Church Office:  firstcon@tds.net

(608) 752-8716

Rev. Wesley Bixby:  firstconpastor@tds.net

Office Hours:  Monday - Thursday    9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.     Friday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Pastor's Corner

Message from Pastor Wes

As preachers probe and pontificate about possible meanings, each time trying to find some new hidden gem in scripture to give to folks who have heard their fair share of sermons; or unveil the latest, greatest historical understanding, we put distance between the people and their book.  As pastors, we have unfortunately re-enforced a notion that scripture needs to be "properly" understood rather than inviting people to immerse and swim around scripture along side us.  We've become like the life guard at the beach blowing the whistle on misunderstandings of others. 

 All this is to say that I believe we need to find a way to stop being so worried about the why or the what or the how with scripture and simply be in scripture's presence.  How can we encourage people to sit with a passage of scripture?  How do we calm real and understandable anxieties about getting scripture "right"? 

 For the last five months I've been reading my way through the Bible.  It has not always been easy.  There are passages in scripture that disrupt my tidy faith.  There are images of God that push the boundaries and understanding.  There is violence that is difficult to reconcile.  And yet, there are also some treasured gems of words that heretofore I had not heard or read.  I pray at some point in the life of the church we will start to work at repairing the rift between the people and the book that contains our sacred narrative.  I pray we will invite people back to read and question and wrestle with and be blessed by these tiny words imprinted on razor thin pages.  Most of all, I hope that as people of faith, we will take a deep breath and leap into the sea of scripture trusting that God's grace will buoy us and we will find ourselves immersed in the sacred.

As always, if you have questions about scripture, please email me.  I don't claim to have the answers, but I love the conversation!  Grace and peace to you.

 See you in church!

Pastor Wes

608/752-8716 (church)
firstconpastor@tds.net (email)

The Christian Century
(read the latest online edition)

That is why the CENTURY examines issues of politics and culture as well as theology, and that's why it pays attention to the challenges of faith that arise in our everyday lives as parents, friends, spouses and citizens.

We also think that faith is nurtured in community--that's why we care about handing down the rich practices of the Christian tradition as lived out in congregations and denominations."

["Our Mission" from the Christian Century web site]

Sojourners
(read the latest online edition)

In response to this call, we offer a vision for faith in public life by:

• publishing Sojourners magazine, Sojo Mail and other resources that address issues of faith, politics, and culture from a biblical perspective;
• preaching, teaching, organizing, and public witness;
• nurturing community by bringing together people from the various traditions and streams of the church;
• hosting an annual program of voluntary service for education, ministry, and discipleship.

In our lives and in our work, we seek to be guided by the biblical principles of justice, mercy, and humility."

[Mission from the Sojourners web site]