What is your fear number on a scale of 1-10?  It appears that for some of our neighbors their number is somewhere close to 93 out of that scale.  In other words, off the chart.             It is not difficult to exceed the 1-10 scale of anxiety.  There is plenty of press coverage of… Read More »

It’s springtime and the bees are active.  I need to swoosh away carpenter bees when I come in and out the door and we need to pay attention to the more aggressive bees that nest in the ground. BEE alert!  It is also BEE time at Greenbelt Community Church!  Springtime usually signals Heifer Project Time… Read More »

            What does it mean to be a resurrection people?  That’s what we in the church are called to be.  That’s how we tell the Good News of Easter all year long.  But what does it mean to you?             I think it means we have a different way to look at the situations in… Read More »

            Every Holy Week one of the services on a church’s schedule is Maundy Thursday service.  Most people know that is where we remember when Jesus ate the last meal with his disciples before his betrayal, trial, and execution.  It is the title of the day that people either don’t know or have forgotten.            … Read More »

            This is one of my favorite times of the year.  It is cherry blossom time at the Tidal Basin.  On the day this meditation will be posted the cherry blossoms will be at their peak bloom.  In all likelihood we will have begun our day before dawn to walk around the trees and take… Read More »

            The underlining theme of our Agape Meals this spring has been “Amazing Grace”.  This past week the story we heard was that of the Samaritan Woman at the Well.  Among other things Jesus confronted was attitudes about Jews and Samaritans.  It had been a confrontational relationship for generations.  Neither group liked, trusted, or wanted… Read More »

            St. Patrick began his Irish mission around the year c.450. It is during this time that we see the full emergence of some of the distinctive features of Irish/Celtic spirituality.  That includes an awareness of the goodness of creation and a sense of the company of heaven’s presence on earth.  What we see, again… Read More »

            Today is the International Day of the Woman.  The United Church of Christ (through its predecessor denominations and since it officially became the UCC) has contributed to the history (herstory) of women.  I’d like to introduce you to some of our spiritual groundbreakers.             “The United Church of Christ honors the life of Antoinette… Read More »

          From the Discipleship Ministries manual of The United Methodist Church:  The Love Feast, or Agape Meal, is a Christian fellowship meal recalling the meals Jesus shared with disciples during his ministry and expressing the koinonia (community, sharing, fellowship) enjoyed by the family of Christ. It is not the same as Holy Communion or the Eucharist.            … Read More »

            Ash Wednesday has a long history in the Christian Church.  It is the traditional first day of Lent and a time for people to recognize their sins and ask forgiveness.  In the earliest church, the time set aside for the penitential preparation for Easter was 6 weeks (42 days before Easter).  Since Sundays are… Read More »