Category: Minister’s Blog

This Sunday, we continue our series of sermons responding to questions asked by members of the congregation. The question I received for this week reads, “I seem to be receiving so many blessings.  Am I using them to spread the word of God correctly?  Or how do I?”  Join us this week as we seek to answer this question and take a fresh look at what the word “evangelism” can mean today.  And don’t forget to register your children for VBS.  July 9 is fast approaching!

This Sunday begins our series of sermons based upon questions asked by members of the congregation. We begin with, “What Does It Mean to Forgive?”  The question related to how to forgive when that person does not admit fault or apologize. And when that happens, when we are hurt and our offender does nothing to try to make it right, how do we let go of that issue?  We will take a look at several teachings of Jesus on the issue of forgiveness, and consider the balance between preventing ourselves from being hurt and inviting reconciliation.  There is still plenty of time to get your questions answered, so keep them coming!

This Sunday on the church calendar is Trinity Sunday, a day which celebrates the doctrine of the Trinity. This doctrine has traditionally one that is difficult for us to grasp.  Many different analogies have been used to help us understand what this concept means.  Theologians have wrestled with it for centuries.  But this Sunday we will take a different approach to understanding the Trinity, considering what it means for us since we are created in the image of God.  I hope to see you this Sunday, and don’t forget to submit your questions for our sermons in June.

This Sunday we conclude our “Listen” series with “Listening for Our Purpose.”   We will examine the calling of Samuel when he was a young child. In our lives, we may not get the commission that Samuel received. We may not become a prophet who will change the course of history for our nation.  But each of us are given a purpose by God, a purpose that we will not recognize if we are not, like Samuel, willing to listen for that purpose.

In June, our sermons will respond to questions posed by the congregation. If there are any questions related to issues of faith you have always wanted answered, here is your chance to ask by sending me a text or email.  Hope to see you Sunday!

We continue our series “Listen” this Sunday with “Listening through Others.” The other forms of listening we have explored are more solitary acts which occur between God and us.  But to truly listen, we also need to be part of a community.  Within ourselves, we may feel called to reach out to someone, to make some kind of change in our lives, to engage in some new work for God.  But, many times, it is not until we hear from someone else an encouragement to follow through on that leading, until someone gives us affirmation of what that call is, that we receive the confidence we need to follow through on it.  Join us this Sunday as we listen together.

Our sermon series, “Listen,” continues this week with “Listening Beyond the Voices.”  All of us at times have voices within us saying we are unworthy, that we are unsafe, that we will not overcome the struggles we face.  We have thoughts which cause us to doubt God’s presence with us.  This Sunday we will examine how to quiet those voices within us and recognize that God is not distant but very much present.  Through the story of Jesus stilling the storm, we will find the idea that God is separate from us is an illusion we create.  For Christ is always ready to reach out his hand to quiet the storms in our lives.

This Sunday we continue our series, “Listen,” with Listening to the Scriptures. Many of us recognize the value of the Scriptures to our faith and may have been challenged to read them more. But, at times, reading our Bible starts to feel like a chore, something we feel we have to do without enjoying much benefit from it. This Sunday, we will consider different ways we can listen to what God may be trying to communicate to us through what we read in the Biblical text, ways we can making our time reading Scripture more meaningful to our lives. We will also have a baptism during our worship. I hope you will join us for this special service.

This Sunday, we begin a new sermon series entitled “Listen.”  There is a great amount of noise which surrounds us each day, whether it be the literal noise of our televisions and phones or the figurative noise of our anxieties, fears, and life circumstances.  Often, this noise drowns out the voice of God.  In the next several weeks, we will examine ways that we can focus our attention on listening to what God is trying to tell us and reconnecting to God’s purpose for our lives.  We begin this Sunday with an event from the life of the prophet Elijah, and the importance of finding spaces in which to listen.

Having just celebrated Easter, it is easy to forget about the power of resurrection and allow our faith to take a backseat in our lives.  I recently saw a church sign which spoke to this, stating “Open between Easter and Christmas.” This Sunday, we will take a look at the final chapter of the book of John and what happens with the disciples after the immediate excitement of the resurrection.  And we will see that it is not what we do in the midst of a powerful experience, but how we carry that experience forward into our everyday lives that will have the greatest impact for God.

There are many events this Holy Week in our church community. First, our Maundy Thursday service is at 7:00 p.m. At this service, we will examine the last of the seven deadly sins – wrath. For me, this is one of the meaningful services of the year. I hope you will plan to join us as we remember the last moments Jesus shared with his disciples leading up to his crucifixion. Our community Good Friday service is at Danvers Presbyterian Church, also at 7 p.m. On Saturday, we will be hosting the community Easter Egg hunt at the community building beginning at 10 a.m. Finally, I hope you will join us for our Easter Sunday worship service at 10 a.m. Like last year, we will conclude our service by flowering the cross in celebration of the resurrection.