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Old First Reformed 
United Church of Christ
151 N. 4th Street (at Race Street), Philadelphia, PA 19106 · (215) 922-4566
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Does Attending Church Regularly Matter: E-pistle 01.06.11
Posted January 6, 2011 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
OK, l’ll acknowledge from the start: I go to church every Sunday because it’s my job. I’m paid to be there! But I also go to church when I’m not working. Why? Because attending church regularly makes a difference for me. Like a weekly family reunion, it keeps me in touch, close to people who [...]
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What Does Your God Look Like: E-pistle 12.28.10
Posted December 28, 2010 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
(Pastor’s note: Reena and I have been talking, among many other things, about her experiences as a newcomer to worship at Old First. I asked her if she’d like to author an E-pistle. When I received this, my “E-pistle schedule” was booked with Thanksgiving and Advent themes. I asked for her patience, that I could [...]
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Practice Deepening our Spiritual Resources: Old First E-pistle 12.22.10
Posted December 22, 2010 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
Christmas is not just one day, but twelve– from Jesus’ birth, dated as December 25, all the way to January 6, when tradition marks the arrival of the wise ones, dreamers really. I always thought the twelve days were some holdover from the ancient middle eastern custom of weeks-long festivals (think of Jewish holidays like [...]
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What We Offer at Christmas: Old First E-pistle 12.16.10
Posted December 16, 2010 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
Earlier this week I posted “Christmas 2.0: The Modern Story of the Nativity” on the church’s facebook page (still available there or on youtube). It drives home the point about how communication has changed, is changing. Yesterday, Kris Forrest shared with me her own Old First version of Christmas 2.0. Kris wrote: “Michael, catching up [...]
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Misconception, Weak Reflection or Better Reception: Old First E-pistle 12.09.10
Posted December 12, 2010 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
It’s easy to get critical about what the modern world does with Christmas. What is a most holy 12 days in our Christian faith is transformed into a two and a half month shopping spree. All Santa and sleigh bells… little church, and even less Christ. Ramping up before Thanksgiving, All Saints Day, even Halloween, [...]
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Where’s ‘Pastorcito’? : Old First E-pistle 12.02.2010
Posted December 2, 2010 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
The book series, “Where’s Waldo?” asks children to locate the title character engaged in various activies in a number of different crowds. Miguel Angel Alvarado– hearing that my Puerto Rican parishioners in East Harlem called me pastorcito (I was “the little pastor” vis a vis the congregation’s still-present founding pastor)– refers to me likewise, making [...]
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Look Into Your Longest Night: Old First E-pistle 11.26.2010
Posted November 26, 2010 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
Julie can be such a toughy: she is disciplining me — that we stick with the Advent hymns during Advent. Sounds logical, especially in light of the temptation to rush to the more popular, lighter Christmas carols. Trusting our Director of Music’s steady hand and wisdom in almost all things (wow, did I just get myself [...]
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Letters from Church: Old First E-pistle 11.18.2010
Posted November 18, 2010 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
“Dear Letter, go on your way over mountain, plain or sea. God bless all who speed your flight to where I wish you to be. And bless all beneath the roof where I would bid you rest; but bless even more the one to whom this letter is addressed.” William Barclay, the Scottish New Testament scholar, [...]
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It’s Impossible to Love without Giving: Old First E-pistle 11.11.2010
Posted November 11, 2010 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
“Stewardship” can make a pastor sweat! Not just because there is often not enough money around churches. I am more comfortable than many ministers when it comes to talking about money… because, I figure, God cares about our whole lives, so we ought not ignore one, significant aspect of them (or any others). And something [...]
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The Work We Do, From Others’ Perspectives: Old First E-pistle 11.04.2010:
Posted November 11, 2010 by Michael Caine. Filed under E-pistles.
Pastor’s note: This week’s E-pistle is written by three guest writers: ~ Maxwell and Richard Brooke are twin brothers, recent college graduates, and UCC volunteers in mission. Their assignment this year is to travel to service sites where the UCC has placed other volunteers in mission. The Brooke brothers are highlighting the services UCC volunteers [...]