Blog (Page 3)
News and thoughts
Pastor’s Column – Oct 2023
As I write from our kitchen table, a white spotted doe is grazing not but 10 feet beyond our glass door. Her fur is ruffled and nose is black. She immediately noticed me, but clearly I am no threat to her. Afterall this is Lancaster. Jessica and I were once walking through aneighborhood when we witnessed three deer staring at someone’s backyard shed as if they were waiting on someone who was late for an important appointment. They were. Sure…
Sermons of Grace Podcasts
For many years now, audio recordings of the sermons from our worship services have been available as podcasts directly from our website, on Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts. They are also available via the FaithStreet app. I’m pleased to share that as of today, we are also available on Amazon Music and Audible. So, for those of you who would like to follow us this way, we now have another option.
Pastor’s Column – Aug 2023
O Lord, how manifold are your works! There is the sea, great and wide; creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. There go the ships and Leviathan that you formed to play it.” psalm 104 If you get a chance today or this week, I encourage you to read psalm 104 in its entirety. It is best read in the sanctuary of nature. Take a seat near an open window or go out on the patio.…
Pastor’s Column – July 2023
So let’s strive for the things that bring peace and the things that build each other up. Romans 14:19 Just imagine if everyone took these words seriously? Imagine if this was the bedrock of all our relationships? Imagine if this was the way our society created public policy or law? Imagine if religion took this seriously? I wish it did, but looking at the world, even Christianity in the United States, it is clear that we often don’t strive for…
Pastor’s Column – June 2023
God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And so light appeared. God saw how good the light was. Genesis 1:3 I hope you are reading this on a day when the sun is pouring through the windows. I hope you can reach out your hand or close your eyes and simply feel the energy of the sun transferring energy into your body and mind. If you aren’t in such a place, I invite you to really be present the next time…
Pastor’s Column – May 2023
I waited patiently for the Lord;God inclined to me and head my cry.God drew me up from the desolate pit,Out of the miry bog,And set my feet upon a rock,Making my steps secure.He put a new song in my mouth,A song of praise to our God.Many will see and honorand put their trust in God. Psalm 40 Some of you know that I love music. What you may not know is just how eclectic my taste in music is. I…
Pastor’s Column – Apr 2023
“Then know, there is no hide-and-seek with the divine that doesn’t end in you being found.” I don’t know about you but I can’t read that line enough. Even though I am a reverend, there are days when God’s grace and love seem so unbelievable to me. When I fail to live out the best version of myself… when I feel like I am not doing enough… when I feel like I don’t deserve God’s love, I am reminded that…
Pastor’s Column – Mar 2023
“e believe rest is luxury, privilege, and an extra treat we can give to ourselves after suffering from exhaustion and sleep deprivation. Rest isn’t a luxury, but an absolute necessity. Rest is a divine right. Rest is a human right. Rest must interrupt. Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by TriciaHersey, pg. 60 Are you feeling tired? Do you need a nap but given your work schedule, doctor’s appointments, family errands, or anxiety level you find it difficult or impossible to…
Pastor’s Column – Feb 2023
“Seek the Lord while God may be found, call upon God while God is near.”God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:6,8-9 NRSV Jessica and I will be married 9 years this coming June, however we have been together for 13. After 13 years I feel…
Pastor’s Column – Jan 2023
Every year our church, our families, our communities hype Christmas with get-togethers and special events that bring us all a little closer to one another. I truly hope you were able to experience this on some level. While we get tangled in the mixed messages of Christmas being about gifts, or about movies, or that cookie we always eat, I hope once the dust settles you are able to reflect and see what makes it truly special…. and that is…