Tag Archives: hope

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Book Review: “Looking Up: A Birder’s Guide to Hope Through Grief” by Courtney Ellis

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Looking UP

A reliable reviewer needs to offer a concise summary of what the book is about. I was trying to explain to a friend what Courtney Ellis’s fine new book is about. “It’s about birds, but it’s not really a bird book,” I explained. “It’s about grief, but not just about grief.” “It’s about hope but more than hope.” “Oh, and each chapter describes a different species of bird.” My friend said, “A Christian bird book about hope through grief. Sounds like a pretty narrow niche!” But it’s really not a narrow niche; the beauty of this book is that the whole is much bigger than the sum of its parts.

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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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“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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Charge to First Church of Christ in Pittsfield, Massachusetts

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November 21 , 2021

First

(I served this congregation as their pastor from 1982-2004. I am Pastor Emeritus there. The congregation voted recently to put the 1853 meeting house up for sale. The upkeep on this splendid Victorian Gothic Revival building was requiring a large share of the congregation’s resources, and limiting other mission and ministry options. We met today to remember and celebrate our years in this lovely building. I was invited as the longest tenured living pastor to give a charge to the congregation at the close of the service. Here it is:) Continue reading →

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“A Different Story; a Better Way” A Sermon on Matthew 4: 12-23

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Over the years I have preached a number of Epiphany sermons here, as Brent often takes time away during the season. One particularly memorable one was three years ago. It was the conjunction of three significant events: the inauguration of a new president, Martin Luther King Day and the first Woman’s March. My sermon was called “Looking for Light in the Shadow of Death.” I worked hard on it, and indeed, I still think it was one of the best sermons I ever wrote. Sadly, it is not the best sermon I ever gave, because some of you will recall the plumbing failed us that morning, and the toilets weren’t working, so we abbreviated the service and sent everybody home. There’s a parable in there somewhere, although I’m not sure what it is.

So here I am, and here we are, three years later with the same text: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the shadow of death, on them has light shined.” Continue reading →

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“I Have Seen Enough” A Devotion on Hebrews 11: 1

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Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. – Hebrews 11:1 (NRSV)

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews doesn’t subscribe to the popular axiom that “seeing is believing.” On the contrary, for him faith is believing in that which cannot be seen.

I wouldn’t disagree with him, but I would add that I have seen enough in my life to confirm such a faith in things not seen. Continue reading →

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“New Shoots from Old Stumps” A Sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year A

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I’ll tell you a secret. It is something every pastor knows. Also, any therapist, social worker or anybody else who deals with people at a deeply personal level. For many people this is not “the most wonderful time of the year.” For many it is a sad and troubled time. Advent invites us to consider even the darkest parts of our world and of our lives. And that is a good thing, because often the deepest truths are found in the darkest times. That certainly has been true for me. Continue reading →

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“Heads Up!” A Sermon for the First Sunday of Advent, Year A

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Advent is my favorite season of the church year. It has a different feel to it than the other seasons. There is a sense of yearning in Advent. A sense of anticipation. It is a time of watching and waiting. A time to remind ourselves that there are forces at work beyond our control. Continue reading →

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“A Horizon of Hope” A Devotion on Jeremiah 32: 14-15

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“Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.” – Jeremiah 32:14-15 (NRSV)

It was the early 1970s when I first studied Jeremiah. It was the time of Watergate, Vietnam, and the Cold War. We were discouraged about the state of our nation and the world. Jeremiah prophesied during one of Israel’s worst times: the armies of Babylon had surrounded Jerusalem, and Jeremiah was under house arrest because his words had been too painful for King Zedekiah of Judah to hear. Continue reading →

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“By the River” A Sermon on Acts 16: 9-15 and Revelation 22: 1-5

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You may have noticed there is a lot about rivers in the service. A river is featured prominently in both our readings for today. One is an actual river in the ancient city of Philippi, where Paul went to pray, and where he met Lydia. The other river is from John the Divine’s vision of the New Jerusalem, where a river runs through the heavenly city. Continue reading →