One Little Word
In my last parish we had what we billed as “the world’s largest rummage sale. In actuality, it was probably “Solon’s largest rummage sale.” Or maybe even just “The largest rummage sale in the neighborhood north of Rt. 422.” In any event, it was a pretty big sale. ALL the Sunday school rooms were filled with cast-off items. The social hall, the narthex, and even the sanctuary were all filled with used things. We had one Sunday School room devoted entirely to Halloween cos
Prayer as Big Time Wrestling
Place names usually have good stories behind them. This area is no exception. I did a bit of research on names of places in this area. Depending on which legend you believe, Cabin John either got its name from an old hermit named John whose ghost still haunts the place, or a pirate named Captain John who buried his treasure there and killed all who came after it. Cabin John is derived from Capt’n John. Gallows Road was where they took the condemned from the courthouse (
Returning The Gift
Next Sunday is Response Sunday at CTS – a time for us to present, at the altar, our statements of intended giving for the year to come. It has been my custom to use this Sunday, the Sunday before, to bring to you a stewardship sermon. This is that one Sunday out of fifty-two. I have chosen a pulpit text from the gospel of Mark, the 12th chapter: “(Jesus) sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large s
Bigger Signs
Sometimes I feel that the church has lost the art of lament. Lament. Lament is a prayer for help coming out of pain. It is often mournful. The Bible is full of lament. Job lamented, “Why did I not perish at birth. Why did I not come forth from the womb and expire?” Jeremiah laments, “Why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable…?” One third of the Psalms – the Bible’s hymnal – are laments. Psalm 130 “Out of my depths I cry to you, O Lord.” Jesus, himself, was q