My family has been binge-watching the 1980s sitcom “Cheers” this month. It has been fun. The characters and story lines are very funny and appealing in their own way. Even so, there are times when a joke or a plot point will surprise or shock my 2021 sensibilities. Clearly, there have been some significant shifts in how our culture looks …
This year, Lent begins on February 17th. Ash Wednesday marks its beginning. Lent is what we call the weeks that lead up to Easter. It is 40 days long (not counting Sundays) and is a time when Christian churches focus on repentance. Lent’s traditional practices are prayer, fasting, and giving to those in need, intended to bring the follower closer …
29As soon as [Jesus and the disciples] left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32That evening, at …
O God, Sometimes my worldview is very small. Help it grow. There are times I think I am the very center of everything. I find myself thinking that my thoughts and perceptions are the only ones that matter. Help me to see beyond my own ideas and notions and discover the ways others see things. Help me to set aside …
This week’s gospel is from the first chapter of Mark’s gospel. Jesus is just starting out, but because Mark is an efficient story teller, a good deal has already happened. Jesus encounters his forerunner, John the Baptist, is baptized and hears a voice from heaven affirming his identity and his role. He went to the wilderness and was tempted. He …
QNA – Questions, not Answers is a monthly inter-generational discussion for students and community members and has moved to meeting via Zoom for the coming months. If you are interested in attending, please email Carla Rossi at ckrossi@comcast.net for the link to the meeting. If you previously participated in QNA, we hope you will join us again. If you haven’t, newcomers are …
Tuesday, February 16th at 7 pm via Zoom Learn and talk together with other people of faith as we grow in our understanding of racism and how we can be antiracist day to day. We are exploring antiracism using a variety of online resources. This month we’ll be talking about policing in our country, looking at the history of …
O God, Your authority is boundless. It extends from the tiny blade of grass to the most distant galaxies. Yet, you care for me, for all of us. You see our struggles and fears, and you bring aid and hope. You know our failings and sorrows, and you fill us with courage and comfort. Help me as I try to …
They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? …
I love this week’s gospel story where Jesus calls disciples to follow him as they are there with their nets and boats at the Sea of Galilee. I always imagine a warm and sunny day with the brothers working together on the shore. They are taking and joking while they work to feed their families like they have every day …
