wfn.org | Church is the Nest Where Fledglings are Nurtured, Not Stung

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

17-June-1997 
GA97052 
 
                  Church Is the Nest Where Fledglings 
                       Are Nurtured, Not Stung 
 
                           by Midge Mack 
 
SYRACUSE--The Rev. Linda Loving, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of 
Oakland, CA would have delivered a loving sermon no matter what her name 
had been --- because she was speaking of the second Great End of the 
Church: "The Shelter, Nurture and Spiritual Fellowship of the Children of 
God." 
 
   Under the wings of the great soaring dove hung over the podium of the 
Crouse-Hinds Theater, she chose the nest as metaphor for  the home, for our 
human relationship with God, and for the church. 
 
    "God is our mother eagle," she said, "and we are the baby birds 
yearning for nurture, along with our nestlings, the spiritual fellowship of 
the children of God." 
 
    Continuing the metaphor, Loving compared the church's past year with 
the stormy first season of a young bird's life. "We're all out on a limb 
now, wondering who's left in the nest, who's flown away, whose wings are 
clipped... until we remember God's covenant expressed in Psalm 91, to bear 
us up on eagle's wings." 
 
    She reminded us that Jesus' life had only one aim: to show us God's 
unlimited love, and she told a story of a young mother who knew the church 
would provide that love. This mother had left her child in the church 
nursery in the middle of a service and quickly left without giving the 
attendant any information. When she failed to return at the end of the 
worship hour, the church people became very concerned and finally called 
police. 
 
    But the woman did return, explaining that she had to get to a job 
interview, had no place to leave the child, and "I left her in the safest 
place I knew." 
 
    The loving nature of God was further expressed through the music of Dan 
Duggan on the hammered dulcimer, the Women's Chorus of Park Central 
Presbyterian Church, the testimony of Biblical characters portrayed by 
members of the Presbyterian churches of Geneva and Seneca Falls, and the 
Joyful Sign Choir, a deaf ministry of the United Church of Fayetteville.   

------------
For more information contact Presbyterian News Service
  phone 502-569-5504             fax 502-569-8073  
  E-mail PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org   Web page: http://www.pcusa.org 
  mailed from World Faith News <wfn-news@wfn.org>  

--