Pastor’s Ponderings

In Luke 6: 29, Jesus says something extraordinary. He says, if someone slaps you on the check, you are to turn to them and offer the other check. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt as well. And if anyone takes away something that belongs to you, do...

A little over a month ago, I went to visit Rev. Carroll Doggett. He was weak and needing more care, but still alert and he had much on his mind. He wanted to know about Calvary Church and the people here. He asked about my family and my health. And we spend some time...

So today is a big day. People are going to polling places and votes are being tabulated for the presidential election as well as Senate, seats in the House of Representatives, Boards of Education and local referenda.  It’s been a fractious and dizzying election...

Over the last several weeks we have looked at the various parts that make up the Sunday worship service. The last part of the service is often called Sending Forth.   The Sending Forth is a series of actions in which the congregation stands and is sent forth to...

In recent weeks, I have lifted up the various parts of the Sunday worship service. Today, we come to the Pastoral Prayer or Concerns and Prayers. This can take various forms and is practiced in different ways. It may be a brief prayer of petition and words of...

In the recent Pastor Ponderings, I wrote about gathering and centering ourselves and hearing the proclamation of the word through scripture and sermon and taking time to reflect on the word. Last week I wrote about the role of music in worship. Today I want to talk...

Music and Song is a big part of every worship service. We are so fortunate to have a gifted director of music and many talented musicians that provide us with music each Sunday. Music has a way of stirring our hearts and lifting our imagination. When we hear voiced...

We are used to hearing about storms that are destructive of coastal areas of Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and Texas. We are not used to hearing of damage that took place hundred and even thousands of miles inland across such a vast region.  The scope of the damage...

Last week, I talked about what we do in each Sunday worship service. We start by making a transition from what we have been doing to give our attention to God and the things of God. We gather, we settle into the worship space, we pause, we join our voices in a...

Not every church worships in the same way. Some congregations have guitars and praise music, while others have an organ or piano. Some churches worship in a space that resembles an auditorium, while others sit in a circle of folding chairs.  Some churches emphasize...