Lord God, may your peace and Holy Spirit fill this place. Open your scriptures to us, and may I clearly communicate that which you intend us to receive. May your Word take root and flourish within each and every one of us. Through it may we be strengthened and transformed by your unconditional, living, and limitless love for all of your Creation.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
One of my earliest memories is of sitting in the front pew at our new church with my mother and brother; my father’s voice booming out as he sang hymns and preached. (Although I was mostly interested in raiding the treat table after the service, before they all disappeared.)
Eventually I realized that something went missing during our first few weeks there. I overlooked it for a long time, a very long time, before realizing it was gone. So, five decades later, I asked him about it. In response, he told me the following story…
The church had a new sound system. The first one Dad ever used; and he wasn’t sure how to work with it. The Church Moderator was Pony Felch, a true old time Vermonter, right down to his accent. One day, Pony came to my Dad and said “You know Reverend, we appreciate your strong voice. But when singin’ the hymns, could you take a step or two back from the Mic?”
Continue reading “Sermon: What’s Missing?”
The Here and the Hereafter 