Tag Archives: worship

A Long December

And it’s been a long December and there’s reason to believe/Maybe this year will be better than the last/I can’t remember all the times I tried to tell myself/To hold onto these moments as they pass. “A Long December” by … Continue reading

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On Essentialness

“The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important, essential places of faith to open right now for this weekend.” –– President Trump, May 22, 2020 (as quoted in the New York Times) Now that we are … Continue reading

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The Remarkable Sound of Silence

Many years ago, when I was a second year divinity school student trying to figure out what sort of ministry was the right path for me, I took a field education assignment at a local church, after a year spent … Continue reading

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The Year (Almost) Without an Advent

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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More Thoughts on Worship Illiteracy

I feel that it’s only fair to offer a few words on last Sunday’s attempt at another round of the “homework” that I mentioned last week. For the second week of “talking about worship to someone,” the response was dramatically … Continue reading

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Worship Illiteracy

There are some Sundays when my thirty-minute commute home after worship is a difficult, disheartening experience. Last Sunday was one of those days, a commute that included an internal debate on why I do this work, as a pastor of … Continue reading

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