Pastor’s Letter
Be the Better Person
It seems like Jesus liked to make people think for themselves. I like that about him. He would often take long practiced traditions of the Jewish faith and re-claim them in a way that makes us think and wonder and imagine a better way to live into them. Take, for instance, that well known Jewish guide for practicing justice that said, ‘an eye for an eye’. Jesus tweaked that understanding to be clarified as ‘love one another no matter what’.
What had been a long-held tradition to determine justice - a clear “black and white”, “tit for tat” kind of rule – now was determined by the heart rather than the head. It had played out in this way – “If you steal one of my sheep or cause it harm – I get to do the same to you. If you punch me in the arm, I get to punch you back. No more, no less”. That makes sense, and it would work out well if it were not for human nature.
It’s a fact that we are flawed human beings. When someone hurts us – we not only want to hurt them back – but we want to ‘really’ hurt them bad – just to prove that we can be stronger and wiser and better than them. And since we are all only human, we could just keep going back and forth like that – trying to outdo the other with destructive behavior until we are all destroyed.
Jesus knew that we don’t prove we are better when we take revenge or practice retribution. That kind of behavior only makes us look weak and pathetic and foolish. And Jesus wants better for us. He wants us to act better than that. He was clear in his teaching that there is a better way for us to behave. And, of course, that way is love.
It’s not a good thing to hurt others – even when it is simply doing to them what they did to you. Jesus calls us to go beyond ‘an eye for an eye’ style of justice and practice being kind and generous and loving even to those who do not treat you that way. The reason this is the way Jesus tells us to act is because what goes around comes around.
The energy you send out into the world through what you say and do will always come back to you and it will even have gained strength on its way back – so it may end up hurting you even worse. This is why revenge and retribution is the fool’s way – in the end, when you aim to hurt others, you are really hurting yourself.
So, no matter what anyone else says or does – those of us who truly love Jesus and want to fulfill our purpose in his ways - we take the high road, we choose the better way – the kinder, gentler, more caring way, we act like God would want us to act because that is who we are and how we do our job of making heaven more fully manifest here on earth.
That does not mean that we lay down and let people walk all over us – we are not a doormat for bullies and bandits. We stand up for ourselves and speak the truth ‘in love’. And we stand strong and protect ourselves as best as we can. Jesus knows that hurting people hurt other people – it’s a vicious cycle – and someone must stop it. And with Jesus, we can be the ones to do it. With Jesus - love wins - always!
About Our Pastor
This is our pastor, Reverend Susan Hanson,
She was ordained in the United Church of Christ at her home church, St. John's UCC in Lansdale, PA on January 9th, 1994 in the middle of a winter weather event of snow and ice. That storm didn't stop their celebration that day - and she hasn't stopped serving in the ministry since then – no matter what. We like that about her - and you will too when you get to know her.
Pastor Susan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from Florida State University; a Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary; and a Master of Arts
degree in Pastoral Counseling from Moravian Theological Seminary.
And she completed her certification as a Reiki Master in 2013 – the same year she came to our church. She's also participated in specialized training through the United Church of Christ to serve as an intentional interim minister to churches while they are in transition from one settled pastor to the next.
Early in her thirty year career as an ordained minister, it became her calling to assist churches during these times of transition, taking her to twelve different settings in local churches, as well as chaplaincy positions in nursing home facilities. She'll tell you that she “has seen it all, heard it all, been through it all” with the people she's met – and even so, she still likes people and loves working with them in ministry settings.
That love is what brought her here to St. Vincent UCC – her “lucky number 13” setting as she likes to call it. When she arrived, it was to serve as a temporary supply pastor while we were in transition. But, we liked each other so much, we decided to just stay together on a permanent basis. In April, 2018, Rev. Hanson was installed as our settled pastor.
Our pastor believes that ministry is something we all do when we strive to be like Jesus and follow his ways. Her job, as she sees it, is to help all of us be the heart and hands and voice of Jesus in our own time and place and in our own way – so that we will do good; make a positive difference; and leave the world a better place for us having been here. She says, “That's the way real ministry happens – one gracious thought, one good word, one act of kindness - one moment at a time”.
Susan and her husband, Doug, who is also an ordained pastor at St. Peter's Pikeland UCC, live in Chester Springs. They have three grown children – their daughter Laurabeth and son Eric live in the local area. Their daughter Lindsay and her husband Charlie live in Alabama where they're raising the two grandchildren of whom Pastor Susan will be happy to show you pictures and tell you how wonderful they are – just like any other proud grandparent.
Come, join us – and meet our pastor. If you are looking for a worship experience which makes you feel good for having been here – then, come and meet us. We worship together every Sunday to share the spirit, the light, and the love of Jesus and become empowered to take it with us when we go back out into the world in which we live and for whom our ministry really matters.