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“Finish, then, Thy new creation!” A Devotion on Romans 8: 22-23

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Creation

By Richard L. Floyd

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” – Romans 8: 22-23

The Advent hope recognizes that there is something unfinished about God’s creation. In today’s passage from Romans Paul employs the metaphor of childbirth, the “whole creation groaning in labor pains,” to describe the ongoing process of creation. Continue reading →

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“Thy Kingdom Come!” A Sermon for Christ the King (Reign of Christ) Sunday

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Christ the King

In every congregation I have known, including this one, we pray each week the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. And in that prayer is the petition that “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Today, I would like to explore with you what that prayer might mean. What does it mean to pray for the kingdom to come? What is the kingdom of God? And, on this Sunday when the church celebrates Christ the King, what does it mean to say that Christ is king? And what kind of King might he be? Continue reading →

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“Enough” by Cassidy Hutchinson

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“Enough” by Cassidy Hutchinson. Simon and Schuster, 2023. 363 pages.

enough-cover-simon-and-schuster-660

Last Sunday in church, during the “Joys and Concerns” a joy was lifted up for the birth of a baby girl named Cassidy. She will not be the last of the Cassidys named after the poised young women in the white blazer.  Cassidy Hutchinson became a household name when she testified to the United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. How that brave young woman got to that witness stand is the story of this compelling memoir. Continue reading →

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“Hearing the Word of God from Unexpected Voices”

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Burningbush

Will you pray with me:

Gracious God, through the written word, and through the spoken word, may we behold the Living Word, even your Son our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen

I was just twenty-six years old when I graduated from seminary and became the pastor of the Congregational Churches of West Newfield and Limerick, Maine. If you’ve never heard of them, it is because they are really small towns. West Newfield had about 400 residents and Limerick, the big town, had about twice that. The two congregations shared nothing but me. I had two boards of deacons, two trustees, two women’s groups and two youth groups. The two nearest hospitals were 20 and 45 miles away. I put a lot of miles on my car, and I learned a lot about ministry that I hadn’t learned in seminary. Continue reading →

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“All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir” by Beth Moore

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Beth Moore

Beth Moore and I are both Christians, but we are not from the same tribe. Much like Shiites and Sunnis arguing over the true Islam, Moore and I have our differences. She has lived her life in Southern White American Evangelicalism and I’ve lived mine in the rocky vineyard of New England Congregationalism. Continue reading →

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Slow Cooker Chinese Short Ribs

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Short ribspg

I’ve always loved braising in my Dutch Oven. Tough cuts of meat like brisket and short ribs become meltingly delicious when braised. When my children and grandchildren were with us during the pandemic, they brought their slow cooker and I was hooked. When they left and took it with them, I bought myself one like theirs, a Cuisinart 6 ½ quart that has a sauté function, so you can brown things before you start the slow part. Continue reading →