“When I give bread to the poor, they call me a Saint . . . . . . when I ask why the poor have no bread, they call me a Communist.” Archbishop Oscar Romero (1917 – 1980) To mark our annual letter-writing campaign for Bread for the World, Pastor Tracy explored the instructions from…
For Earth Day, Pastor Tracy examines some of the lesser-known parts of the creation story in Genesis. She finds that it tells us that taking care of the earth is inextricably linked to forming community and thus taking care of ourselves. This ancient idea is also closely connected to to her misadventures in worm-farming. Seriously!
The story of Paul’s conversion (Acts 9:1-22) is Pastor Tracy’s starting point for an exploration of the nature of grace. Nothing about his change of heart can be explained by logic or external circumstances. It was grace in its purest form. She also illustrates her point with an ancient Zen parable.
Preaching from the familiar story of Jesus appearing before the Apostles, Pastor Tracy notes that we all have Thomas’s doubts. Drawing on a very personal story of having once been a prisoner of her own fears and doubts. she points out that the Holy Spirit seldom appears in a form we expect, and that the…
“Never put a period where God has placed a comma” Gracie Allen In her Easter sermon, Pastor Tracy reminds us that the resurrection of Jesus is not the only story in the Bible of someone being raised from the dead, and that in all of them, the critical question is not “How?” but “Why?” Every…
How do we orient ourselves . . . how do we find a direction . . . when we have been thrust into new circumstances or our comfortable world has fallen apart? Pastor Tracy suggests that this is the meaning of one of the more enigmatic stories in the New Testament (Luke 17:11-19.) It’s also…
As we prepare for Lent, Pastor Tracy looks for the deeper meaning of Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness. She finds parallels in the 12-step process and — seriously — her recent experience buying a new car. She suggests that the important question for Lent isn’t what you’re planning to give up, but what you…
On the morning of our congregational Annual Meeting, Pastor Tracy looked at moments over the years where people have come together to offer a glimpse of blessed community – – from the time (in Nehemiah 8:1-12) when the ancient Jews reunited in their own land after centuries of diasapora to the night a week ago…
Pastor Tracy examines a familiar conflict: A young person goes off to college, or to travel the world and then comes home full of new ideas that challenge the accepted beliefs at home. It happens every day, and it happened to Jesus. (Luke 4:14 – 30) The result is conflict and rejection, driven less by…
Rev. Richards is the Program Associate for the Global Sharing of Resources Team of the United Church of Christ. In this capacity, she works to promote the One Great Hour of Sharing offering. During pour OGHS fund-raising drive last year, the church youth youth wrote to Rev. Richards asking to learn more about how the…