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 »

          Things have been very busy around the church this week.  You, as members, friends and neighbors of Greenbelt Community Church have provided an abundant outpouring of support for the victims of the Turkey-Syria earthquakes.  Gratitude is an inadequate word for all you have given, both financially and needed supplies.             Over a decade ago this… Read More »

          I was reading a book (Catch the Light by Joy Harjo) and came to a paragraph that captured my imagination.             During the writing of one of my poems, I discovered Saint Coincidence, a saint who presides over incidents that appear to be coincidence.  Such incidents can appear to be miraculous, marked by perfect timing.  I did… Read More »

This past Sunday our Scripture text was Micah 6:1-8. We heard it from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. The basic text is – What does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, love kindness and to walk humbly with your God. Many of us have memories of the same text as… Read More »

            I’ve been thinking about friends.  It happens every year as Christmas cards and updating letters are exchanged.  With a January birthday, there are all those well wishes on Facebook.  This week we will be with friends of over 45 years for dinner (two of us have a birthday on the same day!).  Later this… Read More »

          This coming Sunday is our Annual Meeting.  It is that time when the members of the congregation engage in governing their church.  A new Moderator will be elected.  “Moderator” is the name out of our religious tradition for the person who is, in essence, President of the congregation, the governing body of the church.  The… Read More »

          In 1955 Martin Luther King, Jr. gained a national audience when he helped lead a boycott against segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama.  In 1955 my family moved from a small town in northwest Pennsylvania to a small town in central Florida (Plant City).  I would hear the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. on television… Read More »