Author: The Rev. Shelley D. McDade

Whatever your opinion, or lack of one, is on the Michael Brown shooting and demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri, and other cities around our nation…the real truth is that people are in pain. Deep pain. And it isn’t just this one situation. People are reacting strongly to the multitude of unprecedented situations playing out in and around our everyday lives. My personal mantra in life is “to respond, not react.” Right now, people are reacting. And I don’t think we even realize how much minor transitions and developments of life are compromising and affecting our ability to think… to grow… to embrace… to respond… to activate… or rest… in God.

Many images, icons and paintings have tried to capture the essence of the Holy Spirit specifically from the writings of the New Testament during the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost was not a moment and, in my opinion, it wasn’t even an event. It was an expression of the power of God meant specifically to carry the message of God to all people in all languages to all nations and tribes of the world. It was not a division of race but rather an invitation of unity: unity of faith; unity of spirit; unity of God. Paintings of this subject traditionally associate the tongues of fire with the tops of the disciples’ heads. In the May 28th issue of Christian Century there is an article on a Pentecost painting by Christian Thai artist Sawai Chinnawong.

The nature of our existence allows for countless journeys to be experienced. The journey of time and circumstance. The journey of alliance and detachment. The journey of pleasure and regret. The journey postponed and the journey remembered. The journey of knowledge. The journey of innocence. And the journey of love. Our Lenten journey, if entered genuinely with an exposed and defenseless heart, summons all

Living on the inside of Lent To step into the season of Lent is to open yourself up to the unknown. At first there is clarity. It is easy to see the habits that need to be ended, the relationships that need to be mended, and the clutter that needs to be organized. But then something happens. Time moves forward. The evening shadows begin

To step into Lent is to acknowledge our desire for being known. If we truly want to be known we need to open ourselves up to the possibility of a shared life with each other. A shared life often feels like compromise…something accepted rather than wanted. A compromise may feel as though we are settling for less than what we originally wanted. But what

Although Lent is a serious time of reflection as we head into the Passion of our Lord….it is also a wonderful opportunity to teach the kids in a fun way about family tradition and our Christian faith. During the Children’s Lesson this Sunday we will be inviting the kids to help prepare the palms for Ash Wednesday. Lots of “crunching” of last years dried

Epiphany Proclamation: While a day like Christmas is fixed in our minds and on the calendars on December 25th, many of the important feasts of the Church year move, based upon the date that Easter is set. Easter changes each year moving to the Sunday after the “Paschal Full Moon,” and can fall between March 22 and April 25. In ancient times before calendars