Readings: Isaiah 6: 1-2a, 3-8; 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8, 11; Luke 5: 1-11 Preacher: Meghan Kellogg As I prayed over the readings, a song started to emerge in my head and before I knew it, I was singing out loud “The Call.” If you are unfamiliar, it’s a piece by Ralph Vaughan Williams composed using George Herbert’s poem, “The Call,” as… read more →

Readings: Malachi 3: 1-4; Hebrews 2: 14-18; Luke 2: 22-40 Preacher: Deni Mack Today we heard the prophet Malachi tell us God said, “I am sending a messenger to prepare the way before me.” God did send us John the Baptist and many prophets before him to prepare the way for Jesus, the savior of the world.   Malachi also asks us, Who can stand when he… read more →

Readings: Nehemiah 8: 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 12-30; Luke 1: 1-4; 4: 14-21 Preacher: Sue Howard I still have my Christmas tree lights hanging from the eaves, a tree lit on the front porch, and the banister bedecked with cardinals, lights, and bows. I can’t stand to let the darkness of winter creep in. I hope it’s a joyful… read more →

Readings: Isaiah 62: 1-5; 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11; John 2: 1-11 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala In the bleak winter months of the early 1950’s, before Lent began and there seemed no reason to celebrate, the Parish of St. Hyacinth in Lackawanna N.Y. held a mock wedding. My grandfather, Valentine, was the principal organizer. He rented a hall and then left all… read more →

Readings Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7; Acts 10: 34-38; Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22 Preacher: Sonja Livingston  While thinking about the week’s readings, I tried to imagine John the Baptist living in our time. This wasn’t an easy task. Even more than his camel’s hair clothing, diet of locusts and wild honey, and full-throated insistence that God is near, I suspect John’s humility… read more →

Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2: 1-12 Preacher: Susan K. Roll Have you ever set out to give one gift and found yourself giving something very different? I don’t just mean under the Christmas tree or stuffed in a stocking.  It might be a gift of our time or presence that takes us, and perhaps the recipient,… read more →

Readings: Sirach 3: 2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3: 12-21; Luke 2: 41-52 Preacher: Nancy DeRycke There’s a fable about 2 folks walking around a market who spot a vegetable stand with a sign “God’s Vegetables.” They run over and say to God: “Finally, we’d like some perfect vegetables (beans, broccoli…).” God says: “Sorry, I only sell seeds.” Today’s readings say that in… read more →

Readings: Micah 5: 1-4a; Hebrews 10: 5-10; Luke 1: 39-45 Preacher: Gloria Ulterino I was there.  At the home of the priest Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, that is.  A dozen or so years ago now, on pilgrimage to Israel with some 30 other women. On this one particular day, we headed to the “hill country,” as it’s called, just outside… read more →

Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler “Rejoice!” “And again, I say, rejoice!” writes Paul. “Sing aloud!” “Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” says the prophet Zephaniah. Neither Paul, in prison, nor the oppressed and sinful Israelites in exile, would seem to have much to rejoice about. And these days, many people might… read more →

Readings: Baruch 5: 1-9; Philippians 1: 4-6, 8-11; Luke 3: 1-6 Preacher: Ruth Marchetti Many of us are struggling with hope right now. The world’s painful problems appear increasingly unresolvable and the always-imperfect vision of our country as a beacon of justice and refuge for the persecuted seems more distant than ever. Climate change, immigration, inflation, rent hikes and housing shortages,… read more →