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When I was growing up, Maundy Thursday was one of many unfamiliar observances on my mother’s Phillips Brooks calendar. I’m not sure exactly when I learned roughly what it was – a service remembering the final meal Jesus ate with his disciples before he died. I may have had a vague sense before joining our … Continue reading What is Maundy Thursday?
Our theme for exploration this month is “Opening to Joy.” December is the month where we are most likely to feel pressure to be cheerful, to smile for the camera, go to parties, decorate, give gifts… but we can go through those motions without experiencing any joy at all. If we are depressed, grieving, stressed … Continue reading Opening to Joy
Whether December delights you or depresses you, I can assure you of this: it will not last. Many of us will decorate our homes for Solstice, Hanukkah, and/or Christmas (if we haven’t already), remembering holidays past as we bring out candles, ornaments, maybe those cookie-cutters that only get used once a year. We will sing … Continue reading Winter Holiday Impermanence
As someone who recently moved and experienced my mother’s death, our December worship theme of “Letting Go” resonates strongly with both my outer and inner self. Reckoning with letting go is a lifelong spiritual task for all of us, because change is inevitable and yet holding on, too, is a human necessity. We are social … Continue reading Letting Go
I love the words of Howard Thurman that we often use as the close of our Christmas Eve services: When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: … Continue reading The January Task: Healing a Broken World
While our minister, Rev. Michael Leuchtenberger, is on sabbatical, we will fill our Musings space with insights from our members. By Barbara Keshen If I had thought about it at the time, I probably would not have agreed to write Musings in the middle of December. Truth be told, even in the best of times, … Continue reading A Grateful Humbug
