Mark 1:29-39 “Vocation and Disappointment” A couple of weeks ago, our country was stilled for a moment when we listened with awe as the nation’s first Youth Poet Laurette, Amanda Gorman, captivated our Spirits with her words and presence at the Inauguration. Her poem, “The Hill We Climb”[1], struck such a chord with our […]
January 31, 2020 Worship
Rev. Danielle K Bartz January 31, 2021 Mark 1:21-28 “Counterpoint” In 2017 my mother and I travelled to Chicago for my birthday, and while there we went to see the opera The Pearl Fishers, composed by Georges Bizet. It is an extraordinary opera about a love triangle between two close friends, Zurga and […]
January 24, 2021 Worship
January 17, 2021 Worship
January 10, 2021 Worship
Rev. Danielle K Bartz January 6, 2021 Luke 6:16-30 “Today We Believe” The shock has begun to wear off, and now the questions are being asked. January 6, 2021 will become a day recorded in our country’s history when we witnessed the fractures and the fragility of our democracy. We do not yet know […]
January 3, 2021 Worship
Rev. Danielle K Bartz January 3, 2021 Matthew 2:1-12 “A Small Rebellion” I can no longer say aloud, or even in my own head, the Lord’s Prayer in its entirety without making a mistake. I get caught somewhere – never the same place, but somewhere along the way and forget what comes next. I fumble the words, trying to […]
Christmas at First Congo
December 20th, 2020 Worship
Luke 2:1-5 “Angels Along the Way” This Advent we have been listening to the voices of the angels. We listened as Gabriel appeared to both Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, mother of Jesus – to announce to them something extraordinary and wonderful. Last week we listened to the angel that appeared to […]
December 13, 2020 Worship
Rev. Danielle K Bartz December 13, 2020 Matthew 1:18-24 “Change of Plans” Last December, I was spending several evenings in the church building. I normally would not be here much at night, but in December 2019 I found myself here more evenings than usual. Between various meetings, our weekly Taizé services in the […]
December 6, 2020 Worship
Luke 1:26-38 “The Eternity of a Pause” My best friend, Sarah, and I have a lot of things in common. We have similar tastes, similar commitments to our families and to the work we do. We vacation well together – a true test of friendship, I think. We have a lot in common, but one of the ways we […]