What do the stories of the Garden of Eden, Noah's ark and God's call to Abraham have in common?  All of them were likely told by Hebrews sitting around campfires between Egypt and Canaan, between slavery and the Promised Land. Over the past month, I have been thinking about the Old Testament and campfires more than I usually do, and the experience reminds me why I love the Old Testament so … [Read more...]

This spring, church members signed up to participate in dinner groups.  Participation in these groups called, and still calls, for a six month commitment to sit at table together on a monthly basis.  There's no agenda other than to show up, to enjoy each other's company and to be open to going wherever the Holy Spirit leads. I remember that when I first pitched this idea to Session, the … [Read more...]

Summer is a great time to get away and to return to places where we have been formed and reformed spiritually.  I notice that when members of the congregation go to their favorite places, they almost always return a bit more upbeat and alive than they were when they left. This statement applies to ministers, too.  At least to this one, who has just returned from Chautauqua, where I have spent … [Read more...]

Part of what I do, Sunday after Sunday, whether I am preaching or teaching, is to set Scripture into conversation with the experiences of the people around me.  Sure, Scripture says what it says, but people and circumstances change, and thus the synergy between the Word of God and the people of God, like God's grace, is irresistibly dynamic. One week ago, we, at St. James, started a Bible study … [Read more...]

With almost Christmas or Easter-like attendance at yesterday's St. James Presbyterian Church Preschool celebration, I left the service feeling grateful for all that God is doing here. I wasn't here in the beginning, when the Preschool was founded, but I am now, and I am grateful for the life that the Preschool's children and their families breathe into this body day after day. Yesterday's … [Read more...]