Redeemer East Side Update

I love Deitrich Bonhoeffer’s definition of the word "blessing”:

Blessing means laying one’s hand on something and saying "Despite everything you belong to God." This is what we do with the world that inflicts such suffering on us. We do not abandon it; we do not repudiate, despise or condemn it. Instead, we call it back to God, we give it hope.

Thanksgiving is a season to reflect on all that has come into our lives, both the things that are obviously good, but also the things that are not. To give thanks — to decide to practice gratitude regardless of one’s circumstances — is to say “Despite everything you belong to God.”

In that sense, gratitude is not merely an inner sentiment or a posture of the soul. It is an active power, a redemptive force. It is to take the goodness of the God who was willing to suffer with and for us, and to extend that redemptive goodness into places of sorrow, brokenness and pain in the world. When we cultivate gratitude, it doesn’t just put us in a better mood (though it certainly does that); it puts us in a better world.

I personally have so much to be grateful for. It is such a joy to serve as pastor of Redeemer East Side. I have had the privilege of personally bearing witness to so many lives being changed by the gospel. I have seen so many of you step up to serve, lead, give and share your faith. I have had the sacred privilege of watching the Spirit bring new life in sometimes the most unexpected ways.

So, this Thanksgiving, let’s not give thanks to God despite hard things that might be going on in our lives. Give thanks to God that he is present and unchanging in the midst of the hard things. Let’s give thanks to God that in Jesus, he has not abandoned this world, he has not repudiated, despised or condemned it. No, he has blessed it — even at the cost of his own life. He is calling it all back to himself. And that means we have a hope that soars.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Warmly,

Rev. Abraham Cho
East Side Senior Pastor

---

Have you heard about Wheel O’Meal? On Community Sundays (the next one will be November 24), East Side evening worship service attendees gather in groups to go out to dinner together after the 5 p.m. service. Anyone who wants to participate drops their name in a bowl at the Wheel during the Coffee Hour. From the bowl, we pull 6 to 8 people to form dinner groups. The groups then spin the Wheel to find a type of cuisine and a list of suggested restaurants in the area to try.

But, I have a secret to share… it’s not about the food.

While the Wheel O’Meal is colorful and the restaurants are tempting for any hungry East Sider, the Wheel merely serves as a mechanism to help us become a church body that is open and welcoming to all who step through our doors, whether we have been coming to Redeemer for decades or are visiting for the first time.

Because of Wheel O’Meal, I have had the pleasure of dining with a mix of people: folks new to the church, some new to New York, a handful of tourists, a few checking out the Christian faith, several acquaintances, and a number of close friends. It can feel intimidating coming to a large church like ours and wondering if we belong. Because of the Wheel dinner groups I’ve been in, now when I run across someone I’ve met, we can say a quick hello recognizing and acknowledging each other’s presence and making the church feel smaller and closer in community and making new friends along the way.

Every Communion Sunday we are reminded of the feast that Jesus gives us. Now, every Community Sunday is a feast where I get to find out a little more about my fellow banquet guests at the table. Won’t you join me? I’ll save you a seat.

---