Dear Caldwell, As with many things we saw on our recent trip to the Holy Land, the site in Bethlehem that tradition recognizes as the Shepherds’ Field, the one we read about tonight in Luke 2:8-20, carries the marks of many eras: the ruins of an ancient monastery, a 1950s Franciscan chapel, lovely modern gardens and the …
Dear Caldwell, It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. The poinsettias are in the sanctuary. The Christmas tree is up. Our children are preparing for the pageant on Sunday morning. Parking lots at stores, shopping plazas, and malls are full. There are gifts to be wrapped, cookies to be baked, and travel …
Dear Caldwell, As we travel from Sunday to Sunday, we continue to focus on preparing the way for Christ to enter/reenter our world and our hearts. We proclaim “Behold” because it is good news but news that also calls us to look inward and outward. Last Sunday, via Facebook worship, we listened to the words of …
Dear Caldwell, In this season of Advent, we follow the prophet’s call to “prepare the way.” We prepare for the coming of the Lord. For me, as we travel from Sunday to Sunday, the idea of preparation connects to the gifts of radical hospitality and mutual care that God calls us to extend. Just this week, I have witnessed …
Dear Caldwell, Gail here. Advent is upon us. The season of celebrating the birth of Jesus our Savior has been one of my favorites since my childhood. I’ve always loved Christmas – all the singing and Christmas pageants, all the candles and gifts under the tree. What I’ve come to recognize as I’ve gotten older …
Dear Caldwell, This morning, I read a fascinating profile of a philanthropist named Agnes Gund, who has given millions to worthwhile causes. She recently reflected on her life and her choice not to go into the family business, as her brothers did, because she would have more money. “What would you do with it,” her daughter asked? “I …
Dear Caldwell, Greetings! Gail here at the keyboard this week. I hope and pray that this blog finds you healthy, warm, dry, and rejoicing in the Lord. Despite all the bad news we see and hear about the world around us, we have reason to give God thanks. We can be grateful for food, clothing, …
Dear Caldwell, Well, the mid-term elections have come and gone. The talking heads are slicing and dicing and interpreting the results every which way and will be for a while yet. Some elections still haven’t been called. For many of us, the disquieting state of our national life is still just that – unsettled. Two things …
Yesterday, we heard Mother Teresa’s wise words that, rather than praying for clarity about our lives and the world, we should pray for trust in God. As we await the election results in these days when clarity seems so hard to find, that is a good word. The rest of my sermon yesterday is below, offered …
Dear Caldwell, Last week’s tragedy at a Pittsburgh synagogue may raise questions and concerns about safety at Caldwell on Sunday mornings. Please know that deep thought and preparation have gone into considerations of how to keep as safe as we can on Sundays. A special committee took more than a year to examine best practices, …
