Author’s note: Apologetics is the religious discipline of defending doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. This is a piece of Christian apologetics: I am defending the importance of strong relationships among the people of our community; they speak to the strength of...
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1 God of our life, through all the circling years, we trust in you; in all the past, through all our hopes and fears, your hand we view. With each new day, when morning lifts the veil, we own your mercies, Lord, which never fail. 2 God of the past, our times are in your
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I am not even a grandfather yet. No signs of labor yet, but already past the due date, so it could be any day. But even without a grandchild, I have strong feelings about grandparenting. And mostly my opinion is that as a grandfather, I may have lots of opinions, but I should keep them...
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If the past week is any measure, it appears that President Trump’s re-election campaign strategy revolves around polarizing the country along racial divides as well as branding the Democrats as both un-American and dangerous socialists. That worries me: the danger is in the damage that...
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A friend teased me after he heard that I was in Manhattan on Monday for Transportation Alternatives’ “Die-in” commemorating the 15 cyclists and 55 pedestrians killed in NYC by drivers in the first 6 months of 2019. My friend poked, “Now you are traveling to other...
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Ok, so those of us who take the stairs in the Sanctuary building — especially those who do so without even thinking about it — you might not even realize that some of our co-worshippers use the elevator. For some, they couldn’t worship with us without the elevator. (It’s...
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As a pastor, I spend a significant portion of my time in ministry working with people and situations that involve health and illness. People who are sick or recovering or fearing or planning for illness… and the others who are affected by their loved one’s health situation. I...
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How many of us know what denomination our congregation belongs to? Or if we do, do we know much about that denomination? If someone asked you, “what’s the United Church of Christ?” could you answer? Or how would you answer? We are a non-creedal denomination (which means that we do not...
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“Here I am Lord Is it I Lord? I have heard You calling in the night I will go Lord If You lead me I will hold Your people in my heart.” That is, not surprisingly, the refrain of the hymn “Here I am, Lord.” Four verses in the first-person about God and...
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“Life is short, and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us. So be swift to love… make haste to be kind. And as we go, may the blessing, the peace, the love, and the glory of the Holy One, who is in the midst
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