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…
In this guest sermon, Dr. Gertmenian looks at one of the characteristics that most defines humanity: our awareness of the passage of time . . . our ability to form memories. He finds paradoxes on every side, including the idea that the fleeting nature of time may be inseparable from experiencing joy. The Rev. Dr. James…
For her second stop on this year’s Advent journey, Pastor Tracy explores Zechariah’s Prophecy regarding the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus (from Luke 1: 67-79) She finds a universal message about the inherent weakness of regimes that attempt to rule through fear, whether in ancient Egypt … in Israel under the Romans . .…
Pastor Tracy takes a long, thoughtful look at the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and concludes that they are a sign of the weakness of the Islamic nihilist groups. Unable to offer the world anything positive, their only product is fear, and they have no power to harm the civilized world unless we let them by letting fear drive out love. (Scripture:…
Pastor Tracy examines the familiar story of Jesus in the house of Mary and Martha. She concludes that the traditional interpretation suggests a savior out of touch with the human reality of life, and concludes that the deeper meaning involves the choice we all have to make between fear and love.
For Veterans Day, Pastor Tracy examines an Old Testament story about peace breaking out between Israel and ancient Syria (2 Kings 6:8-23) She reports that back then and today, different religions are able to coexist peaceably. It’s only when nationalism and political power start using religion for their own purposes that violent conflicts arise. For those…