Dearest God who promises peace, love, joy, and hope- We reflect upon the unknown and how you come to your people in the midst of disorientation and uncertainty.  Though we may not be able to make sense of it all, the best we can hope for is to be like Mary, grounding ourselves in our identities as your servants. We lift up prayers to you that emanate from what we have experienced in the world.  For all peoples who experience war, we pray for peace.  For those who experience i

Luke 1:26-38 “ If they would rather die ,” said Scrooge, “ they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. ” Dickens wrote these words in 1843 during the height of the Industrial Revolution. London was a world-class city with dazzling shops… dark alleyways. The rapid urbanization made cities like London, Manchester, and Birmingham vastly overcrowded, with unsafe working conditions—hunger was rampant. People of means rode in fine carriages, while the poor slept unde

Isaiah 9:1-7   One of my absolute favorite things every December was to watch  A Christmas Carol.  I was absolutely enthralled by the three ghosts. And the character Ebenezer Scrooge, that miserly, skin-flinted sort, was on the one hand pathetic and sad, and yet somehow endearing. When he finally transformed, he represented something joyful—triumphant even. This year, during Advent, we’re going to look at Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. For the people

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. - Luke 2:10-11 This year during Advent, we will look together at  Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future . Many of you will remember the beloved tale by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, in which the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is a miserly and bitter

The music we are about to hear is an oratorio from Rome in the 1640s. The word “oratorio” really means a sacred opera. There may not be costumes or stage machinery, but the music and emotions are genuinely operatic, and they are uniquely suited to express the operatic qualities of this story from the Old Testament. The story comes from the Book of Judges, Chapter 11. Jephte, or Jephthah, was a judge: a leader of Israel in the years before Saul became Israel’s first king. Now 

Shared during Sunday Worship on November 16, 2025. Almighty and all vulnerable God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer We come to you in prayer today, turning towards you to learn how we might become stewards of your mysteries.  In this stewardship season, we have reflected upon your calling upon all of our lives, to commit not just a portion of our wealth, but instead our entire lives to you.   As we contemplate how we may recommit ourselves to you, we pray for this church’s m

1 Corinthians 4:1   This is Stewardship Sunday, you are deciding what your financial gift to the Church is for the next year. And clearly, this is a part of what Stewardship Sunday is about. But this morning, I hope we will all discover that it's something much more profound, important to your faith, to Brick's mission, and the call of Jesus. Stewardship obviously comes from the word steward. For a moment, let's erase the word stewardship from our minds. And imagine that we h

John 13:34–35 ​Near the end of the Last Supper, after Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet, he tells them, “ Love one another as I have loved you .” The Greek word here,  allelon , means “one-anothering.” This word appears over a hundred times in the New Testament. Jesus tells us to: Wash one another’s feet. Greet one another with a holy kiss. Do not judge one another. Be at peace with one another. Build up one another. Be devoted to one another. All this is to be done in the

John 13:1-9 ​Jesus is facing the most difficult time of His life. The religious authorities have not only rejected His interpretation of the Scriptures but have viewed Him as a fundamental threat to their power. The people have seen His miracles, but John tells us they did not believe Him, and even the ones that did refused to profess it openly for fear of retribution.  He knows not only will one of His disciples betray Him, but the others will scatter, and His most trusted d

I Peter 2:1-10 ​We are a holy priesthood, Peter tells us. An extremely lofty honorific which we are sure does not fit us. In fact, I imagine we simply dismiss this statement out of hand. Peter is wrong. There is nothing especially holy about any of us compared to anyone else in this world, and certainly you and I are not performing priestly, cultic duties.  Mesopotamian ancient priests would sacrifice a sheep and take a close look at its liver to reveal God’s will. The oracle

Revelation 4:1-11 ​During seminary, Wendy and I spent one summer in Tupper Lake, New York, where I served as an intern at a country...

“Worship the Lord with gladness” - Psalm 100:2a The  Book of Order  tells us that Christian worship joyfully ascribes all praise, honor,...

Isaiah 6:1-8 W 1.1001 Christian worship joyfully ascribes all praise and honor, glory and power to the Triune God.   Christian worship...

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so...

Romans 2:12-16   ​This morning, we will explore the view of other religions from a Presbyterian perspective. Presbyterians have a...

I Peter 3:8-15   ​They say religion and politics are topics best avoided. And surely, at times, this is wise advice. In fact, when Wendy...

Matthew 17:14-20 “ Why could we not cast it out? ” I can hear a measure of desperation  in  the disciples’question. They have seen Jesus...

Proverbs 16:1-3 Last week we learned from Proverbs that, “ A cheerful heart is good medicine. ” This saying helps center our thoughts and...

Proverbs 19:20-23   Listen to advice, Proverbs tells. An incredibly simple statement. In fact, it is so obvious that it seems completely...

“We walk by faith and not by sight.” - II Corinthians 5:7 During the last season of Lent, I led a series of conversations on the  nature...