Luke 1:46-55 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark December 19, 2021 Her name was Margaret Patrick. A stately woman, she was friendly, active, and fiercely independent. She loved doing things for other people, and hated to let anyone do things for her. And then she had a stroke, which left her unable to use the right side of her body. She […]
Sermons
Re-Finding Our Fine
Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 3:1-6 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark December 5, 2021 “It makes it sound like we’re supposed to be perfect,” Norma said with a look of distaste on her face. Then she shivered and pulled her coat closer. We were sitting outside in the not-very-warm sun and the gusty wind, six of us […]
Weighed Down; Raised Up
Luke 21:25-36 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark November 28, 2021 Every year, on the first Sunday in Advent, I struggle with the recommended scripture reading, often called The Little Apocalypse. On the heels of Thanksgiving gratitude, as we shift focus to the tender story of a baby’s birth, we read harsh words warning of destruction […]
Love Overflowing
John 2:1-11 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark November 14, 2021 There was a lot going on. A lot of pain. A lot of greed and injustice. A lot of rage and despair. Rome, an overwhelmingly powerful occupying force, was brutal in the way it put down any challenge to its authority. Some people figured out […]
Roots of Love; A Canopy of Prayer
Hebrews 12:1-2 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark November 7, 2021 On the afternoon before the Boston Marathon, I stopped by the Stewart-Morales home to drop off some carb-loading chocolate chip cookies for Jeff, who was preparing to run to support the Framingham Boys and Girls Club. Cesar, David and Daniel invited me in to see […]
It’s Not About the Tent!
Exodus 35:4-29, 36:2-5 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark October 31, 2021 I think this might be the first time, in thirty-two years of ministry, that I have preached on this story of the construction of the tabernacle. Last week’s text—the construction of the Golden Calf—I have preached numerous times. Maybe it’s because the Golden Calf […]
“What do we worship?”
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become […]
Holy Complaining
Exodus 16:1-3, 9-14 Rev. Dr Deborah L Clark October 17, 2021 Those Israelites love to complain. They complain when Moses’ effort to free them from slavery instead leads Pharaoh to make their work harder. They complain when they find themselves trapped between a stormy sea and an advancing army. They complain when they can’t find […]
Stepping into the Sea of Uncertainty
Exodus 14:5-9, 21-29 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark October 10, 2021 Over the last seven years, it has been my privilege to lead Torah Yoga for our friends at Temple Beth Sholom in Framingham. Each month, I am challenged to take a particular portion of the Torah, their sacred text which parallels the first five […]
The Condolence Ceremony
Mark 14:32-37; John 20:11-18 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark September 26, 2021 When Fran and I were on vacation in the Adirondacks this summer, we visited the Six Nations Indian Museum in Onchiota, New York. Daniel Kaneitakeron Fadden, the current director, came in and welcomed us. He showed us around the museum his grandfather founded, […]