February 16, 2023

Pastor’s Reflections – February 16, 2023

As we celebrated the day of love, St. Valentine’s Day this week, I have had the blessing to experience deep expressions of love, not the box of chocolate, flowers, and teddy bear kind of love, but the kind of love that stands the test of time and place. 

The kind of love that sits on a hard, cold chair for four hours comforting their beloved as the chemotherapy flows from the drip; both saving her precious life and making her feel so bad she wonders if she even wants to live anymore.

The kind of love that carefully plans every detail of the celebration of their beloved’s life through tears and the heavy weight of a broken heart.  

The kind of love that never gives up and always hopes, even while their beloved gives into the false promises of the bottle day after day.

Love is so much more than passion, so much more than romance, love is often a pair of overalls, work gloves, and steel toed boots; love is a decision.  Love understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing itself that is deeper than life itself.  God is love.

The feelings of Love are so beautiful and so strong and so deep and so wide, those feelings can also hurt like nothing else.  The heavy, heaving heart of Love can be unbearable, so much so that some of us run from it, avoiding it at all costs.  Those costs are steep, however, because a life without love, a life without God, is not really living at all.

As we experience the beauty and wonder and the sadness and ache of love this week; as we celebrate the life of Jim Burson on Saturday at 4PM at Kent and Pelczar’s Funeral Home; as we walk beside the Talmage family in the loss of our beloved Sandy Talmage; beside Venus in the loss of her dear Aunt Martha; as we continue our prayers of support and encouragement for one another for Heather, Linda and their family, for Nancy and Denny, for Jeff, for Betty in her loss of her beloved Randy, for Julie and her mom, for Colin Jr, for Nia, for Ukraine, for Turkiye, Syria, and for so much more, may we stand in the Love of God.  May we stand strong, holding onto our faith.  This morning I was listening to music from one of my favorites, Andrea Bocelli, and for what seemed like the first time, although I know it wasn’t, I heard the word to his song Believe in English, (for those of you who don’t know Bocelli, he mostly sings in Italian).  I found the words I needed for my aching heart, and thought I’d share them with you today too. 

One day I'll hear
The laugh of children
In a world where war has been banned.

One day I'll see
People of all colors
Sharing words of love and devotion.

Stand up and feel
The Holy Spirit
Find the power of your faith.

Open your heart
To those who need you
In the name of love and devotion.

Yes, I believe.

I believe in the people
Of all nations
To join and to care
For love.

I believe in a world
Where light will guide us
And giving our love
We'll make heaven on earth.

I believe in the people
Of all nations
To join and to care
For love.

I believe in a world
Where light will guide us
And giving our love
We'll make heaven on earth.

Yes, I believe.

I believe in the people
Of all nations
To join and to care
For love.

I believe in a world
And giving our love
We'll make heaven on earth.
I believe.

Looking Back Over the Week

This past Sunday we enjoyed a delicious Valentines breakfast hosted by Kevin and Sheila Barnes, thank you to everyone who made that such a lovely time of connection and fellowship.  If you missed the service and would like to catch up, check out our website, the service video is right there on the home page!  www.newmarketchurch.org

Looking Ahead

In Church this Sunday (Feb 19) at 10AM we will wrap up our focus on our Spiritual Gifts as we reflect on 2 Peter 16-21.  We will also pray our Guatemala mission team out as the team begins their journey on Feb. 25th.  While the team is gone, we will burn a candle each Sunday in worship for the team until they return. 

While Dave Talmage and I are away, Suellen Leugers will lead worship both Sundays, Seth Waters will lead music on February 26 and Zac Arneault will lead music on March 5.  We are so very appreciative of their support!

The Volunteer Appreciation Dinner is happening on Sunday Feb 19 from 5-7 in the Fellowship Hall.  If you are a volunteer and haven’t yet RSVP’d to me, please do so asap by replying to this email.

On Wednesday Feb 22 at 7PM join in for our Ash Wednesday Service at NCC to kick off the season of Lent.  We are hosting four other churches for this service, including: Stratham Community Church, Newfields Community Church, Greenland Community Church, and the AME Zion Church in Newington.  It will be a wonderful time of connection and intention to begin Lent!  This service will be live streamed as well for those who want to attend but can’t make it in person. I hope to see you!

On Friday Feb 24 let’s do lunch at Emery Farm in Durham at 147 Piscataqua Rd.  10% of proceeds from all sales in the café will support the NCC Food Pantry.  Thank you to Myleta Eng, (who is a member of our volunteer team in the pantry and she also supports our grant writing and funding efforts) for nominating the NCC Food Pantry to be the fundraiser focus on Feb 24!!

I hope to see you at church or at one of these events in the coming days.  May God bless you and keep you until we catch up with one another again.

With Much Love and Peace,

Pastor Patty