Anyone we haven't already met is by definition a stranger, and yet the Scriptures are clear in a number of places that we meet Christ in the stranger. Anyone we help in time of need--even those we haven't met before--means we are helping Jesus--and loving our neighbor.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for January 17, 2021 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM Sunday on Facebook Live and Zoom. Until further notice we will NOT be worshiping in person.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
Jesus both began and ended his public ministry with events that we in the Church continue to celebrate as Sacraments--moments where symbolism and deep meaning happen, and where we can encounter Christ. We will look at Baptism and Holy Communion, those holy moments, this Sunday.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for January 10, 2021 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM Sunday on Facebook Live and Zoom. Until further notice we will NOT be worshiping in person.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
The above photo was taken by a high school friend on December 21 in Austin, Texas. It is Jupiter and Saturn appearing to be joining together in "The Great Conjunction". The last time this happened was 1623, according to NASA. If I hadn't heard about it in the news, I wouldn't know that this was such a rare thing.
How much about the star that the Wise Men saw did most people in those days know, if anything?
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for January 3, 2021 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM Sunday January 3 on Facebook Live and Zoom. Until further notice we will NOT be worshiping in person.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
We think we know the Christmas story, and what God was doing, and who Mary the mother of Jesus was as an example for mothers everywhere. However, Mary's own words challenge us on how we usually understand that last point.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for December 20, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and will ONLY be worshiping on Facebook Live and Zoom. Until further notice, we will NOT be worshiping in person.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
Maybe the point of Christmas isn't the big things. Maybe it's the small things, and the seeming insignificance of how that first Christmas even happened.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for December 24/27, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship on Christmas Eve at 5 PM (family service) and 7:30 PM, and 10 AM Sunday December 27 with a "Service of Lessons and Carols". We will ONLY be worshiping on Facebook Live and Zoom.until further notice, and will NOT be worshiping in person.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
The last few months have felt like we've been put on hold. At least it felt like that at first. Now it feels like the call has been dropped and we have to start all over again. The fuller story of the first Christmas has some insights for us.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for December 13, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and will ONLY be worshiping on Facebook Live and Zoom. Until further notice, we will NOT be worshiping in person.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
A very different preparation for Christmas is coming up this Advent season. We may not get to do what we usually do. This might be a good time to consider what God has always been desiring us to "get" about preparing for Christmas.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for November 29, 2020 for further thoughts.
We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and will ONLY be worshiping on Facebook Live and Zoom. Until further notice, we will NOT be worshiping in person.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
God is about big things at Christmas. But God's big things happen through unlikely participants, a reminder that we, too, are part of God's plans.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for December 6, 2020 for further thoughts.
We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and will ONLY be worshiping on Facebook Live and Zoom. Until further notice, we will NOT be worshiping in person.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
The Rev. Barry L. Lewis will be our guest preacher this Sunday, November 22. His sermon will be "Behavior in the Neighborhood of Make Believe" from Matthew 22:1-14 (and incorporating Matthew 25:31-46).
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for November 22, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and you have 4 options to attend. PLEASE make a reservation by Friday if you wish to attend worship in the Sanctuary (limited seating because of social distancing) or the parking lot, or tune in on Facebook Live or connect on Zoom with your phone, computer, or tablet.
A reminder--the church phone number is 412-364-7132 if that is how you are making your reservation.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
The Rev. Dr. Donald G. Scandrol will be our guest preacher this Sunday, November 15. His sermon will be "A Matter of Talents" from Matthew 25:14-30.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for November 15, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and you have 4 options to attend. PLEASE make a reservation by Friday if you wish to attend worship in the Sanctuary (limited seating because of social distancing) or the parking lot, or tune in on Facebook Live or connect on Zoom with your phone, computer, or tablet.
A reminder--the church phone number is 412-364-7132 if that is how you are making your reservation.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
Why bother reaching out in concern and care for others? We are likely to discover that we get something back when we give..
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for November 8, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and you have 4 options to attend. PLEASE make a reservation by Friday if you wish to attend worship in the Sanctuary (limited seating because of social distancing) or the parking lot, or tune in on Facebook Live or connect on Zoom with your phone, computer, or tablet.
A reminder--the church phone number is 412-364-7132 if that is how you are making your reservation.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
We continue our Stewardship emphasis this Sunday, looking at the importance of organizing in a way that fits the circumstances—as Jesus did in feeding the 5000..
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for November 1, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and you have 4 options to attend. PLEASE make a reservation by Friday if you wish to attend worship in the Sanctuary (limited seating because of social distancing) or the parking lot, or tune in on Facebook Live or connect on Zoom with your phone, computer, or tablet. We will share in Holy Communion on All Saints’ Sunday. Other info on that elsewhere in the Weekly Email.
A reminder--the church phone number is 412-364-7132 if that is how you are making your reservation.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
We continue our Stewardship emphasis this Sunday, looking at another of the elements of the process used in feeding 5000 people. If you're going to feed them, you have to have something to feed them with--you need food, which means you either need to already have the food, or you need money with which to buy food. You need material resources.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for October 25, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and you have 4 options to attend. PLEASE make a reservation by Friday if you wish to attend worship in the Sanctuary (limited seating because of social distancing) or the parking lot, or tune in on Facebook Live or connect on Zoom with your phone, computer, or tablet.
A reminder--the church phone number is 412-364-7132 if that is how you are making your reservation.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
We continue our Stewardship emphasis this Sunday, looking at one of the elements of the process used in feeding 5000 people--and that is the people who worked together with Jesus to make it happen. Even Jesus didn't feed 5000 people by himself!
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for October 18, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and you have 4 options to attend. PLEASE place a reservation if you wish to attend worship in the Sanctuary (limited seating because of social distancing) or the parking lot, or tune in on Facebook Live or connect on Zoom with your phone, computer, or tablet.
A reminder--the church phone number is 412-364-7132 if that is how you are making your reservation--due by Friday.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
This Sunday begins our Stewardship emphasis, and we'll consider why it is, besides being a nice guy, that Jesus "fed the 5000". They were hungry, but why did he decide that they weren't just on their own to figure it out, to find their own dinner?
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for October 11, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and you have 4 options to attend. PLEASE place a reservation if you wish to attend worship in the Sanctuary (limited seating because of social distancing) or the parking lot, or tune in on Facebook Live or connect on Zoom with your phone, computer, or tablet.
A reminder--the church phone number is 412-364-7132 if that is how you are making your reservation--due by Friday.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
This Sunday is World Communion Sunday, when we celebrate that God invites everyone to the table. Even those we don't think deserve to be invited; even us (which may or may not be the same thing). We are a bit like Jonah, it turns out.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for October 4, 2020 for further thoughts. We worship at 10 AM this Sunday, and you have 4 options to attend. Place your reservation to attend worship in the Sanctuary (limited seating because of social distancing) or the parking lot, or tune in on Facebook Live or connect on Zoom with your phone, computer, or tablet.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
We continue travelling with Jonah as his long, strange trip finds him where he was supposed to go in the first place.
Do we find that in our own lives--that the long strange trips we go on end up with us where we are supposed to be in the first place?
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for September 27, 2020 for further thoughts. Tune in on Facebook Live or call in on Zoom for worship at 10 AM this Sunday. We do again plan to gather for worship in the parking lot this week, weather permitting. We plan to move into the Sanctuary for worship next week, October 4.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
Songs often come from challenging and emotionally fraught times--sometimes emerging in the very midst of those times. Jonah does that too, in the midst of a completely emotionally challenging life-threatening time. We'll look at it Sunday.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for September 20, 2020 for further thoughts. Tune in on Facebook Live or call in on Zoom for worship at 10 AM this Sunday. We do again plan to gather for worship in the parking lot this week, weather permitting. We plan to move into the Sanctuary for worship in two weeks, on October 4.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
Is Jonah actually personally responsible for a storm at sea that threatens the lives of everyone on the boat? Maybe? Is this how it works--that one person's behavior has that much effect on others?
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for September 13, 2020 for further thoughts. Tune in on Facebook Live or call in on WebEx for worship at 10 AM this Sunday. We do again plan to gather for worship in the parking lot this week, weather permitting.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce
You ever try to get as far away as possible from something you really ought to do, rather than going and doing it? Jonah (from the Old Testament) does the same thing. And starting this Sunday and for the four following we'll join him on his journey.
Follow this link to the Pastor’s Ponderings for September 6, 2020 for further thoughts. Tune in on Facebook Live or call in on WebEx for worship at 10 AM this Sunday. We do again plan to gather for worship in the parking lot this week, weather permitting.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Bruce