Tag Archives: Christian Church

The Dreaded Funeral and Its Dreadful Portents

Posted on March 22, 2019 by smaxreisert

It doesn’t happen often, thank goodness, and less often than it happened in my first years at Old South: leading a funeral/memorial service for someone I’ve never met. In the almost fifteen years of serving Old South, I occasionally discover … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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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Dividing Lines

Posted on January 14, 2017 by smaxreisert

Just before Christmas, the New York Times ran a column by Nick Kristof in which Mr. Kristof asked the question, “Am I a Christian, Pastor Timothy Keller?” The column offered a conversation between Mr. Kristof and the Rev. Timothy Keller, … Continue reading →

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Happy Fear and Terror Day!

Posted on March 27, 2016 by smaxreisert

At Old South, we are following the Narrative Lectionary, rather than the Revised Common Lectionary, which means that we’ve been marching our way through the Gospel According to Mark for quite some time. We wrap up Mark today, Easter, with … Continue reading →

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Time Gone?

Posted on September 11, 2014 by smaxreisert

Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t seen the film Calvary, and you are planning to, be aware of spoilers ahead. In the opening scene in the film Calvary, the main character, a good priest played by Brendan Gleeson, is told while … Continue reading →

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Getting the Rules Right

Posted on February 15, 2014 by smaxreisert

In the fall of 2008, our family (myself, my husband, and our two children, then 11 and 9) set out on a Grand Tour of Europe. It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime kind of adventure. Our trip began in September in … Continue reading →

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