Pastor’s Weekly Letter

Have you ever seen the bumper sticker: “If it feels good, do it!”?  In many ways, that slogan characterizes the approach of so many people today.  A stream of books, articles, commentary, advertisements and dialogue points to feelings as the basic measure of happiness, as the truest aspect of one’s true self.  Feelings are continually represented as central to self-fulfillment and the development of one’s potential. A popular psychiatrist-author states the “modern” perspective in no uncertain terms:  “Being in touch with your feelings is the only way you can ever become your highest self, the only way you can become […]

 In one of the letters of St. Paul, we’re told, “Let the word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you.  In wisdom made perfect, instruct and admonish one another.  Sing gratefully to God from your hearts in psalms, hymns and inspired songs.  Whatever you do, whether in speech or in action, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.”   The gift of speech is to be used to praise and worship God.  It is used to create joy and laughter and song.  It is meant to persuade us in those things that are for our good and […]

Most people seem to admire the type of person that we call a “go-getter”.  By that, I mean  a person who has a high energy level and is continually getting things done.  And that is indeed an admirable personality trait.  But any person who tries to manage life strictly on that basis will come to a time and a place where this method is utterly useless.  When tragedy strikes, and our hearts are broken, we cannot handle that by getting things done.  When age increases, and strength diminishes, and the limitation of time becomes            inescapably clear, we cannot handle that […]

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  As we know so well, the word simply means ‘coming’ or ‘arrived’.  We use it in this context to refer to the coming of Jesus into the world.  Most of us have celebrated Advent many times and are quite familiar with its meaning.  But what many sometimes fail to recognize is that the coming of Jesus is a three-dimensional concept.  Our usual habit of thought is to limit it to only one meaning or two at the most. Characteristically, we think of Advent in terms of the Christmas story.  This is when we […]