We have officially entered the season of preparation. Oh, I know, Advent (the liturgical season of preparation for the birth of Jesus) isn’t until December 1st this year. But we are in the “getting ready” mode. We have Thanksgiving coming up, and getting our holiday decorations, and deciding what gifts need to be purchased, and… Read More »
Imagine
Imagine life in 1971 if you can. Cigarette advertising was permanently banned on television and radio Chemists at Berkeley announce the first synthetic production of a growth hormone The Baltimore Colts defeat the Dallas Cowboys NASDAQ established in New York City The Vietnam War continues Muhammad Ali loses to Joe Frazier in the “Fight of… Read More »
The Olympic Rings
The Olympic Rings made their debut in 1913. They are five interconnected, equal-size rings in the colors of blue, yellow, black, green, and red. They symbolized the peoples of five continents working together celebrating sport. What a wonderful image. It’s also an image of the world that is in favor with God’s desire for God’s… Read More »
O Beautiful for Spacious Skies
Tomorrow is the 4th of July. One of my favorite songs often sung during this period of reflection on America is the hymn “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies”. I love how it invokes the landscape of our country, taking us out of our narrow spaces to something much bigger, something with possibilities. As I thought… Read More »
Remembering D-Day
Eighty years ago on June 6th Allied forces set off from England for an invasion that would change the outcome of World War II. We know it as D-Day. It was a day of immense courage. The success of the operation came at the cost of great loss. This coming weekend is Memorial Day, a… Read More »
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
It would be my guess that leadership in the Church did not factor in a young child’s fertile imagination when the term “Holy Ghost” became the designation of the third person of the Trinity. It never made a lot of sense to me as that child. Ghosts were for Halloween. Ghosts wore white sheets. Ghosts… Read More »
The Ministry of Mothering
This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. Facebook and Instagram will be filled with sentimental pictures of mothers. Some churches have special Mother Day services. This is the origin story from the Encyclopedia Britannica: Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, whose mother had organized women’s groups to promote friendship and health, originated Mother’s Day. On May 12,… Read More »
I Love a Parade
“I Love a Parade” is a classic 1932 song introduced in the first show with Duke Ellington leading the band. John Philip Sousa’s marches are part of the tapestry of our patriotic celebrations. There is something about a parade. The Greenbelt Labor Day parade is the focus of attention every year, followed by friends gathering… Read More »
Checking our Spiritual Temperature
Every year I anxiously await the first signs of bloom on our saucer magnolia tree – and then I check the extended weather forecast to see if a cold snap might shorten the glory of the tree by a sudden freeze. The tree is ready to be in full bloom and our weather forecast is… Read More »
A Colorful Weekend to Welcome June
It was a colorful weekend for GCCUCC June 3-4, 2023. Greenbelt Community Church members wore orange Sunday in observance of National Gun Violence Awareness Month and Wear Orange Weekend and the church is also spotlighted in Orange! #WearOrange #EndGunViolence And we showed up and supported the 2nd annual Greenbelt Pride Festival.
