(My sermons these days are based on what’s written in these manuscripts, but since I started preaching without notes, they aren’t identical.) Last night, all our churches that are part of the Pittsfield Campus of Downtown Churches worked together to create a Holy Saturday walk. Recognizing Holy Saturday (also known as the Great Vigil) isn’t done in many Protestant churches. It wasn’t something I ever did or knew about growing up, but it has become more important to me over the years.  Holy Saturday is a recognition of the time after the execution of Jesus on Good Friday and before … Continue reading “Unfinished” (4/9/23 Easter Reflection on John 20:1-18) #sermon #berkshires #pittsfield

(I’ve been preaching without a manuscript the last few Sundays, so haven’t had anything to publish here. I’ll share the sermon and other writings here as I have something available!) Less than 20 years ago, I was part of an interfaith group of religious leaders working to support hotel room cleaners in Chicago. We’d heard the stories of how hotel workers were pushed to clean more rooms than could reasonably be cleaned safely and quickly. At that point, the number of life-altering injuries they suffered to their backs, arms, shoulders, and necks rivaled those suffered in heavy industry. Their pay … Continue reading “Marching” (4/2/23 Palm Sunday Reflection on Matthew 21:1-11+) #pittsfield #sermon #berkshires

A coffee stand in Blue Hill, Maine, makes my favorite espresso. Lauren’s family has a place they share, not too far away. We get there about once a year. Most days, I slip over to Bucklyn Coffee and wait in line.  It takes a while, but it’s rare that anyone gets impatient about it. It’s really like a communion line. Once you get through it, the server – sometimes the owner – greets you in a way like you’re the first person they’ve served all day. They rarely rush. I order an espresso, and they smile. Eventually, they hand me … Continue reading Coffee Grinds and Ashes (March reflection for church newsletter)

John 1:29-42 The speedometer on our family car suggests that our car could go 160 miles an hour if we wanted it to. It could save so much time if we zipped along at that speed! The 8-hour trip to my folks in Ohio could be reduced to about three hours and 15 minutes. Pittsfield to Boston? About 52 minutes. The drive from our home to Big Y World Class Market would be reduced from 6 minutes to about 50 seconds. Oh, how much time I could save! But, no. Some government officials decided that, for some reason, driving 160 … Continue reading “…of the world.” (Sermon on John 1:29-42) #Bershires #Pittsfield #Sermon

Biblical scholars love to debate, and when they do, for a church geek like me, it’s kind of fun to listen to. I know this isn’t true for everyone, but at some point, watching a good debate is almost more like watching sports. You can almost imagine a sports announcer: “That round goes to the Old Testament scholar from Yale. Next up, a debate about ECONOMICS IN THE BIBLICAL WORLD between the scholar from Emory University and the scholar from Chicago Theological Seminary, followed by a debate about Old Testament punctuation between the scholar from Harvard and Saint Pius the … Continue reading “Well Pleased…” (Sermon on Matthew 3:3-17) #berkshire #pittsfield #sermon

I’ve been thinking about the stars quite a bit these days. I grew up and have lived in or near cities my whole life, so the sky was almost entirely washed out with all those additional lights. I’d have to visit somewhere else to see more than a dozen stars, and even then, I would need to remember to look up. Here, I can see them. They’re just there. I find myself looking up quite a bit. Whenever I think about stars, I think about Dr. Ron Olowin. Ron was an astrophysicist. I did not understand what an astrophysicist was … Continue reading Starlight (Sermon on Psalm 148) #Berkshires #Pittsfield #Sermon