First Congregational Church, Rindge, NH

January 1, 2012 (Sunday 1)
First Congregational Church and Society
Interim Pastor Roger Daly
6 Payson Hill Road
Rindge, NH 03461
603.899.5722

Church History: The First Congregational Church of Rindge is housed in the Rindge Meeting House, which was built in 1796 and is one of the few civic buildings in the region that still straddles the separation of church and state. The building is owned by the town of Rindge, and the second floor is leased to the church.

Affiliation: United Church of Christ (UCC) (1.2 million members)

To begin my journey, I chose the First Congregational Church in Rindge  because it is one of the few churches that I have any kind of connection to, no matter how tenuous. I was a casual acquaintance of the previous pastor, Jim Melhorn, who was kind enough to invite me to play at the monthly coffeehouse that he ran while he was pastor of the church.

Sunday’s Service: In this first service after Chrismas, Interim Pastor Roger Daly first spoke about taking the symbolic steps of moving past the birth of Jesus, which included a brief ceremony with the children present that consisted of removing the figures of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph from the crèche at the front of the church.

For his sermon, Pastor Daly used Luke 2:25-35 (Simeon acclaims the baby Jesus to be savior and redeemer) as a jumping off point to discuss the emptiness one feels after they have attained a goal (material, relationship, etc.) versus the spiritual fullness experienced when one obtains a true faith and belief in Jesus as Savior, as spoken by Simeon in Luke 2:29-32.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this Sunday’s service. The lack of “fire and brimstone” helped make it very accessible, even for a non-believer like myself. Pastor Daly was at home in front of the congregation and the service was both casual and effective. The United Church of Christ has an inclusive philosophy, which I find appealing. The message was completely positive, and no energy was wasted demagoguing anyone or anything. They hymns were well chosen and it’s fun to sing with a group.

I was a little surprised that Pastor Daly’s sermon was built upon such a minor player in the gospels; Simeon makes just this one brief appearance in Luke and on the face of it, we know he has been promised by the Holy Spirit that he will not die until he has personally seen the savior. At the moment this happens, he professes his completion or willingness to die in peace, now that this promise has been fulfilled.

This tied in well with the crux of Paster Daly’s sermon, whether or not one sees any direct connection. It certainly pairs up far more nicely than, for example, this description of Luke 2:33 from University Bible Fellowship, which somehow views the narrative as a cautionary tale and veiled threat for the hardships and smoting that will surely occur should a country turn away from Jesus.

The parishoners were friendly, outgoing, and very welcoming, although I could not help feeling a bit like a fish out of water. With the exception of weddings, funerals, baptisms and the like, this is probably the first Church service I have attended in at least thirty-five years.