From The Pastor

Brothers and sisters,
As the Christmas season wrapped up in the beginning of January, I remember saying to Robin and Kathryn, “Well, we’ve got a little time before Lent will be here this year.” Then, I blinked. And now, it’s Ash Wednesday!

The actual practice of coming to worship on a night like tonight and having ashes placed on one’s head dates back over a thousand years, with the earliest recorded mention of Ash Wednesday coming sometime in the 8th century. The ashes themselves are meant to signify several different things. In one sense, they are a reminder to us of the words of God to Adam after the Fall, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis
3:19; emphasis mine). Thus, the ashes remind us of our own sinful nature and of our mortality.

In another sense, the ashes are meant as a sign of grief. We grieve over our own sins and understand that we ought to confess and repent. We grieve the brokenness of our world and acknowledge that there is so much work to be done to help people with their daily needs, as well as their spiritual needs. And we grieve that while we know God’s kingdom is coming, it has not come yet. And so the ashes can be understood as a sign of grief for the way things are, longing for the way things ought to be, and hope for the way things will be one day.

There’s one other interpretation of the ashes that I will put forth in my Ash Wednesday meditation tonight. I also see the ashes simply as a marker of who we are as Christians. They are outward signs of inward truths. Those truths? That we have decided to follow Jesus. That we understand that there is a cross that awaits us at the end of this season. That we choose to help others even when it may not be in our best interest. That we believe in the inherent dignity of all people, created by God in God’s own image. That we know that even if there is a crucifixion coming, even if our bodies are mortal, that Christ has already overcome death.

So, Ash Wednesday is kind of a strange day of the church calendar. It is a day on which we mark ourselves with a symbol the reminds us of our own mortality. The cross of ashes is a mark of death. But it is also a day on which we declare that death does not have the final say. Yes, we are all of us taken from the dust and to the dust we shall return, but there is still more beyond that moment. And in the meantime, the ashes convict us of our need to reach out to those who need help, to work for God’s kingdom in all that we do, and to remember that no matter how dark things can get—God is with us. Always. May we live into the truth of the Gospel during this Lenten season.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

As I write this article, we are just a few days away from Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. I’m excited for the game! You’ve got a superstar quarterback in Patrick Mahomes going up against a team in Philadelphia that has few (if any) true weaknesses. Some pundits are excited over the possibility of a tight game. Others are serving up hot takes saying that the game’s going to be a blowout. Regardless, Sunday night will be fun!

Since the Super Bowl is this Sunday, I wanted to remind you all one last time that our church’s Souper Bowl of Caring will be wrapping up at morning worship. You can still bring needed food items on Sunday, February 12th (needed items are listed on the Souper Bowl of Caring announcement in this Illuminator). As part of this effort, we are going to ask the children on Sunday morning to help bring some of the food up to the altar as a tangible sign that we engage in these kinds of projects as part of our commitment to God and God’s kingdom. So, the children will walk down the aisles of the sanctuary on Sunday morning with a wagon. If you’d like to participate by placing some food in the wagon, be sure to sit near the aisle on your pew. You can either bring a food item to place in the wagon or we’ll be happy to bring you one before the service. I think this will end up being a wonderful way for our children to see the church at work and understand that everything we do is ultimately for God.

I will also tell you to stay tuned over the coming months as we begin to transition from winter to spring to summer. The staff and several committees are already working on opportunities for missions, for fellowship, and for special worship services. From the church yard sale, to special Lenten services, to the return of a little friendly competition between college fanbases, there’s a lot that will be happening at Hope Valley over the coming months!

Also, based on absolutely nothing but what I hope happens, I think Kansas City wins, 28-24, with Mahomes leading a touchdown drive in the last two minutes.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

Two weeks ago, I wrote to you all about some of what we’ve been discussing in our Wednesday Night Bible Study meetings. We’ve been reading through the book Worship Come to Its Senses by Don E. Saliers and we’ve been thinking about some of the “senses” that Saliers says worship may be missing. Last night, we talked about some of what Saliers has written about the sense of delight that we can find in worship. And there was one phrase he used that sticks with me today. He talked about a Christian way of living into “the marriage of duty and delight.” And that can seem like a strange phrase, but I’ll give you an example that may seem a little weird at first, but bear with me.

Right now, I’m replaying one of my favorite games. It’s a cozy farming simulator called Stardew Valley. The plot is simple enough: your character was working a thankless job in the city when they learn that, in his will, their grandfather left them his old farm in Stardew Valley. As the player, you then go about the business of reviving your grandfather’s farm. It’s a really easy, relaxing game (so relaxing, in fact, that I sometimes fall asleep while playing it, dooming my character to run into the side of a mountain until I wake up). And there are so many amazing things you can do in the game! You can fight monsters and clear out old mines. You can restore the local community center and help revive not just your farm, but your whole community. You can build structures and plant your crops in such a way that you create a farm that not only produce lots of crops, but looks beautiful. And all that is wonderful—I take great delight in playing the game! But to get to all that, you have to do the basic things. Crops have to be watered. Weeds need to be cut away. Animals need to be fed. Resources have to be gathered. There is a certain sense of duty that goes along with Stardew Valley. Certain things have to be done on certain days. But if you master those basic things, you can see opportunities to do delightful things within the game. But is starts with your regular duties.

In a similar way, when we come to worship each week, even on those days we don’t necessarily feel like coming, we begin to see opportunities for delight. We become more familiar with the structure of worship and we can begin to see moments that bring us joy. When we come to worship regularly, we learn our favorite hymns and get to sense the joy that comes from hearing them sung by a room full of people. When we come to worship dutifully, we can hear the communion liturgy and internalize it, remembering the traditions of the church — the ones that teach us of God’s love — have been passed down for generations dating all the way back to the disciples themselves. When we come to worship regularly, we can learn about the things happening in each other’s lives and we can see the ways that God may be calling us to love our brothers and sisters, to reach out to our community, or to grow in our faith. And in doing all of that, we experience the joy and delight of a God who loves us deeply. The “marriage of duty and delight” is that understanding that God is with us in everything and because of that, we can take joy in everything.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

As we start this new year, one of the things that has been on my mind a lot has been worship. Why do we worship? Why do we do the things we do in worship? What does our worship say about our relationship with God? As part of that process of thinking and wondering, I made my way back to an old favorite book of mine, Worship Come to Its Senses by Don Saliers. The book is short, but it asks a lot of good questions and offers a lot of meaningful insights into what it means to worship.

In fact, the book is so interesting, we are reading through it and talking about it during our Wednesday night meetings (you’re welcome to join us!). Last week, January 4th, we took a look at the introduction to the book and pondered this double question that Saliers offers, “What makes Chris-tian worship true and relevant, and how can our liturgical gatherings shape and express authentic Christian faith and life in the world of everyday?” (p. 13-14). And so, I wanted to offer you all some of my own opinion on those two questions. First, what makes Christian worship true and relevant comes down to the fact that we believe that God is present with us in worship. We cling to Christ’s promise that whenever Christians gather together, God is with them. And so the truth of any worship service comes from God. The service must be rooted in God or it can never begin to approach truth. The relevance of worship, then, has to come from us understanding that the God we encounter in worship is the same God we meet in our everyday lives. Worship is not something we do from 11:00-12:00 on Sun-day morning. The actions, the attitudes, the affirmations have to make their way out the door and into the world. Otherwise, worship is irrelevant at best.

That answer bleeds over into my opinion on the second part of Saliers’ double question—how can our liturgical gatherings shape and express authentic Christian faith and life in the world of everyday? I think the best way to answer this question is with an illustration. On Communion Sundays, we ask folks to grab a communion cup as they are coming into worship. The ushers don’t force anyone to take a cup, but they also don’t “verify” that a person “should” get a communion cup or not. They simply offer the cup. Because communion isn’t about making sure we’re worshiping with the “right” people. It’s about worshiping with everyone. As part of the liturgy on Communion Sundays, you’ll usu-ally hear me say something like, “The invitation to this table does not come from me or Hope Valley; it comes from Christ himself.” And that’s the truth. Christ calls us to share a meal with each other when we come to worship, regardless of who has come to worship. We fellowship together without asking questions. In other words, communion teaches us to love our neighbors regardless of who they are. It teaches us that grace is available to everyone because grace comes from God, not from us. It reminds us that Jesus understands the importance of fellowship and pushes us to create spaces of community together. That aspect of worship can genuinely affect our daily living in such a way that others see God through us—if we let worship shape our lives.

So, I offer Saliers’ double question to you all—what makes Christian worship true and relevant, and how can our liturgical gatherings shape and express authentic Christian faith and life in the world of everyday?

Grace and peace,

Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

You know the old saying, “You learn something new every day”? Well, over the last few weeks, I’ve learned a lot of new things about various Christmas traditions from around the world. Obviously, there are some pretty universal traditions associated with Christmas here in the United States. Families will also typically have specific Christmas traditions. But I recently learned of two Christmas traditions and, believe it or not, they both have to do with vegetables.

Now, how did I stumble upon these Christmas vegetables, you might ask. A few weeks ago, I was researching the origins of some of the Advent decorations in our sanctuary to help prepare for the Hanging of the Greens. As part of that, I went to the Wikipedia article for “Poinsettia” and noticed a suggested link for “Christmas plants.” I thought, “Wait. How many Christmas plants are there? Poinsettias, Christmas trees, and evergreens, right?” Wrong! I clicked the link and was transported to a page that informed me about various and sundry plants used around the world in Christmas celebrations. But there was one that caught my eye.

In Oaxaca City, Mexico, December 23rd is known as “The Night of the Radishes.” Every year, people will carve elaborate scenes and figures out of radishes to create competitive displays in the city’s Christmas Market. The competition dates back to December 23, 1897, but the night itself predates that. According to legend, there was a year in the mid-18th century when the radish crop was so huge, large swathes of land were covered in unharvested radishes. That December, two friars pulled up some of the radishes and were amused by their sizes and shapes. They brought them to the Christmas Market on the 23rd and, after the radishes garnered attention, the friars carved them into shapes and figures. And so, The Night of the Radishes was born!

The other tradition I recently learned of is known as “The Christmas Pickle.” I was texting with my friends the other day and we were talking about our family’s Christmas traditions. One of my best friends from back home in Goldsboro informed all of us that every year, his grandmother would, “hide a pickle in the Christmas tree.” Curious, I texted back, “Wait, what?” After assuring me it was an ornament and not a real pickle, one of our other friends, who is not from Goldsboro, chimed in and said, “Oh yeah! My family does that too!” Again, I responded, “Wait, what?” She then informed me that one of her housemates, who is from Sampson County, also hid a pickle in her Christmas tree. To which I finally responded, “Well, it sounds like the Mount Olive Pickle Company’s marketing arm has been working overtime!” (Mount Olive Pickles are made just one town over from where I grew up).

However, apparently, “The Christmas Pickle,” is a real thing! It is believed to have been started in the United States in the 1890s. Though typically attributed to German immigrants, it is probably actually related to the importation of glass ornaments from Germany by Woolworths. Vegetable ornaments became popular in France in 1892 and were then also imported to the United States. Regardless of where it came from, The Christmas Pickle comes with a little game attached to it. Parents will hide the pickle deep in the Christmas tree and then, on Christmas Eve, they will ask their children to find the pickle. The first child that does either receives an extra present from Santa Claus or good fortune for the rest of the year. All thanks to a pickle!

Why tell these two stories? First, cause they’re fun! And isn’t Christmas supposed to be fun? But second, because it is amazing to me to see the creativity of people all over the world as we find ways to bring joy into the Christmas season. What a wonderful time of year!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

It is incredible to think that Advent is already upon us! This coming Sunday, November 27th is the first Sunday of Advent. It is the first Sunday that we begin to turn toward the manger and anticipate the arrival of the Christ child. And so, as this season begins, I wanted to take some time to describe the various services we will be having this year as part of our celebration and anticipation.

The first special service we will be having is this Sunday, November 27th during morning worship! This will be our annual Hanging of the Greens service. This is a service that is designed to formally finish up the decorating of the church for Advent and Christmas. Through readings, responses, and prayers we will meditate on all the various symbols we adorn the church with each year.

The second special service we’ll be having this year is our Service of Lament on Wednesday, December 14th at 6:30 PM. The Service of Lament is designed to be a time when we come together as a church family to acknowledge that some of us are carrying grief into the holidays. For some, this is their first Christmas without a loved one. For some, there may be a lot of strain on their relationships. Others may be feeling a sense of anxiety, depression, or both. At this service, we will carve out time and space to be with our brothers and sisters to remind them that they are always loved and that we, their church family, are willing to help them bear their burdens.

Then, on Sunday, December 18th at 5:00 PM, we will be having our special musical service, “God Bless Us, Everyone!” Kathryn, the choir, and all our wonderful musicians here at Hope Valley have been preparing and practicing for this service for weeks now and it promises to be a joyous service of singing and celebration! In addition to all the beautiful music, we will be having a reception after-ward as a time of fellowship as we enter the last week of Advent.

Next, we will be having our yearly Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion Service on Saturday, December 24th at 5:00 in our sanctuary. This is also a wonderful service as we come to perhaps the most exciting night of the year! It is a service where we come and declare our joy and gratitude for the message of Christmas—that God came and dwelt among us. Be sure to bring your family as we take communion together and light candles to celebrate the joy of Christmas.

Finally, the next morning—Christmas morning!—we will be having morning worship at 11:00 AM in our sanctuary. There will be no Sunday School that morning, but we will take time to come together and worship God as a church family. And, to the parents reading this, if your child needs/wants to bring their favorite present with them to worship that morning, they are more than welcome to do that!

I am looking forward to this next month of worship with you all! I’m looking forward to the time spent in fellowship as we anticipate, once again, the birth of Jesus and the reminder of God’s promise—that God will always be with us.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,
This past Sunday, November 6th, was All Saints Sunday. We took time to remember, honor, and celebrate the lives of those Christians who came before us. We took time to remember the things they taught us and the good times we had with them. If you were here on Sunday or you tuned in to the livestream, you heard me us that phrase, “those Christians who came before us” a lot. And you also heard me talk about those saints teaching us things. But as I thought about this past Sunday, I realized that I really didn’t share many of the things I had been taught over the years from the saints within my own life. So, if you’ll indulge me for a bit, I figured I’d share a few things that Sunday got me thinking about.

The first thing that hit me after the service was when I walked back into my office and saw my certificate of ordination. I was ordained by my home church, FBC Goldsboro, and so the names of the folks on my ordination council are people I have incredibly fond memories of. My youth Sunday School teacher’s name is there—she was, and still is, the definition of warmth, kindness, patience, and hospitality. She also makes, hands down, the best sausage biscuits!

Bob’s and Bill’s names are on there. I remember the steadiness of their faith and their dedication to serving the church however they could. I worked with them a lot building handicapped ramps for folks all around Goldsboro and Wayne County. They embodied James’ belief that faith without works is dead—and their faith was very much alive! I also remember that Bob has a sweet tooth and Bill liked to “pay” me for my volunteer work with a McDonald’s cheeseburger and a Diet Mountain Dew.

There were also three pastors on my ordination council, though only two signed. Scott and Glenn’s names are there, my youth pastor and senior pastor, respectively. To write what they have meant to be personally would take far too many Illuminators to be practical. The first pastor I ever interned for, Alan, also sat on the council—he is the unsigned pastor, simply because he called in from Georgia to be a part of it. Those three taught me more about my faith, myself, and what it means to be a pastor, than I will probably ever fully understand. And since there seems to be an unspoken food theme in my recollections—Scott never turns down Thai food, Glenn loves country cooking, and Alan is a sandwich connoisseur!

Most of the folks on my ordination council are still with us. Bill has gone on to glory, but I love that I have gotten to know all of them. I am grateful for the things they taught me and the good times I’ve had with each of them. And as I sit and think about all the wonderful things God has done for each of us, I really do believe that stitching Christians together as a family is one of God’s greatest ideas.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

By the time you’re reading this article, I will no longer be in the state of North Carolina. As you all know, I’m on vacation this week and my friends and I have traveled out of state for one of the most interesting trips I’ve taken in a while! By the time you read this, I will be in Salem, Massachusetts, just a couple days before Halloween.

As a history buff and a nerd for all things religious studies, I’m incredibly excited to travel to a place where every street has a history, every building has a story, and every name has a past. I’m also excited to be there just a few days before Halloween simply because I love Halloween and Salem is a place that leans into the wonderful weirdness of that holiday. It leans into the air of mischief and mystery that Halloween brings with it. And, from all I’ve read about the town, it is this incredible blend of the old and new. You can walk down one street and find a wax museum that recreates the people involved in the Salem Witch Trials. Walk down another and you’ll come to the House of the Seven Gables, made famous by Nathanial Hawthorne. Turn the corner, though, and you’ll find yourself in a run-of-the-mill Starbucks or a CVS. Salem’s past and present intersect in a fascinating way.

Now, obviously Halloween gets a lot of fanfare each year. As of 2021, Halloween was a $10.1 billion industry in America, with $1.9 billion being spent on candy alone. Stores deck themselves out selling various spooky products and decorations. But there is a church holiday the day after Halloween that doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

All Saints Day happens every year on November 1. Halloween’s modern name is derived from its original name, All Hallows Eve—that is, the day before All Saints Day. And in the past, All Saints Day was a day of the year in which churches would honor the lives and the faith of Christian martyrs, the saints, who had come before them. In modern times, though, we tend to use the word “saint” to describe any person of faith.

That means that All Saints Day has grown into this holiday where the church takes time to remember those Christians that have come before us. It is a day when we deliberately take time to consider the ways that the Christians we have known in our own lives, before they passed away, have shaped and molded us. It is this beautiful expression of the way that God calls all kinds of people from places all over the world to be a family of faith. It reminds us of their love for God, their neighbors, and for each of us. It is a beautiful holiday where the church’s past and present intersect in a faithful way.

Typically, churches celebrate All Saints Day on the first Sunday after November 1 and so we will be celebrating on November 6 this year. The families of our church members who have gone on to glory have been invited to join us for a special service that Sunday. You are invited as well. Come on November 6 and support our brothers and sisters who have lost someone. Come and share with them a fond memory of their loved one. Come and remind them that you are available to them if they ever need anything. Come and be a part of this tradition that links us with those saints who have gone before us, those saints who live among us, and those saints who will come after us.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

It’s that time of the year again. One of my favorite local events has come back to town and I’m excited to get to go soon. Growing up in North Carolina, this event was one that I went to constantly either for school field trips or for church youth outings. To this day, I’m the one that always gets my friends together and sends out the text, “Ok, so when are we going?” Y’all, the State Fair is back!

Now, I will say this, I am a more subdued State Fair visitor. I’m not into all the crazy rides with the pi-rate ships flipping upside down or rides like, “The Zip-per,” which is just a monstrosity! I’ve never understood the desire to go on the ride that uses centrifugal force to push you against the wall. I guess folks are curious what the spin cycle on their washing machine is like?

Instead, I go to the fair to take in the atmosphere, check out the submissions of artists and farmers from all over the state, and eat as much crazy food as I can! Every year, there’s a new lineup of things you never knew could be fried (might I recommend the Fried Key Lime Pie Bites!). Every year, there’s at least one thing I hear about that I think, “I’ve got to try that.” And this year, thanks to a local Instagram account I fol-low, I know what I’m looking for. It’s the Korean Corn Dog by Golden K Dog. It’s a chicken sausage with mozzarella cheese and fried like a corn dog. French fries are added to the batter, then it’s rolled in Flaming Hot Cheetos, drizzled with nacho cheese, and served with a side of spicy mayo. Sign me up!

Now, you may be wondering why I’m talking about the State Fair and particularly why I’m talking about a corn dog covered in Flaming Hot Cheetos. The answer is simply this, I love the creativity of the State Fair. It is a place where all different kinds of people from all different places all over this state come together to show off their talents and their interests. You can go into one section of the fair and see the largest produce you can imagine, cared for diligently by farmers here in NC. Go to another building and you can find local cake artists recreating scenes from Charlie Brown or creating a pastoral farm scene or making a Hocus Pocus themed cake. In another part are pumpkin carvers. In yet another part are musicians. And then, yes, there are the wildly creative food vendors.

What it reminds me of is the vast creativity of God. We were shaped and molded by a God who created all kinds of landscapes, land-forms, animals, birds, fish, reptiles, etc. And we are called, in our own unique ways, to be creative as well. We are called to use the gifts and talents God has given us in creative ways. Sometimes to spread the Gospel. Sometimes to reach out to our communities. Sometimes just to bring others joy. So, if you go to the State Fair this year, I’d encourage you to take a few moments and just take in all the wonderful creativity surrounding you. Whether you are there for the rides, the gargantuan produce, or the crazy food, take in the joy of it all.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Brothers and sisters,

As you all know, earlier this month we had our yearly Deacon elections. Three new deacons were chosen: Cameron Packer, Leigh Bigger, and Lucy Woodell. These three responded to the call God had placed on them and have agreed to serve as leaders here in our church. I’m grateful!

For both Cameron and Leigh, this will be their first time serving as Deacons, meaning that we will need to have a Deacon Ordination service soon! To me, this is always an exciting service. It is a wonderful time for us as a church family to come alongside some of our brothers and sisters, affirm the call God has given them, and encourage them as they begin their service. Ordination services are also wonderful opportunities for all of us to remember the ways that God calls each of us to serve, both within the church and within our communities. God has given all of us such incredible gifts and ordination services in particular do a wonderful job of celebrating those.

So, as part of the ordination process, I’m encouraging everyone to write letters, cards, or notes to Cameron and Leigh. You can write down what gifts you see in them. You can write down words of encouragement for the work that lies ahead of them. Maybe you want to write down fond memories you have of them or with them. Maybe you want to write something to them that will make them laugh. Whatever you feel you’d like to say to Cameron and Leigh, I would encourage you to write it down so we can present it to them when they are ordained on Sunday, October 23 during morning worship. These cards and notes will serve as constant reminders to them of the love their church family has for them.

I’m looking forward to this service. I’m looking forward to welcoming Cameron and Leigh onto the diaconate. I’m looking forward to the ways we will come around them and affirm their calls to leadership. Please be sure to pray for them as they start this new ministry. And please be sure to bring a personal note or card for them on or before Sunday, October 23rd!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben