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Articles by Kate Western
Remember - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Pastor Shawn Hannon Hope Lutheran Church, Arcade, NY Church people are generally really good at remembering—and I’m not talking about Joe who remembers when kids didn’t wear shorts to church or Judy who remembers when every seat was full. I’m talking about a deeper sense of remembering. I’m talking about a more real vision of the past in our present. Sometimes that remembering even sneaks into the language of our worship, but even when it doesn’t it is certainly there.
Peace Starved and Hope Deprived
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY Peace is scarce. Peace – that is, tranquility, harmony, serenity, stillness, calmness – it is a rare thing in most of our lives. On the contrary, tension and turmoil, anger and agitation, fear and worry are often ever-present aspects of our days. There is strife in our politics, bullies in our schools, catastrophes in creation, cancer in our bodies, and worries in the workplace.
What?! What?! What?!
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY My children ask a lot of questions. A lot. They ask why. They ask where. They ask who. They ask when. They ask how come. And more than anything else they like to ask: What?! What?! What?! Their favorite time to ask questions is when we’re on the road. Trapped in their car seats, my kids immediately become little detectives.
Clay Jars - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY I had lunch recently with a church member who shared his frustrations with health. He said he recently gathered with his friends and for an hour they took turns sharing their medical dilemmas. One person had lost a grandchild, another was battling cancer, another was in therapy, and one was still looking for answers.
Mountains - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY A while back while playing ping pong with friends, I had a buddy who interrupted the game with a weird question. Right before his serve he set the ball and his paddle on the table and looked at me almost aggressively and said: can you move mountains? I was completely caught off guard so I just said, “What?” So he asked again: can you move mountains? Before I could answer he got to his point.
Word and Action - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY We all know someone who talks an awful lot and who makes a lot of promises, but when it comes to getting things done has a tendency to not show up. We know people who make promises they can’t keep (most of the time we call them politicians). We know folks whose mouths write checks, their body can’t cash. You may even have a friend or family member whose vows are always taken with a grain of salt.
We are not there yet
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY We are not there yet. We are not yet what we shall be. “This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise,” Martin Luther writes. The scripture from 1 John probably put that idea in Luther’s mind.
Rude? - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY Some tribes of Christianity often brag about how bad they are at evangelism. My tribe – Lutheran – is one of them. Lutherans notoriously are afraid (reticent may be a better word) to discuss faith with others. Not all of them, of course… but most, I think. In short, evangelism is the act of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Eagle - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY I stood in my basement looking around at totes, bins, baskets, and cluttered shelves. As I approached each item I had one single question in mind: Do I need this? We were preparing our house to go on the market and the realtor gave us a simple task… Get the stuff out. Over the years my wife and I have collected a lot of stuff. We have too many Christmas decorations. We have bins of kids’ clothes.
The Future - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY There was a sign that hung in my family cottage growing up. It read, “To be seen, stand up. To be heard, speak up. To be respected, shut up.” It reminded me of an older adage, “Children are to be seen, and not heard.” I suppose there may have been a time and, perhaps even a place, where those statements were partially true, but I struggle with their social implications.
Skunk Chalice. - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY St. John has a recent tradition which involves using clay chalices designed and painted by our First Communion recipients as the communion vessels for worship during the summer months. As you can imagine, the vessels have varied dramatically in color, scheme and design. Traditionally, the girls’ chalices are very well decorated. They are painted masterfully.
Joy and Disbelief
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY If you were to encounter the resurrected Lord, how would you respond? Would you fall to your knees in worship? Would you throw your hands in the air in praise? Would you bow your head in reverence or cry out in joy? What would you do? In the gospel of Luke, when Jesus appears to his disciples, they do none of those things. There are no prayers lifted up. There are no shouts of praise.
Simple question: What’s better… New or old?
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY I have been thinking about that lately as I have watched basketball. Not because of the teams in the tournament or the old favorites who continually draw high seeds, but because of the countless commercials which seem to air every five minutes. You know the ones. Several years ago I still remember the ad That featured a man in a suit in a classroom talking with four children.
All Vine No Grapes
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY The Lutheran camp on Lake Chautauqua is a stunning piece of property that features picturesque views, towering trees, serene trails, and dynamic landscapes. Like the camp counselors who witness to Jesus throughout the year, the very ground of camp seems to proclaim God’s glory. There’s just one problem… grape vines. In some pockets of the wilderness grape vines have gone out of control.
Treasure In Heaven
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY I stood in my basement looking around at totes, bins, baskets, and cluttered shelves. As I approached each item I had one single question in mind: Do I need this? We were preparing our house to go on the market and the realtor gave us a simple task… Get the stuff out. Over the years my wife and I have collected a lot of stuff. We have too many Christmas decorations. We have bins of kids’ clothes.
Shout for Joy to the Lord...
Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music. Psalm 98:4 I’ve always thought the church was kind of like an orchestra – only in lieu of strings, reed instruments, percussion and brass, we have teachers, singers, bakers and worship assistants. In an orchestra you need all of the instruments, from the piccolo to the tuba, for the song to reach it’s full potential. The same thing is true for our church.
We Get To... - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY I sign a ton of forms validating community service hours. Sometimes it is for a kid who has to volunteer for school or an organization. At other times it is for an adult who is in trouble and needs “hours” to work off their crime. Regardless of who I am signing for, I like to ask the same question: why are you doing this?
Running on Empty
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY I noticed the gas gauge was low when I got in my car the other morning. I was in a hurry. I had a million things to do in a very short window of time. So, I figured I’d roll the dice and see how far I could go before stopping to fuel up. In between stops two and three the gas light came on. The orange light blared on the dash reminding me I had to stop and get fuel. I pressed on. One more stop, I thought.
Don't Forget to Eat
Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY I forgot to eat yesterday. I had meetings from 7AM through 9PM that night. Around dinner time I caught 45 minutes of free time and meant to grab a bite, but, like I said, I forgot. And so, when I arrived at home at 9:30 that evening, I was cranky. My wife wanted to talk about her day. I shrugged her off. My older daughter used every delay tactic she knows so she could see me before going to bed so she was still up and wanted a story.
Jesus & Scrooge - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY I have been to one of the seven layers of hell. I went to a store on Friday night 5 minutes before closing time. There is one register open for a line of 12 people waiting to check out. Three other employees stand at registers, but no lights are on.
Fake Snow - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY The Tuesday before Thanksgiving I went to a year-round Christmas store for fake snow and was told I was too early. They said it wasn’t the season yet and that I’d have to come back… tomorrow. Let me repeat that… The Tuesday before Thanksgiving I went to a year-round Christmas store for fake snow and was told I was too early. They said it wasn’t the season yet and that I’d have to come back… tomorrow.
Finger Pointing.
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY Admit it. You’ve done it. We all have. In this instance, we’re all guilty. It makes no matter whether we are Democrat, Republican or Independent, white or black, rich or poor. We all point the finger. We have made presumptions that, quite simply, aren’t true. We’ve cast judgments on others that are baseless. We’ve thought ourselves higher and better than others.
Ordeal - Jamestown Gazette
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY Life is filled with ordeals. In the past week we heard about the ordeal caused by terror. We wrestled with the ordeal caused by potential collusion and corruption. We continued to watch people recover from the ordeal caused by hurricanes and other natural disasters. Ordeals caused by cancer, death, divorce, employment issues, health concerns, relationship concerns, and so much more.
My Wishes Never Came True.
Contributing Writer Rev. Dr. Scott D. Hannon St. John Lutheran Church, Amherst, NY When I was a child I walked to school. During warm days I always walked on the edge of the sidewalk just in case there was a dandelion puff nearby. I was a firm believer that blowing away the seeds granted me a wish. On summer nights I was always on the lookout for that first star armed with a wish.
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