• Preacher

Christmas Eve Meditation 2019

Date: December 24, 2019
Preacher: Rev. Beth Neel

Thank you all for being here tonight. A few years ago there were rumors of ice on the night of Christmas Eve, and while we did have our service, we were missing some of the wise folks who decided to stay home where it was warm and dry. It’s good to have a nice, full … read

The Wonder of It All

Date: December 22, 2019
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25
Preacher: Rev. Beth Neel

There is something greater than honor and shame. That would have been an interesting thing for Joseph to have heard in the minutes or days before the angel’s dreamtime visit, in the weeks or months before their families negotiated the betrothal between Joseph and Mary. Joseph’s whole world was structured around bringing honor and not … read

The Gift of Presence

Date: December 15, 2019
Scripture: Isaiah 63:7-9
Preacher: Rev. Beth Neel

“And certainly and easily I can see  how God might be one rose bud, one white feather in the heron’s enormous slowly opening wing. It’s after that it gets difficult.” So wrote Mary Oliver in her poem “Evening Star” but I would hazard a guess that most of us can agree with that last line, … read

Faith and Comfort

Date: December 8, 2019
Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11
Preacher: Rev. Gregg Neel

Nonetheless

Date: December 1, 2019
Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7
Preacher: Rev. Eileen Parfrey

Every fall I practice magical thinking along the lines of, “This year we’ll get to keep summer-length daylight.” And every year about this time, I concede the point and give it up as a lost cause. We’re heading into the very darkest time of the year, the season of overcast, with night that stretches into … read

Endings and Beginnings

Date: November 24, 2019
Scripture: 1 Kings 1, excerpted
Preacher: Rev. Beth Neel

Being a pastor is a weird thing. People – especially people who don’t do church – have no idea how we spend our days and imagine we have a direct line to God, our trusted counselor and mentor and advisor. I would reckon that every pastor I know has been asked how she or he … read

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