The Pastor's Blog

A Fresh Perspective on Lent     Ash Wednesday calls each of us to forty days of self-examination and repentance that is the Season of Lent…a time to receive forgiveness and to be spiritually renewed and restored to God.  It is an ancient and widely accepted practice of God’s people, or so I thought.  But, Ash Wednesday is not actually a practice that is shared by all Christians around the world.  Our Eastern Orthodox Church does not celebrate Ash Wednesday and they don’t obse

The Last Supper; Conversations That Led to the Cross -Will Willimon   This year during Lent a group of us, that you are most welcome to join, will be studying Will Willimon’s book, The Last Supper .  It is going to be a challenging and enlightening experience as we journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem from Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday and beyond.  Along the way we will dig deeply into the stories, parables, and what Willimon calls “riddles” Jesus told as he approache

Christmas and Easter are undoubtedly the two most transformative events for Christians and even for humankind as a whole: the coming of Jesus Christ into the world and his death and resurrection.  Both remind us of God’s unconditional and unlimited love for us all.   New Year’s Day, on the other hand simply marks the beginning of another year on our calendar.  In the Old Testament God’s people did celebrate the beginning of what they saw as a new year.  For them it was a day

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.. for a child has been born for us, a son given to us… -Isaiah 9:2, 6   Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and preparation, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth while also waiting with heightened expectation to his final return at the end of the age.  But, how did the season of Advent actually become a major part of the church liturgical year?   Well, it all began with the pagans who, back in Neolithic time

As Christians we are beginning our journey through Advent.  It’s my favorite season of the church year.  It is a time that we prepare ourselves for the birth of Christ…something that has already happened in the past.  Yet, at the same time, we long for the day when Christ will come again…something that we anticipate will happen in the future.   When I think of Advent I think of the music of the season.  Yes, I know, I get criticized each year for not singing Christmas carols

November is the beginning of the end of the church liturgical year.  November begins with All Saints’ Sunday and the church calendar ends with Christ the King/The Reign of Christ Sunday.  So, as we approach the end of another church calendar year, what is it that we need to know about the winding down of one Christian year as we prepare for the new year and the more expectant and festive seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany?   All Saints’ Day is part of the season of “A

Encounter with “Mrs. Manners”   Recently I offered a sermon based on a parable of Jesus that included instructions about hosting and attending a dinner party.  Feel free to take a moment and refresh your memory by reading the parable in Luke 14:1, 7-14.  During my research for this sermon I ran across some details that I’ve been pondering ever since and I begin to recall two “classes” my Mom insisted that I take while I was in my Junior High days.  One was a course on ballroo

Stewardship for Life   Jack Benny told a story about being accosted by a thief who gave him two choices…”Your money or your life!”  Jack’s reply did not come immediately.  There was a long silent pause, but, at the insistence of the hold-up man Benny finally responded with some irritation, “Wait a minute.  I’m thinking.  I’m thinking.”  Today this intersection of money and life remains a key concern for Christians.  Like Jack Benny, we’re thinking, we’re thinking.  We believe

As I look back on it now it seems impossible that it was over eleven years ago that I completed my ministry at Jackson Springs...

Each year I purchase a planning calendar specifically made for Christian pastors and church leaders. This calendar reminds me of all the...

In addition to being a single day, Easter is also a season in the Christian calendar called Eastertide that lasts for fifty days,...

My sermon on Easter Sunday this year and every year was a breeze. It’s easy for me to stand up here as a minister and say that Christ is...

Stemming from Latin, the word “Tenebrae” means darkness. So, Tenebrae is the perfect description of this Good Friday service which...

Lent is a forty-day period leading up to Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. The word “Lent” comes from the...

On the last Sunday of January I preached a sermon based on Luke 4:14-21. Perhaps you might want to re-read the scripture and...