Presbymom

Dear Sydney,  When I went to bed last night it was full of anticipation, full of worry, yet also full of hope. On this your birthday I have soooo much hope. Hope for you and hope as we swear in the first female vice president of our nation. I am relieved that my worst fears of violence and division did not materialize in our country's inauguration this morning. I am not one to be overly worried about appearances, but today I got dressed carefully thinking not only of the job to which I go serving a congregation following a call from God, but also planning carefully each item and how I have become privileged to have the freedoms to go through the motions of each piece of my attire by those brave women who have come before us. I remember the words of Galatians 3:26-28 " for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.  As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free,

  Yesterday began as a gray cold morning in a series of cold mornings. Church the previous day had been online only again. Don't get me wrong, it was very moving music and meaningful worship. But, I'm tired. So, so very tired. It does make me appreciate the blips of sunshine more, but pandemic blues are a thing. I'm prayerful and thankful daily that my children and loved ones are healthy so add on top of that a good dose of guilt for being mopey or snippy. As a pastor, I don't always see God in the words I preach. I don't hear. I find myself surprised sometimes when people say how much a sermon spoke to them. Did it really? Must be the Holy Spirit for sure. So this past Sunday, I preached on seeing God and assured everyone that we are seen. God see us. Annnnnd then Monday comes. I just don't want to get out of bed. My muscles ache a little bit, but that is more of an excuse if I am honest. I grab a tea and a good book and settle in to spend my sabbath day off cu

  A bit of a reminder of where we are in John’s gospel before our reading today. Boy does he pack a punch in the first chapter. We went from ‘in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God’ to John the Baptist in the wilderness baptizing and testifying that Jesus is the messiah, beloved Son of God. John instructs his disciples to go follow Jesus. Several do, including Andrew, who also finds his brother Peter. Jesus then comes to Galilee and bids Philip, who lived in the same town as Andrew and Peter, to ‘follow me’. Philip does – where will Jesus go next, gathering disciples along the way? Let’s listen for God’s word from…   John 1:43-51  {NIV} 43   The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”  44   Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.  45   Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Josep

  Beginnings. Today is Baptism of the Lord Sunday ( January  6, 2021). And, while we don’t read the first three verses of Mark, this is the beginning of Mark’s gospel. He skips over the birth narrative and jumps straight to the meat of what he wants us to know about Jesus. Listen for the word of the Lord from:   Mark 1:4-11 4  And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  5  The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.  6  John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  7  And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  8  I baptize you with    water, but he will baptize you with   the Holy Spirit.” 9  At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was

  Most Holy God, on this day when we celebrate the epiphany gift of Your son breaking into our world, we are reminded of our weakness, our vulnerability. You break into our lives showing peace, hope and love. We get it wrong again and again showing hate, violence and anger instead of following where You lead. Surround our nation and our leaders with Your peace. Calm hardened hearts. Bring light to the darkness in our nation’s capital that we may move forward a people united by obeying Your command to love our neighbors as ourselves, all neighbors - even those who don’t vote like us or agree with us. See us through these troubled times, comfort the angst, melt our anger, still the violence, and turn us to Your way. Turn us all to You in peace and hope. Amen.

  Matt 2:1-12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,     are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler     who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they we