An Elder Pilgrim's Reflections

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple." (from Psalm 19:7-14 ) It seems to me this is a time of souls under stress.  From Lewiston, Maine to the Israel-Hamas war to the Ukraine war and other areas of turmoil across the world, and personal issues, it's a time of souls under stress.  As an English Lit. major in college I grew to appreciate diverse types of poetry and poets. My appreciation for Robert Frost lies within the imagery, situations, or events, such as The Mending Wall, which examines the contradiction of cultural and physical boundaries. However,  I have come to believe hymns are the poetry which give voice to souls under stress. I have concluded this based on the conviction that music and singing are the voice of the soul and so, together, help release and express the soul under stress.  Music and singing, then, are a Means of Grace. The psalms, which were originally designed to be sung em...

“Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (From Mt. 22:15-22 ) Shortly after visiting my sister in Virginia, I received a notice from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation with a photo of my car. The letter stated clearly, with substantiating evidence, that I exceeded the speed limit for a work zone, but since this was my first violation there was no monetary fine, but I could request a hearing if I so chose. I HAD BEEN TRAPPED AND CAUGHT!!!  This text from Matthew describes the Pharisees and Herodians setting a trap for Jesus hoping he will answer incorrectly and either offend the public or disobey Roman law. The trap is asking Jesus about paying the emperor's' poll tax knowing either "yes" or "no" causes trouble.  Jesus requests a coin inviting them to describe its' inscription. The Pharisees and Herodians reply, "the emperor". Jesus effectively avoids the trap by saying i...

"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his slaves to call those who had been  invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come." (From Mt: 22:1-14 ) My Niece's wedding was a glorious event held in an outdoor venue with the reception in a decorated, refurbished barn. Dressed in a flowing white gown, she and her fiance' exchanged self-written vows becoming husband and wife. Following dinner, tables were moved aside starting the high-volume, high-energy dancing of young people. Watching people 50 years younger than me do an unrecognizable dance including light sticks is beyond description. As I read the parable of the Wedding Banquet, the similarities were immediately recognizable. Invitations to my Niece's wedding and the one in the parable's Kingdom banquet were sent out in either RSVP or personal invitation. I have no idea, though, how many people responded to her invitation. with a "Sorry,...

 "Let me sing for my beloved  my love-song concerning his vineyard:  My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill." (from Isaiah 5:1-7 ) Living a sacramental life describes my pastoral ministry. Baptism, I have concluded, through study and searching the Scriptures is when a person enters a covenant, by water and the Spirit, to Serve the Lord by resisting evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever form it presents itself. Reflecting on these statements, I conclude baptism is a one-time event with the church offering Christians periodic opportunities to renew their vows. It is, as one of my professors stated, a "ritual with responsibilities." The Eucharist, sharing the loaf and cup in Jesus' name, is what sustains us as we strive to live out our baptism vows. When we bless and share the cup we are proclaiming the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.  I was given a coffee mug from a church that had inscribed on it, ...

I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (from Philippians 3:7-14 ) Each Summer Elaine and I would load our car with food, outdoor gear and stuff and head to Southwest Harbor, ME. for a seaside, spiritual retreat. Sometimes we traveled scenic Route 2 through New Hampshire and Maine, other times Interstates 84, 495 and 95.  Each Route provided vistas of hills and valleys as well as urban buildings and traffic. Yet there was an "are we there yet?" sense to the journey. As a Pastor, Elaine and I had been on the move for many years knowing there would be another move to another church, so there really wasn't a sense of having arrived or finally getting there. The Apostle Paul describes his relationship with Christ as one of being "on the move" writing, "I press on toward the go...

Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. (from Psalm 25:1-9 ) A Certified Lay Speaker in my first appointment wanted to preach, so together we designed a worship service. The Lay Speaker said, "I'll do the Pastoiral Prayer." I replied, "Actually, it's pronounced "pastoral", there's no "i" in the word. "No", the Lay Speaker said with certainty, "it's Pastoiral.  It quickly became apparent this wasn't a teachable moment because the Lay Speaker was insisting on "pastoiral"  Jesus faces something like this going into the temple and begining to teach. The priests and chief elders want to know Jesus' source and authority to teach, and who gave Jesus permission. Jesus answers: "the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.”  Why this answer? Because these sinners experienced a teachable moment by believi...

Then Peter came and said to him,  “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me,  how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”   Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but,  I tell you, seventy-seven times.  From Matthew 18:21-35   Twenty two years have passed since I watched the destruction of the Twin Towers and attempt of the Pentagon.  Instantly, the world and everything i knew was different and the world as was changed forever. September 11, 2001, feels like a lifetime ago. A calamity like that provides a major historical divider, but it's impossible to understand and use in my daily life. So, I find other opportunities to use as markers othat are evidence of God's sustaining grace my daily life.  Peter’s question here is one that may cause us to look in two directions. One direction is looking back at 9/11 trying to understand it and grieve the destruction and violence.  The other is looking forward by celebrating the cou...