Dear friends, For the month of June, our worship theme was “A Spirit of Courage.” We celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and we reflected on the courage it takes to live faithfully in our complicated world—courage to fight for racial justice, courage to raise loving, compassionate children, courage to claim and […]
Staff
Summer Music Opportunities
Introducing “Morning Glory”As we welcome summer, our outdoor services will frequently include opportunities to lead the congregation in song as a “pick-up choir.” I’ve never really liked that term, feeling that it suggests an inferiority or sloppiness. Still, you may hear it mentioned from time to time and you might wonder what it means exactly. […]
Courage
“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for God is with you wherever you go.”—Joshua 1:9 Dear friends, Anyone like country music? A number of years ago, the Dixie Chicks (now just The Chicks) were one of the most successful female bands in history. These three very young women were at the top […]
Sabbatical Wrap-Up
Dear friends, What a gift it was to have a month of sabbatical time away! Thank you for caring for my well-being and allowing me to experience renewal and rejuvenation. You will hear lots about my sabbatical in the coming months. It began with ten days in New Mexico. I flew into Albuquerque, where my […]
Music Opportunities for April
Happy Spring! It’s been such a pleasure the past few weeks to see newer faces participating in our music making on Sunday mornings and Thursday nights. I’m happy that we are offering opportunities that are short-term in nature and which invite people who have never been able to commit to a ten-month choir season. Most […]
Season of Rising
“A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know.”—Mark 4:26-28 Dear friends, The Old Germanic word “Easter” means “season of rising,” or springtime. Sure enough, Eastertide is springtime, and it’s time to be out in the yard […]
Transformation for All
Dear friends, On the first Sunday in Lent, we welcomed ice sculptor Don Chappelle. As we reflected on water imagery in the creation story, he created an ocean wave from a giant chunk of ice. Each Sunday since then, we have taken part of that sculpture out of the freezer and watched it slowly transform […]
Music Opportunities for March
As we examine the transformational powers of water throughout Lent, there will be several opportunities for you to get involved musically in March and April. To know the latest on dates and rehearsals, let me know and I’ll add you to our musician email list. A few highlights for March: This Sunday, March, 6, anyone […]
Life-Giving Waters
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”—Isaiah 44:3 Dear friends, One of the difficult things about our adoption experience in Russia was that the water everywhere was unfit to drink. Even in the […]
Out of the Waters
Dear friends, Rain…snow…ocean waves…flowing brooks…still waters…a refreshing drink…. Water is at the center of our lives. We are made up of water. We depend on water. It is no surprise that many of the stories of our faith are about water. This year, our Lenten theme draws upon the centrality of water to our lives […]