This is the final worship service of the Sabbatical period. We welcome back our minister, Rev. Elizabeth Bukey Saunter, and reflect on the lessons of trust and shared leadership that we’ve learned while she was away.
Our lives always include some failures and disappointments. Sometimes big, sometimes smaller. The question for us is not Can we get through life without some letdowns and losses? (We can’t.) The question is, Can we remember that we still get a second chance? Even now. Not always at the same goal, but at a way … Continue reading Second Chances
The tradition continues! Join us for the annual First Church Christmas Pageant, when we will sing carols and act out the story of Jesus’ birth while Robert Amelio and Andrea Fleck Clardy narrate the classic tale. Both kids and adults are invited to take part, whether from the pews or up front, donning the gay … Continue reading Christmas Pageant!
What does it mean to live out our liberal faith in these days of rising white nationalism and democracy under threat? Some religious figures from history provide us with inspiration and guidance in these dangerous times.
To truly understand our own experiences and the perspectives of others, we can try to “see” what we have been through and allow ourselves to enter into the experiences of others. In this way, seeing really is believing.
Both modern science and ancient spiritual traditions have a lot to say about what brings us joy and fulfillment. While a relentless “pursuit of happiness” may be self-defeating, deeper engagement with life and other people may help us feel happier while we aren’t even noticing.
In addition to our other occupations and activities, we are homemakers. We tend and cultivate places where we belong, places we can return to. This week we will reflect on the idea of “home” in a broad sense, as well as our church home, as we begin our Capital Campaign to take care of our … Continue reading Home
There are four Greek words for love in the Bible, each a different aspect of the notion. We will reflect on philia, friendship love, this Sunday. Rather than an absorbed, face-to-face love, philia is a side-by-side love, it’s participants having common interests. In friendship love, “Do you love me?” means “Do you see the same … Continue reading On Friendship
We kick off the start of the new church year by reflecting on the theme of reconnecting–with one another here at First Church, with others in our society in these times of great division, and with the spirit. As Rev. Elizabeth Bukey is in the early stages of her sabbatical, our sabbatical minister is excited … Continue reading Reconnecting
Admitting to and sharing about our faults and weaknesses helps us to become more loveable—both to ourselves and to others. As we become more real, more relatable and more genuine, we share in our common humanity.
