Dear Caldwell, The top story in today’s news, in case you’ve been hiding under a rock (which I could certainly understand!) is the ritual performed last night in the U.S. Capitol – the annual State of the Union address. As Forrest Gump might say, “That’s all I’ve got to say about that.” What’s on my mind …
Dear Caldwell, Gail here. I have a friend who, on the first of every month, posts “Whole new month! Whole new month!” all over her social media platforms. Her excitement is almost palpable at the start of each year – “WHOLE NEW YEAR! WHOLE NEW YEAR!” I always smile when I see her posts on …
In the walk of faith, we often hear the instruction to move from praise to action, to put our faith to work, to move from Sunday to Monday. “Faith without works is dead,” says James 2:26. To be sure, faith and action complete each other, but the order isn’t always set. In worship this week, we …
Dear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., My name is Gail. You probably don’t recall, but I wrote to you many years ago when I was a high school student in Brooklyn, NY. I told you some of my story, about how I ended up graduating from that predominantly white private school. I shared with you …
Dear Caldwell, Last Sunday, we celebrated the congregation’s energy, enthusiasm and commitment as we considered the Epiphany call to share God’s promise of love, healing and justice. We capped it off with a luncheon to say thanks for your financial commitments to the 2019 operating budget. We are given so many ways to “share the promise,” …
Dear Caldwell, As people of faith, we live between two worlds – secular traditions and the ways of God. What better example of that than the convergence of New Year’s Day and Epiphany, which we celebrate Sunday. Doubtless, television, social media and talk at parties will offer up ways we might enter 2019 with fresh spirits and …
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 …
