Pastor's Message

Then the one who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ Matthew 25:24-25

I have a difficult time with the parable of the talents (you can read it in Matthew 25:14-30), because through it Jesus is reminding me of something I don’t like about this world: the rich get richer. To make matters worse, the parable leaves me with the impression that this is the way God wants the world to work. The rich get richer. What manner of god is this at work in the parable?

The rich get richer. That’s the ugly truth under the current economic crisis. If you have ten talents or five talents to start with, then you probably still have enough left to clean up after the panic. You can afford to be “greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy.” Meanwhile, those with a mere one-talent nest egg, knew they just couldn’t risk it. It’s their hope. Their future. They know how unforgiving the whole thing can be. They fled the market in fear and went and buried the treasure in the ground, happy to escape with something and content to defend the little they have from loss. Then comes the reckoning. The richer get their richest reward. The others lose everything, even the little they had. Then, these others are confined to a future of darkness, weeping and regret. A pensioner’s retirement? An unemployment line? A short sale on my house and then back to live with Mom and Dad? The selling of the house and moving in with adult children? The final kick in the pants is that it’s the parable’s god-figure kicking the timid investor to the curb.

“Now, come on,” you may be saying. “That’s not what the parable is about. It’s not about money and investing, really. That’s just figurative language. It’s really about the church’s mission.” Yes. But isn’t it more about money and investing and your part, our part as church in the mission of God in the world. The brilliance of Jesus’ parable is that it works on us both ways.

First, it exposes the utter cruelty and brokenness of a system with money and markets as the god at the center, a system that rewards the rich and punishes all others, a system, which even today, so many of us are devoted to in fear, love and trust. We comfort ourselves and each other with these words: “Don’t be afraid. The market will come back. The money will return. We will be saved.” If that is where we have placed our hope, the parable coldly tells the story of what we can expect from that god who expects us to get out each morning and go about our mission in life: making money, collecting things.

At the same time, Jesus invites us into a life where who we are, what we have, what we do – gifts of God all – are leveraged in the kingdom of God. We exist by God’s grace as God’s people sent into the world. Our life, as community, is in God’s mission. God expects a return as we invest all the gifts that God has given us in God’s mission to love, save and bless the world in Jesus Christ. God expects us to grow the number of people in the world who are glorifying and thanking the God who raised Jesus from the dead.

This means taking risks with our time, with our talent and with our money in order to engage the world and the people around us in a creative conversation about how we can bring hope and life to all God’s creation. This means taking risks with our talent, our money and our time to engage people with a variety of invitations to come and worship the God who gives real hope in times of crisis, true light in the darkness of the world, and eternal life from out of death. This means taking risks with our money, our time and our talent to liberate people from fear with encouragement and examples of how to act and live generously, trusting in God – not money or market -- for our salvation. This means being 100 percent BOLD in Jesus name, as Jesus’ body, given for the sake of the world God loves so much.

We can do this, even in a recession. Or we can take the small number of gifts we have – the diminished store of money, the shrinking slice of time, the hidden bit of our talent – and bury them until Jesus comes again. It’s an option. But to make that choice will cost us everything, our money, our time, our talent. And, the grace of God – the privilege to be God’s people sent into this community to proclaim and enact God’s justice, love and mercy in the name of Jesus – that mission will pass to another. God’s kingdom comes with or without us. We pray that it may come among us in Nutley as well.

Now what? I think I will pray to God for courage, then head to that place where I bury my talent, dig it up, and then, with trembling hands take a risk by making an investment in God’s kingdom. (There are a lot of investment ideas in this newsletter alone.) And pray for 100 percent return. After all, when everyone is fearful, that’s the time to get greedy … for the kingdom of God and His righteousness. What are you going to do?

May God watch over you and give you courage and faith that lasts, so that you will be happy when Jesus returns (Matt. 25:21, 23). Amen

In our community

Church Night at the Devils

Join your friends from Holy Trinity at a NJ Devils hockey game, and save $30! There are two dates available in the coming months and the special group rate for upper level seats is $35 (normally $65 at full price.) Games are at the Prudential Center in Newark and tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis and may not be returned nor exchanged. We will have the tickets in advance, so you can arrange for your own transportation. (Some of us took the City Subway from Bloomfield for the last game.) I will order tickets, but only for reservations with full payment. Please write your name, the date of the game, and the number of tickets and include that with your cash or check payable to “J. Scott Jones.” Invite family and friends—the more the merrier! (Holiday gift?)

 Friday, November 21 vs. NY Islanders 7:00 PM (deadline Sunday, November 9)
 Sunday, January 4 vs. Ottawa Senators 5:00 PM (deadline Sunday, December 14)
Questions? (973) 338-0267 or jsjones0601@verizon.net


Choral Vespers

Scott and Emily Jones are singing Bach’s Cantata, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme at Grace Lutheran Church, Teaneck on Sunday, November 23 at 4:00 PM. The choir is under the direction of Carol Weber and will be accompanied by a professional orchestra. An offering will be received.
Grace Lutheran, 1200 River Rd., Teaneck, NJ 07666. GraceLutheranTeaneck.org

November Birthdays, Anniversaries and Disciples of the Month

Birthdays

4:Erika Bacik
8:Sara Murphy
10:Jennifer Murphy
11:Chris Amlung
12:John Fenton
13:Irene Falk
14:Barbara Hudnett
15:Victor Smith
18:Cathy Geiselmann
21:Erik Hess
25:Frank Siclari
27:Judi Lovas
28:Joelle Bernhard, Stefeny Krombholz, Aida Rubens
29:Grace Viola, Bonnie Munoz
30:Nancy Duhm, Nicole Duhm, William Murphy

Anniversaries

1: Ken & Irene Geiselmann
2: Richard & Susan Ulley
24: Louis & Terry D'Agnolo
24: Jim & Stefeny Krombholz

Disciples

For some time we have been naming families of the month, people and households to keep in our prayers. Now, we’re going to change the emphasis a little. Instead of praying for families, we will pray for individual disciples of Jesus. Each day of the week (except Sunday) has the name of a person in this community. Remember that person in your prayers that day. On Sunday, we will pray for all of the people listed in the coming week. You may even want to get in touch with these people and pray with them personally. If you don’t know what to pray for, then pray that each member of the Holy Trinity community would grow in their faith and love for God and their love for God’s people and God’s world, and pray that each disciple may be fully equipped to share the Gospel, overcome barriers and connect one to many through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

1:Angelika Achtiani
3:Ira Achtiani
4:Chris Amlung
5:Anne Erwin
6:Andrea Ahrens
7:Lou Ann Ariante
8:Kristen Osnato
10:Lauren Osnato
11:Matthew Osnato
12:Richard Bacik
13:Erika Lee Bacik
14:Richard J. Bacik
15:Ava Bacik
17:Joelle Bernhard
18:Matt Bernhard
19:Madison Bernhard
20:Helen Blair
21:Kenneth Blair
22:David Cabral
24:Jennifer Cabral
25:Brandon Cabral
26:Emily Cabral
27:Leona Candura
28:John Catelli
29:Nancy Catelli

Stewardship Strengthens....

Stewardship strengthens our relationship with Jesus

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS INVESTMENT IN
GOD’S MISSION THROUGH THE PEOPLE OF HOLY TRINITY!

Living Abundantly in a Time of Scarcity

30 percent of New Jersey Synod Congregations are Meeting or Exceeding Mission Support Goals

The news report tells the story of a crisis in the financial system, and some of us in New Jersey are feeling the pinch. Yet, in the face of it all, 30 percent of New Jersey synod congregations are keeping pace with their bold investments in the work we share strengthening our witness in 182 neighborhoods throughout the state. An even larger portion of our congregation’s witness to a trust in the God of abundance, the God who raised Jesus from the dead, by sharing a generous portion of resources in common ministries.

Holy Trinity is one of these congregations. At of the end of September, the people of Holy Trinity are on pace to meet and even exceed the goals for giving that we had set for 2008. Because we invest a proportionate amount of our regular gifts (11 percent) in our common work as a synod, the more we give, the more we share as partners in the mission of God in New Jersey, the nation and the world.

Thank you! What a strong sign of hopefulness and faithfulness. Our generosity as individuals and as the community of Holy Trinity is making a difference around the world. In these last two months of 2008, and as we make or recast our commitments for 2009, let’s encourage each other to BOLD generosity as we make disciples and strengthen our missionary behaviors.

Give thanks for this community at your Thanksgiving table.
This November, as we gather as families to give thanks to God and to enjoy a feast together – thank God for the generous people of Holy Trinity and for the grace of God that will keep us in this mission field for another 85 years. Thank you, LORD God, for your generous people. Grant that our talents may bring an abundant return when measured in lives changed, lived saved.

Ready to take a more active role in the life of this community?

This November, as we look in hope to Christ’s return, we also look to encourage each other and build each other up. There are many ways you can use your gifts to encourage and build up the people of Holy Trinity so that we can share the gospel, overcome barriers and connect one to many in Christ. Here are some ways to serve (please circle as many as you are interested in). Return this form to the church office.

Your name: _________________________________________________

Teams: I am interested in serving on one of these teams:

Worship and Music
Evangelism
Stewardship
Property
Discipleship (education)
Church Council
Transformation
God is calling me to lead a team.

Ministries: I would love to serve by participating in these ministries:

Prayer chain
Choir
Sunday School
VBS
Visiting
Welcoming
Walking
Book group
Community Newsletter
Publicity
Web site
Women’s Group
Bible Study
Events
Book Group
Outdoor
Game night
Seniors

I am passionate about and gifted by God to lead this ministry:


I am passionate about starting this ministry at Holy Trinity. Help me:


I know I am gifted, but I need help discovering those gifts. Call me