04
Feb 2022
I’ve heard many people talk about getting back to normal after this pandemic. I wonder if we are really looking for that or if we are just grasping at anything that will lessen the amount of change that we have faced. Whether it’s hymnals or sign-in books or offering plates or coffee hour or the doxology or organs or drums … all of those details are comforting things for church people. They don’t make disciples. Luther Smith talks about the tyranny of the familiar in a lecture at the Academy for Spiritual......
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You Have Been With Me From Birth
If there were awards for when we pastors introduce ourselves at the beginning of worship, I would win the “longest title” award. I am the Christian Formation and Outreach Pastor at St. Mark’s....
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Do No Harm
In Wesleyan teaching, we hear the phrase “Three Simple Rules.” John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, taught that there are three simple rules that should guide our actions and decisions. We should strive each...
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COVID-19 Concerns
As Omicron continues to race through our community, we remind you once again to stay safe. Social distancing and masking are important for us to slow the spread. The news I hear most recently...
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Baptism
I was about 10 years old when I was in the first church service where I remember a baptism taking place. I have this vivid picture of looking up to where the pastor was...
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Happy New Year!
In our house when I was growing up, we had the tradition of eating certain foods on New Year’s Day. You eat these foods to start the year right, to begin the year with...
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Celebrate With Us!
On this Christmas Eve, we invite you to worship with us. As we hear the news reports and recommendations from the authorities about gathering in large groups, we want to both reassure you and...
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Choosing Love
It’s Christmastime! Well, almost. This Sunday is our last Sunday of Advent. It’s the Sunday of love, in the traditional readings. We will talk in worship about the light and life that Jesus brings,...
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Choosing Joy
The nights are getting longer and the sunshine is getting shorter. Winter is coming, and we are fast approaching the longest night. Even in the midst of the joy and cheer of the season,...
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Anticipation
Today, Friday, I paint. When some people say this, we automatically think of Mary Cassat or Georgia O’Keefe. That’s not what I’m doing. I’m painting a room. You might remember during the monsoon this...
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