No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome at First Congregational Church of Blue Hill.
If you are visiting us for the first time, please allow us to extend our warmest greetings. We are an open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. Sunday Worship services are available in-person, via Zoom and live stream on Facebook. While masks are no longer required, we do ask that everyone mask while singing. We look forward to having you join us in worship.
Grace and peace to you, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! Worship music this week is plentiful, and provided by our choir and local brass choir, accompanied by George Emlen on organ, under the direction of Tina Dreisbach. Our Easter celebration will begin at dawn on Blue Hill Mountain with the strains of an antique pump organ (Thank you, Hunt!) and our voices united with the birds.
As I write on this on Holy Saturday, the last day of Lent, I was struck by an article sent from my younger daughter’s alma mater, Colby College. In an interview, popular YA novelist, John Green, addressed the students particularly when he said, “It’s so easy to feel like this is the end of the story. And I don’t blame you if you feel like this is the end of the story, like, the human story,” Green said. “This is, in fact, the middle of the story, and together we are going to invent a different end. I don’t know what the end will be, but we will shape the story together. And that is itself, I think, an act of hope—to remember that this is the middle of the story and it falls to us, together, to write a different and better end for ourselves and for each other.” Green could well be listening in to my sermon writing this week. I would say that in this time, we have a role in resurrection. God has done for us what gives us hope for eternity and for today, and we can be a part of that story of new beginnings that challenge the deaths of our age. We can be a part of ending violence, of ending cynicism, of ending hatred. In such, we remember and we celebrate that Jesus Christ led us in a bold new way of being, grounded in compassion and mercy, and looking toward redemption. That good news can carry us even through our darkest times, thanks be to God!
Grace and peace to you, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! Worship music this week is provided by our choir, accompanied by Clair Maxwell on organ, under the direction of Tina Dreisbach. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, when we will parade with the palms that remind us of the exuberance and great honor with which Jesus was met on the road to Jerusalem. We also remember that this begins what we have long called Holy Week, recognizing that it is set apart for God, distinct from other times in special ways. In the middle of everything else going on, we remember and we honor events that shifted the way we understand challenge and even death, and how our participation, how our choices matter even today. All this, and we may even wonder what it means for something to be holy. As we continue to prepare ourselves for the extraordinary, good news of Easter, we step forward with all our questions and the self-reflection of Lent, yearning to know God’s forgiving grace in the midst of our deep concerns. Let’s do this together!
Grace and peace to you, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! Worship music this week is provided by our choir, accompanied by Clair Maxwell on organ, under the direction of Tina Dreisbach. On this fifth Sunday of Lent, we celebrate the Sacrament of Communion. All those worshipping at home are invited to prepare the elements at home, whether a piece of bread and juice, or even a cracker with your coffee. We eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus and his saving acts and his lasting presence with us.
That God is able to do a new thing, even within and for us, is wonderfully good news, isn’t it? Sometimes, though, we have a difficult time imagining the possibility of significant change, and this can cause us to stagnate or even to freeze in place and purpose. Knowing that the possibility for change is always a possibility with God, we may take heart today and plan for growth and goodness tomorrow. What that goodness looks like is also and perhaps equally as difficult to imagine or to understand, which is illustrated well in the familiar story we will read tomorrow. The roles of “Martha and Mary” are so familiar that their names even have become tropes of service and of reverence. What is demanded of us and when? Together, we plumb texts like these to understand their relevance to our actions and our hope today. In a weekend that is geared up for community witness to the values of our democratic nation, we may ask again from what does our hope come?
Grace and peace to you, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! Our Thursday morning Bible study group (“Not Your Mama’s Bible Study!”) has been reading and discussing the parables that Jesus told his disciples and others in order to illustrate the way that God would have us treat each other and ourselves, to illustrate what living in the kin-dom of God would be. So, it is good timing that we read for tomorrow what is probably one of the most well known of all these stories, “the Prodigal Son.” Perhaps you have even used the expression to describe one who has seemingly left behind your family’s values or who has taken advantage of a parent’s wealth. What about the other “characters” in the story, though? What else are we meant to understand about what God wants for all of us? Paul’s words in his second letter to the church in Corinth urge us to understand just how radical it is to follow Jesus. In the familiar Gospel upending of our typical expectations, Paul reminds us that when we choose to follow Jesus, we are meant to become an entirely new creation. In such, our capacity for forgiveness and for reconciliation are deepened. It’s not easy! But we are meant to encourage and uplift one another as we try to develop a new and more loving way of living. Boy, don’t we need it now!?
Worship music this week is provided by our instrumental consort and chimes choir, with a lovely and lively blend of tunes with an international feeling. Thanks to all who spend their time in rehearsing!
Grace and peace to you, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! Good beautiful morning! After yesterday’s surprise snowstorm, I hope that we all have time today to spend outdoors in the sun! I wonder how many of us are able to name with joy the teachers who have made a difference in our lives. I know that I credit not only those who were part of my formal, academic education, but also and often primarily those with whom I spent time in action together, whether in performing work tasks, artistic endeavors, or sometimes in social activism. We learn from a variety of sources and our time in worship tomorrow will include focus on these different ways we are influenced and influence others. How might we allow God as we know God through Jesus Christ to lead us most significantly?
There are times when we are called upon to make use of everything we know in every way we know how, and to meet new teachers and new ways of knowing. To that end, I would like to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to join me in participating in an event sponsored by Building Bridges, Maine. I will quote below from their email invitation.
“Do you want to approach people who might have different views but not sure how?
Is there a family member or friend that you’ve fallen out of touch with over politics?
Do you find yourself wondering how to engage with people?
If you are bothered by the toxic partisanship in our communities, please consider attending our Building Bridges events and getting involved in our activities. No one can do everything, but the more people willing to do something, the more progress we can make.”
Worship music this week is provided by our wonderful choir directed by Tina Dreisbach, and accompanied this week by George Emlen, who will also offer the prelude and postlude on organ.
Grace and peace to you, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! We look forward to hearing from our choir tomorrow morning, accompanied by our neighbor and friend, organist Clair Maxwell. Please know that if you are interested in participating in our music program you may let our director, Tina Dreisbach, know and she will help to fit you in!
My mother used to joke, speaking in a caricature of a Brooklyn accent, “Patience is a virtue, Gertrude, and one I ain’t got.” I smile to think of this for many reasons, perhaps chiefly because my mother was a very patient person. Still, for many of us, living in a culture that promises immediate gratification if only . . ., trusting that the best is yet to come can be difficult. Having faith that what we do makes a difference even when we may not see the fruits of our labors is also difficult, but we are not in our life journeys alone. We walk with God, who has promised us abundance. Clearly, many of us do not have a sense of immediate abundance or of a clear path forward. As followers of Jesus, it falls to us to help smooth that way, and we know that to do so will require something of us. Taking note of this and consciously adopting the practices and patience that allow us to travel to and through the rough places is a significant part of our Lenten journey. So, in our worship tomorrow we will reflect on our being accompanied by, even filled with God’s Holy Spirit, strengthening us for the way.
