Wednesday June 17th 2020
A daily e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Dear Friends,
 
How are you doing? 
 
What are you curious about? 
 
What is growing around you outdoors? Do you sleep with your windows open? Have you been paying attention to sunsets? What about sunrises? Have you watched any good TV lately? What are you doing to grow in your understanding of and fight against racism? (Don’t be silent.) How do you like your steak? Which do you prefer: Pasta or Pizza? What’s your favorite book in the Bible? 
 
I woke up before dawn yesterday. At 4:30, the sky is lightening. To my surprise, the birds were in a frenzy of activity. I guess they were eating breakfast and reading the paper before work. I am not an early riser usually. I got to see a part of the world I usually miss. 
 
My brush with early morning reminded me never to cease being curious. May I suggest that if you are not curious about something, get curious (!).
 
God has filled the world with wonder.
 
Jerry Phillips was a curious soul. This afternoon I got news that he died on Monday of a stroke. 
 
If you knew Jerry, you knew there was nothing he could not build. He crafted wood, bent steel, played Hawaiian slide guitar, built Hawaiian guitars (and guitar stands), had a ginormous train set of several levels that filled three quarters of a room (and ceiling), had a player piano, invented stuff, made nativity sets, and was an avid camper. 
 
Jerry’s life reminds me to be curious about life, to engage in life hands-on, to honor the Creator by making stuff. I will miss my curious friend. 
 
Please think about somebody in your life right now who is alive and well. Call them up. Thank them. Celebrate them. Take them for granted no more. Don’t wait until their funeral to say how swell they were. Tell them now.
 
And if you’re up before dawn tomorrow catching the early worm, tell the birds hello and say a prayer when the sun burns above the horizon. Tell me about it.
 
I’ll be sleeping until 8:00.
 
* * *

From Sarah Laufenberg:  “I wanted to share an update about a Courageous Conversation our church hosted nearly five years ago. In 2015, documentarian Daniel Karslake visited Champaign from Berlin with his executive producer, Michael Leppin, to host a discussion following the viewing of his film, For the Bible Tells Me So. The event was held in our church sanctuary and was very well attended by church and community members. I will enclose three photos from the event.
 
“During the discussion, Daniel shared that he was working on a follow up to his documentary; members of our local community came together the following year for a fundraiser for that film. 
 
“I am so proud to share that his follow up film, For They Know Not What They Do, held its world premiere last Friday (online, of course). It was first seen last spring at the Tribeca Film festival, and has received very positive reviews, including one last week in the New York Times. 
 
“Due to the amazing support from members of our congregation, I wanted to share how to see the film. Daniel and his team wanted to support independent movie theaters, so have used them for distribution. In two simple steps, you can be watching the movie at your home: 1) choose an independent movie theatre from its list of options. 2) Purchase the film for $10. The movie link will immediately be available to watch the film.  Thanks for helping to spread the word!”

Daniel Karslake at First Pres….
  
* * *

NEWS:
 
It’s Jazz Night on tonight’s congregational ZOOM. Bring your favorite adult beverage (for me that’s a milk shake), and enjoy a few minutes of conversation, then great music by the Matthew Storie Quartet recorded in Westminster Hall. You know I like jazz a lot. The thing I mostly like is watching jazz live. I like watching the musicians pay attention to one another and allow each other to shine. This holy improvisation thrills me and is a great, theological metaphor for the journey of faith.

Compassion, Peace Justice meets Thursday at 11 am
Email info@firstpres.church for the link.

Youth Gathering Thursday at 4 pm
Email info@firstpres.church for the link.
 
* * *
 
Your Session is in need of two elders to replace sitting elders who had to resign. We need two saints willing to step in to lead our (1) Nurture Committee and (2) Mission Committee. 
 
Please volunteer. Please pray. Please nominate somebody.
 
The nominating committee is:
 
Eric Stickels, chair
 
Greg Cozad (12/31/20)
Judy Hendrickson (12/31/20)
 
Leland Andrews (12/31/21)
Linda Peterson (12/31/21)
 
Bill Stout (12/31/22)
John Seiler (12/31/22)
  
* * *
 
Good Word: 
 
James 2:9              
 “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
 
Let us pray: 
 
Holy, Dear God,
 
the statue of Robert E. Lee is coming down
and it’s about time. I used to love walking
west on Monument Avenue in Richmond
looking up to him, and J.E.B. Stuart, and
Stonewall Jackson on their magnificent
horses.
 
You walked with me, O God, remember?
We said hello to the flower vendors on
the Boulevard. We wandered into the 
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and 
paused long and looked closely at 
Georgia O’Keefe’s “Light Irises.”
On the way back to campus, we’d eat 
at Bogart’s or the Strawberry Street
Café, feet tired from walking across
all those rounded cobblestones. 
 
Give your people the courage, I pray,
to pull the statues down in every 
town square and university quad
and city hall of all the confederate 
generals and slave owners and 
broken people. 
 
We can remember them in the 
museums that we love. We can 
explore their legacy in their context. 
There, they can still teach us. And 
we can adjust our path so that we 
don’t re-live their mistakes. 
 
You, alone, are worthy to look up to. 
Forgive us our myriad idolatries.
May we leave the pedestals for the 
birds. As we follow their nimble,
glad flight, might we be reminded 
to set our sights higher.
 
Much, much higher.
 
Hear our prayer, 
 
O Most High
 
God.
  
A M E N .
 
(Matt Matthews, who loved traipsing around
Richmond, VA)
 
PEACE,
 
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church