More than Miracles

I had the pleasure of visiting Cana back in 2018 when I visited Palestine/Israel.  During our travels we stopped in Cana and visited the purported site of the great miracle, and in the church built on that location we were also able to see the famed vessels that were apparently used in the miracle.

Looking for good news

To my dear TFMC family,

It didn’t take all that long, to be honest, for the relaxed feelings that things are all going to be OK to vanish, as a new wave of bad news came flooding through my news feed.  You would think that bad news would take a break over the Christmas holidays, but it doesn’t...

Longing to Hope

To my dear TFMC family,

You would be forgiven for feeling a bit antsy this week.  Our Advent series has certainly taken its time to get to some familiar stories.  And that’s been by design.  Part of the season of Advent, for me at least, is trying to get us to place ourselves into the story.  Rather than have Advent be a ‘Countdown to Christmas’, I want us to be able to feel the joy and celebration, not because Christmas is here, but because God has done something astonishing.

The Christmas Pickle

To my dear TFMC family,

This year, we introduced Chloe to the “Christmas Pickle.”  It’s an old tradition from Germany where the last ornament to be hung is a glass pickle.  The ornament, green, is hidden amongst the boughs of the tree.  The tradition goes, the first person who finds the pickle on Christmas day, gets to open the first gift...

First Advent

To my dear TFMC family,

Christmas music has started early in our house this year.  Usually, we’ve tried to reserve Christmas music and decorations for First Advent, but Chloe for the last couple of years has really enjoyed the Christmas season, and demands early on that we play Christmas music.  So I’m becoming re-acquainted with Raffi’s Christmas album, Sharon, Lois and Bram’s Christmas album, and who knew, Fred Penner’s Christmas album.  The Christmas music has started early this year...

Paying Attention

To my dear TFMC family,,

A few weeks ago I participated in an MCEC Pastors Retreat.  As it is, when pastors get together we drink plenty of coffee and we talk.  A lot.  The largest portion of our time was talking about what it means to be an “everyday mystic....

To Remember...

To my dear TFMC family,

Lately, I’ve found myself conflicted about Remembrance Day.

On one hand, I believe it’s vital that we remember our history — the horrors of war, the inhumanity, the slaughter, the heartbreak, and the pain. Growing up, that’s what I recall Remembrance Day emphasizing: how terrible war is, and why we must never seek it again. ...

Mystery, Miracles, and Memory

To my dear TFMC family,

This past Sunday we celebrated World Communion Sunday.  In my introductory remarks, I briefly spoke about how I saw Communion being special.  I didn’t say exactly how special it was for me.  I have always felt it a privilege to lead communion for congregations.  I think it’s a poignant practice that can highlight and elevate significant moments in congregational life...

The Present Past

I will openly confess that I’m far more comfortable in the New Testament than I am in the Old Testament.  I think for me, it’s because I’m far more comfortable with Jesus than I am with millennia of prophets, kings, judges, poetry and history of the Old Testament.  And that’s, at least, partially why I was rather excited to take on the challenge of the Narrative Lectionary for this year.

God led us through 'that'

To my dear TFMC family,

I was meeting with my Pastor’s Learning Circle yesterday and somehow, I’m not quite sure how, we got on the topic of experiences of God.  Something that was reflected was that a lot of the stories in scripture are stories of people’s experiences of God.  And, one thing that we talked about at length was that the stories that made an impression and the ones that were told and were re-told weren't individual experiences of God, but rather they were the corporate experiences of God...

'Difficult' Passages

What do you do with scripture passages that you don’t like?  Are you like a colleague of mine, who, after reading the book of Judges, was so angry that they threw their bible across the room?  Or are you like Thomas Jefferson, who took a razor blade and glue to his bible and literally cut out the parts of scripture that he didn’t like or agree with?  Or perhaps you’re a little less extreme, and you simply flip past those stories, not giving them any attention...

Seasons

To my dear TFMC family,

As far as seasons go September has almost always felt like a month that marks a clear end to things, and a clear beginning to things.  It’s the month where the lazy days of summer abruptly end, and when the routines and rhythms begin.