Author Archives: smaxreisert

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About smaxreisert

I'm a United Church of Christ pastor serving the small, faithful Old South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Hallowell, Maine. I was ordained in Massachusetts in 1995, moved to Maine in 1997 and have served the Hallowell church since 2005.

Old and New, and the Problem of Judgment

Posted on May 25, 2017 by smaxreisert

I recently attended a lecture given by Diana Butler Bass. In her remarks, she talked about the “old” way of doing church—living out and expressing the Christian faith (which is the way that the Church has been Church for a … Continue reading →

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A Mothers Day Approach to God

Posted on May 17, 2017 by smaxreisert

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, … Continue reading →

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What Is Church For?

Posted on May 8, 2017 by smaxreisert

It’s been an interesting week in the office of Old South, with two particular occasions that got me thinking, once again, about the church and its purpose in these days. The first occasion involved a visitor, whose presence was announced … Continue reading →

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Church, Women and a Young Evangelist

Posted on April 28, 2017 by smaxreisert

My seventeen-year-old son, mostly a reluctant church-goer, is very good friends with a teenage boy who is not a reluctant church goer, but instead an eager one. This friend attends a local Southern Baptist church (though it is not at … Continue reading →

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Thank You, Ross Douthat

Posted on April 24, 2017 by smaxreisert

Now, there’s a string of words that I never thought I would type, let alone choose as a title for a blog post. But, in an Easter surprise, I find myself in complete agreement with Mr. Douthat, conservative columnist for the … Continue reading →

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In Search of a Different Easter

Posted on April 15, 2017 by smaxreisert

There’s something about the two major Christian holidays that have become, well, something of a drag for me, in my role as pastor of a small church. Easter, especially, has become difficult, in the reality of what I experience at … Continue reading →

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An Unaccustomed Silence

Posted on April 9, 2017 by smaxreisert

Holy Week has begun and for the first time in many years, I feel completely unprepared. Usually, by the time Palm/Passion Sunday (we observe both at Old South) rolls around, I have at least a good idea (in my head, … Continue reading →

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Prayer as Echo Chamber

Posted on April 1, 2017 by smaxreisert

For reasons that are entirely a mystery to me, I receive regular emails from the “Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation.” When the emails started appearing in my busy inbox, I was tempted to figure out a way to unsubscribe—as, by a … Continue reading →

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My Life in Exile

Posted on March 21, 2017 by smaxreisert

Maine can be a challenging place to live, and work, especially for those of us “from away,” and sometimes even more so for those from Massachusetts. Perhaps owing to complications from their past of once being one state, Maine and Massachusetts … Continue reading →

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My Struggle with Public Prayer

Posted on March 11, 2017 by smaxreisert

I serve on the board of a local homeless shelter. We recently developed new program space and hosted a ribbon cutting and open house to celebrate. During the planning of the ribbon cutting ceremony, I sent out to the planning … Continue reading →

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