Category Archives: Misc

How Far Will This Go?

Posted on May 27, 2025 by smaxreisert

With Harvard University so prominently in the news in recent days, my memory has been sent back to the years I lived in Cambridge, in various places on the Harvard campus. One of the buildings that has found itself in … Continue reading →

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Me and My Misanthropy

Posted on January 15, 2025 by smaxreisert

Confession/Admission: I’ve always been a bit of a misanthrope, suspicious of my fellow human beings, and sometimes just downright untrusting and disliking of them. When I completed my required-for-ordination unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in … Continue reading →

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What Do We Do Now?

Posted on November 12, 2024 by smaxreisert

Sermon preached at Old South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Hallowell, Maine, November 10, 2024. 28 One of the legal experts heard their dispute and saw how well Jesus answered them. He came over and asked him, “Which commandment is … Continue reading →

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On Edge

Posted on November 1, 2024 by smaxreisert

I haven’t been surprised by the expressions of mounting tension as we get closer and closer to Election Day. What has surprised me is the expression of tension and anxiety shared with me by people at Old South who have … Continue reading →

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The Church Has A Lot of Explaining to Do

Posted on October 17, 2024 by smaxreisert

Catholic voters favor Trump in most battleground states, according to new NCR poll [National Catholic Reporter, 10/14/24] Are male voters reluctant to vote for a woman? [AP News, 10/11/24] Sexist Language Surges Online as Harris Battles Trump [Newsweek, 10/11/24] How … Continue reading →

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Enough Is Enough

Posted on July 31, 2024 by smaxreisert

The man said, “The woman you gave me, she gave me some fruit[c] from the tree, and I ate.” Genesis 3:12 (CEB) “Their words struck the apostles as nonsense, and they didn’t believe the women.”  Matthew 24:11 (CEB) “We are effectively … Continue reading →

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I Feel for Joe Biden’s Priest

Posted on July 10, 2024 by smaxreisert

For many years— at least a couple of decades— my siblings and I worried a great deal about our aging parents. They lived in a problematic setting (cramped second floor of a two-family house that needed work) and stubbornly refused … Continue reading →

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A Brief Reflection on the Kindness of Strangers

Posted on June 26, 2024 by smaxreisert

I recently returned from a much anticipated trip to Peru. My husband and I (along with a friend) had planned on going to Peru back in 2020, but like so many trips that year, it got canceled. Then, we made … Continue reading →

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Isn’t It Time to Do This Differently?

Posted on June 3, 2024 by smaxreisert

When I was in divinity school, way back in the last century, I remember taking a survey class on the Hebrew Scriptures. As a course covering a vast and complex subject, there was a lot to try to squish into … Continue reading →

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Faith, Reason and a Whole Lot of Hubris

Posted on May 17, 2024 by smaxreisert

One day last week, as I made my way through my regular morning routine of news headlines and games— local paper, New York Times, Boston.com and finally, the Washington Post— I found myself looking at a tantalizing title, “Are Politics … Continue reading →

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