Sharon Community Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Sharon Community Presbyterian Church, 522 Carnot Road, Moon Township, PA 15108, 412.264.7400, www.sharonpc.com, Becky Branch-Trevathan, Pastor.

 

Scripture – Philippians 3:4-14 NIV

…though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

Bob’s thoughts:

We had looked forward to revisiting this church to see the dynamics with a new pastor.

I remembered the striking wrought iron cross above the covered entrance and the larger cross inside. There is also a rustic cross at the edge of the upper parking lot that I assume might be adorned with seasonal wrap.

This was our first occasion to try to worship in a church within Allegheny County and we were not prepared. Retrospectively I suspect members were to register if coming to church (based on post-visit research) and had we known, we would not have tried to visit. We did not expect to be questioned, temperature checked, and required to sign a waiver absolving the church, let alone assigned seating by some random formula. Masks were required throughout the service.

Once seated in the pew we met the pastor, who explained some of the parameters for worship there. She also got to say a few words at the beginning and end of the service. The rest of the service was on video screen. There was a particularly lovely song from the praise team.

I believe we were both so irritated how the government can come to rule so much of how church will be done that neither of us felt worthy to partake in Communion. The government seems to be determined to keep Christ out; my heart goes out to His Church to be restricted so.

If I heard the children’s sermon correctly, I must comment on basic Christian theology: faith in Christ does not have to be a lifelong endeavor. Too many times I have witnessed deathbed conversions like the criminal crucified with Christ.

A good thought from the message on the Christian way of compassion: we have what we believe and need to show compassion to those who believe differently. And a favorite line, “to be vaccinated in humility.”

 

Jan’s thoughts:

In compliance with CDC guidelines (and presumably Gov. Wolf’s edicts, though that was not specifically stated), as we walked into this church we had our temperatures taken, we each had to sign a waiver, we were told where to sit and that we were expected to wear our masks throughout the service even though worshipers were seated with a row of vacant pews between them. In the course of all this, several folks necessarily and genuinely welcomed us.

Music was led by several folks off to one side of the sanctuary. We requested seats toward the back as volume is sometimes an issue for us; the usher sat us as far back as they were permitting seating, which was about the halfway point, which turned out to be fine. It speaks volumes about the singers’ ability to enunciate when I could understand them through their masks.

The children’s message was pre-recorded, another new thing during “these times.” It focused on the idea of a trophy for running a race (or a similar competition) and winning a prize. The presenter closed by reiterating her points, stating that you don’t get the trophy of going to Heaven if you’re a Christian for only one day. This surprised me, as I had interpreted Christ’s parable of the landowner in Matthew 20:1-16 to mean exactly the opposite. Not to mention the criminal crucified next to Him who believed in Him and Jesus told him he would be with Him in paradise.

The sermon was presented by Dr. Graham Standish, Executive Director of Samaritan Counseling. The message was called “Losing it All and Pressing On” and in it he spoke of historical figures who had failed in some sense and who learned humility because of their failure. Their humility then allowed them to succeed on a godly path. He stated it’s possible to be a religious success and a spiritual failure, and that failure moves us from certainty to humility.

 

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray You will carry Your church through this attack. Encourage their compassion for those who are hurting. Your Church has always been at its best when oppressed because You carry Your people. May it continue to be so. Amen.