Stated Clerk's Column
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About This Column
Written by Gradye Parsons
Each month the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Moderator or Vice Moderator of the 220th General Assembly write a column of general interest for the church-at-large.
Recent posts
- June 2016 - A journey of faith—Gradye Parsons
- May 2016 - A distinct family portrait of the PC(USA)
- April 2016 - Pack your mission T
- March 2016 - The hard work of reconciliation
- February 2016 - Sustainable ministry results from sustainable souls
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December 2013 - The Nativity Community
We need to start planning now. We have only 10 years till it is the 800th anniversary of the Nativity Scene. Tradition has it that Saint Francis started the custom upon returning from Bethlehem in 1223. He staged a Nativity Scene in a cave with live animals and people. It went viral and became the thing to do at your cathedral, chapel or palace. At some point statues were substituted for the characters. Then people made smaller versions and the crèche industry was born.
The Nativity Scenes or pageants I have witnessed tend to go from a couple with a new baby to a barn full of people fairly quickly. Why? John Calvin says in his Harmony of the Gospels, “It would have been to no purpose that Christ was born in Bethlehem, if it had not been made known to the world. But the method of doing so, which is described by Luke, appears to the view of men very unsuitable. First, Christ is revealed but to a few witnesses, and that too amidst the darkness of night. Again, though God had, at his command, many honorable and distinguished witnesses, he passed by them, and chose shepherds, persons of humble rank, and of no account among men.”
There was a need for a community to be formed to give witness to the incarnation. A community brought together around a God event that has been seen and experienced by many. Eyewitnesses might have seen just another baby born to poor parents. But these eyewitnesses have been taught by angels to look with different eyes. They witness to Joseph and Mary the proclamation they received from the angels. The community of shepherds and new parents shares its faith story.
The witness to me is that it takes a community to tell this story. It takes people with their eighth Christmas and people with their first. It takes people who can sing solos as well as people who can get one more ounce of heat out of the furnace. They come together from tradition, hope, struggle and wonder to witness to something bigger than them all. And that is how you create a Nativity Scene.
November 7, 2013
Questions cry out through a multitude of stories
The 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) brings together people from all over the globe. Men and women dress in the clothing of their country – I wear khakis and a sports coat – and you hear many languages and see many different customs. In the midst of it all, it is the stories that make the impression.- Posted at 12:16 p.m.
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November 5, 2013
Together Towards Life
Sisters and brothers in Christ from all over the world are praying together, studying the Bible together and discussing how to follow God as we are led toward God’s justice and peace at the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Busan, Republic of Korea.- Posted at 7:56 a.m.
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November 4, 2013
Reflections from the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches
The diversity of churches represented at the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches together share the universal call to be faithful to Christ and to care about neighbor and planet. That understanding resonated with me in the opening of the gathering in Busan, Republic of Korea, on October 30. More than 750 delegates from some 300 churches across the globe gathered under the assembly theme “God of life, lead us to justice and peace,” and opening worship included songs and prayers, some of which lifted up where we have fallen short of the goal.- Posted at 8:01 a.m.
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November 1, 2013
November 2013 - God's awe realized in prayer
Lord we are in awe. Those words began a lunchtime prayer at the meeting of the Presbytery of Savannah. It was genuine outpouring of that person’s faith and the collective faith of the people gathered in that space. Let’s explore what this little phrase might mean.- Posted at 6:00 a.m.
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