest example of this is when he is raising Lazarus from the dead, he prays to the Father and says, “I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me” (John 11:43). Jesus was always trying to teach the crowds whenever he performed a miracle publicly.  

When Jesus interacted with the Canaanite woman, he knew that his Jewish followers would likely all have agreed with the sentiment, “Gentiles are like dogs.” However, what would have shocked them was when Jesus responded to the genuine faith of the Canaanite woman by healing her daughter. In essence, Jesus was doing something provocative in order to teach his followers a lesson - God responds to the sincere faith of all people, even those that you may consider unworthy or inferior.  

Still today Jesus provokes us. Who are the people that are considered unworthy or inferior in our society? Are we susceptible to believing the lie that they are undeserving of God’s grace? Jesus calls all people to a sincere faith in himself in order to experience the grace of God. Do we believe that? 

Peace,
Aaron

Mid-week meet-up: God's Power

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! In our reading today from Lent for Everyone, NT Wright reflects on Matthew 11:1-19. In this section of the Gospel, John the Baptist (who had already been arrested by Herod and would soon be executed) sent a message to Jesus asking him if he was indeed the Messiah. Wright makes an insightful observation: Jesus hadn’t tried to take Jerusalem by force to claim it for his messianic kingdom, and John was in Herod’s prison and Jesus hadn’t come to rescue him. No wonder John had questions as to whether or not Jesus was truly the Messiah! John seemed to be expecting the Messiah to arrive more forcefully and actively. But that was not the way of Jesus. Wright says that Jesus’ response to John (and the crowds) is essentially, “If you were expecting something else it’s you that needs to adjust your picture!” 

Wright continues to reflect on how the crowds also misunderstood the purpose of his messianic mission. “John looked too crazy, Jesus looks too normal. Sometimes even Jesus just had to plough on, realizing that people hadn’t understood, but going ahead anyway. Sometimes we have to do the same.”  

As I reflect on Wright’s commentary and on the reading from Matthew 11:1-19, I realize that people continue to misunderstand Jesus still today. Many Christians today believe that the mission of Christ’s Church is to take the world by force and claim it for the Kingdom of God. Some Christians would have the Church join forces with the world’s power. Other Christians would have the Church try to supplant the world’s power to be its sole possessor. I don’t think Jesus wants either of those things.  

God’s power cannot be wielded by the world. God’s power is realized through grace, forgiveness, mercy, and self-denial. God’s power led Jesus to be executed by worldly forces who believed that their actions against him were somehow gaining the upper hand on God’s power. The irony is that Jesus’ commitment to self-denial and obedience to God that led him to be crucified was exactly how he broke the vice grip that the world’s power held over humanity. 

We experience God's power today when we allow the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus than to continue to expect the world’s understanding of power to do anything good for us. The journey of Lent leads us to the cross every time. It is only by following Jesus to the cross where he laid down his life and offered forgiveness to his enemies that we experience the power of resurrection over sin and death.  

Will you follow Jesus - the Messiah and the Son of God - to the cross and lay your life down for even those who would rejoice to see you on the cross? That is what God’s power looks like in a Christian’s life.  

Peace,
Aaron

mid-week meet-up: who is a true christian leader?

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Don’t forget that our annual meeting is this Sunday following the 10 am worship service. During worship, you will also have the opportunity to hear from our Executive Presbytery Rev. Dr. John Odom, who began working for our Presbytery in July 2024.  

Are you reading along with our Lenten devotional Lent for Everyone by NT Wright? Today’s reading focuses on Matthew 7:15-23, in which Jesus says, “Good trees produce good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit.” Wright reflects on this passage and says: 

One of the great lies of our time is to suppose that because Jesus brings forgiveness, and urges us to be forgiving people, meek and gentle, there is no sharp edge to his message. To hear some people, you’d think the whole of the Christian message was simply a call to accept one another, never to judge another person.  

Jesus’ point about discerning the authenticity of a person’s faith by the evidence of their life is directed to those in religious leadership. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian leader or who claims to speak the truth of God is true. How do we know if a Christian leader is true or false? Wright answers this question by pointing to the rubric used by the early Christians. He says that supposed Christian leaders who teach and promote a message rooted in personal gain, especially related to money, power, or sex, are not true Christian leaders. I think he understands Jesus correctly.  

As a pastor, I feel the weight of the high standard for those in Christian leadership. I often find myself meditating on these words from James 3:1, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” 

Who are the people you consider to be Christian leaders? Do they exemplify the kind of leadership Jesus talks about in Matthew 7? Hold us accountable. The purity and vitality of the church depends on it.  

Peace,
Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Lent

Good Afternoon First Presbyterian Church,  

This week’s “Mid Week Meet Up” is coming to you a little earlier than normal, because tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and we are offering two different options for worship and the imposition of ashes I wanted to make sure you are aware of:  

1:30pm Prayer Service with Ash Imposition in the Chapel 
(The Chapel is located on the second floor above the main lobby) 

7:00pm Worship Service with Ash Imposition in the Sanctuary*
*this service will also be live-streamed at www.pittsfordpres.org/live 
*we will be worshipping with our brothers and sisters in Christ from the United Church of Pittsford and Christ Clarion Presbyterian Church at this service. 

Our church family has come to faith here at FPC Pittsford on many different paths, some of which did not include observing Lent. Our Presbyterian Book of Common Worship offers a brief, but helpful explanation of Lent: 

“Lent” comes from an old English word for springtime, perhaps connected with the lengthening of days this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. The season of Lent is time for growth in faith — through prayer, spiritual discipline, and self-examination in preparation for the commemoration of the dying and rising of the Lord Jesus Christ. In ancient Christian practice, Lent was a time of preparation for the celebration of Baptism at Easter. In many churches it remains a time to equip and nurture candidates for Baptism or confirmation, and for the whole community of faith to reflect deeply on the theme of baptismal discipleship. Reconciliation is a key theme in the season of Lent — reconciliation with God and with one another through the grace of Jesus Christ. 

Lent is a period of forty days — like the flood of Genesis, Moses’ sojourn at Sinai, Elijah’s journey to Mount Horeb, Jonah’s call of repentance to Ninevah, and Jesus’ time of testing in the wilderness. The Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days, as every Lord’s Day is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and concludes at sunset on Holy Saturday, at the start of the Great Vigil of Easter. 
(PCUSA, Book of Common Worship (c) 2018) 

May this season of Lent give all of us a sacred space to focus on discipleship and reconciliation through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Erin 

Mid-Week Meet-Up: 20th Anniversary of the Re-Dedication of Our Church

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It's time our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Last Sunday after worship, many of you probably saw some photos chronicling the fire our church building experienced nearly twenty-two years ago and the rededication of the sanctuary a year and a half later. What you may not have seen is this special slideshow made by Larry Cooper, Jim Weick, and Elizabeth Gianakakis in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the sanctuary rededication. Click below and enjoy.

Twentieth Anniversary of the Sanctuary Rededication

Peace,
Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Love for the Foreigner

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! We had to postpone welcoming seven new members into our congregation because of the weather-related building closure on January 25. However, we will be welcoming those seven new people into our membership this Sunday at the 10:00 am service. I hope you’ll be there to celebrate! 

In my Wednesday night Bible study, we’re studying Paul’s letter to Titus. It’s a brief but fascinating letter that Paul wrote to a pastor (Titus) who was ministering on the island of Crete. I discovered an interesting detail in the letter that I’d like to reflect on with you today.  

At the beginning of the letter, we learn that there were apparently Christian communities in various towns throughout Crete. Paul tells Titus to appoint elders to lead each of these churches. He then goes on to describe the qualifications of people Titus should select as elders. One of the qualifications Paul mentions is that elders “must be hospitable” (Titus 1:8). Paul gives this same qualification for elders in his letter to another pastor named Timothy (1 Timothy 3:2). However, this qualification doesn’t extend only to elders or those in church leadership. Paul also tells the whole church in Rome to show hospitality (Romans 12:13). The apostle Peter also tells everyone in the churches in Asia Minor to be hospitable and even adds “without complaining” (1 Peter 4:9). Additionally, the author of the letter to the Hebrews tells the whole church to show hospitality (Hebrews 13:2).  

Clearly, hospitality is a hallmark of Christian living. But here’s the thing I discovered that I never noticed before. The Greek word used in the Bible that is translated as “hospitable” is the word philoxenos. “Philo” is a Greek root that is common in many English words that means “love,” as in philosophy (“love of wisdom”), Philadelphia (“love of brother”), and philanthropy (“love of humanity.”) “Xenos” is a Greek root that means “foreigner” or “outsider.” What this means is that biblical hospitality means showing a love for the foreigner. It extends beyond entertaining our friends and relations. It explicitly means welcoming and embracing those we don’t know and those who are from far away.  

I encourage you to reflect on how you (as an individual) and we (as a church) are showing a love for those who are foreigners and outsiders. Who are the people in our midst that are foreigners and outsiders? Are our doors open or closed to them? Do they know our doors are open to them? Do we expect them to assume our doors are open, or are we taking the initiative to make it clear by inviting them and making sure they feel at home?  

According to the New Testament, answering these questions speaks directly to our Christian faith. I’ll be reflecting on my answers to these questions today. I hope you will, too. 

Peace,
Pastor Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Lazarus

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Between September and March, many children and youth from within and outside our congregation gather for LOGOS on Wednesdays. I have the privilege of teaching the middle-school-aged students for Bible study. This year, we’ve been discussing many of the parables of Jesus recorded in our Gospels. Last Wednesday, we looked at Luke 16:19-21, where Jesus tells the “Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.” I’d love to take a moment to take you with me into that parable.   

In this parable, Jesus describes a rich man who is enjoying all the finer things in life, while a poor man named Lazarus sits outside at the gate by the rich man’s home. In the first century, there were no homeless shelters or soup kitchens. There were no social welfare programs. The only way for people living in poverty to survive was by the kindness and generosity of others. However, this rich man totally neglected Lazarus. Jesus says that dogs would come to Lazarus and lick his sores. If you’ve ever had a dog with a sore or stitches after a surgery, you know that they lick themselves as part of an instinct to heal their wounds. Jesus is telling us that even the dogs were trying to help Lazarus by licking his sores. The dogs were paying more attention to the needs of Lazarus than the rich man who was neglecting him.   

Jesus then says that after they both died, the rich man went to hell and Lazarus went to heaven. The rich man, who was in agony, wanted Lazarus to come to him and help him or, at the very least, to have Lazarus go to his family to warn them to change their hearts before they ended up where he was. In the parable, Jesus essentially says that if people cannot see past their own comfort and pleasure when someone like Lazarus sits before them every day, it won’t do them any good for Lazarus (let alone anyone else) to come back from the dead to warn them.   

What’s Jesus’ point? Is he trying to tell us that rich people go to hell and poor people go to heaven? I don’t think so.   

I think he’s trying to tell us that our capacity to show mercy and compassion to others is directly correlated to our capacity to see our own need for mercy and compassion. In other words, since the rich man in the parable (who was a sinner just like any of us) could not see his own need for God’s mercy and compassion to save him from sin, he was unlikely to feel any mercy and compassion to someone else in need. The problem with the rich man in the parable was not his wealth but his self-centeredness and lack of humility. 

We might also see a connection to what Jesus says in Matthew 25:40, “Whatever you did to help someone in need of mercy, it’s like you did it to me” (paraphrasing). The point Jesus is making is all humans are made in God’s image. That doesn’t mean we are all like God without any flaws or any sin. It does mean, however, that each of us is made for the same purpose, to reflect the nature and character of God, which Jesus did perfectly. Jesus loves us so much that he became one of us. He came to live among humanity, despite all our flaws, in order to show us the mercy and compassion all of us so desperately need. The point of the “Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus” is that we will never completely understand Jesus until we see him in the faces of others.   

Who is the Lazarus that is sitting at your proverbial gate? Do you see Jesus in their eyes? What would it look like for you to treat them like you would treat Jesus himself? These are good questions for us to reflect on to examine our spiritual lives.   

Peace,
Pastor Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Lent - A Spiritual Spring Cleaning

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! In October, we joyfully welcomed six people into our church's membership. This Sunday we will have that opportunity again as we welcome seven more people into our membership! You won't want to miss this celebratory Sunday!

It’s hard to believe, with Christmas still in the rear-view mirror, that Lent is only four weeks away! The forty days leading up to Easter that we now call “Lent” were not always observed within Christianity the way they are today. In the earliest days of the Church, prospective converts to Christianity would spend three years preparing to make a profession of faith in Christ and receive baptism on Easter. In the weeks leading up to Easter, the prospective converts would enter into times of prayer and fasting. As time went on, this practice of prayer and fasting before Easter extended beyond prospective converts and included anyone within the Church who needed to “get right with God.” By the fourth century, the Church-wide observance of forty days of prayer and fasting before Easter had become solidified. The word “Lent” comes from a Latin word that means “Springtime,” since it occurs during a time when the days are becoming longer (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). So, in a sense, you can think of Lent as a time for spiritual “spring cleaning.”  

This Lent, you can go on a journey of spiritual spring cleaning with us at First Presbyterian Church. We will be reading a daily devotional by N.T. Wright called Lent for Everyone: Matthew, Year A. This devotional follows along with the lectionary readings in the Gospel of Matthew for the Mondays-Saturdays throughout Lent. Then, each Sunday’s readings focus on the Psalm for the day. Worship will coincide with the devotional’s focus on the Psalms reading. Like we did for Advent this past year, there will be opportunities to discuss the readings and the Sunday sermons. Each Sunday of Lent, there will be a brief Q&A following worship and our parish associate Ernest Krug will also be leading a discussion group on Sunday evenings from 5-6 pm. You can order the book yourself either here or here. In the coming weeks, copies of the book will also be available from the church for $10. I hope you will journey with us! 

Enjoy these beautiful and snowy weeks before Lent. Springtime is coming! 

Peace,
Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Our Core Value Love

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! This Sunday is Presbyterian Women’s Sunday, the annual day of the year when our Presbyterian Women’s organization leads our worship services. This year, Rev. Dr. Betsey Crimmins will be preaching and will be assisted during worship by many other women from the church. You won't want to miss it! 

On December 21, we introduced a video series featuring our church’s core values. As you know, our core values are connect, inspire, follow, unify, and love. While each of these core values may be easy to understand at face value, what do they look like for us at First Presbyterian? This video series is meant to display clear examples of how we are living out each of these values, to clarify what those values mean and to help us celebrate the values when we see them. David Irwin, one of our ruling elders on the Session, has done a great job of filming, directing, and editing these videos. The first of these videos showcases one of the ways that our core value of love is lived out at First Presbyterian. There were some technical difficulties at the 8:30 am service the Sunday we showed the videos, and those of you at that service were not able to see it. We were, however, able to play the video at the 10:00 am service, and it is archived in the livestream of that service on YouTube. In case you were at the 8:30 am service that day or otherwise missed the video, there’s a link below to click and watch it.  

In this video, you will see some of the facilitators of our Faith and Grief workshops talking about how our Faith and Grief program demonstrates our core value of love.
Core Value of Love Video 

I hope this video helps you to see what we mean when we talk about love at First Presbyterian Church. Expect to see similar videos highlighting our other core values in the coming weeks.

Peace,
Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Deadly Sins and Fruits of the Spirit

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Christmas Eve is only one week away! Just to remind you about our worship opportunities on Christmas Eve: a family service will be at 4:30 pm; a lessons and carols service will be at 8:00 pm, and a traditional service will be at 10:30 pm. Both the family service and lessons and carols service will be live-streamed, too. Don't forget that the Sunday after Christmas (December 28) will only have one service at 10:00 am. 

We’re in the middle of the third week of Advent and still reading our way through A Surprising God by Thomas Long and Donyelle McCray. In the reading for today, the authors reflect on Luke 7:35 and what “spiritual maturity” looks like. How is one able to grow in spiritual maturity with Christ? They reference the “ladder of divine ascent” introduced by John Climacus in the seventh century as well as the examen prayer introduced by Ignatius of Loyola in the sixteenth century. Each of these tools for spiritual growth was intended as a way for people to gain greater self-awareness in order to seek God’s help in overcoming sin and temptation.  

Their reflections today reminded me of how the “seven deadly sins” have historically been used by the church in a similar way. Are the seven deadly sins mentioned anywhere in the Bible? No, they aren’t. But they have been used by the church for centuries as a way of “diagnosing” what a person struggles with most in their life. Then, based on which area of sin is a person’s greatest pitfall, that person can practice spiritual disciplines that (with God’s strength) might help them to resist and overcome that area of sin.

Did you know, however, that the seven deadly sins used to be nine? For some reason, in the seventh century, Pope Gregory I reduced the nine deadly sins down to seven, and that’s how we’ve been referring to them ever since. Here’s a list of the deadly sin: gluttony, lust, greed, sloth, anger, envy, pride, fear, and vanity. The last two in the list were the ones dropped 1,400 years ago.  

Last year, I realized that the Bible tells us there are also nine fruits of the Spirit (which are nine characteristics that demonstrate the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives). The nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That got me thinking. Is there any relationship between the nine deadly sins and the nine fruits of the Spirit? With the help of my Wednesday Night Bible Study, I think I found a correlation between the two lists, in which one of the fruits of the Spirit can be thought of as the antidote to one of the deadly sins. Here are the pairs: 

Gluttony - Self-Control
Lust - Love
Greed - Generosity
Sloth - Peace
Anger - Patience
Envy - Joy
Pride - Gentleness
Fear - Faith
Vanity - Kindness 

Here’s how this correlation works. When you examine your life, what is your biggest struggle? If it’s fear (which entails worrying about unknowns), then perhaps you need to introduce spiritual disciplines into your life that will help you to practice faith (which means trusting God despite unknowns). If it’s anger (which entails losing patience), then perhaps you need to introduce spiritual disciplines into your life that will help you to practice patience. If it’s envy (which means hating your own life because of the good in other’s lives), then perhaps you need to introduce spiritual disciplines into your life that will help you to practice joy (which is delighting in the good in other’s lives). The correlation continues similarly for the rest of the pairs.  

I encourage you to consider how you might use an idea from our devotional reading or today’s Mid-Week Meet-Up to resolve to grow spiritually in the new year.  

Peace,
Aaron

mid-week meet-up: "Are you really the Messiah?"

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! We are nearly halfway through Advent, and Christmas is right around the corner. As many of us feel the joy and anticipation of the season, it’s helpful to remember that Christmastime is not always joyful for everyone for various reasons. To create some sacred space for those who are feeling less than joyful this time of year, we are offering two Blue Christmas worship services on Tuesday, December 16.  

Especially for those who don’t like to drive at night, one service will be at 1:30 pm, led by Erin and Ernest. A second service will be held at 7 pm (also live-streamed), led by Erin, Ernest, JD Jackson (pastor of the United Church of Pittsford), and myself. Refreshments will be served following the 7 pm service. If these services will be meaningful times of worship for you, I hope you will be able to attend one of them.  

As we progress through Advent and as many of us are reading our way through the devotional A Surprising God, I hope you paid special attention to today's reading. The authors reflect on Luke 7:18-30. In this passage, John the Baptist was in prison and sent some of his own disciples to Jesus to ask him a simple but very serious question, “Are you really the Messiah?” From John’s perspective, his question makes sense. John had begun his ministry with full confidence that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah. Yet, Jesus wasn’t exactly doing what John expected the Messiah to do. Where was the forceful exertion of God’s power against the enemies of God? To top it all off, John himself had been arrested and was facing imminent death.  

The authors point out that this passage in Luke’s Gospel makes it clear that our expectations of what God will do often contradict with what God actually does. I was particularly struck by this sentence in today’s reading: “Maturity in faith is measured in part by our willingness to let our small expectations of Jesus be enlarged by the capacious truth of his presence.” I have heard it said that the nature of Christian faith is to ever-expand our minds and hearts, making room for more of God. Unlike a cup that can only be filled to the brim and no more, Christian faith is like a balloon that stretches and grows to make more room for what fills it.  

Do you have questions or doubts about Jesus this Advent? That’s ok. Those questions or doubts may be Christ’s way of trying to expand your mind and heart to receive more of him. Don’t worry. You won’t break. He is good and kind and trustworthy.  

I encourage you to pray to Jesus the prayer that concluded today’s reading: “Come to us as you truly are, and not only as we wish you were.” 

Peace to you,
Aaron

MID-WEEK MEET-UP: Advent - Ears to Hear

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Advent has begun, and we are in the midst of preparing our hearts anew to receive the news of God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ. This Advent, we are encouraging the congregation to read along with the devotional A Surprising God by Thomas Long and Donyelle McCray. I was reading today’s reflection from the devotional and want to share some of my thoughts about it with you.  

The authors reflect on a reading from Luke 11:29-32. Up to that point in the Gospel, Jesus has performed many miracles, including healings, exorcisms, raising people from the dead, and feeding thousands of people with just a few loaves and fishes. He has taught about the kingdom of God and demonstrated God’s radical love and forgiveness. Yet, some people were claiming that Jesus performed his miracles by the power of Satan, and they were asking Jesus to give them a sign that he was truly the Messiah. Really? After all that Jesus had done, people were still unconvinced that he possessed the power of God. Jesus responds, in essence, by telling the skeptics, “If your hearts are so hardened that you can see the works of God and believe they are the works of the Devil, there is nothing that even I can do to help you!”  

Then, in today’s reading from Luke, Jesus says, “No sign will be given to [this generation] except the sign of Jonah” (Luke 11:29). What does that mean? In the story of Jonah, Jonah is swallowed by a great fish and remains in the fish’s belly for three days (Jonah 1:17). Jesus is drawing a connection between Jonah’s time inside the fish for three days and his own future burial in a tomb for three days. In other words, Jesus is saying to the skeptics in the crowd, “If you do not believe that I am the Messiah and the Son of God after my death and resurrection, then I there is nothing that will convince you.” This moment in the ministry of Jesus is teaching us that God will not twist our arms to believe in Jesus but, nevertheless, gives us so many opportunities to see and believe the truth, if only we would notice. “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” (Luke 8:8) 

The authors of our devotional write: “Eventually, the time for seeking signs expires, and the time comes to act on the signs we’ve been given… We have been given the sign of all signs in Christ.” 

As we move through Advent this year, I pray you will hear the Gospel as it is proclaimed throughout the season. You will hear it in the scriptures and in our worship. You will see it in nativities and crèches. You will even hear it in practically every Christmas song that is playing on the radio, on streaming playlists, and in shopping malls this time of year. God has come to us in Jesus to rescue us from sin and to call us to a new life in Christ. The questions our reading from today are asking us is: Do we hear the Holy Spirit, and what will we do after we have heard?  

I pray you will look for signs from the Holy Spirit this Advent, and, more importantly, respond to them by inviting Jesus more fully into your life.  

Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Advent Devotional

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

This Advent, worship will be following along with the readings from a devotional called A Surprising God by Thomas G. Long and Donyelle C. McCray. This book has a Scripture passage and a reflection for each day of Advent, beginning with Sunday, November 30, and going to Christmas.  

If you would like to deepen and enrich your experience of Advent this year, you have a few opportunities to do that with this book A Surprising God. 

1. Some of you are part of Bible study groups that have already chosen to study this book on their own during Advent. If that applies to you, you’re all set! 

2. You may sign up to join our parish associate Ernest Krug for a discussion of the book on Sunday evenings during Advent. Books are available for purchase from the church for $10 each. Ernest’s group will be meeting at the church on:

     Sunday, November 30 from 5-6pm 

     Sunday, December 7 from 5-6pm

     Sunday, December 14 from 5-6pm

     Sunday, December 21 from 5-6pm

3. You may also want to read along all on your own. As I said, worship throughout Advent will focus on the scripture readings from the book. Additionally, after the 10:00 am worship service each Sunday, I will be leading a 30-minute, drop-in Q&A in the sanctuary. You can purchase a copy of the book for yourself either here or here. If it’s a challenge to order the book yourself, the church office can help you get one.  

Sign-ups for Ernest’s group will begin this Sunday morning!  

Peace,
Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Sitting in the Woods

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! It’s hard to believe it’s November. Halloween is behind us, and Thanksgiving is only three weeks away. You might not know this, but early November is also the time of year when whitetail deer are most active (called “the rut,”) making it ideal for hunting. You have probably heard me say that I enjoy hunting. I grew up in Pennsylvania, where schools were always closed on the opening day of hunting season. It seemed like everyone and their cousin was a hunter. I like hunting because of its benefits to wildlife conservation, to public service (Did you know that in the Town of Perinton there have been over 150 car accidents involving deer this year?), to sustainable food procurement, and because I love being outdoors. When I am hunting, I will sit in my tree stand for hours in total silence, simply paying close attention to everything around me. I learn so much about nature just by paying attention to it. I notice the way a full moon has an effect on deer activity. I notice the behavior patterns of squirrels and small birds. I observe red-tailed hawks silently hunting right alongside me. I have even observed a coyote following a scent trail just 10 yards away from me, totally unaware of my presence. While so much of today’s world is experienced on screens and in the digital world, it refreshes my soul and grounds me in my humanity when I just sit still in the woods for a long time. 

I think life with God can sometimes be like sitting in the woods for hours at a time. The more we pay attention, the more we will notice! It’s one thing to read about hunting or to talk about hunting, but you will only get the full effect by getting into the woods yourself. Similarly, we can read about God and talk about God, but the most real experience of God comes when we simply open ourselves to God and pay close attention to what God might be doing. This can happen in prayer, in Bible-reading, in conversation with someone, and in a moment of silence. Can you take a moment right now (5-10 minutes) and tune your ears and heart into God’s frequency? Say something to God. Tune out the noise and listen closely. What is God saying to response? 

Peace,
Aaron 

mid-week meet-up: Craig Kunkle

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I have some bittersweet news to share with you today. Over the weekend, Craig Kunkle accepted the call to become the next pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Sturgis, Michigan. This is great news, because Craig will now begin an exciting new chapter of ministry. Congratulations to him! His new church will be very blessed to have him. However, it’s also sad news, because it means Craig will be leaving us in Pittsford after more than 14 years of ministry here.  

Before Craig leaves us, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to share your congratulations to him and say goodbye. His last day with us will be Sunday, November 23. Craig will be helping to lead worship at both services on November 23, and I encourage you to make every effort to attend worship that day. There will be a celebration of his ministry with us during and after the 10:00 am service.  

Saying goodbye is difficult, but I am reminded of the words of Paul: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). God goes with Craig in this new chapter with his new church, and God remains with us in our continued ministry. Let’s pray for Craig as he takes this exciting next step. If you’re not sure what to pray, I encourage you to use these words from Numbers 6:24-26: 

"The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” 

Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Reformation Sunday

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! First, here’s a quick public service announcement. Impersonators are once again pretending to be Pastor Erin or me, sending you emails trying to get you to respond to them so you will give them money or gift cards. Always make sure to check the email address of the sender. If you receive an email from anyone who’s address is not either aaron.neff@pittsfordpres.org or erin.jacobson@pittsfordpres.org, then the email is not from us, and you should ignore it and report it! 

This weekend I won’t be leading worship in Pittsford, because I will be leading a spiritual renewal retreat with many of you at the LeTourneau Christian Center. Pastor Erin will be leading a very special Reformation Sunday worship service in Pittsford and will continue our core values sermon series. At the later service, there will be choral music, hand bells, and brass instrumentalists. I hope you will worship with us!  

October 31, 2025, will mark the 508th anniversary since a German monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses (which were statements and critiques of medieval Catholic beliefs and practices) on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This event is recognized as the origination of what would become known as the Protestant Reformation. Many women and men across Europe would eventually join Luther in his desire to reform the Church. Not all those people agreed about everything, but, looking back, historians and theologians have summarized the major beliefs that they did share with the following five Latin phrases.  

Sola Gratia (“Grace Alone”): People cannot be good enough on their own to earn salvation but receive it only because God freely gives it as a gift of grace. 

Sola Fide (“Faith Alone”): People must have faith that God’s salvation comes as a free gift and that God is as good as the Gospel says God is. 

Sola Scriptura ("Scripture Alone”): The Bible alone reveals the truest depiction of what God is like, which means people don’t need a religious authority to tell them what God is like. If you read a passage of scripture with a desire to believe and wrestle with it long enough, God’s grace will be revealed to you. 

Solo Christo (“Christ Alone”): People don’t need any mediator between themselves and God except Christ alone. Christ has already done the necessary work for your salvation, and the work of Christ is sufficient. 

Soli Deo Gloria (“For the Glory of God Alone”): Because the work of Christ alone is sufficient to secure our salvation, the entire direction of our life’s aim should be oriented toward giving God glory who saves us through Christ. Whatever brings God glory is for our benefit. 

In these days leading up to Reformation Sunday, I encourage you choose one or two of these five phrases and reflect on what it means in your own life. Personally, I will be reflecting on the last phrase, considering which parts of my life have yet to be directed towards God’s glory alone and asking God to give me the grace to change that.  

Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron 

mid-week meet-up: Connect

Hi First Presbyterian Church, 

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! This Sunday is New Member Sunday, when we will receive six new people into our church’s membership. How exciting! I hope you will be there to support these new members and celebrate the growth God is causing among us! We will also be continuing our five-week sermon series, focusing on our church’s five core values. Last Sunday, we discussed our core value called “follow.” This Sunday, we will explore our core value called “connect.”  

“Connect” expresses the value we hold as a church of creating and sustaining life-giving relationships across all generations. During worship, we will be reading Acts 4:32-37 and Hebrews 10:9-25. The reading from Acts is an inspiring passage, but people also misunderstand the passage leading to confusion and even a misuse of the passage. The main reason for this is because of what it says in Acts 4:32-34, “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common… There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.” 

Sometimes people read this passage and think that the scripture advocates for a government economic policy of shared wealth or collective ownership. This is not true, not because the early church would have necessarily rejected specific economic systems like socialism or capitalism (concepts that would have been totally foreign to them, anyhow), but because the early church was unconcerned with what political or economic systems were used by their governing authorities. Keep in mind that the Christian Church was born in the Roman Empire, an authoritarian government ruled by an emperor and whose economic system relied heavily on forced taxation, tribute, and the upward flow of wealth through means of patronage. Most of the earliest Christians weren’t even Roman citizens who could even benefit from Roman wealth if possible. While Christians believed that God granted the state the privilege to govern its people, they also understood that any human government was inherently flawed and, therefore, could not be fully relied upon to bring peace and righteousness. I recently read something church historian Jerry Sittser wrote, who said that early Christians did not focus on how the state came to power, but rather on how the state used its power and how Christians were to relate to it. In other words, Christians prayed for their governing leaders and some (like Justin Martyr and Tertullian) even addressed their governing leaders asking them to exercise justice and morality in their treatment of the populace, but Christians were unconcerned about whether they lived under an authoritarian monarch or a semi-democratic city-state. Why was this? Because they weren’t looking to human government to offer the world the hope of the Kingdom of God. God had already given that hope through Jesus Christ, and the Church was meant to be the continuation of Christ’s work through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Let me put it a little differently. Early Christians didn’t look to human government for hope; they believed that the Church was God's chosen instrument to remake the world. Acts 4:32-37 is not about the secular government; it is about the Church! It is not about state economic policies; it is about the Church taking ownership of God’s mission in the world! You might wonder, “But what can the Church really do to remake the world?” O, ye of little faith! Never forget what Paul once wrote, “If God is for us, who can be against us?!” (Romans 8:31) 

As you prepare for worship this Sunday, I pray you will consider how powerful our life together as a congregation truly is. When we faithfully give ourselves over to the mission of God with our time, talent, and treasure, anything is possible. We may even find that there is not a needy person among us (Acts 4:34).  

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Hebrews 11

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! The Penny Pincher Sale is this week! The Presbyterian Women volunteers and others have been hard at work getting the sale ready. Don’t forget that the sale is open on Thursday (tomorrow) from 10am - 5pm. On Friday, the half-price sale is from 10am - 12pm, and the “big bag” sale is from 12:15pm - 1:30pm.

Today is also the last call if you want to attend the spiritual renewal retreat I am leading from October 24 (3pm) through October 26 (10am). If you want learn and practice spiritual disciplines of prayer and scripture-reading along beautiful Canandaigua Lake, let me know today! I still have some spots open. The cost is $80/person for a private bedroom and $50/person for a shared bedroom.

This Sunday, my sermon will focus on Hebrews 11, which is where we encounter this profound and well-known verse of scripture: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). I will be exploring what it means to step out in faith to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. I want to share with you today an excerpt from the fourth-century theologian Augustine of Hippo, who is reflecting in a sermon on this verse from Hebrews. He says that faith, hope, and love are connected. He says that when we trust in the promises of God, because we have hope in their reality, it leads to love. Here is what he says:

When you hope, you do not yet have what you are hoping for, but, by believing it, you resemble someone who does possess it. For faith will eventually take hold, but our very faith stands for the thing itself. I mean, you do not have your hands on anything when you have them on faith, nor are they empty if they are full of faith. The reason faith is greatly rewarded is that it does not see and yet believes. I mean, if it could see, what reward would there be? ... But faith does not falter, because it is supported by hope. Take away hope, and faith falters. How, after all, when you are walking somewhere, will you even move your feet, if you have no hope of ever getting there? If, though, from each of them, that is from faith and hope, you withdraw love, what is the point of believing; what is the point of hoping, if you do not love? Indeed, you cannot even hope for anything you do not love. Love, you see, kindles hope; hope shines through love. But when we attain the things that we have been hoping for while believing in and not seeing them, what faith will there be then to be praised? Considering that “faith is the conviction of things not seen,” when we do see, it will not be called faith. After all, you will be seeing, not believing.

I HOPE to see you Sunday.

Peace,

Pastor Aaron

mid-week meet-up: Spiritual Renewal Retreat

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! This Sunday will be an exciting time of worship. Not only will we be celebrating the baptism of Lily Jane Boise, but we will also be giving thanks to God for the many years of JASY (Jamaican Advantage through Sports for Youth) and considering it a “mission accomplished.” Friends and ministry partners (including some from Jamaica) will be joining us to help us lead worship. You won’t want to miss it! 

As you may recall, our church is focused right now on accomplishing four objectives that we’re calling Everyday Faith, Groups and Gatherings, Pittsford Connects, and Re-align to Our True North. Last year, the one-year Bible reading journey was part of achieving our Everyday Faith objective, which aims at “reimagining discipleship to become highly relational, personal, and biblical.” This year, one of the ways we are aiming to achieve this objective is through the spiritual renewal retreat I announced a few weeks ago.  

From Friday, October 24, through Sunday, October 26, I will be leading a spiritual renewal retreat for our church at the LeTourneau Christian Center (www.letcc.org), located in Rushville, right on Canandaigua Lake. During this retreat, I will be introducing people to some spiritual disciplines that will help us to deepen our prayer lives, to read the scriptures with a greater openness to the Holy Spirit, and to become more attuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We will be staying in their Bethany House, which includes eight bedrooms, showers, restrooms, and a common room where we will be meeting throughout the weekend. All our meals will be provided in their dining hall. The Bethany House comfortably accommodates twelve guests, but there are enough beds to fit a few more people. Click here to see the Bethany House.  

There is still room for you! If you are interested in attending this spiritual retreat, click the link below to complete the sign-up form. Most retreat attendees will need to share a bedroom with someone else, but the Bethany House can accommodate a few people in private rooms. The cost of the retreat has been subsidized by our Christian Education Committee, but there is a nominal fee of $80/person for people in private bedrooms and $50/person for people in shared bedrooms. We will arrive on Friday (10/24) at 3 pm and depart on Sunday (10/26) at 10 am.
FPCP October Retreat Sign-Up

May you grow in Christ today and every day!

Peace,
Pastor Aaron

MID-WEEK MEET-UP: END OF ONE YEAR READING PLAN AND CHRIST CLARION

Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Well… we’re done! We’ve been reading through the whole Bible over the last year, and, if you’ve been reading along, you’re finished! You read the whole Bible! Congratulations! I know some of you haven’t quite finished. Keep at it! Reading through the whole Bible is quite an accomplishment, and just because our reading plan ended on Monday doesn’t mean you can’t keep reading. You can do it! And don't forget to pick up your "I Read the Whole Bible" bookmark in the church lobby!

It was great seeing so many of you at Kick-Off Sunday! It’s always great to settle back into our regular routines after time spent over the summer traveling and vacationing. Now that the one-year Bible journey has officially ended, our worship focus each Sunday will return to following the Revised Common Lectionary. That means over the next few Sundays, we will be reflecting on some of the teachings of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. I hope to see you in worship!

It’s been a month since you heard the news from the Session about the possibility of First Presbyterian Church taking over operations of the Christ Clarion Presbyterian Church property. You might be wondering if there are any updates. The short answer is: “There is no update.” Our church leadership is still in the process of negotiating the terms of operation with our Presbytery to see if this opportunity even makes sense for us. There have been some questions from the congregation since last month, and it might be helpful for me to reiterate and clarify some of what I wrote to you previously. (Please refer to my Mid-Week Meet-Up from August 13, 2025, to read the full announcement.) 

Would we be buying Christ Clarion’s property? No! We will not be buying their property. The terms being negotiated with our Presbytery pertain to simply taking over the operations of their property. 

If we are satisfied after our negotitaions with the Presbytery, is there a good reason to move forward with taking over operating Christ Clarion’s property, or would we simply be doing our Presbytery a favor? The easiest thing for our Presbytery to do with the Christ Clarion property would be to sell it, which they frequently have done with other church property when a congregation dissolves and closes. If First Presbyterian Church were to move forward with operating their property, it would be because we see it as an extension and expansion of our own ministry and mission in Pittsford. Our Presbytery did not invite us into these negotiations to do them a favor but to discern whether this might be a fruitful opportunity for us, which the Session is still discerning. (See my email from August 13 for an initial idea the Session is hopeful will lead to fruitful mission and ministry, if the way be clear.)

If we are satisfied after our negotiations with the Presbytery, will our whole congregation have a voice before the decision to move forward or not? Yes! If we are satisfied after negotiations and before a final decision is made, the Session will host a meeting (or meetings) for the congregation to discuss it. 

The Session will continue to keep you updated as this situation develops. In the meantime, please keep your church leadership in prayer as we seek God’s wisdom and guidance.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron