Category Archives: Main Blog

a sermon delivered on January 29, 2012 at Sayville Congregational United Church of Christ We begin at the end, because the story of Kurt Gödel does not end well, and hopefully this sermon will. Gödel was one of the three great minds of the early 20th century who closed the door on the great project … Continue reading →

a sermon delivered January 22, 2012 at Sayville Congregational United Church of Christ I got on the train, like I had many times before that year. I had my backpack, my passport, a baguette, sausage and cheese in case I got hungry. I also had my Thomas Cooke guide with train schedules for all of … Continue reading →

a sermon delivered on January 15th, 2012 at Sayville Congregational United Church of Christ Scholar John Dominic Crossan stated the problem succinctly when it comes to how we interpret the Bible. Either the ancients wrote a text they believed to be literally true, and many of us are smart enough to read it symbolically; or, … Continue reading →

It is not uncommon for folks, on learning that I am a Christian minister, to say to me something like this: “Well, all paths lead to the same place.” I usually politely nod, move on to other topics. But I don’t really believe it. As we begin our three week sermon series on “Lessons Learned … Continue reading →

It is very old, primordial, this fear of the dark, this ancient human fear of what is unknown. It is the salt in the soup of our souls, this desire to know, to explore, to illuminate, and to hate what is obscured. Dylan Thomas advises us: “Do not go gentle into that good night,” further … Continue reading →

Despite the hullabaloo in Times Square last night, the vast amounts of alcohol consumed, the soon-to-be broken resolutions that were made, despite all of this, this day is no different than any other day. Yes, we mark the end of the secular year, which for purposes of historical dating makes a difference, as we will … Continue reading →

Okay… three homilies in 24 hours, each slightly different but on the same basic theme… hmmm…. Here they are: Family Service: One Holy Night On this night, and in fact during this entire season we view as unique and holy, much of the world puts its normal routines on hold. We gather with family, even … Continue reading →

Preparations for Christmastide are going well. I’ve written an original script for our brown-bag pageant called “Meanwhile in Hollywood,” have both Christmas Eve services ready, and am now working on our informal Christmas morning “pajamas” service. This is the prayer we will use to open that morning. Brother Jesus, you came to us in love, … Continue reading →

There was once a pastor who was settling in quite nicely into the pulpit of a church he had served for three years. He loved his new community, had made great friends, and had benefited from the wisdom of several of the congregation’s elders. One particular gentleman, we’ll call him Wallace, had been a deacon … Continue reading →

Used as the Prayer of Confession on Advent 2 Our lives hum along, the hum of dozens of electronic devices, the capacitors of our lives holding us captive, the hum of our tires on the road as we zip about, free to drive and trapped in our driven-ness. Our lives are musical, the music of … Continue reading →