January 10, 2024
Happy January, church friends and neighbors!
So, Taylor Swift. I don’t understand.
I mean, I am only barely acquainted with her music. What I’ve heard is definitely catchy and fun, and I love how self-deprecating she is in her videos. I love how she portrays herself as clumsy and goofy and flawed, while also being beautiful and talented (if you have a chance, go look up her video for “Shake it Off” and listen carefully to the words…it’s a fantastic example). And I am amazed by the confidence and honest vulnerability and business acumen of someone so young. But the level of adoration people have for her, the way her concerts sell out so fast, without the weird Beatles- or Elvis-esque mania…what is this? What is happening here?
And get this. Rajan Zed, the Hindu religious statesman who promotes interfaith cooperation around the world and organizes the Faith Forum in the Reno Gazette-Journal, sent those of us who write for that column a bunch of articles about how going to a Taylor Swift concert is like a religious experience.
What?
So I read them. And then I went online and found a bunch more. And just…whoa. This is a thing. There is something happening here.
Now, several of the articles – like the ones in Christian Century and the New York Times and at Charisma.com – took pains to point out that Taylor Swift concerts are NOT worship, but rather a surface-level taste of what community rooted in Jesus Christ can be. And of course, their point is well taken. But others said things like this:
“I go to church every Sunday like it’s my job — because it is. I’m a pastor: I believe in God and in God’s ability to use the church for good. I go to church expecting the Holy Spirit to show up, and she always does. But rarely do I have a spiritual experience like I had a few weeks ago during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.”
Rev Hannah Lovaglio, who wrote the above for The Presbyterian Outlook, described it as a festival of friendship and community and wonder and belonging and absolute unfettered joy. Sara Irwin at GrowChristians.org wrote that it reminded her to give our whole selves to God and invite God’s healing. Jeremy Peters at HackingChristianity.net (a fellow UMC pastor) wrote that it made him a better pastor, and that lessons from Eras can make us better churches.
Oh friends. Our workplaces and schools and even our churches and families can sometimes be really hard places to be. Our world, and every one of us in it, is longing for this: a place to be wholly welcomed, exactly ourselves and part of one another, encouraged and built up and supported through pain and hardship and healing and success. Genuinely seen and loved, in wonderful imperfection, and a part of building a whole WORLD like that.
Taylor’s music is fine. It is sweet, and catchy, and authentically human. It makes people feel seen and known and understood. But the story we have to tell in Jesus Christ is even more, and deeper, and better. If pop music, performed by an imperfect person who does her best to stand for kindness and goodness, can create a movement like this, can you imagine what the actual Gospel can do in the hands and hearts of people transformed by Jesus Christ?
Can you imagine?
Pastor Dawn
Worship This Week
Epiphany 2: Values Reset
We continue Epiphany worship this week, about the light of God and going “home by another route”, and the ways God leads us and transforms us in Jesus Christ. Last week we remembered our baptism, and talked about a “soul reset” that refreshes us and renew us and fills us from within. This week, we’ll talk about really examining our values: what they are, and what they should be. As you prepare your heart for worship, you might like to read and pray with Paul in Galatians 5:24-6:10. See you in church.
Remember to find us on YouTube so that you can watch live from home, or join us on KVLV radio on AM980 every Sunday beginning at 9:30am. If you have ideas or questions, or if we can be in prayer for you in any way, please call the church at 775-423-4714, or call Pastor Dawn directly at 775-671-5553. We’d love to hear from you.
Wednesday Night Prayer and Lectio Divina
**DATE CHANGE** Friday Evening Prayer has become Wednesday Evening Prayer, and will be held on the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm on YouTube Live. Lectio Divina is an ancient, special way of reading and praying with Scripture. Most people who try it find it deeply meaningful. Hope you’ll join us.
News and Fun Stuff
Monthly Brunch After Worship on Jan 21
Stay after worship on the 3rd Sunday of every month and share brunch with your church family and neighbors! Bring absolutely anything you’d like to share (food, friends, or just your gorgeous smiling face). See you then. #eattogetherfallon
“Messy Church” begins on Jan 21, too!
After brunch, join us once per month on the 3rd Sunday at 10:30am in the Fireside Room for a fun and inspiring all-ages Sunday School lesson. It’s a unique way of learning about the love of Jesus through games, music, art, and stories. Kids of any age and their grownups are welcome. Invite your friends and neighbors!
Pizza with the Pastor This Week
Join friends and neighbors for lunch and fellowship on the 2nd Sunday of each month at noon, and Pizza Factory. Everyone welcome, bring a friend! Pizza provided.
Hero Club Has Begun!
Safe, loving, high-quality after school care is HUGE need in our community, and we are so blessed to have folks in our church who are passionate about meeting that need. Steve Russell has been working hard at getting it going again, inviting community partners and finding grant funding so that we can offer a program that focuses on homework help, art and music, and healthy bodies, minds, and spirits. Kindergarten through 5th grade. Please pray for the whole adventure! And if you’d like to volunteer, please see Steve Russell or Pastor Dawn.
