Pause to Ponder

“Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. 

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.”

                                                                           Psalms 65:4

Dear Pioneer Members and Friends,

We have had a growing number of visitors come to worship these days and I hear them say these kinds of things time and again: 

“Pioneer is such a welcoming place.”

“People reached out to greet me as soon as I arrived.”

“I’ve been made to feel right at home.”

Many of you have had the privilege of meeting regularly at Pioneer for years and are likely to agree with what our newcomers are saying.  So, let me suggest we pause for a moment and ponder what this good thing that is happening at Pioneer really is.  The Psalm passage above will help us as we consider the true nature of the fellowship so many of us enjoy.

 

The Psalm writer makes it clear that it is God who draws us into relationship for the purpose of satisfying what our soul yearns for most—meaningful, personal, and life-giving connection.  That each of us makes a point to help Pioneer be a welcoming place of life and ministry together no doubt makes a big difference.  That each of us make a point to call this good thing that is happening in our fellowship at Pioneer not just our own thing but a “God thing” is what will keep Pioneer’s extraordinarily warm and satisfying fellowship a sure thing each and every Sunday throughout the year.

Goodness, the Psalm writer declares, is assured for those who gather together in the house of the Lord.  God’s house is wherever people gather with God.  Relationship is the heart and being of God who, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a lively, friendly, life-giving community.  The relationship of the Holy Trinity draws us into holy relationships as well.  Each Sunday we offer up a witness to a God who is known, loved and made available through the relationships we, by God’s grace, create and nurture on God’s behalf.  By the friendly environment we offer at Pioneer God is able to provide inner peace and acceptance that satisfies the soul, generating true and lasting happiness for both new comers and old timers alike.

That we have God’s ongoing promise to bring blessings upon those who gather in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is what makes the joy of our Christian fellowship complete.   After all, we are human with ups and downs that play out in our relationships with each other.  But God’s love and friendship is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Our experience of fellowship at Pioneer may vary some from week to week, but the joy and delight of the Lord we share with one another will always be present bringing us friendship and happiness that will endure.

In loving fellowship,

Pastor Jerry

I went to his door again today
101 and still not done
praying for another day’s work if he may
as we watched his donkey grazing in the sun

Pentecost Sunday, which lands on May 19th this year, marks the fiftieth day after Easter when we gather to celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on followers of Jesus Christ.

Crossing all boundaries that would separate us, breaking down all language barriers, the Spirit brings the wideness of God’s love and mercy to places of loss, doubt, and fear in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit enlarges and empowers us to live and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in new and surprising ways beyond our wildest expectations.

This Pentecost season may we be open to receive a fresh stirring of the Spirit. Together in worship each week let us rejoice and in a variety of ways cheer: “We’ve got the Spirit! Yes, we do! We’ve got the Spirit! How about you?” Then blessed by the Spirit let us disperse to share the fullness of Christ’s love in simple words and gentle acts of kindness, a language all will understand.

A few words from Pastor O’Neill…

Tears have been shed recently
at the death of loved ones
who have been Pioneer members
and our friends in Christ for years.

Francis Hartman died on Sunday, April 14 at 99.
Ron Collman died on Thursday, April 25 at 94.
Memorial services for both of these saints will be announced later this year.

Yesterday teardrops flowed
at news of a dear friend,
two years younger than I
whose body gave way to cancer.

While often called upon to speak of hope found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

words can’t express all I feel

when I pause for a moment to embrace
death as part of the larger experience of life.

So as this National Poetry Month comes to an end
perhaps this little haiku from Called to be Alive!
will simply have to do:

Raindrops on window
Dead in Mighty River
Heading for the sea

Earth Day is Coming Soon!

Mindful of our call to care for one another and for each of us to do our part as good stewards for the sake of Mother Earth, what steps will I take this year for the health of our planet now and for generations to come?

A poem from Called to be Alive!:

Earth Day

Earth and humanity appear sometimes
​Like two ships passing in the dark,
Both destined for extinction.

Be it an impending shipwreck on an island of plastic
Or countless hearts crushed by relentless carbon heal stomps,
​Most continue to mindlessly sail on suffering waters,
Killing fields, swamps, and rain forests,
While mountains of earth’s ice melt faster than
The ever-expanding sea of cold human hearts.

So, imagine my surprise that night
At the Liberty Theatre in downtown Astoria when,
​By a call to life in honor of Earth Day,
Truth and imagination set to music
Spirited me beyond visions of loss and destruction
To imagine what I can do
To stop the death and dying.

If it’s true what I’ve been told about faith—
That it’s not first of all for escaping obstacles
But for experiencing them all the way through—
Then an earnest observance of Earth Day will
​Set the sail for a new faith journey,
Not for quick fixes but for these lingering, heartfelt questions:
What can I do to stop the killing, protect what’s left, and
Imagine new ways to live in harmony with Mother Earth?

Questions can serve as answers for the long run
On Earth Day and throughout the year.
​There are things I can do now—
Pick up litter in the neighborhood and
Bits of debris on the beaches,
Buy more local, naturally grown produce,
Amp up efforts to use less plastic,
Use my voice to vote eco-friendly,
Challenge myself and others to love the earth as we are to
Love each other, not in words and speech but
In truth and action.

---

Let your Earth Day observance reveal to you this inescapable mutuality:
​Injustice for Mother Earth means injustice for us all and
​From the life of Mother Earth comes life for us all.

​​​​

My intention:
I will hear Earth Day’s mandate: “Love Mother Earth as she has loved you,” and I will enter the crisis of climate change and plastic pollution beginning with the simple act of marking the Earth Day on my calendar [April 22]. Then I will jot down the names of one or more people whom I will ask to come forth and join me in a care-for-the-earth service project.

Wednesday is often practice day for our group Strong in Song. Together we rejoice in the marvelous way music unites our one small voice with others in God’s larger song of life.
Members from left to right: Gary Streeter, Kelly Stiles, Ron Buss, Jerry O’Neill, and Dena McNeel

In honor of National Poetry Month and the poem from which our group drew its name:

My One Small Voice

Mine is one small voice
Strong in Song that stirs
the world to dancing

Whether a place
of solitude and beauty,
isolation, or despair,

Mine is one small voice
Strong in the song always there
young, old, and ageless

Sounding like a song,
reading like the ancient story
This, my one small voice

Harmonizing with the source of life,
dancing in the oldest form
This, my oneness with God

From Called to be Alive!

Wonderful picture taken by Terry Hjorten! 

This year has been an especially beautiful Daffodil Cross experience at Pioneer. What a thrill  to see how this annual event since 1943 has touched  so many hearts in the community again this year! 

Terry’s photo captures beautifully these exquisite symbols of eternity. 

“May the circle be unbroken, by and by, Lord, by and by.”

Wonderful turnout this morning for the Daffodil Cross!

Moments after the cross was complete, project organizer, Denny Holmes, said with a big smile,
“When I saw everyone show up with the blooms and weather so beautiful, I almost cried. The Lord was with us.”

Amen, Denny!
The Lord is with us!
He is risen indeed!

“Koa Bear” and I instantly bonded when he arrived late yesterday afternoon.

The koa wood baritone ukulele will be helping me lead worship this Sunday. Our church group Strong in Song is also gearing up for a concert at a local Memory Care Facility. Koa Bear will have a big part in the set of songs we’re planning to share with the residents.

A big thanks to the amazing crew at Mele Ukulele on Maui for their beautiful instruments helping musicians stir hearts and create community all around the world.

Jerry

On this MLK Day
Let us be mindful of the crucial work of social justice that must come by way of our own heartfelt willingness to walk and give voice to the power of non-violence revealed in Jesus Christ.

Join me today in prayer that day by day our contemplation and action be grounded in God’s Spirit of peace no one can give or take away.

Pastor Jerry