All Welcome: the Lord’s Supper is not a Political Weapon Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayYou may have heard that a Roman Catholic bishop in San Francisco has announced that Nancy Pelosi has been banned from communion for her advocacy for the legality of abortion. First of all, you should know that not all Christians are against pro-choice policy as this bishop is. This is a complex moral issue and […] Read More
Full Hearts Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayThis Sunday our sanctuary was full and as a pastor looking out on the people, so was my heart. What really filled me with joy was putting that experience together with a basic theological commitment I can easily forget. The church is not building it is the people. Having people of all ages in our […] Read More
Can it be a girl? Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayWe have adopted the practice of inviting members of all ages to provide the images for the front of our bulletin. Violet knelt down by the coffee table excited to create her picture. “Our story this week is of a boy who goes far from home and how his father misses him. When he finally […] Read More
(Sigh!) Now What? Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DaySigh! Are we finally able to come together as a community and share physical space more intimately than we have in the past two years? I’m feeling things move in this direction. Let’s sigh together collectively. (Wait, can we breath like that in each other’s presence? So much relearning to do!) My wife and I […] Read More
Burnout’s Ash Worn Honestly Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayAsh Wednesday is such a complex ritual. One can interpret the dust in many ways. We trace the ashen cross on our foreheads to remember our mortality. At grave side after grave side we have remembered: We are dust and to dust we shall return. Or perhaps we think not of mortality, but morality, not […] Read More
Marie Kondo-ing My Way Through Lent Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayMarie Kondo-ing My Way Through Lent Lent is just around the corner, with Ash Wednesday on March 2. Lent is a time of self-examination, of letting go of things that clutter our lives, things that make it more difficult to see what really matters. Marie Kondo has provided a map that many have found helpful […] Read More
Some Assembly Required! Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayOne thing I have come to understand as we pass through the pandemic is that the absence of time together robs our relationships of depth. I am so glad that we have ways of reaching each other digitally when we cannot be physically in the same space. I have heard God’s voice coming through my […] Read More
Hearing the Word Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayMany of you have seen me tell the Scriptures by heart. I don’t always take the time to do this, but when I found myself quarantined for two weeks, I had time on my hands and returned to the practice. Why bother internalizing a story if that takes means an extra couple of hours of […] Read More
Dimensions of Faithful Preaching Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayA group of our members have been learning much of what goes into the act of preaching. They were surprised at all the dimensions going on in that moment. The author of A Lay Preacher’s Guide: How to Craft a Faithful Sermon, Karoline Lewis, suggests that in varying degrees every faithful sermon is the following: […] Read More
The Work of Christmas Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayPermit me to share the words of Howard Thurman as we have sung our Silent Night this week: “The Work of Christmas When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work […] Read More