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Where do you get that living water?

Scripture: John 4:5-14

This has been an unusual and hectic week. On Thursday afternoon, I was still planning to gather with you here in our sanctuary and welcome those of you who felt brave enough to do so. Less than two hours later as I drove home, the news broke that the State of Maryland as a whole would go into emergency mode. It became clear that we would need to be good neighbors to one another and to our community and follow the advice of the experts - and keep some social distance and do worship online. Though I don’t always get it right,...

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(posted 3/17/20)

Presence Matters - Sermon from Feb. 23, 2019

Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9

One of the viral images that has been all over social media because of the movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, about Fred Rogers was this one: Francois Clemmons was a Broadway performer, singer, and actor who was invited by Fred Rogers on his PBS kids show in 1969 to play the part of a neighborhood police officer. Together, the two, on what was a hot day in the neighborhood, in a show that broadcast to millions of families, made a statement. Clemmons put it this way - “He invited me to come over and...

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(posted 2/23/20)

Salt & Light

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-20

On my recent trip to Israel and Palestine, one of those most transcendent and grounded moments was a short hike we undertook along the Abraham trail. This is a trail developed by Palestinian leaders and others in the region that, like the Appalachian trail, connects together a long route that can take you from present day Turkey to Egypt, tracing the path that Abraham might have taken in the Book of Genesis when God said, “Get up and go to a land that I will show you.” This leg was what travelers for thousands of years would have walked going...

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(posted 2/9/20)

Praying in the New Year

Download the attached file to guide your prayer in this New Year. And let us know if you have any questions or feedback about this simple resource. ...

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(posted 1/29/20)

Draw Close to God's Heart

Scripture: John 1:10-18

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of...

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(posted 1/5/20)

On Pilgrimage

From January 6 to 17, I’ll join a number of clergy colleagues, classmates, and pilgrims on an 11 day class and experience to the Holy Lands in Israel and Palestine. I hope you will pray for me as I undertake this pilgrimage. This is not a vacation but a learning experience. I will be engaged in conversation and prayer, walking where Jesus walked, hearing the experiences of the people of the land, and trying to understand the beauty and conflict in that part of the world. It's going to be a life changing experience, and I'm thankful you give me the opporunity...

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(posted 1/3/20)

Peaceful Joy

Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-15 Matthew 1:18-25

Friends, we are here - on the doorstep of Christmas. I will be real as your pastor - I was so looking forward to this season of Advent and had mentally prepared all the things I was going to do to make it especially heartwarming and fun and… well, it’s almost over. And it still feels like so many things need to happen between now and Christmas Eve. It never fails. No matter the hard work or preparation or inspiration to do things differently, to worship more deeply, to get the task list done, to write up the Christmas cards back in...

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(posted 12/23/19)

Repeat the Sounding Joy

Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-10 Matthew 3:1-3

Today, I want to invite us to continue our journey in joy by… singing. Verse 2 of Isaac Watts famous Christmas carol goes: Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns: let all their songs employ while fields and floods rocks hills and plains repeat the sounding joy. Despite the reality that singing in public in front of strangers is far less popular in our country in recent years, Christmas is the one season where we dare repeat the sounding joy. We turn our radio dials to Christmas stations. We put on our favorites in the background. We hum along walking down the grocery...

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(posted 12/10/19)

Prepare Him Room: Hopeful Joy

Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14

Happy Advent, y’all! Today, we begin a season to “get ready” for the coming of Christ, which is what Advent is all about, by challenging each other to **walk in joy**. Three hundred years ago in 1719, Isaac Watt penned his triumphant carol, Joy to the World. The first verse goes: Joy to the world, the Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room I am challenging us over these next four Sundays to prepare room in our hearts for Christmas Day, for the good news of God coming to us, and these strange gifts of joy that...

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(posted 12/1/19)

Re-Turn (a sermon by Rev. Nathan Hill)

Scripture: Matthew 6:7-15 & James 5:13-16

On Twitter right now, there is a popular hashtag that goes - #StartAnArgumentIn4Words For example: - “pineapple belongs on pizza” - “do I look fat?” - “cats are better pets” - “old bay is optional” - “voting does not matter” It’s wild how just a few words can raise our blood pressure, isn’t it? Likewise, as I mentioned in my email to the congregation on Friday, there are a number of phrases in life that are under four words which hold so much meaning that they become difficult to say. Mary Clark, one of our church members, shared with me that hers is “I need...

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(posted 11/26/19)

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