We are one week into our five-week summer series of worshipping on Thursday afternoons in the park. We are one week into a five-week experiment. When asked if they like to try new things, most people will say they do. It is easy for people to say, in the abstract, that trying new things is […]
A Conversation
So often when people think of this very familiar parable, people focus on the Good Samaritan. Of course he stopped to help, we tell ourselves, and so would I. However, this parable is not a nice little story about helping someone who has been hurt. In fact, this parable is full of lessons, many of […]
The UCC Shines!
I am what people call a “UCC nerd.” By that I mean, I have a deep and abiding love for the United Church of Christ and follow along with the inner workings, public statements, and gossip of our national body. I worked on the national staff prior to coming to Winona to serve as your […]
What Do You Have To Do With Us, Jesus?
His name is John. He is in his mid-seventies. His hair is long and looks unkempt. He wears a very odd mix of clothing, all clearly well-worn with frayed edges. He sometimes says odd things and has several unusual daily habits. He does not engage in conversation with strangers very well and sometimes stares a […]
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ
The 32rd General Synod of the UCC will begin this Friday, June 21st in Milwaukee, WI. The theme of this gathering will be drawn from Matthew 8, “Let Your Light Shine.” General Synod is a very important event in the life of our denomination. The business of the UCC is done, worship is had, learning […]
“What? Where? When? How?”
Today is Trinity Sunday in the Christian church. The day, one of my colleagues said, when the Holy Spirit is not regulated to the background but is brought front and center with God and Christ. I said last week that it has been my observation and experience in midwestern Protestantism that the Holy Spirit is […]
Silence and the Holy Spirit
While attending the Festival of Homiletics last month, I participated in a workshop about the Holy Spirit. It was presented by Rev. William Lamar IV, who is pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, DC. Rev. Lamar, the next night, also led the Gospel worship service. He preached a fiery sermon, one that […]
A Poem for Pentecost
I have always enjoyed Pentecost. I find myself reading the scriptures about the early Jesus Movement and wondering what it would have been like to be there. I find myself thinking about the Holy Spirit and if ancient times were set apart, or if people were better able to describe what they were experiencing using […]
The Questions We Ask
When people ask me to describe the United Church of Christ, here is what I almost always say, “The great thing about the UCC is we provide no definitive answers to the big questions of life, simply a safe community in which to ask those questions, talk about them, and worship God in varied ways. […]
Make Room for the Real Work of Nativity and Resurrection
By Melissa Musick Nussbaum Christmas Day and Easter Sunday share a similar problem. On the Feast of the Nativity, we want to linger before the baby in the crib; on the Feast of the Resurrection, we want to linger before the empty tomb. We’re like Peter, James and John before Jesus on the mountain — […]