Pastor John Tirro

“And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.’ (Luke 1:46-49)„

What does it mean to bear Christ to the world?

As I prepare for our first worship of the semester – this Sunday, August 15, 2010! – and as I meditate on these beautiful words from Mary, Mother of our Lord, I am struck by the way God has worked through people this summer to give birth to Christ here at Tyson House.  For five Saturdays in a row, plus several other days and nights, I have seen God at work in seventeen-year-olds and septuagenarians, up ladders and down on their knees, lovingly pouring out hundreds of hours installing new floors, countertops, kitchen appliances and lighting; repairing and washing windows; polishing wood, painting walls and pressure washing sidewalks; trimming bushes, mowing grass and pulling weeds; cleaning and ironing altar cloths; polishing candlesticks and chalices; preparing to grill hundreds of hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers; practicing musical instruments… all to make Tyson House a beautiful and welcoming place for UT students, faculty and staff to encounter God, in and through each other.  That’s the essence of who Christ is:  the living encounter of God, in and through the world.

Jesus, during his earthly ministry, made clear where we are to look for him:  where two or three are gathered in his name (Matthew 18:20) and in people we offer care (Matthew 25:40).  A university is a place of great transition and growth.  In the midst of that, there is great need for people to care for one another and be cared for.  That’s what we’re about:  caring and being cared for in Jesus’ name, led by Word (the written witness of God’s people, proclaimed and heard through word and action) and Sacrament (Communion and Baptism, visible signs of invisible realities, God’s promises made real through bread, wine and water).  That is the essence of our worship:  a shared life formed by Christ, revealed in Word and Sacrament.

Before you even say hello to someone at Tyson House, whether you know it or not, you are already held in the prayers, hopes and love of hundreds of people, many of whom you will never meet, some of whom may become your closest friends.  As someone for whom we have hoped and prayed (and polished, washed, hammered and painted!), you are already part of our shared life.  Come and see.

A few highlights:

a group of teens from a United Church of Christ congregation in Ohio, who stopped by to wash the glass doors between the common room and the chapel...

teens from Win Our World urban youth ministry washing more windows...

folks from several area Episcopal and Lutheran churches laying floors...

scraping old paint...

pulling weeds...

pressure washing...

repairing glass...