A few nights ago I was at a poetry reading in which one poet read a poem that was a rather graphic condemnation of President Trump, with a shot at President Reagan for good measure. While almost all the listeners cheered and hooted with delight, one couple sat stone-faced.
Read MoreEASTER EGG HUNT LEADERS SOUGHT!
MBPPC is looking for a few people who can organize and lead the annual Easter Egg Hunt, after worship on Easter Day, Sunday, April 20th.
Here are the details:
Buy small candies and prizes (e.g. little stickers, plastic rings — anything that can fit in an egg);
Read MoreI want to thank everyone who has participated in the MBPPC Session’s conversations in preparation for the pastoral transition. After worship during the past few weeks, congregation members have been invited to join in small group conversations about:
MBPPC’s current strengths,
MBPPC’s current challenges, and
MBPPC’s current opportunities.
Ruling elders will be going over the results of these conversations to help chart the future of the ministry at MBPPC in the coming few years
Read MoreLast Sunday, I suggested that a timely Lenten discipline would be adding daily prayer to your life, or increasing the amount, or number of times, you pray each day. I also promised to repeat the list of types of prayer I shared in the sermon. They are…
…PRAISE to God — for the wonder of life, the beauty of creation, and every blessing and benefit you receive each day…
Read MoreFor several reasons, I am drawn to a bit of reflection on worship — what it is for, what it is meant to do for people in a practical sense. One of these reasons is that we are about to begin the season of Lent (this Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, and March 5th is Ash Wednesday), a season of solemn reflection on one’s love of God and neighbor, and the quality of those relationships in preparation for Easter. Another reason is that, with the rise of Christian nationalism and the steady decline in church participation among younger Americans, it seems more urgent than ever to be clear about what we believe and do as followers of Jesus Christ.
Read MoreAs MBPPC prepares to live through the transition that includes my retirement, welcoming an interim pastor, and welcoming a new permanent pastor, I want to challenge everyone to ask two questions:
What is my role in sustaining the mission and ministry at MBPPC?
What is my role in preparing for a new chapter in the life of this 120-year-old congregation?
Read MoreOur newly-reconstituted Children’s Ministry Team met on Sunday, February 2nd, to continue the process of rebuilding our Sunday morning mentoring program (i.e., Sunday School). During the pandemic, my wife, Lisa, and I kept in touch with children via in-person and Zoom visits. But our Sunday mentoring was put on hold.
Read MoreLast week, the Right Reverend Mariann Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington, D.C., closed her sermon preached before President Donald Trump, Vice President J. D. Vance, members of their families and their cabinet, by appealing for mercy toward immigrants and people who identify as GLBTQ. Her remarks had two results:
Read MoreAt the start of a new year and a new presidency, it seems like a good time to touch base with the essentials.
According to our Lord Jesus Christ, among the 613 laws and precepts in the Hebrew Scriptures (including the Ten Commandments), these two are the greatest:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37);
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