Pastor’s Ponderings

Special Announcement  Brian Ganz, pianist, is recording in our Sanctuary this week his annual "All Chopin" performance. It will be aired on WETA, Channel 26, this Sunday, December 6 at 7 p.m., free of charge. There are two other streaming options, see details below....

I hope that no matter how you spend the day and no matter who you spend it with this year, Thanksgiving Day will be a restful and restorative day for you and those you love. It’s a great thing that we in this country take at least this one day each year to stop and...

Last Sunday in our worship services, I used a prayer by William Sloan Coffin, the chaplain of Yale University and pastor of Riverside Church in New York in the 1980’s. The prayer is entitled, “A Prayer for the Church in These Times.” Even though the prayer was written...

Wednesday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. This holiday began as “Armistice Day” the day in which WWI was ended. Now we celebrate the peace that came after that that war, but all those who have served in the military to protect and defend this nation.     A Prayer...

It’s been a challenging time for all of us. We are weary with the pandemic and the restrictions imposed on us and there doesn’t seem to be any quick end in sight. On Sunday, we remembered the lives of those in our congregation and friends and family who have died this...

Earlier this month, I spent a couple of days in the George Washington National Forest in Virginia.  I took in the fall colors and spent two nights in the woods snuggled in a cocoon of my sleeping bag. I followed a trail that looped into the wilderness and went up and...

The four windows on the pulpit/organ side along on the side aisle in the sanctuary are scenes from parables that Jesus told. The fourth window portrays the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37. This window shows the man who fell among thieves and was left for...

Luke 16:19-31 The third window on the pulpit side of the church illustrates the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. This is one of three parables found in the Gospel of Luke that has to do with “a rich man” who is out of touch with the needs of ordinary people (Luke...

Have you ever heard of Fat Bear Week? Neither did I until two weeks ago when I came across the story. Fat Bear Week is an annual tournament celebrating the brown bears at Brooks River in Katmai National Park in Alaska.  From September 30 to October 6, people can view...

The stained-glass windows add beauty and richness to the Calvary sanctuary. They bring light and color into the building as well as reminders of the stories and teachings of the Bible. There are eight windows along the nave (the main part of the sanctuary) which have...