Category Archives: Holy-Days

The Church of the Sick and Tired, Literally

Posted on June 10, 2014 by smaxreisert

There have been times when, over the course of my almost nine-year relationship with Old South Church, I look out at the congregation on a Sunday morning and I get very close to being overwhelmed when I think about the … Continue reading →

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Has Music Become a Problem?

Posted on April 20, 2014 by smaxreisert

In the week or two before Easter, Old South receives at least a few phone calls or emails that ask about whether or not our bell choir will be “performing” on Easter Sunday. No one ever calls and asks about … Continue reading →

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What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Posted on January 4, 2014 by smaxreisert

In late October of 2008, during a trip to Europe, my family and I spent a week in Rome. During our stay in “the Eternal City,” we visited a special art exhibit of the artist Giovanni Bellini. Bellini was an … Continue reading →

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The Year (Almost) Without an Advent

Posted on December 28, 2013 by smaxreisert

Like many churches in Central Maine, Old South had to cancel worship for the two Sundays before Christmas—Advent territory. For the first of those cancellations, a raging snowstorm rolled in at exactly the most inconvenient time, making travel to and … Continue reading →

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Lessons in the Holiday Season

Posted on December 14, 2013 by smaxreisert

One of the best literary Christmas pageant scenes is in John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. What makes it so great, of course, is that it is so funny. And, what makes it so funny is that everything goes … Continue reading →

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Death and Life

Posted on March 30, 2013 by smaxreisert

A few years ago, I chose a Lenten theme that focused on the “death of the church as we’ve known it.” For all of the Sundays of Lent, I walked the congregation through the various stages of grief. I talked … Continue reading →

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Going Over the Religion Cliff

Posted on December 29, 2012 by smaxreisert

Last Sunday’s Sunday New York Times Book Review offered a cover story entitled, “Has Fiction Lost Its Faith?” (12/23/12)  In that article Paul Elie summed up his sense of the place of Christianity in contemporary fiction this way:  ““This, in … Continue reading →

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God’s Birth Plan: What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Posted on December 22, 2012 by smaxreisert

I was just one week short of the due date for my second child when I woke up on a lovely morning in spring and felt a few mild cramps.  I might not have taken much notice, but then I … Continue reading →

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Christmas Without Christians

Posted on December 2, 2012 by smaxreisert

I’m not much of a fan of the “War on Christmas.”  In fact, I prefer “Happy Holidays” to “Merry Christmas” as I offer greetings around town, in recognition that there are many religious holidays that take place during this time … Continue reading →

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