January 12, 2017 This coming Sunday I am starting a new sermon series on the Apostles’ Creed. Rather, the sermon series is really about belief—the nature of belief, what we believe and why, and most importantly, what difference our beliefs make in...
While I am away, two final poems as the Christmas season ends and the New Year begins. The Master by Jane Tyson Clement He who has come to men dwells where we cannot tell nor sight reveal him, until the hour has struck when the small heart does break with hunger for...
Once every few years Christmas Day falls on a Sunday. At Calvary that means that last weekend we were in church Saturday night for the traditional Christmas Eve service and again the following day for the Christmas Day service. In the interest of families having...
When I was a kid, I always felt deflated the day after Christmas, like a balloon that had just had all the air let out of it. Gone were the magic and anticipation. There were no more special cookies to bake or parties to attend. ...
One of the things I love about December is that it is an extravaganza for the senses. As soon as I walk in my front door the delicious scent of a Frasier Fir tree greets me. My nose leads me past the tree to the...
Most weeks after worship I offer a 30-minute “let’s talk about what we just heard” experience that I call Sermon Talk Back. It is very informal, highly interactive, and I love it. I love it because it lets me know what folks in my congregation...
Several weeks ago someone in my church shared this quote with me. It has been on top of my “inbox” ever since, and every so often it catches my attention and I read it again. Today I realized what an apt description of Advent it...
As is the case for every minister I know, long before the Thanksgiving turkey goes in the oven we are already thinking about Advent. This is especially true when the first Sunday of Advent falls on Thanksgiving weekend, as it does this year. It sometimes...
Our nation's unity begins with respect! In the final days of this year’s election, even before the voting booths opened, talk of unity and healing was already beginning. In what many pundits and pollsters have called the most divisive election in U.S. history, folks were...
Finally, it’s nearly here. Which means it’s nearly over. I have been ready for this election to be over for months already, and I know I am not alone. For one thing, I am hoping my phone will stop ringing so much. My phone number...