I have a colleague, an Episcopalian minister, who had a chaplain internship at a Connecticut mental health institution when he was in seminary at Yale Divinity School. Part of Campbell’s responsibilities included leading a Sunday chapel service each week along with a volunteer who played the piano for hymns. The small group of residents who […]
Today, we are hearing the story of Jonah in two parts, the first two chapters that Taylor just shared with the children – I hope you were listening closely. And in a moment, I will read what comes next. But before I do that, I want to say a word about the book of Jonah […]
Good morning Church. For those who are newer to the VIP family, my husband, is pastor at Allentown Presbyterian Church, in Allentown, NJ, not to be confused with Allentown, PA. In 2008, 15 years ago, my husband and I sensed a call from God to take one year of an unpaid leave and go serve […]
A new student looks out on a sea of strange faces in the high school cafeteria, wondering where she should sit, which group she should join, how she will be accepted. An older man groans in his sick bed. Retirement from his successful law practice had been difficult enough. But now, he is felled by […]
Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year! It has been just 7 days from when we gathered by candlelight to celebrate the birth of Christ, God’s Son, our Savior. Throughout December, we’ve been making room to welcome Christ into our hearts but honoring all that are hearts are already carrying. Weariness or joy, amazement or hope […]
God so loved the world…. Loved = agape – reasoned love; pleasure of mind. world = cosmos. We hear that passage many times but do you really take that in?God…. Loves… this…. World…and all that is in it. Really, Really, Really likes it. Really, Really thinks it, and we, are special just because we exist […]
Today, we gather in the spirit of the Advent season, on this the second Sunday. Our overarching theme this Advent is a question that resonates deeply within all of us: “How does a weary world rejoice?” It is our hope to answer that question as a community this Advent and Christmas and to provide encouragement […]
Someone passed on a quote to me this week about being an adult: “Being an adult is pretty easy. You just feel tired all the time, and tell people about how tired you are, and they tell you how tired they are.” Do you ever feel that way? The poet William Wordsworth once wrote, “the […]
Today is called “The Reign of Christ” Sunday or “Christ the King” on the liturgical year. A couple of weeks ago, Carter, our lead pastor, asked the question in his sermon, “Who ARE you waiting for?” It is a good question, with all the mystery surrounding our faith. This week, I thought I might add […]
When you read Paul’s letter to the Philippians it feels like he is writing to “his pride and joy, his favorite child.” There are none of the angry or cautionary admonitions that you find in Galatians or the l and 2 Corinthians. Instead, he writes with great affection for the Philippians and expresses gratitude for […]
I have a confession to make. I have been preaching now for 34 years. And, in all that time, I have never preached on this parable in Matthew. Not because it doesn’t come up in the lectionary that I have often followed – because it does. No, I haven’t preached on it because this parable […]
There is a question in the PCUSA study catechism which Kerry and I often used with our Confirmation classes. It was a question that often made those confirmands chuckle. I confess it has made me chuckle, too, to think that those writing the questions thought to include it. “Won’t heaven be a boring place?” Maybe […]