Posted by svanbaale |
It can be difficult to trust in God, especially when things don’t make sense or go against what society tells you is right.
This week’s Gospel Reading is Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, focusing more on Joseph. It describes Joseph’s character, saying he planned to wed and divorce Mary because she was pregnant before their marriage. Joseph assumes that because Mary is pregnant…
Posted by jmarple |
This Sunday, our choir will tell the story of Jesus’ birth through beautiful music and lyrics. My gratitude goes toward the choir members and Heather Lewis for making this happen!
I once was at a preaching conference and a lecturer said, “If you have nothing to preach on, open the hymnal. Each hymn is a sermon.” I love that idea.
If you have been in church recently, you have…
Posted by hlewis |
I grew up with chocolate Advent calendars. My two brothers and I took turns every day in December opening paper windows to find and eat chocolate. Oh, the anticipation every three days! We also always had an Advent wreath with four red candles (a German tradition — like the Advent calendars) that we lit every evening at dinner in December, and took turns snuffing out the candles with Mom’s fancy…
Posted by svanbaale |
We are a couple of days away from celebrating Thanksgiving. I am sure you know that it commemorates the first harvest feast shared by the colonists (pilgrims) and Native Americans in 1621. But did you know it was not an official holiday until 1863?
After the 1621 harvest feast, other thanksgivings were held sporadically by individual colonies and states. President George Washington issued…
Posted by jmarple |
You may know that this Sunday we will celebrate the feast day of Christ the King. This is the end of our liturgical year as we transition into Advent. But did you know that Christ the King, as a feast day, is still young? Pope Pius XI declared it become a feast day in 1925. Yes, it turns 100 this year! I wanted to give you a little bit of history behind this feast day, as it is still relevant today.
…Posted by hlewis |
November is the month of gratitude. I’ve been enjoying my friends’ recent posts on social media sharing what they’re thankful for, so I’d like to share my grateful list:
Happy, healthy kids: I have a senior in college, and a senior and freshman in high school this year. In the years between toddlers and teenagers, the question is always “what do I do to help this…
Posted by jmarple |
So many weeks, one of us reflects on the readings, the season of the church year, or the ongoings of the church. This week, I want to share something about me that I’ve shared with some of you but want all of you that read to know: I’m an alcoholic. I am not ashamed of this status in my life. It is part of my story but it doesn’t define me.
Almost 6 years ago, I was preparing to have…
Posted by svanbaale |
If you look at the Weekly Announcements page on our website, you can see there is a lot going on this Sunday at church — the end of Daylight Savings Time, All Saints Sunday, noisy offering, Commitment Sunday, and the Commitment Sunday brunch.
Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday, Nov. 2 at 2:00…
Posted by hlewis |
One of my favorite things to do as we celebrate confirmands and graduates is to look back on pictures of our Salem kids growing up together in church. I’ve written many times from my perspective of being an Army kid, which meant I only spent a few years in each place we lived. I didn’t have this amazing experience of having friends who walk together throughout their faith journeys, and it's…
Posted by jmarple |
Most of you know I spent last week in Austin doing some continuing education. Earlier this year, I got chosen to be part of this cohort that is mostly funded by a Lilly grant. Part of the grant was the retreat that took place. The goal over the next six months (or so) is for those in my cohort to learn, participate, and practice something called dialogical preaching.
At its core, dialogical…