From the Pastor’s Heart

My eyes were glued to the television as our 44th president was sworn into office, blessed to be a part of history being made. It was very interesting to hear the various comments made. I heard one lady comment, “I woke my children up the day after the election and told them that Martin Luther King’s dream had become a reality.

Others disagree. In the letters to the editor in a recent Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the headlines read: “The day King dreamed of has not yet arrived.”
The author of that letter wrote; “On Inauguration Day, I heard many quotes of Martin Luther King Jr. (a man I admired and respected). He dreamed that one day a man would be judged by the content of his character and not the color of his skin. This is not that day. On Tuesday, MLK’s nephew said his uncle’s dream was not that one race would have power over another, but that race would not be the issue—character was the important thing. We must stop the hate and mistrust of each other. My hope is that the step our country took Tuesday will lead us to look at each person—black, white, red, yellow or brown—and see a fellow countryman, an American…”

The world is so full of pain because we insist on judging others who are different than we are. I lost a dear friend this past week. Raymond was no stranger to the pain of being judged because he was different. Raymond was a ‘special needs’ individual. His cognitive skills were that of a young elementary age child. Raymond often lamented, “I wish I was like everybody else.”

Several years ago I began to tutor Raymond so he could learn to read and write. He told me that his niece also tried to teach him. When she was young they would play school. Raymond was sent to a special school when he was young. But sadly at that time they did not have the resources we have today. He said the teachers had him baby-sit the younger children.

Raymond was of the Roman Catholic faith but would often attend Bible study at the Methodist church I was serving. He did not join in the conversation at the studies. He simply appreciated being a part of the group. It was important to him to belong.

He would often come to worship. He would sit up front positioning himself directly before the pulpit where he could see me clearly and make eye contact. He felt safe and secure in the fact that I welcomed him with open arms. He could not read to sing the hymns, but he would stand with the others so reverently. He would sit and bow his head in prayer. And he would listen to every word of my sermons.

I was saddened when I would hear people in the church say, “Why doesn’t he go to his own church? Why does he have to come here?” I was angered when Raymond would tell me that people in the church would say those hurtful things to him directly. But thankfully he came anyway. Honestly, I don’t think I would have had the same kind of courage.

Raymond had difficulty with his speech. He could not say Rev. Shuluga (many people have difficulty with that name). He would always say, “Hey, Rev. Kaluga!” Nor could he say minister. It was always min-ster! Both became such endearing words to me…Rev. Kuluga…min-ster. How I wish I could hear them one more time.

Raymond would come to my office and talk. He wanted…needed… to share his pain of rejection, the pain of being used and abused because he was different. He would sit and cry as he recalled the pain of being “different.” He said something to me that I will never forget, something I have used many times as a sermon illustration, “Why can’t people just love me for me?”

When I moved away for another appointment, Raymond would always write. Yes, he did learn to write a little. The letters were always the same, “How are you? I am fine? Mom and dad are fine? How is your mom? I love you. You are my friend. Raymond Barone, Jr.

Raymond also remained connected to his friends via the telephone. He would always end our conversation with, “You will always be my friend.”

My heart is heavy today as I hear Raymond’s words echoing in my mind: “Why can’t I be like everybody else? Why can’t I be loved for me?”

I rejoice that Raymond is now made whole. He no longer has physical limitations. He no longer has cognitive limitations. But in reality Raymond was always heads above many because he embraced that which is most important, love and acceptance of all people.

Raymond, with all of his limitations taught us all a very important lesson when he asked, “Why can’t I be loved for me?”

Raymond now knows that he is truly loved just for being Raymond. He is in the presence of our God who loves us just as we are and claims us as his own.

Our God also has a dream, a dream expressed through the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

I sometimes think God is asking the same question Raymond voiced, “Why can’t people just love people for who they are?”

When will we stop seeing each other’s differences and begin seeing each other as brothers and sisters; marvelously and wonderfully made in His image? When will we look at another and say, “There is another child of God?”

Raymond you will always be my friend. Thanks for the life lesson. It will never be forgotten.

Blessings,

Pastor Russel

By the time you read this letter 2008 will belong to the history books.

Some will be glad to close the 2008 calendar; for them it has been a year of tears because of grief and pain. For others it has been a year of struggle due to illness, loss of employment, economic downfall, or loss of a marriage.

Others will be sad to see it come to an end because the year was filled with joy and excitement given due to success, the arrival of babies, new employment, new love, and the list goes on.

As we look over our shoulder at 2008 most of us discover we have had a mixture of joy and sadness. We have had our times of celebration and we have had our wilderness journeys.

And as we stand on tiptoes of the threshold of a new year, we do so with a sense of anticipation and perhaps a little fear wondering what these 12 new months will hold for us.

Bertha Adams didn’t have to wonder what the next day or the next month would hold for her. It was always the same routine: begging door to door.

At 71 years-of-age she weighed only 51 pounds. She was a pitiful case covering her emaciated body with Salvation Army clothes.

Her begging and suffering came to an end with her death on April 5, 1975 in Florida after spending her last few days of her sad life in a nursing home.

When she died, however, authorities discovered she left behind a fortune of over a million dollars, including six hundred thousand dollars in cash and several hundred shares of valuable stock she had stored in two safety deposit boxes.

What would possess a person to live the way she lived with such valuable resources at her disposal? To think about the wealth that was hers and how she could have thrived instead of begging and starving until there was no more life in her body might lead one to exclaim, “WHAT A FOOL!”

As we step into 2009 we do not have to enter as “FOOLS.” We do not have to endure the year in spiritual poverty limping along until we are spiritually dead.

Our reality is there is an abundance of spiritual wealth at our disposal. It is there simply for the asking. Whatever we may find or encounter this year we have God’s bank full of the necessary resources: his strength, his presence, his comfort, his love, his forgiveness, his joy, his peace. You can make a withdrawal at any time and as many times as necessary. And the good news is God’s bank is always open and God continually makes deposits so that we are never overdrawn.

My prayer for all of us for the New Year is that we will not be fools. God is waiting with open arms to give us what we need as we need it.
We have before us the blessings of 12 new chapters waiting to be filled.

May the New Year find you thriving in God’s mercy.

Peace, Health and Happiness for the New Year,

Pastor Russel

Your generous Christmas gift is greatly appreciated. Each and every one of you blesses us again and again, touching our hearts in amazing ways. It is a privilege and honor to serve as your pastor. My prayer is that God will make me worthy of this calling.

Your Parsonage Family,

Nancy & Pastor Russel