Third Reformed Church of Albany

03/25/2022

The Community Dinner returns tomorrow night after a two year break. 5 pm March 26 take out only.

09/24/2021

You are cordially invited to attend a memorial service on Saturday, September 25 at 2 pm here at Third Reformed. We will be honoring 5 members and friends of the church who we lost in the past year. We will be honoring Ken Baker, Shirley Bohl, Elsie Gallagher, Carm DeMarco, and Jim Templeton. Due to the pandemic, many folks were not able to attend the service at that time, and in some cases, no public service was held. It is time for us to gather to remember them all. Light refreshments will be served after the service.

09/03/2021

08/24/2021

Still missing

STILL LOOKING………..BALLSTON SPA

Estella has been missing since July 24th. They are not giving up! If you see her, please call immediately. DO NOT CHASE.
At the time of getting lost she has a red collar on.

Estella has been seen by Van Aernem Road and East High Street in Ballston Spa. She is tiny, only 7 pounds.

Newly adopted on July 23rd and does not know the area. She bolted out of her adopters front door on Atkins Road in Ballston Spa around 2pm on July 24th. She is wearing a red collar and is microchipped. She is EXTREMELY shy but will go to her foster mom.
PLEASE check under decks and open buildings as she is probably hunkered down.
If seen……….DO NOT CHASE
Anyone who sees her should call Katy at (518) 772-7057.

08/22/2021

08/19/2021

05/27/2020

MUSINGS FOR MAY 24, 2020 SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
PRAYER: Holy God, mighty and immortal, you are beyond our knowing, yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ, whose compassion illumines the world. Transform us into the likeness of the love of Christ, who renewed our humanity through his life, death, and resurrection—the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Seventh Sunday of Easter is now upon us. John takes us back to the Last Supper, to what has come to be known as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. Jesus prayer is particularly important as this week we marked Jesus Ascension, and we are moving towards Pentecost. He had been talking to his disciples about life after he departed, and in this prayer the final lines simply jump off the page. Jesus said:
“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

17:7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you;

17:8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

17:9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.

17:10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

17:11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
When Jesus spoke these words, he knew his time was very short. He wanted his people, God’s people to stick together, to hang in there, to be as unified with each other as he was with God. He prayed for their protection, for our protection because we believed in Jesus and therefore belonged to God. I suspect the impact of these words did not immediately register with any of them. We know how the rest of this evening went, and certainly recall what happened on Good Friday. Sometimes it is only in retrospect that we can truly see what was meant by the things that have happened. Sometimes we can be too close to see the ultimate meaning. Sometimes it seems to take a while for the church to get moving.
Martin Luther once said something about the church that rings very true. He noted that the we often need to think of the church as the hidden church. Those times when we think that the church that the church should rise up united in power and strength and it does not. Then, when you don’t think the church is even a factor any more, when it seems to be an afterthought at best, it will rise to the occasion.
There is no doubt that the world is a hurting place. This virus affects us all and it is impacting people around the globe. It is not just Americans that are dying, people are dying everywhere. The world is in dire need of help, of that there can be no doubt, but the truth is that God’s help is already present in the world. I suspect most of us are too close to this current crisis to see the hand of God at work in and around this planet we call home. We need to open our eyes and hearts.
When I was a chaplain, one thing I learned was that the power of God was present in that very secular hospital that I was working. It was indeed a holy place. I was privy to a lot of sadness, and I saw a lot of pain and suffering. I saw things happen that were horrific, that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. But I also knew how close God was in that place. Somehow even though I often felt helpless and did not know what to say or do, I was still able to make a difference for people. That was God’s work, not mine. And as time went on, I saw people able to let go of loved ones, I saw families reconciled. I saw children sick in their beds in pediatrics asking me to pray for their mothers and dad, because they knew how much pain their parents were in. I saw hope and love in men and women and children we were experiencing one of their worst days. I saw how the nurses in particular cared for the people in their charge. I saw devoted families sitting at bedsides day after day, never losing their hope or their faith. It was a blessing to have been a part of all that for a couple of years.
We are seeing the same thing today, if we have eyes to see it. People are putting their lives on the line for others day after day, week after week. They are scared, and tired, and yet they go on. People are helping other people, getting groceries, bringing folks to the doctor, getting prescriptions. Some have served others in hospitals, and have fallen victim to the virus themselves. It’s Memorial Day, a day when we remember the fallen, we remember those who gave up their lives for others. They probably would rather have not, but they did what they were asked to do. So it is wish the health care workers and others who are considered essential. Some of them have fallen too. We must not forget that. We should never forget that. More will fall as this pandemic continues. We need to remember the families of those who have fallen in this pandemic as well.
I know we are tired and want to get back to normal. Whatever normal might be, I am never quite sure what that means. We must exercise caution and due diligence. We have to use our heads. I know that it is impossible to guarantee absolute security. I know that we cannot do this forever. But right now we have at least 97,000 dead in this country alone, and the deaths are continuing day after day. We done what we can to protect ourselves, and we will never know for sure what it might have looked like if we didn’t do the things we did to slow the virus down. But slowing down does not mean gone away.
There is an ebb and flow to history. Often it is only in retrospect that we can see the actions of God in the world. It was God that raised up the Hebrew exiles from Egypt. It was God who took Good Friday and turned it into Easter. God does amazing things with ordinary people. We saw the confessing church of Germany stand up to Hi**er because of people like Dietrich Bohnhoeffer, we saw the church survive in Soviet Russian when a bunch of little old ladies, the bubushkas defied the atheistic government orders to close them down. People like some of the older ladies in our very own congregations kept the church going in defiance of armed soldiers That strength and courage came God. Now the USSR is no more, but the church of Jesus Christ is still there. Such is the power of God.
Things don’t always happen the way we want them to or in the conveniently timed way we would like, but they certainly happen in God’s time. Never, ever give up. Never think that the world has had the final say, or that secular powers of the moment will hold sway if that is not the will of God. God is active and involved in every aspect of our existence, whether or not we are completely aware of it or appreciate it at that time. God always wins in the end. Remember, it is God that took a rag tag group of men and women, none of whom were considered to be the best and brightest and breathed the Holy Spirit into them on Pentecost Sunday, and turned lambs into lions, and touched off a revolution which changed the world. More on that next week. We shall overcome.
Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
That they may be one. What a concept, and for a very long time it seemed almost impossible, especially since the reformation which gave birth to a multitude of denominations. I always say “we are better together” because we are. We are meant to be in community—not always in complete agreement, but we are meant to be united as Christians. God loves a variety of people, but God wants us to work together, to be in community, even with our disagreements.
For a long time that was not able to happen. Catholics kept to their own, the Protestants kept to their own but slowly over the years some of those divisions have faded. I even went to a Catholic school, St. Bernards and got my M-Div from there. I sat in class with lots of different denominations and certainly with Roman Catholics. Now I serve two reformed churches, and actively supervise several more. God always has a plan, we have to learn to trust God, even when it is hard. Especially when it is hard to do. Sometimes we just need to remember that God is there, and life is a lot simpler than we make it out to be.
I love what Robert Fulghum wrote in All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. This is an excerpt:
"Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.
"These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody...
"…Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that...
That sounds like a great plan, now doesn’t it? I am all for taking naps, and trying to see the wonder and joy in the world. I also think we are better off cleaning up our own messes, and I am an advocate for holding hands, but let us remember to wash them thoroughly, or use sanitizer afterwards.
Jesus asked God to watch over us, and wanted us to watch over each other as well. I think that is just another way of saying the high priestly prayer, now isn’t it? We knew the right way to be and the right way to live when we were wee ones, now didn’t we? What happens to us when we grow up? What makes people so angry? What makes them turn their backs on injustice? What makes them feel put upon by wearing a mask to protect others from their germs? What makes them say things like “those people are scared of their own shadows? What terrible thing happens to people that makes them feel they have to lash out at others? What frightens people so much about people who don’t look like them or sound like them? Little kids don’t notice such things, yet we do. That is learned behavior, and it is behavior which stinks. We need to pay attention when it creeps into our lives from whatever hidey-hole that it is in. And heaven forbid that we pass on such things to our children. Passing fear and hate of those who don’t look like us or talk to us is shameful and it has not place in the Christian life. God bless those who figure that out, and change their ways.
Jesus has shown us the way. In fact the first Christians were followers of the something called the Way. They got the message, finally. They finally understood Easter. Jesus told us what really matters. Read the red letters my friends, they say just about everything you need to know about how God wants us to live with each other, that we should love God, and love our neighbor, and that everyone is our neighbor. To forgive, and to try to forget. To stand up for what is right. You see, we may think we know where we are going, but it does matter what you do along the way. God is always there, through our ups and downs, and our comings and goings, and God knows our heart. Amen.

05/18/2020

MUSINGS FOR MAY 17, 2020 SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
SCRIPTURE LESSONS: Acts 17:22-31 • Psalm 66:8-20 • 1 Peter 3:13-22 • John 14:15-21
Prayer: People of God, look about and see the faces of those we know and love, a community of kindred hearts. People of God, look about and see the face of those we hardly know -- strangers, sojourners, forgotten friends, the ones who need an outstretched hand. People of God, look about and see all the images of God in me, in you, in each of us and in all the world God so loves. God's spirit shines for all to see. May our eyes, our hearts and our souls be open on this day, and each day that follows. Amen

I seem to be spending a lot of time on Zoom these days, which is the platform we are using in order to gather together for worship. Yesterday we had Consistory for New Baltimore, and I suspect pretty soon we will be having a meeting for Third Reformed as well. I had several other meetings on zoom over the course of the last week, and even though it is in many ways easier than getting out of the house and driving to a different location, I am finding that after about an hour or so I am exhausted by it, which I find strange.
On Thursday we had a meeting of the mediation team. It was the first one we had via zoom, and in fact it was the first full meeting of the entire team that we have had in quite some time, it was probably been a year or more since we last met. Only one of the members was not there. As I looked to the other members of the team, I realized how many folks that I started on this team with had left, and that there were new people joined and I hadn’t known had joined. Our opening question was how we were doing, how we were feeling, and what was our favorite ice cream flavor. When we were asked how we were feeling, I simply said I was tired. Tired of Zoom meetings, Tired of Covid, and the worry, and all the precautions. Tired of being apart in worship, tired of people not taking this seriously, and at the same time wishing it was over with. I am tired of it impacting all of our lives, and I wonder when it will end, and what we will look like, what it will look like when we reopen the state. I am not sure how other feels about all this, but that is how I truly feel.
Today Jesus is still talking to the disciples. He knows he will be joining his father soon, but he made us an important promise, that he would not leave us alone. That he would send another advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit to be with them, with us. He went on to say that the world would not see the advocate, because the world could not see or know him. They would, because they knew and loved Jesus. Knowing Jesus helps us to see the truth.
They were together in one place. The day was coming when Jesus would leave for good, and he would send the advocate, that guiding force, the Holy Spirit to support them, to help them to discern, to help them remain connected to Jesus, to God and yes to each other. Isn’t it interesting that when Easter happened, when everything went south for Jesus it seemed like his followers, his friends, his disciples had hit the bricks, they ran and hid, and who could blame them, after all, they were only human. What they saw happen was an unmitigated disaster, it was a nightmare. They saw what had happened to Jesus. He had been brutalized by the Romans, and he had been handed over to the Romans by their own religious leaders.
Frankly, they were rightfully in fear for their lives. They hid out but they did not go far and I can’t help but wonder why? What held them together? Something clearly did, otherwise they would have fled the city entirely after Jesus was crucified. But they stayed nearby, and gathered together. First the women reported the resurrection, and soon a few saw Jesus, and then more, but he made it clear that things were going to be different. Things would never be like they were, but they would still be together. That they were better together. God’s people, together. That theme continues throughout the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament. They knew Jesus, and thus they knew God, Jesus tried and tried to get them to get it in life, but I think it was only in his death and resurrection that they connected the dots.
The spirit of truth. What is truth? Surely you recall who asked that question, or made that statement. In John 18:37-38 we hear part of the encounter between Jesus and Pilate that fateful day. “Then Pilate said to Jesus, 'So you are a king, are you?' Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.' 38Pilate said to him, 'What is truth?' After saying this, he went back out to the Jews and told them, 'I find no guilt in him'”
But what happened after Pilate said he found no guilt in him? Did he set Jesus free? No, he had him flogged and then had him crucified after giving the crowd the option of saving Jesus or the bandit Barrabas. You see, for Pilate, the spirit of truth did not exist. For him truth was a relative thing. It was a matter of political expediency. Jesus was a problem to be solved. He was a bother. He caused a disturbance in the Holy City at a dangerous time, for there was a huge number of folks there. The Roman rulers wanted peace and quiet, and no issues with the Jewish population they ruled over. After all, other Jews had brought Jesus do him. They did not like Jesus. It is uncertain how Pilate felt about this man Jesus, but it truly did not matter. He washed his hands of the whole affair.
You see, it did not matter to Pilate what the truth was. The truth was not in him. Jesus was a pawn to be used to further Pilates own ambition. As soon as the crowd said “crucify him” it gave him his political out. A typical politician, he was able to turn it into a win-win situation for him. He thought the world was done with Jesus after Good Friday.
Jesus said he was in the world to bear witness to the truth. Pilate did not have the ears to hear. You see, the truth matters. The truth is everything, Truth is an absolute, it is not something that is relative to Jesus. In today scripture he said: This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
The truth matters. The truth is not relative. Jesus prayed in John 17:17: "Make them holy in the truth; your word is truth", and in John 8:32 he said "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Now very careful with the notion that truth is absolute. This can be a big problem for some people. They hear that truth is absolute, and not relative, and they spend their using scripture to club people over the head. That was not Jesus’ way, and it should not be our way either. Just as the sabbath was meant for people, and not the other way around, the truth is there to set people free. It is not there to shackle people to a code of conduct that NO ONE actually able to adhere to, especially the rules of men. We cannot do it the right way on our own, we need help. We need God’s grace to come close to getting it right, and even the best of us stumbles and falls from time to time.
The truth is during Holy Week Jesus entered the Holy City to cheering and adoring crowds. A few days later another crowd, undoubtedly including some of the very same people who welcomed him were now screaming “Crucify him”. How can we reconcile those facts? Hard to think about it, isn’t it? Have you ever changed your mind? We want to be among the crowd who welcomed him, but not among the crowd who called for crucifixion. I wonder though what the truth of that is.
I think the truth is that crowd was made up of people much like you and me. People who were misled, were confused, or lost sight of the truth, or just went along with everyone else. Maybe they were afraid. How many times have you known something was wrong and turned your head and said nothing? How many times have you done something you absolutely knew was wrong, but you did it anyway? You see, being the truth is hard work. It takes a lot of energy and effort, and sometimes there seems to be little reward for it. That is why we need God, we need Jesus, we need the Church, and we need each other.
Jesus said the spirit of the truth would come, that the disciples, that we would not be left orphans. That is a profound statement. Think about the folks who have lost their jobs in the Covid crisis. The waitresses, the small shop owners, the people working for restaurants to name a few. Think about the folks who have worked through this crisis, the health care workers, the folks working at the grocery stores. All feel fear, all are struggling, all wondering how this will all end. What would it be for them? Are they to be left as orphans?
What about the LGBTQ folks that many in our denomination do not wish to include? What about the victims of Covid? Taking care of them is a risk, should our health care workers leave them uncared for because of the risk to their health? What about those who lost loved ones? What about the folks that we have been separated from as we isolate ourselves? What about those who have not been able to attend worship for one reason or another?
We are in a time when we have a lot of questions, and sometimes we seem to have a lack of answers. Some of us are very tired of all of this. We cannot plan things very well right now, because there is no telling if we will be able to keep our plans. It can be hard to be optimistic with so much changing in our world and our lives. That having been said, we must take stock of the promises of God to each and every one of us. The promise to be there for us every step of the way. We were not promised that our journey through life would be simple, or easy or without any pain or suffering. We were promised that we would not be alone, not be left as orphans. As we that stock of those promises, think back to all those whose life you have been a part of during the course of your lives. We did not do this alone, did we? We all had help: grandparents, parents, all of those who touched our lives helped us get to this place. Each of us has a unique journey, but we have been brought together. Our function, our task as we enter this new phase in our collective lives to help to fashion and create the new world which is coming, and we must do so as God’s people, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Amen