Category Archives: Holy-Days

Where Would We Be Without the Women?

Posted on April 22, 2019 by smaxreisert

Western Christians gathered this past weekend for the most significant of holy days, Easter (Eastern Orthodox Easter is next weekend). For those Christian Churches that follow the Revised Common Lectionary (and many that do not) the Sunday Easter worship service … Continue reading →

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Advent-ish

Posted on December 17, 2018 by smaxreisert

When I first started serving as Pastor and Teacher at Old South Church in Hallowell, Maine, it was only a couple of months before Advent. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when it came to Old South’s usual Advent … Continue reading →

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Winter’s People

Posted on April 12, 2018 by smaxreisert

In Central Maine, especially where I live on a tranquil Maine lake, it feels like we are still very much in the grip of winter.   There’s still plenty of snow on the ground, temperatures are chilly, and the lake doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Where Does Easter Start?

Posted on March 31, 2018 by smaxreisert

As I was scanning the local newspaper a couple of days ago, I stopped at an almost full-sized ad from one of the local supermarket chains. The colors of the ad, bold spring colors on a page that was otherwise … Continue reading →

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To Give Up or Take Up?

Posted on February 16, 2018 by smaxreisert

I’ve always had a rather awkward relationship with Lent. I remember when I was in high school, the season of Lent had an almost athletic contest vibe to it. My youth group friends and I would usually decide to give … Continue reading →

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My Christmas (Carol) Blues

Posted on December 22, 2017 by smaxreisert

I love Advent. Christmas, not so much. Right now, I’m wishing I could fast forward to Tuesday, and have Christmas behind me. It’s not Christmas itself that gets on my nerves. It’s mostly Christmas Eve and the annual Christmas Eve … 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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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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The Work of Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2016 by smaxreisert

By the time Christmas rolls around, most of us have probably had quite enough of Christmas. With Christmas music surrounding us in shops since well before Thanksgiving, the abundance of Christmas decorations, and our own sense of busyness of the … Continue reading →

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