I love the post Easter stories of Jesus. The confusion as to whether he can walk through walls, and thus is ghostlike, or can eat fish, and this has a material body. The way he is sometimes recognized, and sometimes not. The way he cares for the disciples and fills them with the holy spirit. All the stories feel like a call to action, and also a promise that whatever happens, God will redeem it. The Other Side of the Boat Sometimes, what you are doing is not working. You keep fishing and...
2 days ago • 3 min read
Too often, we see what happens in the voting booth as separate from what happens in church. When we do that we are missing the tow opportunities: one, the chance to talk together with like-minded congregational members about the issues that are represented by this election. And two, we miss the opportunity to present arguments as a group, as a group of Christians. Progressive and mainline Christianity has been too quiet in the public square. We can model the good news we know, which is...
6 days ago • 3 min read
My congregations have Easter worship at the outdoor Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, NH. I was so excited that Easter is so late, imagining a beautiful, warm, spring day. We had sun! And 47ºF!!! Gloves, and hats, long johns? Christ is Risen Indeed! Praise God with Music Christ has risen. Risen Indeed! Alleluia. We read Psalm 150 on the second Sunday of Easter, all that praising of God with all the different instruments. All the singing! With the good news that Christ has risen comes the hard...
9 days ago • 1 min read
There are so many things I love about what First Church in Sterling is doing these days. It was their community conversation that caught my eye. But probably half of what I love is that they invited those that come to "bring snacks to share." Often we want to be in the position of "host" which communicates graciousness, welcome, but also that we want to be charge of what is happening. The note to bring snacks insists that we are all creating this conversation, even those who have never been...
13 days ago • 3 min read
We head into Holy Week at a difficult time. I didn't grow up with a Holy Saturday tradition. My church didn't do an vigil, for me it felt mostly like "the weekend". We had Maundy Thursday services that I found meaningful mostly because they were informal, often in the church basement. Friday was only notable because the Catholic students left school early for services. When I was new to ministry I was invited to be one of the preachers at a Friday service of Jesus Seven Last Words. Wikipedia...
16 days ago • 3 min read
Since the tariffs arrived, and left, and arrived, and left, the focus has been on the stock market. But at the same time students on proper visas are being arrested in schools that the administration is targeting. And the arrests of other immigrants -- with and without paperwork -- continues. We can't stop all these arrests. Can we find the right stand to take in defense of the love our God has for immigrants? When ICE Comes Knocking What will you do if ICE shows up at your church? You have...
20 days ago • 4 min read
Ski season is over for me, and the rains will be in my area for several days. With Easter so late this year, I am excited for the promise that Palm Sunday and Easter each will bring flowers and the start of the gardening season. Walk Through the Gate In the Palm Sunday story, Jesus makes a choice. Jerusalem is a walled city; entering the city requires walking through the entrance gate. It is also a busy city; it was quite ordinary to walk through the gate. No one would notice. Jesus of course...
23 days ago • 3 min read
I'm moving my newsletter to Tuesday and Thursday for awhile. Today's entry is by Andrew Wendkith. Subscribe to his substack here. I would call today's essay "Blessed are the Doers." So much of creating community is about the little things we do together. I loved this message as soon as I read it. I can picture the church dishwasher, the group that takes out the trash, the Thursday craft group cleaning out the kitchen cupboards in Rindge. It is resistance to keep doing those ordinary things as...
27 days ago • 4 min read
I will turn in the draft for my book Poverty, Wealthy, and Christian Life: A Lenten Study today, hopefully by 5 pm. It is for Upper Room Books, coming out for Lent 2026. The idea to spend Lent considering material poverty, and wealth, is not typical and yet the Lenten readings are so easily adaptable to the topic. So I've been writing for months on this idea that the poor will always be with you. And yet today, when thinking about the resistance, this entirely different take on the text came...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
My childhood church sponsored Vietnamese refugees coming to the United States. I remember the time, the language challenges, the cultural shocks. Also, an amazing dinner they refugees prepared for the volunteers. We moved out of the area before the work was done, but it sticks in my memory as something that Churches do. Immigrants #2 Sanctuary We looked at some easier ways to help immigrants, and we’ll look at some middling ideas. Today I want to suggest your congregation can risk it all to...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read