M o n t h l y N e w s f r o m F P C Ty l e r • Vo l u m e 1 3 , I s s u e 1 : J a n u a r y 2 0 1 8
What Kind of Faith Do You Have? by The Rev. Dr. Stuart Baskin During World War II, prisoners of war in Hitler’s Germany suffered all kinds of misery and deprivation. One deprivation was food. Not only was there not enough food to sustain the prisoners, but what food there was was bland at best. Prisoners took to replicating all kinds of food from whatever they could get their hands on. Of course, the prisoners were not the only ones to have to improvise; civilians and soldiers alike on both sides took to making ersatz goods, like bread, coffee, butter, and jam, out of a wide variety of things. It wasn’t very good, and for prisoners of war, it still wasn’t enough to sustain them. But in the short run it added a little excitement to the otherwise dreary routine of prisoner-of-war life. Of all the things prisoners made, perhaps ersatz jam was the most disappointing. At first it tasted sweet, but the sweetness quickly dissipated, leaving a sort of sawdust flavor behind. The Sunday after Christmas, the gospel reading includes the story of Simeon and Anna, two devout Jews waiting for the Messiah. Luke tells us that when Jesus’s parents brought their newborn to Jerusalem for the rite of purification,
both Simeon and Anna recognized him as the long-expected Messiah. Their faith was strong — much stronger, apparently, than many others who were also gathered at the Temple. What’s the connection between ersatz jam and the story of Simeon and Anna? Theirs was no ersatz faith. I see people with lots of different kinds of faith. There are those whose faith burns as a steady fire within their souls, not flaring up or making vivid displays, but simply providing a constant, sustaining warmth. Then there are those whose faith is like a twig of a Christmas tree thrown in the fire: it flares up quickly and makes a dramatic display, then dies just as quickly. In my experience, the former is like solid food that sustains a person. The latter is like ersatz jam, which tastes sweet initially, but then begins to taste like sawdust, and which fails to sustain a person over the long term. My prayer for the new year is that we all experience the faith of Simeon and Anna, a faith that can sustain us through both the highs and lows of life, and even through the “everydayness” of life. No ersatz faith.
i n t h i s i s s u e | H I G H L I G H T S & F E AT U R E S We CAN Do It! | pg 3
Games Day Returns | Pg 5
Changes Coming to FIrst Friday | Pg 7
Get in the spirit of giving with FPC’s 2018 Souper Bowl of Caring.
All are invited to Games Day on Wednesdays beginning January 10!
Starting in February, infants and children from 6 weeks to 5th grade can participate in First Friday Fun! First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas 230 West Rusk Street, Tyler, Texas 75701-1696 (903) 597-6317 | www.fpctyler.com