Dear Siblings in Christ: Monday mornings are when I usually start reading the lectionary text for the coming Sunday. The text includes one of my favorite passages in the Gospel of John (4:5-27). Its the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well and the conversation that happened there. Three things struck me this week.  The first and second were somewhat unique to this moment in time. As Jesus and this woman met in this spiritually intimate moment, I thought about social distancing and handwashing. We’re talking about it so much these days that it’s become the lens for … Continue reading 3-10-2020 COVID-19 PNC Update

This well-known prayer attributed to St. Francis was a helpful centering for me this morning: “Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we … Continue reading COVID-19 PNC Update (3/6/2020)

In 1888, a huge snowstorm hit the US that no one saw coming. At that point and time, weather prediction was in its earliest stages and the primary weather information that was available came from looking at the sky, factoring in the wind direction, and guessing whether or not the clouds you saw on the horizon might be coming your way. In some areas, the day started with clear skies and mild temperatures but, within a couple of hours, temperatures plunged into the twenties, two feet of snow fell quickly, and the wind started to blow hard enough to cause … Continue reading Cancelling Worship Services (3-5-2020)

Dear Siblings in Christ: Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly.  Take another deep breath. Let it out slowly. When you’re ready, try saying these words from Psalm 56 a few times: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” If it helps, say it as many times as you need in order to get your heart rate down a bit. These have not been easy days in our corner of the country and in many other parts of the world. We’ve all been learning a lot about pandemics, epidemics, and disease outbreaks in the last few … Continue reading COVID-19 PNC Update (3/4/2020)

A Blessed Lent to each of you.One of the texts for Ash Wednesday really stood out to me today: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.Joel 2:15-16 We want to get together when times are hard. I remember how people gathered after 9/11 or the 2004 Tsunami or any one of the too many gatherings after acts of mass violence that have taken place over the last few … Continue reading Ashes and Viruses (2-26-2020)