She Hurt My Feelings

Brothers and sisters,
The last few weeks I have been on a journey. Not a literal, physical one — at least not yet. The journey has been interesting. I’ll be honest, my feelings have been hurt a couple times along the way, though I was warned ahead of time that would happen. But there’s been one line from this journey that has stuck with me and prompt-ed me to write this article. With that, let’s talk about my journey so far. Let’s talk about interior design.

You weren’t expecting that one, were you? Over the last few weeks, I’ve been looking around my apartment and trying to figure out how to make it feel homier, feel cozier, feel even a little stylish. I am a fairly stereotypical guy in that I have pictures and art and stuff like that—they just aren’t up on my wall yet. But I don’t know where to put stuff, how to arrange things, how to pick colors, etc. And that sense of not knowing has caused some creative paralysis. I’m not sure what to do, so I don’t do anything.

Enter Caroline. Caroline is an interior designer with a YouTube channel dedicated to helping people with the design of their homes. She did not go to design school, but she has turned her interest in interior design into a consulting business. She was a theatre major and it definitely shows! For the camera, she puts on a playfully judgy persona that is both aggressive and funny. As I alluded to earlier, she starts a lot of her videos by saying, “Listen. I’m going to hurt your feelings. Stay with me. I only want what’s best for you.” By the end of the video you feel like you’ve had a good talk with a close friend.

One of the things that I appreciate about Caroline’s videos is that she does not speak only in broad sweeping terms, she gets down to the nitty gritty of how to make de-sign changes. She appreciates bold choices, but advocates for making bold choices wisely (an oxymoron, I know, but she makes it make sense). But one thing that she says over and over in her videos stuck with me. When talking about designing a space, she constantly reminds her viewers, “Creativity requires failure. A lot of it. You tried the couch here and it didn’t work. Great! So, move it. That art didn’t look as good as you thought. Good thing you saved your receipt! Embrace those failures cause that’s how you find your voice.”

On its own, that line, “Creativity requires failure,” feels empowering to me. To be remind-ed by someone who knows what they’re doing (Caroline’s designs are always beautiful) that they failed a lot along their own journey is a reminder to us all that doing anything well takes time. It takes time not only in the sense of slowing down to make sure you’re doing good work, but also in the sense of allowing ourselves to fail, to learn from our failures, and to try again.

In a Christian sense, it is a reminder that all of us are going to fail when we try to live faithful lives. We will inevitably sin again. We will be short with a loved one when we needed to be patient. We will allow jealousy to cloud our judgment when we should have been happy for some-one else. We will give in to anger and hatred toward someone we don’t like when we should have looked for common ground built on mercy. Learning to be Christian requires humility. A lot of it. But God recognizes that. Embrace the grace God offers cause that’s how you learn to do better next time.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

The Truth

March 2, 2025
Transfiguration Sunday
Luke 9:28-36
“The Truth”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “The Truth”. We will be reading from Luke 9:28-36, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 99.

Call to Worship, from Psalm 99
Leader: The Lord is great in Zion;
People: He is exalted over all the peoples.
Leader: Let them praise your great and awesome name.
People: Holy is he!
Leader: Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity;
People: You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Leader: Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also called on his name.
People: They cried to the Lord, and he answered them.
Leader: He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
People: They kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.
Leader: O Lord our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them,
People: But an avenger of their wrongdoings.
Leader: Extol the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain;
People: For the Lord our God is holy.

Questions for Further Reflection:
The Transfiguration is a wonderful, mysterious event in history.
What does it say about Jesus’ identity?
How does his identity affect ours?

The Mission

January 26, 2025
Third Sunday after Epiphany
“The Mission”
Luke 4:14-21
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship this Sunday, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “The Mission”.  We will be reading from Luke 4:14-21, and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 19.

Call to Worship Psalm 19:7-10, 14

Leader: The law of the Lord is perfect,

People: Reviving the soul;

Leader: The decrees of the Lord are sure,

People: Making wise the simple;

Leader: The precepts of the Lord are right,

People: Rejoicing the heart;

Leader: The commandment of the Lord is clear,

People: Enlightening the eyes;

Leader: The fear of the Lord is pure,

People: Enduring forever;

Leader: The ordinances of the Lord are true

People: And righteous altogether.

Leader: More to be desired are they than gold,

People: Even much fine gold;

Leader: Sweeter also than honey,

People: And drippings of the honeycomb.

Leader: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

People: Be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Questions for Further Reflection:

In this passage, Jesus plainly states the purpose of his ministry — the lowly will be lifted up.

Why does the gospel start with the lowly?

How can we join Jesus in his mission?

A Christmas Poem

Earlier this year, I admitted one of my shortcomings to you all—I do not get poetry. I have tried and tried. I’ve tried simple stuff. I’ve tried classics. My friends who are English teachers have tried to help me and have given up in the process!

That being said, every now and then a poem comes along that I get. It’s a snapshot of a moment or a feeling that makes sense to me. At this time last year, I left you all with a poem in the Illuminator and I figured I’d do that again. I love the way that Ted Kooser captures the connection between our Christmas celebrations today and the original Christmas two thousand years ago, seeing it through the eyes of a mail carrier. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Christmas Mail
By Ted Kooser
Cards in each mailbox,
angel, manger, star and lamb,
as the rural carrier,
driving the snowy roads,
hears from her bundles
the plaintive bleating of sheep,
the shuffle of sandals,
the clopping of camels.
At stop after stop,
she opens the little tin door
and places deep in the shadows
the shepherds and wise men,
the donkeys lank and weary,
the cow who chews and muses.
And from her Styrofoam cup,
white as a star and perched
on the dashboard, leading her
ever into the distance,
there is a hint of hazelnut,
and then a touch of myrrh.

Accessed via https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55886/christmas-mail, on December 11, 2024.