Category Archives: My Life as Pastor

Can I Ban Remember When?

Posted on June 19, 2018 by smaxreisert

Like any church with a lot of long-time members, and certainly like any church that is the midst of the Mainline decline, it’s a fairly common occurrence to hear the construction “remember when” at the start of a sentence or … Continue reading →

Posted in Misc, My Life as Pastor | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Call and Circumstance

Posted on June 2, 2018 by smaxreisert

In the year King Uzziah died . . . So begins the sixth chapter of Isaiah, in which Isaiah is called as a prophet. In reading Isaiah’s call story, it’s easy to get caught up in the wild elements of … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor, Studies, Demographics, Reality | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Last Lasts

Posted on May 12, 2018 by smaxreisert

When my daughter was a senior in high school, we observed many of the elements of that last year of high school as “the lasts.” And, in a blog post during that time, I reflected on those “lasts” as they … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Heisman Approach to Christian Theology

Posted on February 8, 2018 by smaxreisert

Many years ago, when I was in graduate school, there was a saying that became part of the language of my group of friends: “the Heisman.” You may be familiar with the Heisman Trophy, awarded each year to the most … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Where the Epiphanies Have No Name

Posted on January 28, 2018 by smaxreisert

At the start of Epiphany season this year, I innocently asked (at least I thought it was an innocent question) for those who had assembled for worship that Sunday to think about epiphanies that they had experienced. The empty looks … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Common Good

Posted on January 13, 2018 by smaxreisert

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Big Questions the New Year Brings

Posted on December 30, 2017 by smaxreisert

The end of December, after Christmas has settled down, usually brings with it reflections of various kinds—looking back at the year about to end, and looking forward to what is to come, or may come, in the new year. For … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor | Leave a comment

I Could Use a Little Hope

Posted on December 9, 2017 by smaxreisert

When I discovered that I was pregnant with my first child, my immediate sense of happiness was quickly pushed aside by consternation at my lack of forethought. If the pregnancy went as expected, I would be giving birth in December—perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

I Can’t Throw and Catch at the Same Time

Posted on September 30, 2017 by smaxreisert

When the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl 46 to the New York Giants in 2012, Gisele Bundchen, supermodel and wife of the Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, angrily assessed the reason for the loss: “My husband cannot [expletive] throw the … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Where’s Christ in the United Church of Christ?

Posted on August 5, 2017 by smaxreisert

I recently attended a funeral (actually, a “memorial service”) at a United Church of Christ church not far from my own church. The service was for a woman I had known fairly well, a woman who was a very active … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor, United Church of Christ | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment