PASTOR CARR'S SABBATTICAL ESSAYS
First Baptist Church of West Hartford
| Dedicated to bringing Christian Faith and Life together through Worship, Outreach, Education and a Caring Community |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| First Baptist Church of West Hartford 90 North Main Street West Hartford CT 06107 |
Most of us know "The Serenity Prayer." But few people know that it was
written by Reinhold Niebuhr one of the most important theologians of the
twentieth century. And most do not know that his prayer was longer than what
is generally used and displayed. It is, I believe a deep and powerful prayer and
call to a way of life that is surrender and action for the purposes of God and the
sake of the world. I share the entire prayer with you and wish you the serenity
and peace of Christ it is meant to offer.
God, grant me the serenity to
accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will.
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You
forever in the next.
Amen.
Peace be with you,
Tom
written by Reinhold Niebuhr one of the most important theologians of the
twentieth century. And most do not know that his prayer was longer than what
is generally used and displayed. It is, I believe a deep and powerful prayer and
call to a way of life that is surrender and action for the purposes of God and the
sake of the world. I share the entire prayer with you and wish you the serenity
and peace of Christ it is meant to offer.
God, grant me the serenity to
accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will.
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You
forever in the next.
Amen.
Peace be with you,
Tom
AMY'S CORNER
As one member of our congregation heads to the Congo and many others are
preparing for a mission to the Gulf Coast, I find myself thinking about the impact each of
us can have on the world.
One book on my shelf concludes with the question, “Can just one person make a
difference?” What do you think? The book actually explores the journey of a cow
named “Faith” who had a “mission”. “Faith” the cow made a difference. Little things,
small steps, just a few coins can leave a lasting mark. It only takes a child a few seconds
to make a mark on a wall with a permanent marker; imagine what the masterpiece might
look like if we created together.
preparing for a mission to the Gulf Coast, I find myself thinking about the impact each of
us can have on the world.
One book on my shelf concludes with the question, “Can just one person make a
difference?” What do you think? The book actually explores the journey of a cow
named “Faith” who had a “mission”. “Faith” the cow made a difference. Little things,
small steps, just a few coins can leave a lasting mark. It only takes a child a few seconds
to make a mark on a wall with a permanent marker; imagine what the masterpiece might
look like if we created together.
A Brief Preface to the Essays
The following are essays are some of the fruit of my four month, 2007-2008 sabbatical as
pastor of the First Baptist Church of West Hartford, Connecticut. They come from my
twenty-plus year involvement in issues related to religion and the environment as well as
my interest in studying the interaction between spirituality and modern science. These
essays emerge from five basic points of reference:
1) my concern for the state of the planet, the devastation of Earth’s life systems;
2) my conviction that the Christian faith and other spiritualities are indispensable in
understanding and shaping our human place and purpose on Earth, as well as guiding our
living in a mutually enhancing way;
3) my belief that modern science can and should be in partnership with religion and that
the discoveries of scientific cosmologists and quantum physicists are essential to our
understanding of the origins of the universe, how life really is and how it is evolving;
4) the recent understanding of and acknowledgement that there is a story the universe
has been telling for 14 billion years that is primary with all other stories, including the
human story, being derivative; and,
5) my conviction that God is the Ground of all existence and is the One actively engaged
with all life.
These are works in progress. I invite your input in this ongoing, and what I believe to be,
critical work of understanding who we are and what is our purpose in God’s amazing
creation.
These essays are not intended to represent my final thoughts on the universe story, the
interaction between science and religion, or the needed paradigm shift in the way we see
and live life. They are designed to be read, discussed and questioned. Some of the
essays may seem to veer from this primary focus. However, I believe they raise essential
questions in helping us think about how we should, ought, or may begin to start living with
one another and Earth in a mutually enhancing way.
I hope that as you read these, you will be moved to undertake your own study of the
issues I raise; better yet, I hope you will meet with others to discuss these and any other
thoughts you might consider essential to the health and well-being of our life together.
The following are essays are some of the fruit of my four month, 2007-2008 sabbatical as
pastor of the First Baptist Church of West Hartford, Connecticut. They come from my
twenty-plus year involvement in issues related to religion and the environment as well as
my interest in studying the interaction between spirituality and modern science. These
essays emerge from five basic points of reference:
1) my concern for the state of the planet, the devastation of Earth’s life systems;
2) my conviction that the Christian faith and other spiritualities are indispensable in
understanding and shaping our human place and purpose on Earth, as well as guiding our
living in a mutually enhancing way;
3) my belief that modern science can and should be in partnership with religion and that
the discoveries of scientific cosmologists and quantum physicists are essential to our
understanding of the origins of the universe, how life really is and how it is evolving;
4) the recent understanding of and acknowledgement that there is a story the universe
has been telling for 14 billion years that is primary with all other stories, including the
human story, being derivative; and,
5) my conviction that God is the Ground of all existence and is the One actively engaged
with all life.
These are works in progress. I invite your input in this ongoing, and what I believe to be,
critical work of understanding who we are and what is our purpose in God’s amazing
creation.
These essays are not intended to represent my final thoughts on the universe story, the
interaction between science and religion, or the needed paradigm shift in the way we see
and live life. They are designed to be read, discussed and questioned. Some of the
essays may seem to veer from this primary focus. However, I believe they raise essential
questions in helping us think about how we should, ought, or may begin to start living with
one another and Earth in a mutually enhancing way.
I hope that as you read these, you will be moved to undertake your own study of the
issues I raise; better yet, I hope you will meet with others to discuss these and any other
thoughts you might consider essential to the health and well-being of our life together.
Essay One - Why I'm Thinking
Essay Two - Contexts
Essay Three - Oneness
Essay Four - The Universe Loves
Diversity
Essay Five - Cataclysm
Essay Six - Creation EX Nihilio
Essay Two - Contexts
Essay Three - Oneness
Essay Four - The Universe Loves
Diversity
Essay Five - Cataclysm
Essay Six - Creation EX Nihilio
Essay Seven - What Happens
When We Die
Essay Eight - A Question of Rights
Essay Nine - Judgement Day
Essay Ten - Hope
Essay Eleven - What is Most
Needed
Essay Twelve - The Meaning of
the Messengers
When We Die
Essay Eight - A Question of Rights
Essay Nine - Judgement Day
Essay Ten - Hope
Essay Eleven - What is Most
Needed
Essay Twelve - The Meaning of
the Messengers
I begin with a heartfelt thank you – to you, the First Baptist Church community for giving
me the time and the space to be on sabbatical, October – November, and January and
February. It was your support that allowed for this to be one of the most creative, spirit-
filled periods of time in my life. To Duane Adams and Dick Pierce, for scheduling the
preachers and worship leaders and pastoral care coverage, I am grateful. For all those
who preached and prayed and cared for our congregation and led small groups, I am
grateful. To the church staff for their being faithful to their work and the life of the
church, I am grateful. And I am grateful to and for Amy Hollis for her work and for doing
so many of the small and not so small things in my absence. In particular, for several
weeks in January and February, she did all this during a difficult time for the family dealing
with a serious issue related to Scott’s health. She, and her family, is a gift to our
community.
Many of the reflections of my sabbatical experience can be found in the twelve essays I
wrote related to my study theme (posted on the church website , www.fbcwesthartford.
com, or through the church office), in the synopses of the books I read, and in the
sabbatical summaries. Here, I wish to share just three brief thoughts that came alive in
me in a very profound way during my time away. First of all, I’ve come to know the truth
expressed in both science and spirituality that all life is one. Through the genome project
and quantum physics and scientific cosmology and the mystics of every religious tradition,
we have been awakened to the fact that everything and everyone emerges from and is
embedded in, a great singularity. There are no separate parts anymore, if by separate
we mean disconnected beings who have no intrinsic relation to anything else in the
universe. It’s all one; we emerge from this great oneness and are an integral part of it all.
This adds so much to what most of scripture yearns for us to recognize:
“God formed the adam from the ground (the adamah) and breathed into him the breath of
life; and the adam became a living being [just like all the other living beings].”
(Genesis 2)
“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one; [and there is nothing more].”
(Deuteronomy 6)
“I pray that they might be one, even as you and I, God, are one.”
(John 15)
How will we deepen this oneness in our congregation? And in what particular ways will we
widen the welcome of our congregation to include more and more people of many
different ways of being who are gifts of this great oneness of God?
Secondly, I had countless experiences in my time away that confirmed the truth that all
life is sacred. Earth and all her creatures, including us humans, are a part of and
expressions of this sacredness. There is no such thing anymore as sacred and secular; it’
s all one and the foundation of this oneness is its sacred, Divine character. In other
words, the spiritual or the Holy, is the foundation of existence and all life emerges from
and returns to this Spirit. (“Through him all things came into being” – see John 1 and
Colossians 1) And so, how we live, interact with others, and plants, animals, soils, waters,
air, is an expression of our relationship with God. As we open our eyes, what do we see?
Who do we see?
Third, I felt powerfully that I belong. In fact, every single one of us belongs and we matter,
profoundly. Some people look at the stars or contemplate the vastness of the universe
and feel so small and insignificant. We convince ourselves that we don’t matter, that we’
re just a “cog in the machine,” and that who we are and what we do don’t make a wit of
difference; in fact, we sometimes assume that the world would be better off without us.
But in these four months, I re-discovered how much we matter. Because we are here, the
universe is as it is, and because of us, it changes, grows, evolves, becomes more
complex and wonderful. Every one of our actions effects every other person and every
other being, and every action of another effects us. We are of infinite value as part of the
universe. And most significantly, we are valued by God beyond what we can imagine.
God loves us with an everlasting love, and the great embrace of the universe, is a mirror
of the embrace of God.
I often get carried away with this and much more, but the soul-excitement I feel from the
sabbatical is a hard for me to contain. I love sharing with you and being with you. I hope
that in the months to come, we can share with each other what’s making our souls come
alive because when they do, we come to know who we are and Whose we are.
There’s one more thing I’m excited about: the 150th anniversary of our congregation.
What a great celebration it will be! In other parts of this Focus, you will find more details
about the events of May 3rd and 4th. will simply say I look forward to remembering our
heritage and celebrating a ministry and mission that continues strong and committed
today.
Peace be with you,
Tom
me the time and the space to be on sabbatical, October – November, and January and
February. It was your support that allowed for this to be one of the most creative, spirit-
filled periods of time in my life. To Duane Adams and Dick Pierce, for scheduling the
preachers and worship leaders and pastoral care coverage, I am grateful. For all those
who preached and prayed and cared for our congregation and led small groups, I am
grateful. To the church staff for their being faithful to their work and the life of the
church, I am grateful. And I am grateful to and for Amy Hollis for her work and for doing
so many of the small and not so small things in my absence. In particular, for several
weeks in January and February, she did all this during a difficult time for the family dealing
with a serious issue related to Scott’s health. She, and her family, is a gift to our
community.
Many of the reflections of my sabbatical experience can be found in the twelve essays I
wrote related to my study theme (posted on the church website , www.fbcwesthartford.
com, or through the church office), in the synopses of the books I read, and in the
sabbatical summaries. Here, I wish to share just three brief thoughts that came alive in
me in a very profound way during my time away. First of all, I’ve come to know the truth
expressed in both science and spirituality that all life is one. Through the genome project
and quantum physics and scientific cosmology and the mystics of every religious tradition,
we have been awakened to the fact that everything and everyone emerges from and is
embedded in, a great singularity. There are no separate parts anymore, if by separate
we mean disconnected beings who have no intrinsic relation to anything else in the
universe. It’s all one; we emerge from this great oneness and are an integral part of it all.
This adds so much to what most of scripture yearns for us to recognize:
“God formed the adam from the ground (the adamah) and breathed into him the breath of
life; and the adam became a living being [just like all the other living beings].”
(Genesis 2)
“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one; [and there is nothing more].”
(Deuteronomy 6)
“I pray that they might be one, even as you and I, God, are one.”
(John 15)
How will we deepen this oneness in our congregation? And in what particular ways will we
widen the welcome of our congregation to include more and more people of many
different ways of being who are gifts of this great oneness of God?
Secondly, I had countless experiences in my time away that confirmed the truth that all
life is sacred. Earth and all her creatures, including us humans, are a part of and
expressions of this sacredness. There is no such thing anymore as sacred and secular; it’
s all one and the foundation of this oneness is its sacred, Divine character. In other
words, the spiritual or the Holy, is the foundation of existence and all life emerges from
and returns to this Spirit. (“Through him all things came into being” – see John 1 and
Colossians 1) And so, how we live, interact with others, and plants, animals, soils, waters,
air, is an expression of our relationship with God. As we open our eyes, what do we see?
Who do we see?
Third, I felt powerfully that I belong. In fact, every single one of us belongs and we matter,
profoundly. Some people look at the stars or contemplate the vastness of the universe
and feel so small and insignificant. We convince ourselves that we don’t matter, that we’
re just a “cog in the machine,” and that who we are and what we do don’t make a wit of
difference; in fact, we sometimes assume that the world would be better off without us.
But in these four months, I re-discovered how much we matter. Because we are here, the
universe is as it is, and because of us, it changes, grows, evolves, becomes more
complex and wonderful. Every one of our actions effects every other person and every
other being, and every action of another effects us. We are of infinite value as part of the
universe. And most significantly, we are valued by God beyond what we can imagine.
God loves us with an everlasting love, and the great embrace of the universe, is a mirror
of the embrace of God.
I often get carried away with this and much more, but the soul-excitement I feel from the
sabbatical is a hard for me to contain. I love sharing with you and being with you. I hope
that in the months to come, we can share with each other what’s making our souls come
alive because when they do, we come to know who we are and Whose we are.
There’s one more thing I’m excited about: the 150th anniversary of our congregation.
What a great celebration it will be! In other parts of this Focus, you will find more details
about the events of May 3rd and 4th. will simply say I look forward to remembering our
heritage and celebrating a ministry and mission that continues strong and committed
today.
Peace be with you,
Tom
CARR'S COMMENTS
