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We begin our post-Labor Day fall kickoff with guest preacher David Zahl, author of Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do About It. He is also the author of A Mess of Help: From the Crucified Soul of Rock N' Roll and coauthor of Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners (and Saints).

Since 2010, David has been the college and young adult minister at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, VA, where he lives with his wife Cate and their three boys. Born in New York City and brought up on the East Coast and in Europe, David graduated with honors from Georgetown University in 2001. He then served for five years as a parachurch youth minister in New England before starting Mockingbird Ministries in 2007, an organization devoted to connecting the Christian faith with the realities of everyday life in fresh and down-to-earth ways. He remains its executive director today. He is also editor-in-chief of the popular Mockingbird website and cohost of The Mockingcast.

David’s most recent book, Seculosity, explores the universal yearning for “enough.” To fill the void left by religion, he says, we look to all sorts of everyday activities — from eating and parenting to dating and voting — for the identity, purpose and meaning once provided on Sunday morning. He calls this phenomenon

“seculosity,” a kind of religiosity that’s directed horizontally rather than vertically at earthly vs. heavenly objects. David unmasks the competing pieties around which so much of our lives revolve, and he does so in a way that is playful, personal and incisive. Ultimately, he brings us to a fresh appreciation for the grace of God in all its countercultural wonder.

Vol. 16 No. 8 We are a Stephen Ministry Church August 13, 2019

AUMC WITNESSOur Mission: Love God, Love Neighbor, Serve the WorldAnnandale United Methodist Church - annandalechurch.com6935 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003 P: 703-256-8330 F: 703-914-8896 office@annandale-umc.org

Ministers: Rev. Jason MicheliRev. Peter KwonRev. Chenda Lee

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The Jesus Story Year: 2019–2020 Our sermons for the remainder of this year and into 2020 will focus on the story of Jesus — from the Old Testament to the New Testament. This fall, in “Walking Backwards from Emmaus: Jesus in the Old Testament,” we’ll begin with the creation story and work our way through the prophets to learn how the Old Testament witnesses to Christ. Then, starting in January, we’ll walk forwards from Emmaus, exploring how the gospels and epistles testify to the king who calls us as his particular people in the world. We’ll call it the Jesus Story Year, and it’ll take us from September through May.

Sept. 1 – Introduction to Jesus Story YearSept. 8 – Christ at Creation (David Zahl, guest preacher)Sept. 15 – Christ and AdamSept. 22 – Christ and NoahSept. 29 – Christ and Abraham’s SonOct. 6 – Christ and the RejectedOct. 13 – Christ and the BetrayedOct. 20 – Christ and the LawOct. 27 – Christ and David

It’s back to school for AUMC! Sept. 8 marks our annual back-to-school kickoff for children, youth and adults.

Children’s ministry programs resume with a kickoff at 9:45 a.m. in the sanctuary, followed by classroom visits to meet teachers, complete registration and enjoy some fun activities. Children’s Church will be during the 11 a.m. worship service as usual. After the 11 a.m. service, there will be games and other outdoor activities, including a moon bounce.

Sunday school classes resume for youth (grades 6 – 12) at 9:45 a.m. in the Youth Room (Room 105). Kickoff night for youth will be an inter-church youth dodgeball tournament with pizza, 4–7 p.m. Location to be determined.

Adult Sunday school classes resume, and small groups begin to organize for the fall. Check class listings at www.annandalechurch.com/classes.

New this year: Food trucks, noon–2 p.m. New Gourmet Delight food truck will be at AUMC. We are also working on securing a second truck. Be sure to come out for some good eats!

Fall kickoff, Sept. 8, with guest preacher David Zahl

703-256-8330 http://www.annandale-umc.org AUMC Witness 2https://annandalechurch.com

Poe after-school food programDo you like to bake? Serve children? Are you available once a month? We’re looking for volunteers to assist with our Poe food ministry, October through May. We have four teams, and each team serves one Tuesday per month. We also need volunteers to bake cookies and prep food. For details, contact Sheila Kyer at Sheila.Kyer@dbhds.virginia.gov or 703-981-6080. This is a wonderful mission, and it’s right in our community!

All of scripture is a testament to Jesus Christ When my boys were little, we read with them a children’s Bible called the Jesus Storybook Bible. I still find the subtitle, Every Story Whispers His Name, a little cheesy (what

do you expect from a Bible endorsed by Amy Grant?). But the longer I preach and pastor, the more I’m convinced that adults, too, need to learn what the Jesus Storybook Bible seeks to teach children; namely, all of scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is a testament to Jesus Christ.

The incarnation is not the arrival of a heretofore absent Christ, nor is Christmas “Plan B,” marking a change in God’s disposition towards us. Where the first Christians took for granted that they could find Christ not just in the four Gospels but in the five books of Moses as well, today you’re more likely to hear modern people — even, maybe especially, Christians — accidentally commit an ancient heresy called Marcionism, suggesting the God of the New Testament is different and distinct from the God of the Old Testament. As cheesy as the Jesus Storybook Bible’s subtitle might be, it recommends a way of reading scripture that not only is as old as the Christian faith but is also the way of reading God’s word taught to us by the Word of God himself, Jesus Christ.

When the risen Christ encounters two Passover pilgrims departing Jerusalem to return home to Emmaus, Luke reports that Jesus “interpreted to them all the things about himself in all of the scriptures, beginning with Moses and all the prophets.” By Moses, Luke means the first books of the Torah. “All

of the prophets” is but another way of saying “and everything else.” The Bible is about me, Jesus has the brass to say. We tend to ignore this part of the Emmaus story, remembering instead how the disciples’ eyes were opened to Christ in the breaking of the bread, leaving their hearts to burn within themselves. Yet, Jesus seems to think it more important that they learn how to read all of the Bible as a witness to himself.

Of course, if you think about it, this is exactly the way of reading that the doctrine of the Trinity requires of us. The creeds profess that Christ was prior to creation, pre-existent even. John’s Gospel begins by telling us that the Word which was made flesh is the same Word that created everything from nothing by nothing but words. “The Word was God,” John writes in his prologue. Christ is the Son “through whom all things were made,” Paul writes in Colossians. If God is Father, Son and Spirit, then God has always been Father, Son and Spirit; therefore, the Son who takes flesh in Mary’s womb is the same God who overshadowed David’s ark. The ancient Christians took to heart this Bible study with the Easter Jesus on the way to Emmaus, discovering “Christophanies” all over the pages of their Hebrew Bibles. It’s the eternal Son of God who appears as an unconsuming fire to Moses in the burning bush, the ancient Christians believed. It’s Christ who appears

as the “Malak Yahweh” and consoles the scorned slave girl, Hagar, in Genesis. It’s Christ who accompanies Shadrach and his friends in the fiery furnace, just as Mary’s son is also the despised and rejected servant, foreseen by the prophet Isaiah, whose wounds will heal the world.

The Easter Jesus does more than open the eyes of those two disciples on the way to Emmaus; Christ opens the Bible to them. He sets them loose to find him in the stories and sayings of Moses and the prophets. Yes, but more so, he equips them to understand that there is a single plot running through all of scripture. The Bible is a library of books; but, unlike your local public library, Jesus has the audacity to claim, the Bible is a library with a single, dominant theme to convey to you: Jesus Christ is Lord.

The irony of the sign above his crucified head is that it doesn’t go far enough.

Jesus isn’t simply King of the Jews.

He’s king of all creation, the Alpha and Omega of everything, including us.

It’s by understanding the lordship of Christ as the plot of all of scripture, we’re freed to learn how to live as his subjects in a world which obeys other lords.

For our worship focus this year, we’re going to walk backwards from Emmaus, learning how the Old Testament witnesses to Christ, and then we’re going to walk forwards from Emmaus, exploring how the gospels and epistles testify to the king who calls us as his particular people in the world. We’ll call it the Jesus Story Year, and it’ll take us from September through May. Our hope is that by the end, you’ll be like those on the way to Emmaus, knowing how every story whispers his name and knowing, too, how that whisper is actually the call of a talkative God who never rests from recruiting subjects into the cause of his kingdom.

Jason

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Meredith Bond, AUMC’s new Director of Christian Education for Children, is passionate about kids, her Christian faith and art. She’s long been involved in children’s education in the Richmond area, where she grew up, but she also has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Virginia Commonwealth University. An artist focusing primarily in textiles and ceramics, she formed Grace Wins Explorative Arts LLC in 2016 to bring art education to public institutions, community groups and private organizations, combining technical instruction with elements of art therapy and Christian education.

After graduating from VCU, she honed her artistic skills at Colonial Williamsburg as a historic trades weaving intern, where she worked on reproducing historical textiles while learning new ways of interacting with

and teaching the public. When her internship ended after a year, she took an office manager position at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond. She also felt God was leading her to set up Grace Wins Explorative Arts, which she began while working at Grace Covenant.

“It occurred to me that I could use my art to teach and promote healing and spiritual nurturing,” she says. “I developed about 75 art-based programs with different client groups, introducing Christian elements for those groups where it was appropriate. I was doing things like after-school programs, the Police Athletic League and speaking before mental health groups.

Trusting in God “After getting the business up and running,” she continues, “I felt like God was asking me to take a leap of faith and focus entirely on the ministry that was my business. I had to trust

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Meet Meredith Bond, Annandale’s new Director of Christian Education for Children

in God, so I gave notice at Grace Covenant. I started getting new clients, and it was an amazing experience of seeing God at work. I remember one after-school weaving class where the children began arguing about what they had been told about Jesus. After I calmed them down, I took the opportunity to talk about inclusion and respecting others’ beliefs. It was a very profound moment; that experience, as well as several others, were pivotal in leading me to seminary.”

She decided to attend Union Seminary in Richmond, where she graduated this spring with an M.A. in Christian Education. “My discernment process has been kind of interesting, amusing even,” she notes. “What I see over and over in my life is that I tend to close the door on something, thinking that it’s not meant for me, that it’s just not possible. Yet, those are the very doors that God opens for me. Ultimately, those areas prove to be spiritually transformative.”

She sees some irony in that she found herself earning the very same degree from Union that her mother received. Her mom is a retired middle school teacher; her father’s career is in accounting, most recently as chief financial officer for Loveland Distributing in Richmond.

The blessing of art She has an older sister and a younger brother, both of whom live in the Richmond area. “I think I take after my mom most,” she says. “I’m more creative and spiritual; my dad and siblings are more analytical.” In high school, she was editor-in-chief of her yearbook and managing editor for her newspaper. She also excelled in art. “I ended up at VCU’s School of the Arts majoring in Craft/Material Studies – focusing on something that I never would have imagined. It was one of those doors I had shut that God ended up leading me through, and it has since been shown to be a blessing.”

Meredith says she looks forward to her new role at AUMC. “Any changes I make, I want to be for the benefit of the children,” she says. “I believe that children’s ministry must go beyond entertainment. It’s about creating experiences that connect children with God in a fun and educational way.”

In her spare time, she enjoys art, listening to Celtic music and exploring history.

School supplies needed We’re collecting school supplies this summer for Fairfax County elementary students. Help low-income families get their children ready for school by picking up a few items when you’re out shopping. You can drop off supplies in the bin on Sundays or at the church office during the week. Here are the supplies the schools are requesting:

2 boxes of crayons (24-count only) 1 box of washable colored markers 3 dry expo erase markers 1 box #2 yellow pencils with erasers 1 pink eraser 8 large glue sticks (2 per quarter) 1 pair of children’s safety scissors (with metal blade) 1 1-inch 3-ring binder (solid plain color) 1 composition notebook (wide rule) 3 solid color pocket folders (1 blue, 1 orange, 1 green) 1 pair of headphones or earbuds for personal use 1 box of tissues 1 container of large Clorox wipes 1 box Ziploc quart size and 1 Box Ziploc gallon size

703-256-8330 http://www.annandale-umc.org AUMC Witness 4

Nationals baseball game this SundayJoin us for an outing to Nationals Park to see the Nats vs. Brewers play this Sunday, Aug. 18, at 1:35 p.m. Our block of tickets includes seats in the top four rows of Section 141, which are in the shade and have very few steps. Tickets are $31. Contact the church office if you’re interested in getting tickets.

Wear your purple AUMC t-shirt on Sundays during August

We have a limited number of purple t-shirts available for purchase. The shirts are $12 each and can be purchased from the office.

Church picnic combines food, fellowship and fun

Nearly 150 AUMC members and friends turned out for our Aug. 4 picnic, held this year on the grounds of the church. Picnic goers helped themselves to some delicious

Rob Cannon BBQ, as well as side dishes and desserts from the congregation.

We had a moon bounce and face painting for the kids, plus a lively cornhole competition. In our first-ever cornhole tournament, Ethan and Rachel Jones won first prize, Mike and Sally Bizer won second prize, and Pastor Peter and Evan Ogata won third prize.

Many thanks to our summer intern, David King, for organizing the picnic.

NEXT DEADLINE: Friday, Sept. 6, is the deadline for the Sept. 17 Witness, which covers Sept. 22 and 29, and Oct. 1, 6, and 13.

Tues., Aug. 13 Finance Committee 7 p.m. Room 210Tues., Aug. 13 Missions Committee 7 p.m. Room 302 Tues., Aug. 27 SPRC 7 p.m. Room 210 Tues., Sept. 3 Trustees 7 p.m. Room 303Tues., Sept. 10 Finance Committee 7 p.m. Room 210Tues., Sept. 10 Missions Committee 7 p.m. Room 302 Tues., Sept. 17 Church Council 7 p.m. Room 302

MINISTRY MEETINGS

WEEKLY VOLUNTEERS

Single Service Sunday, Aug. 18, 10:30 a.m.

Door greeters: J. Beyer, C. Cox, C. Stephens, J. HoustonFront desk greeters: T. CarneyFellowship Hours: AUMC ParentsUshers: W. Annan, A. Cogswell, S. Chase, P. Adams (c)

Single Service Sunday, Aug. 25, 10:30 a.m.

Door greeters: S. Fleming, S. Naugle, J. Houston, L. RileyFront desk greeters: M. McCarthyFellowship Hours: United Methodist MenUshers: A. Powell, S. Fleming, J. Haymaker, S. Fleming (c)

Single Service Sunday, Sept. 1, 10:30 a.m.

Door greeters: M. Pearson, D. Ruhter, D. Johnson, E. Jones

Sunday, September 8, 8:30 and 11 a.m.

Door greeters: 8:10 J. Vance, J. Beyer; 10:30 P. Snitzer, J. Houston

Sunday, September 15, 8:30 and 11 a.m.

Door greeters: 8:10 C. Cox, S. Fleming; 10:30 A. Snyder, C. Stephens

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