“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?” (Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451) Is something bothering you? I get it. It’s a loaded question. But stick with me for a second. Sit down, and let’s have a…
Here’s a fact which may come in handy for your next trivia night: this year’s mashup of Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday will be the third time the start of Lent has been on February 14 since 1945. The other was in the wistful pre-pandemic year of 2018. They will sync up again for the last time in this century…
Eileen stopped by church the other day. She arrived just in time for Chapel Time at Mother’s Day Out, so I invited her to join us. Afterall, I figured, its not often that three- and four-year-olds get to meet an angel. In the interest of transparency, I better stop there and clear things up. While Eileen is indeed an angel,…
As I fumbled to fill the church’s Advent candles with oil on Sunday, I found myself snagged by the grief’s sneaky undertow. But that is how grief often operates. It is much less a sequence of predictable events we can check off than it is a series of repeating waves that rise and fall according to their own somewhat random…
A Season of Thanksgiving I was born with faith; I think we all are. I was lucky to be brought into this world by parents and family who lived their lives in faith, hope, and love, sharing with me these gifts to experience, to enjoy, and to express. My father was an astronomer, and I can still remember as a very…
This post was taken from the newsletters of First Presbyterian Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We truly are the church together! “Presbytery” has been considered a four-letter word by some congregations (and probably some pastors). “The presbytery” in general has often been accused of ignoring congregations when they are struggling or obstructing progress when calling a new…
Blog Post by Rev. Bill Vincent Pacific Presbyterian and First Presbyterian Church-Union Isaiah 35 (Click Here) | Matthew 11:2-11 (Click Here) We have here in Isaiah a vision of God’s work in returning the people from their time of captivity and exile. A vision of immense joy and healing of the people. So that the blind see and marvel, and…
The Second Week of Advent Message from Rev. Ronnie Osborn St. Charles Presbyterian Church, St. Charles, Missouri Click Photo to Watch Message
Message on Hope by Rev. Wendy Downing Steelville Presbyterian Church Years ago, I saw a maternity shop named “Great Expectations.” That’s what this season is all about, isn’t it? Expectations. That’s what these two passages are about. Both passages are the kind that look forward, and look to the future, with a deep sense of anticipation and expectation. Isaiah was…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Chris Keating Pastor of Woodlawn Chapel Presbyterian & St. Louis County Police Chaplain In case you missed it, your church was packed on Tuesday. Every seat was taken—even the front pews that are only used during weddings. Even your uncle, who never attends, joined the countless host streaming through the sanctuary doors. Don’t believe me?…